Biden team forging ahead with presidential transition planning
Joe Biden’s transition team is moving forward with efforts to plan for his possible presidency as the election results remain in limbo.
Joe Biden’s transition team is moving forward with efforts to plan for his possible presidency as the election results remain in limbo, according to people familiar with the matter.
Mr. Biden’s transition team, a group of policy experts charged with implementing the former vice president’s policy agenda and filling thousands of jobs across the government, is forging ahead with plans to send staff into federal agencies once a winner is declared, the people said.
The team has been planning for months for the possibility that the Trump administration won’t co-operate with Mr. Biden’s aides as they prepare for him to potentially take over the White House. The team has drawn up alternate plans in case the administration doesn’t share key information, provide financial resources or allow staff into agencies to begin planning Mr. Biden’s first term agenda, the people said.
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“The crises facing the country are severe —from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice —and the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One,” a transition official said, echoing a statement on the transition team’s newly launched website.
In addition to discussing how to implement Mr. Biden’s policy agenda, transition officials have also discussed which jobs to fill first. Among the items under consideration is a coronavirus-focused task force made up of top health officials, some of the people said. That plan, which was first reported by Politico, has not been finalised.
The Wall Street Journal
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