New Comptroller General Confirmed by Senate

By Danielle D'Angelo

Immediately before adjourning for its election break, the U.S. Senate approved the appointment of David M. Walker as U.S. Comptroller General, filling the long-vacant position as head of the General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress.

As Comptroller General, Walker holds the top accountant position in U.S. government. The GAO acts as the watchdog for Congress, conducting audits on how government agencies and initiatives spend taxpayers' money, and evaluating the effectiveness of hundreds of federal programs each year. In addition, the agency prescribes the accounting standards for all federal agencies. Walker oversees a GAO staff of 3,300 employees and an annual budget of $363 million.

Walker most recently was a partner and managing director in the Atlanta office of Arthur Andersen LLP, and worked at Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) earlier in his career. He also worked in government from 1983 to 1989, having served as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for pension and welfare benefits, and as a senior official in the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which insures and oversees private pension plans.