Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) information forums, focusing on: (1) whether section 1913 of the U.S. Code applies to HUD officials engaged in lobbying activities; (2) the federal costs incurred by HUD officials attending the forums; (3) the purpose of HUD town meetings; and (4) the development of the forums and the materials provided at the forums. GAO noted that: (1) U.S. Code 1913 exempts Cabinet members from lobbying activities; (2) HUD spent $29,000 on forum-related activities; (3) HUD held town meetings to seek opinions regarding its reorganization plans; and (4) the forums grew out of meetings between various HUD officials and included information on HUD reorganization efforts, as well as the agency's proposed budget rescission.