WILMINGTON: President Donald Trump is facing pressure to cooperate with president-elect Joe Biden’s team to ensure a smooth transfer of power when a new administration takes office in Washington in January.

The General Services Administration is tasked with formally recognising Biden as president-elect, which begins the transition. But the agency’s Trump-appointed administrator, Emily Murphy, has not started the process and has given no guidance on when she will do so.

That lack of clarity is fuelling questions about whether Trump, who has not publicly recognised Biden’s victory and has falsely claimed the election was stolen, will impede Democrats as they try to establish a government.

There is little precedent in the modern era of a president erecting such hurdles for his successor. The stakes are especially high this year because Biden will take office amid a raging pandemic, which will require a comprehensive government response.

“America’s national security and economic interests depend on the federal government signalling clearly and swiftly that the United States government will respect the will of the American people and engage in a smooth and peaceful transfer of power,” Jen Psaki, a Biden transition aide, tweeted on Sunday.

The advisory board of the non-partisan Centre for Presidential Transition also urged 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.

Biden, who was elected the 46th president on Saturday, is taking steps to build a government despite questions about whether Trump will offer the traditional assistance.

He is focusing first on the virus, which has already killed nearly 240,000 people in the United States. On Monday Biden announced details of a task force that will create a blueprint to attempt to bring the pandemic under control that he plans to begin implementing after assuming the presidency on Jan 20.

A former surgeon general, Dr Vivek Murthy, ex-Food Drug Administration commissioner Dr David Kessler and Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith, a professor at Yale University, are its co-chairs.

Biden pledged in remarks on Monday to work with governors and local leaders of both parties to craft a response to the coronavirus pandemic and called on Americans to put aside the partisanship and the rhetoric that’s designed to demonize one another” and come together to fight the virus.

“It’s time to end the politicisation of basic responsible public health steps, like mask wearing, social distancing,” he said. “We have to come together to heal the soul of this country so that we can effectively address this crisis as one country, where hardworking Americans have each other’s backs, and are united in our shared goal: defeating this virus.”

In his statement announcing the task force, Joe Biden said that tackling the pandemic is “one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts”.

The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective and distributed efficiently, equitably and free; and protecting at-risk populations,” he said.

There are also 10 members, including two former Trump administration officials: Rick Bright, who said he was ousted as head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority after criticizing the federal government’s response to the coronavirus, and Luciana Borio, who until last year was a biodefence specialist on the National Security Council.

The remainder of the panel includes experts with expertise in a number of areas, including Eric Goosby, who was President Barack Obama’s global AIDS coordinator.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2020