GAO Outlines Top Challenges for Next President

The Government Accountability Office has released a report outlining 22 issues that will be the top priorities for the next president when he comes into office next year.

In an article on the Federal Times website, Gregg Carlstrom says the next president will face a number of challenges, including food safety, cybersecurity and outdated financial regulatory agencies.

“Many of the issues are already on the agency’s list of high-risk programs, including food safety, the 2010 census, and contractor oversight at the Defense Department,” Carlstrom says. “But it also includes several new cross-cutting challenges that will confront the new president.”

At the top of the list is financial regulation. “The next administration will inherit regulatory agencies, like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which have been roundly criticized for failing to prevent the current market turmoil,” Carlstrom says.

That is followed closely by the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure and federal disaster response — and not just at the Homeland Security Department. Earlier this month, a congressionally appointed commission recommended that the next president move cybersecurity functions from the Homeland Security Department to the White House.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3747365