This is the accessible text file for CG Presentation number GAO-09- 383CG entitled 'Challenges Facing The New Administration And The 111th Congress' which was released on February 20, 2009. This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to Webmaster@gao.gov. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. Challenges Facing The New Administration And The 111th Congress: Before the AGA 2009 Leadership Conference: Washington, DC: February 19, 2009: By Gene L. Dodaro: Acting Comptroller General: GAO-09-383CG: Transition: Assisting The New Administration and The New Congress: Figure: Photographs of the White House and the U.S. Capitol buildings. [Refer to PDF for image] [End of figure] Figure: Screen shot of the home page of the GAO Website [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. [Refer to PDF for image] Highlighted in the screen shot is the link to the 2009 Congressional and Presidential Transition page. [End of figure] Figure: Screen shot of the 2009 Congressional and Presidential Transition page of the GAO Website [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/]. [Refer to PDF for image] Links on the page include: * Urgent Issues. * Agency-by-Agency Issues. * Management Challenges Across the Government. * Major Cost-Saving Opportunities. * Upcoming Reports on Major Issues. * Long-Term Fiscal Outlook. * Working with GAO. [End of figure] Financial Institutions and Markets: * Financial Regulatory System. * GAO Role in Financial Rescue. * Auditors of Bank Insurance Fund, FHFA, TARP and U.S. Government Financial Statements. Modernizing The U.S. Financial Regulatory System: Financial Regulation: A Framework for Crafting and Assessing Proposals to Modernize the Outdated U.S. Financial Regulatory System (GAO-09-216, Jan. 8, 2009): * Explains the origins of the current financial regulatory system. * Describes market developments and changes that pose challenges to the current system. * Presents an evaluation framework that Congress and others can use to craft or evaluate potential regulatory reform efforts. Regulatory System Outdated: Risks Posed By: * Emergence of large, complex, and interconnected financial conglomerates; * Less-regulated entities are playing increasingly critical roles in the financial system; * New and complex products pose challenges to system stability and consumer protection. Crafting or Assessing Regulatory Reform Proposals: GAO Framework: 9 Essential Characteristics: * Clearly defined regulatory goals in statute. * Appropriately comprehensive. * Systemwide focus. * Flexible and adaptable. * Efficient and effective. * Consistent consumer and investor protections. * Regulators provided with independence, prominence, authority, and accountability. * Consistent financial oversight. * Minimal taxpayer exposure. Financial Institutions and Markets: * Emergency Economic Stability Act of 2008 created TARP. * GAO given statutory oversight role. * GAO’s TARP reports recommendations follow 3 themes: - Monitoring the use of funds to meet the Act’s objectives. - Articulating a better communication strategy. - Ensuring effective Treasury management structure. Other Urgent Issues: Timely Action Critical: * U.S. Efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. * Defense Readiness, Spending, and Care for Service Members. * Protecting the Homeland and Preparing for Public Health Emergencies. * Improving U.S. Image Abroad. * Food Safety. *Transition to Digital TV. Figure: Screen shot of Agency-by-Agency page on GAO's 2009 Congressional and Presidential Transition site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/agency/]: [Refer to PDF for image] This page includes links to 29 agencies. [End of figure] Figure: Screen shot of the Department of Health and Human Services page on GAO's 2009 Congressional and Presidential Transition site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/agency/hhs]: [Refer to PDF for image] This page is an example of a specific agency, HHS, and includes a listing of HHS programs as well as challenges facing the agency. [End of figure] Figure: Screen shot of the Management Challenges Across the Government page on GAO's 2009 Congressional and Presidential Transition site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/challenges]: [Refer to PDF for image] This page includes links to the following challenges: Collaboration; Acquisition Management; Real Property Management and Security; Human Capital Management; Crosscutting Issues in Information Technology Management; Results Oriented Decision Making; Financial Management. [End of figure] Figure: Screen shot of the Major Cost-Saving Opportunities page on GAO's 2009 Congressional and Presidential Transition site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/opportunities]: [Refer to PDF for image] This page includes links to the following opportunities: Tax Gap; National and Homeland Security; Natural Resources; Insurance and Benefits; Financial Management. [End of figure] 2009 High-Risk List: 30 items grouped into four categories: * Broad-Based Transformation Challenges (e.g., DOD, DHS, surface transportation, food safety oversight). * Federal Contracting. * Tax Law Administration. * Insurance and Benefit Programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, PBGC, flood insurance). Latest High-Risk List Additions: * Modernizing the Outdated U.S. Financial Regulatory System. * Protecting Public Health through Enhanced Oversight of Medical Products. * Transforming EPA’s Processes for Assessing and Controlling Toxic Chemicals. Long-Term Challenges: * Today’s focus, understandably, is on: - Dealing with financial system stress; - Addressing the economic downturn. * But... Underlying issues still need to be addressed: - Long-term fiscal challenge. - Sustaining progress on federal financial management. Figure: Long-Term Fiscal Challenge: [Refer to PDF for image] This figure is a multiple line graph depicting the following data in percent of GDP: Year: 2005; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -2.6%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -3.1%. Year: 2010; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -5.04%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -7%. Year: 2015; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -5.19%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -6.9%. Year: 2020; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -6.77%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -8.7%. Year: 2025; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -9.23%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -11.5%. Year: 2030; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -12.02%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -14.8%. Year: 2035; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -15.07%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -18.4%. Year: 2040; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -18.25%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -22.1%. Year: 2045; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -21.55%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -25.9%. Year: 2050; Federal Surplus/Deficit[A]: -25.02%; Combined Surplus/Deficit: -30%. Source: GAO January 2009 analysis. [A] Federal surplus/deficit is from GAO’s Alternative Simulation using the Trustees’ assumptions. [End of figure] Figure: Long-Term Fiscal Challenge Driven by Health Care Spending: [Refer to PDF for image] This figure is a stacked line graph depicting the following data in percent of GDP: Year: 2008; Social Security: 4.32%; Medicaid: 1.44%; Medicare: 3.24%; Total: 9.00%. Year: 2009; Social Security: 4.35%; Medicaid: 1.59%; Medicare: 3.28%; Total: 9.22%. Year: 2010; Social Security: 4.39%; Medicaid: 1.68%; Medicare: 3.32%; Total: 9.39%. Year: 2015; Social Security: 4.8%; Medicaid: 1.79%; Medicare: 3.71%; Total: 10.3%. Year: 2020; Social Security: 5.3%; Medicaid: 2.03%; Medicare: 4.45%; Total: 12.68%. Year: 2025; Social Security: 5.71%; Medicaid: 2.27%; Medicare: 5.35%; Total: 13.33%. Year: 2030; Social Security: 6%; Medicaid: 2.55%; Medicare: 6.26%; Total: 15.1%. Year: 2035; Social Security: 6.09%; Medicaid: 2.84%; Medicare: 7.00%; Total: 15.93%. Year: 2040; Social Security: 6.02%; Medicaid: 3.13%; Medicare: 7.58%; Total: 16.73%. Year: 2045; Social Security: 5.89%; Medicaid: 3.40%; Medicare: 8.01%; Total: 17.3%. Year: 2050; Social Security: 5.81%; Medicaid: 3.64%; Medicare: 8.40%; Total: 17.85%. Year: 2055; Social Security: 5.77%; Medicaid: 3.86%; Medicare: 8.78%; Total: 18.41%. Year: 2060; Social Security: 5.77%; Medicaid: 4.08%; Medicare: 9.21%; Total: 19.06%. Year: 2065; Social Security: 5.76%; Medicaid: 4.30%; Medicare: 9.63%; Total: 19.69%. Year: 2070; Social Security: 5.77%; Medicaid: 4.53%; Medicare: 10.03%; Total: 20.33%. Year: 2075; Social Security: 5.79%; Medicaid: 4.75%; Medicare: 10.38%; Total: 20.92%. Year: 2080; Social Security: 5.81%; Medicaid: 4.96%; Medicare: 10.69%; Total: 21.46%. Source: GAO analysis of data from the Office of the Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Congressional Budget Office. Note: Social Security and Medicare projections based on the intermediate assumptions of the 2008 Trustees’ Reports. Medicaid projections based on CBO’s January 2009 short-term Medicaid estimates and CBO’s December 2007 long-term Medicaid projections adjusted to reflect excess cost growth consistent with the 2008 Trustees intermediate assumptions. [End of figure] Federal Financial Management: Need to Continue Progress: * Significant improvements in federal financial management; but still a long way to go. * Important to ensure that information for decision-making is reliable. Federal Financial Management: Key Challenges: * Improve internal control—enhanced accountability and reduced improper payments. * Obtain clean opinion on U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements. * Improve extent and reliability of cost information for evaluating federal program operations. * Implement more effective federal financial management systems. * Improve federal grant accountability. * Streamline and enhance relevance and effectiveness of federal accountability requirements and practices. [End of section] On the Web: Web site: [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cghome.htm] Contact: Chuck Young, Managing Director, Public Affairs: YoungC1@gao.gov: (202) 512-4800: U.S. Government Accountability Office: 441 G Street NW, Room 7149: Washington, D.C. 20548: Copyright: This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.