Trump-Biden transition latest: Trump signs coronavirus relief bill amid pressure

The president had gone nearly a week without signing the bill.

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 24 days.


0

Biden expected to name Miguel Cardona, Conn. schools chief, as his pick for education secretary

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name Miguel Cardona, who currently serves as Connecticut's education commissioner, as his pick for secretary of education, sources familiar with the decision told ABC News on Tuesday.

Throughout his presidential campaign Biden pledged to select a schoolteacher to lead the department, and Cardona fulfills that pledge, having started his career nearly two decades ago as an elementary school teacher in Connecticut, serving 10 years as a school principal and eventually rising through the ranks to become the state's top education official last year.


"First thing, as president of United States -- not a joke -- first thing I will do is make sure that the secretary of education is not Betsy DeVos, [and that] it is a teacher. A teacher. Promise," Biden, who regularly criticized Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, said at a National Education Association forum in July of 2019.

Cardona's background and deep experience in the nation's education system presents a striking contrast with DeVos, a wealthy, long-time Republican donor and political activist who has drawn sustained ire from Democrats and teachers unions throughout her tenure.

Cardona, whose parents moved from Puerto Rico to Connecticut, would be the third Latino, and the first of Puerto Rican heritage, that Biden has named to serve in his Cabinet thus far, following Alejandro Mayorkas named to head the Department of Homeland Security and California Attorney General Xavier Beccera to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

A spokesman for the Biden transition did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News on Cardona's potential nomination.

-ABC News’ John Verhovek and Molly Nagle.


Biden applauds relief package, says 'work is far from over' 

After lawmakers finally approved a COVID-19 relief package on Monday evening, the president-elect welcomed the news on Twitter.

'I applaud this relief package, but our work is far from over,' Biden wrote. 'Starting in the new year, Congress will need to immediately get to work on support for our COVID-19 plan.'

He continued: 'My message to everyone out there struggling right now: help is on the way.'

The $900 billion COVID-19 rescue package now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.


Biden expands senior staff, names longtime aide Bruce Reed deputy chief of staff

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced additional members of the White House senior staff on Tuesday, including positions that will be key to how the West Wing operates over the next four years.

The names announced Tuesday include Bruce Reed, a longtime aide to Biden who advised him on policy during the campaign, and someone who some progressives sought to block from getting a more prominent position in the administration, accusing him of being a deficit hawk out of step with their priorities. Reed was named deputy chief of staff.

The other appointees announced Tuesday include Anne Filipic as White House director of management and administration; Ryan Montoya as White House director of scheduling and advance; Gautam Raghavan as White House deputy director of the office of presidential personnel; Vinay Reddy as director of speechwriting; and Elizabeth Wilkins as senior advisor to the chief of staff.

“These experienced individuals are joining my administration to carry out policies that will put our nation on a path to building back better than ever before. They are respected leaders whose values and priorities align with my own and who will dutifully execute their roles to serve the American people. Their dedication to overcoming the challenges facing our country are rooted in their diverse backgrounds and experiences, helping deliver the change America needs in these difficult times,” the president-elect said in a statement.

-ABC News’ John Verhovek.


Congress set to vote on pandemic relief, facing midnight funding deadline

The House and Senate are set to vote Monday evening on a $900 billion pandemic relief bill after a deal was reached over the weekend following months of stalled negotiations.

The relief measure is attached to a $1.4 trillion spending bill.

Lawmakers are facing a midnight deadline when government funding expires.

The entire text of the measure runs 5,593 pages and members have had little time to read it.


USPS reaches agreement with NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Vote Forward regarding timely election mail delivery for January runoff

The NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund announced Thursday an agreement between the civil rights organization and the United States Postal Service regarding election mail delivery pertaining to the Jan. 5 runoff election in Georgia.

Vote Forward also entered into a separate, but identical, agreement with USPS, a spokesperson for the organization tells ABC News.

The parties state in the filing that in reaching the agreement, they wanted to "avoid the cost and burden of further litigation between now and the" election. The plaintiffs have agreed to not seek additional relief beyond what's outlined in the agreement and in previous court orders.

Sam Spital, the NAACP LDF’s director of litigation, issued a statement that read: “Every ballot must be counted, and this agreement with the USPS is a significant step in ensuring that the mail-in voting process for the Georgia runoff election will ensure the timely delivery of ballots...LDF will continue to monitor every aspect of the Georgia election to ensure that all voters – especially Black voters who consistently face suppression and intimidation tactics – can participate via mail, through early voting or in person on Election Day.”

The USPS  also provided ABC News with a statement.

"The U.S. Postal Service has always been fully dedicated to fulfilling our vital role in the nation’s electoral process – it has been our number one priority for past the eight months," it said. "That dedication never wavered, and we took all steps necessary to deliver Election Mail timely and securely and performed admirably. We are equally committed to the timely and secure delivery of Election Mail for the Georgia runoff."

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan