Comments on the President's February 18, 1981, Budget Proposals and Additional Cost-Saving Measures
OPP-81-2: Published: Mar 3, 1981. Publicly Released: Mar 3, 1981.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
To assist Congress during its consideration of the fiscal year 1982 budget, GAO presented its views on the budget reduction proposals provided by the Administration on February 18, 1981. The report is divided into three chapters. The first chapter consists of general GAO discussions. The second chapter contains a statement of each presidential proposal followed by the GAO view on that proposal, a listing of the relevant GAO reports, and the name of a GAO contact. The third chapter is comprised of cost-saving proposals not included in the Administration package.
GAO believes that the key to significantly improving the administration of Federal domestic assistance programs lies in the legislative consolidation of separate categorical programs serving similar objectives into broader categories of assistance and the placing of like programs in a single agency; it strongly endorses the Administration's consolidation initiative. Seven basic approaches are offered for Congress to consider in controlling that portion of the budget consisting of entitlements and indexed spending: (1) eliminate a program altogether, (2) limit the indexing of program benefits, (3) tighten eligibility criteria to target available funds to the most needy, (4) reduce the level of benefits, (5) place a cap on the program's total spending, (6) limit spending to amounts annually appropriated, and (7) improve the efficiency with which a program is administered.
Dec 15, 2020
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Information on the Spending and Revenue Implications of Potential Debt TargetsGAO-21-211: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 2020.
Oct 7, 2020
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
A Long-Term Plan Is Needed for Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-21-161T: Published: Oct 7, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 7, 2020.
Sep 23, 2020
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Effective Use of Fiscal Rules and TargetsGAO-20-561: Published: Sep 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2020.
Jan 23, 2020
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Federal Trust Funds and Other Dedicated Funds:
Fiscal Sustainability Is a Growing Concern for Some Key FundsGAO-20-156: Published: Jan 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 23, 2020.
Dec 19, 2019
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State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook:
2019 UpdateGAO-20-269SP: Published: Dec 19, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2019.
Nov 14, 2019
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Certificated Expenditures:
Executive Office of the President FY 2018 Certificated Expenditures Were Spent for Authorized PurposesGAO-20-139R: Published: Nov 14, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 14, 2019.
Oct 16, 2019
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Civilian Personnel:
Additional Guidance and Consistent Data Reporting Could Help Improve the Marine Corps' Budget ManagementGAO-20-148: Published: Oct 16, 2019. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 2019.
Jun 26, 2019
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Actions Needed to Achieve Long-Term Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-19-611T: Published: Jun 26, 2019. Publicly Released: Jun 26, 2019.
Apr 10, 2019
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Action Is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-19-314SP: Published: Apr 10, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2019.
Mar 27, 2019
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Fiscal Exposures:
Federal Insurance and Other Activities That Transfer Risk or Losses to the GovernmentGAO-19-353: Published: Mar 27, 2019. Publicly Released: Mar 27, 2019.
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