Politics aside, Americans agree on some basic things their government should do better: ensure safe air travel, simplify the process of filing a tax return, streamline the student loan application process.
At the same time, many are frustrated by the flood of new federal regulations that hit them every year. In 2021, the number reached a record high of 4,429 regulations.
That appears to be changing. Two Supreme Court decisions this year will make it easier to challenge both new and old regulations. With their power to make laws limited, perhaps federal employees should have more time to focus on basic implementation. That could be a boon for taxpayers and Americans’ trust in government. But Congress needs to help.
It should go without saying that elected officials must make effective government a top priority. But agencies tend to get more attention for their policy proposals than for the quality of their implementation or their customer service – at least until they make a mistake. The heads of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., for example, were rarely asked for the attention of their banking regulators and examiners until several banks failed last year and emergency bailouts were necessary.
Because the federal government has millions of employees to manage, mistakes will always happen. But minimizing those mistakes is critical. Research shows that negative experiences with bureaucracy undermine Americans’ trust in government far more than positive ones. So fixing basic problems — like the IRS’ failure to answer most taxpayers’ phone calls — can make a real difference in how people feel about their government.
First, Congress must ensure that agency leaders have the flexibility to hire competent people. The recent initiative to focus on skills rather than credentials when hiring government employees is on the right track. Additional programs such as the U.S. Digital Service and the 18F Office – which act as internal consulting firms for the executive branch and recruit private employees with the necessary skills for temporary government assignments – should also be considered. The goal should be to expand the available talent pool and improve the fundamentals of governance.
Technology should also be part of the answer. In recent years, the executive branch has cautiously introduced artificial intelligence systems. Research suggests that these could yield significant benefits over time. According to one study, aggressive investments in AI could free up as much as 30 percent of federal employees’ time, freeing them from drudgery and allowing them to focus on more creative tasks and problem-solving.
Ultimately, it will be up to Congress to enact laws that contain less ambiguity and give clearer direction to regulators. To accomplish this task, having more and better staff in the legislative branch will be critical. Restoring the Office of Technology Assessment, a team of experts that provided Congress with technical research from 1972 until it was defunded in the mid-1990s, would help lawmakers understand new challenges and weigh their options for addressing them. The same goes for investing more in the Government Accountability Office’s Science, Technology Assessment and Analysis team.
Americans disagree on many issues. But a civil service that competently represents their interests should not be controversial. Congress should see these court decisions as the opportunity that they represent.
— Bloomberg Opinion
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