President-elect Trump on Tuesday approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the White House, facilitating meetings between officials and their departmental and agency counterparts as part of the transition process set for January.
Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming chief of staff, announced that the transition team had formalized the MOU with President Joe Biden’s administration, according to The Hill. This arrangement will enable Trump’s intended Cabinet nominees to start their preparations by deploying teams across various federal departments and agencies.
“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,” Wiles said.
She said that these landing teams will be assimilated into federal agencies and departments, sharing access to documents and policies, The Hill reported. The identities of these team members will be shared with the Biden administration.
HAIL TO THE CHIEF: Trump Announces Susie Wiles As Chief Of Staff
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Additionally, the Trump transition team decided against using taxpayer funds for transition expenses or government facilities provided by the Government Services Administration, The Hill said. Despite this, the transition has yet to reveal its funding sources, although it promises to make its donors known publicly and has pledged not to accept foreign contributions.
Wiles’s statement did not confirm whether a similar MOU had been signed with the Justice Department for conducting background checks on incoming officials, nor did it indicate whether an ethics agreement to manage conflicts of interest would be released, the outlet reported. However, the transition team mentioned an existing Ethics Plan that aligns with the necessary standards for personnel transitioning into the Trump Administration. The plan will be available on the General Services Administration’s website.
Officials from the White House have said that negotiations are advancing toward an MOU with the Justice Department to ensure any shared classified information is accessed by individuals with appropriate security clearances, The Hill said. The formalization of the MOU with the White House occurred three weeks after Trump’s electoral win. Biden and his team secured a similar agreement in early Sept. 2020, well before the election.
White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma reported that since September, the White House and the General Services Administration (GSA) have consistently encouraged Trump’s team to sign both memoranda, adhering to tradition, NBC News reported. Sharma disagreed with Trump’s decision not to sign the GSA memorandum but affirmed the White House’s commitment to ensuring a smooth transition, noting it as the responsible approach in the best interests of the American people.
“While we do not agree with the Trump transition team’s decision to forgo signing the GSA MOU, we will follow the purpose of the Presidential Transition Act, which clearly states that ‘any disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and wellbeing of the United States and its people,’” Sharma said.
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