Democrats insist on Tuesday’s briefing from GSA chief on delayed transition

Congressional Democrats, angered by the Trump administration’s refusal to begin the formal transition process to President-elect Joe Biden, are demanding a briefing on the matter from the head of the General Services Administration on Tuesday.

In a letter to GSA administrator Emily Murphy, the Democrats say they can’t wait another week, as the GSA has offered. The GSA said the deputy administrator will provide a briefing to lawmakers on November 30.

Lawmakers, including the chairs of the House Appropriations and House Oversight and Reform committees, wrote on Monday: “We can’t wait another week to get the basic information about your refusal to take the determination of the assessment. Every day more. that is being wasted is a day that the safety, health and well-being of the American people are in jeopardy as the upcoming Biden-Harris administration is blocked from fully preparing for the coronavirus pandemic, our nation’s dire economic crisis and our own national security “.

The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 requires the head of the GSA to “ascertain”, or determine, the winner of the presidential election, which Murphy has so far refused to do. His denial means that Biden cannot enter government offices or receive approximately $ 9.9 million to pay salaries to his transition staff, and his team cannot officially meet with members of the Trump administration.

Democrats, along with a handful of Republicans, as well as leading national health and security experts, say the delayed start of the transition endangers national security and will damage the ability of the incoming Biden administration to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. which killed more than 250,000 people. Americans.

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