Budgeting for the Future
T-AFMD-91-1: Published: Apr 12, 1991. Publicly Released: Apr 12, 1991.
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GAO discussed: (1) the impact of current budget decisions on the future economic well-being of the United States; and (2) actions the federal government could take to improve the long-term economic outlook. GAO noted that: (1) federal deficits drained private savings that could be devoted to new plants, equipment, and other productive private investments; (2) the current budget provided inadequate highway, education, research, and other public investment funding; and (3) by the end of fiscal year 1991, the federal debt was expected to reach $3.6 trillion, requiring annual interest payments of almost $300 billion. GAO also noted that the federal government should: (1) take additional steps to reduce the federal budget deficit to increase national investment; (2) assess long-term economic effects of budget systems and integrate that information into the decisionmaking and enforcement system; (3) establish a unified budget that reflects the government's total financial operations, including general, trust, and enterprise fund components subdivided to distinguish between operating and capital expenditures; (4) fully accrue federal civilian employee retirement and other employee benefit plan liabilities; (5) recognize federal financial exposure; (6) consider future costs resulting from federal government responsibilities in such areas as the cleanup of nuclear weapons facilities; (7) reevaluate government dependence on the baseline in analyzing whether budget policies achieved their desired results in the outyears; and (8) establish a high-level, bipartisan budget study commission to ensure the improvement of federal budgeting.
Oct 12, 2017
Public Relations Spending:
Selected Agencies' Activities Supported by Contracts and Public Affairs StaffGAO-17-711: Published: Sep 12, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 12, 2017.
Sep 20, 2017
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Budget Issues:
Budget Uncertainty and Disruptions Affect Timing of Agency SpendingGAO-17-807T: Published: Sep 20, 2017. Publicly Released: Sep 20, 2017.
May 3, 2017
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Action is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-17-579T: Published: May 3, 2017. Publicly Released: May 3, 2017.
Jan 18, 2017
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Overseas Contingency Operations:
OMB and DOD Should Revise the Criteria for Determining Eligible Costs and Identify the Costs Likely to Endure Long TermGAO-17-68: Published: Jan 18, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 18, 2017.
Jan 17, 2017
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Action is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-17-237SP: Published: Jan 17, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 17, 2017.
Jan 12, 2017
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Grants Management:
Selected Agencies Should Clarify Merit-Based Award Criteria and Provide Guidance for Reviewing Potentially Duplicative AwardsGAO-17-113: Published: Jan 12, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2017.
Dec 20, 2016
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Declining Resources:
Selected Agencies Took Steps to Minimize Effects on Mission but Opportunities Exist for Additional ActionGAO-17-79: Published: Dec 20, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 20, 2016.
Dec 8, 2016
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State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook:
2016 UpdateGAO-17-213SP: Published: Dec 8, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 8, 2016.
Dec 1, 2016
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Federal Fees, Fines, and Penalties:
Observations on Agency Spending AuthoritiesGAO-17-268T: Published: Dec 1, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 1, 2016.
Nov 17, 2016
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Certificated Expenditures:
Executive Office of the President Fiscal Year 2015 Certificated Expenditures Were Spent for Authorized PurposesGAO-17-116R: Published: Nov 17, 2016. Publicly Released: Nov 17, 2016.
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