The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7, 2020 and ended on January 20, 2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions, which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week of November and the inauguration on January 20, Biden's presidential transition was shortened somewhat because the General Services Administration under the outgoing Trump administration did not recognize Biden as the "apparent winner" until November 23. Biden became the presumptive nominee of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

for president in April 2020, and formally accepted the nomination the following August. Biden's transition team, led by Ted Kaufman, had already been announced on June 20. Further co-chairs joined the team alongside Kaufman in September. The

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

took place on November 3. That evening, incumbent president Donald Trump declared himself the winner, based on his initial lead in tabulated in-person votes — a situation which was widely anticipated and quickly discredited as meaningless, since the votes counted at the time were not representative of the final total and it takes several days to count all the votes. Trump continued to falsely insist that he had won, alleging without evidence that Biden's increasing lead was due to widespread fraud, corruption, and other misconduct. He challenged the results in multiple lawsuits in multiple states, none of which resulted in a substantive victory. Because of Trump's denials, there was a several-week delay before his administration began even limited cooperation with the Biden team. After three and a half days of vote counting, on November 7, at approximately 11:30 a.m. EST, the Associated Press, along with major TV networks including CNN, ABC News,

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

, NBC News, and Fox News, called the race for Joe Biden. After that, most sources described him as the president-elect. Nonetheless, GSA administrator Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee, waited until November 23 to issue the "ascertainment" letter declaring Biden the "apparent winner" on the basis that Trump still disputed the election result. The declaration marked the official start of the transition, and withholding it from the Biden team had denied them $6.3 million, office space, government website status, and access to agencies. Separately, Biden was denied daily classified national security briefings until the Trump administration approved Biden's receiving such briefings on November 24. The Electoral College met on December 14, 2020, to formally elect Biden and Kamala Harris respectively, as president and vice president. The results were to be

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

by a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, but due to an attempt by Trump supporters to overturn the results by storming and vandalizing the Capitol building, the certification was not completed until January 7. Biden's transition ended when he was inaugurated at 12:00 p.m. EST on January 20, 2021, at which point his presidency began.

Background issues

Preparations for potential disputed election

As early as the summer of 2020, President Donald Trump began questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election, saying that the increase of mail-in voting in the election compared to previous elections will lead to a "rigged election". For this reason, many pundits and editorial writers would insist that Biden would need to win by a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

to prevent Trump from challenging the result. Trump's preemptive accusations of fraud led some people to consider what would happen if he should lose by a margin less than a landslide. At various points, Trump had called for his

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, William Barr, to investigate Biden and his son

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, with Trump frequently insisting that his opponent should be in prison.

Rosa Brooks Rosa Brooks ( Ehrenreich; born 1970) is an American law professor, journalist, author and commentator on foreign policy, U.S. politics and criminal justice. She is the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law and Policy at Georgetown University Law C ...

, who worked in the Department of Defense during the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...

, co-founded the Transition Integrity Project (TIP), which in June 2020 ran a series of "wargaming" exercises to explore potential election and transition scenarios. In August 2020, TIP released a widely discusse
report
that outlined four 2020 election crisis scenario planning exercises for the

2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...

. The scenarios examined by TIP included a decisive Biden win, a decisive Trump win, a narrow Biden win, and a period of extended uncertainty after the election. Other academics, such as Lawrence Douglas in his book ''Will He Go?: Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020'', have also discussed the possibility, which later turned out to be true, of Trump refusing to concede if he lost. Per the 20th Amendment, the vice president must count the electoral votes in front of Congress's joint session on January 6, 2021. This is governed by the

Electoral Count Act of 1887 The Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA) (, later codified at Title 3, Chapter 1) was a United States federal law adding to procedures set out in the Constitution of the United States for the counting of electoral votes following a presidential ...

, passed to prevent crises such as that in 1876–77, and while provisions have been used, the act has never been truly put to the test. The Biden legal team had prepared for this, drafting boilerplate responses to each of the possible litigations gamed out by the TIP and others. The only one of the more than sixty cases which had not been dismissed out of hand was about late-arriving mail-in ballots.

Delays in initiating the transition

Though Joe Biden was generally acknowledged as president-elect in the election on November 7, 2020, General Services Administration head Emily Murphy refused to initiate the transition to the president-elect, thereby denying funds and office space to his team. Murphy refused to sign a letter (the "ascertainment" determination) allowing Biden's transition team to formally begin work to facilitate an

orderly transition of power A peaceful transition or transfer of power is a concept important to democratic governments in which the leadership of a government peacefully hands over control of government to a newly-elected leadership. This may be after elections or during t ...

. By refusing to allow the Biden administration transition to proceed, she prevented the incoming administration from obtaining office space, performing background checks on prospective Cabinet nominees, and accessing classified information which might be needed to respond to emergencies that the administration confronts when in office. Murphy's withholding of the letter also blocked President-elect Biden's transition team from accessing several million dollars in federal transition funds for salaries and other costs, establishing government email addresses, and working with the

Office of Government Ethics The United States Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is an independent agency within the executive branch of the U.S. Federal Government which is responsible for directing executive branch policies relating to the prevention of conflicts of intere ...

on required financial disclosure and conflict-of-interest forms for incoming nominees. Amid public speculation that her refusal might jeopardize national security and public health, Murphy began a job search for herself, inquiring about employment opportunities in 2021. On November 8, the nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition issued a statement saying "We urge the Trump administration to immediately begin the post-election transition process and the Biden team to take full advantage of the resources available under the Presidential Transition Act." The letter was signed by several experts in presidential transitions: Joshua Bolten, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

's former chief of staff;

Mike Leavitt Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951) is an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Utah, 14th Governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003 in the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, as Administrator of the E ...

, former governor of Utah and Bush's Secretary of Health and Human Services;

Mack McLarty Thomas Franklin "Mack" McLarty, III (born June 14, 1946) is an American business and political leader who served as President Bill Clinton's first White House Chief of Staff from 1993 to June 1994, and subsequently as Counselor to the Presiden ...

, Bill Clinton's former chief of staff; and Penny Pritzker, Barack Obama's Secretary of Commerce. Andrew Card, the first White House chief of staff under George W. Bush, expressed concern about the delay, noting that "the 9/11 Commission had said if there had been a longer transition n 2000and there had been cooperation, there might have been a better response, or maybe not even any attack". Four former Secretaries of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano, and Jeh Johnson, called upon Murphy to initiate the transition, writing in a joint statement: "Our country is in the middle of twin crises: a global pandemic and a severe economic downturn. The pandemic will make any transition more complicated. At this period of heightened risk for our nation, we do not have a single day to spare to begin the transition. For the good of the nation, we must start now."

Anthony Fauci Anthony Stephen Fauci (; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the president. ...

, the government's leading infectious disease expert, warned the delay was "obviously not good" from a public health perspective, while President-elect Biden argued "more people may die" as a result of the delay. On November 23, after Michigan certified its results, Murphy issued the letter of ascertainment, granting the Biden transition team access to federal funds and resources for an orderly transition. Breaking with recent precedent, the letter did not call Biden "president-elect", instead fulfilling her requirements under the Act without implying that he won the election. In the letter Murphy called the Act "vague", recommended Congress "consider amendments to the Act" to improve the standard it sets for post-election allocation of resources, and described threats she had allegedly received pressuring her to act.

Timeline

Pre-election

Meetings between the transition team and the administration began with the formation of two councils in May 2020, around the time the former vice president had clinched the Democratic nomination. *April 8, 2020: Biden becomes the presumptive nominee after

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

withdraws. *June 20, 2020: Initial transition team announced. *August 2020: Biden and California Senator Kamala Harris are nominated at the Democratic Convention. *September 5, 2020: Full transition team is made public. *November 1, 2020: Deadline for transition materials to be completed. *November 3, 2020: Election Day

Post-election

Joint session of Congress, Electoral Count, 2017

*November 4: The transition website, buildbackbetter.com, goes live. *November 7: Election is called for Biden. *November 8: GSA Administrator Emily Murphy refuses to sign a letter declaring the official start of the transition, denying funds and office space to the Biden team. *November 10: Transition Co-chair Ted Kaufman announces full transition team of at least 500 people. *November 23: Emily Murphy signs the transition letter. The transition website changed its web address from buildbackbetter.com to buildbackbetter.gov *December 9: Election results in every state and D.C. are certified. *December 11: Supreme Court rejects ''

Texas v. Pennsylvania ''Texas v. Pennsylvania'', 592 U.S. ___ (2020), was a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the administration of the 2020 presidential election in certain states, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. Fil ...

'' challenge, mooting all others. *December 14: The Electoral College formally elects Biden as president and Harris as vice president. *December 18: The Acting Secretary of Defense surprises the Biden transition team with a "mutually agreed to" suspension of contacts until January. *January 6, 2021: Congress counts Electoral College votes; interrupted by the January 6 United States Capitol attack. *January 7, 2021: Congress completes counting Electoral College votes and officially confirms the election results. *January 13, 2021: President Trump is

impeached Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

for the second time. *January 20, 2021: Inauguration Day

Transition procedures

In accordance with the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010, potential presidential transition teams are provided office space by the General Services Administration (GSA). They are also eligible for government funding for staff; spending on Mitt Romney's transition team in 2012 was $8.9 million, all funds appropriated by the

U.S. government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

. In order for the Biden transition team to formally begin working with federal agencies, access federal transition funds, and utilize government-provided office space, Biden had to be formally certified as president-elect by the administrator of the General Services Administration. After the media projected Biden to win the election, and as Trump refused to concede, the current GSA administrator, Trump appointee Emily W. Murphy, refused to sign a letter of authorization. She argued that she had seen no certification outside of the media that Biden has won, and was under no obligation to treat Biden as president-elect. Key responsibilities of a presidential transition include the identification and vetting of candidates for approximately 4,000 non-civil service positions in the U.S. government who serve at the pleasure of the president; arranging the occupancy of executive residences including the White House, One Observatory Circle, and

Camp David Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...

; liaising with the United States Strategic Command for receipt of the Gold Codes; and briefing senior personnel about a new administration's policy priorities. Under existing federal law and custom, Biden became eligible to receive classified national security briefings when his nomination was formalized at the party's national convention in August 2020. The Presidential Transition Act was amended in 2019 to require the incumbent president to establish "transition councils" by June of an election year to facilitate a possible handover of power.

Transition activities

Establishment of the transition team

Biden began to appoint transition staff in May 2020, chaired by former Delaware Senator Ted Kaufman. Further staff were announced in September. The campaign had an estimated budget of $7–10 million and planned to have a staff of 300 people by early December 2020. Several working groups were set up in late September and early October. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the work was done over Zoom. Biden launched his transition website at approximately 6:30 p.m. EST on November 4, a day after Election Day and before the final election results were in.

Harris Senate transition

Harris resigned her Senate seat on January 18, 2021, two days before assuming the vice presidency. On January 19, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California Secretary of State Alex Padilla succeeded Harris for the remainder of her term.

Litigation

While the transition was ongoing, multiple lawsuits were filed to contest election procedures and results. Most of these lawsuits were unsuccessful and were quickly dismissed.

COVID-19 Advisory Board

Before naming any White House staff or cabinet appointments, Biden announced that he will appoint a COVID-19 task force, co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Yale University epidemiologist Professor Marcella Nunez-Smith, to replace the previous

White House Coronavirus Task Force The White House Coronavirus Task Force was the United States Department of State task force during the Trump administration that "coordinate and overs wthe administration's efforts to monitor, prevent, contain, and mitigate the spread" of cor ...

. Biden pledged a larger federal government response to the pandemic than Donald Trump, akin to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

following the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. This would include increased testing for the COVID virus, a steady supply of personal protective equipment, distributing a vaccine and securing money from Congress for schools and hospitals under the aegis of a national "supply chain commander" who would coordinate the logistics of manufacturing and distributing protective gear and test kits. This would be distributed by a "Pandemic Testing Board", also similar to Roosevelt's War Production Board. Biden also pledged to invoke the Defense Production Act more aggressively than Trump in order to build up supplies, as well as the mobilization of up to 100,000 Americans for a "public health jobs corps" of contact tracers to help track and prevent outbreaks. "Other members are Dr.

Luciana Borio Luciana Borio is a Brazilian-American infectious disease physician and public health administrator. She is a vice president at In-Q-Tel. She previously served as director for Medical and Biodefense Preparedness at the National Security Council, ...

Rick Bright Rick Arthur Bright is an American immunologist, vaccine researcher, and public health official. He was the director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) from 2016 to 2020. In May 2020, he filed a whistleblower ...

, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Dr. Atul Gawande, Dr. Celine Gounder, Dr. Julie Morita,

Michael Osterholm Michael Thomas Osterholm (born March 10, 1953) is an American epidemiologist, Regents Professor, and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. On November 9, 2020, Osterholm was named to ...

Loyce Pace Loyce Pace is an American public health official expert serving as the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs. She was executive director of the Global Health Council and member of President-elect of the United States, President-e ...

, Dr. Robert Rodriguez and Dr.

Eric Goosby Eric Goosby (born 1952) is an American public health official, currently serving as the UN Special Envoy on Tuberculosis. Goosby previously served as the Global AIDS Coordinator (U.S.), United States Global AIDS Coordinator from 2009 until mid-Nov ...

." Anthony Fauci confirmed on November 25 that he expected to begin working with the Biden transition team soon.

Cabinet and White House appointments

On November 11, Biden announced his choice of

Ron Klain Ronald Alan Klain ( ; born August 8, 1961) is an American attorney, political consultant, and former lobbyist serving as White House chief of staff under President Joe Biden. A Democrat, he was previously chief of staff to two vice presidents ...

, formerly his chief of staff during his vice presidency, to serve as White House chief of staff. On November 17, Mike Donilon was named Senior Advisor to the President,

Jen O'Malley Dillon Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon (born September 28, 1976) is an American political strategist and List of Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign staff members, campaign manager serving as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, White House deputy chi ...

was named deputy chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti was named Counselor to the President,

Cedric Richmond Cedric Levan Richmond (born September 13, 1973) is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who served as a Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, senior advisor to the president and director of the Office of Public ...

was named Senior Advisor to the President of the United States and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, and

Dana Remus Dana Ann Remus is an American lawyer who served as White House counsel for U.S. President Joe Biden from January 2021 to July 2022. Prior to her appointment as White House counsel, Remus was general counsel for Joe Biden's 2020 presidential cam ...

was named

Counsel to the President The White House counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Of ...

. Annie Tomasini was named the Oval Office Operations Director. On November 20, 2020, Biden named Louisa Terrell director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, Carlos Elizondo

White House Social Secretary The White House social secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Function The social s ...

Catherine M. Russell Catherine Mary Russell (born March 4, 1961) is an American attorney and political adviser who is currently serving as Executive Director of UNICEF. She previously served as Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, United States ...

director of the

White House Presidential Personnel Office The White House Presidential Personnel Office (PPO, sometimes written as Office of Presidential Personnel) is the White House Office tasked with vetting new appointees. Its offices are on the first floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building ...

, and Mala Adiga policy director to the First Lady. On November 22, 2020, Bloomberg News and the ''New York Times'' reported that Biden had selected

Tony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government official and diplomat serving as the 71st United States secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and ...

as his nominee for Secretary of State. The next day, Biden announced that he would nominate Alejandro Mayorkas to be Secretary of Homeland Security, Avril Haines to be the

Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Commu ...

, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as

United States Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...

, Jake Sullivan to be

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

, and John Kerry as special presidential envoy on climate. It was also reported that Biden will nominate former Chair of the Federal Reserve

Janet Yellen Janet Louise Yellen (born August 13, 1946) is an American economist serving as the 78th United States secretary of the treasury since January 26, 2021. She previously served as the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018. Yellen is t ...

to be

Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

White House Staff

File:Ron Klain 2015.jpg,

White House Chief of Staff
(announced November 11) File:Bruce Reed-VPCOS.png, Bruce Reed
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
(announced December 22) File:Mike Donilon - January 2013.jpg, Mike Donilon
Senior Advisor
(announced November 17) File:Cedric Richmond official photo.jpg,

Senior Advisor & Director of the

Office of Public Engagement The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) at the United States Department of Labor is an office under the direction of the Secretary of Labor. It works to advance the secretary's mission by making the department inclusive, transparent, accountable and ...

(announced November 17) File:Steve Ricchetti.jpg, Steve Ricchetti
Counselor to the President
(announced November 17) File:Jeffrey Zients official portrait.jpg,

Jeff Zients Jeffrey Dunston Zients (; born November 12, 1966) is an American business executive and government official, serving as the 31st White House chief of staff in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Earlier in the Biden administration, ...

Counselor/ Covid Coordinator
(announced December 7) File:No image.svg,

White House Counsel
(announced November 17) File:Stuart Delery.png, Stuart Delery
Deputy Counsel to the President
(announced December 23) File:Julie Chavez Rodriguez (cropped).jpg, Julie Rodriguez
Director of the

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and t ...

(announced November 17) File:Catherine M Russell 2015.jpg,

Cathy Russell Catherine Mary Russell (born March 4, 1961) is an American attorney and political adviser who is currently serving as Executive Director of UNICEF. She previously served as Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, United States ...

Director of

(announced November 20) File:Gautam Raghavan (cropped).jpg, Gautam Raghavan
Deputy Director of White House Presidential Personnel
(announced December 22) File:No image.svg, Anne Tomasini
Director of Oval Office Operations
(announced November 17) File:No image.svg,

Jessica Hertz Jessica Hertz (born 1981/1982) is an American attorney and political advisor who served as the White House staff secretary in the Biden administration from January to October 2021. Hertz previously served as general counsel for the presidential tr ...

Staff Secretary
(announced December 30) File:Catherine Lhamon staff photo-US DoE.jpg,

Catherine E. Lhamon Catherine Elizabeth Lhamon (born August 5, 1971) is an American attorney and government official who is the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education. She previously served in this position from 2013 to 2017. During her ...

Deputy Director, Domestic Policy Council for Racial Justice and Equality
(announced January 14) File:Jake-Sullivan-WH.png, Jake Sullivan

Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor (NSA),The National Security Advisor and Staff: p. 1. is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President, based at t ...

(announced November 24)

Office of Communications

File:Kate Bedingfield (The Circus on SHOWTIME).jpg,

Kate Bedingfield Katherine Joan Bedingfield (born October 29, 1981) is an American political advisor who is the White House Communications Director in the Biden administration. She served as deputy campaign manager for the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign and ...

White House Communications Director
(announced November 29) File:Pili Tobar at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.jpg,

Pili Tobar Maria "Pili" del Pilar Tobar is an American political advisor who serves as White House Deputy Communications Director in the Biden administration. Tobar previously worked as the deputy director of America's Voice and as an aide to Senator Chuck ...

Deputy White House Communications Director
(announced November 29) File:Official photo of Jen Psaki.jpg, Jen Psaki
White House Press Secretary
(announced November 29) File:Karine Jean-Pierre at BookExpo (05336) (cropped).jpg,

Karine Jean-Pierre Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is a French-American political advisor and has served as the White House press secretary since May 13, 2022. She is the first Black person and the first openly lesbian woman to be White House press secre ...

Principal Deputy Press Secretary
(announced November 29) File:Vinay Reddy, EOP.png,

Vinay Reddy Vinay Reddy is an American speechwriter and political advisor serving as the White House director of speechwriting. Reddy was chief speechwriter to Joe Biden during his second term as vice president. After the Obama administration, Reddy worked ...

Director of Speechwriting
(announced December 22)

Office of the Vice President

File:Tina Flournoy.jpg,

Hartina Flournoy Hartina M. "Tina" Flournoy (born April 30, 1956) is an American political advisor who served as Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States, chief of staff to Vice President of the United States, vice president Kamala Harris from 202 ...

Chief of Staff to the Vice President
(announced December 3) File:Nancy McEldowney photo (cropped).jpg,

Nancy McEldowney Nancy Eileen McEldowney (born October 6, 1958) is an American academic and diplomat who served as the national security advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris from January 20, 2021 to March 21, 2022. She was previously a career Foreign Service ...

National Security Advisor to the Vice President
(announced December 3) File:No image.svg, Michale Fuchs
Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President
(announced December 3) File:Rohini Kosoglu.jpg, Rohini Kosoglu
Policy Advisor to the Vice President
(announced December 3) File:No image.svg,

Ashley Etienne Ashley Danielle Etienne (born February 21, 1978) is an American political advisor who served as the communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the former communications director and senior advisor to Nancy Pelosi, the first ...

Communications Director for the Vice President
(announced November 29) File:Symone Sanders by Gage Skidmore.jpg,

Symone Sanders Symone D. Sanders-Townsend (born December 10, 1989) is an American political strategist and commentator. She served as national press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. She left t ...

Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to the Vice President
(announced November 29) File:No image.svg, Cynthia Bernstein
Director of Management and Administration for the Vice President
(announced December 30) File:Josh Hsu Holiday Portrait2.png, Josh Hsu

Counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

to the Vice President
(announced December 30) File:Philip H. Gordon.jpg, Philip Gordon
Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
(announced January 16) File:No image.svg,

Herbie Ziskend Herbie Ziskend is an American political advisor and a deputy director of communications for the Biden administration since August 2022. He has previously served as a communications advisor for Vice President Kamala Harris from 2021 to 2022, and a ...

Deputy Communications Director for the Vice President
(announced November 29)

Office of the First Lady

File:No image.svg, Anthony Bernal
Senior Advisor to the

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

(announced November 17) File:Mala Adiga portrait.jpg, Mala Adiga
Policy Director to the

(announced November 20) File:Carlos Elizondo.jpg,

Carlos Elizondo Carlos Elizondo is an American event planner and political aide who is the current White House social secretary since 2021. Elizondo previously served as a special assistant and social secretary for Joe Biden and Jill Biden during the Obama adm ...

(announced November 20) File:No image.svg, Elizabeth E. Alexander
Communications Director for the

(announced November 29) File:Julissa Reynoso, WH Chief of Staff.jpg,

Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón (born January 2, 1975) is a Dominican-American attorney and diplomat who is the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Most recently, she was the chief of staff to First Lady Jill Biden. She formerly served as ...

Chief of Staff to the

(announced November 17)

Domestic policy

File:20210427-OSEC-TEW-001 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (51148817903) (cropped).jpg, Tom Vilsack

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

(announced December 10) File:Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, official portrait (cropped).jpg, Miguel Cardona
Secretary of Education
(announced December 22) File:Secretary Marty Walsh (cropped).jpg, Marty Walsh

Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

(reported January 7) File:HHS Xavier Becerra (cropped).jpg,

Xavier Becerra Xavier Becerra ( ; ; born January 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services since March 2021. Becerra previously served as the attorney general of California from Jan ...

Secretary of Health and Human Services
(announced December 7) File:Secretary Fudge official photo (cropped).png,

Marcia Fudge Marcia Louise Fudge (born October 29, 1952) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 18th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, United States secretary of housing and urban development since 2021. A member of the D ...

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
(announced December 10) File:Pete Buttigieg official photo (cropped).jpg,

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

(announced December 15) File:Secretary McDonough, official photo (cropped).jpg, Denis McDonough
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(announced December 10) File:Susan E. Rice, DPC Director (cropped 2).jpg,

Susan Rice Susan Elizabeth Rice (born November 17, 1964) is an American diplomat, policy advisor, and public official serving as Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Rice served as the 27th ...

Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council
(announced December 10) File:Isabella Casillas Guzman, SBA Administrator.png, Isabel Guzman
Administrator, Small Business Administration
(reported January 7)

Economic policy

File:Secretary Janet Yellen portrait (cropped).jpg,

Secretary of the Treasury
(announced November 30) File:Gina Raimondo (cropped 2).jpg, Gina Raimondo

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

(reported January 7) File:Brian Deese official portrait.jpg, Brian Deese
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
Director, National Economic Council
(announced December 3) File:Neera Tanden by Gage Skidmore.jpg, Neera Tanden
Director, Office of Management and Budget
(announced November 30) File:Katherine Tai, official portrait.jpg, Katherine Tai

United States Trade Representative The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting Trade policy of the United States, American trade ...

(announced December 10) File:Jared Bernstein, CEA Member.png, Jared Bernstein
Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
(announced November 30) File:Heather Boushey, CEA Member.jpg,

Heather Boushey Heather Marie BousheyThe New York Times''Weddings/Celebrations; Heather Boushey, Todd Tucker'' accessed August 25, 2011. (born 1970) is an American economist. Boushey currently serves as a member of President Joe Biden's Council of Economic Adv ...

Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
(announced November 30) File:Cecilia Rouse, CEA Chair.png,

Cecilia Rouse Cecilia Elena Rouse ( ; born December18, 1963) is an American economist who has served as the 30th Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers since March 2021. She is the first Black American to hold this position. Prior to this, she served as the ...

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors
(announced November 30)

Environment and energy

File:Secretary Jennifer Granholm (cropped).jpg, Jennifer Granholm
Secretary of Energy
(announced December 17) File:Secretary Deb Haaland, official headshot.jpg, Deb Haaland

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

(announced December 17) File:Michael S. Regan official photo (cropped).jpg,

Michael S. Regan Michael Stanley Regan (born August 6, 1976) is an American environmental regulator. He has been serving as the 16th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency since March 11, 2021. He is the first African American man to serve in the ...

Administrator of the EPA The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other enviro ...

(announced December 17) File:Brenda Mallory, CEQ Chair portrait.jpg, Brenda Mallory

Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is a division of the Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices on the developmen ...

(announced December 17) File:Gina McCarthy, National Climate Advisor.png, Gina McCarthy
White House Climate Advisor
(announced December 17) File:Ali Zaidi, Deputy National Climate Advisor.jpg, Ali Zaidi
Deputy White House Climate Advisor
(announced December 17)

Foreign affairs and national security

File:Secretary Blinken's Official Department Photo (cropped).jpg, Antony Blinken
Secretary of State
(announced November 24) File:Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III (50885754687) (cropped).jpg, Lloyd Austin

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

(announced December 8) File:Attorney General Merrick Garland (cropped).jpg,

Merrick Garland Merrick Brian Garland (born November 13, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since March 2021 as the 86th United States attorney general. He previously served as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of ...

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

(announced January 7) File:Secretary Mayorkas Official Photo (cropped).jpg, Alejandro Mayorkas
Secretary of Homeland Security
(announced November 24) File:Avril-Haines (cropped).jpg, Avril Haines

(announced November 24) File:Linda-Thomas-Greenfield-v1-8x10-1.jpg, Linda Thomas-Greenfield

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...

(announced November 24) File:John Kerry portrait of Climate Envoy (cropped).jpg, John Kerry

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate The United States special presidential envoy for climate is a position in the Executive Office of the President of the United States with authority over energy policy and climate policy within the executive branch. It is currently held by John Ker ...

(announced November 24) File:Lisa Monaco, Deputy Attorney General portrait.jpg, Lisa Monaco
Deputy Attorney General
(announced January 7)

Health policy

File:Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, USPHS (cropped).jpg, Dr. Vivek Murthy
Surgeon General
(announced December 7) File:CDC-Director-Rochelle-Walensky-Headshot.jpg, Dr. Rochelle Walensky
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(announced December 7) File:Marcella Nuñez-Smith at NIMHD 10th Anniversary Symposium 01.jpg, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith
Chair of the COVID-19 Equity Task Force
(announced December 7) File:Anthony Fauci 2020.jpg,

Dr. Anthony Fauci Anthony Stephen Fauci (; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist serving as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the presiden ...

Chief Medical Advisor to the President
(announced December 7) File:Francis_Collins_official_photo.jpg, Dr. Francis Collins
Director of the National Institutes of Health
(announced January 16)

Science and technology policy

Bhavya Lal was appointed as the Acting Chief of Staff for NASA at the White House. File:Eric Lander (cropped).jpg, Dr. Eric Lander
Director of the

Office of Science and Technology Policy An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

(announced January 16) File:Alondra Nelson, OSTP Deputy Director.jpg, Dr. Alondra Nelson
Deputy Director for science and society of the

(announced January 16) File:Maria Zuber - GRAIL MoonKAM Student Expo 2012 (cropped).jpg, Dr. Maria Zuber
Co-chair of the

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is a council, chartered (or re-chartered) in each administration with a broad mandate to advise the president of the United States on science and technology. The current PCAST w ...

(announced January 16) File:Frances_Arnold_EM1B5928_(32361895088).jpg, Dr. Frances Arnold
Co-chair of the

(announced January 16)

Department of Defense

There was a great deal of resistance to Biden staffers by Trump appointees, and not much cooperation. Then on December 18, acting Defense Secretary

Chris Miller Chris or Christopher Miller may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Chris Miller (writer) (born 1942), American comedy author and screenwriter *Chris Miller (animator) (born 1968), American voice actor and director * Christopher Miller (filmmaker) ( ...

said in a statement that the transition team had agreed to a two-week pause in discussions over the December holiday period. This was news to the Biden transition team, who immediately said they had not agreed to any such thing.

Planned executive orders and guidelines

President-elect Joe Biden plans on signing several executive orders after being sworn into office on January 20, 2021. His planned executive orders include: * Rejoining the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...

* Reversing President Trump's planned withdrawal from the World Health Organization * Reinstating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program * Repealing Presidential Proclamation 9983 and the Presidential Memorandum on Military Service by Transgender Individuals * Barring anyone in his administration from influencing any

United States Justice Department The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and a ...

investigations * Instituting new ethics guidelines at the White House * Freezing so-called midnight regulations that have not taken place by January 20 In addition to these executive orders, President-elect Biden plans to issue a large number of executive orders on day one relating to climate change, and cancel several health care policies put in place by the Trump administration including Medicaid work requirements, short-term health plans, Obamacare funding cuts, Title X abortion referral restrictions, and the Mexico City Policy, as well as reinstating

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

funding and restoring LGBTQ regulations. President-elect Biden also stated he would urge all Americans to wear a mask for the first 100 days of his presidency in an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transition team

Except for those noted, the transition team was announced on September 5.

Co-chairs

Anita Dunn Anita Dunn ( Babbitt; born January 8, 1958) is an American political strategist serving as a senior advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, having originally held the post from January 20, 2021 to August 12, 2021, and returning May 5, 2022. Previo ...

, former acting White House communications director * Ted Kaufman (announced June 20, 2020), former United States senator from Delaware * Michelle Lujan Grisham, incumbent governor of New Mexico *

, incumbent United States representative from Louisiana *

Jeffrey Zients Jeffrey Dunston Zients (born November 12, 1966) is an American business executive and government official who served as Counselor to the President and the White House COVID-19 Response Team, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator from Janu ...

, former director of the National Economic Council, former acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, former

chief performance officer of the United States Chief Performance Officer of the United States (CPO) is a position in the Office of Management and Budget (within the Executive Office of the President of the United States), first announced on January 7, 2009, by then President-elect Barack Oba ...

Advisory council

*Tony Allen, incumbent president of Delaware State University * Jared Bernstein, economist *

, former

mayor of South Bend, Indiana This is a list of mayors of South Bend, Indiana, beginning with South Bend's incorporation as a city on May 22, 1865. William G. George served as the city’s first mayor from 1865 to 1868. Joe Kernan was mayor of South Bend from 1988 to 1997 an ...

, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate *

Leslie R. Caldwell Leslie Ragon Caldwell (born 1957) is an American attorney, who served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice from 2014 to 2017. She has spent the majority of her professional career ...

, former Assistant Attorney General. *

Mark Gitenstein Mark Henry Gitenstein (born March 7, 1947) is an American lawyer and diplomat who is serving as the United States ambassador to the European Union since 2022. He was nominated by President Joe Biden on July 27, 2021, and confirmed by the United ...

, former

United States ambassador to Romania A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the ...

Cecilia Martinez Cecilia Martinez is the senior director for environmental justice at the Council on Environmental Quality and co-founder and executive director of the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy. In 2020, she was named one of ''Time'' magazine's 100 ...

, executive director of the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy * Cindy McCain (announced September 28, 2020), Chair of the

McCain Institute for International Leadership The McCain Institute for International Leadership is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank in cooperation with Arizona State University whose mission is to "advance leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom, and human dignity, in t ...

Board of Trustees and widow of former United States senator from Arizona and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Republican presidential nominee

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

* Bob McDonald, former United States secretary of Veterans Affairs * Minyon Moore, principal at

Dewey Square Group The Dewey Square Group (DSG) is a political consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. The company was initially started in 1992 by political strategists Charlie Baker, Chuck Campion and Michael Whouley, and headquartered in Boston. In 2005, DSG ...

* Vivek Murthy, former

surgeon general of the United States The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. Th ...

, former

national security advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...

*Teresa Romero, incumbent president of the United Farm Workers *

, former ambassador at large for global women's issues *Lonnie Stephenson, incumbent international president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers *Felicia Wong, president and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the Roosevelt Institute * Sally Yates, former acting

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

Staff

Yohannes Abraham Yohannes Abraham is an American government official who is the Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. His previous positions included Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernm ...

, director of day-to-day operations, former staffer in the

Obama White House Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican n ...

. *

Cecilia Muñoz Cecilia Muñoz (born July 27, 1962) is an American political advisor who served as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Obama, a position she held for five years. Prior to that, she served as the White House Direct ...

, former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Obama *Avril Haines, national security and foreign policy, former principal deputy national security adviser and deputy director of the CIA. * Suzy George, served as an aide to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. *Awenate Cobbina, director of operations, chair of Michigan Economic Development Corporation * Lisa Monaco, homeland security adviser, homeland security adviser under the Obama administration

Financing

In addition to the roughly $6 million in federal funding the transition received, it raised $22.1 million in private contributions. The Biden transition made $24 million in expenditures.

References

External links

*
Presidential Transition Directory
at the General Services Administration {{Mike Pence November 2020 events in the United States December 2020 events in the United States January 2021 events in the United States 2020 United States presidential election Articles containing video clips Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign Presidential transition, Biden Biden Presidential transition, Biden Presidential transition, Biden Presidential transition, Biden