[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMENDING GAO COMPTROLLER GENERAL CHARLES A. BOWSHER

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor one of our Nation's 
most dedicated and loyal public servants, Comptroller General of the 
United States Charles A. Bowsher.
  On September 30 of this year, Charles Bowsher will complete his term 
of office as Comptroller General of the United States and head of the 
General Accounting Office.
  In 1981, President Reagan appointed Mr. Bowsher to a 15-year term as 
Comptroller General of the United States. This appointment capped a 
long and distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. 
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Bowsher was associated with Arthur 
Andersen & Co. Between 1967 and 1971, he interrupted his 25-year career 
at Arthur Andersen to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for 
Financial Management.
  During those years, Mr. President, I had the privilege of working 
with Chuck Bowsher in my capacity as Under Secretary--and later 
Secretary--of the Navy. His critical work as Assistant Secretary earned 
him the Distinguished Public Service Awards from both the Navy and the 
Department of Defense.
  Mr. President, the General Accounting Office, or GAO as we call it, 
is one of the least heralded agencies of the Federal Government. 
Congress created the GAO in 1921 with the mandate to audit, evaluate, 
or investigate virtually all Federal Government operations--wherever 
they might take place. In other words, the GAO serves as a watchdog 
over the taxpayers' money--guarding against fraud, abuse, and 
inefficient allocation of public funds.
  In its oversight capacity, the GAO produces in-depth reports at the 
specific request of congressional committees, or on its own initiative. 
Recently, GAO reports have served as a nonpartisan factual basis for 
congressional debate on issues ranging from health care reform and the 
savings and loan crisis to the Federal budget deficit and efforts to 
reinvent government. Meanwhile, the agency continues to monitor high-
risk government activities that could lead to major losses from waste, 
fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.
  Under Chuck Bowsher's leadership, the GAO has saved taxpayers 
billions and billions of dollars. GAO recommendations assist Members of 
Congress and the executive branch in making difficult decisions on the 
effective use of scarce Federal funds. Over the past decade, Congress 
has implemented numerous GAO recommendations--including budget 
reductions, cost avoidances, appropriations deferrals, and revenue 
enhancements--totaling more than $100 billion. Each year, the agency 
issues more than 1,000 written reports, and its officials testify as 
many as 300 times before congressional committees.
  In short, Mr. President, under Chuck Bowsher's leadership the GAO has 
done an outstanding job of protecting the taxpayers' interests while 
promoting sound fiscal management practices throughout the Federal 
Government. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring a truly 
exceptional public servant who has served this Nation with integrity, 
dedication, honor, and dilligence--the Honorable Charles A. Bowsher.

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