Tag Archives: accountability

Showing You the Money: GAO’s 2014 Performance and Accountability Report

What is GAO’s audit work worth to you, the taxpayer? Today, we can tell you that in fiscal year 2014, our work led to $54.4 billion in financial benefits—a $100 return for every $1 Congress invested in us. We also … Continue reading

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Better Living through the Audit Process

GAO’s auditing process is rigorous, but the work literally pays off: in fiscal year 2013, we identified $51.5 billion in financial benefits as a result of our work—a return of about $100 for every $1 we spent. How do we … Continue reading

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Updated Green Book Standards Help Improve Government Accountability and Performance

In an effort to help all federal agencies improve their performance, GAO has issued the 2014 revision of Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, also known as the “Green Book.” The book sets the standards for an effective … Continue reading

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Our Independence

On July 4th, Americans celebrate our country’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which expressed the ideals of political and individual freedom upon which our country and government were founded. We at GAO uphold these ideals as we work to support … Continue reading

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Using DATA to Shine the Light on Federal Spending

Understanding how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars is a daunting task. In fiscal year 2013 alone, the federal government spent $3.5 trillion. In May, Congress unanimously passed and the President signed the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA), which … Continue reading

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Why Do GAO Recommendations Get Implemented?

While GAO is empowered to make recommendations to federal agencies and to bring matters to Congress for their consideration, we don’t actually have the authority to require agencies to make changes. Yet, we consistently report results we have achieved for … Continue reading

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Government Accountability Office: What’s in a Name?

When we were created in 1921, “GAO” stood for “General Accounting Office.” That year, the Budget and Accounting Act transferred auditing responsibilities, accounting, and claims functions from the Treasury Department to a new agency, independent of the executive branch, with … Continue reading

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FY 2013 Performance and Accountability Summary Report

As an independent non-partisan agency that serves as the audit and investigative arm of Congress, we examine how taxpayer dollars are spent and advise lawmakers and agency heads on ways to make government work better. We recently issued a summary of … Continue reading

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