Now that the General Services Administration has approved Biden’s access to transition resources, there is a number of things set in motion leading up to inauguration on Jan. 20. This year, $6.3 million in funding is set aside for the incoming president-elect, which can be used for Washington, D.C. offices, paying staff and other transition logistics.
The GSA ascertained president-elect Biden late Monday, a move that came 20 days after the election itself and amid accusations that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, appointed by President Trump, was delaying the process.
First, the law requires oversight from a White House Transition Coordinating Council, which was established in May and is made up of senior administration officials, including Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, OMB Director Russell Vought and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone.
The council oversees federal agencies throughout the transition, including the preparation of briefing materials, information sharing and hosting interagency emergency response exercises.
On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said his department was already in contact with president-elect Biden’s transition team as of Monday night, after GSA ascertained Biden as the winner.
“We are immediately getting them all of the pre-prepared transition materials,” he said. “ We will ensure coordinated briefings with them to ensure they’re getting whatever information that they feel they need.”
The transition council also includes a Federal Transition Coordinator appointed by GSA to oversee the process. This year, it is Mary Gibert, who previously oversaw the agency’s Office of Civil Rights.
In August, Gibert told the Center for Presidential Transition that her planning begins two and a half years in advance of the election and that her role is nonpartisan.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why my position is designated to be a career position. The statute over time has become very clear about what must be done, who needs to do it and who needs to do it by certain points in time,” Gibert said.
Gibert’s work includes overseeing orientation for thousands of new political appointees, which the agency sets aside $1 million for. Biden officially announced key nominees and appointees for his national security and foreign policy teams on Tuesday.
Additionally, the president-elect should get a “detailed classified, compartmented summary … of specific operational threats to national security, major military or covert operations and pending decisions on possible uses of military force … as soon as possible after the date of the general elections,” according to the laws that govern presidential transitions.
Biden’s team will also gain access to a large amount of office space in downtown Washington, D.C., complete with security set up by the Secret Service, furniture and IT support. This year, the Department of Commerce headquarters has been set aside for Biden’s transition team, and the building is meant to accommodate 500 or more staff, paid by GSA.
The president-elect’s team has continued to work from its headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, since the election, and Biden hasn’t announced plans to move their work to Washington, D.C. yet.
After GSA’s ascertainment Monday night, Biden’s transition website changed from a commercial URL to an official government site, now located at “BuildBackBetter.gov” instead of “.com.”
The agency will also offer support for outgoing President Trump for up to six months after the end of his term.
If accepted, GSA would provide a small staff, $2.6 million in funding and assistance in setting up an Office of the Former President.