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Presidential Transitions: GSA's Reported Cost for the 2020–2021 Transition and Its Budget Request for the 2024–2025 Election Cycle

GAO-24-107518 Published: Sep 26, 2024. Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024.
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Fast Facts

The General Services Administration plays a central role in coordinating and facilitating transitions from one presidential administration to another. For example, it provides office space, IT, and other services and equipment.

GSA reported that its total cost of supporting the 2020–2021 presidential transition was about $34.6 million. Its work for the 2024-2025 transition is underway. Congress has provided some initial funding to GSA, with more to come.

GSA calculated its presidential transition budget requests to Congress according to the requirements in the Presidential Transition Act.

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Highlights

What GAO Found

The General Services Administration (GSA) serves a central role in coordinating and facilitating presidential transitions under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended (PTA). Among other things, GSA provides services and facilities to eligible candidates before the general election, as well as a variety of transition services to the incoming and outgoing administrations after the election.

GSA reported that its total cost for supporting the 2020–2021 presidential transition was about $34.6 million. This amount included expenditures made under GSA’s pre- and post-election appropriations, as well as other expenses the agency deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of the PTA.

Breakdown of General Services Administration's (GSA) Reported $34.6 Million Total Cost of Supporting the 2020–2021 Presidential Transition as of June 30, 2024

For fiscal year (FY) 2024 pre-election activities, GSA requested and subsequently received $10.4 million. GSA calculated its transition-related appropriation requests by adjusting the prior enacted amounts for inflation and requested these amounts through the President’s Budget. The agency’s practice is to adjust the pre-election request based on inflation, even though the agency determined that doing so is not required by the PTA.

For FY 2025 post-election activities, GSA requested $11.2 million. GSA calculated this request consistent with the inflation adjustment provision in the PTA. As of September 26, 2024, the date of this report, GSA had not received a FY 2025 post-election appropriation.

Why GAO Did This Study

The PTA authorizes GSA to provide a range of services to support presidential transitions. House Report 117-393 includes a provision for GAO to review GSA’s cost of supporting presidential transitions. This report provides information on GSA’s reported cost (obligations and outlays) for supporting the 2020–2021 presidential transition. Additionally, it examines how the agency developed its FY 2024 pre-election and FY 2025 post-election budget requests, and whether those requests were consistent with certain provisions in the PTA. Lastly, GAO presents other publicly available sources of information on GSA’s role in supporting the 2024–2025 presidential transition.

GAO reviewed relevant federal laws and other publicly available reports, interviewed GSA officials, reviewed relevant policies and procedures, and reviewed GSA’s financial records and other supporting documentation. GAO did not audit these transactions for validity, accuracy, and completeness.

For more information, contact Cheryl E. Clark at (202) 512-9377 or clarkce@gao.gov.

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Topics

Budget requestsElectionsLegal liabilityOffice spacePresidential transitionPrice inflationBudget appropriationsGeneral electionFinancial servicesCommunications