3: Government Transformation

Help Transform the Federal Government to Address National Challenges

Other Information:

Our national government faces serious short- and long-term challenges, including working through the aftermath of the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression and continuing to improve efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from national emergencies, such as natural disasters, mass-casualty events, and pandemics. The nation’s success in meeting these and other large-scale challenges depends on how the federal government works with its partners; manages its performance; maximizes its resources; and promotes efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability in all of its endeavors. The federal government must transform itself to: work more effectively across silos and t „„ raditional boundaries, „„ form new relationships and strengthen existing ones, „„modernize its systems and improve operations, and „„ find new strategies for allocating limited resources. To meet the economic challenges over the next 5 years, the federal government must address the nation’s long-term fiscal outlook, which shows escalating deficits and debt even after economic recovery. Examining all aspects of fiscal policy is needed to help the government ensure that its fiscal position improves. Evaluating existing programs and operations, as well as tax administration for opportunities to reduce fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, will also help create flexibility to meet the nation’s needs. Access to complete, reliable, and timely federal financial information will be critical. The nation’s leaders need a clear and realistic assessment of the federal government’s financial condition and cost of operations to address long-term challenges, including the direction of federal programs and policies. Yet, much work lies ahead to strengthen the current state of federal financial management and accountability. Because the public expects demonstrable results from the federal government, government leaders need to address management challenges and high-risk issues with better strategic planning, crosscutting approaches, and a focus on results. Helping create a capacity for and a culture that embraces risk management will be critical to navigating rapid change, uncertainty, and fiscal strain. Further, the changing role of government, along with increasing global interdependence, means that the federal government must work closely with state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector—domestically and internationally— to achieve results. Accordingly, GAO will focus on the government’s role in achieving national goals in an increasingly networked and globalized environment and on the government’s ability to report on, deliver, and account for high, cost-effective performance. To help transform the government and increase its ability to respond to major national challenges, GAO has established three strategic objectives:

Objective(s):

3.1: Fiscal Gap

3.1.1: Federal Budget

3.1.2: State Fiscal Conditions

3.1.3: Financial Information

3.1.4: Risk Management, Performance Measurement, and Program Evaluation

3.1.5: Tax Policy

3.1.6: Tax Gap

3.1.7: Financial Management

3.2: Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

3.2.1: Forensic Audits

3.2.2: Investigations and Security/Vulnerability Assessments

3.2.3: FraudNET

3.2.4: Asset and Operations Accountability

3.3: Congressional Oversight

3.3.1: High-Risk Programs and Operations

3.3.2: Results-Oriented Management

3.3.3: FederalWworkforce Infrastructure

3.3.4: Federal Acquisitions

3.3.5: Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property

3.3.6: IT

3.3.7: Federal Information

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