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The use of safety belts has long been considered an effective way to reduce deaths and injuries on the nation’s highways. The Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates that 10,000 additional lives could be saved annually if all of the occupants of motor vehicles used safety belts. Safety belt technology has existed ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether federal and state efforts have been successful in increasing the use of safety belts in motor vehicles, focusing on: (1) the progress that has been made in achieving seat belt use goals; (2) state strategies that have been successful in increasing seat belt use;... |
CIESIN (pronounced “season”) was established in 1989 as a private, nonprofit organization chartered by the state of Michigan. It is structured as a consortium of university and nongovernmental research organizations. The current members of the consortium are University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Michigan State U... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the activities of the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), focusing on: (1) its mission and funding; (2) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) oversight of CIESIN work on the human dimensions of global change (HDG... |
To reap the full benefits of new technologies, federal agencies must have effective information management leaders who can transform IT dollars into prudent investments that achieve cost savings, increase productivity, and improve the timeliness and quality of service delivery. This was widely recognized by the Congres... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the role of chief information officers (CIO) in the federal government. GAO noted that: (1) as the federal government moves to fully embrace the digital age and focuses on electronic government initiatives, leadership in the management of the government's information r... |
Distance education is not a new concept, but in recent years, it has assumed markedly new forms and greater prominence. In the past, distance education generally took the form of correspondence courses— home study courses completed by mail. Distance education today can take many forms and is defined by federal law and ... | As the largest provider of financial aid in higher education, with about $134 billion in Title IV funds provided to students in fiscal year 2010, the Department of Education (Education) has a considerable interest in distance education. Distance education--that is, offering courses by the Internet, video, or other form... |
The Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics has been designated DOD’s Corrosion Executive. The Corrosion Executive is supported by staff assigned to the Corrosion Office. The Corrosion Office was initially established in 2003 as an independent activity within the Office of... | Corrosion can have a deleterious effect on military equipment and infrastructure in terms of cost, readiness, and safety. Recognizing this concern, the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2003 required the Department of Defense (DOD) to designate an official or organization to oversee and coordi... |
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has forecast continued growth for commercial and general aviation over the next decade. Growth over the past few decades brought innovations to improve flight safety that contributed to a dramatic lowering of the accident rate by the mid-1970s. Further reductions in the acciden... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Safer Skies Initiative, focusing on: (1) to what extent addressing the safety problems to be addressed by the initiative will help reduce the fatal accident rate; (2) what progress the initiative has made in identifying and im... |
Supply chain security is a principal element of CBP’s layered strategy to protect commerce. In the post-9/11 environment, the movement of cargo shipments throughout the global supply chain from foreign manufacturers, suppliers, or vendors to retailers or other end users in the United States is inherently vulnerable to ... | The economic well-being of the United States depends on the movement of millions of cargo shipments throughout the global supply chain—the flow of goods from manufacturers to retailers or other end users. However, cargo shipments can present security concerns. CBP is responsible for administering cargo security and fac... |
High-performing organizations reinforce a focus on results through demonstrated top leadership commitment, through positive recognition to employees for their contributions to organizational goals, and by holding managers accountable for results while giving them the necessary decisionmaking authority to achieve them. ... | For federal agencies to become high-performing organizations, top management needs to foster performance-based cultures, find ways to measure performance, and use performance information to make decisions. GAO's survey of federal managers found wide differences in how well individual agencies demonstrated a results-bas... |
The mission of VA is to serve America’s veterans and their dependents. All VA programs are administered through three major administrations— VHA, Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. VA provides medical services to various veteran populations—including an aging veteran population ... | VA operates one of the largest health care systems in the United States, with 168 VA medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient facilities. Many of these facilities are underutilized and outdated. A previous effort aimed at modernizing and better aligning facilities was not fully implemented. GAO was asked to revie... |
Oversight of nursing homes is a shared federal and state responsibility. CMS is the federal agency that manages Medicare and Medicaid and oversees compliance with federal nursing home quality standards. On the basis of statutory requirements, CMS defines standards that nursing homes must meet to participate in the Medi... | Since 1998, the Congress and Administration have focused considerable attention on improving the quality of care in the nation's nursing homes, which provide care for about 1.7 million elderly and disabled residents in about 17,000 homes. GAO has earlier reported on serious weaknesses in processes for conducting routin... |
In 1990, we designated the Medicare program, which is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in HHS, as at high risk for improper payments because of its sheer size and vast range of participants—including about 40 million beneficiaries and nearly 1 million physicians, hospitals, and other... | The Medicare program is the nation's largest health insurer with almost 40 million beneficiaries and outlays of over $219 billion annually. Because of the susceptibility of the program to fraud and abuse, Congress enacted the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program as part of the Health Insurance Portabilit... |
IBD refers to Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease can involve any area of the gastrointestinal tract but most commonly affects the small intestine, which is responsible for the body’s absorption of most needed nutrients, and the beginning of the large intestine, or colon. This inflammation can resul... | Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects an estimated one million Americans. IBD patients often have difficulty digesting food. As a result, they may require parenteral nutrition (intravenous feeding) or enteral nutrition (tube feeding), medically necessary food products to supplement their diets, and medications. In a... |
The first deficit we face is the federal budget deficit (see fig. 1). In 2005 the unified federal budget deficit was around $318 billion or 2.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This figure is an approximation of what the federal government absorbs from private saving. Although a single year’s federal deficit is... | The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance asked GAO to testify on our nation's low saving and discuss the implications for long-term economic growth. National saving--the portion of a nation's current income not consumed--is the sum of saving by households, businesses, and all levels of government. National savin... |
For many years, the Congress has expressed concerns about the public’s telephone access to SSA. Efforts to improve this access have resulted in a dual system of telephone service (a nationwide 800 number and local office service at more than 800 of SSA’s field offices) and also led to the current demonstration project.... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) telephone access demonstration project. GAO found that: (1) under one of the two telephone demonstration project configurations tested, telephone access improved significantly, busy-signal rates dropped, and the number of cal... |
Under Title 10 of the United States Code, the Secretary of each Military Department (the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force) has the responsibility to recruit personnel, subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense. As such, each Secretary has the authority to organize and delegate respon... | As part of its efforts to meet yearly recruitment goals for the military, DOD requested almost $575 million in fiscal year 2017 to conduct advertising intended to increase awareness of military service and ultimately generate leads for potential recruits. Senate Report 114-49 included a provision for GAO to assess DOD'... |
In December 2005, we reported that risk management, a strategy for helping policymakers make decisions about assessing risks, allocating resources, and taking actions under conditions of uncertainty, had been endorsed by Congress and the President as a way to strengthen the nation against possible terrorist attacks aga... | Ports, waterways, and vessels handle more than $700 billion in merchandise annually, and an attack on this system could have a widespread impact on global trade and the economy. Within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), component agencies have responsibility for securing the maritime environment. The U.S. Coast... |
DOD has an extensive organizational structure for managing and overseeing conventional ammunition, with the Army having a prominent role. Since 1975, the Secretary of the Army has served as DOD’s Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition (hereafter referred to as the Single Manager). Under DOD guidance, the Single Man... | DOD manages nearly $70 billion of conventional ammunition—which includes many types of items other than nuclear and special weapons—at eight Army depots. The military services use automated information systems to manage their inventory. They also compile annual reports that compare ammunition inventory levels against s... |
The general well-being of children and families is a critical national policy goal. Current priorities aimed at protecting children and preserving families include an effective child support enforcement program to meet the needs of millions of parents who annually seek child support for their eligible children. In our ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Office of Child Support Enforcement's (OCSE) management of the child support enforcement program, focusing on OCSE progress in: (1) strengthening its partnership with state and local child support enforcement programs; (2) achieving national program goals; (3) impro... |
Threats to systems supporting critical infrastructure and federal information systems are evolving and growing. Advanced persistent threats—where adversaries that possess sophisticated levels of expertise and significant resources to pursue its objectives repeatedly over an extended period of time—pose increasing risks... | Cyber attacks could have a potentially devastating impact on the nation's computer systems and networks, disrupting the operations of government and businesses and the lives of private individuals. Increasingly sophisticated cyber threats have underscored the need to manage and bolster the cybersecurity of key governme... |
PRWORA built upon and expanded state-level welfare reforms to transform federal welfare policy for needy families with children. PRWORA replaced the individual entitlement to benefits under the 61-year-old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the TANF block grant, which provides family assistance... | Debates surrounding the reauthorization of welfare reform legislation have involved some discussion regarding outcomes for TANF recipients with physical or mental impairments. To inform this discussion, GAO was asked to report on (1) whether recipients with impairments were as likely to exit TANF as their counterparts ... |
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 required INS and SSA to operate three voluntary pilot programs to test electronic means for employers to verify an employee’s eligibility to work, one of which was the Basic Pilot Program. The Basic Pilot Program was designed to test wheth... | The opportunity for employment is one of the most important magnets attracting illegal aliens to the United States. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 established an employment eligibility verification process and a sanctions program for fining employers for noncompliance. Few modifications have been... |
What we found was that leading organizations have cut administrative costs—some cut expense report processing costs by more than 80 percent—and time—what once took 3 weeks can now be done within 48 hours—as a direct result of reengineering how they arrange and process travel. Their total administrative costs per trip n... | GAO discussed efforts for improving governmentwide travel management, focusing on a comparison of civilian federal agencies' and private-sector travel management practices. GAO noted that: (1) private-sector organizations have cut travel processing costs and time by consolidating travel management and processing center... |
DOD is one of the nation’s largest employers—employing approximately 1.4 million active duty military personnel and 1.2 million reservists. In addition, 2 million retirees receive pay and benefits from the department. DOD is also the largest employer and trainer of young adults in the United States, recruiting about 20... | Over the years, the Department of Defense's (DOD) military compensation system has become an increasingly complex and piecemeal accretion of pays, allowances, benefits, and special tax preferences. DOD leaders have expressed concern that rising compensation costs may not be sustainable in the future and could crowd out... |
Despite some positive developments, U.S. rule of law assistance in the new independent states of the former Soviet Union has achieved limited results, and the sustainability of those results is uncertain. Experience has shown that establishing the rule of law in the new independent states is a complex undertaking and i... | This testimony discusses the U.S. government's rule of law assistance efforts in the new independent states of the former Soviet Union. GAO found that these efforts have had limited impact so far, and results may not be sustainable in many cases. U.S. agencies have had some success in introducing innovative legal conce... |
A 1987 Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Science Board study on the detection and neutralization of illegal drugs and terrorist devices, such as explosives, concluded, among other things, that better-focused R&D testing and evaluation and acquisition efforts were needed at the federal level. To address this issue, th... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the operations and contributions of the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC), focusing on: (1) how CTAC coordinates its counterdrug research and development (R&D) efforts with other federal agencies to address counterdrug R&D needs that are not being met by o... |
As early as 1987, we identified the need for FAA to develop criteria for targeting safety inspections to airlines with characteristics that may indicate safety problems and noted that targeting was important because FAA may never have enough resources to inspect all aircraft, facilities, and pilots. FAA employs about 2... | GAO discussed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) safety inspection program. GAO noted that: (1) in 1991, FAA created its Safety Performance Analysis System (SPAS) to focus its inspection resources on the pilots, aircraft, and facilities that pose the greatest risk; (2) poor data quality jeopardizes the success... |
Nationwide, states and major urban areas have established fusion centers to coordinate the gathering, analysis, and dissemination of law enforcement, homeland security, public safety, and terrorism information. After centers had begun to be established around the country, Congress passed the 9/11 Commission Act to requ... | Recent terrorist activity, such as the attempted Times Square bombing, underscores the need for terrorism-related information sharing. Since 2001, all 50 states and some local governments have established fusion centers, where homeland security, terrorism, and other intelligence information is shared. The federal gover... |
GPO’s mission includes both printing government documents and disseminating them to the public. Under the public printing and documents statutes of Title 44 of the U.S. Code, GPO’s mission is to fulfill the printing needs of the federal government and to distribute those printed products to the public. All printing for... | The transformation of the Government Printing Office (GPO) is under way. This report captures the results of our efforts over the past year to assess and help strengthen GPO's transformation and strategic planning efforts. It is the final part of GAO's response to both a mandate requiring GAO to examine the current sta... |
Before turning to the results of our work in detail, let me briefly provide some background information and discuss the methodology we used for our study. During their deployment associated with the Persian Gulf War, many of the approximately 700,000 veterans of the Gulf War may have been exposed to a variety of potent... | GAO discussed the results of its study on the government's clinical care and medical research programs relating to illnesses that members of the armed forces might have contracted as a result of their service in the Persian Gulf War, focusing on the: (1) efforts of the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs'... |
The 1998 terrorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania highlighted the compelling need for safe and secure overseas facilities. Following the bombings, two high-level independent groups cited problems at U.S. overseas facilities. In January 1999, the chairman of the Accountability Review Boards, formed... | The 1998 terrorist attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa highlighted security deficiencies in diplomatic facilities, leading the Department of State to embark on an estimated $16 billion embassy construction program. The program's key objective is to provide safe, secure, and cost-effective buildings for employees ov... |
Congress has long recognized that IT has the potential to enable federal agencies to accomplish their missions more quickly, effectively, and economically. However, fully exploiting this potential has presented longstanding challenges to agencies, and despite substantial IT investments, the federal government’s managem... | The federal government invests billions in information technology (IT) each year to help agencies accomplish their missions. Federal law, particularly the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, has defined the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) as the focal point for IT management within agencies. Given the longstanding chall... |
Several entities located within TSA’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis share responsibility for administering the Secure Flight program. Among these are the Operations Strategy Mission Support Branch, which acts as the program’s lead office; the Secure Flight Operations Branch, which oversees passenger vetting and o... | In 2009, DHS's TSA began using Secure Flight to screen passengers against high-risk lists. These lists, subsets of the TSDB—the U.S. government's consolidated list of known and suspected terrorists—included the No Fly List, to identify those who should be prohibited from boarding flights, and the Selectee List, to iden... |
Section 6012 of the Internal Revenue Code requires individuals, businesses, and other taxable entities with income over a certain threshold amount to file income tax returns. While most individuals and businesses voluntarily comply with this requirement, millions do not. At the beginning of fiscal year 1993, IRS had an... | GAO reviewed the results of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Nonfiler Strategy and opportunities to improve any similar future efforts. GAO found that: (1) IRS actions to achieve its Nonfiler Strategy's goals included deploying examination staff to work on nonfiler cases, increasing other IRS functions' emphasis on... |
We reviewed federal legislation, regulations, and processes regarding spectrum management and spectrum sharing, including NTIA’s Manual of Regulations and Procedures for the Federal Radio Frequency Management; as well as various FCC plans, notices, orders and other publications related to spectrum management and sharin... | The increasing popularity of wireless devices that use spectrum, combined with federal spectrum needs for national defense and other public safety activities, have created concerns that a "spectrum crunch" is looming. However, there is also evidence that at any given time or place, spectrum lies fallow or is only inter... |
Medicaid is jointly financed by the federal government and the states, with the federal government matching most state Medicaid expenditures using a statutory formula that determines a federal matching rate for each state. Medicaid is a significant component of federal and state budgets, with estimated total outlays of... | A growing share of long-term care spending under Medicaid, a joint federal-state health care program, is for services provided in home and community settings. Medicaid spending on these services—about $80 billion in 2014—now exceeds spending on institutional long term care. Personal care services are key components of ... |
The CDFI Fund is authorized to allocate tax credit authority to CDEs that manage NMTC investments in low-income community development projects. The CDEs are domestic corporations or partnerships with a primary mission of providing investment capital for low-income communities or low-income persons. Some CDEs are establ... | In recent years, private investors have claimed more than $1 billion in NMTCs annually. The credits are combined with private loans and other public funds to support investments in low-income communities. GAO was asked to review the financial structure of NMTCs. This report assesses: (1) the complexity and transparency... |
The permanent provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act) took effect on November 30, 1998. Under the Brady Act, before a federally licensed firearms dealer can transfer a firearm to an unlicensed individual, the dealer must request a background check through NICS to determine whether the prospe... | The 2007 Virginia Tech shootings raised questions about how the gunman was able to obtain firearms given his history of mental illness. In the wake of this tragedy, the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 was enacted to, among other things, provide incentives for states to make more records available for use during... |
In the past decade, Medicare costs have risen at an average rate of over 10 percent per year. This continued growth has prompted stakeholders to seek methods to slow down or reduce the cost of services. Because managed care is viewed as less costly than fee-for-service health care, one proposal put forth is to expand m... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) efforts to enhance the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on: (1) the strategies to ensure that Medicare providers furnish quality health care, in both fee-for-service providers and health maintenance o... |
Following the 1998 embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, a number of reviews called for the reassessment of overseas staffing levels and suggested a series of actions to adjust the overseas presence, including relocating some functions to the United States and to regional centers, where feasi... | The President has emphasized the importance of safety, efficiency, and accountability in U.S. government staffing overseas by designating the achievement of a rightsized overseas presence as a part of the President's Management Agenda. One of the elements of rightsizing involves relocating certain administrative suppor... |
Congress first proposed providing flood insurance in the 1950s, after it became clear that private insurance companies could not profitably provide flood coverage at a price that consumers could afford, primarily because of the catastrophic nature of flooding and the difficulty of determining accurate rates. In 1968, C... | Congress created NFIP to reduce the escalating costs of federal disaster assistance for flood damage, but also prioritized keeping flood insurance affordable, which transferred the financial burden of flood risk from property owners to the federal government. In many cases, premium rates have not reflected the full ris... |
IOM defines an emerging infectious disease as either a newly recognized, clinically distinct infectious disease or a known infectious disease whose reported incidence is increasing in a given place or among a specific population. More than 36 newly emerging infectious diseases were identified between 1973 and 2003, and... | The threat posed by infectious diseases has grown. New diseases, unknown in the United States just a decade ago, such as West Nile virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), have emerged. To detect cases of infectious diseases, especially before they develop into widespread outbreaks, local, state, and federal... |
INS’ overall budget has more than doubled within 5 years, from $1.5 billion in fiscal year 1993 to $3.1 billion in fiscal year 1997. INS has spent about $2.3 billion on border enforcement from fiscal years 1994 through 1997. For fiscal year 1997, the combined budget for INS’ Border Patrol and Inspections programs—the t... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Attorney General's strategy to deter illegal entry into the United States along the southwest border, focusing on: (1) what the strategy calls for; (2) actions taken to implement the strategy along the southwest border; (3) whether available data confirm the strat... |
FAA’s ATC network is an enormous, complex collection of interrelated systems, including navigation, surveillance, weather, and automated information processing and display systems that reside at, or are associated with, hundreds of ATC facilities. These systems and facilities are interconnected by complex communication... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) computer security practices, focusing on: (1) whether FAA is effectively managing physical security at air traffic control (ATC) facilities and systems security for its current operational systems; (2) whether FAA is effective... |
In keeping with its trust responsibility with respect to Indian tribes, the federal government holds title to the Navajo and Hopi tribal land in trust for the benefit of the tribes and their members. In this context, this section provides information on (1) the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe; (2) uranium mining and proce... | Four million tons of uranium ore were extracted from mines on the Navajo reservation primarily for developing the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. For over 30 years, the Navajo people have lived with the environmental and health effects of uranium contamination from this mining. In 2008, five federal agencies adopted a ... |
BIE, formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs when it was part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), was renamed and established as a separate bureau in 2006. Organizationally, BIE is under the Office of the Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs (Indian Affairs), and its director reports to the Principa... | In 2011, the federal government provided over $800 million to BIE schools that serve about 41,000 Indian students living on or near reservations. Within the Department of Interior, BIE is part of Indian Affairs, and BIEs director is responsible for the management of all education functions. BIEs mission is to provide... |
In the 21st century, older Americans are expected to make up a larger share of the U.S. population, live longer, and spend more years in retirement than previous generations. The share of the U.S. population age 65 and older is projected to increase from 12.4 percent in 2000 to 19.6 percent in 2030 and continue to grow... | More Americans remaining in the workforce at older ages could lead to benefits at several levels. First, working longer will allow older workers to bolster their retirement savings. Second, hiring and retaining older workers will help employers deal with projected labor shortages. Third, older workers will contribute t... |
The Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve to operate collectively as the country’s central bank. The Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve as an independent agency with a decentralized structure to ensure that monetary policy decisions would be based on a broad economic perspective from all ... | Member banks of the Federal Reserve must purchase stock in their regional Reserve Bank, but historically received a 6 percent dividend annually on paid-in stock. A provision of the 2015 FAST Act modified the dividend rate formula for 85 larger member banks—and currently reduces the amount these banks receive. The FAST ... |
The Ranger Training Brigade, located at Fort Benning, Georgia, conducts three phases of Ranger training to develop tactical combat arms and leadership skills in infantry, airborne, air assault, mountaineering, and waterborne operations. The initial training phase is conducted at Fort Benning, the second phase is conduc... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on the corrective actions taken by the Army following the deaths of four Ranger students in a 1995 training accident, focusing on the status of: (1) Army Ranger training manning levels required by the fiscal year 1996 National Defense Authorization Act; (2... |
A perennial issue for federal and District of Columbia officials has been determining the proper level of federal assistance to the District. Federal assistance historically has helped the District offset costs associated with its unique status and position. However, according to District officials, this assistance is ... | District officials have recently reported both a budget gap and a more permanent structural imbalance between costs and revenue raising capacity. They maintain that the structural imbalance largely stems from the federal government's presence and restrictions on the District's tax base. Accordingly, at various times Di... |
For decades, animal dealers have been providing dogs and cats to scientific researchers. Within this broader group, random source Class B dealers are those who provide dogs and cats that they obtain from pounds, shelters, auction sales, or owners who breed the animals on their premises. For certain research, some attri... | For decades, the public has been concerned that lost or stolen dogs and cats could be used in research. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for the licensing and oversight of dealers who provide animals for research. Random source Class B dealers... |
Several federal legislative and executive provisions support preparation for and response to emergency situations. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) primarily establishes the programs and processes for the federal government to provide major disaster and emergency as... | As a new hurricane season approaches, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) faces the simultaneous challenges of preparing for the season and implementing the reorganization and other provisions of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The Ac... |
Under the DOD Financial Management Regulation (FMR), all major new systems are to be identified with a unique PE code. PE codes have 10 positions. In general, each position conveys information, as seen in figure 1. The first and second positions of the PE code illustrated above define the Major Force Program (MFP), whi... | The Department of Defense (DOD) asked Congress for $73.2 billion in fiscal year 2007 for research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E). DOD organized this request using program element (PE) codes, which are designed to convey key information about the budget request. DOD also provides documents called budget e... |
The judiciary pays rent annually to GSA for court-related space. In fiscal year 2010, the judiciary’s rent payments totaled over $1 billion. The judiciary’s rent payments are deposited into GSA’s Federal Buildings Fund, a revolving fund used to finance GSA’s real property services, including the construction and repair... | In 2000, as part of a multibillion-dollar courthouse construction initiative, the judiciary requested and the General Services Administration (GSA) proposed building a new courthouse in Los Angeles to increase security, efficiency, and space--but construction never began. About $400 million was appropriated for the L.A... |
About 90 percent of the German population obtains its health insurance through one of the more than 900 Statutory Health Insurance Funds, usually called sickness funds. Virtually all working Germans with an income below a statutory threshold—Deutsche Mark (DM) 68,400 (about $44,200) in 1994—are required to join one of ... | GAO reviewed the German health care system, focusing on the: (1) effects of nonnegotiable budgets on health care cost and access to care; and (2) status of some of the structural changes intended to control costs over the longer term. GAO found that: (1) during 1993, the German health care sectors generally succeeded i... |
The package delivery market is growing and changing rapidly. In 2013, U.S. businesses and consumers reportedly spent more than $68 billion to ship packages domestically using the three largest national package delivery providers in the U.S.—United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), and USPS. Thi... | USPS faces significant financial challenges. Parcel Select is a key USPS package shipping product to help address these challenges, with revenues growing from $466 million to over $2.5 billion from fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2014. As of April 3, 2015, USPS has executed 13 Parcel Select NSAs—customized contrac... |
Several key laws and an executive order directly relate to federal agencies’ use of ESPCs (see table 1). In addition, in December 2011, the President challenged federal agencies to enter into $2 billion in performance-based contracts, including ESPCs and utility energy service contracts through the President’s Performa... | Constrained budgets and increasing energy efficiency goals have led federal agencies to explore innovative ways to fund energy improvements, including ESPCs. An expected increase in the use of ESPCs has raised questions about agencies' ability to ensure that the government's interests are protected. ESPCs can span up t... |
The DRC’s size, location, and wealth of natural resources contribute to its importance to U.S. interests in the region. With an area of more than 900,000 square miles, the DRC is roughly the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River. Located in the center of Africa, the DRC borders nine nations (see fig. ... | In enacting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006 (the Act), Congress established 15 U.S. policy objectives to address the DRC's humanitarian, development, economic and natural resource, governance, and security issues and mandated that GAO review actions taken... |
Although every economic downturn reflects varied economic circumstances at the national level and among states, evaluations of prior federal fiscal assistance strategies have identified considerations to guide policymakers as they consider the design of future legislative responses to national economic downturns. These... | In response to the recession of 2007, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Recovery Act funds provided states with fiscal relief and helped to maintain state Medicaid programs through a temporary increase to the federal share of Medicaid funding-the Federal Medical Assistan... |
Institutional investors include public and private entities that pool funds on behalf of others and invest the funds in securities and other investment assets. Examples of institutional investors include federal, state, and local government, and private retirement plans, endowments, and foundations. In 2015, the eight ... | Asset management firms registered in the United States manage more than $70 trillion. MWO firms manage less than 1 percent of those assets. The federal government has an interest in increasing opportunities for MWO businesses. Questions have been raised about how often federal entities use MWO asset managers and the tr... |
Medicare is a huge program. As the nation’s largest health insurer, it serves some 38 million Americans by providing health insurance to those aged 65 and over and to many of the nation’s disabled. It disburses over $200 billion in health care benefits every year, and by 2000 is expected to be processing 1 billion clai... | GAO discussed: (1) the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) Medicare Transaction System (MTS) and the recommendations GAO made to correct serious weaknesses in its management identified as part of a GAO review; (2) two continuing HCFA initiatives to combat fraud and abuse; and (3) underlying information techno... |
Engaged employees are more than simply satisfied with their jobs. Instead, engaged employees are passionate about, and energized by what they do, are committed to the organization, the mission, and their job, and are more likely to put forth extra effort to get the job done. take pride in their work, The Merit Systems ... | A growing body of research on both private- and public-sector organizations has found that increased levels of engagement—generally defined as the sense of purpose and commitment employees feel towards their employer and its mission—can lead to better organizational performance. This testimony is based on GAO's ongoing... |
USPS’s capital investment process incorporates two main activities: planning and project approval (see table 2). In addition, USPS implemented tollgates in December 2006 to enable IRC awareness, involvement, and decision making for all investments greater than $5 million (see fig. 2). According to USPS, tollgates are u... | USPS has reached its statutory borrowing limit and has projected unsustainable losses. GAO's prior work has stated USPS's financial challenges hinder its ability to make capital investments. GAO was asked to review USPS's capital investment process. This report addresses the extent to which USPS follows leading practic... |
Investment advisers provide a wide range of investment advisory services and help individuals and institutions make financial decisions. From individuals and families seeking to plan for retirement or save for college to large institutions managing billions of dollars, clients seek the services of investment advisers t... | Investment advisers provide a wide range of services and collectively manage around $54 trillion in assets for around 24 million clients. Unlike banks and broker-dealers, investment advisers typically do not maintain physical custody of client assets. However, under federal securities regulations, advisers may be deeme... |
DOD is a massive and complex organization. In fiscal year 2004, the department reported that its operations involved $1.2 trillion in assets, $1.7 trillion in liabilities, over 3.3 million military and civilian personnel, and over $605 billion in net cost of operations. For fiscal year 2005, the department received app... | The Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop, by September 2005, a well-defined business enterprise architecture (BEA) and a transition plan. GAO has made numerous recommendations to assist the department in successfully doing so. As pa... |
Navy ships are complex defense systems, using advanced designs with state-of-the-art weapons, communications, and navigation technologies and requiring many years to plan, budget, design, and build. The Navy uses three primary contract types for shipbuilding programs— firm-fixed-price, FPI, and cost-reimbursement type ... | DOD encourages the use of FPI contracts because they allow for equitable sharing of costs savings and risk with the shipbuilder. Under FPI contracts, the shipbuilder's ability to earn a profit or a fee is tied to performance. After costs reach the agreed upon target cost, the shipbuilder's profit decreases in relation ... |
NRC is an independent agency established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to regulate the civilian use of nuclear materials. It is headed by a five-member commission, with one commission member designated by the President to serve as chairman and official spokesperson. The commission as a whole formulates polic... | The nation's commercial nuclear power plants are potential targets for terrorists seeking to cause the release of radioactive material. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent agency headed by five commissioners, regulates and oversees security at the plants. In April 2003, in response to the terrorist ... |
FFRDCs are federally sponsored entities—operated by universities, nonprofit institutions, or industrial firms under contract with the federal government—that provide research, development, systems engineering, and analytical services to federal government agencies. In awarding these contracts, the government need not s... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the use of Department of Defense (DOD) management fees provided to the Mitre Corporation, focusing on: (1) the adequacy of federal guidance on how fees may be used; (2) ways to reduce contractor management fees and strengthen DOD management fee oversight; and (3) DOD ef... |
Some context for my remarks is appropriate. The threat of terrorism was significant throughout the 1990s; a plot to destroy 12 U.S. airliners was discovered and thwarted in 1995, for instance. Yet the task of providing security to the nation’s aviation system is unquestionably daunting, and we must reluctantly acknowle... | A safe and secure civil aviation system is a critical component of the nation's overall security, physical infrastructure, and economic foundation. Billions of dollars and a myriad of programs and policies have been devoted to achieving such a system. Although it is not fully known at this time what actually occurred o... |
According to 1992 congressional testimony, thieves turn stolen cars into money in three ways. The most common way is for a thief to take a car to a “chop shop,” where the car is dismantled and its parts are sold as replacement parts for other vehicles. The second way is for a thief to obtain an apparently valid title f... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the implementation of the Anti-Car Theft Act, focusing on the: (1) status of national information systems on motor vehicle titles and stolen passenger cars and parts; (2) marking of major component parts of passenger cars with identification numbers; and ... |
Because Americans are, on average, living longer and having fewer children, the average age of the population is rising and that trend is expected to continue. As of 2015, people age 65 and over accounted for 15 percent of the population, but by 2045 they are expected to comprise more than 20 percent of the population.... | An increase in average life expectancy for individuals in the United States is a positive development, but also requires more planning and saving to support longer retirements. At the same time, as life expectancy has not increased uniformly across all income groups, proposed actions to address the effects of longevity... |
Between 1987 and 1994, errors by pilots whose backgrounds had not been checked prior to hiring were identified as contributing factors in seven crashes of scheduled carriers involving 111 fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated these crashes, found that each of the pilots involve... | The Pilot Records Improvement Act, enacted on October 9, 1996, responded to seven fatal commercial air carrier accidents that were attributed, in part, to errors by pilots who had been hired without background checks. The act, which took effect on February 6, 1997, requires air carriers, before making final hiring deci... |
IRS relies on automated information systems to process over 200 million taxpayer returns and collect over $1 trillion in taxes annually. IRS operates 10 facilities throughout the United States to process tax returns and other information supplied by taxpayers. These data are then electronically transmitted to a central... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) computer security, focusing on whether IRS is effectively: (1) managing computer security; and (2) addressing employee browsing of electronic taxpayer data. GAO noted that: (1) over the last 3 years, GAO has reported on a number of c... |
To address our objectives, we reviewed relevant NNSA and IAEA policy, guidelines, and planning documents. For NNSA, we examined its Protection and Sustainability Criteria Document, which describes the DBT—the baseline threat for which security measures should be developed at research reactors in the GRRS program. In ad... | Worldwide, about 165 research reactors use highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel. Because HEU can also be used in nuclear weapons, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) established the Global Research Reactor Security (GRRS) program to make security upgrades at foreign research reactors whose security did no... |
In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991, Congress directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to determine intertheater (from one theater of operations to another) and intratheater (within a theater of operations) mobility requirements for the armed forces and develop an integrated plan to meet thos... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) 1996 Intratheater Lift Analysis (ILA), focusing on whether: (1) the analysis and recommendations in the study were appropriately linked; (2) the study considered all options in meeting the requirements for various lift assets; and (3) i... |
FAA’s primary mission is to provide a safe, secure, and efficient global airspace system that promotes airspace safety in the United States and contributes to national security. The agency’s roles include regulating civil aviation, developing and operating a system of air traffic control and navigation for civil and mi... | The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) mission is to promote the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the U.S. airspace system. To this end, FAA is modernizing its air traffic control systems, a multibillion dollar effort that GAO has designated as a high-risk program. GAO's research into the prac... |
All the major airlines have some union representation of at least part of their labor force. The various crafts or classes that unions typically represent include pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, and dispatchers. Sometimes unions also represent customer service agents and clerical workers, aircraft and baggage han... | Labor negotiations in the airline industry fall under the Railway Labor Act. Under this act, airline labor contracts do not expire, but instead, become amendable. To help labor and management reach agreement before a strike occurs, the act also provides a process--including possible intervention by the President--that ... |
Employer-provided educational assistance refers to educational expenses, such as courses, tuition, and books, that are paid for either directly by the employer or indirectly through reimbursement to employees. Under section 127 of the IRC, the amount for educational assistance that employees receive from their employer... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reported on employer-provided educational assistance between 1992 and 1994 under section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), focusing on: (1) the characteristics of employers providing educational assistance, such as the number of providers and their size; (2) employees elig... |
Scientific research and projections of the changes taking place in the Arctic vary, but there is a general consensus that Arctic sea ice is diminishing. As recently as September 2011, scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that the annual Arctic minimum sea ice extent for 2011 was the second ... | The gradual retreat of polar sea ice, combined with an expected increase in human activityshipping traffic, oil and gas exploration, and tourism in the Arctic regioncould eventually increase the need for a U.S. military and homeland security presence in the Arctic. As a result, the Department of Defense (DOD) must ... |
Although about 700,000 U.S. military personnel were deployed to the Gulf War in the early 1990s, casualties were relatively light compared with those in previous major conflicts. Some veterans began reporting health problems shortly after the war that they believed might be due to their participation in the conflict. V... | More than a decade after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, there is continued interest in the federal response to the health concerns of Gulf War veterans. Gulf War veterans' reports of illnesses and possible exposures to various health hazards have prompted numerous federal research projects on Gulf War illnesses. This resea... |
DOD’s ranges are used primarily to test weapon systems and train military forces; some ranges are used for both testing and training purposes, while others are limited to one use or the other. These ranges represent important national assets for the development and sustainment of U.S. military forces. This report focus... | Military training ranges are important national assets and play a critical role in preparing military forces for their wartime mission. The Department of Defense (DOD) has reported for years that it faces increasing difficulties in carrying out realistic training at its ranges due to various constraints. While encroach... |
SCHIP is a federal-state program that, in general, allows states to provide health insurance to children in families with incomes of up to 200 percent of FPL, or 50 percentage points above states’ Medicaid eligibility limits that were in place as of March 31, 1997. States submit plans for their use of SCHIP funds to CM... | Congress created the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to reduce the number of uninsured children in low-income families that do not qualify for Medicaid. States have flexibility in structuring their SCHIP programs, and their income eligibility limits vary. Concerns have been raised that individuals mig... |
Elder financial exploitation, one type of elder abuse, can occur in conjunction with, and might lead to other types of elder abuse.exploitation of older adults can take many forms and perpetrators can include family members, friends, legal guardians, paid caregivers, and strangers. Table 1 provides some examples. Older... | Elder financial exploitation is the illegal or improper use of an older adult's funds or property. It has been described as an epidemic with society-wide repercussions. While combating elder financial exploitation is largely the responsibility of state and local social service, criminal justice, and consumer protection... |
Under TRIA, Treasury is responsible for reimbursing insurers for a portion of terrorism losses under certain conditions. Payments are triggered when (1) the Secretary of the Treasury certifies that terrorists acting on behalf of foreign interests have carried out an act of terrorism and (2) aggregate insured losses for... | After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, insurance coverage for terrorism largely disappeared. Congress passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) in 2002 to help commercial property-casualty policyholders obtain terrorism insurance and give the insurance industry time to develop mechanisms to provide suc... |
Federal agencies are generally permitted to contract with any qualified entity for any authorized purpose so long as that entity is not prohibited from receiving government contracts and the contract is not for an inherently governmental function. Agencies are required to use contractors that have a satisfactory record... | The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) significantly reformed contracting for the administration of claims for Part A, Medicare's hospital insurance, and Part B, which covers outpatient services such as physicians' care. The MMA required the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serv... |
We previously identified problems with the federal employment tax deposit system. In fiscal year 1988, IRS collected employment tax deposits totaling $627 billion from approximately 5 million employers. About one-third of these employers were penalized a total of $2.6 billion for not making timely deposits. In addition... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the revised federal employment tax deposit regulations issued by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on September 24, 1992, focusing on: (1) whether the Treasury and IRS developed the regulations by applying principles from the IRS Comp... |
Federal policy aimed at promoting sustainability in federal facilities sets goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing key green building requirements, among other areas. Green building goals established by executive order in 2009 built on previous efforts to establish federal green building policy. F... | As the nation's largest energy consumer, the federal government spent about $7 billion in fiscal year 2014 to provide energy to over 275,000 federally owned or leased buildings. Federal law and policies for improving sustainability across the federal government include “green building” provisions—construction and maint... |
OCC’s mission focuses on the chartering and oversight of national banks to ensure their safety and soundness, on fair access to financial services, and on fair treatment of bank customers. As of March 2005, the assets of the banks that OCC supervises accounted for approximately 67 percent— about $5.8 trillion—of assets... | In January 2004, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)--the federal regulator of national banks--issued rules concerning the extent to which federal law preempts state and local banking laws. Some state officials and consumer groups expressed concerns about a perceived loss of consumer protection. GAO ide... |
The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (1996 Farm Bill) authorized USDA to issue guidelines for the regulation of the commercial transportation of horses and other equines for slaughter by persons regularly engaged in that activity within the United States. The statute gives USDA authority to regula... | Since fiscal year 2006, Congress has annually prohibited the use of federal funds to inspect horses destined for food, effectively prohibiting domestic slaughter. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for overseeing the welfare of horses transported for slaughter. Congress directed GAO to examine hor... |
Since we identified DOD’s Personnel Security Clearance program as a high-risk area, DOD, in conjunction with Congress and other executive agency leadership, took actions that resulted in significant progress toward resolving problems we identified with the security clearance program. In 2011, we removed DOD’s personnel... | As of October 2010, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that 3.9 million federal employees (military and civilians) and contractors hold security clearances. DOD comprises the vast majority of government security clearances. Longstanding backlogs and delays in the security clearance process led... |
Traffic congestion is caused by more vehicles on a road than it is designed to accommodate, and it can be exacerbated by several factors. For example, bottlenecks at highway interchanges or on bridges and tunnels can worsen congestion. Vehicles traveling at different speeds can increase the average amount of space betw... | Many Americans spend frustrating hours each year stuck in traffic. While estimates vary, the Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates that traffic congestion costs the United States $200 billion each year, and that more than one-quarter of total annual travel time in metropolitan areas occurs in congested condition... |
The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 made identity theft a federal crime. Although FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, the act established FTC as the federal clearinghouse for identity theft complaints. FTC is required to keep a log of such complaints and to notify consumers tha... | The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act of 2003 which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), contains provisions intended to help consumers remedy the effects of identity theft. For example, section 609(e) of the amended FCRA gives identity theft victims the right to obtain records of fraudulent bus... |
Research studies, including eight large randomized clinical trials with 11- 20 years of followup, indicated that widespread use of mammography could reduce breast cancer mortality. The benefit of mammography has recently been challenged by two Danish researchers and an NCI advisory panel made up of independent experts;... | Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among American women. In 2001, 192,200 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed and 40,200 women died from the disease. The probability of survival increases significantly, however, when breast cancer is discovered in its early stages. Currently, the most effe... |
FECA (5 USC 8101, et seq.) authorizes federal civilian employees compensation for wage loss and medical and death benefits for treatment of injuries sustained or for diseases contracted during the performance of duty. OWCP is responsible for administering and adjudicating the federal workers’ compensation program. Duri... | The Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) paid $2.1 billion in medical and death benefits and received about 174,000 new injury claims during fiscal year 2000. GAO found that (1) one in four appealed claims' decisions are reversed or remanded to OWCP district offices for additional consi... |
The primary goal of antisubmarine warfare is to protect U.S. ships and assets from enemy submarines. Undersea surveillance and detection of submarines are a critical part of this mission. During the Cold War, the Navy relied on a combination of fixed, mobile, passive, and active sonar systems to detect enemy nuclear an... | For decades, the Navy has been striving to improve its ability to detect potential enemy submarines before they can get within effective weapons range of U.S. forces. In 1985, the Navy established the Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar program to develop a long-range capab... |
To assess DOD’s progress in attaining the knowledge it needs before the start of product development, we examined the resources (technology, communications infrastructure, and funding) committed and planned for the program as well as the users’ needs for an SBR system. We considered DOD’s plans for maturing the critica... | Missing among the Department of Defense's (DOD) portfolio of systems is a capability to track stationary and moving enemy vehicles on land or at sea in any type of weather, day or night, from space. To meet this need, DOD and the intelligence community are collaborating on the ambitious Space-Based Radar (SBR) program.... |
In fiscal year 2011, VA provided about $ 4.3 billion in pension benefits for about 517,000 recipients. These benefits are available to low-income wartime veterans who are 65 and older, or who are under age 65 but are permanently and totally disabled due to conditions unrelated to their military service. Surviving spous... | This testinony discusses the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pension program, which provides economic benefits to wartime veterans age 65 and older or who have disabilities that are unrelated to their military service, as well as to their surviving spouses and dependent children. To qualify for VA pension benefits... |
The Department budgets billions of dollars each year to purchase and repair spare parts and has established various programs to help ensure product quality throughout the acquisition and repair processes. According to Navy and Defense Logistics Agency quality assurance officials, although it is normal in manufacturing ... | The Department of Defense (DOD) budgets billions of dollars each year to purchase and repair the spare parts needed to maintain its weapons systems and support equipment. The quality of the spare parts can greatly determine if the Department's investment of funds is effective, efficient, and economical. This report exa... |
The federal EEO complaint process consists of two stages, informal, or precomplaint counseling, and formal. Appendix II contains information on EEO laws applicable to federal employees. Under existing regulations, before filing a complaint, an employee must consult an EEO counselor at the agency in order to try to info... | Delays in processing federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) complaints, apparent or perceived lack of fairness and impartiality in complaint processing, and fear of retaliation in the workplace have been long-standing concerns of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), other federal agencies, and Congre... |
The mutual fund industry’s growth in the last decade has been phenomenal. At the end of 1984, mutual funds managed assets totaling about $371 billion. By 1990 managed assets had grown to over $1 trillion, and by December 1994 this figure had doubled to about $2.2 trillion, second only to the $2.4 trillion in total depo... | Pursuant to congressional requests, GAO reviewed bank and thrift sales of mutual funds, focusing on: (1) the extent and nature of bank and thrift mutual fund sales activities; (2) banks' and thrifts' disclosure of their mutual fund sales practices; and (3) the regulatory framework for overseeing bank and thrift mutual ... |
FRA is the primary federal agency responsible for issuing and enforcing railroad safety regulations and for distributing federal funds for intercity passenger rail service. PRIIA mandated new responsibilities for FRA to plan, award, and oversee the use of federal funds for intercity passenger rail. The American Recover... | The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) expanded FRA's role by, among other things, authorizing grant programs for intercity passenger rail. Section 305 of PRIIA established a Next Generation Equipment Committee to design, develop specifications, and procure standardized rail equipment. FRA aw... |
Subsets and Splits
Short Government Reports Sample
Retrieves short reports or summaries from the training dataset, which helps identify potentially incomplete or truncated entries that might need data quality improvement.
Short Government Reports Filtering
Retrieves short reports from the training dataset, providing basic filtering but offering limited analytical value beyond simple length constraints.