By Tom Howell Jr. (The Washington Times)
President Trump unveiled America.gov on Tuesday, calling it a front door to let citizens find federal services and information with a simple query instead of wandering through the Byzantine federal bureaucracy.
The portal embraces artificial intelligence to help Americans find federal agencies and their services in one place instead of searching multiple websites.
For instance, users can ask the website how to book a campsite at a national park, how to sign up for Medicare or how to enroll a child in a Trump Account, a form of tax-advantaged savings.
The website will spit out immediate answers and direct users to the right forms and places to get what they need, officials said.
“With America.gov, the federal government no longer stands in your way. It stands only at your service,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re simplifying it, we’re glamorizing it, we’re making it what it should be.”
Officials said roughly 40 million people visit federal websites for assistance every day, only to face the equivalent of a red card expulsion in soccer.
“Fortunately, we know the only man in history to ever have a red card reversed,” said Joe Gebbia, the chief architect at the National Design Studio, referring to the president’s maneuvering during the summer’s World Cup.
Mr. Gebbia walked a White House audience through America.gov, using the example of a woman trying to change her last name and update tax and passport information.
He said the portal will update details in real time so users don’t get stale government information.
The unveiling ceremony at a White House auditorium featured a video of Americans struggling with layers of bureaucracy, including multiple phone calls and fax machines.
“It’s very difficult to get the help that you’ve actually been promised,” said life strategist Tony Robbins, who collaborates with the administration on various initiatives. “Anybody here who’s been to the DMV knows exactly what I’m talking about. It’s absurd.”
The administration built suspense before the unveiling by putting a large countdown clock on America.gov’s landing page before it went live.
The website offers a search bar and a simple message: “Hello, America. Whatever you need from government, start here.”
“You’ll now have one front door for every single question,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump signed a proclamation Tuesday that directs all federal agencies to integrate their services into America.gov.
He said the government “has been broken for many, many decades,” but his administration “is fixing it.”
“We’re fixing it starting immediately. We actually started this project on day 1,” Mr. Trump said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that starting next year, Americans will be able to apply for a passport completely online, even snapping their own photo.
“You can see your photo in the context of a finished passport,” Mr. Rubio said, showcasing an example on a large screen. “Eventually you will like one, and you can retake it until it’s the perfect shot.”
He walked the audience through the simple payment process and said, “That’s it.”
“No printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo, no appointment,” he said. “No line.”
Mr. Trump said the website will make it easier for people to prove citizenship. He also used the occasion to lobby for passage of his SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show identification at the polls.
“Nobody will have any excuses,” he said.
In an aside, the president said the website proves AI’s power, repeating his belief that whichever country advances the technology swiftly will “win.”
Mr. Gebbia offered a sweeping vision of the website’s place in history, saying it’s the modern version of the gilded federal-government lobbies that used to welcome Americans.
“You deserve dignity and respect,” he said.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
