A bipartisan group of House and Senate members is proposing legislation (S-2834 and HR-5033) targeting duplicative and overlapping federal programs, following hearings in the government oversight committees of both chambers into a GAO report showing that the problem is continuing despite a series of similar prior reports.
The measure is designed to help better identify which programs with similar missions could be coordinating or consolidated. It would hold agency leadership accountable for actions to address GAO recommendations, require them to look for opportunities to reduce duplication, and require fuller reporting on those issues.
GAO has been releasing annual reports on duplication, overlap and fragmentation since 2011; the latest one showed that of 544 recommended actions in that time, only 41 percent have been fully addressed, 20 percent were not addressed at all and the rest were partly addressed. It identified 37 new areas as candidates to improve efficiency, 22 more areas where costs could be reduced or revenue collections increased, and another 12 areas of duplication, fragmentation or overlap.
