Donald Trump’s presidential transition team is encountering significant delays and challenges, largely due to its failure to sign essential ethics agreements with the federal government. As a result, many of Trump’s Cabinet nominees are being blocked from accessing the agencies they are slated to lead, according to a new report.
Despite having won the election, Trump has yet to finalize the necessary ethics paperwork that is required before the transition process can fully begin. These agreements—critical to ensuring transparency and preventing conflicts of interest—remain unsigned, and this delay is causing major disruptions to the transition.
One of the most pressing consequences of this delay, Politico reports, is that key appointments cannot engage with their respective agencies. For instance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tapped to head the Department of Health and Human Services, faced multiple rebuffs from the department when his team sought to initiate preliminary coordination before the official changeover in January.
This lack of access to agencies is not just an inconvenience, but it is also hindering vital functions like cybersecurity support. The Trump transition team is unable to use secure email systems or request FBI background checks for nominees, a situation that is particularly concerning given the rising number of cyberattacks this year—some of which have targeted Trump’s own team.
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Experts are worried that the transition’s reluctance to engage federal cybersecurity services could leave sensitive government data vulnerable, especially as Trump’s team begins receiving intelligence briefings.
Furthermore, the standoff has kept Trump’s Cabinet nominees in the dark about the operations of the departments they are supposed to oversee. The delay also keeps the public in the dark about potential ethical issues or financial conflicts involving transition staffers—problems that could further complicate Trump’s ability to take office smoothly.
Until these ethics hurdles are cleared, Trump’s nominees will remain unable to fully prepare for their new roles, and the transition will continue to face significant roadblocks.
