Monday, April 2, 2001
THOMPSON AND VOINOVICH URGE ADMINISTRATION TO
ATTACK HIGH-RISK PROBLEMS
Leadership needed to spur action
WASHINGTON – Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman
Fred Thompson (R-TN) and Oversight of Government Management,
Restructuring and the District of Columbia Subcommittee Chairman
George Voinovich (R-OH) Thursday asked the Administration to take
concrete steps to solve the twenty-two problems on the General
Accounting Office’s current High-Risk List. These problems
constitute the worst examples of fraud, waste, and mismanagement
in the federal government, and waste billions of taxpayer dollars
every year, impeding service to the public, and undermining
confidence in government.
In a joint letter to Office of Management and Budget Director
Mitchell Daniels, the Senators urged OMB to establish specific
performance goals and target deadlines to solve each of the
twenty-two problems, and to include those goals in the annual
government-wide performance plans required by the Government
Performance and Results Act.
"Unfortunately, the prior Administration refused to
develop goals to solve the high-risk problems," the Senators
wrote. "As a result, we have made little progress. We think
the Bush Administration must take this task on."
Although the GAO has published its High-Risk List for years,
the Clinton Administration chose to issue their own list of
"Priority Management Objectives" that acknowledged only
some of the challenges on the High-Risk List.
"The Clinton Administration not only failed to establish
and accomplish their own tangible goals," Senator Thompson
said, "but they also failed to address the outstanding
management challenges consistently appearing on the High-Risk
List. I’m encouraged by the interest the Bush team has already
shown in taking on these problems," Thompson added. "I
hope that making the specific commitments we’re asking for will
further demonstrate their leadership resolve and sound a powerful
signal throughout the government."
"Attacking these high-risk problems will be no easy
task," said Voinovich. "Fortunately, the President has
chosen a team with proven management skills. They are clearly up
to the challenge, and Senator Thompson and I will do all we can to
help."
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