Selecting the Comptroller General

Table of Contents

• Legislation on Comptroller General Appointment
• Nomination hearings
• Official Vacancy Announcements
• Statements Concerning Nominations
  • For 2010 nomination
  • For 1998 nomination
  • For 1981 nomination
• Explainers/ Background/ Commentary
• US Code

Legislation on Comptroller General Appointment

• H.R.6517, 119th Congress - To modify the appointment process for the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, and the Director of the Government Publishing Office, and for other purposes. Introduced by Rep. Ed Case.
• H.R.6028, 119th Congress - Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act (Morgan Griffith). Note this bill does not address the GAO CG appointment issue; see also H.R. 10204, 119th Congress - Legislative Branch AGencies Clarification Act (Morgan Griffith). This is virtually identical to H.R. 6028, but fixes two typographical errors.
• H.R. 4446, 109th Congress-- Legislative Branch Officer Appointment Act of 2005. Introduced December 6, 2005, by Representative Ray LaHood with Representatives Bob Ney and Jerry Lewis, proposed congressional appointment of the Comptroller General and other legislative branch officers.
• H.R. 4296, 105th Congress -- To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the appointment of the Comptroller General and the Deputy Comptroller General by a commission of Members of Congress. Introduced July 22, 1998, by Chairman Dan Burton with Representatives Stephen Horn and Pete Sessions, would have changed the existing congressional commission from a recommending body into the appointing authority for the Comptroller General and Deputy Comptroller General. See Statement upon introduction by Dan Burton (144 Cong. Rec. E1377–78)
• H.R. 8616, 94th Congress. Introduced by Rep. Jack Brooks. It concerns the congressional appointment of several legislative branch officers, including the Comptroller General, and contains other changes as well (such as a 10 year term). See introductory remarks, "Toward Restoring Power and Prestige of Congress", 121 Cong. Rec. 22668–69 (1975).
• S. 2206, 94th Congress. Introduced by Sen. Lee Metcalf. Provides for congressional appointment of the Comptroller General and Deputy Comptroller General. See introductory remarks, 121 Cong. Rec. 25608 (July 29, 1975). See also transcript of hearings on S. 2206, GAO Legislation, Part 1 (October 2, 1975), SuDoc Y 4.G 74/6:G 28/3/pt.1.

Nomination hearings

• Nomination of Eugene L. Dodaro to be Comptroller General of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs (Nov. 18, 2010) S. Hrg. 111-1076
• Nominations of Edward Gleiman, Dana Covington, and David Walker, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs (Oct. 7, 1998)
• Nomination of Charles A. Bowsher 127 Cong. Rec. 21539 et seq. (Sept. 22, 1981).

Official Vacancy Announcements

• 2025-2026 search announcement: none made as of yet (9/18/2026)
• 2008 search announcement: House Oversight Committee public application page; Candidate Questionnairre
• 1997-1998 search announcement: Statement of Sen. Trent Lott, July 31, 1997 (143 Cong. Rec. S8483; Statement of Newt Gingrich, July 31, 1997 143 Cong. Rec. E1588.
• 1980/1: Unclear whether there was an announcement. The newly enacted GAO Act of 1980 requires the establishment of a commission, Staats's term ended on March 3, 1981. Per the Reagan Library re: the President's meeting with Charles Bowsher (p. 18), the congressional commission met three times and narrowed 35 potential candidates to the eight it sent to Pres. Reagan.

Statements Concerning Nominations

For 2010 nomination

• Republican list of nominees -- REPUBLICANS SEND ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POST OF COMPTROLLER GENERAL HSGAC - Republican statement (March 25, 2010)
• Democratic list of nominees -- List of GAO Finalists Goes to White House Roll Call (March 23, 2010)

For 1998 nomination

• Republican list of nominees -- "GOP Leaders Offer Three to Head GAO" Washington Post (Jan. 26, 1998)
• Democratic list of nominees -- "Democrats... Sent Clinton 7 Names to Consider for GAO" Washington Post (Feb. 4, 1998)

For 1981 nomination

• Bipartisan List of Nominees -- GAO: Reporting the Facts, 1981-1996, p. 20

Explainers/ Background/ Commentary

• Principles for Evaluating Nominees for Comptroller General of the United States -- a joint statement from a bipartisan group of organizations concerning the next Comptroller General characteristics
• Selecting the Next Comptroller General: A Guide to the Statutory Process -- an explainer from the National Taxpayers Union and the Project on Government Oversight (Dec. 11. 2025)
• It’s Time to Reform the Appointment Process -- Jeremy Dalrymple, R Street Institute
• Who Runs Congress’s Agencies? Will a New Bill Finally Protect Their Independence? -- an explainer from the American Governance Institute on how various legislative branch agency heads are chosen and an evaluation of H.R. 6028.
• Congress Should Reform the Government Accountability Office for the Twenty-First Century -- recommendations for reforming GAO from Dan Lips and Soren Dayton, Foundation for American Innovation (Dec. 17, 2025); but see written testimony of Dan Lips "Legislative Branch Advancement: GAO Modernization" before the House Modernization Committee (Sept. 9, 2023), and "Answers to Questions for the Record" (October4 16, 2023)
• One of the last remaining checks on presidential power is leaving office by the end of the month, CREW (Dec. 17, 2025)
• Comptroller General Dodaro’s Final Testimony Underscores Why Congress Needs a Strong Watchdog National Tax Payers Union (Dec. 18, 2025)
• Reforming GAO for the Twenty-First Century: Achieving Fiscal Savings and Increasing Government Efficiency Foundation for American Innovation (Jan. 13, 2026)
• Is the GAO the Next Battlefield in the Fight for Separation of Powers? Matt Lawrence, Lawfare (Jan 22, 2026)

US Code

• 31 USC 703 On appointment of the Comptroller General and Deputy Comptroller General