President Elect Joe Biden is moving quickly to prepare to take office January 20, 2021 as his transition team recently announced a slew of agency review teams, including one for Social Security, so the new administration can be up-to-speed on matters once Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris are sworn into office.
The four-member Social Security Administration agency team appointed by Biden will be led by former Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin. She served as acting commissioner under President Barack Obama’s administration, but stepped down from the post when President Donald Trump was sworn into office January 20, 2017.
Three other members of the agency team were also announced. They include Scott Frey, David Holmes and Jack Smalligan. The most recent employment information was released for each of the Social Security agency members. Frey’s most recent employment was with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. David Holmes worked with Rebellion Defense and Jack Smalligan is from the Urban Institute. All, including Colvin, are serving on a volunteer basis. With limited exceptions, the agency review teams are all working on a volunteer basis because no funding has been provided for the transition by the General Services Administration (GSA, which has previously been has been the standard over the last 50 years when an election outcome was clear. As of November 12, 2020 this has the GSA’s decision remains unchanged as Trump continues to contest the results of the election. Below is a description of the agency review teams from the Biden-Harris transition team’s website.
Agency review teams are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power, and preparing for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and their cabinet to hit the ground running on Day One. These teams are composed of highly experienced and talented professionals with deep backgrounds in crucial policy areas across the federal government. The teams have been crafted to ensure they not only reflect the values and priorities of the incoming administration, but reflect the diversity of perspectives crucial for addressing America’s most urgent and complex challenges.
The Presidential Transition Act requires presidential transitions to disclose the “most recent employment” and “sources of funding” for all agency review team members. The Transition Team has three types of agency review team members:
Volunteers: Individuals who are volunteering for the Transition in their personal capacity. For these team members, their current or most recent employer is listed (for informational purposes only), and their source of funding is listed as “Volunteer.”
Full-Time Transition Employees: Individuals who are full-time paid Transition employees, funded by the Transition entity itself (PT Fund, Inc.). For these team members, their most recent employer prior to joining the Transition is listed (for informational purposes only), and their source of funding is listed as “Transition — PT Fund, Inc.”
Detailees: Individuals on detail who will be funded through an appropriation administered by the General Services Administration. For these team members, their current employer is listed, and their source of funding is listed as “Transition — Appropriation.”
