USDA Management

GAO provided information on the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) progress in meeting the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), focusing on USDA efforts to: (1) develop a departmentwide strategic plan, which includes a mission statement and long-term strategic goals for fiscal years (FY) 1997 through 2002; (2) consult with the Congress in preparing this strategic plan; and (3) establish annual performance plans and goals that describe how it will achieve the objectives in its strategic plan.

GAO noted that: (1) USDA has taken steps toward meeting its September 1997 deadline for completing its strategic plan; (2) the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and USDA's Office of the Secretary reviewed and commented on each USDA agency's strategic plan, which were returned to the agencies for revision; (3) USDA anticipates that revisions to the mission and agency-level plans it is preparing will be completed by February 1997; (4) while the draft agency-level plans are being revised, USDA is developing its departmentwide plan; (5) according to USDA, this plan will include an executive summary and the plans of the mission areas and agencies; (6) in keeping with this guidance, USDA expects to send this plan to OMB for review in April 1997; (7) USDA officials have not yet met with members of Congress or their staffs to discuss USDA's progress in addressing GPRA's requirements; (8) USDA plans to contact Congress after its draft departmentwide strategic plan has been reviewed by OMB and the Secretary; (9) according to the USDA official in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer who is responsible for coordinating USDA's GPRA effort, draft agency-level performance goals are being developed in consultation with OMB, and annual performance plans will follow thereafter; and (10) it is anticipated that draft goals will be established by the spring of 1997 and the plans will be developed during the FY 1999 budget preparation cycle.