GSA Chief Shepherds President Biden's Government Modernization Efforts

General Services Administration (GSA) head Robin Carnahan is shepherding one of President Joe Biden’s most expansive government modernization efforts: fixing up its creaky, fragmented computer systems. She envisions a future in which people can access programs like food stamps and rental assistance as easily as they can order a pair of shoes. “We know that good policy gets sunk regularly if tech doesn’t work,” Carnahan said. Her slogan: “Make the damn websites work.” On the Build Back Better Act, Carnahan said she will continue advocating the inclusion of billions of dollars in funding for government IT in any future social spending deal between Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) and the White House. The version of Build Back Better that Manchin recently killed included $250 million for the GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund and $200 million for the Federal Citizen Services Fund, two programs aimed at helping agencies fund new tech projects. Carnahan said she’ll emphasize to policymakers that people “expect services to be delivered digitally” — especially as the Covid pandemic rages on.