Experts warn of vaccine stumbles ‘out of the gate’ because Trump officials refused to consult with Biden team Laurie McGinley, Amy Goldstein, Lena H. Sun, Isaac Stanley-Becker President-elect Biden, speaking during a recent event in Wilmington, is planning a much bigger role for the federal government in the administration of coronavirus vaccines. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press) The last time a presidential transition began during a national emergency in 2008 amid the Great Recession the outgoing Bush administration set aside partisanship to work closely with incoming Obama officials on how to deal with the economic collapse. “Everyone was completely responsive to any question,” said Lawrence Summers, director of the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama. “They talked to us about major decisions.”
With just days left in President Donald Trump’s administration, his Health and Human Services Department released finalized rules that critics say allow social-service providers that get government funds to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.