A resolution recognizing July 1, 2021, as the 100th anniversary of the Government Accountability Office and commending the service of the Government Accountability Office to Congress and the United States.

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 282 Recognizing July 1, 2021, as the 100th anniversary of the Government Accountability Office and commending the service of the Government Accountability Office to Congress and the United States. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 22, 2021 Ms. HASSAN (for herself, Mr. PAUL, Mr. CARPER, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. PETERS, Mr. LANKFORD, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. BRAUN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. CARDIN, and Mr. ROMNEY) submitted the following resolu- tion; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing July 1, 2021, as the 100th anniversary of the Government Accountability Office and commending the service of the Government Accountability Office to Con- gress and the United States. Whereas the General Accounting Office, predecessor to the Government Accountability Office (referred to in this pre- amble as the ‘‘GAO’’), opened its doors on July 1, 1921, following the enactment of the Budget and Accounting Act, 1921 (Public Law 67–13; 42 Stat. 20); Whereas the need, identified by Congress following World War I, for more information and better control of ex- VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:57 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR282.ATS SR282 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 282 ATS penditures made by the Federal Government was filled by the creation of the independent GAO; Whereas Congress provided the GAO with a broad man- date— (1) to investigate how Federal dollars are spent; and (2) to review all Federal expenditures; Whereas, as the size and expenditures of the Federal Govern- ment grew during the Great Depression and World War II, the GAO became overwhelmed with fiscal audits, which pushed Congress to amend the authority of the GAO to enable it to assist Federal agencies with improv- ing their accounting and spending controls; Whereas Congress amended the authority of the GAO to ex- pand its work beyond financial audits to performance au- dits to determine how Federal agencies and programs performed and met their objectives in the wake of the Great Society programs of the late 1960s; Whereas the GAO shifted its priorities in the late 1900s and early 2000s— (1) to highlight high risk areas for Federal Govern- ment waste and operation failures; and (2) to work to improve Federal financial manage- ment and budgeting; Whereas, as of the date of adoption of this resolution, the GAO is known around the world as a leader and source of objective, nonpartisan information on government op- erations through its work examining cost, effectiveness, and other factors related to the success of Federal pro- grams; Whereas, in addition to its field offices across the United States, the GAO operates field offices around the world VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:57 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR282.ATS SR282 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 282 ATS to make it easier to access and monitor Federal Govern- ment operations that extend across the globe; Whereas the GAO employs approximately 3,200 people and has been recognized as being one of the top workplaces in the Federal Government for several years by its multi- disciplinary workforce, which includes analysts, auditors, lawyers, economists, scientists, actuaries, law enforce- ment and security personnel, healthcare experts, and edu- cation, public policy, computer science, and cybersecurity personnel, among others; Whereas the GAO averaged a $165 return on every $1 in- vested in the GAO between fiscal years 2016 and 2020 as a result of Federal agencies and Congress acting on recommendations made by the GAO; Whereas the financial benefit to the Federal Government re- sulting from the work of the GAO totaled— (1) in fiscal year 2020, $77,600,000,000; and (2) in the past 20 years combined, over $1,200,000,000,000; and Whereas, in addition to serving as the preeminent inde- pendent government watchdog agency in the world, the GAO provides additional services, which include— (1) writing legal opinions at the request of Congress or in response to a bid protest; (2) authoring resources and standards for auditors around the world; (3) operating a hotline for the public to report waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement of government funds; and (4) providing testimony before Congress on a mul- titude of topics: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:57 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR282.ATS SR282 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 282 ATS Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes the 100th anniversary of the 2 Government Accountability Office (referred to in 3 this resolution as the ‘‘GAO’’) on July 1, 2021; 4 (2) commends the GAO for 100 years of service 5 to Congress and the United States as the pre- 6 eminent independent government watchdog agency 7 in the world; 8 (3) offers its continued support to allow the 9 GAO— 10 (A) to fulfill its mandates as required by 11 law; 12 (B) to respond to requests made by Mem- 13 bers of Congress; and 14 (C) to aid the Federal Government in im- 15 proving its stewardship of taxpayer dollars; 16 (4) recognizes Eugene Dodaro, the Comptroller 17 General and head of the GAO as of the date of 18 adoption of this resolution, and the dedicated and 19 professional staff of the GAO who work diligently to 20 produce fact-based reports, thoughtful recommenda- 21 tions, and sound legal decisions; and 22 (5) will continue to partner with the GAO in 23 the pursuit of its mission— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:57 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR282.ATS SR282 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 282 ATS (A) to support Congress in meeting its 1 constitutional responsibilities; and 2 (B) to help improve the performance and 3 accountability of the Federal Government for 4 the benefit of the people of the United States. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:57 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR282.ATS SR282 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS