Congressional Oversight: The General Accounting Office

GAO discussed its accomplishments, current operations, and future mission, focusing on: (1) its workload, productivity, and impact on policymaking; (2) operational improvements; and (3) recent policy and procedural changes. GAO noted that: (1) the volume of GAO products has increased by 44 percent over the last 2 years; (2) completed congressional assignments have more than doubled since 1985; (3) in 1992, it nearly doubled the number of recommendations it made during 1985; (4) its work often results in significant financial benefits to the American taxpayer; (5) many of its recommendations have resulted in improvements in government operations and services; (6) it has made over 400 specific recommendations directed at improving the management practices of executive agencies; (7) its identification of federal agencies' internal control and accounting system problems has led to the passage of major legislation; (8) it created the Office of Special Investigations to respond to alleged criminal law violations; (9) it has undertaken several initiatives to realign its organization; (10) it has centralized its recruitment activities within one office; (11) it has made a substantial investment in training for all of its employees; (12) it supports an affirmative action program that results in a representative workforce; (13) it has undertaken several plans to integrate information technology and total quality management into its organization; (14) it has changed some of its policies in response to concerns about its objectivity;; and (15) a large reduction in its workforce could jeopardize the quality of its work.