On July 10, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs released its report on the “Time Tax” detailing recent Biden Administration efforts to reduce administrative burdens for those seeking access to public benefits programs. In a new insight, Director of Regulatory Policy Dan Goldbeck makes the case that while directionally appropriate, the initiative’s impact has been minimal, at best.

Goldbeck concludes:

According to the “Time Tax” report, recent actions from federal agencies under the auspices of a Biden Administration directive regarding how agencies interact with the public have reduced the national regulatory paperwork burden by nearly 21 million hours. That sum, which comes from a generous reading of the administration’s findings, is merely a rounding error when it comes to the 10.5 billion hours imposed by paperwork requirements currently in place. Addressing an issue of this magnitude will require broader reforms that take a more holistic view of the problem and prescribe measurable goals for agencies to attain.

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