Duplication & Cost Savings
GAO’s annual report on the federal government’s opportunities to reduce duplication, overlap, and fragmentation, as well as reduce costs and increase revenue.
On May 12, 2026, GAO released its 16th annual report highlighting opportunities to reduce duplication, overlap, and fragmentation in federal programs—as well as chances to save money and increase revenue.
We identified 97 new matters for congressional consideration and recommendations for agencies to save money and improve efficiency and effectiveness of government programs and activities.
Notable examples include:
VA and DOD Health Care Sharing Agreements. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) should evaluate agreements to share health care resources and identify more opportunities for sharing, which could better manage fragmented services, improve access to care, and potentially save tens of millions of dollars annually.
Government-wide Anti-Scam Strategy. The Federal Bureau of Investigation should collaborate with other agencies on a strategy to combat consumer scams, which could strengthen agencies’ fraud prevention and detection capabilities and better manage fragmented and overlapping efforts.
Employment Support for Older Workers. The Departments of Education and Labor should increase coordination on workforce development programs, which could help the departments better manage fragmentation in employment programs and improve mission delivery.
Nuclear Waste Classification. The Department of Energy should evaluate opportunities to manage certain waste as non-high-level radioactive waste, which could help accelerate nuclear cleanup efforts, reduce environmental risks, and potentially save tens of billions of dollars.
Congress and agencies have made significant progress in addressing many of the 2,148 matters and recommendations that we identified from 2011 to 2026. These efforts have resulted in approximately $774.3 billion in financial benefits, an increase of approximately $49.3 billion since our 2025 report.
Read our press release about the 2026 annual report—issued on May 12, 2026—to find out more.
Duplication & Cost Savings Recommendations
In our annual report, our recommendations for congressional consideration and agency action are to reduce duplication, overlap, and fragmentation; reduce costs; and increase revenue. Fully addressing these recommendations could result in over one hundred billion dollars or more in savings for the federal government. You can search these recommendations here:
Download the entire Duplication & Cost Savings Recommendations Spreadsheet: XLSXCSV
About This Work
The federal government is spending a lot more money than it is collecting, and addressing this imbalance will require changes to both federal spending and revenue policies.
However, Congress and federal agencies could act now to address federal programs or activities that are duplicative, overlapping, or fragmented—which would save the government one hundred billion dollars or more.
The total savings associated with this work is a rough estimate based on a variety of sources. For more information on our methods for calculating these savings, please visit our report.
Definitions of Duplication, Overlap, Fragmentation, Cost Savings, and Revenue Enhancement
