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GGD-78-36 1 (1977-12-23)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaxgj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: DOCUMENT RESUE 05953 - (B13663391 f (4WP1 I).JJil77 Audit of Ford-Carter Presidential Transition Expenditures. GGD-78-36; B-149372; B-158195. December 23, 1977. Released December 11, 1977. 41 pp. * 4 appendices (17 pp.). Report to Rep. :ack Brooks, Chairman# House Committee on Government Operations; by Elmer B. Staats, Comptroller General. contact: General Government Div. Budget Function: General Government: Executive Direction and Banagement (802). Organization Concerned: General Services Administration. Congressional Relevance: House Committee on Government Operations. Re . Jack Sroaks. Authority: Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (3 u.S.C. 102). Former Presidents Act of 1958. Civil Service Retirement act. Federal Employees Compensation Act. Federal Imployees Group Life Insurance Act of 1954. Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959. P.7 94-499. P.L. 94-363. P.L. 94-438. P.L. 95-550. 40 U.S.C. '0. The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 authorized the appropriation of $900,000 for each Presidential transition and authorized the use of Government employees on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis. Oct.ber 1976 amendments to the act authorized the appropriation of up to $2 million for the incoming administration and up to $1 million for the outgoing administration. The amendments also deleted the authority to provide Government employees on a nonreimbursable basis. The Gerald Ford-Jimmy Carter transition vas the first to test the workability of financing a transition entirely with Presidential Transition Act funds. Findings/Conclusions: as of August 31, 1977, about $1.7 million of the $2 million appropriated for the incoming Carter administration had been obligated, leaving an unobligated balance of about $300,000. At the same time, about $635,000 of the $1 million appropriated for the outgoing Ford administration had been obligated, leaving an uncbligated balance of $365,000. Host of the problems encountered by the incoming administration involved use of a checking account in a private bank under control of the Carter/Mondale transition staff. It was more than 4 months after the end of the transition period before the records pertaining to this account were released. False authorizations were used to obtain cash advances of about $18,000 for 69 indivi.dnals; this subterfuge was used because the General Services administration payrcll system was not fast enough to accommodats the needs of some staff mahers for salary payments. A longer presidential transition period provided President Ford with several advantages not available to former Presidents. Recommendations: The Congress should amend the Presidential Transition Act to: delete provisions dealing with outgoing administrations, add provisions dealing with militany and chartered aircraft, and include approval of