GAO's Changing and Expanding Role

A history of GAO was given which covered the independent non-partisan nature of the agency and agency responsibilities, including assistance to Congress, audits and program evaluations of Federal agencies, and financial control of Federal Government programs and operations. The expansion of the agency was described in terms of numbers and types of personnel, and significant changes in its functions and methods were reviewed. Since 1966, much emphasis has been placed on program evaluation. GAO has increasingly emphasized making its work more relevant to congressional needs. In 1972, GAO was reorganized to accommodate its move to greater program and functional specialization. The reorganization also led to the creation of an issue area planning and programming system. Other recent changes included a change from a hierarchical approach to conducting audits to a team approach, and a new job planning system.