Biden Says He's Facing Roadblocks in Getting National Security Info

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Dec 28, 2020 08:46 PM EST

President-elect Joe Biden is blaming the outgoing Trump administration for the roadblocks that he and his team are experiencing on his way to the White House.

Biden said that he and his team are frustrated by what he described as lack of cooperation, particularly at the Defense Department and with the Office of Management and Budget.

Biden said that all of it makes it harder for the government to protect the American people, according to an NPR report.

He further called the alleged failures of cooperation from political leaders at the agencies as nothing sort of irresponsibility.

"Right now, we just aren't getting all of the information we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas," Biden was quoted on a Newsweek report.

The president-elect spoke about the challenges that his administration will face once he is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

Biden has vowed to rebuild alliances with foreign communities and restore America's reputation in the world after U.S. President Donald Trump's America First view.

Biden said that they are going to have to regain the trust and confidence of a world that has started to find a way to work around them or without them.

Meanwhile, current Defense Department officials has downplayed accounts about delays or cancellations.

However, Biden made it clear on Monday that he is still unhappy about the state of that relationship.

The incoming U.S. president also said that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would need a complete picture of the workings of the government with the magnitude of the challenges that they will be facing once they take office.

He said that they need to ensure that nothing is missed during the transition of administrations, adding that they need full visibility.

Pentagon Briefings

Meanwhile, acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has ordered a full Pentagon postponement to cooperation with the transition of Biden, according to senior administration officials.

This decision shocked officials across the Defense Department, according to an Axios report.

Biden transition director Yohannes Abraham said that there was no mutually agreed upon holiday break.

Abraham continued that they think it is important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period as there is no time to spare.

On the other hand, Miller said in a statement that at no time the Department cancelled or declined any interview.

"After the mutually-agreed upon holiday, which begins tomorrow, we will continue with the transition and rescheduled meetings from today," Miller was quoted on a report.

Miller's decision was one of the biggest signs of mistrust on incoming Biden administration, according to Axios.