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Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Practical Law Glossary Item w-035-2958 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
A non-partisan agency within the legislative branch of the federal government that is tasked with reviewing and evaluating the use of federal funds. The GAO's activities include:
- Auditing federal agencies and programs to assess whether appropriated funds have been spent efficiently.
- Promoting transparency in the use of government funds (for example, by reporting and preventing fraud).
- Providing reports and testimony at the request of congressional committees (for example, see Practice Note, Cybersecurity and ERISA Fiduciary Responsibilities for Retirement Plans: Other Government and Industry Efforts).
- Issuing legal decisions and opinions on federal appropriations law, federal contract disputes, and other issues (see Practice Note, Government Contracts: GAO Bid Protests).
For more information, see the GAO website.