	Congress and Executive Branch Agencies Continue to Address Actions that Span the Federal Government

As shown in figure 2, Congress and executive branch agencies have  made progress in addressing or partially addressing many actions we  identified from 2011 to 2016. We found that these efforts have resulted in roughly $136 billion in  financial benefits—$75 billion from 2010 through 2016, with at least an  additional $61 billion in estimated benefits projected to be accrued in  future years. Table 4 highlights examples of these results. Congress has also implemented a number of key government-wide  statutory requirements in recent years that could help identify areas of  fragmentation, overlap, or duplication, or help address issues we raise in  this report, including the following:
The Program Management Improvement Accountability Act. This information could  potentially help identify areas of fragmentation, overlap, or duplication. The effective and efficient acquisition and management  of IT investments has been a long-standing challenge in the federal  government. FITARA holds promise for improving agencies’  acquisition of IT and enabling Congress to monitor agencies’ progress  and hold them accountable for reducing duplication and achieving  cost savings. Action on Remaining and New Areas Could Yield Significant Additional Benefits

While Congress and executive branch agencies have made progress  toward addressing the 724 total actions we have identified since 2011,  further steps are needed to fully address the 395 actions that remain  open (i.e., partially or not addressed). We estimate that tens of billions  of dollars in additional financial benefits could be realized should  Congress and executive branch agencies fully address open actions. Significant Open Actions Directed to Executive Branch Agencies

In our 2011 to 2017 annual reports, we directed 627 actions to executive  branch agencies, including 77 new actions identified in 2017. While these open  actions span the government, a substantial number of actions are  directed to seven agencies that made up 84 percent—$3.6 trillion—of  federal outlays in fiscal year 2016; see figure 3. In our 2011 to 2017 reports, we directed 168 actions to the Department of  Defense (DOD) in areas that contribute to DOD’s effectiveness in  providing the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the  security of the United States. As of March 2017, 95 of these 168 actions  remained open. In our 2011 to 2017 reports, we directed 98 actions to the Department of  Health and Human Services (HHS) in areas that contribute to HHS’s  mission to enhance the health and well-being of Americans. HHS  also administers Medicaid, which covered an estimated 72.2 million low- income people in fiscal year 2016 at a cost of $575.9 billion. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) manages and  coordinates many government-wide efforts. In our 2011 to 2017 reports,  we directed 64 actions to OMB in areas to improve the efficiency and  effectiveness of government-wide programs and activities. We will continue to look for additional or emerging instances of  fragmentation, overlap, and duplication and opportunities for cost savings  or revenue enhancement. Contact points for the individual  areas listed in our 2017 annual report can be found at the end of each  area in GAO-17-491SP. Contact points for our Congressional Relations  and Public Affairs offices may be found on the last page of this statement.
Why GAO Did This Study

The federal government faces a long-term, unsustainable fiscal path based on an imbalance between federal revenues and spending. While addressing this structural imbalance will require fiscal policy changes, in the near term opportunities exist in a number of areas to improve this situation, including where federal programs or activities are fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative.
To call attention to these opportunities, Congress included a provision in statute for GAO to identify and report on federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives—either within departments or government-wide—that have duplicative goals or activities. GAO also identifies areas that are fragmented or overlapping and additional opportunities to achieve cost savings or enhance revenue collection. GAO's 2017 annual report is its seventh in this series (GAO-17-491SP).
This statement discusses:
new issues GAO identifies in its 2017 report;
the progress made in addressing actions GAO identified in its 2011 to 2016 reports; and
examples of open actions directed to Congress or executive branch agencies.
To identify what actions exist to address these issues, GAO reviewed and updated prior work, including recommendations for executive action and matters for congressional consideration.

What GAO Found

GAO's 2017 annual report identifies 79 new actions that Congress and executive branch agencies can take to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government in 29 new areas. Of these, GAO identified 15 areas in which there is evidence of fragmentation, overlap, or duplication. For example, GAO found that the Army and Air Force need to improve the management of their virtual training programs to avoid fragmentation and better acquire and integrate virtual devices into training to potentially save tens of millions of dollars. GAO also identified 14 areas to reduce the cost of government operations or enhance revenues. For example, GAO found that the Department of Energy could potentially save tens of billions of dollars by improving its analysis of options for storing defense and commercial high-level nuclear waste and fuel.
Congress and executive branch agencies have made progress in addressing the 645 actions that GAO identified from 2011 to 2016. Congressional and executive branch efforts to address these actions over the past 6 years have resulted in roughly $136 billion in financial benefits, of which $75 billion has accrued and at least an additional $61 billion in estimated benefits is projected to accrue in future years.
Status of 2011–2016 Actions as of March, 2017
Further steps are needed to fully address the remaining actions GAO identified. GAO estimates that tens of billions of additional dollars would be saved should Congress and executive branch agencies fully address the 395 actions that remain open, including the 79 new actions GAO identified in 2017. While these open actions span the government, a substantial number of them are directed to seven agencies: the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, the Internal Revenue Service, Office of Management and Budget, and the Social Security Administration. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services could potentially save over a billion dollars annually by better aligning its payments to hospitals for the uncompensated care they provide to uninsured and low-income patients.