President Trump signed an executive order allowing Americans to have easier access to federal services.
“The same spirit of American innovation that can accelerate scientific discovery can also help Americans complete essential interactions with the Federal Government,” his order reads.
The order establishes America.gov, a platform serving as the “unified digital front door to the Federal Government for every individual in the United States seeking Federal information or services,” it says. The site is described as a “secure, intelligent, and service-oriented point of entry through which an individual may sign in, communicate in plain language, receive accurate answers, and, where authorized and technically available, complete Government transactions without being required to navigate the websites of multiple agencies.”
Trump said of the new program, “It’s not just simply a website. It’s a restoration of America’s founding promises, and it’s a reinvention of your government for the 21st century and beyond.”
“We’re putting power and control back into the hands of the people, right where it belongs,” he declared.
According to a fact sheet on the order, America.gov will give Americans access to “up-to-date” answers on federal systems, as well as eventually complete passport renewals and Medicare enrollment.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that upon signing into the system, one can “securely see the information that the government already has” on them.
“Now the fun part, the photo. You can take a new one of them yourself on the phone. You probably can’t use those filters to make you look 50 years younger, but you can take a picture of yourself on the phone in the comfort of your own home, or you can upload one directly from your own device,” he explained. “You’re not going any longer to some drugstore to get your picture taken behind a white screen.”
“No printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo,” Rubio added, prompting the audience to laugh, “no appointment, no line, no middleman that you’re paying to do something that should be available to you. You tell America.gov what you’re trying to do, and it walks you through every single step and tells you exactly what comes next.”
