Trump is supposed to be preparing to hand over power.

Will the government be ready?

By Donald K. Sherman

Donald K. Sherman is deputy director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and a former congressional ethics and oversight attorney in the House, Senate and executive branch.

May 4, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

"Six months before the next presidential election, President Trump has begun some formal planning, but it remains unclear whether the administration will be fully prepared to shepherd our government into a second Trump term or to transfer power to his successor. The coronavirus pandemic makes it even more important that our government adequately plan for the future: The United States now has the most cases and casualties from covid-19 in the world, and the virus understandably must be our government’s top priority. Unfortunately, Trump’s repeated attempts to subvert and corrupt the institutions that will be critical to an effective transition loom as a potential new problem later this year.

Presidential transition is an enormous undertaking, led by mostly unknown agencies. For example, in May 2016, President Barack Obama established a White House Transition Coordinating Council and an Agency Transition Directors Council that included leadership from the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). President George W. Bush took similar steps in 2008. Experts agree that facilitating a smooth transition is critical to governance even if a president is reelected.

First-term presidents sometimes took a different approach to transition. Now, pursuant to the Presidential Transition Act of 2015, Trump must start building his transition council, becoming the first president to seek reelection “while taking detailed steps to prepare for the prospect of defeat.” Last week, GSA’s major activities timeline for the presidential transition was updated for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak, identifying multiple deadlines this month. While the Trump administration is working to meet these benchmarks, the president’s relentless attacks against institutions leading the transition effort threaten this fundamental part of our democratic process."

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/05/04/trump-is-supposed-be-preparing-hand-over-power-will-government-be-ready/

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