GAO Zeroes in on Federal Office Space in Latest Duplication Report
According to a new report, taxpayers could save billions if the government reduced “overlap, duplication, and fragmentation” of various programs and services.
The report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the 14th annual report that explores duplication across the federal government.
This year’s edition recommends 112 measures in 42 topic areas that Congress and federal agencies could take to save money and make government programs better.
“By addressing this year’s pointed list, as well as open recommendations to both agencies and Congress from GAO’s past work, the federal government could potentially save tens of billions of dollars,” said Comptroller General Gene Dodaro.
Office Space in Focus
Including on that pointed list are recommendations on federal office buildings, particularly as many sit largely vacant with the rise of telework.
In the report, GAO said agencies could save about $100 million if they used better analytics to predict deferred maintenance costs. GAO found that deferred maintenance and repairs grew to nearly $49 billion in fiscal 2022, from just $26 billion in fiscal 2017.
In addition, GAO predicts an additional $10 million could be saved if benchmarks were set to identify underutilized office space.
“As the country emerges from the pandemic and agencies continue to offer telework as an option, the federal government has a unique opportunity to reconsider how much and what type of office space it needs,” the report said.
Among the other recommendations that could either save or raise millions for taxpayers:
Congress and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should act to improve sole proprietor tax compliance.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency should ensure its working capital fund cash balance is within operating range.
The Department of Defense should reduce the risk of overlapping management activities.
Congress could close regulatory gaps and seven federal financial regulators should improve coordination to identify and mitigate risks posed by blockchain applications in finance.
Congress should reauthorize the First Responder Network Authority before it expires in 2027.
Prior Recommendations
GAO used the report to remind agencies that recommendations remain open from prior reports. GAO said as of March 2024, Congress and agencies fully addressed about 66 percent of the matters and recommendations GAO identified from 2011-2024. About seven percent were partially addressed.
GAO said the actions “resulted in financial and other benefits, such as improved interagency coordination and reduced mismanagement, fraud, waste, and abuse.”
It’s important to note that the annual duplication report comes just weeks after GAO released its first ever estimate on how much the federal government loses each year due to fraud. That report estimated annual loss from fraud to be anywhere from $233 billion to $521 billion a year.
