A CLICK AWAY

Biden Is About to Make Your Passport Renewal Way Easier

Thanks to a new executive order aimed at cutting down the “bureaucratic turnaround” involved in many basic government services.

In a bid to cut down bureaucratic red tape, President Joe Biden will be bringing many federal services “into the digital era.” The president plans to sign an executive order on Monday that will make government services like passport renewal, Social Security benefits, and natural disaster aid accessible online so they’re more efficient. The order will be aimed at cutting back “bureaucratic turnaround”—the time spent visiting offices, filling out and gathering paperwork, and experiencing delays in mail from federal agencies.

“We do our banking online,” said Bill Sweeney, senior vice president of government affairs for the American Association of Retired Persons. “We do our work online. We can order food online. We can order groceries from our phone. I think people are accustomed to that now and they’re demanding that government keep up as well.”

The White House hopes to implement most of the order in 17 different federal agencies by next year. Americans can expect to renew and pay for passports, to manage their federal student loans, claim benefits, and much more from their computers. The order will be signed Monday afternoon.