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Trump’s Transition Team Secures Access to Federal Agencies
The incoming administration of President-elect Trump has finalized an agreement with the existing Biden administration, facilitating the deployment of transition teams across various federal agencies. This development resolves the previous standoff that hindered official transition activities.
Transition teams, also referred to as landing teams or agency review teams, will now be allowed to enter the head offices of government departments. Their role includes engaging with key career senior executive staff, reviewing prepared briefings concerning ongoing agency activities, and initiating discussions on current projects and future initiatives.
According to established guidelines, presidential candidates are encouraged to sign agreements with the General Services Administration (GSA), which oversees transition operations, by September 1 and with the White House by October 1. However, Trump had initially refrained from signing these memoranda until recently when he confirmed an agreement with the White House. Notably, Trump has yet to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the GSA. Consequently, this absence means his transition team will lack access to government office resources and official IT services, such as .gov email accounts.
“With the selection process for his incoming cabinet concluded, President-elect Trump is progressing to the next stage of the transition by engaging with President Biden’s administration,” stated Susie Wiles, Trump’s Chief of Staff-designate. “This cooperation enables our anticipated cabinet nominees to initiate necessary preparations, including deploying landing teams to every relevant department and facilitating a smooth shift of power.”
Legislators and advocacy groups, such as the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition, have persistently urged Trump to participate in formal transition activities. They have cautioned that failing to establish connections with agency personnel and lacking insight into ongoing projects could leave the administration ill-prepared for governance from its first day in office.
This delay in transition activities marks the third consecutive presidential election cycle affected in this way. In 2016, Trump’s transition efforts started slowly due to a decision to abandon pre-election planning. Similarly, in 2020, Biden faced transition delays as Trump did not concede the election promptly.
Federal agencies stand ready for Trump’s transition team, having prepared briefing materials in advance of the election and designated career staff to assist the landing teams.
The announcement from Trump’s transition team indicated that they would not tap into taxpayer funds designated for transition expenses, opting instead to bypass several procedural steps mandated by transition legislation. Specifically, the team plans to forgo an ethics agreement with the GSA, relying instead on internal agreements to be published on the GSA’s website. They will follow “existing security and information protections,” which they claim will minimize the need for additional governmental oversight.
Typically, transition teams enter into an additional MOU with the Justice Department to allow the FBI to carry out background checks on prospective nominees. So far, Trump has not engaged in this process either. Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesperson for the DOJ, confirmed that discussions regarding this agreement are still ongoing.
According to Trump’s transition team, the landing teams will swiftly integrate into federal agencies, gaining access to documents and facilitating policy exchanges. They indicated a willingness to share details about the landing teams with the Biden administration, although it remains unclear if any announcement of their members will be made publicly.
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