After an extended delay, President-elect Trump has approved a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the White House, enabling officials to coordinate with counterparts in departments and agencies ahead of the January transition of power.
Susie Wiles, who is set to serve as Trump’s chief of staff, stated on Tuesday that the transition team had finalized the agreement with “President Joe Biden’s White House.”
“This collaboration allows our prospective Cabinet nominees to begin essential preparations, including the deployment of transition teams to every department and agency, ensuring a seamless transfer of power,” Wiles said.
The Trump transition team announced that these teams would “swiftly integrate into federal agencies and departments with access to documents and policy briefings.” The team members involved would be disclosed to the Biden administration.
The Trump transition noted it would not use taxpayer funds to cover expenses related to the transition, nor would it utilize government facilities provided by the Government Services Administration.
However, the transition has not revealed its funding sources, leaving questions about who is financing Trump’s preparations to assume office in January. Tuesday’s announcement indicated that donor information would eventually be made public and that no foreign contributions would be accepted.
Wiles’s statement did not specify whether a similar agreement had been signed with the Justice Department to conduct background checks on incoming officials or whether Trump’s team would release an ethics plan to address conflicts of interest.
Instead, the transition team highlighted an “existing Ethics Plan for those involved, which will meet the requirements for personnel to seamlessly transition into the Trump Administration.” The plan will be posted on the General Services Administration website, according to the Trump team.
The memorandum with the White House was finalized three weeks after Trump’s election night win. In contrast, then-candidate Joe Biden and his team signed a memorandum of agreement to facilitate a transition of power in early September 2020, well before that year’s election.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and others have expressed concerns over the absence of agreements from the Trump team regarding background checks and ethics compliance.
Trump, who has been a vocal critic of the FBI since his first term, has bypassed the bureau’s role in conducting security clearance background checks for his appointees and nominees.