Tag Archive for: Biden

Biden accuses Trump’s defense department and budget office of ‘obstruction’

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  • President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said that his transition team is facing ongoing roadblocks from President Trump’s political leadership at the Pentagon and Office of Management and Budget. 
  • “Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” Biden said.
  • Biden over the past week has repeatedly expressed concern about the lack of access he’s received at the Pentagon as the US deals with the SolarWinds hack and amid tensions with Iran. 
  • The Pentagon has pushed back on the claim that officials are stonewalling Biden. 
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

President-elect Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump’s political appointees at both the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget of “obstruction” and refusing to provide key information to his presidential transition team during remarks in Delaware on Monday. 

“We have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget,” Biden said during prepared remarks after a briefing from his national security advisers. 

“Right now, we just aren’t getting all the information we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas,” he said. “It’s nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility.” 

The Pentagon and Office of Management and Budget did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

“My team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter our enemies,” Biden said. “We need full visibility into the budget planning under way at the defense department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catchup that our adversaries may exploit.”

This comes after Biden said last week that the Pentagon has refused to brief his national security team on several key issues, including the massive suspected Russian cyberattack on the US government this year. And Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller ordered his department to cancel meetings with the Biden transition team, Axios reported earlier…

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Biden speaks after briefing from national security teams

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President-elect Joe Biden is delivering remarks Monday afternoon, hours after President Trump finally signed a massive government funding bill and coronavirus relief package, the future of which he’d thrust into uncertainty with 11th-hour demands.



Joe Biden wearing a suit and tie: President-Elect Joe Biden And Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Miguel Cardona As Hhe Nominee For Education Secretary

© Joshua Roberts / Getty Images
President-Elect Joe Biden And Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Miguel Cardona As Hhe Nominee For Education Secretary

Mr. Biden’s comments will follow a briefing from members of his national security and foreign policy agency review teams “on their findings and key challenges that the Biden-Harris administration will inherit,” according to the president-elect’s transition team.

How to watch President-elect Joe Biden’s remarks

  • What: President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks
  • When: Monday, December 28
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Wilmington, Delaware
  • Online stream: Live on CBSN — in the player above or on your mobile or streaming device

The president-elect has been vocal about the numerous challenges his administration will face once he assumes office, chief among them reversing the economic devastation brought by the coronavirus pandemic and mitigating the spread of the virus.

Video: Biden rebukes Trump for his response to cyberattack on U.S. government (CBS News)

Biden rebukes Trump for his response to cyberattack on U.S. government

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Mr. Biden will also be tasked with responding to the massive cyberattack that hit numerous government agencies, including the Departments of Energy, State and Treasury.

The perpetrators of the breach, believed to be Russian hackers, infiltrated computer networks through a popular software product from SolarWinds, a Texas-based company that also works with many of the nation’s largest corporations. The full scope of the cyberattack and the damage done remain unclear. Mr. Biden last week condemned Mr. Trump for allowing the breach to occur on his watch and vowed to take it…

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Biden assails Trump over handling of Russia hack

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The US government has not made a formal assessment of who was behind the attack, but both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have said all signs point to Russia. But Trump, who has long sidestepped blaming Moscow for its provocations, has not followed suit and has instead suggested — without evidence — that China may have carried out the hack.

The breach of the Treasury Department began in July, but experts believe the overall hacking operation began months earlier when malicious code was slipped into updates to popular software that monitors computer networks of businesses and governments.

“The truth is, the Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity,” Biden said. “This assault happened on Donald Trump’s watch, while he wasn’t watching.”

Given Trump’s reluctance to publicly blame Russia, it appears likely that any formal US retaliation for the hacking will fall to Biden. The president-elect said he would work with allies to set up international rules to hold nation states accountable for cyberattacks and vowed that his administration would make cybersecurity a top priority.

Biden spoke a day after Congress passed a $900 billion coronavirus aid bill that includes direct payments to many Americans and aid for struggling small businesses. He called the bill a “down payment” on a broader relief bill he plans to introduce when he takes office in January.

“Like all compromises, this is far from perfect,” Biden said. “Congress did their job this week, and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year.”

The president-elect also expressed empathy for families who have struggled this year through the pandemic and resulting economic uncertainty. He singled out in particular front-line workers, scientists, researchers, clinical trial participants, and those with deployed family members during the holiday season.

“Our hearts are always with you — keep the faith,” said Biden, even as he warned that the nation faces a “dark winter” as COVID-19 cases rise across the country. More than 320,000 people have died from the virus in the United States.

He urged Americans to continue to take precautions, particularly during…

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Biden will get tougher on Russia and boost election security. Here’s what to expect.

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with Tonya Riley

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President-elect Joe Biden is expected to dramatically shift how the government handles cybersecurity threats when he takes office in January. 

Those changes probably will include a top-level focus on election security after the White House virtually ignored the topic for the past four years and a far tougher stance on Russian hacking and disinformation campaigns than President Trump, who was often unwilling to publicly criticize Russia and President Vladimir Putin. 

“There are members of the Trump administration that prioritized cybersecurity, but Trump never has – and that will be different with Biden,” said Chris Painter, who served as the State Department’s top cybersecurity official during the Obama administration and for the first few months of the Trump administration. Trump frequently misstated basic facts about cybersecurity and seldom mentioned the topic publicly.  

Here are five key cybersecurity priorities for the Biden administration.



a person wearing a suit and tie standing in front of a crowd: President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris address the nation with victory speeches in Wilmington, Del. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

© Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris address the nation with victory speeches in Wilmington, Del. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

1. Seeking more funding for election security – which Republicans could start seeing as politically beneficial.

Democrats’ effort to deliver billions of dollars to make elections more secure against hacking and safer during the pandemic were stymied during the past four years by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Republicans who seemed to fear sparking Trump’s ire. The president seemed to view discussions about election security as delegitimizing his unexpected 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton and later spread unfounded rumors about widespread mail voting fraud. 

Republicans agreed to deliver more than $1 billion for election security and safety during the Trump administration, but that was only about one-fourth of what Democrats sought. 

Trump leaving office could clear the way for a far bigger package to fund a shift to paper ballots in states and counties that still lack them, increased mail voting and more…

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