U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Jess T. Ford, Director, International Affairs and Trade Team
GAO is known as “the investigative arm of Congress” and “the congressional watchdog.” It supports Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government. The following is excerpted from Ford’s statement during a June 19, 2009, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere hearing on U.S. efforts to combat arms trafficking to Mexico. In recent years, violence along the Mexico border has escalated dramatically, as the administration of President Felipe Calderón has sought to combat the growing power of Mexican drug trafficking organizations and to curb their ability to operate with…
