US President-elect Joe Biden has been given the funds to start his transition into the White House, despite the incumbent's refusal to concede.
Donald Trump says he's recommended releasing the $7.3 million despite believing his attempts to overthrow the result "will prevail".
A letter to Biden, written by Emily W Murphy - the administrator of the US General Services Administration (GSA), which controls the money - says she "came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts".
"I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official - including those who work at the White House or GSA - with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination."
The decision to release the funds was made after the GSA determined Trump was unlikely to win after a string of losses in court - in Murphy's words, "recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results".
Michigan and Georgia have both certified Biden the winner of their states, and Pennsylvania is expected to follow suit soon.
"I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country," Trump tweeted.
"She has been harassed, threatened, and abused - and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!
"Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same."
Murphy said in her letter, obtained by CNN, she has received "threats online, by phone, and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets in an effort to coerce me into making this determination prematurely".
"Even in the face of thousands of threats, I always remained committed to upholding the law."
She said without any legal guidance on when the funds could be released, she "looked to precedent from prior elections involving legal challenges and incomplete counts", and noted this does not mean the election result itself has been finalised.
"The actual winner of the presidential election will be determined by the electoral process detailed in the Constitution."
