Publisher's Synopsis
The Government Accountability Office released its 2016 report on opportunities to reduce fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in the Federal Government to achieve financial and other benefits. Over the course of the 6 years, the GAO has highlighted 250 areas of the Federal Government and recommended more than 600 corrective actions. Forty-one percent of the recommended corrective actions have been fully addressed and closed, which GAO reports will save about $125 billion by the year 2025. This report reveals that persistent efforts to address inefficiencies and resolve wasteful spending can provide significant benefits to the public. With only 41 percent of actions addressed, more needs to be done. Action at just three agencies, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service would save many billions of dollars. Combined, these agencies account for more than half of all Federal spending in fiscal year 2015. The GAO found that the Department of Defense has 79 major weapon systems programs of a total acquisition cost of over $14 trillion. DOD spends $100 billion each year on these systems but has failed to strategically manage those investments, resulting in inefficiency and waste. All Federal workers should consider it part of their job description to prevent waste and should embrace their role as fiduciaries for the American public. The GAO annual report provides a roadmap to tackling the known waste and inefficiency that is ongoing.
