The Peaceful Transition of Presidential Power
After King Benjamin advised his people concerning their dealings with one another, he urged, “And see that these things be done in wisdom and in order,” repeating, “all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27). Applying this counsel to our citizenship, we can support the peaceful transition of presidential power by advocating for a process with wisdom and order overarching.
After serving two terms as the first president of the newly formed United States, long before term limits were established, George Washington declined running for a third term, in part to keep a promise he made early on to not seek “unfair power.” Thus began the history of the peaceful transition of power in America — a standard for decades to come.
During this current transition of power, President-elect Donald Trump and his team have circumvented protocols and missed deadlines meant to provide stability and peace throughout the significant shift in governance. Examining the scope and details of a presidential transition helps inform our advocacy for responsible transitions.
Consider the scope of the task
Transfers of power occur every day. Some transitions happen unexpectedly, like a first grade teacher taking emergency leave, resulting in a scramble of personnel to compensate, educate, and reassure her students. Other transitions are expected and yet still complicated, such as a CEO announcing her retirement, causing staffing and project changes throughout the company for months. Whether unexpected or expected, impacting a few or many, transitions of power come with problems to solve and responsibilities to cover.
An expected transfer of presidential power every four or eight years is really no different in this way. However, distinctive in its scope and impact, no transfer of power is more notable than that from one U.S. president to their successor.
The transition of the CEO’s position in the example above would take months, the coordination involving multiple staff members, departments, budgets, data sharing, and more. Imagine how much more effort it takes to efficiently transfer power between two presidents of the U.S. — whose job it is to oversee the entire executive branch of the federal government in one of the world’s most powerful countries!
The federal government is America’s largest employer, with the executive branch the largest of the three branches. The president oversees 15 departments and more than four million employees (mostly non-partisan), including the military. The president works with their cabinet members, who, as partisan appointees, lead departments like the Office of Treasury, Department of Defense, and Department of Education. These and other departments provide essential programs and services required to govern, protect, and support states and citizens.
When we elect a new president, we, in effect, agree to an entirely new administration. With the transfer of presidential powers, the west wing of the White House and much of the executive branch leadership changes, too. Most or all cabinet secretaries (and their staff members) are replaced by the incoming president’s appointees after congressional approval. It is customary for the president-elect and their transition team to vet their selections before presenting individuals to Congress for confirmation, though this has not always occurred.
“In wisdom and order”
As the country grew, the need for established laws and procedures for a transfer of powers became apparent. Before the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, transitions between presidents lacked formal processes and government funding, with political parties assuming those roles and expenses. Now, the General Services Administration administers the funding and oversees presidential transitions along with the Office of Management and Budget. Even still, vague procedures have increased the risk of outgoing presidents causing friction for the incoming administration. Since the initial Presidential Transition Act, multiple amendments have continued to modify procedures and define roles to allow for smoother transitions.
The first tasks for a smooth transition begin one year before the presidential election. The sitting president selects a transition coordinator from senior leaders at the General Services Administration and proposes a budget that must be approved by Congress. The president also initiates a transition coordinating council and an agency transition directors council, which begin meeting by no later than May of the election year.
These committees are made up of directors from key federal agencies, such as the Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, and Health and Human Services. They also include representatives from each of the major parties, the transition coordinator, and others. These individuals and departments begin the arduous process of planning to provide data, documentation, training, and logistical support to the incoming presidential administration and to preserve the continuity of services and protections provided.
After the election, the president-elect signs agreements with the General Services Administration, which include standards of ethics and are crucial for tasks such as disclosing conflicts of interest and obtaining security clearances required to hold positions in the presidential administration. This system in place reflects the “wisdom and order” King Benjamin urged.
In an unprecedented breach of the Presidential Transition Act, Trump and his transition team left most of the agreements unsigned past key deadlines. One result of this delay in signing was that it afforded Trump chances to raise undisclosed amounts of money from undisclosed donors. Since the potential for conflicts of interest increases in this setting — for example, a future cabinet member could be earning profits for their government service — this inaction by Trump’s presidential transition team raises significant ethical alarms.
What’s at stake
Think of the American government as a body requiring many individual organs to function. The organs work together to sustain life, and, similarly, the coordination of departments is required to run governmental programs and services. The executive branch can be compared to the heart of the body. Essential to the body’s overall function, the heart pumps blood to the other organs. Just as a heart transplant requires the skill, knowledge, and intricacy of surgeons, nurses, and technicians to keep the body functioning while one heart replaces another, a successful transfer of executive power requires the knowledge, coordination, and care of many employees from multiple agencies.
When outgoing presidential administrations take care in handing over programs and services, the work of governing a country can more smoothly continue with the new administration. When incoming presidential administrations follow procedures and accept training and coordination from the outgoing administration, there is less risk of serious disruption to vital programs and services and national security.
Disruptions to critical government services arising from presidential transitions have a significant impact. For example, if the Department of Agriculture is disrupted, an elderly man with disabilities might experience a delay in accessing his SNAP benefits to buy groceries. If the Department of Transportation fails to operate properly and airports close, tens of thousands of people could miss job interviews, vacations, or even lifesaving healthcare. And, if the Central Intelligence Agency is compromised, the country could lose ground on operations vital to national security. Noting the potential far-reaching effects of a less-than-cooperative transfer of powers can inform our advocacy.
At times, outgoing presidential administrations have attempted to interfere with the transfer of authority to the incoming presidential administration. Most recently, the nation experienced tragic consequences when outgoing President Donald Trump rejected the legitimacy of incoming President Joe Biden’s victory as Congress counted the electoral vote on January 6, 2021. In a speech near the White House, Trump emboldened the crowd, who then attacked the U.S. Capitol, leaving five dead and hundreds more injured, and resulting in a number of related suicides.
We can publish peace
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace.” — Isaiah 52:7
An overwhelming majority of presidential transitions have been peaceful, even if sometimes awkward or vexed. Republican President George H.W. Bush famously and graciously wrote in his letter to the newly elected Democratic President Bill Clinton, “Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you.”
As citizens, we can “root hard” for the success of a new presidential administration, too. Rooting implies actions like praying for government leaders and peaceful transfers of power and encouraging others to do the same. These prayers will sound different for everyone, but we can pray for the nation and its leaders — having great tolerance for people — while still refusing to tolerate injustice. Inspired action from our leaders leads to positive results.
We expect ethical behaviors and continuity of services and protections from outgoing and incoming presidents, and we can make this clear in our correspondence to government representatives, in speeches, in conversations, and in writing social media posts or for news publications. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we can help publish the peace He promises.
Sources
The White House: “The Executive Branch“
The White House: “The Cabinet“
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: “Washington on a proposed third term and political parties, 1799“
George Washington’s Mount Vernon: “Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796“
Congressional Research Service: “Presidential Transition Act: Provisions and Funding“
USAGov: “Inauguration of the president of the United States“
Center for Presidential Transition: “Frequently Asked Questions about Presidential Transitions“
Library of Congress: “Capitol Violence – FBI“
History: “8 Ways Past US Presidents Handled the Peaceful Transfer of Power“
FactCheck.org: “How Many Died as a Result of Capitol Riot?“
The New York Times: “Trump Is Running His Transition Team on Secret Money“
The New York Times: “Trump Holds Up Transition Process Over Ethics Code“
NPR: “Read Trump’s Jan. 6 Speech, A Key Part Of Impeachment Trial“