“The 117th Congress and the incoming Presidential administration will be taking office in a time that presents significant challenges to the government. Today the U.S. Government Accountability Office launched a new webpage dedicated to informing incoming lawmakers and administration officials about major challenges facing the federal government, as well as possible solutions. This Presidential and Congressional Transition webpage identifies issues needing urgent attention.

The webpage includes links to a number of resources, such as GAO’s priority recommendations across government, to bring elected officials up to speed on options for improving vital government services or achieving significant savings for taxpayers.  Users can locate issues by topic and by agency, and a find-an-expert tool will connect them with GAO staff who can provide insights on specific agencies or programs. “GAO is pulling together this information and our priority recommendations so that new and returning lawmakers and Presidential appointees can tackle critical challenges facing the nation, including the coronavirus pandemic,” said Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and the head of GAO. “GAO has drawn on its tremendous experience examining federal programs to identify a range of pressing issues facing our nation. We believe that lawmakers and appointees will find our transition webpage helpful in prioritizing policy matters and developing oversight agendas.”

The online transition material includes GAO work on a number of national issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, federal responses to economic downturns, and race in America, and provides resources and recommendations to spur progress in addressing them.  It also highlights GAO work examining shortcomings in the federal government’s ability to meet the needs of the American people in a rapidly changing world.  This includes weaknesses in such areas as human capital management and investment in information technology.  More broadly, GAO remains concerned about the federal government’s fiscal outlook due to the growing debt and the lack of a long-term fiscal plan to help control it…”