Results Report Card

Congressional Republicans Wednesday gave most agencies failing grades on their Government Performance and Results Act strategic plans, and called on the agencies to start over with new plans.

Nineteen of the 24 largest federal agencies were given F's by congressional graders, who evaluated the plans on the quality of their mission statements, strategic goals, and other factors. Only two agencies, the Transportation and Education departments, received higher than a D on their plans. Four departments--Interior, Labor, Defense and Commerce--were ranked at the bottom of the heap, all with scores below 30 out of 100.

Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., said he will soon introduce legislation to require agencies to submit improved strategic plans by next year. Under the Results Act, agencies only have to revise their strategic plans every three years.

"I'm very disappointed that the Results Act hasn't achieved the desired results," Burton said.

House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich, R-Ohio, said Congress will use the Results Act to show that many programs are wasteful and should be eliminated. He said the act is "Congress's effort to try to force the bureaucracy to tell us what they're not doing well."

"It's about getting rid of things that quite frankly are clogging up the works here in America," Kasich said.

House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, praised the Transportation Department for setting clear goals and improving its score from 28 out of 100 for its draft plan to 75 for its final plan. But he criticized other agencies on a variety of points.

For example, Armey said the Education Department's strategic plan calls for 25 percent of students to take national math and reading tests by 1999, even though Congress has not authorized those tests. He criticized the Labor Department for planning to measure its success in pension protection by the number of indictments it brings, rather than by the security of pension plans.

Agencies need to coordinate more with each other, Armey said. While the State and Agriculture departments' plans identify the Commerce Department as a partner in export promotion, the Commerce Department's plan doesn't mention either State or USDA.

All of the House committee chairmen with jurisdiction over federal agencies issued statements Wednesday promising to make sure agencies comply with the Results Act. House Resources Committee Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, called the Interior Department's plan "abysmal." House National Security Committee Chairman Floyd Spence, R-S.C., said results-based performance goals should be used to scrutinize day-to-day operations at the Defense Department. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Smith, R-Ore., said he thinks USDA is "capable of far finer work than their final plan demonstrated."

Armey noted that the executive branch, and in particular the Office of Management and Budget, has made significant progress in complying with the Results Act. All strategic plans are in at least minimal compliance with the law, he said.

But Armey urged Vice President Al Gore to use his clout to get agencies to take the Results Act more seriously.

Gore responded that he "welcomes all efforts by the legislative branch to work constructively with the administration in its efforts to make the government work better and cost less." A Gore spokeswoman noted the vice president's commitment to reinventing government and said he met with congressional leaders two years ago to discuss the Results Act.

Congressional Evaluations of Agencies' Strategic Plans