The director of the White House Management and Budget Office is accusing President-elect Joe Biden and his aides of lying about the obstruction during the presidential transition – saying that, in fact, there have been 45 meetings since the end of November.
Biden on Monday accused the budget office of placing “obstacles” to the transition, but OMB director Russ Vought said in a letter on Thursday to Biden’s transition co-chairman, Ted Kaufman, that the statement it is false.
“I am writing to correct several false statements that members of the Biden Transition Team (BTT) continue to make about the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) cooperation with their team,” writes Vought in a letter seen exclusively by The Post.
“We have already held more than 45 meetings with your team to discuss specific issues, operational issues and more. It is appropriate for OMB to share information about ongoing programs so that BTT can use it to develop its own policies. We provide all requested information to OMB about ongoing programs. “
Sources told the Post that they assume that Biden’s transition office wants to start making decisions before Biden takes office on January 20, and that they believe Biden may be accusing the OMB of obstruction to lay the groundwork for blaming the employees for any bumps after taking office, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden and his aides also say that Defense Department officials are not fully cooperating.
“We encountered obstacles from the political leadership of the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget. At the moment, we are simply not getting all the information we need from the outgoing government in the main areas of national security, ”Biden said at a news conference on Monday in Wilmington, Delaware.
“It’s nothing short of irresponsible, in my opinion,” said Biden.
On Wednesday, Johannes Abraham, the executive director of the transition, echoed Biden, telling reporters: “The refusal of the OMB leadership to cooperate fully undermines our ability to identify opportunities to maximize the relief being sent to Americans during the pandemic. and leaves us in the dark, as it is related to COVID-related expenses and critical gaps. “
But Vought said the budget office, which controls spending across the federal government, has provided full access to the necessary information.
“To your specific criticisms of COVID, as you know, your team has
was informed by OMB, as well as the relevant agencies, of Operation Warp Speed and other COVID relief efforts, including the various funding streams in use for these efforts, ”writes Vought.
“In addition, there is a record of your team accessing these essential documents last week.”
Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that Biden transition officials are particularly concerned that employees at the career budget office will not be able to help prepare Biden’s first budget proposal for Congress, scheduled for February.
But Vought added: “As the record shows, OMB participated fully in the appropriate transition efforts. What we have not done and will not do is use the current OMB staff to write BTT’s legislative policy proposals to dismantle the work of this Administration. The OMB team is working on the policies of this Administration and will do so until the last day of this Administration’s mandate. Redirecting staff and resources to prepare your team’s budget proposals is not an OMB transition responsibility. “
Vought wrote that his office approved the use of $ 9.9 million in federal transition funds on November 23, after the General Services Administration determined that Biden was the elected president.
Vought writes to Kaufman: “Our system of government has one president and one government at a time. The OMB will not participate in the development of policies that weaken border security, dismantle the president’s deregulating successes, and devise budgets that will bankrupt America.
Biden’s transition office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.