Critical Releases in Homeland Security: February 20, 2013

"Repeated cyber intrusions into critical infrastructure demonstrate the need for improved cybersecurity. The cyber threat to critical infrastructure continues to grow and represents one of the most serious national security challenges we must confront. The national and economic security of the United States depends on the reliable functioning of the Nation's critical infrastructure in the face of such threats. It is the policy of the United States to enhance the security and resilience of the Nation's critical infrastructure and to maintain a cyber environment that encourages efficiency, innovation, and economic prosperity while promoting safety, security, business confidentiality, privacy, and civil liberties. We can achieve these goals through a partnership with the owners and operators of critical infrastructure to improve cybersecurity information sharing and collaboratively develop and implement risk-based standards."

"The federal government is the world's largest and most complex entity, with about $3.5 trillion in outlays in fiscal year 2012 funding a broad array of programs and operations. GAO [Government Accountability Office] maintains a program to focus attention on government operations that it identifies as high risk due to their greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or the need for transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. Since 1990, more than one-third of the areas previously designated as high risk have been removed from the list because sufficient progress was made to address the problems identified. This biennial update describes the status of high-risk areas listed in 2011 and identifies any new high-risk area needing attention by Congress and the executive branch. Solutions to high-risk problems offer the potential to save billions of dollars, improve service to the public, and strengthen the performance and accountability of the U.S. government. […] This report contains GAO's views on progress made and what remains to be done to bring about lasting solutions for each high-risk area. Perseverance by the executive branch in implementing GAO's recommended solutions and continued oversight and action by Congress are essential to achieving progress. GAO is dedicated to continue working with Congress and the executive branch to help ensure additional progress is made."

This is the February 14, 2013 hearing, "Exploring GAO's High Risk List and Opportunities for Reform," before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. From the opening statement of Darrell E. Issa: "Today we are having our broadest oversight hearing that we have in any one Congress. That is because the GAO's [Government Accountability Office] report is, in fact, on all spending of government and all risk to government and, in fact, is the most important report published. Each 2 years, General Dodaro and his staff assess all the risks to the government, in size of the risk in dollars but also in the likelihood of success or failure. This risk produces the top, if you will, highest threats. It also recognizes the success that sometimes occurs because of both GAO and this committee's efforts to work with government to reduce waste and risk to government. This year, by one account, we lost $261 billion, or 7 percent of our total spending, in fraud and waste. I might note that when you annualize that, or if you will decade-ize it, that represents $2.6 trillion, about twice what we are looking at for the sequestration." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Darrell E. Issa, Elijah E. Cummings, Gerald E. Connolly, Matthew Cartwright, and Gene L. Dodaro.