Approval for Transition Gives Biden Team Government Resources
2020-11-25
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1The U.S. government on Monday recognized President-elect Joe Biden as the "apparent winner" of the November 3 election.
2The move officially lets the transition of power begin.
3It comes after President Donald Trump spent weeks attempting to overturn election results with baseless claims of cheating.
4The process began after General Services Administrator Emily Murphy gave permission to Biden to work with federal agencies ahead of his inauguration on January 20.
5Trump has not yet admitted defeat and promised to continue his legal fight over the election results.
6However, he wrote on Twitter Monday that he was directing his team to cooperate with the transition.
7Murphy, explaining her decision, noted "recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results."
8She acted after Michigan on Monday certified Biden's victory in the state and a federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a Trump campaign case that sought to prevent certification in that state.
9An increasing number of Republicans have been publicly recognizing Biden's victory, after weeks of supporting Trump in disputing the voting results.
10Yohannes Abraham leads the Biden transition team.
11 He said the team can now begin to attack the problems facing the nation, "including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track."
12Murphy, a Trump appointee, had faced criticism for failing to open the transition process sooner.
13The delay prevented Biden and his team from working with government officials on plans for his administration.
14The delay also blocked them from secret national security materials and hurt the team's ability to make plans for dealing with the health crisis.
15In her letter to Biden Monday, Murphy said she acted on her own.
16"Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts.
17 I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official - including those who work at the White House or GSA - with regard to the substance or timing of my decision," she wrote.
18Trump tweeted shortly after Murphy's decision: "We will keep up the good fight and I believe we will prevail!"
19But the post also said that he had advised the GSA official and her team, as well as his own, to carry out usual transition duties.
20The GSA will now release $6.3 million to Biden's transition team, as well as 16,000 square meters of federal office space.
21This includes secure areas where Biden and his team can receive sensitive intelligence information.
22Most recent presidents-elect have had about 77 days between their election win and their first day in office.
23Biden's team will have 57 days.
24In the year 2000, the GSA delayed offering promised support to a president-elect because of a vote recount that took place in Florida.
25That recount was finalized on December 13.
26That gave the team of incoming President George W. Bush less time and support ahead of Bush's first day in office.
27An official report said the shortened transition period made the nation less prepared for the September 11 terror attacks that took place in Bush's first year in office.
28I'm Ashley Thompson.
1The U.S. government on Monday recognized President-elect Joe Biden as the "apparent winner" of the November 3 election. The move officially lets the transition of power begin. It comes after President Donald Trump spent weeks attempting to overturn election results with baseless claims of cheating. 2The process began after General Services Administrator Emily Murphy gave permission to Biden to work with federal agencies ahead of his inauguration on January 20. 3Trump has not yet admitted defeat and promised to continue his legal fight over the election results. However, he wrote on Twitter Monday that he was directing his team to cooperate with the transition. 4Murphy, explaining her decision, noted "recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results." 5She acted after Michigan on Monday certified Biden's victory in the state and a federal judge in Pennsylvania dismissed a Trump campaign case that sought to prevent certification in that state. 6An increasing number of Republicans have been publicly recognizing Biden's victory, after weeks of supporting Trump in disputing the voting results. 7Yohannes Abraham leads the Biden transition team. He said the team can now begin to attack the problems facing the nation, "including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track." 8Murphy, a Trump appointee, had faced criticism for failing to open the transition process sooner. The delay prevented Biden and his team from working with government officials on plans for his administration. The delay also blocked them from secret national security materials and hurt the team's ability to make plans for dealing with the health crisis. 9In her letter to Biden Monday, Murphy said she acted on her own. 10"Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts. I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official - including those who work at the White House or GSA - with regard to the substance or timing of my decision," she wrote. 11Trump tweeted shortly after Murphy's decision: "We will keep up the good fight and I believe we will prevail!" But the post also said that he had advised the GSA official and her team, as well as his own, to carry out usual transition duties. 12The GSA will now release $6.3 million to Biden's transition team, as well as 16,000 square meters of federal office space. This includes secure areas where Biden and his team can receive sensitive intelligence information. 13Most recent presidents-elect have had about 77 days between their election win and their first day in office. Biden's team will have 57 days. 14In the year 2000, the GSA delayed offering promised support to a president-elect because of a vote recount that took place in Florida. That recount was finalized on December 13. 15That gave the team of incoming President George W. Bush less time and support ahead of Bush's first day in office. 16An official report said the shortened transition period made the nation less prepared for the September 11 terror attacks that took place in Bush's first year in office. 17I'm Ashley Thompson. 18The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 19_____________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21transition - n. a change from one state or condition to another 22inauguration - n. an act or ceremony of introducing into office 23challenge - n. an action, statement, etc., that is against something; a refusal to accept something as true, correct, or legal; also a difficult task or problem 24certify - v. to say officially that something or someone has met certain standards or requirements 25pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world