Budget Issues

In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on whether selected executive agencies planned to spend the full amount of appropriated funds designated for specific projects referred to in an Office of Management and Budget memorandum.

GAO found that: (1) except for 5 of its 58 projects, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) planned to obligate all funds as directed; (2) USDA had obligated $35.7 million of its $143.1 million in appropriated funds; (3) the Department of Commerce intended to obligate all the funds in question with two exceptions that concerned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); (4) NOAA considered 15 items low priority and proposed reprogramming their funds and a 6.5 percent across-the-board reduction on all items on the list to prevent personnel reductions; (5) Commerce had obligated $21.1 million of its $71.8 million in appropriated funds; (6) the Army planned to obligate funds for all the items with the exception of a system that had no authorized funds for fiscal year 1988; (7) the Navy did not plan to obligate funds for four of its seven items; (8) the Corps of Engineers did not plan to obligate funds for three of its six items; (9) the Department of Defense had obligated $11 million of its $438.3 million in appropriated funds; (10) although the Department of the Interior planned to fully obligate its funds, at the Bureau level, it was considering 5 of the 67 items, totalling $9.7 million, for rescission, repeal, or amendment; (11) Interior had obligated $77 million of its $250.4 million in appropriated funds; (12) the Department of Transportation (DOT) intended to obligate its funds for all but 3 of its 36 items; and (13) DOT had obligated $107.5 million of its $838.5 million in appropriated funds.