While significant and important progress is being made in addressing the impediments to an opinion on the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements, fundamental problems continue to (1) hamper the government’s ability to accurately report a significant portion of its assets, liabilities, and costs, (2) affect the government’s ability to accurately measure the full costs and financial performance of certain programs and effectively manage related operations, and (3) significantly impair the government’s ability to adequately safeguard certain significant assets and properly record various transactions. For example, the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 1982 (FMFIA) requires GAO to issue standards for internal control in government. These guides on human capital are assisting managers in adopting a more strategic approach to the use of their organization’s most important asset—its people. Special Investigations

GAO has an investigations unit that focuses on investigating and exposing potential criminal misconduct and serious wrongdoing in programs that receive federal funds. The primary mission of this unit is to conduct investigations of alleged violations of federal criminal law and serious wrongdoing and to review law enforcement programs and operations, as requested by the Congress and the Comptroller General. Most of the matters reported to GAO were referred to inspectors general of the executive branch for further action or information.
What GAO Found

The United States General Accounting Office (GAO) is an independent, professional, nonpartisan agency in the legislative branch that is commonly referred to as the investigative arm of Congress. Congress created GAO in the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 to assist in the discharge of its core constitutional powers--the power to investigate and oversee the activities of the executive branch, the power to control the use of federal funds, and the power to make laws. All of GAO's efforts on behalf of Congress are guided by three core values: (1) Accountability--GAO helps Congress oversee federal programs and operations to ensure accountability to the American people; (2) Integrity--GAO sets high standards in the conduct of its work. GAO takes a professional, objective, fact-based, non-partisan, nonideological, fair, and balanced approach on all activities; and (3) Reliability--GAO produces high-quality reports, testimonies, briefings, legal opinions, and other products and services that are timely, accurate, useful, clear, and candid.