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u.s. news Diamars 14 December 2021

WH aims to restore faith in government by improving services

(AP) — President Joe Biden signed “The problem is not in the hope but ernment or change names with the increased calls to the IRS and other
an executive order Monday aimed at in the bureaucratic morass,” Light Social Security Administration. agencies. It also showed how the gov-
rebuilding the public’s trust in gov- said. “The fight to improve govern- ernment could adjust and innovate
ernment by making it easier to do ment services requires a broad retool- Anne Zimmerman, an accountant despite closed offices and remote
things like renew passports, apply for ing of the bureaucratic wiring and based in the Cincinnati area and co- workers.
Social Security benefits and get aid flattening of the hierarchy. The fed- chair of the advocacy group Small
after natural disasters. eral government may be willing, but Business for America’s Future, said Even if government services improve,
its technology is ancient, its person- the changes in the order are necessary it remains unclear if that will pay off
The idea is to put the public and cus- nel system sluggish, the bureaucratic because companies are frequently on politically for Biden, whose efforts to
tomer service at the center of fed- layering unrelenting.” their own when navigating the fed- steer the economy to the strongest
eral operations, saving time, energy, eral bureaucracy. growth since 1984 have been over-
frustration and potentially money For retirees and the nearly 4 million shadowed by inflation.
by offering better and more efficient Americans who turn 65 each year, “It’s needed because things have re-
services for the millions of routine the order requires that they be able to ally gotten worse,” Zimmerman said. Roughly a third of Americans called
interactions people have with the claim Social Security benefits online “There’s too big a labyrinth to weed the economy “good” under the presi-
government. more easily. Medicare recipients are your way through when you’re trying dent’s watch, down from 47% in June,
to be able to access personalized on- to deal with the government.” according to a survey this month by
“The bottom line is we’re going to line tools for saving money on drugs AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs
make the government work more ef- and managing their health care. Tax- Why hasn’t all of this happened ear- Research. The poll found that 48%
fectively,” Biden said before signing payers will be able to schedule call- lier? approve of Biden, while 51% disap-
the order in the Oval Office. “This backs with the IRS instead of waiting Officials said the pandemic caused prove.
will go a long way to restoring faith in on hold or having to manage issues
the government.” through letters and faxes.
Efforts such as these should bring
The measure is aimed at reducing the government services into the digi-
current bureaucratic runaround, un- tal era, said Bill Sweeney, senior vice
der which people often have to visit president of government affairs for
offices, endure long phone calls or AARP, an association for older Amer-
struggle with the delays of mail and icans.
fax machines when trying to contact
federal agencies. “We do our banking online,” Swee-
ney said. “We do our work online. We
That’s a tall order, considering that can order food online. We can order
the federal government has persist- groceries from our phone. I think
ed in its lumbering ways despite re- people are accustomed to that now
peated attempts over generations to and they’re demanding that govern-
make it more nimble. President Bill ment keep up as well.”
Clinton famously pledged in 1993 to
“reinvent government” with an inter- For travelers, Americans will be able
agency task force. to renew their passports online in-
stead of having to print forms and pay
The signing comes at a critical junc- with a paper check or money order.
ture for Biden to show that he can New security machines and comput-
deliver results. The country has seen ers with advanced screening features
a strong economic rebound as coro- are to streamline the process of going
navirus relief programs sent money through security lines for the roughly
directly to Americans. But support 2 million people who fly daily.
for the president has slumped as the
United States faces inflation at a near- The 45 million people with student
ly four-decade high and the corona- debt will be able to manage their
virus pandemic lingers. The admin- federal loans through a single portal,
istration has responded by trying to instead of several websites with dif-
amplify its message that government ferent passwords. Paperwork is also
can make people’s lives easier. to be reduced for people seeking loan
forgiveness.
“This executive order is really fo-
cused on how the federal govern- Natural disasters strike about 25 mil-
ment delivers services to the public lion U.S. households and small busi-
and ensuring that we deliver high- nesses each year. The survivors seek-
quality product to the public,” said ing federal aid should no longer be
Neera Tanden, a senior adviser to the required to complete multiple forms
president. across several agencies, while being
able to use virtual inspections and
The goal is to implement most of smart phone pictures of the damage
the order’s changes across 17 federal to support claims.
agencies within the next year. Offi-
cials said that existing funds should Military veterans are to be able to
be enough for agencies to pay for access their benefits with a single
improvements and that better service login. Poorer families should find it
and efficiency would ultimately save easier to certify their incomes and
the government money. enroll in eligible social safety net pro-
grams without the extra paperwork.
Paul Light, a public policy professor Loan programs for small businesses
at New York University and an ex- and farmers are to become more re-
pert on the federal bureaucracy, said sponsive. Families receiving food aid
the initiative could be a big deal, al- should be able to buy groceries on-
though the Biden administration will line. It should become easier to up-
face obstacles. date mailing addresses with the gov-