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New GAO Transition App Allows Users to See Changes Needed Across Federal Government

GAO Identifies Its Priority Recommendations By Agency and Topic

WASHINGTON, DC (November 10, 2016) — To help make the upcoming presidential and congressional transitions as informed as possible, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has launched a new mobile app that provides users easy access to the watchdog agency’s priority recommendations for improving government operations.

“GAO has organized its work to help President-elect Donald Trump and the next Congress tackle critical challenges facing the nation, fix agency-specific problems, and scrutinize government areas with the potential for large savings,” said Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO. “With our extensive experience analyzing government programs and agencies, GAO is well positioned to help bring policymakers up to speed on a wide range of pressing issues.”

Dodaro also pointed out that GAO realizes both new Presidential and Congressional personnel will have to move quickly from the campaign trail to governing. “Consequently, we’ve tried to make sure the app as directly as possible lays out quick lists of the major changes needed and allows users to navigate right to GAO’s reports for all the details.”

The app is available free of charge in the App Store® or Google Play™.

Amendments to the Presidential Transition Act in 2000 recognized GAO as a resource that new administrations could turn to for briefings and other material. The app can also lead users to GAO’s new presidential and congressional transition web pages, which focus on GAO work that incoming officials may find useful in setting priorities and making changes. In addition to the information offered by the app, the web page includes:

  • A Management Agenda: This new agenda provides a high-level discussion of critical management challenges facing the government and how to address them.
  • The High Risk List: Issued at the start of each new Congress, GAO’s High Risk List calls attention to programs and operations vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or needing broad transformation. An updated High Risk list will be issued in February 2017.
  • Key Issues: These pages highlight a range of issues facing the nation and related GAO reports, organized by topic and agency.

For more information, contact Chuck Young in GAO's Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800.

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The Government Accountability Office, known as the investigative arm of Congress, is an independent, nonpartisan agency that exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities. GAO also works to improve the performance of the federal government and ensure its accountability to the American people. The agency examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO provides Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonideological, fair, and balanced. GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.

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