November 22, 2020
Mayor Bill de Blasio today issued a letter to Emily Murphy, Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA),
demanding the Trump Administration immediately begin the presidential transition process.
“The time to act is now. The outcome of the election is more than ascertainable. It is fully knowable,” wrote Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Joe Biden has won, and it is in our national interest to aid the transition of power to him and help the American people.”
In the letter, Mayor de Blasio called on the GSA to comply with the Presidential Transition Act and ascertain President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. In refusing to do so, the GSA has recklessly delayed the transition.
The Mayor noted the GSA’s delay not only further erodes trust in public institutions; it actively jeopardizes the national COVID-19 pandemic response as cases rise in New York City.
“My city knows all too well the importance of robust Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supply chains and the life-threatening consequences that emerge when they fail,” wrote Mayor de Blasio. “By inhibiting government officials from speaking with the Biden Transition, you make further vulnerable the federal government’s ability to ensure critical PPE is available to doctors, nurses, and first responders.”
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Administrator Murphy,
I write to demand that you immediately ascertain the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election and issue the necessary paperwork for the Biden Transition to access government officials and congressionally appropriated funds.
It has been nearly three weeks since election day and nearly as many since a winner could be clearly ascertained. The winner was Joe Biden. This is an incontrovertible fact.
Your failure to perform your statutory duty under the Presidential Transition Act is both galling and un-American. This baseless delay does nothing but pander to those who wish the outcome were different than what it was, and further erodes trust in our public institutions. You have yet to articulate to the American people why you are hampering the peaceful transition of power – a tradition that dates back to the founding of our country. The empty statements on the GSA further make clear you have no interest in abiding by what the American tradition and law require of you.
Moreover, your inaction is jeopardizing the well-being of millions of Americans in the midst of a global pandemic. The inability of federal agency staff to communicate and share information with the Biden Transition hampers both the response to and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. At this critical juncture, with vaccine distribution just around the corner and peak numbers of Covid-19 cases, it is more important than ever that governmental professionals can communicate, collaborate, and coordinate plans to help protect Americans.
My city knows all too well the importance of robust Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supply chains and the life-threatening consequences that emerge when they fail. By inhibiting government officials from speaking with the Biden Transition, you make further vulnerable the federal government’s ability to ensure critical PPE is available to doctors, nurses, and first responders.
The time to act is now. The outcome of the election is more than ascertainable. It is fully knowable. Joe Biden has won, and it is in our national interest to aid the transition of power to him and help the American people.
Sincerely,
Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City
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