Biden administration to focus on keeping government open until transfer of power: White House

WASHINGTON

The White House said Thursday that the outgoing Biden administration will prioritize keeping the government open until President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.

Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the current administration will continue to deliver assistance for communities affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton and other disasters.

"And we're going to make sure that we keep the government open,” she told reporters. “We're going to pass the NDAA that's important, and we're also going to make sure that we confirm well-qualified judicial nominees," she added, referring to the National Defense Authorization Act that has the annual budget of the Pentagon

"That's going to be certainly our focus in the next 74 days," she said.

President Joe Biden said earlier Thursday that Americans deserve a "peaceful and orderly transition" after Trump secured a second White House term earlier this week.

Biden said he spoke with Trump to assure him that he has directed his staff to do just that, but acknowledged the pain felt by many of his fellow Democrats.

With 74 days left in his term, Biden pledged to make each day count.

"That's the responsibility we have to the American people," he said. "Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable."

Trump claimed a blowout victory against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris following the Nov. 5 polls, far surpassing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. He also became the first Republican nominee to win the popular vote in two decades.

The president-elect currently holds 295 delegates to Harris' 226.

The states of Nevada and Arizona remain undeclared, though both are leaning in Trump's favor.

Trump's victory marks an historic and improbable comeback after he failed to be reelected to a second consecutive term in 2020, one in which he claimed without substantiation that the election was rigged and tried unsuccessfully to overturn the results.

He became the first former president to be charged with state or federal crimes in four separate indictments and was convicted earlier this year in the state of New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an alleged affair with Trump.

Trump will be inaugurated for a second White House term on Jan. 20, 2025. Harris, as vice president, is slated to oversee the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.