S. 394 would limit the period during which services and facilities are provided to Presidential transition teams by the General Services Administration (GSA). The bill also would set a timeline for GSA to enter into memorandums of understanding with Presidential campaigns to prepare for potential transitions. Finally, S. 394 would authorize the executive branch to pay legislative branch employees to work for the President-elect or Vice President-elect during transition periods.
Using information from GSA, CBO expects that most of the bill’s provisions would not have a significant effect on the cost of a Presidential transition. However, one provision would reduce the period during which a transition team may use government services and facilities following an inauguration from 180 days to 60 days. CBO estimates that condensing the time frame during which government services and facilities may be used would reduce federal costs for staffing and office space by less than $500,000 annually in the years of Presidential inaugurations.
