The Trump administration has cleared the way for President-elect Joe Biden’s transition, after 16 days of delay that threatened to derail the incoming administration’s preparations for reviving the economy and battling the coronavirus pandemic. Emily Murphy, the Trump-appointed head of the General Services Administration, had refused to declare Joe Biden the “apparent” victor of the November 3 election despite overwhelming evidence. Murphy finally made that determination on Monday, as House Democrats demanded she appear on Capitol Hill and as President Trump tweeted his support for her. Trump did not concede his election loss but tweeted that he would allow the transition to begin “in the best interest of our country.” The move will free up more than $7 million in funding for Biden’s transition team, which will now receive office space and government briefings.

On Monday, Michigan’s Board of State Canvassers certified Joe Biden’s win by a margin of more than 154,000 votes. Also Monday, more than 160 corporate CEOs wrote to Trump urging he begin the transition. The letter was organized in part by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who wrote in a separate statement, “Without the rule of law and an orderly transfer of power, everything from commerce to health care delivery to national security is in peril, and our business leaders can see that as clearly as the rest of us.”