Biden transition steps up small-dollar fundraising outreach

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team is stepping up its outreach to small-dollar donors in an effort to offset a lack of funds from the Trump administration as it refuses to recognize Biden’s victory.

In a rare email to the list the Biden campaign used to hit up supporters during the presidential contest, the transition specifically cited the General Services Administration’s (GSA) refusal to ascertain Biden as the president-elect, a legal certification that would provide both government cooperation and money to the transition, in their plea for small-dollar support.

“The Administrator of the General Services Administration is refusing to sign a document called the ascertainment letter, which recognizes the apparent winner of the election, allows the incoming president-elect’s team to begin the process of transition of power, and green-lights the coordination of the government with the incoming team,” the transition said. “This is all because Donald Trump’s team would rather stick with partisan politics than do what’s right.”

“We want to be clear: the Biden-Harris transition team will continue to steadily move forward. But, without ascertainment, we need to fund the transition ourselves, and that’s why we’re reaching out to you today.”

The GSA’s refusal to ascertain Biden as the winner of the White House race has led to bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers on Capitol Hill warning that the transition’s inability to formally meet with government officials and receive classified information could make the next administration less prepared to tackle an array of issues, including national security threats and the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine. 

The Biden transition has already reached out to many of the campaign’s high-dollar donors to help raise millions of dollars to make up for the lack of government-provided funds, reportedly raising more than $8 million thus far.

But the email to the campaign’s small-dollar donors could indicate a new push to rake in more funds from the same group that helped supercharge the campaign’s finances in the final months of the White House race and provided Biden with a yawning financial advantage over President Trump. 

“Grassroots supporters like you made a Joe Biden presidency possible, and now we are counting on you once again to power us through this critical moment,” the transition wrote in the fundraising appeal. 

“We hope you understand why we had to reach out with this request today,” it added. “Our team is deeply grateful for your support and generosity.”