Orders aim to restore faith in government

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday aimed at rebuilding the public’s trust in government by making it easier to do things such as renew passports, apply for Social Security benefits and get aid after natural disasters.

The idea is to put the public and customer service at the center of federal operations, saving time, energy, frustration and potentially money by offering better and more efficient services for the millions of routine interactions people have with the government. “The bottom line is we’re going to make the government work more effectively,” Biden said before signing the order in the Oval Office. “This will go a long way to restoring faith in the government.”

The measure is aimed at reducing the current bureaucratic runaround, under which people often have to visit offices, endure long phone calls or struggle with the delays of mail and fax machines when trying to contact federal agencies.

The goal is to implement most of the order’s changes across 17 federal agencies within the next year. Officials said that existing funds should be enough for agencies to pay for improvements and that better service and efficiency would ultimately save the government money.

For retirees and the nearly 4 million Americans who turn 65 each year, the order requires that they be able to claim Social Security benefits online more easily. Medicare recipients are to be able to access personalized online tools for saving money on drugs and managing their health care. Taxpayers will be able to schedule callbacks with the IRS instead of waiting on hold or having to manage issues through letters and faxes.

For travelers, Americans will be able to renew their passports online instead of having to print forms and pay with a paper check or money order. New security machines and computers with advanced screening features are to streamline the process of going through security lines for the roughly 2 million people who fly daily.

Natural disasters strike about 25 million U.S. households and small businesses each year. The survivors seeking federal aid are no longer to be required to complete multiple forms across several agencies.