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The GAO (Government Accountability Office) has issued their list of the top 13 issues that the new administration, and congress, will need to deal with in the coming months.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a slate of candidates Congress proposes. - From the GAO Website
From their press release.
The 13 “Urgent Issues” GAO identified based on its work that require urgent attention and continuing oversight to ensure the nation’s security and well-being are (listed alphabetically):
• 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
The GAO has also set up a 2009 transition webpage, with detailed lists of agency-by-agency challenges ahead.
Robert Roos of CIDRAP News has an excellent overview of the issues.
GAO: Obama should address health preparedness, food safety
Robert Roos
News Editor
Nov 7, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has listed public health emergency preparedness and food safety as two of 13 "urgent issues" that will need attention from President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress next year.
In statements released online yesterday, the GAO, Congress's investigative agency, calls on the government to take several specific steps to strengthen public health preparedness, especially for pandemic influenza, and to improve coordination of food safety efforts.
Listing the 13 issues in a press release, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said, "With the serious challenges related to financial markets and the economy, the financial crisis facing the nation, two wars under way, and the first transition since 9/11 and the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, this is absolutely a unique time.
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