Comer: DOGE Targets Billions in Government Waste Identified by GAO

WASHINGTON—Today, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) delivered opening remarks at a hearing on “The Government Accountability Office’s 2025 High Risk List.” In his opening statement, Chairman Comer emphasized that the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) 2025 High Risk List shines a light on the deficiencies of many federal programs, including programs funded by Congress that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. Despite the detailed reports and recommendations issued by GAO since 1990, bloated federal programs administered by the federal bureaucracy continue to fall short of their goals and squander billions of taxpayer dollars. Chairman Comer stressed that President Trump is now delivering on his promise to rein in the runaway bureaucracy and highlighted that GAO’s critical work has provided the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) a roadmap to protect taxpayers. To further prevent waste and ensure accountability, he concluded that Congress must conduct more effective oversight, tracking, and data collection to determine how taxpayers’ dollars are being spent.

Below are Chairman Comer’s remarks as prepared for delivery.

Welcome to today’s Oversight Committee hearing on the Government Accountability Office’s 2025 High Risk List.

Before we get started, I wanted to recognize that this will be Comptroller General Dodaro’s final time testifying on the High Risk List as he is set to retire later this year. 

I want to thank you, Mr. Dodaro, for your decades of service to the United States. Under your leadership, GAO has done excellent work to expose waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and provide recommendations to prevent it. 

At the start of each new Congress, the GAO publishes a High Risk List to update us on the programs ripe for congressional oversight and action. 

The 38 areas on this year’s report all present either a financial risk of loss of at least $1 billion taxpayer dollars. Or they present a risk involving public health or safety, delivery of essential services to Americans, national security concerns, privacy, economic growth, or the rights of citizens.

These potential billions of dollars could be better utilized for lowering taxes, improving roads, or making everyday life more affordable for the American people. 

The average American works too hard to see tax dollars wasted. My goal with this hearing is simple: to make sure the taxpayer’s money is spent wisely and to get more of it back into Americans’ pockets, where it belongs. 

This list helps track the progress and deficiencies of programs so that Congress can perform oversight to promote efficient and effective use of taxpayer money.

The federal government programs, created and funded by Congress, must stay true to their intended purpose, meet their stated objectives, and remain stewards of taxpayer dollars.

However, year after year, bloated federal programs managed by the federal bureaucracy continue to fall short of their goals, and are often plagued by fraud and abuse.

Despite the excellent reports by GAO each year, there continues to be rampant waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.

For more than 30 years, GAO has provided Members of Congress with this report.

Yet, familiar programs remain on this list now, which were there in the beginning.

Americans are tired of the federal government failing its report card. 

The American people elected President Trump to drain the Swamp and rein in the runaway bureaucracy. 

And President Trump is delivering on this promise. 

President Trump has tasked DOGE with conducting a government-wide audit to eliminate Washington waste. 

GAO’s extensive reports and recommendations to the executive branch have given DOGE a strong starting point as it takes on the federal bureaucracy. 

DOGE has taken note of GAO’s critical work in identifying trillions of dollars lost to improper payments made by programs like Medicaid and Unemployment Insurance. And now DOGE is taking action to address the root causes of improper payments.

DOGE has also recognized GAO’s reports on the need to modernize IT for a more efficient and effective federal government. And Elon Musk and his A Team are working on solutions to make this happen. 

The GAO’s High Risk List includes the Department of Defense’s financial management. DOD has failed audits for 7 years in a row. 

Under President Trump’s leadership, Secretary Hegseth is going to work with DOGE to finally address this. 

Now, more than ever, GAO’s work tells us that we need more data, more tracking of funds, more oversight, and yes, more efficiency to know exactly where taxpayer money is going.

We are excited to work with the Trump Administration to continue our mission of cutting out waste, fraud, and abuse.

I look forward to hearing from Comptroller General Dodaro on the good work GAO is doing, and how this Committee and the Trump Administration can protect the American people’s money from being wasted by their government.

Americans want more than another report telling them about all the problems in Washington. They want action to right the ship. And that is just what President Trump, DOGE, and Republicans in Congress are doing for the American people. 

And, with that, I yield to Ranking Member Connolly for his opening statement.