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

Powell has pushed Trump to issue an executive order to seize voting machines.

Last Updated: December 21, 2020, 10:34 AM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 31 days.

Dec 18, 2020, 4:47 PM EST

White House doesn't give timeline for Trump to receive vaccine

White House deputy press secretary Brian Morgenstern told reporters Friday that the president remains willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine when the time is right, while noting that Trump has already been infected with the virus

When asked directly if there are concerns about him being vaccinated too close to receiving the monoclonal antibody cocktail, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends waiting 90 days between the two, Morgenstern said, "I don't know about concerns." But he added Trump is "perfectly willing to get it, and if the advice is that it is fine -- it will be effective if he takes it sooner rather than later -- he'll do that."

White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern speaks with members of the press outside the White House, Oct 7, 2020.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

The response comes ahead of Biden being slated to receive the first dose of Pfizer's vaccine on Monday and following Vice President Mike Pence's public vaccination Friday morning.

Morgenstern was also asked to explain why the public has not heard from Trump all week.

"There's a lot of work that goes on that isn't necessarily public, but he is hard at work, and when it's the appropriate time for him to come speak publicly, of course that's his right, his prerogative to do," he said. "But at this point the administration continues to work very hard behind the scenes, and to the extent we have to speak publicly we do that. But the work is being done whether or not he's coming in front of you."

-ABC News' Elizabeth Thomas

Dec 18, 2020, 6:04 PM EST

Biden transition says pause in DoD briefings was not 'mutually agreed upon'

The Biden transition team is pushing back on Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller's statement earlier Friday that there was a "mutually agreed upon holiday break" between the Pentagon and Biden officials, stressing the Biden team felt it was important to keep conversations going over the holiday.

Miller had denied reporting earlier in the day that there had been a halt to transition meetings with the Biden team, saying, "After the mutually-agreed upon holiday pause, which begins tomorrow, we will continue with the transition and rescheduled meetings from today."

This March 27, 2008 file photo shows the Pentagon in Washington.
Charles Dharapak/AP, File

However, the Biden transition disputed Miller's claim on a call briefing reporters Friday afternoon.

"Let me be clear: There was no mutually agreed upon holiday break. In fact, we think it's important that briefings and other engagements continue during this period, as there's no time to spare, and that's particularly true in the aftermath of the ascertainment delay," said transition official Yohannes Abraham.

Abraham added it was the team's expectation that meetings would continue "immediately."

Biden's team did not answer when asked if Miller was lying in his statement, instead saying the press could make its own judgments based on the information provided.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Luis Martinez

Dec 18, 2020, 3:03 PM EST

Biden transition warns against 'unnecessary provisions' in COVID-19 relief deal

Incoming Biden-Harris national economic adviser Brian Deese released a statement on congressional relief negotiations Friday warning against "unnecessary provisions" that might hamper efforts on the Hill.

"While we are encouraged by the bipartisan effort underway to provide critical relief to millions of Americas, the package should not include unnecessary provisions that would hamper the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve’s ability to fight economic crises," Deese said.

A Democratic aide told ABC News earlier Friday a relief deal was in sight -- "until Sen. Toomey and Republicans inserted an 11th hour purely political, unrelated provision to tie Biden’s hands and risk throwing the economy into a tailspin."

"The Toomey provision would be an unprecedented change to the law to strip the Fed chair of one of their most important tools to quickly respond to any future economic crisis," the aide said.

The U.S. Capitol is pictured as the sun rises in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2020.
Alexander Drago/Reuters

The $900 billion package currently on the negotiating table -- the largest package in history behind the relief bill passed in March -- is expected to include additional funding on expanded federal unemployment benefits and stimulus checks to millions of Americans below a certain income level.

With government funding set to expire at midnight, negotiators are working to strike deals on both government spending and COVID-19 relief in order to avoid a government shutdown.

Dec 18, 2020, 2:00 PM EST

Biden to receive COVID-19 vaccine next week

Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden are slated to receive the first dose of the Pzifer coronavirus vaccine on Monday, transition officials announced on a call Friday.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event to name his economic team at the Queen Theater on Dec. 1, 2020 in Wilmington, Del.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are expected to take it the week after.

The Biden transition team said "there was no change in the timing of the president-elect's vaccination," despite the fact that Rep. Cedric Richmond, one of Biden's top advisers, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.

"On Monday, President Elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Delaware. And they'll also thank healthcare workers at the facility," said incoming White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

"Consistent with security and medical protocols, the Vice President will not receive the vaccine at the same time as the president. We expect she and Mr. Emhoff will receive their first dose of the vaccine the following week," she added.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Beatrice Peterson

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