report stringlengths 320 1.32M | summary stringlengths 127 13.7k |
|---|---|
Congress funds NNSA’s modernization efforts through various programs and activities within the Weapons Activities appropriations account that generally address the following four areas: The stockpile area includes weapons refurbishments through LEPs and other major weapons alterations and modifications; surveillance ef... | Nuclear weapons are an integral part of the nation's defense strategy. Since 1992, the United States has shifted from producing new nuclear weapons to maintaining the stockpile through refurbishment. The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review —which outlines U.S. nuclear policy, strategy, capabilities, and force posture—identifie... |
Under TRICARE, beneficiaries have choices among various benefit options and may obtain care from either military treatment facilities or civilian providers. When nonenrolled beneficiaries receive care from civilian providers, they have the option of seeing either network or nonnetwork providers. The NDAA 2008 directed ... | DOD provides health and mental health care through its TRICARE program. TRICARE offers three basic options. Beneficiaries who choose TRICARE Prime, an option that uses civilian provider networks, must enroll. Beneficiaries who do not enroll in this option may obtain care from nonnetwork providers under TRICARE Standard... |
Private security contractors are defined as private companies, or personnel, that provide physical security for persons, places, buildings, facilities, supplies, or means of transportation. These contractors provide security services for a variety of U.S. government agencies in Iraq; however, they are principally hired... | Currently in Iraq, there are thousands of private security contractor (PSC) personnel supporting DOD and State, many of whom are foreign nationals. Congressional concerns about the selection, training, equipping, and conduct of personnel performing private security functions in Iraq are reflected in a provision in the ... |
SSI provides cash benefits to low-income aged, blind, or disabled people. Currently, the aged SSI population is roughly 1.4 million and the blind and disabled population more than 5.2 million. Those who are applying for benefits on the basis of age must be age 65 or older and be financially eligible for benefits; those... | GAO discussed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and GAO's decision to designate the program one of its high-risk areas. GAO noted that: (1) the SSI program has had significant problems in determining initial and continuing financial eligibility because of the agency's... |
As part of a uniform set of benefits provided to all veterans who enroll in its health care system, VA, through PSAS, provides prosthetic items to veterans. PSAS has budget and management responsibilities for VA’s provision of prosthetic items, including allocating funding for prosthetic items to VISNs and VAMCs and en... | In fiscal year 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provided more than 59 million prosthetic items to more than 2 million veterans. After VA physicians and other clinicians prescribe prosthetic items, VA's Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) is responsible for processing prescriptions and providing pros... |
The United States provides military equipment and training to partner countries through a variety of programs. Foreign partners may pay the U.S. government to administer the acquisition of materiel and services on their behalf through the FMS program. The United States also provides grants to some foreign partners thro... | Congress appropriated approximately $18.8 billion in fiscal year 2012 for various security cooperation and assistance programs that supply military equipment and training to more than 100 partner countries. Amid concerns that traditional security assistance programs were too slow, Congress established several new progr... |
From May 2003 through June 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), led by the United States and the United Kingdom, was the UN-recognized coalition authority responsible for the temporary governance of Iraq and for overseeing, directing, and coordinating the reconstruction effort. In May 2003, the CPA dissolve... | The United States, along with coalition partners and various international organizations, has undertaken a challenging and costly effort to stabilize and rebuild Iraq following multiple wars and decades of neglect by the former regime. This enormous effort is taking place in an unstable security environment, concurrent... |
The Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA) created the Thrift Savings Plan as one of the basic elements of a new retirement system for federal workers to, among other purposes, provide options for retirement planning and encourage personal retirement savings among the federal workforce. Most federal w... | Intended to resemble private sector 401(k) pension plans, the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) held more than $128 billion in retirement assets for over 3 million participants at the end of 2003. Customer service-related difficulties during the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board's (TSP's governing... |
DOD’s current policy calls for each military service to determine its requirements and acquire sufficient war reserve materiel for the execution of current wartime scenarios and to be able to sustain these operations until being re-supplied. Thus, in developing their plans, the services must consider the availability o... | The Army's approach to assessing wartime spare parts industrial base capability does not use current data from industry. Instead, the Army uses historical parts procurement data because its prior efforts to collect current data from industry were not successful due to poor response rates. GAO identified a program in th... |
The Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water, and Clean Air Acts emphasize the importance of state involvement in protecting the environment and public health and allow EPA to authorize states to implement their own programs in lieu of the federal program—referred to as program authorization. From 1986 to 1990, Congress amende... | The Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water, and Clean Air Acts authorize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to treat eligible Indian tribes in the same manner as a state (referred to as TAS) for implementing and managing environmental programs on Indian lands. Some states are concerned that tribes receiving authority ... |
Two Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs—the Office of the General Sales Manager (GSM)-102 and GSM-103 export credit guarantee programs—are intended to promote the export of U.S. agricultural commodities. The programs’ goals—under the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act, also known as the 1990 Farm... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the creditworthiness of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and its successor states in the context of the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of the General Sales Manager (GSM)-102 Export Credit Guarantee Program, focusing on: (1) the countries' general economic and po... |
Since 1988, DOD has relied on the BRAC process as an important means of reducing excess infrastructure and realigning bases to meet changing force structure needs. The 2005 BRAC round was the fifth round of base closures and realignments undertaken by DOD since 1988, and it was the biggest, most complex, and costliest ... | Through BRAC and other growth initiatives, DOD has made significant changes to its force structure, affecting communities around DOD installations. To help transition toward a smaller, more agile force, DOD has requested new BRAC authority. House Report 112-479, accompanying the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Author... |
The Forest Service and Interior collectively manage about 700 million acres of federal land, much of which is considered to be at high risk of fire. Federal researchers estimate that from 90 million to 200 million acres of federal lands in the contiguous United States are at an elevated risk of fire because of abnormal... | In an effort to reduce the risk of wildland fires, many federal land managers--including the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management--are placing greater emphasis on thinning forests and rangelands to help reduce the buildup of potentially hazardous fuels. These thinning efforts generate considerable quantitie... |
VA’s mission is to promote the health, welfare, and dignity of all veterans in recognition of their service to the nation by ensuring that they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and memorials. VA is one of the largest federal departments, with more than $150 billion in obligations and a workforce of appro... | In carrying out its mission to ensure the health, welfare, and dignity of the nation's veterans, VA relies extensively on information technology systems that collect, process, and store veterans' sensitive information. Without adequate safeguards, these systems and information are vulnerable to a wide array of cyber-ba... |
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) replaced the individual entitlement to benefits under the 61-year-old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with TANF block grants to states and emphasized the transitional nature of assistance and the importance of re... | The nation's social welfare system has been transformed into a system emphasizing work and personal responsibility, primarily through the creation of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program has expanded policies to help recipients improve self-suffi... |
UAS represent one of many DOD airborne ISR assets available to support ongoing combat operations. Unmanned aircraft are deployed and controlled at different levels of command and can be categorized into three main classes: man-portable, tactical, and theater. Table 1 illustrates examples of UAS in each category. Man-po... | Combatant commanders carrying out ongoing operations rank the need for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities as high on their priority lists. The Department of Defense (DOD) is investing in many ISR systems, including unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), to meet the growing demand for ISR assets... |
In our review of the 240 visa revocations, we found examples where information on visa revocations did not flow between the State Department and appropriate units overseas and within INS and the FBI. State Department officials from the Visa Office told us that when they revoke a visa in Washington, they are supposed to... | The National Strategy for Homeland Security calls for preventing the entry of foreign terrorists into our country and using all legal means to identify; halt; and where appropriate, prosecute or bring immigration or other civil charges against terrorists in the United States. GAO reported in October 2002 that the Depar... |
Although policies concerning compensation for deployed civilians are generally comparable across agencies, we found some issues that affect the amount of compensation these civilians receive—depending on such things as the agency’s pay system or the civilian’s grade/band level—and the accuracy, timeliness, and complete... | The Department of Defense (DOD) and other executive agencies increasingly deploy civilians in support of contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior GAO reports show that the use of deployed civilians has raised questions about the potential for differences in policies on compensation and medical benefits. Wh... |
In 1995, the latest year for which complete data were available, about 65 percent (or about 647,000) of the inmates in custody in federal and state places of confinement participated in 1 or more types of work programs.These work programs included prison industries (e.g., involving the manufacture of license plates, wo... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the extent to which inmates in the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and state prison systems had access to personal information through correctional industry work programs; (2) prison safeguards and procedures, statutes and regulations, and proposed legislati... |
BLM’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. It manages approximately 264 million acres of public land in 28 states—about one-eighth of the land in the United States. It also manages the subsurface mineral resources ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided a follow-up assessment of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) actions to address the recommendations contained in its March 1997 report, focusing on the status of BLM's efforts to test, deploy, and implement the automated land and mineral records system's (ALMRS) init... |
The Congress wants a strong defense industrial base and has directed the Secretary of Defense to report annually on the ability of industry to support U.S. national security objectives. The Congress directed the Secretary to consider in the analysis for that report such factors as levels of spending for capital investm... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the impact of the recent decline in defense expenditures on individual business units of major defense contractors, focusing on a comparison of defense expenditures over a number of years and changes in the business units': (1) sales and employment levels; and (2) spend... |
In October 1998, the EPA Administrator announced plans to create an office with responsibility for information management, policy, and technology. This announcement came after many previous efforts by EPA to improve information management and after a long history of concerns that we, the EPA Inspector General, and othe... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) information management initiatives, focusing on the: (1) status of EPA's efforts to create a central office responsible for information management, policy, and technology issues; and (2) major challenges that the new office n... |
In 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, which authorized $9.95 billion in state bond funding for construction of the California high- speed rail system and connection improvements to existing passenger rail systems. Proposition 1A established several requirements for this high-speed rail system, such as tha... | The planned 520-mile California high-speed rail project, which would link San Francisco to Los Angeles, would be designed to operate at speeds up to 220 miles per hour. At an estimated cost of $68.4 billion (in year-of-expenditure dollars), it is expected to be one of the most expensive transportation projects undertak... |
Federal managers have complained for years about the rigid and elaborate procedures required for federal personnel administration, often expressing the need for more flexibility within a system that has traditionally been based on uniform rules. Reformers have long sought to decentralize the personnel system and simpli... | An essential element to acquiring, developing, and retaining high-quality federal employees is agencies' effective use of human capital flexibilities. These flexibilities represent the policies and practices that an agency has the authority to implement in managing its workforce. Congressional requesters asked GAO to p... |
Noting that congressional and federal managers’ decision-making was often hampered by the lack of good information on the results of federal programs, the Congress passed the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. By passing the Results Act, the Congress intended to change the focus of federal management and d... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed certain aspects of the Department of Energy's (DOE) implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, focusing on the Department's strategic and annual planning. GAO noted that: (1) subordinate strategic and multiyear plans prepared by DOE's programs... |
Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to guarantee debt issued for the purpose of financing or refinancing the construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning of U.S.-flag vessels or eligible export vessels built in U.S. shipyards and the construction of adv... | Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended, is intended to help promote growth and modernization of the U.S. merchant marine and U.S. shipyards by enabling owners of eligible vessels and shipyards to obtain financing at attractive terms. The program has committed to guarantee more than $5.6 billion in ship... |
While CFSA is responsible for protecting thousands of foster care children, many children in CFSA’s care languished for extended periods of time due to managerial shortcomings and long-standing organizational divisiveness in the District of Columbia. As a result of these deficiencies, the U.S. District Court for the Di... | The District of Columbia (D.C.) Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) is responsible for protecting children at risk of abuse and neglect and ensuring that services are provided for them and their families. GAO was asked to discuss the extent to which CFSA has (1) met requirements of the Adoption and Safe Families Ac... |
The inappropriate use of prescription drugs is a problem that is particularly acute for the elderly. The elderly use more prescription drugs than any other age group and are more likely to be taking multiple prescription drugs, which increases the probability of adverse drug reactions. Furthermore, the elderly are more... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the elderly's inappropriate use of prescription drugs, focusing on: (1) whether the inappropriate use of prescription drugs by the elderly is widely viewed as a serious health problem; (2) the ways prescription drugs are used inappropriately and why these situations occ... |
HUD’s procurement offices annually award and administer millions of dollars worth of contracts on behalf of HUD’s program offices. This process entails receiving descriptions of need, soliciting and receiving offers, awarding contracts, making necessary contract modifications, resolving disputes, and closing out comple... | GAO discussed issues related to contracting activities at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), focusing on the: (1) extent of HUD's reliance on contractors to carry out the Department's responsibilities; (2) weaknesses in HUD's current contracting practices, particularly with respect to the oversight ... |
Financial assistance to help students and families pay for postsecondary education has been provided for many years through student grant and loan programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Examples of these programs include Pell Grants for low-income students, PLUS loans to par... | Federal assistance helps students and families pay for postsecondary education through several policy tools--grant and loan programs authorized by title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and more recently enacted tax preferences. This testimony summarizes and updates our 2005 report on (1) how title IV assistance ... |
The HUBZone program was established by the HUBZone Act of 1997 to stimulate economic development through increased employment and capital investment by providing federal contracting preferences to small businesses in economically distressed communities. These areas, which are designated based on certain economic and ce... | The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program provides federal contracting assistance to small firms located in economically distressed areas, with the intent of stimulating economic development. In July 2008, GAO identified substantial vulnerabilities in SBA's app... |
DOD strategic guidance and joint doctrine documents state that homeland defense is the department’s highest priority. Joint doctrine identifies defense of the maritime domain as an essential component of the broader homeland defense mission. In furtherance of this mission, DOD employs a layered defense approach in whic... | Recent events, such as the seaborne terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008 and the pirate attack on the Quest in February 2011, highlight maritime threats to the United States. The maritime domain presents a range of potential security threats--including naval forces of adversary nations, piracy, and the use of vessels to ... |
Mercury enters the environment through natural and man-made sources, including volcanoes, chemical manufacturing, and coal combustion, and poses ecological threats when it enters water bodies, where small aquatic organisms convert it into its highly toxic form—methylmercury. This form of mercury may then migrate up the... | Mercury is a toxic element that can cause neurological disorders in children. In January 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed two options for limiting mercury from power plants, and plans to finalize a rule in March 2005. The first would require each plant to meet emissions standards reflecting the ... |
With the increased focus on health care fraud and abuse in recent years, the government has identified widespread improper billing by Medicare providers. While in the past the government might have simply sought repayment, it has begun to invoke the penalties and damages prescribed in the False Claims Act in some cases... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the compliance programs established by health care providers to reduce improper payments by Medicare, focusing on the: (1) prevalence of compliance programs among hospitals and other Medicare providers; (2) costs involved with compliance programs; and (3) effectiveness ... |
Since the 1960s, the United States has used geostationary and polar- orbiting satellites to observe the earth and its land, ocean, atmosphere, and space environments. Geostationary satellites maintain a fixed position relative to the earth from a high orbit of about 22,300 miles in space. In contrast, polar-orbiting sa... | NOAA is procuring the next generation of polar and geostationary weather satellites to replace aging satellites that are approaching the end of their useful lives. GAO has reported that gaps in polar satellite coverage and in backup coverage for geostationary satellites are likely in the near future. Given the critical... |
Young adulthood is a critical time in human development. During this period, individuals transition into roles that they maintain long into the future. This transition can involve completing school; securing full-time employment; becoming financially independent; establishing a residence; entering into a stable, long-t... | The transition to adulthood can be difficult for young adults who suffer from a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. When these individuals are unsuccessful, the result can be economic hardship, social isolation, and in some cases suicide, all of which can pose substantial costs to society... |
DOE invests in a wide range of civilian R&D programs that are managed by five program offices within the Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Energy, or by ARPA-E, which reports directly to the Secretary of Energy. These offices have the goal of enhancing U.S. security and economic growth through transformativ... | In fiscal year 2015, five DOE program offices and ARPA-E invested $7.36 billion for civilian R&D in DOE national laboratories as well as in universities, industry, and other entities. These civilian R&D investments (investments not related to nuclear security) supported diverse science and energy research areas, includ... |
The Military Health System operated by DOD is large and complex and has a dual health care mission—readiness and benefits. The readiness mission provides medical services and support to the armed forces during contingency operations and involves deploying medical personnel and equipment, as needed, around the world to ... | Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) is DODs only tertiary medical center in Europe that provides specialized care for servicemembers, retirees, and their dependents. Wounded servicemembers requiring critical care are medically evacuated from overseas operations to the 86th Medical Group clinic at Ramstein Air Bas... |
The White House Data Base was developed in 1994 to facilitate contacts with individuals and organizations who are important to the Presidency. It replaced a number of existing data bases with a single system which was intended to be easy to use and provide a greater level of service to a variety of users. The system ha... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the White House database, focusing on its users and operational components. GAO noted that: (1) users are generally satisfied with the database as a tool for maintaining information important to the Presidency; (2) fewer than 100 White House staff use the database, and ... |
As one of the federal government’s principal real estate and business agents, GSA has diverse activities and programs that have governmentwide implications. Its real estate portfolio, supply procurement and distribution activities, travel and transportation services, telecommunication and computer services, and propert... | GAO reviewed the General Services Administration's (GSA) fiscal year (FY) 1999 annual performance plan, which was submitted to Congress as required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. GAO noted that: (1) GSA's performance plan has several performance goals for each of its strategic goals; (2) some of... |
According to EPA, about 52,000 community water systems use energy to treat and deliver drinking water to over 290 million Americans. In a typical drinking water treatment plant, large debris and contaminants are physically removed from the raw water using screens (see fig. 2). Next, dirt and other particles suspended i... | Providing drinking water and wastewater services are two key functions needed to support an urban lifestyle. To provide these services, energy is needed to extract, use, and treat water and wastewater. As the demand for water increases, the energy demands associated with providing water services are similarly expected ... |
In its 2001 Nuclear Posture Review, DOD significantly expanded the range of strategic capabilities to include not only the old Triad, which consisted of nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers, but also conventional and nonkinetic offensive strike ... | In its December 2001 Nuclear Posture Review, the Department of Defense (DOD) created a New Triad by significantly changing its definition and conceptual framework for its strategic capabilities to include not only the nuclear capabilities of the old Triad that consisted of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine... |
Over 150 million U.S. citizens are connected to the Internet. According to the FBI, the number of people with access to the Internet increased 182 percent between 2000 and 2005. In 2006, total nontravel-related spending on the Internet was estimated to be $102 billion by a private sector entity, a 24 percent increase o... | Computer interconnectivity has produced enormous benefits but has also enabled criminal activity that exploits this interconnectivity for financial gain and other malicious purposes, such as Internet fraud, child exploitation, identity theft, and terrorism. Efforts to address cybercrime include activities associated wi... |
Most of the funding in DOD’s fiscal year 1997 aircraft investment strategy is for the procurement of new aircraft such as the F/A-18E/F, F-22, and Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), while some is for the retrofit or remanufacture of existing aircraft, such as the AV-8B and the Longbow Apache. Table 1 describes the 17 aircraft... | GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) aircraft acquisition investment strategy, focusing on: (1) DOD's and the Congressional Budget Office's estimates of the annual funding needed for aircraft programs, as a percentage of the overall DOD budget, and a comparison of that percentage to a long-term historical ave... |
The September 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review outlined a strategy to sustain and transform the military force structure that had been in place since the mid-1990s. In that review, DOD committed to selectively recapitalize older equipment items, which the department recognized as being neglected for too long, to meet ne... | With continued heavy military involvement in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Defense (DOD) is spending billions of dollars sustaining or replacing its inventory of key equipment items while also planning to spend billions of dollars to develop and procure new systems to transform the department's ... |
Information security is a critical consideration for any organization that depends on information systems and computer networks to carry out its mission or business; and it is especially important for government agencies, where the public’s trust is essential. The dramatic expansion in computer interconnectivity and th... | In carrying out its mission to ensure that securities markets are fair, orderly, and efficiently maintained, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relies extensively on computerized systems. Integrating effective information security controls into a layered control strategy is essential to ensure that SEC's fina... |
Congress passed ERISA to protect the rights and interests of participants and beneficiaries of private sector employee benefit plans. Before the enactment of ERISA, few rules governed the funding of defined benefit pension plans, and participants had no guarantee that they would receive promised benefits. Title IV of E... | The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) insures the pensions of millions of private sector workers and retirees in certain employer-sponsored pension plans. It is governed by a board of directors consisting of the Secretaries of the Treasury, Labor, and Commerce, who are charged with providing PBGC with policy ... |
Veterans submit their disability compensation claims to 1 of VBA’s 57 regional offices. These claims contain, on average, five disabling medical conditions that the veteran believes are service connected. For each claimed condition, VA must determine if credible evidence is available to support the veteran’s contention... | The Ranking Democratic Member, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, asked GAO to determine (1) whether VA's internal assessments indicate its regional offices are complying with the requirements of the Veterans Claims Assistance Act (VCAA) of 2000 for obtaining military service records for veterans' disability compens... |
In 1999, FCC established the Enforcement Bureau to investigate potential violations of applicable statutes and Commission regulations and orders that are within FCC’s mission of protecting consumers, promoting competition, ensuring responsible use of the public airwaves, and addressing risks to public safety. Prior to ... | FCC's Enforcement Bureau is primarily responsible for ensuring the telecommunications industry's compliance with federal statutes and the Commission rules and orders designed to protect consumers, ensure public safety, and encourage competition. Some industry stakeholders have raised questions about the transparency an... |
Direct-use nuclear material is essential for building nuclear weapons. The diversion or theft of such material can enable terrorists or countries to build nuclear weapons without investing in expensive nuclear technologies and facilities. One way of deterring and detecting theft is by instituting nuclear material contr... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed U.S. efforts to strengthen controls over nuclear materials in the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, focusing on the: (1) nature and extent of problems with controlling direct-use nuclear materials in the newly independent states; (2) status and future... |
DOD defines force protection as “actions taken to prevent or mitigate hostile actions against Department of Defense personnel (to include family members), resources, facilities, and critical information.” Our review concentrated mostly on the physical security and related aspects of force protection that include measur... | The October 12, 2000, attack against the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Cole in the port of Aden illustrated the danger of unconventional threats to U.S. ships in seaports. The September 11, 2001, attacks further heightened the need for a significant change in conventional antiterrorist thinking, particularly regarding threats ... |
The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C. 471-486), places responsibility for the disposition of government real and personal property with the General Services Administration. The General Services Administration delegated disposal of DOD personal property to the Secretary of D... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed selected aspects of the Department of Defense's (DOD) disposal process, focusing on whether: (1) DOD destroyed, during the disposal process, usable aircraft parts that did not have military technology and flight safety implications; and (2) the military services recalle... |
We previously reported that states originally funded most FPS services themselves or with nonfederal funds. As the demand for services increased and available resources became more constrained, states sought additional funding from federal sources, such as Title IV-B Child Welfare Services, Title XX Social Services Blo... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of states' use of funds for family preservation and support (FPS) services, focusing on: (1) the nature and extent of states' use of federal funds for new and expanded FPS services; and (2) states' plans to assess the impact of these services on children and ... |
The secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force have a key role in making decisions on where to locate their services’ forces when they are not otherwise employed or deployed by order of the Secretary of Defense or assigned to a combatant command. The service secretaries are authorized, subject to the authority, direc... | Decisions by the military services on where to base their force structure can have significant strategic, socioeconomic, and cost implications for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the communities surrounding the bases. Each service uses its own process to make basing decisions. The House Committee on Armed Services ... |
Estimates of the size of the alien population subject to removal vary. A report from the Pew Research Center estimated the population of unauthorized aliens in the United States to be approximately 12 million as of March 2006. According to DHS, the population of aliens subject to removal from the United States has grow... | Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigate violations of immigration laws and identify aliens who are removable from the United States. ICE officers exercise discretion to achieve its operational goals of removing any aliens subject to remov... |
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), as amended, defines the federal government’s role during disaster response and recovery. The Stafford Act also establishes the programs and processes through which the federal government provides disaster assistance to state, tribal, te... | In recent years, natural and human-made disasters have increased in the United States in terms of both numbers and severity. For presidentially declared disasters, the federal government generally pays 75 percent of disaster costs and states cover the rest. As a result of this trend, governments at all levels have incu... |
ATVs are intended for use on various types of unpaved terrain. They have large, low-pressure tires; straddle seats; and handlebars for steering control. ATVs generally are intended for use by a single operator; however, some models have a seat for an additional passenger. ATVs are considered to be “rider-active” vehicl... | All-terrain vehicles (ATV), which are off-road motorized vehicles, usually with four tires, a straddle seat for the operator, and handlebars for steering control, have become increasingly popular. However, ATV fatalities and injuries have increased over the last decade and are a matter of concern to the Consumer Produc... |
Unsecured cargo or other debris falling from a moving vehicle can pose a serious hazard to other motorists and can lead to property damage, injuries, or fatalities (see fig. 1). Examples of unsecured-load debris that often ends up on roadways include objects such as mattresses or box springs, ladders, and furniture ite... | Vehicles carrying objects that are not properly secured pose a safety risk on our nation's roadways. Debris that falls from a vehicle can collide with other vehicles or pedestrians, causing serious injuries or fatalities. According to data collected by NHTSA, there were about 440 fatalities caused by roadway debris in ... |
GPS is a global PNT network consisting of space, ground control, and user equipment segments that support the broadcasts of military and civil GPS signals. Each of these signals includes positioning and timing information, which enables users with GPS receivers to determine their position, velocity, and time 24 hours a... | The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) data to users worldwide. The U.S. Air Force, which is responsible for GPS acquisition, is in the process of modernizing the system. Last year GAO reported that it was uncertain whether the Air Force could acquire new satellites in ti... |
Multiemployer plans are established pursuant to collectively bargained pension agreements negotiated between labor unions representing employees and two or more employers and are generally jointly administered by trustees from both labor and management. Multiemployer plans typically cover groups of workers in such indu... | Multiemployer-defined benefit pension plans, which are created by collective bargaining agreements covering more than one employer and generally operated under the joint trusteeship of labor and management, provide coverage to over 9.7 million of the 44 million participants insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corpo... |
Currently located within the Department of the Treasury, the CDFI Fund was authorized in 1994 and has received appropriations totaling $225 million through fiscal year 1998. The 1995 Rescissions Act limited the Fund to 10 full-time-equivalent staff for fiscal years 1995 and 1996, but for fiscal year 1998, the Fund has ... | GAO discussed the preliminary results of its ongoing review of the administration of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, focusing on: (1) the first year's performance of the CDFI and Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) programs and opportunities for improving their effectiveness; (2) the Fund's progre... |
In the past several years, rail has increasingly been used to ship crude oil, a flammable liquid. Even though crude oil shipments by rail have declined in the past year, from January 2010 to October 2014 shipments increased over 30 times, peaking at almost 36 million barrels or about 51,000 rail carloads in October 201... | Recent rail accidents involving hazardous materials, such as crude oil, have raised questions about local emergency responders' ability to take protective actions in the aftermath of such accidents. Along with FRA, PHMSA is responsible for ensuring the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail through issuing ... |
We have reported in the past on acquisition management at several components of DHS. We have also assessed the department’s overall acquisition management efforts. A common theme in these reports is DHS’s struggle, from the outset, to provide adequate procurement support to its mission components and to provide departm... | In January 2003, GAO designated the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) implementation and transformation as high risk because of the size and complexity of the effort and the existing challenges faced by the components being merged into the department. The success of the effort to integrate numerous agencies and o... |
Medicaid operates as a joint federal-state program to finance health care coverage for certain categories of low-income individuals, over 11 million of whom are elderly or disabled. In total, Medicaid cost almost $258 billion in fiscal year 2002, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that fiscal year 2003 ... | Almost half of all Americans over the age of 65 will rely on nursing home care at some point in their lives, and two in three nursing home residents have their care covered at least in part by Medicaid. Under Medicaid, states set nursing home payment rates and the federal government reimburses a share of state spending... |
NARA’s mission is to ensure “ready access to essential evidence” for the public, the president, the Congress, and the Courts. NARA’s responsibilities stem from the Federal Records Act, which requires each federal agency to make and preserve records that document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedu... | The difficulties of managing, preserving, and providing access to the vast and rapidly growing volumes of electronic records produced by federal agencies present challenges to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the nation's recordkeeper and archivist. Complex electronic records are being created i... |
The overriding problem in providing an opinion on IRS’ financial statements, reporting on its internal controls, and reporting on its compliance with laws and regulations is that IRS has not yet been able to provide support for major portions of the information presented in its financial statements and, in some cases w... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) financial statements for fiscal years 1995 and 1994. GAO found that: (1) it could not express an opinion of the 1995 IRS financial statement due to limitations in the scope of its work; (2) the information in the 1995 statement may... |
Section 233 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 required DOD to report on various regional BMD topics, including the eight specific elements presented in table 1, by June 24, 2014. DOD identified its current approach to regional BMD in the 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review Report. In that... | Regional BMD constitutes an essential element in deterring enemies from using ballistic missiles and supporting defense commitments to U.S. allies and partners. DOD's 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review Report noted that the United States would pursue phased, tailored, and adaptive approaches to regional BMD in Europ... |
Since 2001, the United States and its NATO partners have been responsible for securing Afghanistan and leading the effort to secure, stabilize, and rebuild Afghanistan. In 2010, the United States, NATO, and other coalition partners agreed to transition lead security responsibility for Afghanistan from NATO to the Afgha... | ISAF's mission in Afghanistan has shifted from a combat role to focus more on preparing ANSF units to assume lead security responsibility by the end of 2014. A key element in advising and assisting the ANSF is SFA advisor teams, provided by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. A House Armed Services Committee report accompa... |
PSI is a multinational effort to prevent the trafficking of WMD, their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and nonstate actors of proliferation concern. The PSI has no formal organization or bureaucracy. U.S. agencies are involved in the PSI as a set of activities, rather than a program. PSI enco... | The President announced the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in 2003 to enhance U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. In a 2006 classified report, GAO recommended that agencies establish clear PSI policies and procedures and performance indicators. In 2007, Congress enacted a law cal... |
Section 302 of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 (31 U.S.C. 1353) provides that the Administrator of GSA, in consultation with the Director of OGE, prescribe by regulation the conditions under which an agency or employee may accept payment from nonfederal sources for travel, subsistence, and related expenses with respect t... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Commerce's and the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) controls over the acceptance and reporting of nonfederally reimbursed travel by their employees, focusing on: (1) whether Commerce and FTC met their review and reporting requirements; and (2) the impl... |
The Army is procuring medium tactical trucks—the 2.5- and 5-ton payload classes—to replace most of its current fleet. The truck replacement effort is known as the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) program. The program is currently nearing the end of its first full-production contract. The Army plans to continue... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) program. GAO noted that: (1) the Army's plan for implementing its follow-on production contracts needs to ensure that the government receives trucks that meet FMTV program quality standards; (2) the current contract a... |
DOD is one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world. In fiscal year 2003, DOD reported that its operations involved over $1.1 trillion in assets, over $1.5 trillion in liabilities, approximately 3.3 million military and civilian personnel—including guard and reserve components, and disbursements of ov... | Despite its significant investment in business systems, the Department of Defense (DOD) continues to have long-standing financial and inventory management problems that prevent it from producing reliable and timely information for making decisions and for accurately reporting on its billions of dollars of inventory. GA... |
In 2007, we identified eight key programs that aim to protect critical technologies: Arms and Dual-Use Export Controls, Anti-Tamper Policy, the Foreign Military Sales Program, the National Disclosure Policy Committee, the Militarily Critical Technologies Program, the National Industrial Security Program, and the Commit... | Each year, the federal government spends billions of dollars to develop and acquire advanced technologies in order to maintain U.S. superiority in military technology. The U.S. government permits and facilitates the sale and transfer of its technologies to allies in order to promote U.S. national security, foreign poli... |
The Forest Service’s mission includes sustaining the nation’s forests and grasslands, managing the productivity of those lands for the benefit of citizens, conserving open space, enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities, and conducting research and development. To help fulfill its mission, the Forest Service devotes ... | Competitive sourcing is aimed at promoting competition between federal employees and the private sector as a way to improve government operations. Key work activities--those that are either inherently governmental or core to the agency's mission--are generally exempt from competitions. In fiscal year 2004, Congress beg... |
Currently there is no universally accepted or official definition of the gig economy or gig workers. The characteristics of gig workers that we focus on in this report (self-employed individuals who perform single projects or tasks on demand for pay) share some characteristics with self- employment as it is understood ... | In 2015, GAO reported that millions of workers do not have standard work arrangements. Some barriers to self-employed gig work have been reduced by online platforms, and while the public workforce system is accessible to all job seekers, it is unclear how the system is helping gig workers obtain the necessary skills an... |
The President’s national strategy for homeland security and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 provide for securing our national borders against terrorists. Terrorist and criminal watch lists are important tools for accomplishing this end. Simply stated, watch lists can be viewed as automated databases that are supporte... | Terrorist and criminal watch list systems--sometimes referred to as watchout, lookout, target, or tip-off systems--are important tools in controlling and protecting our nation's borders. The events of September 11, 2001, and other incidents since then, have highlighted the need to share these watch lists. In light of t... |
In recent years, reservists have regularly been called on to augment the capabilities of the active-duty forces. The Army is increasingly relying on its reserve forces to provide assistance with military conflicts and peacekeeping missions. As of April 2003, approximately 148,000 reservists from the Army National Guard... | During the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, health problems prevented the deployment of a significant number of Army reservists. As required by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002, GAO reported on the Army's efforts to assess the health status of its early-deploying reservists (Defense Health Care: Arm... |
An EMP is a burst of high power electromagnetic radiation resulting from the detonation of nuclear and non-nuclear devices that are designed to intentionally disrupt or destroy electronic equipment. EMP events may be further categorized into a number of different types, based on their specific source of initiation. The... | The threat posed by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or solar weather event could have a debilitating impact on the nation's critical electrical infrastructure, as well as other key assets that depend on electricity. These events could lead to power outages over broad geographic areas for extended durations. Addressing t... |
The United States $1 Coin Act of 1997 authorized the new dollar coin to replace the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, which began production in 1979. Even though the Anthony coin was never widely circulated, it became clear by 1997 that the government’s supply of Anthony coins would soon be exhausted. In addition to giving... | If the public used the dollar coin rather than the dollar note, the government could potentially save up to $500 million annually. The Mint spent $67.1 million to promote the new dollar coin from 1998 to 2001, including expenditures for a marketing and advertising program; public relations and publicity programs; 23 pa... |
GAO has issued several reports on the establishment of AFRICOM and its components. In 2008, we testified that DOD had made progress in transferring activities, staffing the command, and establishing an interim headquarters for AFRICOM but had not yet fully estimated the additional costs of establishing and operating th... | A House Armed Services Committee report accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 mandated GAO to conduct an analysis of options for the permanent placement of AFRICOM headquarters. While GAO's work was ongoing, DOD announced its decision to keep AFRICOM's headquarters at its c... |
Basel II rests on the New Basel Accord, which established a more risk- sensitive regulatory framework that was intended to be sufficiently consistent internationally but that also took into account individual countries’ existing regulatory and accounting systems. The U.S. bank regulators have been adapting the New Base... | Basel II, the new risk-based capital framework based on an international accord, is being adopted by individual countries. It includes standardized and advanced approaches to estimating capital requirements. In the United States, bank regulators have finalized an advanced approaches rule that will be required for some ... |
The Congress enacted the Ryan White CARE Act on August 18, 1990, to “improve the quality and availability of care for individuals and families with HIV disease.” The CARE Act makes funds available through four titles to states, EMAs, and nonprofit entities for developing, organizing, coordinating, and operating more ef... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the funding formulas established under the Ryan White Care Act, focusing on: (1) whether the existing formulas distribute funds equitably to states and eligible metropolitan areas (EMA); (2) the factors that inhibit greater funding equity; and (3) formula changes that a... |
At first glance, it might seem premature to discuss preparations for the decennial census; after all, Census Day, April 1, 2020, is still almost 8 years away. However, our reviews of the 1990, 2000, and the 2010 Censuses have shown that early planning, the use of leading management practices, and strong congressional o... | Obtaining an accurate census in the face of societal trends such as increased privacy concerns and a more diverse population has greatly increased the cost of the census. At $13 billion, 2010 was the costliest census in U.S. history. Without changes, future enumerations could be fiscally unsustainable. GAOs past work ... |
Processing: IRS processes millions of paper and electronically-filed (e-filed) tax returns and validates key pieces of information during the tax filing season. The overwhelming majority of returns are e-filed through IRS’s Modernized e-File (MeF) system. Beginning last filing season, IRS and taxpayers benefitted from ... | The tax filing season is when IRS processes most tax returns and provides services including telephone, correspondence, and website assistance for tens of millions of taxpayers. IRS budgeted more than $2 billion for these activities in 2013. The filing season is also when IRS begins collecting delinquent taxes by, for ... |
Nuclear weapons have been and continue to be an essential part of the nation’s defense strategy. The end of the cold war resulted in a dramatic shift in how the nation maintains such weapons. Instead of designing, testing, and producing new nuclear weapons, the strategy has shifted to maintaining the existing nuclear w... | The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)--a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy (DOE)-- proposed in March 2010 a new acquisition strategy that includes consolidating the management and operating (M&O) contracts for two of its eight sites--the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) in Tenness... |
For fiscal year 2015, VA estimated it received $59.2 billion in appropriations, including collections, to fund health care services for veterans, manage and administer VA’s health care system, and operate and maintain the VA health care system’s capital infrastructure. VA estimated that in fiscal year 2015 it provided ... | Veterans enrolled in Medicare can also enroll in the VA health care system and may receive Medicare-covered services from either their Medicare source of coverage or VA. Payments to MA plans are based in part on Medicare FFS spending and may be lower than they otherwise would be if veterans enrolled in Medicare FFS rec... |
Credit unions can be federally or state-chartered, which determines their primary regulator for safety and soundness and also their options for deposit insurance. Federally chartered credit unions are regulated by NCUA and must be federally insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, which is administere... | The Federal Deposit Insurance Act requires privately insured credit unions to disclose to consumers that they do not have federal deposit insurance and CFPB has implemented regulations on these requirements. The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act includes a provision for GAO to review private deposit insurers ... |
PPACA includes provisions that are designed to make health insurance more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans. These include provisions for establishing health insurance exchanges in each state, and enhancing processes for the annual review of health insurance premiums. To facilitate these activities, P... | PPACA required the establishment of health insurance exchanges and a process for the annual review of unreasonable increases in insurance premiums charged by issuers of health coverage in each state. To assist states in establishing exchanges and in enhancing their ability to review issuers premium rate increases, the... |
EAS, the nation’s primary alerting system, provides capacity for the United States to issue alerts and warnings to the public in response to emergencies. FEMA is responsible for administering EAS at the national level, while FCC manages EAS participation by media-related communications service providers. FCC provides t... | A comprehensive system to alert the American people in times of hazard allows people to take action to save lives. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the current Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the development of the new Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). In this request... |
Within VA Central Office, VHA’s Primary Care Services Office develops policies related to the management of primary care—including the recording and reporting of primary care panel size data—and VHA’s Primary Care Operations Office is responsible for executing policies related to primary care delivery and monitoring pr... | VA's 150 medical facilities manage primary care services provided to veterans. VA requires facilities to record and report data on primary care panel sizes to help facilities manage their workload and ensure that veterans receive timely and efficient care. VA also requires facilities to record and report data on primar... |
FHA was established in 1934 under the National Housing Act (P.L. 73-479) to broaden homeownership, shore up and protect lending institutions, and stimulate employment in the building industry. FHA insures private lenders against losses on mortgages that finance purchases of properties with one to four housing units. Ma... | Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans made in recent years have experienced somewhat higher foreclosure rates than loans made in earlier years. However, recent loans are performing much better than loans made in the 1980s. Although economic factors such as house price appreciation are key determinants of mortgage ... |
On January 29, 2001, you wrote us that you had become increasingly concerned about media reports of damage to the White House and the EEOB that was discovered by the incoming Bush administration and asked that we investigate whether damage may have been deliberately caused by former Clinton administration staff. We sub... | Damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks occurred in the White House complex during the 2001 presidential transition. Several Executive Office of the President (EOP) staff claim that they observed (1) messy offices containing excessive trash or personal items, (2) numerous prank signs containing derogatory and offensive st... |
In 1989, the Army recognized that it needed to replace some of its aging air defense systems, including the Homing All-the-Way to Kill (HAWK) missile. The Army wanted the HAWK’s replacement to be rapidly deployable, capable against weapons of mass destruction, and able to defeat a wide range of targets. The Under Secre... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program, focusing on the: (1) unique capabilities that MEADS will add to U.S. air and missile defense; (2) development cost of MEADS and its affordability within the expected ballistic missile ... |
Pension advances and pension investments are products that, while based on or related to pension benefits, are generally distinct from the pensions themselves. A pension advance is an up-front lump sum provided to a consumer in exchange for a certain number and dollar amount of the consumer’s future pension payments pl... | Recent questions have been raised about companies attempting to take advantage of retirees using pension advances. In June 2014, GAO issued a report on pension advances. The report (1) described the number and characteristics of pension advance companies and marketing practices; (2) evaluated how pension advance terms ... |
The ALJ position was created by the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA) The APA separated the rulemaking functions from administrative adjudication proceedings in federal agencies, and sought to ensure fairness and due process in both. The APA provides for formal hearings in certain cases where a party has been ... | The Administrative Procedure Act established unique conditions for administrative law judges' (ALJ) hiring and employment to protect their decisional independence. However, the potential for a wave of retirements and other events have focused attention on how ALJs are hired and managed. In response to the Consolidated ... |
Within the United States, there are about 295,000 miles of gas transmission pipelines, which are part of larger gas pipeline systems that transport natural gas from producing wells to users. (See fig. 1.) Gas gathering lines collect natural gas from production facilities and transport it to transmission pipelines. In t... | The Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 established a risk-based program for gas transmission pipelines--the integrity management program. The program requires operators of natural and other gas transmission pipelines to identify "high consequence areas" where pipeline incidents would most severely affect public sa... |
MDA’s BMDS is being designed to counter ballistic missiles of all ranges—short, medium, intermediate, and intercontinental. Because ballistic missiles have different ranges, speeds, sizes, and performance characteristics, MDA is developing multiple systems that, when integrated, provide multiple opportunities to destro... | In order to meet its mission, MDA is developing a highly complex group of systems comprised of land-, sea-, and space-based sensors to track missiles, as well as ballistic missile interceptors and a battle management system. These systems can be integrated in different ways to provide protection in various regions of t... |
Specialist physicians, by virtue of their narrower focus, can more readily keep up with changes in clinical knowledge as they occur. This appears to be especially true for cardiac care, where changes in treatment paradigms occur frequently. Cardiologists also have the advantage of seeing a larger number of patients wit... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the potential differences in treatment patterns for health maintenance organizations (HMO) patients treated by specialists and those treated by generalist physicians, focusing on: (1) the proportion of Medicare heart attack survivors enrolled in HMOs who take cholestero... |
SSA administers two disability programs that provide monthly cash benefits to eligible individuals: (1) Disability Insurance (DI) for individuals (and their dependents) who have paid into the Disability Insurance Trust Fund and (2) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for low-income individuals. To be eligible for DI or ... | To help ensure that only eligible individuals receive disability benefits, SSA conducts periodic CDRs to assess beneficiaries' medical condition. CDRs have historically saved the government money. However, in recent years, SSA has had difficulty conducting timely CDRs resulting in a backlog of over 900,000 CDRs in fisc... |
HCFA’s vision, which we support, is for a single, unified system to replace the nine current systems now used by Medicare, the nation’s largest health insurer, serving about 37 million Americans. The goals of MTS are to better protect program funds from waste, fraud, and abuse; allow better oversight of Medicare contra... | GAO discussed the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) approach to managing the Medicare Transaction System (MTS). GAO noted that: (1) MTS is designed to unify the nine Medicare claims-processing systems, improve Medicare contractor oversight, improve services to beneficiaries and providers, reduce administrat... |
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.