Biden Issues Executive Order Aiming to Eliminate “Time Tax”

On December 14, 2021 President Biden issued an Executive Order on “Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government,” designed to modernize the Federal Government and implement more accessible services. 

With this Order, the Administration aims to eliminate the “time tax” imposed by the Government’s extended processing times in order to build public trust by ensuring its processes are effective, efficient, and equitable, especially for those communities who have been historically underserved. 

The Order further highlights the importance of customer input and directs that the Government’s management of customer experience and service delivery should be driven by the customer.

The Executive Order includes a number of agency actions designed to improve customer experience for small businesses:

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) will establish baseline measures for key small business application processes (loans, grants, certifications) in order to improve service delivery such as reduced call center wait times.
• Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens on Tribal government customers.
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Administrator of General Services will integrate login.gov accounts with VA.gov.

The inefficiency of these government services has historically constituted significant burdens on small business owners, especially Tribal entities, trying to navigate the various processes and agencies, which requires extra time, work, and consequently, money. The government’s directed focus on customer feedback and input to improve customer experience is a promising development in reducing barriers for small business owners. 

This Executive Order aims to bring government services into the digital era in order to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles for American individuals and businesses. If the action items included in the Order are successfully implemented, US citizens should have an easier time dealing with federal agencies.