The Price of Waiting: Why Federal Services are Failing the People They Serve

In the wake of President Trump’s promises to increase governmental efficiency, systems ranging from the Department of Education to Social Security have been under fire. In his effort to reduce spending, President Trump has devastated morale and made the delivery of public services more challenging. Even before these recent cuts, the public has long perceived federal services as slow and inefficient. However, the public must demand a more rational and appropriate effort to resource a government that serves the common good properly.

Consider the Social Security Administration, an agency meant to financially protect millions of Americans. Even if staffing levels had remained consistent before Trump’s federal cuts, analysts warn that the backlog of claims is on track to reach over two million beneficiaries. Additionally, wait times for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income applicants to find out their eligibility are approximately seven months, a stark increase from the pre-pandemic wait time of roughly three to four months. The already short-staffed Social Security Administration had been straining to manage the large number of applicants before the Trump administration, and with diminished staff numbers, backlogs could increase. Rather than cutting down employees, improving existing programs with modernized systems is a much more practical approach to increasing efficiency. Emphasizing changes to government services that prioritize serving the public's needs speedily through modern and efficient technology is a much more sensible approach.

If the federal government truly wanted to improve efficiency and support individuals in the US who are forced to wait extensive periods for help, it would modernize services and prioritize the individual user. Implementing and embracing modern technology combined with a changed approach based on the user’s perspective would decrease backlogs and prioritize the delivery of services that truly help Americans. Making investments into advancing technology like integrated data systems and process automation could improve user experience and offer a modern approach to a long-time issue. Instead of firing employees and reducing government size, this type of reorganization aims to build a more streamlined process that eases the strain on the provider and recipients. 

The perils of bureaucratic delays are commonplace across the federal government, with the Trump Administration’s mass layoffs leaving offices and workers in the Department of Education (ED) scrambling. Cuts to the ED have only exacerbated the current tensions, with both colleges and students struggling to get necessary financial aid information amidst resulting delays and reorganization. Employees expect delays for educational services like student loans, with technological outages to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, already occurring. These outages further suggest that an improvement in technology through modernized resources would be beneficial to government efficiency, with researchers suggesting technological changes to truly increase speed. 

Even within the emergency response process, bureaucratic delays have subdued relief for disasters like Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. While recovering from the hurricane damage, western North Carolina towns have spent millions rebuilding infrastructure and are expecting federal reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA has already approved funding, but the distribution process is slow, and much more awaits approval. North Carolina political leaders are clearly frustrated with the federal response, and affected communities are seeing the real-world implications of these slow decisions. To remedy these frustrations, policies like the FEMA Act encourage a new approach to disaster preparedness with online public assistance platforms that are user-accessible. This policy has bipartisan support, which could smooth out issues like withholding of funding that have left political leaders concerned that they may have to raise taxes or cut services. 

Administrative decisions like the response to Hurricane Helene show the true colors of the Trump administration’s efforts: leaving those in difficult situations to fend for themselves while simultaneously claiming to improve the efficiency and quality of the government. Despite prior funding approvals for services like disaster relief, student aid, and Social Security, federal decisions have prevented the distribution of the money and intensified the difficulties of Americans in need. By instead focusing on improving the technical efficiency and modernization of government systems and services, the Trump administration can craft a much more effective approach to efficiency and truly offer timely support for Americans. 

Photo Credit

Tim Mossholder, Unsplash License, via Unsplash