Transition Roundup: GSA Administrator Talks About the Ascertainment Process; Appointee Tracker Relaunches

President-elect Biden said “the Biden-Harris Cabinet will be a historic Cabinet,” during an event on Wednesday to introduce his Transportation secretary pick, Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. “Our Cabinet does not just have one first or just two of these firsts, but eight precedent-busting appointments,” Biden said. “And today, a ninth: the first ever openly gay nominee to lead a Cabinet department, and one of the youngest Cabinet members ever.” He added that Buttigieg has the “perspective of a mayor that solves problems and brings people together” and “vision of a next-generation leader with the experience and temperament to lead the charge today, to dig us out of this economic crisis.” Here are some of the other recent headlines you might have missed. 

General Services Administration Administrator Emily Murphy spoke about her process to ascertain Biden as the apparent winner of the election (and thus let the formal transition begin), in an interview with Federal News Network published on Wednesday. “Ascertain means to determine with certainty. So as a threshold matter, it’s important to note that, as the administrator, I wasn’t picking or certifying the winner of the presidential election,” she said. “I didn’t believe that it was my place to decide what challenges and recounts had merit. I waited for key developments involving certifications of the election results, and certain legal challenges to receive initial rulings. That didn’t happen until November 23. As soon as it happened, I wrote my ascertainment letter.” 

Murphy added that she did much research to prepare for the decision, which included speaking with Dave Barram, who was GSA administrator in 2000, the last time there was a significant delay in ascertainment. 

The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service announced on Thursday that it relaunched its political appointee tracker, in collaboration with The Washington Post, for the Biden administration. “Since its introduction in December 2016, the appointee tracker has played a key role in providing the public with up-to-date information about the nomination and confirmation status of nominees for critical government roles,” said Max Stier, PPS president and CEO, in a statement. “The Partnership is thrilled to continue its collaboration with The Washington Post to keep the public informed about the status of important government jobs, particularly those with responsibility for distributing a COVID-19 vaccine, tackling the economic crisis and protecting the country’s national security interests.”

Experts say that misting a disinfectant throughout the White House is not an effective way to kill coronavirus germs, which follows reports that the federal government is spending almost $29,000 on a contract to do so before the Biden administration comes in, Stat News reported on Wednesday. “It’s a huge waste of time and effort. It probably isn’t as effective as people say it is,” J. David Krause, an environmental and occupational health consultant and previous chair of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s indoor environmental quality committee, told Stat News. “And it runs the risk of somebody actually breathing this stuff in where it may be extremely hazardous. You really only need to be treating the surfaces that people have been exposed to or can be exposed to.” 

The Brookings Institution’s research, published earlier this week, shows how women could “enhance” the rulemaking process under the Biden administration as the president-elect seeks to undo many of Trump’s deregulatory actions as well as have a diverse administration. The think tank looked at over 8,000 agency rules from 1995 to 2014 and the gender of the individual leading each rule. “Our findings suggest that women can succeed anywhere, beyond the category of ‘women’s issues,’ ” said the report. 

A member of the transition press corps tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, which risked members of the incoming administration also getting infected, Politico reported. Biden’s office said the person traveled with the president-elect on Tuesday, but “was not ever in close contact” and “adhered to masking and social distancing guidelines at all times during the trip.” 

Two former political appointees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who were among the youngest appointees at the agency, said the politicization and damage the Trump administration has done to the CDC during the pandemic will take years to repair, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Kyle McGowan, a former chief of staff, “held conversations with Biden transition officials reviewing the agency’s response to the pandemic, where he said he was candid about its failure,” said the report. “Among the initiatives he encouraged the new administration to plan for: reviving regular — if not daily — news briefings featuring the agency’s scientists.”

If the Biden administration halts construction on the U.S.-Mexico border wall, it could save about $2.6 billion, according to the Army Corps of Engineers’ estimate, shared with The Washington Post. Biden said over the summer that he didn’t want to build Trump’s signature wall anymore; however, “financial implications of a decision to stop work — including the costs to the government it will potentially incur — have not been publicly disclosed,” according to the Post. 

Biden’s inauguration committee is offering various fundraising packages to donors that include virtual events and briefings, merchandise and “future” in-person events, CNBC reported on Wednesday. The inauguration will be mainly virtual and the committee is encouraging people to watch from home. 

Today’s GovExec Daily podcast episode looks back at how the Trump administration affected the management of the civil service. 

Help us understand the situation better. Are you a federal employee, contractor or military member with information, concerns, etc. about how your agency is handling the transition? Email us at newstips@govexec.com.