Which agency provides Congress with auditing, evaluation, and investigative services to support oversight?

• A. Government Accountability Office
• B. Congressional Budget Office
• C. National Audit Office
• D. Office of Inspector General

Answer: (A)

Auditing, evaluating, and investigative work to support congressional oversight is the hallmark function of the Government Accountability Office. As Congress’s independent, nonpartisan watchdog, the GAO conducts audits of federal programs to assess performance and efficiency, evaluates whether programs are achieving their goals, and carries out investigations when issues like fraud or waste are suspected. The reports and testimony it produces help lawmakers scrutinize how agencies operate, hold them accountable, and make informed policy decisions. The Congressional Budget Office focuses on budgetary analysis and fiscal projections, not auditing or investigations; the National Audit Office is the U.K. counterpart, not a U.S. agency; and the Office of Inspector General units operate within individual departments to oversee internal operations rather than provide broad, Congress-facing oversight services.