[Federal Payments to District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority]

GAO commented on an issue concerning the responsibility of federal departments, agencies, or independent establishments to pay for water and sewer services provided to them by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA). GAO was also asked to comment on what legal powers are available to the Department of the Treasury to obtain payment from agencies that are delinquent in making deposits into the United States Treasury account to facilitate federal payments to WASA. GAO held that: (1) District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1990 established that the Secretary of the Treasury is to pay the District of Columbia for water services provided to federal agencies and that federal agencies are required to make payments to the United States Treasury account from appropriated funds; and (2) GAO is unaware of any law that grants the Secretary of the Treasury the power to unilaterally transfer from an agency's appropriation to the Treasury any amount the agency was required to but did not deposit into the account.