Gao Publications

GAO Publications is a branch of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for congress. The GAO is often called the "congressional watchdog" because it investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The office gathers information to help congress determine how well the executive branch agencies are doing their jobs. The GAO s work routinely answers such basic questions as whether government programs are meeting their objectives or providing good service to the public. The GAO provides senators and representatives with the information to help them arrive at informed policy decisions--information that is accurate, timely, and balanced. With virtually the entire federal government subject to its review, GAO issues a steady stream of products from its publishing service--more than 1,000 reports and hundreds of testimonies by GAO officials each year. GAO's familiar "blue book" reports meet short-term immediate needs for information on a wide range of government operations. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the GAO has offices in several major cities across the country. The comptroller general, who is appointed to a 15-year term, heads the agency.