Henry Waxman: “Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress are well acquainted with the General Accounting Office. It is Congress' and the…”

“Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress are well acquainted with the General Accounting Office. It is Congress' and the Nation's primary watchdog agency responsible for providing credible, objective and nonpartisan reports and evaluations of the programs and management of the executive branch. The GAO has for years provided Congress with invaluable assistance, now it is asking us for assistance by providing GAO with needed human capital authorities, and we should meet this request. Mr. Speaker, from 1992 to 1997, GAO's budget was cut by one-third. In order to achieve these reductions, the GAO was forced to reduce its staff by almost 40 percent and close many field offices. Since then, it has had to impose hiring freezes, cut training and suspend incentive programs. During the same period, GAO has faced a problem common to much of the Federal Government, an aging workforce. By the end of fiscal year 2004, over one-third of the GAO's employees would be eligible for retirement. As a result of these pressures, GAO's workforce is out of shape.”