From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Comptroller General Testifies to U.S. Senate on GAO's 2016 Duplication Report Description: In his April 27, 2016 testimony to the U.S. Senate, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro introduces GAO's 2016 Duplication and Cost Savings Report. Related GAO Work: GAO-16-580T: Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits and GAO-16-375SP: 2016 Annual Report: Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits Released: April 2016 [First Screen] [Silence] Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs [Second Screen] [Silence] Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits [Third Screen] [Silence] U.S. Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro Opening Statement April 27, 2016 Gene Dodaro: I am very pleased to be here today to discuss GAO's most recent report on overlap, duplication, and fragmentation of federal government and additional opportunities to achieve other financial benefits. I'm especially pleased to be here today with Dr. Coburn, and I want to publically thank him for his vision and his intense interest in our work at the GAO. This is our sixth annual report. We have 92 new areas of improvement that we're suggesting in 37 different areas across the federal government. I think they could result in significant savings. Some examples include consolidating the Defense Department's fragmented procurement of commercial satellite services that could save billions of dollars. Also, streamlining and automating about nine different overlapping systems that IRS has to receive tips on noncompliance that would result in additional revenues coming to the government and a more streamlined system for people to provide input into that system. Also, by better managing and overseeing an effort at the Department of Homeland Security to revamp their human resource management systems, which right now are over 400 human resource systems and applications that they have over way at the department. And also, by eliminating the potential for overlap between people moving--individuals moving from Medicaid to the exchanges, going back and forth. There's a risk for potential duplicative payments in that effort. There are also other efforts that we suggest that could have tremendous cost savings including reducing the overpayments and disability insurance and improper waivers that occur could save billions of dollars in that area as well. Also, by equalizing the payments right now. People get paid certain Medicaid, or, excuse me, Medicare payments at a higher rate if they receive it at a hospital versus a doctor's office. We think if you equalize that, billions could be saved there as well. Also, by better utilizing and giving civilian agencies the opportunity to receive excess personal property at the Department of Defense and excess ammunition, which right now goes in some cases to the state and local governments first before federal agencies where they spent a lot of money -- $118 million last year -- to dispose of excess ammunition at the departments. And also, the raising some of the fees at the park service. One fee in particular hasn't been raised for over 20 years, and we need additional funds to provide service to our parks. That could result in millions of additional dollars. So with these 92 recommendations, this year we're over 600. There had been 544 previous recommendations. Forty-one percent have been implemented, thirty-four percent partially, twenty percent not at all. And we think there's opportunities, as you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, for tens of billions of dollars in additional savings if those recommendations are fully implemented. To provide a service to the Congress this year, in Appendix I in my written statement, we've listed all 63 areas that require Congress to act, and we think in these cases, we've identified how much money we, if we know, could be saved in those areas, and we think if Congress acted on that, there could be many savings that would result and in the improved operations in the government. And we have listed in our report and testimony all those actions that the administration still needs to do in executive departments and agencies. I would note that most of the big dollar savings so far have come from the Congress taking action, and I would encourage you to look carefully at the recommendations in our appendix. I think that they are very good sound ways to save money without resorting to -- and to help stay under the marks so sequester's not needed by making smart cuts and not cuts that'll have unintended bad consequences on people. And going forward in doing this work, I have one request of this committee. Senator Sasse and Tester have introduced a bill that would give us access to the New Hire Database, which is a database maintained at the Department of Health and Human Services as up-to-date information on employment and wages. And this information would help us to evaluate means-tested programs across the federal government. This is an area I'm sure Dr. Coburn's very familiar with. He's helped us in the past gain some access. We believe we have the access, but the department doesn't agree with us, and Congress clarifying this could save a lot of money. There's hundreds of billions of dollars every year that are spent for these means-tested programs, and having this information would be extremely helpful. So I look forward to responding to your questions at the appropriate time this morning. Again, I'm very pleased to be here with Dr. Coburn and happy to participate in this hearing and look forward to good continued relationships with this committee.