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The president-elect said Trump was leaving key departments “empty” and accused Pentagon officials of not sharing information.
President-elect Joe Biden has criticized President Donald Trump’s management of US foreign policy and the national security apparatus, saying that “many of these agencies critical to our security have suffered enormous damage” .
“A lot of them have been hollowed out, in personnel, in ability and in morale,” Biden said, adding that political processes “have been atrophied or have been sidelined” and US alliances have suffered from “decay “.
“All of this makes it harder to protect the American people,” Biden said during an address in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were briefed on Monday by members of their transition team who met with Trump administration officials at the Pentagon, State Department and Department of Homeland Security, among other agencies .
Biden said that “for some agencies our teams have received exemplary cooperation from the career staff of those agencies. On the part of other people, especially the Ministry of Defense, we encountered obstacles.
“Right now, we are simply not getting all the information we need from the outgoing administration in key areas of national security,” he continued. “It is nothing less, in my opinion, of irresponsibility.”
Biden opposed Trump’s “America First” philosophy, as he did during his campaign and transition, and argued that the United States needs global alliances to deal with issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and to deal with Russia and China.
Following his remarks, Biden responded to a shouted question from a reporter who asked him if he supported a direct stimulus payment of $ 2,000 to the Americans.
“Yes,” Biden said.
After days of delay, Trump signed a Sunday night pandemic stimulus program, which includes a direct payment of $ 600 to Americans. Trump delayed signing the bill because he argued for an increase in that payment to $ 2,000, even though his administration was involved in negotiating the bill and approved the figure of $ 600 before the Congress does not pass the legislation.
In a political turning point, Democrats fully support Trump’s call for the increased payment, and the proposal is expected to pass the United States House later on Monday. It’s unclear whether Republicans in the Senate will accept the proposal and, if they do, whether it will pass the GOP-led Senate.
Biden began his remarks by speaking of the Christmas day bombing in downtown Nashville and thanked the first responders for their “bravery and poise.”
“This bombing was a reminder of the destructive power of an individual or a small group,” Biden said. “I know that the hearts of all Americans are with the people of Nashville as they rebuild and recover from this traumatic event.”
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