GAO: New Name, Same Acronym

GAO now stands for "Government Accountability Office," instead of accounting. They'll also have a new compensation system, which leaders hope will provide "equal pay for work of equal value over time" but, the Post notes, "also help the GAO control payroll costs in lean budget times." As yes, penny pinching!

" ... The proposal has caused concern for some of the GAO's 3,200 employees, in part because it raises the possibility that some employees, because of job status or where salary lines get drawn, might not receive the standard general pay increase that Congress provides to federal employees each year.

Some employees also have lamented the passing of the GAO's old name, partly because of tradition (the agency was created in 1921) and partly because they view "accountability" as a trendy word in management circles.

But GAO officials said the name change better reflects the agency's activities, which involve strategic issues and not just accounting and auditing of financial books, and predict the name change will help reduce confusion among job applicants and the public. ...

> W. Post: "GAO Gets New Name, Permission to Launch New Compensation System"
> General Accountability Office website