Biden’s camp announced the list of nearly 500 transition teams, saying the transfer of power will not be affected.

Original caption: Biden’s camp announced the list of nearly 500 transition teams, saying the transfer of power will not be affected.

[Artículo / Observador Wang Guo Han]Trump is determined not to admit defeat, Biden’s declaration of victory has been shortened considerably, and the power transfer process has been delayed at launch. But he didn’t panic at all: the 10th local time, he reversed a transition team roster of nearly 500 people, indicating that handover work has begun. Even if the Federal General Services Administration, which calls itself the “owner” of the United States government, “locks the door,” “it will not change our motivation to get things done in the least.” The “Politician” website described Biden’s team’s move as something akin to the “kick-start.”

It’s worth mentioning that this list deals with “political correctness.” More than half of its members are women, and it also includes many former Obama administration officials, which to some extent foreshadows the staff appointments and political directions of the new administration that Biden is preparing.

However, the efficiency of the transition team was greatly reduced due to the indecisive results of the general elections and the “stalling” of the transfer work by the federal agency. Additionally, Biden also faces the dilemma of extending an olive branch to the Republican Party in terms of specific staffing arrangements to avoid angering “progressives” within the Democratic Party.

　　The most comprehensive list of Biden’s transition team, many of whom are Obama-era officials.

The “Politico” news website reported at 10 local time that the Biden camp government transition website published a long list of its “Institutional Assessment Team” (ART) on the same day. Comprehensive inspection “.

The nearly 500-person roster lists members of the handover team from the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the National Security Council, and the National Aeronautics Administration. and Space (NASA). Their identities include former civil servants, academics, companies, think tanks, NGOs, etc.

“Politicians” listed a group of representatives. For example, the person responsible for directing the handover of the Department of Homeland Security was Ur Jadou, the chief legal advisor to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during the Obama era. He has repeatedly championed the “Dream Chaser” (DACA) immigration plan that Trump tried to abolish during the Obama era.

For another example, Leondra Inglich will take over control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the department established by Obama to oversee large financial institutions after the 2008 financial crisis. Ingrish served as the agency’s deputy director from 2017 to 2018, and was originally expected to be the acting director.But he was replaced by Trump’s cronies and later sued the Trump administration over this matter.And he received the support of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but after losing the lawsuit, he resigned as deputy director.

In addition, the transition team responsible for the Federal Reserve, banking and securities supervision is Gary Gensler. He served as Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Obama era, and led the introduction of the Dodd-Frank Act and promoted the establishment of an industry regulatory framework for derivatives. financial

In fact, in addition to the three above, there are many former Obama administration officials on the transition team. Rajesh Nayak, from the Labor Department’s handover team, served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Labor Department during the Obama era. Anne Reid, aide to Senator Warren, will also continue her experience at the Department of Health and Human Services and will be responsible for the department transfer.

　　Being “stuck” by the Federal Services Agency, the transition team is in name but not real

The winning side of the previous general election will form a transition team within 10 weeks before the results are announced at the opening ceremony. Your task is to collect and evaluate the budgets, personnel information, relevant regulations and other tasks at hand from 15 ministries at the ministerial level and other federal agencies in the Cabinet to prepare for the formation of a new team.

It is worth mentioning that the members of the transition team have a great influence on the nomination of officials from various agencies, and will even serve in the responsible agencies themselves.

However, so far, Biden’s transition team still “has no name” because the US General Services Administration (GSA) has not recognized Biden’s victory in the general election and refused to initiate the transfer process. presidential.

The Federal Services Agency was established in 1949. It is responsible for writing the general labor rules and regulations of the federal government, the construction, deployment, maintenance and management of office buildings and other federal public buildings, centralized procurement, asset management, travel management, information building and technical support, etc. .

Per the agency’s decision, the transition team“You cannot walk in through the doors of federal agencies,” you cannot communicate directly with current federal government officials, and you cannot obtain relevant materials and information.

CNN stated that Trump used the General Services Administration to prevent Biden from carrying out the handover. Biden’s field published the list at this time to “show self-confidence,” showing that they will proceed step by step without interference.

But this will inevitably affect the efficiency of the transition team. Until the outcome of Trump’s legal proceedings, they can only contact and obtain information from former public officials, think tanks, labor organizations, trade associations, and NGOs.

In addition, the Federal Services AgencyIt also stopped more than $ 6 million in activity funds for the transition team,Therefore, everyone on the list is labeled “volunteer” and is temporarily unpaid work.

　　Biden: The handover has already started, so don’t worry about how long it will take to confirm the results of the general election.

At 10 local time, Biden publicly stated that he was not concerned about how long it would take for the General Services Administration under Trump to confirm the results of the general election. He criticized Trump for his refusal to admit defeat as “shame” and his refusal to initiate the transfer of power “will not change our motivation to get things done in the least.”

“We have already started the handover work, and we are proceeding smoothly … Nothing can stop this,” Biden said as well, believing that the Republican Party will work with him. His assistant revealed that the team has been in contact with Republican lawmakers. However, the Republican Party has not yet officially recognized Biden’s victory. The “Politician” website believes that the Federal General Services Administration blocked the door and Biden’s team was forced to begin the transition process, which amounted to “catching up.”

The Associated Press mentioned that Biden himself promised to be the “president of all Americans” in his victory speech on the 7th, implying his willingness to extend an olive branch to the Republican Party. To bridge the differences between the two parties, he can arrange for former Republican government officials to take office in the new government. Should Republicans occupy the majority of their Senate seats two months later, this measure will help ease the contradiction between the two parties and prevent Republicans from using the Senate’s staffing power to “stall” the administration. of Biden as the Democrats did four years ago.

But the biggest headache for Biden is that further strengthening cooperation with the Republican Party may in turn cause dissatisfaction among “progressives” within the Democratic Party. The latter is concerned that Biden will compromise on health insurance, economic recovery bills, green energy, and other issues, and is concerned whether professional lobbyists and corporate CEOs are “mixed” on the team’s list of transition.

Biden’s transition team stated in a statement that the list reflects a commitment to the left in the Democratic Party.“The strong, forward-thinking values ​​of many team members and the deep roots of the union movement will set the tone for the new Biden / Harris administration.”

The list does not forget to take care of the “political correctness” of the United States. The statement mentioned that more than half of the transition team members are women and more than 40% are non-white and sexual minorities.

Editor in Charge: Wang Yongsheng