Reforming GAO for the Twenty-First Century As Congress and President Trump prepare to recommend and nominate the next comptroller general, we recommend the following reforms to strengthen GAO’s effectiveness and value for Congress and the American people. Submitter's Note: This StratML rendition was compiled from the source by Claude.ai and edited in the form at https://stratml.us/forms/Claude/Part1.html Foundation for American Innovation FAI FAI A policy organization focused on governance, innovation, national security, and education policy Congress Target audience for GAO reform recommendations President Trump Participant in comptroller general nomination process Government Accountability Office Subject of reform recommendations American Taxpayers Beneficiaries of improved government accountability and fiscal stewardship Dan Lips Co-Author | Senior Fellow ~ Dan Lips is a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation. Dan has well over two decades of experience working in public policy, and has built up deep expertise in K-12 education policy, congressional oversight, as well as cyber and national security policy. ^^ Prior to FAI, from 2011 to 2019, Dan worked on the staff of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, including serving as the majority staff’s homeland security policy director. His legislative accomplishments include bipartisan legislation to modernize federal information security management and to authorize the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity programs. He also focused on Congressional oversight and served on the staff of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He was the lead staff author of former Sen. Tom Coburn’s final oversight report: A Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Missions and Performance, which was featured on 60 Minutes. He also led a bipartisan investigation into how the U.S. immigration system encourages child marriages, which received global coverage in 2019. ^^ Before working on Capitol Hill, Dan served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, focusing on cybersecurity and intelligence. From 2000 to 2010, he worked for federal and state think tanks, concentrating primarily on education policy, including serving as a senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation. He testified before the House of Representatives in 2007 on improving educational opportunities for foster children. His research has been cited by the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He has served as a member of the D.C. Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He was a 2018–19 Penn Kemble Democracy Forum Fellow with the National Endowment for Democracy. He is a visiting fellow with the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. ^^ He earned his bachelor’s degree in Politics from Princeton University and his master’s degree in Statecraft and National Security Affairs from the Institute of World Politics. Soren Dayton Co-Author | Director of American Governance Policy ~ Soren Dayton is the director of the American Governance Policy team at the Foundation for American Innovation, where he leads work on strengthening American governing institutions. He has spent two decades at the intersection of politics and policy, with a focus on institutional reform and legislative capacity. His work has been featured in outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, and National Review, and he has testified before Congress on ways to improve the effectiveness of government. Prior to FAI, he directed governance initiatives at the Niskanen Center and Protect Democracy. He also served as a legislative assistant to Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI), where he worked on foreign policy, science policy, and budget issues. ^^ Soren has worked on a number of high-profile campaigns and political initiatives, including Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, and served as Executive Director of the Young Republican National Federation. In addition to his political work, he has advised advocacy groups, corporations, and public affairs firms on strategy and communications. He holds an A.B. in Anthropology and Mathematics from the University of Chicago. He was a 2023–2024 Democracy Fellow at the Center for Effective Government at the University of Chicago and a 2016-2017 Penn Kemble Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. Earlier in his career, he co-founded a software company and spent 18 months in India with his wife working for International Justice Mission to combat labor trafficking. A modernized Government Accountability Office effectively serving Congress and American taxpayers through high-impact oversight, fiscal stewardship, and nonpartisan accountability in the twenty-first century bbf505da-b779-45a4-896d-5ab7826b7e71 To advocate for comprehensive reform of the Government Accountability Office that strengthens its effectiveness, value, and impact while maintaining bipartisan credibility and focusing on fiscal stewardship 6d4e0bbf-cd34-4c64-ba2b-0e3ed6d78836 Fiscal Responsibility Commitment to reducing government waste and achieving substantial taxpayer savings Bipartisan Credibility Maintaining nonpartisan, trusted oversight that serves all Americans High-Impact Oversight Focusing resources on work that delivers measurable improvements and returns on investment Institutional Effectiveness Modernizing organizations to meet contemporary governance challenges Mission Clarity Update GAO's mission to emphasize its role in supporting congressional oversight, auditing, and program evaluation—centered on identifying opportunities to strengthen federal management and efficiency, reduce improper spending, increase national security, and address the nation's unsustainable fiscal path 3f4fc00f-bab6-4cf8-a364-61ada61750e5 1 Congress Reaffirm GAO's core mission and explicitly prioritize fiscal stewardship Mandate Explicitly and statutorily charge GAO with a forward-looking responsibility to help Congress achieve substantial cost savings and to anticipate and implement long-term fiscal and budgetary reforms 030003bb-c472-47c8-88d7-99ffcfba3f2f 1.1 Include statutory charge for long-term fiscal reforms Empowerment Empower the next comptroller general with authority, autonomy, resources, and a mandate for institutional renewal 61a28158-2df6-4356-bb25-b79d501466f6 2 Congress President of the United States Congress and the White House should jointly select a qualified comptroller general with bipartisan support who is committed to leading GAO into its next chapter, focused on high-impact oversight and fiscal stewardship Autonomy Strengthen office autonomy in strategic direction and human capital management 3b87ff17-9656-4598-b0c7-c0aabf84f6f9 2.1 Strengthen the comptroller general's autonomy in strategic direction, human capital management, and information access Resources Provide resources to leverage technology and modernize oversight approach e356510f-280b-4264-b140-ac16ccfb0122 2.2 Provide resources to leverage technology and modernize the organization's oversight approach Neutrality Remove politically charged enforcement duties and maintain strict neutrality fec972f1-7711-46b5-a897-1a27d16e3a81 3 GAO should no longer serve as Congress's enforcement arm under the Impoundment Control Act and should maintain strict neutrality under the Congressional Review Act Impoundments Remove enforcement authority under Impoundment Control Act 14c17568-b883-41f8-a244-c121b9a7d8ef 3.1 GAO should no longer serve as Congress's enforcement arm under the ICA, including the authority to litigate against the executive branch. Congress should either reclaim that authority or establish expedited procedures for congressional enforcement Congressional Reviews Narrow Congressional Review Act role to statutory requirements only 3a5b8f87-7948-4bc0-abd6-5299d93b2c31 3.2 GAO should narrow its CRA role to statutory requirements only, refraining from discretionary "observations" that can entangle it in partisan disputes Focus Direct GAO to focus on high-impact audits and program evaluations with transparent performance metrics 081726a7-0c89-462a-9c7a-a9d02544d1bb 4 Congress Congress should work with GAO to reduce low-impact mandates and strengthen GAO's capacity to prioritize work with the highest expected fiscal returns or managerial improvements Mandates Reduce low-impact mandates and authorize declining specific requests 86079e57-8ac8-48b5-9a68-030cf33eaccc 4.1 Authorize the comptroller general to decline specific requests and reduce low-impact mandates ROIs Institutionalize third-party review of return on investment estimates 2635084c-7e81-4ea9-b0fa-49a8263adbe9 4.2 GAO should institutionalize third-party review (such as by the Congressional Budget Office) of its return on investment estimates Recommendations Require GAO to produce more precise and actionable recommendations for Congress and federal agencies 38dc5282-e84a-43c4-b8a1-07af63e2d2f6 5 GAO GAO should establish deadlines for its recommendations and include estimates of potential financial benefits and taxpayer savings Deadlines Establish deadlines for recommendations to federal agencies 18be00e3-7eff-4dff-a2a1-9f414a6676b6 5.1 GAO should establish deadlines for its recommendations for federal agencies Savings Include financial benefits and taxpayer savings estimates in recommendations 7122750e-556e-48a4-be8b-559b47888f56 5.2 GAO should include estimates of potential financial benefits and taxpayer savings by enacting recommendations Deficits Develop recurring work modeled on CBO's "Options for Reducing the Deficit" 8957d7a2-6f7c-4d59-be0b-2d39119fcece 5.3 CBO Develop a recurring line of work identifying discrete legislative actions, potential rescissions, and cross-agency reforms—supported by transparent cost-savings estimates and implementation timelines Congressional Collaboration Strengthen structured collaboration between GAO and Congress and embed GAO expertise within committees e2fd40af-c7f0-4ca0-9c4d-ab5676c3e9b6 6 Congress GAO Personnel Congress should integrate GAO personnel into committee work and institutionalize annual oversight hearings Staff Details Provide expanded GAO details to congressional committees 77bacb77-9e62-4374-a015-05055e537e45 6.1 Provide at least one detailed GAO staffer to each committee Oversight Hearings Institutionalize annual hearings on GAO work and recommendations fc1c49e9-7d4e-4c64-a544-be1e01be0691 6.2 Congress Committees should institutionalize annual oversight hearings focused on significant areas of GAO's work—such as yearly hearings on open GAO recommendations, high-risk areas, and opportunities to achieve fiscal savings Recommendations Establish statutory requirement for annual comptroller general recommendations on rescissions and fiscal savings opportunities 2173243d-e8bb-4ce6-bfed-746eaaf4b0db 7 Congress The White House Congress should require the Comptroller General to provide annual deficit-reduction and rescissions recommendations to both Congress and the White House Fiscal Challenges Provide politically insulated mandate for actionable fiscal recommendations 90c2d65d-71cc-4246-84fa-da7700991404 7.1 Give the comptroller general a politically insulated mandate to provide actionable recommendations to address the nation's pressing fiscal challenges Partnerships Expand GAO's partnership capacity with federal agencies and state governments to strengthen program integrity 59d46d21-a5c2-43fe-ab84-57407c339419 8 Congress GAO Personnel Federal Agencies State Agencies Congress should provide statutory authority and direct GAO to detail personnel to federal and state agencies to reduce fraud and improper payments Agency Details Detail GAO personnel to federal and state agencies to establish intergovernmental relationships and achieve fiscal savings 27d7111a-5fe7-42e6-b33f-2aa5949d3eb6 8.1 Detail GAO personnel to federal and state agencies State Capacity Offer training and best practices to state audit agencies and use tools such as the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program 82a44d9d-8c91-4c6b-b6b6-b00ff075a470 8.2 Offer training and best practices to state audit agencies Agency Cooperation Require federal departments and agencies to cooperate with GAO's oversight and information requests fully bb9ee742-1e0d-4d62-a006-700a7b150cb7 9 The White House Congress The White House should issue guidance requiring timely and complete responses to GAO inquiries, and Congress should codify strengthened information-access requirements Guidance Issue executive guidance requiring timely GAO responses 83a4166b-8643-4098-bb7e-0a59467be6d1 9.1 The White House The White House should issue guidance requiring timely and complete responses to GAO inquiries Statutory Requirements Codify strengthened information-access requirements building on 2017 GAO Access and Oversight Act cdb293b7-cf48-4ece-9f18-45ec35323c6c 9.2 Congress Congress should codify strengthened information-access requirements, building on the 2017 GAO Access and Oversight Act Bipartisan Credibility Expect the next comptroller general to restore bipartisan credibility by avoiding unnecessary political conflict 362868ba-7208-4a50-a8c7-86f78e8c3978 10 Comptroller General The next comptroller general should proactively avoid actions that insert GAO into partisan disputes unless explicitly required by law Oversight & Neutrality Balance vigorous oversight with disciplined neutrality b7d18f4d-b395-4b36-8c54-e4f70dc37178 10.1 Maintain vigorous oversight with disciplined neutrality to restore bipartisan trust, reduce political friction, and enable focus on high-impact fiscal and management challenges 2025-12-17 2026-12-31 2025-12-17 https://www.thefai.org/posts/congress-should-reform-the-government-accountability-office-for-the-twenty-first-century Owen Ambur Owen.Ambur@verizon.net