Today the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report [pdf] outlining more than 80 ways we can reduce waste, modernize operations and eliminate duplication across the entire federal government. 

“This report confirms what we all know – that there is room to trim back our government spending, but we’ve got to do it carefully,” Senator Warner said in response to the report. “We can do more with less if we address this overlap and duplication. 

“The federal government is not consistent in the data it collects, and we do not use the best tools and technology to analyze outcomes. In addition, we rarely follow-up and put the necessary accountability in place so that we improve services to the public.

“I’ve been concerned about the overlap and duplication across the government and this report reinforces many of my concerns.”

Findings from the GAO report include:

• There are 82 programs across 10 federal agencies focused on teacher quality – and there are 60 grant programs at the Department of Education alone.
• There are 56 programs across 20 different agencies to address financial literacy.
• There are 80 programs across 8 agencies that support transportation for disadvantaged persons. 
• These overlaps are not just wasteful and inefficient – in some cases they actually present risks to public safety. There are more than 24 presidential appointees with some responsibility for biodefense, but no one person is in charge of the whole enterprise.

Senator Warner has long worked to reduce overlap and duplication across the government. In October 2009, he was selected to lead a bipartisan Task Force on Governmental Performance. In addition, Congress passed his Government Performance Results and Modernization Act (GPRMA) last year. GPRMA will be a first step toward getting the data needed to address the widespread duplication addressed in this report.