A quick glance shows that more than 95 per cent members of US President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team fall in the category of volunteers
As we all know, a relay race is a track-and-field sport consisting of a set number of stages. Each leg is run by a different member of a team. The runner finishing one leg is usually required to pass on the baton to the next one, while both are running in a marked exchange zone. This is done so that the momentum of the race is not lost. The American presidential system is quite like a relay race, with each successive President-elect not only selecting the key players of his administration but also setting up a Review Team during the transition period. The job of the Review Team is to help the President-elect in framing the policies of his administration. This enables him to hit the ground running once he is sworn in. This is a time-honoured tradition followed by the US since its inception. The time available to the leader, between his being declared the President-elect and taking over of the presidency, is meant for handing over of the proverbial baton. Of course he may choose to change the colour and shape of the baton or carry an entirely new one on the run. But then that’s a different story!
Even as outgoing US President Donald Trump continues to put up roadblocks and the two leaders continue to spar on a daily basis, President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are ploughing on, undeterred. They have set up a website displaying the names of the members of the advisory team which is helping them shape their policies and action plan. The website says the “review teams are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power and preparing for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and their Cabinet to hit the ground running on Day One.”
In order to keep everything transparent and above board, the US Presidential Transition Act requires the President to disclose the all- important “source of funding” of all Review Team members. As per the details on the website, hundreds of volunteers have signed up to help the new administration. Then there are those who are full time transition employees paid by the Transition Fund and, lastly, there are individuals who will be funded through an appropriation administered by the General Services Administration.
However, a quick glance shows that more than 95 per cent of the Review Team members fall in the category of volunteers. In addition to their names, the list also provides their credentials such as area of expertise and employment details. The subjects on which the team is expected to advise the new administration are wide-ranging. They will examine the US Postal Services where the team would review the working of the Postal Regulatory Commission, the US Department of Agriculture where the team would review the Farm Credit Administration and Federal Agriculture Mortgage Corporation.
A team of 28 members, advising on the Department of Commerce which is responsible for steering the nation’s economy, would also review the Export-Import Bank, while an even larger team of 38 would advise on matters pertaining to the all-powerful Department of Defence. The team would review the country’s force posture worldwide and operations to deter enemies, as well as the budget planning underway at the Pentagon and other security agencies. The 26-strong team on the Department of Education will review the Corporation for National and Community Service and includes a couple of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) like Ajita Menon of Calbright College and Shital Shah of the American Federation of Teachers.
Each team also has a nominated leader, who will organise meetings, collate views from various members and present an action plan for Biden and Harris to pursue. Interestingly, the crucial Department of Energy, which would review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is headed by a PIO, Arun Majumdar of the prestigious Stanford University.
A 32-strong team, mostly comprising volunteers, would be looking into the Department of Health and Human Services and reviewing the Consumer Safety Commission. The team with perhaps the largest number of tasks on its plate is the one reviewing the Department of Justice. It is required to examine the Federal Election Commission, the US Election Assistance Commission, the US Commission on Civil Rights, the National Council on Disabilities, the US Access Board, AbilityOne, the State Justice Institute and the Legal Services Corporation. During this transition period the President-elect also gets to make over 4,000 appointments in key portfolios, such as departmental heads, some of whom may have to be confirmed by a select committee. Compared to this, in the Indian system the all-powerful Prime Minister gets to choose just his Council of Ministers and the top bureaucrat manning his own office, while the majority of the officials in various Ministries and other Government departments and bodies continue as before, studiously following age-old systems and procedures.
How much of the inputs from various US transition teams will bear fruit is anybody’s guess. But one thing is certain: It will serve to shake up things and bring about change. Only time will tell if these changes are for the better, or for worse.
(The writer is a former member of the Railway Board. The views expressed are personal.)