The General Service Administration acknowledged Joe Biden as the apparent winner of the presidential election on Monday, following weeks of inaction that stalled the formal transfer of power in Washington and hampered the incoming administration’s pandemic response planning.
The designation triggers a formal transition process, giving Biden and his team access to current agency officials, briefing books, some $6 million in funding and other government resources.
“As stated, because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, I have determined that you may access the post-election resources and services described in Section 3 of the Act upon request,” GSA Administrator Emily Murphy said in a letter to Biden, citing the Presidential Transition Act of 1963.
For weeks, the Biden transition team has instead worked informally to establish a new administration, including assembling a coronavirus task force and consulting with public health officials outside of the federal government, mimicking the approach former Vice President Dick Cheney took during the disputed 2000 election.
Blocked from interacting with federal agencies, the Biden team instead sought out other experts from academia, state governments and Capitol Hill.
President Donald Trump tweeted praise of Murphy on Twitter after her letter to Biden was released. “I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues,” he wrote.
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