GSA yet to give Biden team authority to start proper transition

A key United States (U.S.) body that authorises the transition process after a presidential election has not yet established contact with president-elect Joe Biden’s team, according to a U.S. newspaper report.
The General Services Administration (GSA), which is in charge of federal government buildings, is refusing to send a letter giving Biden’s team the correct access, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
Such a step would be tantamount to accepting a victory for Biden. Republican President Donald Trump has vowed to keep pursuing legal avenues to challenge the U.S. election result, which handed the White House to his Democratic opponent.
The GSA has the power to give the “apparent winner’’ of the presidential election access to official buildings, emails, officials and computer systems, as well as providing money for the transition process and space for the incoming team to work.
It is expected to cost some $9.9 million for Biden to set up his new administration.
Some 36 hours after the election was called, GSA boss Emily Murphy had still not sent the letter giving Biden’s team the authority to do this, the Washington Post reported.
If there is a delay in the transition, it would be the only time this had happened apart from 2000, when the election was only decided by a Supreme Court judgement weeks after the election.
An email from the GSA indicated that it was waiting for a final result from the U.S. election.