Trump Signs Transition Pact With Biden White House

Trump's team will have to publicly disclose its ethics plan for the transition operation and make a commitment to uphold it.

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President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden's White House to allow his transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on January 20.

The congressionally mandated agreement allows transition aides to work with federal agencies and access non-public information and gives a green light to government workers to talk to the transition team.

But Trump has declined to sign a separate agreement with the General Services Administration that would have given his team access to secure government offices and email accounts, in part because it would require that the president-elect limit contributions to USD 5,000 and reveal who is donating to his transition effort.

The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by October 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump's team to sign on.

The agreement is a critical step in ensuring an orderly transfer of power at noon on Inauguration Day, and lays the groundwork for the White House and government agencies to begin to share details on ongoing programs, operations and threats.