Trump-Biden transition: Attorney Sidney Powell back at White House Sunday

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, tasked with organizing inauguration ceremonies on Capitol Hill, plans to dramatically limit the in-person audience this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a memo sent to congressional offices Wednesday.  

"The JCCIC, in consultation with diversified public health and medical experts and the Presidential Inaugural Committee, has determined that this global pandemic and the rise in COVID-19 cases warranted a difficult decision to limit attendance at the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies to a live audience that resembles a State of the Union," the memo reads.

Under normal circumstances, roughly 200,000 tickets for the ceremonies are allotted and distributed to constituents by congressional offices.  

But next month, the event planned for the Capitol's West Front will only feature members of Congress, who are each permitted to invite a single guest -- for a total of about 1,070 people. 

That figure doesn't include dignitaries and attendees from other branches of the government, additional participants or members of the public who traditionally travel to the nation's capital for a spot farther down the Washington Mall. 

Biden's Presidential Inaugural Committee has already discouraged supporters from traveling to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, inviting people to participate virtually instead. Capitol officials have also confirmed that they plan to implement coronavirus testing for everyone expected to come into close contact with Biden and Harris on Jan. 20.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

At the end of Biden's event formally introducing Pete Buttigieg as his nominee for transportation secretary, a reporter asked Biden when he plans to get the coronavirus vaccine as the first doses are distributed across the country.

“I don't want to get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure that we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take. They're working on that plan right now. And when I do it, I'll do it publicly so you all can actually witness my getting it done,” Biden said. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top expert on infectious diseases and Biden's chief medical adviser on COVID-19, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday he recommended Biden get the vaccine as soon as possible, citing security concerns.

Biden was also asked Wednesday about the news from Capitol Hill that lawmakers are inching closer and closer to a stimulus deal and offered compliments on the effort.

"The stimulus package is encouraging. It looks like they're very, very close. And it looks like there's going to be direct cash payments. But it's a down payment, an important down payment on what's going to have to be done beginning at the end of January into February,” Biden said. “I compliment the bipartisan group on working together to get it done."

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky and Beatrice Peterson

Pete Buttigieg, Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary, presented his case to the American people for why he’s an appropriate fit to lead the transportation department. He also shared personal stories about the post’s significance to him from the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday.

“Travel in my mind is synonymous with growth, with adventure, even love. So much so that I proposed to my husband Chasten in an airport terminal. So, don't let anybody tell you that O'Hare isn't romantic,” Buttigieg joked, going on to thank his husband, Chasten, for supporting his career.

Playing off one of the Biden’s administration's slogans, Buttigieg said  he'll follow through on the new administration's promise to "build back better."

“And step one in building back better, literally, is to build,” he said. “Americans shouldn't settle for less than our peers in the developed world when it comes to our roads and bridges, our railways and transit systems. The U.S. should lead the way.”

He also acknowledged the historic nature of his appointment, saying he’s “mindful that the eyes of history” are on him as it’s the first time an American president has sent an openly LGBTQ Cabinet member to the Senate for confirmation.

“I can remember watching the news. 17-years-old in Indiana, seeing a story about an appointee of President Clinton named to be an ambassador attacked and denied a vote in the Senate because he was gay -- ultimately able to serve only by a recess appointment,” he said.  “And I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who is allowed to belong. But just as important, I saw how those limits could be challenged."

“Two decades later, I can't help but think of a 17-year-old somewhere who might be watching this right now. Somebody who wonders whether and where they belong in the world, or even in their own family. And I'm thinking about the message that today's announcement is sending to them,” he said, thanking Biden and Harris for their commitment to assembling a diverse Cabinet.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky and Beatrice Peterson

Before introducing his past campaign rival and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg as his nominee to head the Department of Transportation, Biden touted the diversity of his Cabinet so far.

“They include longtime colleagues and new faces and new voices. They include people who share my views and those who have different views. They include people who supported my campaign from its earliest days and people who ran against me. They're experts in policy, leaders tested by crises and by the end of this process, this cabinet will be the most representative of any Cabinet in American history," Biden began.

Biden had warm words for Buttigieg, whom he has said reminds him of his late son, Beau. He called the politician “a new voice with new ideas, determined to move past old politics.”

“We selected Pete for transportation because the department is at the intersection of some of our most ambitious plans to build back better,” Biden said. 

If confirmed, Buttigieg would bring new diversity to the administration Biden has promised will “look like America,” by becoming the first openly gay Cabinet secretary approved by U.S. Senate.

Buttigieg, at age 38, would also be the youngest person nominated to Biden’s Cabinet -- bringing the average age of Biden’s Cabinet and Cabinet-level appointees down from 61 to 59.

Buttigieg, seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party following his quick ascent during the 2020 primary, is also the first formal rival Biden has picked to join his administration since he announced now Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as his running mate in August.

-ABC News Molly Nagle