CNN
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Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and top national security officials met with President Joe Biden’s National Security Council at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the U.S. government’s various homeland security threats and scenarios. will explain how it will respond, four sources said. A person familiar with the matter told CNN.
Among those scheduled to attend the White House Situation Room meeting are Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for defense, homeland security and secretary of state, and Kristi Noem, one of the people said. , including Marco Rubio. Another source confirmed that Mr Hegseth was scheduled to attend.
The teams come as the U.S. government faces multiple domestic and international challenges that require the attention of the National Security Council, including a deadly fire in Los Angeles and efforts toward a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. meet. There are also renewed concerns about terrorism in the United States after a man plowed a truck into people celebrating New Year’s in New Orleans earlier this month, killing 14 people and injuring others.
Participants in Wednesday’s Situation Room meeting will discuss U.S. policy options for responding to real-world scenarios based on the current threat environment, one of the sources said.
CNN has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment.
The National Security Council is conducting a “Homeland Security Principal Desk” chaired by (Homeland Security Adviser) Liz Sherwood-Randall to implement the President’s directive to transition the profession to ensure homeland security. convened an exercise,” an NSC spokesperson told CNN.
Such talks between new and outgoing administrations are common as new U.S. officials move quickly to address issues ranging from counterterrorism to transnational crime to public health. That’s true. When the Obama administration took over from the Trump campaign in late 2016 and into 2017, officials participated in scenarios regarding infectious disease outbreaks. Obama officials later pointed to an example during the Trump administration when the coronavirus outbreak began.
Hegseth faced a controversial confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Confirmation hearings for Noem and Rubio are scheduled for later this week. The Senate has not yet voted on President Trump’s cabinet appointments.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Tuesday that he “spent a significant amount of time” with Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Mike Walz, and discussed the issues at hand. He said he has tried to explain to the next administration “long-term trends.” ” impact national security.
Walz, who appeared with Sullivan at a U.S. Institute of Peace event on Tuesday, said the U.S. southern border will be one of the biggest national security challenges in the first six months of the second Trump administration. said.
Walz also highly praised the need for collaboration between the two and a smooth transition. “At the end of the day, we are all Americans and we are sending a message to our adversaries not to try to take advantage of this time,” he said.
The National Security Council is led by the National Security Advisor and is comprised of both full-time staff and specialized staff from various federal agencies. Walz has promised to completely replace the current NSC staff with people deemed loyal to Trump and his policies.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
