ABSTRACT
The various inquiries that preceded and followed Nixon’s resignation made it embarrassingly clear that Congress had not been very effective in its oversight role. So it took steps to strengthen its capacity in this regard too: it enlarged its cornmittee staffs, gave new responsibilities to its two existing staff agencies—the General Accounting Office (GAO) and the Congressional Research Service —and established two new ones—the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Technology Assessment. In fact, the GAO’s primary congressional clients were the House Committees on Government Operations, Appropriations, and Armed Services. At an early date he determined to make the GAO’s work for all of Congress more timely, more relevant, and closer to the cycle of appropriations and legislation. Morris was placed in charge of the GAO’s management services in 1974, a capacity in which he served until he resigned in 1975.
