President-elect Joe Biden said on Monday that members of his transition team has “encountered obstruction” and “roadblocks” from both the Department of Defense and Office of Management and Budget that could undermine the national security of the country.
“My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies,” Biden said on Monday. “We need full visibility into the budget planning underway at the Defense Department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch-up that our adversaries may try to exploit.”
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He continued: “We have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the department of defense and the Office of Management and Budget. Right now, we just aren’t getting all of the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas.It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.”
Earlier this month, acting Secretary of Defense, Chris Miller reportedly ordered Pentagon officials to stop cooperating with the Biden transition team. They downplayed the move at the time saying that staffers involved in the transition were “overwhelmed” and their work with the Biden transition would continue after the holidays.
