GAO Not as Enthusiastic

Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office, a major player in the civil service reform debate, testified at a separate hearing that it agrees there is a “general recognition for a need to continue to develop a government-wide framework for human capital reform.” However, Comptroller General David Walker warned that “how it is done, when it is done, and on what basis it is done can make all the difference. Agencies authorized to implement any statutory authority should demonstrate that they have the capacity, not just the design, to do so.” Civil service leaders in Congress to date have also shown little enthusiasm for a government-wide reform, at least until fuller details of the DoD and DHS intentions are known, and possibly not until those systems have been operating long enough for an assessment.