[Question Concerning the Use of Chauffeur Services]

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the practice and legality of chauffeur service for senior officials of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and senior presidential aides. GAO found that: (1) the provision of home-to-work transportation for government employees is generally prohibited; (2) the deputy director and former director of OMB and certain presidential aides received home-to-work transportation in violation of applicable statutes; (3) OMB advocated an interpretation of the applicable statutes that would effectively repeal the statutory limitation on home-to-work transportation; (4) OMB could not justify the provision of transportation for its senior officials on security grounds because it did not demonstrate a legitimate danger of exposure to violent criminal or terrorist activities; (5) since the accused officials all received legal advice supporting their use of official transportation, there was no reason to conclude that they willfully violated the applicable statutes; and (6) those officials who have continued to use official transportation from home to work should cease doing so unless they could produce adequate justification.