Science and Technology: GAO's Support for Congress
Fast Facts
Technologies like artificial intelligence, gene editing, and space travel all made headlines in 2024. What will be next, and how will Congress respond to the promises and the risks?
This report details our growing support for Congress on science and technology. GAO has focused on this area for decades, and in 2019 we stood up a new team devoted to science and tech. That team provided over 90 technical consultations to Congress in 2024 alone. It has also published 32 technology assessments, 53 2-page explainers, and dozens of other products.
We continue to expand our technical capacity, to help Congress prepare for what's next.
Highlights
Increased Capabilities, Future Plans
GAO has delivered reliable, nonpartisan information on science and technology for decades. Beginning in 2019, we rapidly expanded our science and technology expertise. We now provide comprehensive products and services to meet almost any congressional S&T need.
Our work includes:
To meet congressional S&T needs, we have created a strong foundation that we use to produce our products and services. This includes:
- Staff expertise. The staffing of our science and technology team increased from 49 in 2019 to a projected 175 in 2025. These staff collectively hold more than 100 advanced degrees, including 41 PhDs, with expertise in areas such as microbiology, materials chemistry, and aerospace engineering. We have also expanded staffing in several other GAO teams, including our information technology and cybersecurity team.
- Congressional outreach: To ensure all congressional staff can access our expertise, we stay in routine touch with relevant committees and all Interested staff, including 20 committees with an interest in S&T. A new initiative is a program in which GAO senior officials serve as "ambassadors" to individual Members who are neither committee nor subcommittee chairs or ranking members. In addition, we recently launched an ongoing series of expert presentations at the Longworth House Office Building, which were attended by staff from 12 committees and 59 Member offices.
- The Innovation Lab. With a staff of 15, our Innovation Lab develops new data science tools. It also provides hands-on expertise for our reporting on artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies. Its products include a range of use cases for AI within GAO and an AI Accountability Framework for the federal government.
The Vital Importance of Science and Technology
Congress has a substantial interest in science and technology, which powers the U.S. economy and touches every part of the federal government. To take one prominent example, artificial intelligence could transform virtually all sectors of American life, as well as introduce both efficiencies and risks at federal agencies. Similarly, gene editing could lead to new cures, as well as complicate the work of agencies overseeing health care. Congress needs reliable and timely information to understand and respond to the implications of such emerging technologies for society and for the federal government’s finances.
For more information, contact Sterling Thomas at (202) 379-4595 or ThomasS2@gao.gov.