GAO FY27 Budget Request Testimony

GAO Reports

Published March 17th, 2026

Detected March 18th, 2026

Summary

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released testimony highlighting its FY27 budget request of $860 million, a 5.9% increase over FY26 enacted levels. The request aims to support GAO's work in areas such as fraud prevention, national security, and cybersecurity, while also investing in IT systems and advanced analytics.

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What changed

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released testimony regarding its Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, seeking $860 million in appropriated funds, which represents a 5.9 percent increase over the FY 2026 enacted level. This request, totaling $910 million in budget authority when including offsetting receipts, aims to support 3,210 full-time equivalents. The funds are intended to enable GAO to continue its work in key areas critical to Congress and the nation, including fraud prevention, national security, science and technology, cybersecurity, and healthcare costs, alongside investments in IT evolution and building maintenance.

This testimony serves as an informational notice to government agencies and relevant stakeholders regarding GAO's operational priorities and resource needs for FY27. While not imposing direct compliance obligations on regulated entities, it outlines the strategic focus areas for GAO's oversight and audit functions. Agencies should be aware that GAO's continued focus on fraud, waste, abuse, national security, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and healthcare costs may lead to increased scrutiny or new recommendations in these domains.

Source document (simplified)

GAO-26-900720 Published: Mar 18, 2026. Publicly Released: Mar 17, 2026.

Fast Facts

In fiscal year 2025, GAO's work yielded $62.7 billion in financial benefits for the federal government.

In this testimony before the House Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations, Acting U.S. Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown discusses GAO's FY 2027 budget request.

Our budget request will enable GAO to continue to meet key areas of importance to Congress and the nation including fraud prevention, national security, science and technology, cybersecurity, and health care costs. These resources will also support GAO's IT evolution and critical building maintenance needs.

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Highlights

What GAO Found

GAO’s work continues to make an impact. Executive branch agencies use GAO’s work to improve their operations, performance, and efficiency, and Congress uses it to inform key legislative decisions. For example, consistent with GAO’s recommendation to Congress, the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act requires the Social Security Administration to permanently share its Death Master File with the Department of the Treasury to help prevent payments to deceased individuals. This will save millions of dollars each year.

To meet congressional demand for GAO’s work, GAO is requesting $860 million in appropriated dollars for fiscal year (FY) 2027. This is a 5.9 percent increase over the FY 2026 enacted level. GAO’s FY 2027 budget request also uses $50 million in offsetting receipts, for $910 million in total budget authority for the fiscal year. The FY 2027 budget request will support 3,210 full-time equivalents, a reduction of 4.2 percent compared to FY 2026 and 10.2 percent since the end of FY 2024.

With these resources, GAO will continue to focus on the priority needs of the Congress, including five key areas of importance: advancing efforts to address fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs; evaluating national security activities; assessing the impacts of emerging science and technology issues; assessing efforts to address evolving cybersecurity threats; and analyzing health care spending.

GAO also plans to make targeted, critical investments in its information technology systems, advanced analytic capabilities, and cybersecurity. To help drive efficiency, an important focus will be increasing the use of emerging technology, including artificial intelligence.

Background

GAO’s mission is to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. GAO’s work spans the full breadth and scope of the federal government’s responsibilities.

Congress relies on GAO’s nonpartisan, objective, and high-quality work to help inform congressional deliberations as well as oversight of the executive branch. GAO routinely conducts work for the Chairs or Ranking Members of over 90 percent of all standing committees.

Since 2002, GAO’s work has resulted in over $1.51 trillion in financial benefits and almost 30,800 program and operational benefits that helped create or change laws, improve public safety and other services, and promote better management throughout the government.

For more information, contact Dave Powner at pownerd@gao.gov.

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GAO Contacts

David A. Powner Acting Managing Director Congressional Relations pownerd@gao.gov

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Sarah Kaczmarek Managing Director Office of Public Affairs media@gao.gov

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Topics

GAO Mission and Operations Budget requests Cybersecurity Improper payments Death data Offsetting receipts Budget authority National security Health care spending Information technology Artificial intelligence