US: Green light for power transfer

Official recognition

According to local media comments, the move on Monday by the head of the General Services Administration (GSA), Ms. Emily Murphy, marked the official recognition by the administration of President Donald Trump that Mr. Biden hadwinIn the November 3 election, although the current leader of the United States still refuses to admit defeat and continues to make many baseless accusations aboutelection fraud.

Murphy is the key person who holds the keys to the transfer of funds and equipment, but as the Trump campaign continues to file lawsuits against the state, she has delayed officially certifying Biden’s victory. It wasn’t until earlier this week, two weeks after independent observers and media outlets predicted Biden would be the president-elect, that Murphy’s letter reached the Democratic candidate, hours after four members of the Michigan Board of Election Supervisors voted to certify Biden’s victory in the state, by 154,187 votes.

Ms. Emily Murphy, head of GSA. Photo: AP

Earlier on November 20, the Republican Governor of Georgia also confirmed the voting results in his state after a manual recount, and the final results here also called Mr. Biden's name, leading Mr. Trump by 12,000 votes. Thus, according to USA Today, Mr. Biden won a total of 306 electoral votes, compared to Mr. Trump's 232 votes, and according to the rules, whoever wins 270 electoral votes will win the prestigious presidential seat.

In a series of tweets, White House boss Donald Trump claimed that he had given the “green light” to Ms. Murphy’s decision, because it was “in the best interests of the country.” However, the 45th President of the United States still declared that he wouldcontinue efforts to reverse the results.

Some opinions say that it seems that the White House in general, and Mr. Trump in particular, have been facing a lot of pressure, when in recent days, more and more national security officials, business leaders, and even Republican members of Congress have spoken out one after another that the Trump administration's delay in allowing the transition of power to begin poses a threat to US national security.

Trump supporters at a rally in Michigan on November 14. Photo: AP

For example, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican, said on November 23: “When you are a public figure, people remember the last thing you do.” He expressed his hope that President Trump would “be proud of his remarkable accomplishments, put the country first, and have a swift and orderly transition to help the new administration succeed.”

Taking a similar view, West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, also urged Mr. Trump to make the transition smooth, asserting that there was no sign of widespread election fraud and that “at some point, the 2020 election must come to an end.”

Democrats breathe a sigh of relief

For Democrats, the GSA’s decision Monday came as a relief. “This is probably the closest thing to a concession that President Trump can make,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. “All of us — Democrats and Republicans, the Trump administration andBiden administrationabout to take office - let's unite to have a smooth, peaceful transition that benefits America."

Mr. Joe Biden at the meeting on November 23. Photo: AP

Biden’s transition team also welcomed the move, calling it “final” and a “decisive action” necessary for an orderly transfer of power. “Today’s decision is a necessary step to begin addressing the challenges facing our country, including controlling the pandemic and getting our economy back on track,” said Yohannes Abraham, executive director of the Biden-Harris transition team.

Abraham said Biden transition officials will begin meeting with leaders of key federal agencies in the coming days to discuss the pandemic response, assess America’s national security interests, and “fully understand the Trump administration’s efforts to hollow out government agencies.”

For his part, Mr. Trump still called this a small step. On Twitter, he wrote: “Our case will certainly continue, we will continue the good fight, and I believe we will win! However, in the best interest of the country, I have asked Emily and her team to complete the necessary initial procedures, and have asked my team to do the same.”

Back to the GSA announcement, Murphy’s official written statement means that more than $6 million will be allocated to the Biden transition team. The money can be used for hiring, travel, and other expenses. But perhaps more importantly, Biden’s team will now have automatic access to documents from key federal agencies, including information on the Covid-19 pandemic response and plans for widespread vaccination.

Mr Biden has selected a number of people for key positions in his expected cabinet, including Antony Blinken for Secretary of State. Photo: Getty

The workload for a normal transition of power is already enormous, and it is even greater now, as the country grapples with a pandemic and the accompanying economic crisis. Biden and his team must keep up with national security threats, prepare a budget of more than $4 trillion, and fill more than 4,000 political positions across dozens of federal agencies. With the confirmation letter from the GSA arriving nearly two weeks later than Democrats expected, the massive workload will certainly significantly shorten the “honeymoon period” of the incoming Biden administration.

Key events to look forward to: The Electoral College is scheduled to meet on December 14, with each group meeting separately in each state and casting paper ballots to elect the president and vice president. Then, on January 6, 2021, the US Congress will hold a joint session to count the electoral votes and announce the results.

Hoang Bach