White House aims to ease bureaucratic barriers to services

By Kevin Bogardus | 07/17/2024 04:05 PM EDT

The Biden administration has prodded agencies to reduce paperwork.

A frustrated worker at his computer in an empty office

John Heckert wipes his eyes as he uses a computer to fill out paperwork for unemployment insurance at Eastbay Works Oakland One-Stop Career Center in Oakland, California. The Biden administration is trying to reduce federal paperwork burdens. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The White House’s rules outpost continues to ease access to government benefits as Republicans prepare to slice into regulations under a potential second Trump administration.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs released a report on Wednesday digging into its efforts to tackle “time tax,” the pile of paperwork citizens need to fill out to receive federal services such as insurance coverage and tax credits.

It is part of a wider campaign by the Biden administration to rework the rulemaking process to encourage public participation. That push, however, may end if former President Donald Trump is elected again and fulfills his pledge to take down the regulatory state.

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“Administrative burdens — complicated forms, requests for redundant information, or confusing application processes — have a real cost: They lead to people being unable to access critical programs for which they are eligible,” said Sam Berger, associate administrator of OIRA, in a blog post.

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