Hi,
Joe Biden is going to be the next President of the United States, and he
has already begun the essential work of planning the transition of power.
But Donald Trump's administration is already trying to undermine the
transition.
The Administrator of the General Services Administration, Emily Murphy, is
refusing to sign crucial paperwork that unlocks public funding, staff, and
resources to allow the presidential transition to go smoothly and on
time.^1
This is another example of Trump and his allies refusing to accept defeat.
And it could lead to the first delay in a presidential transition in
nearly a century. With the coronavirus pandemic raging and the economy in
crisis, we cannot afford any delays. It's time for Murphy and the Trump
Administration to cooperate.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Stop obstructing the presidential transition!
According to the Washington Post, the GSA's paperwork is essential to a
smooth transition, as it allows the "officially turning over millions of
dollars, as well as give access to government officials, office space in
agencies and equipment authorized for the taxpayer-funded transition teams
of the winner."^2
There is no conflict between enabling a transition process to begin now
and counting all the votes. Every presidential transition in modern times,
except for 2000, happened on time even as votes continued to be counted.
And the disputed 2000 election is not one we should emulate -- especially
given that the 2020 election isn't a close one.
We've seen once before how devastating it can be when an outgoing
president refuses to constructively participate in a transition process.
In 1932 Republican president Herbert Hoover refused to work with incoming
Democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt. One result was that the
federal government was crippled as a serious financial crisis spread
through the country. The banking system nearly collapsed as a result.
Congress later amended the constitution to shorten the transition period
by moving inauguration day from March 4 to January 20.^3
Once more, our country is in a severe crisis. Coronavirus is spreading
uncontrolled across the country at record levels. The economic crisis
continues to worsen.
Trump may not want to admit defeat, but the people who run the government
need to stop answering to him and instead, work with Biden and his team to
ensure a smooth transition.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name: Stop obstructing the presidential transition!
Thank you for taking action,
Robert and the team at Demand Progress
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. The Washington Post, "A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of
handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn’t budging,"
[ [link removed] ]November 9, 2020.
2. Ibid.
3. The American Prospect, "The Winter of our Discontent," [ [link removed] ]September 9,
2020.
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