Summary: Broad agreement exists that part of the solution to the government's fiscal problems lies in better management of its programs and activities. At the same time, the American people are rightly demanding that their government operate in a more efficient and businesslike manner. Faced with growing federal management problems, Congress put in place several reforms designed to give managers better information and improve decision making. One of these reforms--the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)--offers the promise of shifting the focus of federal management from a preoccupation with the number of tasks completed to actual results. This testimony by the Acting Comptroller General discusses how Congress can use GPRA to cut costs and boost performance in the federal government. The Acting Comptroller General provides an overview of the major management challenges facing federal agencies, discusses how GPRA can be used to address those challenges and better ensure that agencies become focused and results-driven, and makes suggestions that Congress could consider in deciding how it can use GPRA to enhance congressional oversight and decisionmaking.
