Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released the following statement on President Biden’s Executive Order, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government:
“Today’s Executive Order is a historic step forward in ensuring that all Americans who interact with the federal government can more easily access its programs and services. The Department of Homeland Security is committed to ensuring the public can seamlessly interact with its agencies and offices and is taking key steps to reduce administrative burdens and improve efficiency, equity, and accessibility throughout the customer experience.”
The President’s Executive Order, explicitly designed to reduce the “time tax” imposed on people who interact with federal agencies, builds on a long list of initiatives launched by DHS this year to eliminate unnecessary administrative barriers and burdens related to disaster assistance, immigration, trade and travel facilitation, and much more.
Under today’s Executive Order, the Department’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will:
- develop a streamlined, online disaster assistance application;
- work with states to proactively update existing rules and policies on supporting documentation needed for disaster assistance to reduce burdens to applicants and increase accessibility;
- test the use of innovative technologies at airport security checkpoints to reduce passenger wait times; and,
- provide new opportunities for the public to more efficiently connect with TSA, including through online chat options, improved communication during additional screenings, and other mechanisms to receive customer feedback to inform future improvements to the customer experience.
DHS interacts more frequently on a daily basis with the American public than any other federal agency, from travelers moving through our air, land, and sea ports of entry to businesses importing goods into the country to immigrants applying for benefits. The Department will continue to take proactive steps to ensure the public can efficiently access the services and programs it offers, including by increasing transparency and accessibility through policy and regulatory changes, and improving the digital experience for DHS customers.
