1: Well-being and Financial Security

Provide Timely, Quality Service to the Congress and the Federal Government to Address Current and Emerging Challenges to the Well-being and Financial Security of the American People

Other Information:

In keeping with GAO’s mission to support the Congress in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities, our first strategic goal focuses on several aspirations of the American people that were defined by the founding fathers to "establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, … promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty" for U.S. citizens now and in the future. The nation’s aging and more diverse population and rapid technological change and Americans’ desire to improve quality of life have major policy and budgetary implications for the federal government. In particular, growing commitments to the elderly will crowd the capacity of a smaller generation of workers to finance the competing needs and wants brought to the federal doorstep. The first goal in this plan, therefore, continues to be to help the Congress and the federal government address the challenges that affect the well-being and financial security of the American people. The stakes involved with the federal policies and programs covered under goal 1 are high, as the benefits have become critical to the well-being of families, businesses, state and local governments, and other key sectors of the nation’s economy and society. Moreover, as the nation moves to address the challenges of homeland security, it is becoming apparent that a wide range of domestic policies and programs are relevant to protecting the nation against terrorist threats. The continuing presence of budget deficits should prompt greater scrutiny of the performance and costs of many of these programs, and we expect to be a major contributor to these debates through our audit and evaluation work.

Stakeholder(s):

• Congress: United States Senate and House of Representatives


• Federal Government: Executive Branch Agencies


• American People: Citizens of the United States of America

Objective(s):

1.1: Health

1.2: Lifelong Learning

1.3: Benefits and Protections

1.4: Financial Security

1.5: Justice

1.6: Communities

1.7: Natural Resources and Environment

1.8: Physical Infrastructure

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