Vilsack: Trump team can’t enter USDA until document signed 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told The Progressive Farmer/DTN on Monday that President-elect Trump’s transition team can’t visit USDA until Trump has signed the documents to launch the transition. “They can’t come into the building, and we can’t provide information to them until the documents are signed,” Vilsack said in an interview Monday. “That’s the federal law.”

This has effectively led to an early standoff between the White House and Trump’s team across the federal government. Vilsack said that he hasn’t had a chance to speak with Brooke Rollins, Trump’s choice as Agriculture secretary, or anyone else from the Trump transition team.

“We can’t talk to anyone from the incoming Trump administration until they’ve signed the necessary transition documents, but I would certainly, as a practical matter, I would encourage the incoming nominee to reach out and encourage that those papers be signed relatively soon so that she can be fully prepared and the team can be fully prepared for the job that they are undertaking,” Vilsack told The Progressive Farmer.

The Associated Press discussed the issue of transition documents in broader terms. 

–The Hagstrom Report