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President Donald Trump’s transition team has agreed to sign transition of power agreements with the Biden administration after an initial delay.
The news comes three weeks after Trump’s presidential victory and the nomination of several Cabinet members and other administration leaders.
“Trump is entering the next phase of his administration’s transition by executing a memorandum of understanding with President Joe Biden’s White House,” Susie Wiles, Trump’s recently announced White House chief of staff, said in a statement.
“This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power,” she added.
President Joe Biden assured an orderly transition once it became clear that Donald Trump had won the 2024 election, but Trump’s team has been slow to formalize the process. The deadline to submit the necessary paperwork was Oct. 1.
In addition, Trump has declined to accept the General Services Administration’s (GSA) transition resources, including office space, equipment, administrative support and other services mandated by the Presidential Transition Act. He has also refused to sign two memoranda of understanding with the GSA and has not submitted a required ethics plan.
Some conservatives have suggested that Trump should privately fund the transition to avoid the disclosure requirements that come with GSA support. The cost is estimated to range between $14 million and $16 million.
A statement from White House spokeswoman Saloni Sharma reaffirmed Biden’s commitment to a smooth transfer of power but expressed frustration over Trump’s reluctance to complete the necessary GSA paperwork.
“As part of the White House MOU, the Trump-Vance transition team has agreed to important safeguards to protect non-public information and prevent conflicts of interest, including who has access to the information and how the information is shared,” Sharma’s statement reads. “The MOU also outlines that the Trump transition team will publicly post their ethics plan to the GSA website.”
