# Government Accountability Office **Entity class:** United States legislative-branch audit institution **Aliases:** GAO **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition The **U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)** audits and evaluates federal programs for Congress. Its work supplies authoritative evidence about implementation, controls, costs, performance, and compliance. ## Relationships - **oversight of:** DHS information sharing, federal counterterrorism, and privacy compliance. - **ICEPIC context:** [[wiki/DHS Law Enforcement Information Sharing Service|LEISS]] and [[wiki/ICEPIC|ICEPIC]]. - **counterterrorism context:** [[wiki/Counterterrorism|Counterterrorism]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [GAO — About](https://www.gao.gov/about)