The United States Government Printing Office (GPO) was created in June 1860, and is an agency of the the U.S. federal government based in Washington D.C. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including Congress, the Supreme Court, the Executive Office of the President and other executive departments, and independent agencies. Congressional Committee Prints are publications issued by Congressional Committees that include topics related to their legislative or research activities. The prints are a fine resource for statistical and historical information, and for legislative analysis. The topics of these Prints vary greatly due to the different concerns and actions of each committee. Some basic categories of Congressional Committee Prints are: situational studies, draft reports and bills, hearings, directories, statistical materials, investigative reports, historical reports, confidential staff reports, and legislative analyses.

The federal government is the world's largest and most complex entity, with about $3.5 trillion in outlays in the fiscal year of 2010, funding a broad array of programs and operations. This book examines government operations that have been identified as high risk due to their greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement or the need for transformation to address the economy, efficiency or effectiveness challenges. Since 1990, there have been over 50 areas designated as high risk and subsequently removed. Solutions to high risk problems offer the potential to save billions of dollars, improve service to the public, and strengthen the performance and accountability of the U.S. government.