Can America’s Presidential Transition Process Be Fixed?
A Q&A with political scientist Martha Joynt Kumar on the costs of a delayed transfer of power and why reform requires leadership, not just legislation.
The GSA finally opens the doors.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve today’s most pressing policy challenges. This conversation has been edited and condensed.
Romesh Ratnesar: On Nov. 23, the head of the General Services Administration, Emily W. Murphy, agreed to allow President-elect Joe Biden to begin a formal transition process, more than two weeks since he was projected as the winner of the presidential election. You’re the director of the nonpartisan White House Transition Project and the author of “Before the Oath: How George W. Bush and Barack Obama Managed a Transfer of Power.” What’s been the biggest cost to the country caused by the delayed transition?