COVID Planning At Top Of Biden’s To-Do List As Transition Officially Starts
With access to funds and federal officials no longer blocked, getting up to speed on the government's pandemic response and vaccine distributions plans is the top priority for President-elect Joe Biden's transition team.
NBC News:
Trump Administration Officially Authorizes Biden Transition
After weeks of delay, the head of the General Services Administration informed President-elect Joe Biden on Monday that the official governmental transition process has been approved. GSA Administrator Emily Murphy said in a letter that Biden, whom she referred to as "the apparent president-elect," is now able to get access to millions of dollars in federal funds and other resources to begin his transition to power. ... NBC News and other news organizations projected Biden as the winner on Nov. 7, but Trump has refused to concede for weeks. The refusal stopped Biden's team from gaining critical access to government resources as the nation grapples with surging Covid-19 case numbers and economic uncertainty. (Clark, Bennett, Vitali and Welker, 11/23)
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Approves Start Of Formal Transition To Biden
In a statement, Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of Mr. Biden’s transition, said ... aides to Mr. Biden would soon begin meeting with Trump administration officials “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.” (Shear, Haberman, Corasaniti and Rutenberg, 11/23)
The Hill:
Trump Tells GSA That Biden Transition Can Begin
The Biden transition team welcomed the formal ascertainment, calling it a “needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track.” (Chalfant, Samuels and Miller, 11/23)
Business Insider:
Trump Allowed Biden Transition After Told Didn't Have To Concede: NYT
President Donald Trump agreed to let the transition to a Biden administration proceed only after being told by advisors that he wouldn't have to say he conceded defeat, reported The New York Times Monday. In tweets on Monday, two weeks after losing to President-elect Joe Biden, Trump announced that he was letting the General Services Administration (GSA) "do what needs to be done" for Biden to take office in January. (Porter, 11/24)
In other developments about President-elect Joe Biden's transition —
The Hill:
Biden, Harris To Meet Virtually With US Mayors Amid Coronavirus Surge
President-elect Joe Biden plans to speak with mayors on Monday amid the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are scheduled to meet virtually with the United States Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan organization that includes more than 1,400 leaders of cities in the U.S. whose populations exceed 30,000 people. Biden and Harris will take part in the meeting from Wilmington, Del. (Chalfant, 11/23)
The Hill:
Voters Say Biden Should Make Coronavirus Vaccine A Priority: Poll
Forty percent of voters say President-elect Joe Biden should make distributing a coronavirus vaccine his top priority when he is sworn into office next year, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris survey released exclusively to The Hill. Thirty-three percent of voters polled said Biden should make it a priority to pass a new coronavirus stimulus package through Congress. (Manchester, 11/23)
