Trump team signs transition MOU but refuses GSA’s tech services

The Trump-Vance transition team and the Biden administration signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday formally kicking off the process to hand over executive power — though the Trump team has decided not to accept some of the government’s available resources, including tech and information security provided by the General Services Administration.

The transition team will reportedly run as a “self-sufficient organization” with existing security and information protections already built-in, utilizing private funding, according to the press release from the Trump transition team. That includes not using technology or buildings provided by the General Services Administration as part of the transition resources the agency is authorized and appropriated to provide.

The Trump team also said it “already has existing security and information protections built in, which means we will not require additional government and bureaucratic oversight.”

The release states that landing teams will “quickly integrate directly into federal agencies and departments” with access to documents and policy sharing. 

Susie Wiles, President-elect Donald Trump’s chief of staff, said in the release: “This engagement allows our intended cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power.”

GSA, which has held a prominent role in presidential transitions since 1963, received $10.4 million in pre-election funds for fiscal 2024 to provide “transition services” that include IT equipment and communication services, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The agency has also requested $11.2 million in post-election funds to “provide transition services and facilities to the incoming and outgoing administration. 

A GSA spokesperson told FedScoop that the agency provides IT services that facilitate “secure connectivity and collaboration” between transition teams and the federal government upon completion of the statutorily required MOU agreement. 

The equipment the government traditionally provides — and that the Trump administration is forgoing — is aligned with federal security policies and best cybersecurity practices. GSA is also prepared to provide on-site IT assistance for candidate team members, “should they need assistance resolving any issues with use of the provided IT services,” the spokesperson said.

“GSA has implemented robust cybersecurity capabilities that are commensurate to the cybersecurity threats for this and every transition,” the spokesperson said. 

In light of reported campaign hacking during the recent election cycle, GSA‘s technological support is “more crucial than ever before,” according to Valerie Smith Boyd, director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan resource that has assisted in presidential transitions since 2008. 

“GSA must maintain the highest cybersecurity standards for federal systems, so while candidates might feel confident in their own IT capabilities…GSA is the best placed [sic] to investigate and respond to threats with the full weight of the federal government,” Boyd said in a statement to FedScoop.

When contacted for additional comment following the MOU’s signing, the Trump-Vance transition team pointed FedScoop back to its press release and did not answer any questions before publication.