Postmaster General David Steiner told lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service would not deliver mail-in ballots in states that refuse to provide voter registration data to the federal government under a proposed Trump administration rule.

Steiner said the measure is intended to ensure "the right ballots are going to the right people."

During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked Steiner whether the Postal Service would continue delivering absentee ballots if a state declined to turn over its absentee voter list.

"Under our proposed regulation, no," Steiner responded.

The proposal follows President Donald Trump's March executive order directing the Postal Service to develop a rule requiring states to provide lists of eligible voters at least 60 days before federal elections.

The White House said the order is designed to strengthen election integrity by improving voter eligibility verification through existing federal resources, including Social Security records and the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE database.

Democrats questioned whether the Postal Service has the authority to enforce such a requirement, arguing election administration is the responsibility of the states.

Steiner acknowledged that "we don't administer elections," but maintained the proposal is meant to verify that ballots are sent only to eligible voters.

"I would think that states would want the information to ensure that the ballots that they think they're sending out are the ballots that are actually getting sent out," Steiner told the committee.

Steiner also emphasized that the Postal Service would follow any judicial rulings affecting mail voting, saying the agency "would comply with any court orders" governing the delivery of ballots.

The proposed rule is currently in a 30-day public comment period. Trump's executive order directs the Postal Service to issue a final rule by the end of July.