The U.S. government’s technology is well-known for being expensive and terrible, and this is well deserved.

Computer systems are sometimes run using software from the satellite era. The Pentagon’s military technology modernization project has little to show in five years. During the coronavirus pandemic, due to red tape, inflexible technology, and other issues, millions of Americans struggled to get government help, such as unemployment insurance, vaccine appointments, and food stamps.

Whether you think the government should be more or less involved in the lives of Americans, taxpayers should bring good value to the technology we pay for. And we often don't get it. Solving this problem is part of Robin Carnahan's work.

As the former Secretary of State of Missouri and government technical adviser, Kanahan has always been one of my guides on how public sector technology works better. Then in June, she was confirmed as the administrator of the General Services Administration, which is responsible for overseeing government procurement, including technology procurement.

Carnahan said that she and other Biden administration officials hope that the technology used for warfare or tax returns is as efficient as our favorite application.

"Bad technology will sink good policies," Kanahan said. "Our mission is to make government technology more humane and smarter in the way we buy and use it."

Carnahan emphasized the three areas she wants to address: First, change the process of government agencies buying technology to recognize that technology needs to be constantly updated. Second, simplify technology for people to use government services. Third, make people with technical expertise more attractive to work for the government, even temporarily.

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. People in the government have promised similar changes before, but this is not a quick solution. Technical dysfunction is also often a sign of weak policies.

But for Kanahan, one way to build confidence in the government is to prove its ability. Technology is an important area that proves this.

Establishing this ability starts with some very tedious things-budgeting and purchasing. Carnahan told me last year that the government tends to fund digital infrastructure like a bridge. They bought it once, and then tried not to think about it for the next few decades. This mentality does not match the technology, and technology is most effective when it is continuously improved and maintained.

Kanahan said she is trying to spread the message among Congress and government agencies that, over time, predictable government funding is a better way to buy technology. Kanahan said that the government should consider technologies like Lego and regularly replace or rebuild Lego. (Hey, metaphor works for me.)

She also hopes to use technology to help eliminate the headaches that make it difficult for people to access public services.

For example, Carnahan mentioned that she hopes to significantly increase the number of accessible government services through login.gov. There, people can create a single digital account to interact with multiple services, such as applying for government jobs or applying for disaster assistance services for small businesses.

Like many in the government, Kanahan is also advocating for people with technical expertise to work for the public sector. Part of her appeal is pragmatism and part patriotism.

"Government is the only best way to influence people's lives," Kanahan said.

She said that remote work also makes working in the government more realistic for those who don't want to move to Washington, as does the U.S. Digital Services and the new U.S. Digital Army, which allow technicians to work with civil servants for short periods of time. .

Kanahan did not pretend that it would be easy to change the relative dysfunction of government technology for decades. But she believes it is crucial to do so now, because technology is often the main way people interact with local, state, and federal governments, whether it's registering to vote or getting help with health insurance claims.

She said that making "the website functioning is the most basic thing people expect from the government now."