Duplicative federal programs under the microscope

We despise the word “humongous” almost more than the word “ginormous.’

However, the Government Accountability Office, you may have heard, has released a humongous report called “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue.”

The 345-page document is GAO’s “first annual report to Congress in response to a new statutory requirement that GAO identify federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives, either within departments or governmentwide, which have duplicative goals or activities.”

And identify them, it does, finding “duplication, overlap, or fragmentation” within and across agencies. Redundant missions, services and objectives. And so on.

The report identifies 34 areas of potential duplication and fragmentation, and 47 others where savings could be reaped or revenues boosted. If Congress acts on only a portion of the recommendations in the report, it will mean billions in savings. And a certain amount of shaking out where duplications are eliminated

If you are feeling ambitious, and perhaps brave, it’s (relatively) easy to search for your very own federal program in the html (“Accessible Text”) version on the GAO site …