GAO Lists 13 ‘Urgent Issues’ for Transition

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today published a list of 13 “urgent issues” facing President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress during Obama’s transition into the White House and his first year in office.

The GAO also launched a transition website aimed at making Obama’s transition “an informed and smooth one across the federal government.” The site lists agency-by-agency issues, money-saving opportunities, management challenges, and a long-term fiscal outlook for the federal government.

The “urgent issues” published today are as follows:

• Caring for Service Members
• Defense Readiness
• Defense Spending
• Food Safety
• Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
• Oversight of Financial Institutions and Markets
• Preparing for Large-Scale Health Emergencies
• Protecting the Homeland
• Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting
• Retirement of the Space Shuttle
• Surface Transportation
• The 2010 Census
• Transition to Digital TV