Obama Transition Teams Create Anxiety

Washington Post: Small Review Teams Are Scrutinizing Federal Agencies' Budgets And Programs

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Shailagh Murray and Carol D. Leonnig.

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Wearing yellow badges and traveling in groups of 10 or more, agency review teams for President-elect Barack Obama have swarmed into dozens of government offices, from the Pentagon to the National Council on Disability.

With pointed questions and clear ground rules, they are dissecting agency initiatives, poring over budgets and unearthing documents that may prove crucial as a new Democratic president assumes control. Their job is to minimize the natural tension between incoming and outgoing administrations, but their work also is creating anxiety among some Bush administration officials as the teams rigorously examine programs and policies.

Lisa Brown, who served as counsel to Vice President Al Gore and is helping manage the reviews, said typical questions include: "Which is the division that has really run amok? Or that has run out of money? If someone is confirmed, what's going to be on their desk from Day One? What are the main things that need to happen, vis-a-vis Obama's priorities?"

Every presidential changeover includes some type of review of the federal landscape, but some have succeeded more than others, experts say. Obama's teams -- 135 people divided into 10 groups, along with a list of other advisers -- started earlier than most, gearing up months before Election Day with preliminary planning, and will work until mid-December preparing reports to guide the White House, Cabinet members and other senior officials.

The team members include Democratic Party loyalists jockeying for senior administration jobs and subject experts in areas ranging from military systems to Medicare policy.

The Obama teams say they have benefited from a commitment by the Bush White House to cooperate as fully as possible to ease the shift.

"President Bush initiated preparations for the transition earlier, and with more extensive planning, than has ever been done before," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "We've also benefited from new legal authorities that allowed for better preparation of the transition teams. As we're at war, defending the nation against terrorist threats, and addressing a global financial crisis, it's more critical than ever that we have a successful transition."

John D. Podesta, a former Clinton White House chief of staff and co-chairman of the Obama transition, said the Obama teams have been dispatched with "clear roles and missions." In assembling the study groups, Podesta drew heavily from the Clinton administration, academia and think tanks such as his own, the Center for American Progress. Many team members were informal advisers to Obama throughout the campaign -- such as Sarah Sewall, a Harvard University human rights specialist who is a leader of the national security team.

Many chosen for the teams come with high-level, firsthand knowledge of certain agencies.

"They were part of that culture; they understand the political issues as well as the bureaucratic issues," said Melody C. Barnes, Obama's incoming Domestic Policy Council director, who is helping with the agency reviews.

Some teams parachuted in at the top. At the State Department, Obama team leaders Tom Donilon and Wendy R. Sherman met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. At the Pentagon, transition team members John White and Michèle A. Flournoy dropped by the offices of four senior officials and arranged for further interviews over the coming days. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates named a transition leader, Robert Rangel, to work with the group, even though Gates is slated to continue in his job when Obama takes office.

A typical approach has been playing out at the Environmental Protection Agency, where the Obama team is led by Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Robert Sussman, a former Clinton official and now a lawyer and fellow at the Center for American Progress. Both are considered front-runners for senior administration jobs (Jackson as EPA administrator, Sussman as a top EPA deputy).

On a recent Monday, the pair arrived at an 11 a.m. EPA senior staff meeting. Both had worked at the agency under President Bill Clinton, so they fit in easily, fully acquainted with the acronym-laden lingo.

Their team's questions have been specific, trained on a handful of issues, according to employees and other sources interviewed. A top concern is climate change, an issue they want to address with several EPA program initiatives. They also are asking how much money the enforcement divisions need to go after polluters.

The team also has focused on drinking-water standards, asking about how to reduce children's and mothers' exposure to perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel that is leaching into groundwater near military bases.

Jackson, Sussman and their team members hope to interview 100 staffers before filing their report, but they will do so with agreed-upon "rules of engagement," as the EPA's lawyers call them. The lawyers have urged senior managers to answer questions but to avoid idle chatter.

On Nov. 15, Podesta and his co-chairs agreed with the White House that the teams would not ask agencies for information in three nonpublic areas: individual personnel matters, legal deliberations and internal debate on pending regulatory matters.

Some managers have clearly communicated the ground rules. At the Transportation Department, Rose McMurray, assistant administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, initially urged staff members to quickly alert a senior policy manager about questions from transition team members so that management could ensure the answers were correct and "suitable for release."

Gus Coldebella, acting general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, told his staffers in a Nov. 19 memo that they should think carefully before talking about anything with their transition guests. He also stressed that issues involving the White House should not be discussed without consultation.

Among career employees, the arrival of the teams -- whose members wear yellow badges to distinguish them -- has brought both excitement and anxiety. Some remember the turbulence of what many considered an ill-planned transition to the Clinton administration, whose officials waited late to begin preparations.

"Most people are cautiously optimistic" about the Obama team's work, said Alex Bastani, the Labor Department union representative. "We are happy they are asking for a lot more detail, so perhaps, unlike the Clinton administration, they will lay the groundwork before they arrive and not just show up on Day One expecting everything will go smoothly."

Interviews with the teams offer some workers a chance to share their knowledge and pent-up grievances about programs that have run into funding difficulties or about bosses they did not like.

But those closely watching the review process warn that it is too early to judge its value. "I feel like those of us in the good government community need to settle in for a wait," Alyssa Rosenberg, a blogger for the publication Government Executive, told readers last week. ". . . It's not clear how much information about the agency and policy review teams' conclusions will be made public. There are signs that Obama has ideas about management, although not perhaps a comprehensive management agenda, and it's not clear if someone will be tasked with a Reinventing Government-style effort."

John P. Burke, a University of Vermont professor of political science who has studied presidential transitions, said Obama's review appears to have worked well because of its clearly defined goals. Historically, he said, problems sometimes arise when review teams "become too proactive," as evidenced during the shift to Ronald Reagan's administration in 1980. The Reagan Pentagon team, he said, produced a detailed policy blueprint that incoming Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger rejected.

But government experts warn that federal employees should manage their expectations as Obama arrives; he will face many challenges in implementing new initiatives, they said. During a news conference last week, Obama vowed to embark on a budget reform process that could prove painful.

"We can't sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness or exist solely because of the power of politicians, lobbyists or interest groups," he said. "We simply can't afford it. This isn't about big government or small government. It's about building a smarter government that focuses on what works."

[a_nother2002]

Give hope a chance. Fear is in the past 8 years of it. Let us hope he can do a good job. Get behind him unite and you may achieve great things!

[violist47]

Hey CBSnews: Where''s the anxiety your headline promised us? You say in the article:
"Their job is to minimize the natural tension between incoming and outgoing administrations, but their work also is creating anxiety among some Bush administration officials as the teams rigorously examine programs and policies." However, after that the article is all about the excellent transition work being done on both sides.
It sounds like a normal procedure being done in an exemplary fashion, not like Gestapo-type tactics at all.

[grandesign]

The most interesting date to uncover is when agencies began actually burning documents and erasing the email files.
Posted by alphaa10000 at 12:34 AM : Dec 04, 2008

That would be the bonfire is Vice President Cheney''s office. Nevermind.

[grandesign]

if he does what every black mayor in this country has done{been arrested for corruption} . . .
Posted by cherokee333 at 04:04 PM : Dec 03, 2008

Where are the stats on all these Black mayors? I don''t suppose the stats include Jews and Mexicans too?

[grandesign]

This will be an example for other governmental agencies going forward. If you have ever seen a government contract transition from one company to another, you would know how sloppy they often are. Often times the government itself isn''t prepared due to transistions (and turnover) within the agencies that oversee contract management.

This excercise will be interesting. Obama''s Phase-In period is underway.

[runningralph]

Many people blame Bush for things over which he has no control. The strength of terrorists, collapse of real estate market, high oil prices, low auto sales. He is accused of being insane and stupid but yet able to pull off big devious schemes. I never voted for him because of his poor military record. And I thought it was a mistake to attack Iraq. But the jihadists must be fought. If not Iraq, then somewhere else. If the US does not take the lead Western Civilization is over. Bush chose to take a stand in Iraq. So be it. Now Obama must lead on. I hope he does well.

[brian9194x]

Online Poker

It really amazes me at the lengths people will go to in this country. I know there is corruption but on this level, a card game, is amusing. The NFL should be ashamed of themselves and people like you should be ashamed of yourself. Everything you and others claim is contradicted by the exemption of online fantasy fball, horse betting, and lottery. This isn''''''''t even about online poker, its about constitutional rights and corruption. Also everything you claim even though its false would be fixed by regulation. The point is that you just want online poker gone. That''''''''s fishy to anyone with a brain.

Point proven.

Oh and playing online poker in the good old USA, is LEGAL. You can read the law for yourself.

[stevex47]

Barack is thoroughly examining the patient.

Hopefully we can recover from the wounds the nutjobs have inflicted.

[hatesthecolt]

I am so happy to see the transition team descending on the agencies especially the Pentagon. The political appointees of the last 8 years I have dealt with have been uniformly dilletantes with unhealthy ties to industry. It will be interesting to see who/what flows down from this review but if the result is the type of thoughtful appointments we are seeing in cabinet positions then HALLELUJAH~!

[rhs648]

The terrorists that attacked our nation on Bush''''s watch are stronger now than ever thanks to your ''''Texas Cowboy''''s'''' insanity. You must be one of those who voted for Bush twice and would do the same again without thinking.

Posted by nowaymcgoo

Nonsense! The terrorists are like mold. They grow and spread daily as they train, buy arms, and infiltrate different countries. Do you propose to wait until a world war with millions dead is required to stop them. Your statement shows how naive some people are. Like cancer, you don''t wait until it is too late for treatment to be effective. You seem oblivious to the threat that terrortist pose. Look at what happened in India last week.

[horse3farm]

One way we can out of debt is by creating a satellite surcharge. The American taxpayer paid for all these communication satellites used by the whole world. A little stipend to recoup costs of sending these billion dollar giants into space wouldnt be so unfair.......Any call, internet messenger, web cam, or fax sent over these airwaves originating from countries other than America could pay for its use.

Posted by sockpuppet4
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Yes and how much American tax payer money would be used to create another bloated government committee to handle the international billing for the millions of calls, internet messages, etc.

Presently, US, China, Russia, Japan, India, and Iraq, to name a few, have built and launched their own satellites for communication.

[iam-socrates]

I think that instead of wearing yellow badges, everybody should be wearing red tape...you know..to make it more realistic.

[toolmangler-2009]

He came out of no where.. and has some VERY bad friends... Time will tell.. I just hope that America can get back on track..
Posted by libsh8theUSA



I went to a Catholic School when I was in the elementary grades but I am not even slightly Catholic. I have a close friend that is serving life for murder, (therein hangs a tale) and I am aquainted with many felons (caught and uncaught). so going by that you can say that I am an evil person that associates witht criminals. Who you know means nothing about what type person you are.

[tangouniforn]

Yeah, lesson here is do it in the oval office or risk dismissal. Wonder if it helps to wear a blue dress. --

Posted by machineguy at 01:23 PM : Dec 03, 2008

I bet you will look good in a blue dress.

[bjcone8559]

Posted by RowdynTex


The terrorists that attacked our nation on Bush''s watch are stronger now than ever thanks to your ''Texas Cowboy''s'' insanity. You must be one of those who voted for Bush twice and would do the same again without thinking.

[bjcone8559]

a better allie the
Muslim extremists could have never hoped for.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by notblue


Correction. When Bush attacked Iraq he became al Quaeda''s best ally. Dubya, with his ''personal war for profit'' has empowered Iran and proved to be the greatest recruiting tool Bin Laden could have hoped for.

[macusweil]

"If they are a peaceful religion then why aren''''''''t the peaceful onces condemning the extremist actions... ?"

Oh, you mean like all the evangelicals did here when US started a war with Iraq?

[macusweil]

Bush''s Solution For The Economy = Trash it!!

Who needs jobs, wealth will just trickle down,, hey what''s that warm wet feeling down my back?

[libsh8theusa]

I don''''t hate him as a person, I hate what his failure did to the World.

Posted by ToolMangler

I don''t think we can blame the world problems on Prez. Bush.. Or all of American problems.. The Senate needs to take a lot of the blame.. I will concur that he failed in some areas... But a LOT of the problems America is having today are because of Greedy Fat CEO''s.. Who have cooked books.. Used investors money unwisely for their own gain..

I do hope Obama can do some good.. But he is a lawyer.. is or was a muslim (I do not trust Muslims.. If they are a peaceful religion then why aren''t the peaceful onces condemning the extremist actions... ? ) He came out of no where.. and has some VERY bad friends... Time will tell.. I just hope that America can get back on track..

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by notblue at 05:23 PM : Dec 03, 2008



Unlike the ''un-enlightened'' I do ''not'' adhere to the adage that "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". That is a wishful statement. (Just because a great white shark killed the hammerhead that tried to eat me, this of itself doesn''t make the Great White my friend. It merely wanted me for itself)