From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: GAO@100 - A Century of Non-Partisan Fact-Based Work

Description: As 2021 marks GAO's 100th anniversary, U.S. Comptroller
General Gene Dodaro discusses the agency's history and where we're
going.

Released: January 2021

[ Gene Dodaro ]
Accountability. Reliability. Integrity.  These have been guiding
American values since the birth of our republic more than 240 years ago.
They are also core values for the United States Government
Accountability Office or G-A-O.  I'm Gene Dodaro, the Comptroller
General of the United States and the head of the GAO.  Twenty-twenty-one
marks the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of GAO.   For the
past century, GAO has been presenting the facts on government oversight.
With nonpartisan work and broad bipartisan support across the Congress,
GAO has been demonstrating where the federal government is doing well
and where it can improve.  GAO has evolved over time to meet Congress'
changing information needs.  But our mission remains the same.  As the
independent "congressional watchdog," GAO's strength lies in its
credibility. Some people complain there is a lot of "spin" in
Washington.  But that's not true of GAO.   Policymakers can count on our
work to be nonpartisan, professional, and fact based.  Our reports
contribute to informed decision making on legislation and to hundreds of
program improvements each year across government.  

[ Narrator ]
The agency got its start with the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. 
Congress was concerned about the debt from World War One and passed
legislation establishing an independent agency the General Accounting
Office, to review federal spending. In its early years, GAO mainly
reviewed paperwork documenting payments and purchases from agencies
across the federal government.  After World War II, GAO began to do more
comprehensive financial audits. We monitored military spending during
the Vietnam War. During the 1960s, we evaluated the Great Society's
anti-poverty efforts. In the 1970s, GAO undertook important reviews
addressing energy policy, consumer protection, and the environment. 
During the 1980s, we sounded the alarm about problems in the savings and
loan industry. In the 1990s, we designated cybersecurity as a high-risk
area across the federal government and in the 2000s, during the Great
Recession, GAO played a key role examining the health of the nation's
financial institutions and efforts to stimulate the economy.  

[ Gene Dodaro ]
To better reflect our current role in government, we changed our name in
2004 to the Government Accountability Office. Today, we're also best
known for our performance audits that examine how well government
programs are meeting their objectives.  And we look at almost everything
the federal government is doing anywhere in the world.  

[ Narrator ]
More recently, we've looked at contemporary issues like the gig economy
and opioid addiction.  GAO has also established a new science and
technology team to meet Congress' growing need for information on
cutting edge issues in those areas. We've issued reports on topics such
as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, and infectious disease
modeling. GAO is also tracking spending under the $2.6 trillion
coronavirus response legislation.  And we're assessing the impact of
those relief efforts on public health and the economy. 

[ Gene Dodaro ]
The agency also has an international impact through its efforts to help
build the capacity of audit organizations in other countries across the
globe. 

[ Narrator ]
GAO remains one of the best values in government. Every year, we issue
hundreds of reports and we testify before dozens of congressional
committees and subcommittees. The financial benefits from our work in
fiscal year 2020 totaled 77.6 billion dollars.  That's a return of about
114 dollars on every dollar invested in GAO.  

[ Gene Dodaro ]
These comprehensive reviews and recommendations to Congress don't just
happen.  GAO's greatest asset is our people. Our multi-disciplinary team
now includes economists, financial auditors, public policy analysts,
attorneys, scientists, and technology specialists. But GAO's reputation
as leading employer depends on more than just professional expertise. 
It also reflects our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as
well as our people values, which emphasize respecting and treating
everyone fairly.  I'm very proud of GAO's high ratings in the yearly
list of the best places to work in the federal government. That includes
a number one ranking in support of diversity. I hope you'll join with me
in helping GAO observe its centennial.  I want to thank every GAO
employee, past and present, for all they've done to make GAO a top
accountability organization. Today, our agency is well prepared to help
Congress tackle the many complicated domestic and international issues
facing our great nation. And I have every confidence that GAO's next
century of service to Congress and the nation will be as remarkable as
the last.