Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a list of 13 urgent issues identified as among those needing the attention of President-Elect Obama and the 111th Congress during the transition and the first year of the new administration. And just to be sure the list is viewed, the investigative arm of Congress created a new website to showcase it.
“With the serious challenges related to financial markets and the economy, the financial crisis facing the nation, two wars under way, and the first transition since 9/11 and the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, this is absolutely a unique time,” said Acting Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. "GAO has combed through all of our recent work to help identify where
our work can help address urgent challenges facing the nation now, to
assist new appointees in every agency zero in on the challenges of that
particular agency, and to help identify areas with the potential to
save the nation billions of dollars."
The 13 “Urgent Issues” GAO identified are:
- Caring for Service Members
- Defense Readiness
- Defense Spending
- Food Safety
- Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
- Oversight of Financial Institutions and Markets
- Preparing for Large-Scale Health Emergencies
- Protecting the Homeland
- Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting
- Retirement of the Space Shuttle
- Surface Transportation
- The 2010 Census
- Transition to Digital TV
"The new Web site is designed to be easy to navigate and to find
information since this is a period when appointees have limited time to
learn about their new positions and the challenges that come with
making a successful transition from campaigning to governing,” Dodaro
said.
In addition to the urgent issues, the site, http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009, includes a number of other sections useful for those in the public sector. This includes sections for:
Agency-by-Agency Issues
Each agency faces a range of distinctive major challenges affecting its mission, budget, and programs. Here, GAO summarizes its work at 28 federal agencies. This section allows new appointees to quickly and easily review GAO’s findings and
recommendations on challenges facing each particular agency.
Major Cost-Saving Opportunities
A number of opportunities exist to limit costs and reduce waste across agencies and programs, as well as increase collection of revenues already due the government. GAO discusses about 50 such opportunities.
Management Challenges Across the Government
Agencies share a number of management challenges to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness and address current and emerging demands.
Long-Term Fiscal Outlook
This section describes the federal government's long-term fiscal challenges.
After a quick review, OhMyGov! is impressed with the site's offerings and the forward-thinking behind it. We look forward to the development of this site as resource for all those inside and outside of government.