The Government Accountability Office

www.gao.gov

About the GAO

The Government Accountability Office, formerly the General Accounting Office, is often referred to as Congress' investigative arm or watchdog. It acts as the government's auditor, checking how efficiently and effectively government agencies are operating.

But it does far more than make sure finances are in order and that taxpayer funds are spent wisely. The GAO also researches a myriad of topics such as food safety, defense programs, mortgage foreclosures, nuclear weapons and border security. The organization’s website alone provides a wealth of information on various topics — and it is a great resource for story ideas.

About 90 percent of the work GAO does is either requested by Congress or specifically mandated in legislation. GAO can't handle the 30-40 requests it receives each week, so it prioritizes them. Requests from committee chairmen and ranking members come first, followed by subcommittee chairmen and members of committees seeking investigations into topics relevant to those committees. Individual members of Congress making requests that have nothing to do with the committees they serve on fall to the bottom of the heap. The GAO initiates the rest of its work — and these reports try to look at an issue with a broad, long-term view.

The GAO may highlight problems, and make recommendations, but the organization does not have any enforcement responsibility.

The head of GAO, the comptroller general of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the president from a slate of candidates Congress proposes. The current comptroller general is Gene L. Dodaro. He was nominated by President Obama and confirmed in 2010.

The GAO can help both regional and local reporters in two ways.
- You can get spot news out of GAO reports on topics that interest your paper or reports that your lawmaker has requested.
- GAO reports can provide background or context on almost any topic you may cover.

Spot News from the GAO

GAO occasionally issues press releases but generally lets the “highlights” or summary pages in each report essentially serve as press releases. There are some press releases on the media resources webpage, but to stay current on GAO reports and for potential story ideas, join the email distribution list of “Today’s Reports & Testimonies” -- the list of reports the GAO releases each day, here. You could also follow usgao on Twitter. The GAO Watchdog Report podcast features interviews with GAO officials.

As beneficial as that information may be, it will not necessarily put you ahead of the pack.

GAO does not traditionally leak information to the press, but if you let the GAO communications office know you are especially interested in a specific report or topic, they'll let you know a week or so before it is scheduled to be released so you can gather background and line up people to comment.

The GAO doesn't list ongoing investigations on its website, but don't let that stop you from asking. It is possible to learn what investigations are under way in a certain subject area, their scope and methodology and when they're expected to be completed.

Also, make sure you ask your lawmakers' staffers about the status of GAO investigations those lawmakers requested. Staffers are kept up to date on the GAO's progress, so even though the GAO won't tell you, the lawmakers' staffers might.

When a report Congress has requested is complete, it goes to the lawmaker who requested it, who can ask the GAO to hold its release for up to 30 days. Legislatively mandated reports are issued as soon as they are complete. Lawmakers may put a hold on a report to arrange optimal media coverage, or in some cases, to release it when they hope the media won't notice.

All GAO reports are released to the public unless they are classified. The GAO also handles protests to the awarding of government contracts. A bidder on a contract can file a protest, and the GAO decides whether the agency in question ran afoul of federal regulation in awarding the contract. Those “Bid Protest Decisions,” and other related tools are posted at www.gao.gov/legal.htm.

GAO as source for background

Writing a big takeout? Check to see if the GAO has recently released a report related to your topic. The report can provide valuable background material, and the researchers, whose names are listed on the report, may guide you to new information. You also can check to see if the agency in question has addressed any problems or shortcomings the GAO found.

The organization also maintains a list of “high risk” programs in the federal government.  As the GAO puts it, these agencies or programs are more susceptible to “waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement” or need a “broad-based transformation.” The list is updated every two years, at the start of each new Congress. For example, 30 programs and operations are on the 2011 High Risk list. Is an agency or program you’re interested in on the list?

For other background information, you can also search the archive of GAO reports and testimony given before Congress, or look at their multimedia page.

Journalists can also contact the researchers who conducted an investigation directly. Their names and phone numbers are on the reports. They're trained to give you just the facts, no opinion, and won't reveal information deliberately left out of the report (i.e. The GAO surveyed seven cities on how ready they were for bioterrorism and drew general conclusions from the survey, but wouldn't say which cities were surveyed). They will explain the methodology and the findings.

Does this agency's information need updating? programs@nationalpress.org