Presidential transition planning begins in earnest, but Trump, Harris are already behind schedule – Orange County Register

By ZEKE MILLER AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Tuesday offered federal resources to Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for the first time for planning the presidential transition, with experts suggesting both are behind schedule in preparing for their potential administrations.

As transitions accelerate after Election Day, when a president-elect must begin selecting and vetting roughly 4,000 federal political appointees, success depends on the infrastructure built in the run-up to the election, including identifying agency assessment teams and beginning the process of vetting national security personnel.

Vice President Harris and former President Trump both began the process this month, months later than previous transitions. Harris was promoted to lead the Democratic ticket just five weeks ago after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid, and she had to first reorient her political operation before laying the groundwork for the transition. It’s unclear why Trump, who secured the nomination months ago, didn’t start sooner.

Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, said planning for taking office in the modern era tends to begin in late spring.

“It is possible to try to catch up, but the reality is that both candidates have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Tuesday is the date Congress has set for the General Services Administration to make offices available for Trump and Harris, three business days after the second nominating convention. The offices are located just blocks from the White House, and additional federal resources are expected to flow to the winner after Election Day. But candidates typically begin planning their eventual administrations soon after securing the nomination, even before they begin receiving federal support.

If she wins, Harris could choose to retain some political appointees from the Biden administration, which could help her avoid complicated confirmation battles if Republicans take control of the Senate. But a significant shift is inevitable, as she will want to leave her own mark on the government. And many longtime Biden administration officials will likely seek to leave office for other opportunities, regardless of the outcome in November.

For his part, Trump will likely try to avoid the mistakes of his 2016 transition, when he sidelined months of planning by a group led by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. That left Trump and his team, many of whom had never served in government, with little to go on Election Day.

Stier said Trump’s 2016 move set a low bar for transition efforts in the modern era, followed by George H. W. Bush’s 1988 move, when he was vice president preparing to succeed President Ronald Reagan. He added that negotiating a transition of power between parties can be particularly difficult, particularly because of misplaced expectations about continuity between presidents and the risk of hubris among those who have recently served in government and are taking on more senior roles.