The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been issuing annual reports since 2011 on federal programs with duplicative or overlapping goals. These reports aim to identify areas where efficiency can be improved, costs reduced, and revenue enhanced. The GAO was authorized by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to conduct program evaluations and analyses of federal activities, which includes identifying areas for cost savings and efficiency improvements. It was updated to act to identify areas of duplication, overlap, or fragmentation in federal programs by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

Significance:

• GAO annually identifies federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative goals or activities.
• From 2011 to 2023, GAO introduced 132 matters for Congress and 1,753 recommendations for federal agencies. These efforts have cumulatively resulted in about $600 billion in financial benefits
• As of April 2023, Congress and agencies had fully addressed about 66% of the matters and recommendations, with another 8% partially addressed