In the other report – GAO-04-645 – GAO said it has been unable
to arrive at an accurate number of federal aircraft or total
program costs because of inadequate accounting, and that the
General Services Administration’s database used to track
aircraft ownership and cost is unreliable and inaccurate.
The database shows that federal agencies own almost 1,400
aircraft and spent more than $700 million in 2002, but the
database understated operating costs by as much as $568 million
over the past three years, said GAO.
It warned, “Federal aircraft programs will need to make
cost-effective decisions on how best to modernize their fleets
in order to stretch their available funding as far as possible
and in accordance with applicable budget scoring rules.”
In commenting on the reports, Senator Collins said, “Financial
management continues to be a weak point for the federal
government. We must demand that federal agencies follow
responsible fiscal practices.”