As part of their cost-cutting agenda, House Republicans want to significantly reduce the budget of the Government Printing Office (GPO), which does considerably more than (as its name suggests) print documents.

 

GPO plays a major role in making information about the federal government available to the public. Its responsibilities include publishing the Congressional Record, as well as bills and laws created by Congress, the United States Code and the Code of Federal Regulations. GPO also provides online access to many government documents and manages the Federal Depository Library Program, which distributes government publications to libraries around the country.

 

Furthermore, GPO is involved in digitizing historical government publications for free public access.

 

But the office could have a tough time carrying out all of these functions if GOP lawmakers get their way and slash GPO’s budget by more than 20%, or $27.3 million.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

House Questions Future of Government Printing Office (OMB Watch)