Federal Government Won’t Help Biden’s Transition: ‘Ascertainment Has Not Been Made’ On Power Transfer – GSA

The Biden campaign has started positioning itself as the winner of the 2020 General Election by talking a great deal about transition. But the General Services Administration (GSA) has informed them that no determination has been made on whether there will be a transition of power in January of 2021.

The GSA is an independent agency of the federal government that manages and supports the basic functions of federal agencies. It supplies products, communications, transportation, and office space, and performs other office management tasks.

“An ascertainment has not yet been made. GSA and its administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law,” a spokesman with the GSA told reporters, adding that GSA administrator, Emily Murphy, will only execute a transition of power when a “clear winner is clear based on the process laid out in the Constitution.”

“The Administrator’s ascertainment is done for the purposes of making services provided by the Presidential Transition Act available,” the spokesperson continued in a statement. “Until an ascertainment is made, the statute allows for the Biden Transition Team to continue to receive the pre-elect services from the government (e.g., limited office space, computers, background investigations for security clearances). GSA has met all statutory requirements under the PTA for this election cycle and will continue to do so.”

If the GSA were to have made a determination that a transition of power was to be executed, the Biden campaign would be provided federal tax dollars for travel and salaries.

The administrator of the General Services Administration has declined to sign paperwork officially starting the transition to the new administration. pic.twitter.com/o4eBvhzkCc

— Samuel J. Oakley (@procurer1) November 9, 2020

Under the President Transition Act of 1963, when constitutional requirements have been met for the GSA to determine the winner of an election it then authorizes the president-elect to communicate with US federal agencies, and provides the president’s office with operational funding.