Gao Government Federal Accountability Office U.S Budget One's

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is part of the U.S. "Congress" (legislative or law-making body) responsible for "auditing" (conducting a careful review to determine whether something is being done properly) and "investigating" (researching) the use of "public funds" (money received from the public and/or owned by the government). The GAO was created in 1921 by the Budget and Accounting "Act" (law).

The "mission" (purpose) of the GAO is to "support" (help; assist) the Congress in meeting its "constitutional" (relating the Constitution, the country's most important legal document) responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the "accountability" (responsibility for one's actions, words, and decisions) of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. The GAO "engages" (is involved) in not only "financial audits" (reviews of how money is spent), but also "performance audits" (reviews of whether organizations are doing what they are supposed to be doing, and how efficiently).

Today, the GAO has almost 3,000 employees and an annual budget of $533 million. The GAO "releases" (shares with the public) an audit report on the "financial statements" (documents that analyze the financial well-being of a business or organization) of the federal government and also publishes the Federal Fiscal "Outlook" (anticipation of what something will be like in the future) Report, which "addresses" (deals with) long-term "implications" (results of one's actions) of the government's operations.

The GAO also conducts "technology assessments" that analyze the benefits, risks, and consequences of new technological "innovations" (developments and progress) on society, the environment, and the economy.