Federal Fiscal Trends:
Fiscal Years 1971-1995
AIMD-97-3: Published: Nov 1, 1996. Publicly Released: Nov 1, 1996.
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GAO studied the fiscal components of the budget, focusing on revenue and outlay trends, and the underlying factors contributing to those trends.
GAO noted that: (1) although federal revenues have more than doubled in constant dollars over the last 25 years, they have maintained a generally consistent share of the gross domestic product (GDP) during this period; (2) all revenue sources, except excise taxes, have shown real growth over the last 25 years, but only social insurance taxes have increased as a share of total revenues; (3) tax expenditures increased significantly in constant dollars and as a share of revenues until the Tax Reform Act of 1986, but since 1989 they have resumed their upward climb, constituting 32 percent of revenues in 1994; (4) collections which arise from business-type transactions with the public have doubled in constant dollars since 1971; (5) these receipts have generally been the third largest revenue source during this period and, since 1981, have annually exceeded the combined shares of corporate and excise taxes as a percent of total federal revenues; (6) a few large entitlement programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and interest payments have accounted for over three-quarters of the total outlay growth since 1971; (7) overall spending for entitlement and other mandatory programs arising outside of the annual appropriations process grew more than four times faster in real terms than appropriated spending; (8) within discretionary spending, defense and domestic outlay patterns have varied during this period, showing both periods of growth and decline; (9) during the last 25 years, changes in outlay patterns have also documented shifts in the mission priorities of the federal government; and (10) although overall levels differ, the United States has generally allotted a smaller share of its GDP to government activities than most other governments.
Oct 26, 2020
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Intellectual Property:
CBP Has Taken Steps to Combat Counterfeit Goods in Small Packages but Could Streamline EnforcementGAO-20-692: Published: Sep 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 26, 2020.
Sep 30, 2020
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Federal Criminal Restitution:
Department of Justice Has Ongoing Efforts to Improve Its Oversight of the Collection of Restitution and Tracking the Use of Forfeited AssetsGAO-20-676R: Published: Sep 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 2020.
Sep 10, 2020
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Federal Tactical Teams:
Characteristics, Training, Deployments, and InventoryGAO-20-710: Published: Sep 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2020.
Sep 8, 2020
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VA Police:
Actions Needed to Improve Data Completeness and Accuracy on Use of Force Incidents at Medical CentersGAO-20-599: Published: Sep 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 8, 2020.
Aug 13, 2020
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Anti-Money Laundering:
FinCEN Should Enhance Procedures for Implementing and Evaluating Geographic Targeting OrdersGAO-20-546: Published: Jul 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 13, 2020.
Jul 29, 2020
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Federal Prison Industries:
Actions Needed to Evaluate Program EffectivenessGAO-20-505: Published: Jul 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2020.
Jul 8, 2020
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Gun Control:
DOJ Can Further Improve Guidance on Federal Firearm Background Check RecordsGAO-20-528: Published: Jul 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 8, 2020.
Jun 22, 2020
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Federal Prisons:
Additional Analysis Needed to Determine Whether to Issue Pepper Spray to Minimum Security PrisonsGAO-20-342: Published: Jun 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 22, 2020.
May 26, 2020
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Bureau of Prisons:
Improved Planning Would Help BOP Evaluate and Manage Its Portfolio of Drug Education and Treatment ProgramsGAO-20-423: Published: May 26, 2020. Publicly Released: May 26, 2020.
May 12, 2020
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Forensic Technology:
Algorithms Used in Federal Law EnforcementGAO-20-479SP: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
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