How Do Presidential Changes Usually Work?
Throughout history, the White House has witnessed a peaceful transfer of power between the outgoing and new presidential administrations, regardless of any instability that gripped the country. The handover of the executive baton to the new presidential administration has become a hallmark of democracy in that country; The White House is the temporary residence of the presidential tenants, not the permanent residence of a private mortgage paying individual.
Given the Trump administration’s refusal to admit defeat after losing to President-elect Joe Biden on November 3, the centuries-old tradition has been thrown back into unprecedentedly dark territory. Even under normal circumstances, where the outgoing president does not obstruct the arrival of a new administration or make unfounded allegations of electoral fraud, the peaceful transfer of executive power is a complex process that requires close cooperation and mutual displays of good faith to succeed.
This is how the process usually worked until 2020.
New administration starts hiring
While I hate the analogy with government as a business, it is a useful concept to illustrate the problem that the upcoming Biden administration is currently solving: imagine a corporation with over 4,000 full-time, appointed positions required to open a store and start working on issues that have international importance, within three months. Basically, this is what the Biden campaign is up to as it transforms into the 46th White House administration.
Max Steer, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, illustrated the scale of NBC News’s challenge this month. The report says:
Steer said there are 4,000 political appointees in the government who need to be identified, vetted, interviewed and recruited. Some security clearances require FBI field investigations, while outside financial interests must be disclosed to the Office of Ethics. Stir said roughly 1,200 of these appointees need Senate approval.
According to reports of the Trump team’s radio silence, when Biden knocks on the door, experts say the president-elect could be sworn in and the administration is still in transition.
The biggest employees are cabinet officials.
Of the thousands of appointees that make up the presidential staff, about 30 are the most important. These are White House cabinet officials and senior officials who assist the president in roles such as chief of staff and attorney general, secretary of energy, secretary of labor, administrator of the EPA, secretary of health and human services, secretary of defense, etc. through US government maze.
Quite often, some heads of departments remain in their posts after the president who appointed them leaves office. However, for the most part, newcomers fill these posts and they are subject to background checks because White House security clearance is conservatively granted.
Regardless of personnel changes, this is a process with enormous implications for the new administration. As Stephen Hess wrote for the Brookings Institution :
It is a complex business that is mostly done behind closed doors. However, the selection of these 30 people largely determines the initial success and lasting impression of each presidential term. An orderly transition period shows Americans a presidency that is prone to success. But staffing mistakes, and sometimes serious mistakes, can be a worry for executives even before they take office.
Close collaboration comes first
Think of this process as a giant challenge, with one person replacing a former colleague at work. Except that, unlike the mundane things that are probably common in your office work, serious issues such as national intelligence and security are discussed.
William Cohen, Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton, told NBC News about the summons of new Defense Chief Donald Rumsfeld as the George W. Bush administration prepared for his White House visit:
“The first thing I did was call his assigned Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld. And I said, “Don, here are 10 things I think you should really look out for when you come to this office. I’ll sit down and watch it. ” I made a list and it turned out to be 59. And I sat down with him for two days, going over 59 items that really should have bothered them, ”he said. “And this is traditional. This is what democracy should be: you want your successor to be able to defend and uphold the interests of the American people. “
Of course, there is some bureaucracy here.
The incoming Biden administration should receive the green light from the General Services Administration. This happens when the department signs a confirmation letter that formally initiates the transition process by giving the incoming administration access to various White House officials to conduct interviews and relocate to government offices. The letter also frees up funds to expedite the transition process.
This process is governed by the 1963 Change of President Act, which allows the GSA to “determine” who won the election and initiate the transition process.
The process usually functions as usual, but the GSA echoes the Trump administration ‘s unsubstantiated claims, suggesting there is still no clear winner in the election. The deadlock prevents Biden’s team from laying the groundwork for their eventual takeover of the White House as the pandemic spreads across the country and the economy suffers.
However, Biden’s White House will eventually come to power and claims it is “moving forward” with his plans despite the current impasse.