GAO Reports (Government Accountability Office)

Official site: https://www.gao.gov/reports-testimonies

What This Site Is

GAO.gov is where the U.S. Government Accountability Office publishes independent investigations, audits, evaluations, and testimonies about how the federal government spends money and runs programs. It shows what the government is doing, what problems GAO found, what agencies are doing wrong or inefficiently, and what Congress asked GAO to investigate. GAO is non-partisan and does not make policy — it reports facts, findings, and recommendations to Congress and the public. This site is a library of government watchdog reports, not a news site or database of people.

What You Can Do Here

  • Read detailed investigations into federal programs and spending
  • See GAO findings, conclusions, and recommendations
  • Track reports by topic, agency, or date
  • View full reports, summaries, highlights, and supporting materials
  • Watch related videos or read testimonies given to Congress

Start Here (Pick What You're Looking For)

If you want to...

  • See recent government investigations → Browse Most Recent Reports on the main page
  • Research a specific topic → Use By Topics filters (left sidebar) — examples: Health care, Defense, Budget & Spending, Energy, Technology
  • Investigate a specific federal agency → Use View Agencies or open a report and check Agency Involved, What GAO Found, and Recommendations
  • Get full details of a report → Click a report title to see Highlights, Fast Facts, Full Report (PDF), GAO Contacts, and related multimedia

How This Page Works

  1. Start at GAO.gov → Reports & Testimonies
  2. Browse recent reports or filter by topic/date
  3. Click a report title to open its detail page
  4. Read: Highlights for a quick summary, What GAO Found for conclusions, Recommendations for agency actions
  5. Open the Full Report (PDF) for complete findings

Common Things to Search For

  • Federal program audits
  • Waste, fraud, or inefficiency findings
  • How taxpayer money is spent
  • GAO recommendations to agencies
  • Congressional oversight investigations
  • Reports tied to specific laws or programs

Good to Know

  • GAO reports are fact-based and non-partisan
  • Reports often take months or years to complete
  • Not every report accuses wrongdoing — many focus on efficiency or gaps
  • Agencies may agree, partially agree, or disagree with GAO findings
  • GAO does not enforce laws — it reports findings and recommendations
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