Partnership for Public Service statement on the start of GSA’s presidential transition planning support

August 27, 2024

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier in recognition of the deadline for the General Services Administration to offer presidential transition services to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris:

“To effectively protect and serve the public, it is imperative that both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are ready to run our government on Day One of the next presidential term. The General Services Administration will make pre-election presidential transition support services available to each candidate as of today. This support – which includes furnished office space, a secure IT network, computers, and on-site security – will be crucial to help them both plan for this tremendous responsibility.

“Only about half of the country expects a peaceful transfer of power after this upcoming election, and this increased doubt is driven in part by a lack of trust in the presidential transition process itself. One way to help to rebuild this weakened trust is for both Harris and Trump to demonstrate that they are taking the necessary steps to plan for a smooth and effective transfer of power. Accepting GSA’s support will send a much-needed signal to the public that they are doing just that.

“Transition teams have until Sept. 1 to enter into a memorandum of understanding with GSA that specifies the conditions for accepting these pre-election transition support services. I urge both Trump and Harris to accept these meaningful resources made available today to maximize the increasingly limited time they have to prepare to govern.”

Check out the Partnership’s new survey data to learn more about the public’s opinions regarding the presidential transition following the 2024 election.

The Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition^® serves as the premier nonpartisan source of information and resources to help presidential candidates and their teams lay the groundwork for a new administration or for a president’s second term. The Center provides critical assistance on how to organize and carry out an effective transition, helps agency career executives prepare for new political leadership, offers guidance to political appointees on the unique aspects of government leadership and engages with Congress to promote transition reforms. Our resources include: 

• Presidential Transition Guide – The fifth edition of the Presidential Transition Guide, released in 2023, covers the major activities of a transition for non-incumbent presidential candidates and their top campaign and transition staff, as well as the role of the incumbent administration in supporting transition efforts to prepare for a possible turnover.
• Agency Transition Guide – This guide helps career officials build well-organized internal transition teams to provide incoming senior leaders with critical information about agency policies, operations, budgets and personnel.
• Second-Term Planning Guide – Our third guide produced in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group, this new resource provides recommendations to White House incumbents to harness their first-term achievements and set the stage for new progress.
• Transition Lab – The Center’s podcast explores issues surrounding transitions, talks to veterans of past transitions and illuminates what it takes to be ready to govern.
• The Center’s online platform, presidentialtransition.org, contains an extensive collection of historical documents from previous presidential transitions and additional guidance such as appointee position descriptions and templates for transition materials.

During the past 22 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees. Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.  

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