US agency allows Biden transition funds to begin

Agency: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday was formally given the go-ahead by a federal agency to begin his transition to the White House, Reuters reported.

According to the news agency, the decision was taken shortly after the battleground state of Michigan certified Biden as the winner there.

With the rapid-fire developments, Republican President Donald Trump’s already languishing efforts to overturn his November 3 election defeat appeared to be coming to a close.

The US General Services Administration, an independent agency, informed Biden, a Democrat, that his transition – leading up to a January 20 inauguration – could officially begin.

In a tweet, Trump wrote that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy and her team should “do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”

The move by the GSA means Biden’s team will now have federal funds and an official office to conduct his transition over the next two months. It also paves the way for Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to receive regular national security briefings that Trump also gets.