US: Joe Biden to sign order streamlining bureaucratic process for federal services

US President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order that will reduce the time taken for bureaucratic processes to avail federal services such as passport renewal, social security benefits application processes, and applying for aid after natural disasters, the White House informed on December 13. 

At least two senior White House officials confirmed that some parts of the executive document have already been approved by advocacy groups to reduce the time taken for the delivery of vital services to American citizens, AP reported.   

The order - Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government - will direct US government bureaucrats to account for the experiences of the public in seeking federal services. The White House said that the US President is committed to making sure that his administration is building “accountability and transparency” to ensure stewards of the Americans’ taxpayer dollars.

“We have to prove democracy still works, that our government still works and can deliver for our people,” US President Joe Biden said, the White House informed in its statement. 

Biden administration to identify and define critical services

The executive order, due to be signed by President Biden, includes 36 customer experience, improvement commitments across 17 federal agencies, all of which aim to improve the delivery of the government’s federal services. 

“Whether searching for vaccine safety information, claiming retirement benefits, receiving health insurance, passing through a security checkpoint, or checking the status of a farm loan application, Americans expect Government services to be responsive to their needs,” the federal government stressed in the White House release.

The Biden administration will work to identify and define critical services based on the US customers’ needs and expectations, will assess its performance delivery, and report it publicly in a document that will incorporate customer feedback, the White House informed. 

Americans have to deal with stress and hassle-prone processes while they navigate a tangled web of Government websites, offices, and phone numbers to access the services they depend on. Therefore, the Biden administration is seeking to make that work fast, effective, equitable, and accountable.

“President is taking decisive action to promote fiscal stewardship by improving the Government’s service delivery to its customers,” the White House said.