The US General Services Administration (GSA) on Monday formally informed President-elect Joe Biden that the transition process will officially begin now that Michigan has certified Biden as the state’s winner, potentially signaling a near end to President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn the results of the election.
Trump has yet to concede, but said that he had directed GSA chief Emily Murphy to follow protocol and “do what needs to be done” in the “best interest of the country”. However, Trump has stressed that GSA working with Biden’s team will not stop him from pursuing his various lawsuits against “the most corrupt election in American political history”, and that he would “keep up the good fight”.
The GSA’s approval—which has come two weeks after Biden was declared the winner—permits current Trump administration officials to coordinate with the incoming Biden team, and provides millions in government funding for the transition. The delay in allowing the peaceful transfer of power to begin was heavily criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for undermining national security and the new administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Murphy defended her actions by saying that she did not want to supersede the constitutional process of counting votes and picking a president.
“I do not think that an agency charged with improving federal procurement and property management should place itself above the constitutionally-based election process,” she wrote in a letter to Biden’s transition team. She also stated that she was neither pressured nor directed by any executive branch official and that she made her decisions “independently, based on the law and available facts”.
Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of Biden’s transition team, said that his aides would now begin meeting with Trump’s team “to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration’s efforts to hollow out government agencies”.
On Monday night, Biden unveiled his top Cabinet picks, nominating longtime advisor Antony Blinken to be secretary of state, lawyer Alejandro Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Jake Sullivan as national security advisor, and former Secretary of State John Kerry as the president’s climate change envoy. Biden’s roster also includes multiple women, with Linda Thomas-Greenfield named as the US ambassador to the UN, and Avril Haines tapped to be the director of national intelligence, making her the first woman to hold the post. Biden is expected to choose former Fed Chair Janet Yellen as his secretary of the Treasury.
Both Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris touted the experiences and diversity of their picks. “While this team has unmatched experience and accomplishments, they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet these challenges with old thinking and unchanged habits,” Biden said. “For example, we’re going to have the first woman lead the intelligence community, the first Latino and immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security, and a groundbreaking diplomat at the United Nations. It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it”.
Harris added, “When Joe asked me to be his running mate, he told me about his commitment to making sure we selected a cabinet that looks like America that reflects the best of our nation, and that’s what we have done”.
Biden Gets US Government Approval to Officially Begin Transition
Donald Trump has yet to concede, but said that he had directed GSA chief Emily Murphy to follow protocol and “do what needs to be done” in the “best interest of the country.”
November 25, 2020
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES