As Congress Takes Office Today, Here’s How GAO Can Help Members Make Informed Decisions
The 119th Congress is being sworn in today. Members of Congress will make decisions about issues that can have broad impacts on our country and the daily lives of Americans. GAO is a trusted source for fact-based, nonpartisan information that can help Congress make informed decisions.
We study key challenges facing the nation and provide recommendations to improve government services and save taxpayer dollars. We also audit federal agencies, programs, and policies for Congress. And our experts are well-positioned to help elected officials and their staff prioritize policy matters and develop oversight agendas.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at the resources GAO provides to Members, their staff, the media, and the public. Click on the video below to see a message from U.S. Comptroller General and Head of GAO Gene L. Dodaro to the new Congress.
Our resources for Congress
Our resources for Congress and Congressional staff can be found on our For Congress page. These resources include:
Technical Assistance. When Congress needs quick answers, we can provide ‘technical assistance’—work that can be done in 5 days or less.
Technical assistance can include briefings on prior GAO work from our experts, targeted data analysis, comments on legislative bills, and more.
Testimonies and Hearing Assistance. If you are a Congressional staffer planning a hearing, GAO can help. Our experts can testify as witnesses on our work and findings. We can also provide congressional staff statements for the record, develop hearing questions, and help identify witnesses.
Legal Opinions. GAO’s Office of General Counsel issues legal decisions, opinions, and reports in several areas:
- Appropriations Law: Congressional members and committees may have questions about the use of and accountability for public funds. They may also request an opinion from GAO about the use of and availability of funds.
- Bid Protests: GAO provides an objective, independent, and impartial forum for the resolution of disputes concerning the awards of federal contracts.
- Other Legal Work: GAO also issues other legal decisions. For example, we review the temporary filling of executive agency positions under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
Science and Technology trends. Our Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA) team focuses on science, technology, and innovation policy issues. Their work allows GAO to explain core concepts in science and technology, explore potential implications, and provide policy options to help support congressional decision making.
GAO Reports. Our reports give Congress timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can improve government operations and save taxpayers billions of dollars. Read our latest reports.
We also produce several signature publications. These are recurring featured products such as our America’s Fiscal Future report, High Risk List, and Duplication & Cost Savings work.
Details about our ongoing work are available only to Members of Congress and their staff. Browse a list of all ongoing work here, or search ongoing work here.
Events and Outreach
GAO holds regular events for Congressional staff in the Longworth House Office Building. In 2024, we held over a dozen events on topics such as the nation’s fiscal health, our government-wide fraud estimate, U.S. competitiveness in science and technology, and our annual assessment of DOD’s weapons programs.
We advertise events and other outreach in multiple ways, including on our For Congress – Events page.
Outside of events, our Congressional advisors are available to provide general assistance in our Longworth office. Our experts, such as our chief scientist, hold weekly “office hours” in Longworth to answer questions Congressional staff may have or to provide informal advice.
Connect with GAO. This is a lot of information to navigate. Luckily, we have people to help Members of Congress and their staff every step of the way.
- Congressional Relations Advisors: Don’t know where to start? Every congressional committee has a designated GAO advisor, find them here. Congressional staff can also contact our Office of Congressional Relations at congrel@gao.gov.
Media Inquiries: Contact our Office of Public Affairs at media@gao.gov.
- GAO’s fact-based, nonpartisan information helps Congress and federal agencies improve government. The WatchBlog lets us contextualize GAO’s work a little more for the public. Check out more of our posts at GAO.gov/blog.
- Got a comment, question? Email us at blog@gao.gov.
GAO Contacts
GAO's mission is to provide Congress with fact-based, nonpartisan information that can help improve federal government performance and ensure accountability for the benefit of the American people. GAO launched its WatchBlog in January, 2014, as part of its continuing effort to reach its audiences—Congress and the American people—where they are currently looking for information.
The blog format allows GAO to provide a little more context about its work than it can offer on its other social media platforms. Posts will tie GAO work to current events and the news; show how GAO’s work is affecting agencies or legislation; highlight reports, testimonies, and issue areas where GAO does work; and provide information about GAO itself, among other things.
Please send any feedback on GAO's WatchBlog to blog@gao.gov.