GAO tells House subcommittee Congress needs program inventory, clearer roles to cut duplication

Acting Comptroller Orice Williams Brown told the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency that Congress needs three specific tools to address duplication across federal programs: a comprehensive federal program inventory, reliable information on program effectiveness and clear delineations of agency roles and authorities.

Brown gave the subcommittee an overview of GAO’s annual work on duplication, overlap and fragmentation and said GAO’s recommendations have driven significant results. “This body of work had resulted in $725,000,000,000 in cost savings or revenue enhancements since 2010,” she said, and added that as of last March Congress and agencies had taken action on about 78% of GAO recommendations.

Brown and committee members focused on the program inventory as a starting point: the inventory, she said, must include consistent descriptions and funding information and currently omits large swaths of programs (she noted Department of Defense programs are not all included). GAO recommended Congress hold agencies accountable for providing information on program performance so lawmakers can compare effectiveness and make trade‑off decisions.

Committee members and witnesses discussed whether the inventory should be an OMB execution, a GAO compilation or the product of new statutory authority. Brown said statute assigns responsibility to OMB, that progress has occurred, but that OMB’s inventory still lacks comprehensiveness and consistent data fields required by law.

GAO urged caution about consolidation without congressional direction because statutory authorities and program designs vary across agencies. Brown said restructuring needs stakeholder engagement to mitigate unintended consequences and preserve critical services.

The subcommittee recessed for floor votes with plans to continue oversight and pursue follow‑up hearings and legislation on information and tools to reduce duplication.