Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue:

Book excerpt: Statement of Patricia A. Dalton, Chief Operating Officer, GAO, discussing GAO's first annual report to Congress responding to the statutory requirement that GAO identify federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives -- either within departments or governmentwide -- that have duplicative goals or activities. GAO's simulations of the federal government's fiscal outlook show continually increasing levels of debt that are unsustainable over time, absent changes in the federal government's current fiscal policies. Dalton's testimony highlights some key examples of overlap and duplication from GAO's March report on the federal government's management of programs providing services in the areas of (1) domestic food assistance, (2) employment and training, (3) homelessness, and (4) transportation for disadvantaged populations. For each area, Dalton discusses some of the challenges related to overlap and duplication, as well as examples of how better information about each program could help policymakers in determining how to address this overlap and duplication. Figures and tables. This is a print on demand report.