Hearing Wrap Up: Congress and DOGE are Utilizing GAO’s High Risk List to Combat Waste, Fraud, and Abuse - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

WASHINGTON—Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled “The Government Accountability Office’s 2025 High Risk List.” At the hearing, members emphasized that federal government programs created and funded by Congress must fulfill their intended purpose and meet mission objectives. However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has outlined in detailed reports to Congress that bloated federal programs have failed to meet their responsibilities and are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. Members stressed that President Trump is now delivering on his promise to rein in the runaway bureaucracy and highlighted that GAO’s key recommendations are currently assisting Congress and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to make the federal government operate more efficiently and effectively.

Key Takeaways:

Since 1990, GAO has released reports finding that many federal programs funded by Congress are bloated, struggle to meet their objectives, and have become vulnerable to serious waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.

Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General, GAO: “We are releasing our 2025 High-Risk List today. Our high-risk program focuses attention on government operations with significant vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or that need transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. These efforts continue to bring much needed attention to problems impeding effective government and costing billions of dollars each year.”

Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.): “At the start of each new Congress, the GAO publishes a High Risk List to update us on the programs ripe for congressional oversight and action. The average American works too hard to see tax dollars wasted. Despite the excellent reports by GAO each year, there continues to be rampant waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government. Americans are tired of the federal government failing its report card.”

GAO’s consistent work and recommendations are being utilized by DOGE and Congress to safeguard taxpayer dollars, combat waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, and ensure federal programs are operating as designed for the American people. President Trump, DOGE, and Republicans in Congress are delivering on their promise to eliminate Washington waste and rein in the runaway bureaucracy.

Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General, GAO: “Actions to address high-risk issues have contributed to hundreds of billions of dollars saved since the List was established, including approximately $84 billion in financial benefits since our last update in 2023.”

Chairman James Comer: “President Trump has tasked DOGE with conducting a government-wide audit to eliminate Washington waste. GAO’s extensive reports and recommendations to the executive branch have given DOGE a strong starting point as it takes on the federal bureaucracy. DOGE has taken note of GAO’s critical work in identifying trillions of dollars lost to improper payments made by programs like Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance. And now DOGE is taking action to address the root causes of improper payments. DOGE has also recognized GAO’s reports on the need to modernize IT for a more efficient and effective federal government. And Elon Musk and his A Team are working on solutions to make this happen.”

Member Highlights:

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) stated that GAO’s High Risk List is a powerful tool that Congress can utilize to conduct meaningful oversight, address bloated federal programs, minimize waste of taxpayer funds, and evaluate improvements that could be implemented to ensure an efficient and effective federal government.

Chairman Comer: “The 38 areas on this year’s report all present either a financial risk of loss of at least $1 billion taxpayer dollars. Or they present a risk involving public health or safety, delivery of essential services to Americans, national security concerns, privacy, economic growth, or the rights of citizens. These potential billions of dollars could be better utilized for lowering taxes, improving roads, or making everyday life more affordable for the American people.

“My goal with this hearing is simple: to make sure the taxpayer’s money is spent wisely and to get more of it back into Americans’ pockets, where it belongs.”

In addition, Chairman Comer highlighted that the American people are tired of fraudulent payments. The federal government has lost $2.7 trillion because of improper payments since 2003, and he stressed that fraudsters, organized criminals, hostile foreign actors, and even government employees have siphoned money away from Americans who truly qualify for assistance.

Chairman Comer: “GAO reports continue to paint an alarming picture. I think the American people agree we shouldn’t be giving money to entities improperly. Why do federal programs continue to have so many issues with improper payments? Medicaid and Medicare with over $100 billion.”

Gene L. Dodaro, GAO Comptroller General: “I think we need more auditing and changes.”

Chairman Comer: “We are not trying to cut or end Medicare or Medicaid. We simply need to make good reforms. There are people gaming the Medicare system. This is what we are looking at in the budget reconciliation bill. People in this building know these programs have fraud, but Democrats start to scream about cuts and say Elon is going to steal your social security check. Then nothing gets done. Well, we are now very serious about this and we need to face the reality. People are abusing the system, and it will take Congress with a backbone to make improvements. We have a mandate, and we need to get President Trump’s back on this. Americans are fed up and Congress needs to get it done.”

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) stressed that waste in the federal government is not isolated to just one department and noted that not a single High-Risk item has been resolved from GAO’s 2023 list.

Rep. Gosar: “I always look forward to this hearing. The waste, fraud, and abuse infecting the federal government is not just isolated to one department, it is government wide. Since the last GAO high risk report in 2023, not a single item has been removed from that list.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) pointed out that GAO’s 2025 High Risk List now notes disaster delivery assistance by the federal government is significantly vulnerable to fraud and abuse. She stated that FEMA needs to adopt GAO’s recommendations to ensure disaster relief is delivered to Americans who are most in need.

Rep. Foxx: “Last year, North Carolina saw immense devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, with over 100 lives lost and nearly $60 billion in damage. While FEMA did show up to provide aid, I give FEMA and the federal response to Helene a D grade. It’s no surprise that that ‘Improving the delivery of federal disaster assistance’ was added this year to the GAO’s high risk list. It states that attention is also needed to improve processes for assisting survivors. I could not agree more. One of the biggest problems I recognized while helping constituents affected by the storms is how FEMA’s representatives on the ground are telling people what the agency cannot do, rather than what it can do. FEMA has a lot of experience dealing with disasters, yet it seems to have learned shockingly few lessons along the way. There should be an information road map available to those affected by disasters, including what they can expect from FEMA. This road map should include how much and what kind of aid they can expect to receive, a timeline for aid, information on all available assistance, and what types of decisions will have to be made in the coming weeks. What recommendations do you have for FEMA to improve processes for assisting survivors?”

Gene L. Dodaro, GAO Comptroller General: “FEMA is involved in just far too many disasters. We have a system created to do good, but it is not helping survivors that actually need the help. On our report, we have an number of options to simplify the system and how the federal government can provide the relief”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-Ariz.) pointed out that GAO’s 2025 High Risk List confirms taxpayers are continuing to provide billions of dollars to maintain outdated federal government IT systems.

Rep. Mace: “As Chairwoman of the Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation subcommittee, the 2025 High Risk List highlights serious failures in federal cybersecurity and technology modernization. Federal agencies spend billions of dollars a year on software without a comprehensive or detailed understanding of what they are purchasing… in other words, a lot of duplication. GAO has reported that without improvement, the federal government will likely continue to expand IT investment that do not meet the needs of the government or the public. What steps should we be taking instead of just throwing taxpayer dollars at this and hoping for the best?”

Carol, Assistant to the GAO Comptroller: “We have a major issue where we have $100 billion dollars annually going to the IT budget across the federal government. 80% of that money is going to maintain old and outdated systems. Some of these systems are 50 years old… The government is having a difficult time even finding staff that have knowledge of some of these out-of-date computer languages. GAO has made multiple recommendations, upwards of 700 that need to be addressed.”

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) highlighted that GAO’s 2025 High Risk list includes the Medicare program and stressed the importance of addressing improper payments.

Rep. Biggs: “Much more needs to be done to control billions of dollars in overpayments and prevent fraud. GAO made clear that the integrity of the Medicare program needs to be improved… In fiscal year 2023, the estimated amount of improper payments from Medicaid reached over $50.3 billion dollars. Where is all that money going?”

Gene L. Dodaro, GAO Comptroller General: “It is going to the wrong places… We have made a fraud estimate. Our fraud estimate from 2018 to 2022 we estimated annual loss to fraud to be between $233 billion and $521 billion. There was epic fraud during the pandemic. The federal government needs to get better control of the program.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) emphasized that spending needs to be controlled because the country is $36 trillion dollars in debt.

Rep. Greene: “We are in $36 trillion dollars of debt. The Medicare program and scale of Medicare spending is innately high risk. This program spent an estimated $1 trillion dollars in 2024. Billions of dollars lost to improper payments, and we have Democrats now crying about Elon Musk. Are you kidding me? The polling is out: 72% of Republicans and Democrats support DOGE. They want these improper payments and waste addressed and back. This should be one of the most bipartisan times in American history… American taxpayer dollars are being stolen and wasted. We need to address it.”

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) highlighted how significant savings for taxpayers is achievable by consolidating or reducing the inventory of underutilized and empty federal office space.

Rep. Perry: “The federal government owns about 2 billion square feet of office space. A GAO study recently indicated that 17 of the 24 agencies reviewed used 25% or less of their office space. We have more than 11,000 acres of old and used buildings and American taxpayers are forced to pay $2 billion a year for office space that sits empty. 80% of leases are set to expire in the next 5 years. We would like to remedy this situation… we are talking about half the size of Disney world taxpayers are paying for. So what should we do?”

Gene L. Dodaro, GAO Comptroller General: “I thought it was good Congress set benchmarks, but you have to get rid of some of the properties. Congress needs to work with the federal government, including OMB.”

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) stressed that both Republicans and Democrats should be supportive of President Trump’s ongoing efforts to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government.

Rep. Gill: “Democrats are telling us that DOGE and Elon Musk are acting with cruel intent. I would like to point out that what is actually cruel is bankrupting our country. What is cruel is driving up inflation by spending more money than what our federal government has. What is cruel is consolidating power in an undemocratic administrative state that doesn’t answer to anybody. We should be applauding President Trump and Elon regardless of what side of the aisle we sit on.”

Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) concluded that Congress has a responsibility to conduct meaningful oversight and streamline efforts to make the federal government more efficient and effective for all Americans.

Rep. Fallon: “I want to thank the GAO for its work. You could argue in a sense that GAO was DOGE before DOGE was cool. This concept isn’t new. You are looking to get a lot of bang for the taxpayer buck. This should be a bipartisan effort. Do you think the federal government is operating at maximum efficiency?”

Gene L. Dodaro, GAO Comptroller General: “We do not.”

Rep. Fallon: “This is why you all have saved billions of dollars. We could argue that oversight works and we clearly need more of it.”