Emily W. Murphy

Emily W. Murphy
Administrator of General Services
In office
December 12, 2017 – January 15, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyAllison Brigati
Preceded byDenise Turner Roth
Succeeded byRobin Carnahan
Personal details
Born
Emily Webster Murphy

1973 (age 50–51)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationSmith College (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)

Emily Webster Murphy (born 1973) is an American attorney and former government official who served as the administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) from 2017 to 2021.[1][2] Before serving in the GSA, Murphy was an attorney for the Republican National Committee and worked for several congressional committees and executive departments in the field of acquisition policy.

She was appointed as GSA administrator in 2017 by President Donald Trump.[3] She came under scrutiny after the 2020 presidential election for her delay in starting the presidential transition to the Biden administration after Joe Biden won the election on November 7. Murphy initially refused to sign a letter allowing Biden's transition team to access federal agencies and transition funds; this came as Trump refused to acknowledge Biden's victory.[4] She eventually signed the letter on November 23, allowing the presidential transition process to begin.[5]

Because of the transition delay, the Electoral Count Act was modified to include a provision to remove the power of the GSA administrator to delay access and funds.[6]

  1. ^ Buble, Courtney (January 15, 2021). "GSA Administrator Resigns". Government Executive. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Nicholas, Scott (December 6, 2017). "Senate Clears Emily Murphy as Next GSA Administrator". ExecutiveGov. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mazmanian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Rein, Lisa; O'Connell, Jonathan; Dawsey, Josh (November 8, 2020). "A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging". The Washington Post. ProQuest 2458469267. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Daly, Matthew; Jalonick, Mary Clare (November 23, 2020). "GSA ascertains Joe Biden is 'apparent winner' of election, clears way for the transition from Trump administration to formally begin". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Lesniewski, Niels (December 23, 2022). "Presidential transition process changes head to Biden's desk". Roll Call. Retrieved October 5, 2023.