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US President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team expressed frustration with the level of cooperation they were receiving from political appointees at the Pentagon, saying there had been a “sudden pause in the already limited cooperation there.”
Biden’s transition team met with officials from various agencies to obtain detailed reviews of the programs and challenges the new administration would inherit, a process that was delayed when the General Services Administration refused to issue formal confirmation that Biden had won the elections.
The delay came when US President Donald Trump, who appointed those who ran the Public Services Administration, refused to acknowledge the defeat of the election.
Transitional executive director Johannes Abraham told reporters that the Biden administration’s review teams at the Department of Defense learned about the “withdrawal of meetings” on Thursday and reported them immediately.
Abraham called the meetings and requested information to resume them immediately. “Not working together could have consequences that extend beyond January,” Abraham said.
On Friday, the Defense Ministry gave a different assessment. It issued a statement saying there was a “mutually agreed vacation break” that would begin on Saturday.
Defense officials said some of the meetings had been postponed so department staff could focus on issues related to the potential for a partial government shutdown Friday night if Congress was unable to agree to legislation to mitigate the effects. of COVID-19.
Congress passed a two-day temporary spending law Friday night to avoid closure.
“Our primary focus in the next two weeks is to support basic requests for information” on Operation Warp Speed and Covid-19 “to ensure a seamless transition,” said Christopher Miller, Acting Secretary of Defense.
Abraham replied, “Let me be clear: there was no reciprocal agreement on a party.”
“In fact, we believe it is important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period as there is no time to lose,” he added.
Miller was appointed to the post just over five weeks ago, after Trump fired then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Miller quickly replaced several high-level political advisers with Trump loyalists who may be less willing or less willing to actively participate in the transition.
Miller said the ministry remains committed to a full and transparent transition process and is working to reschedule about 20 interviews with 40 officials after Jan.1.
He added that the ministry had already conducted 139 interviews and delivered 5,300 pages of non-public or confidential information.
Abraham made it clear that Biden’s transition team was not satisfied with this decision. Biden becomes president on the afternoon of January 20.
“There have been many agencies and departments that have facilitated the exchange of information and meetings in recent weeks. At the same time, there have been pockets of stubbornness, and the Department of Defense is one of them,” Abraham said.
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