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The Recovery Act appropriated $4 billion for the Clean Water SRF program. This funding represents a significant increase compared with federal funds awarded as annual appropriations to the SRF program in recent years. From fiscal years 2000 through 2009, annual appropriations averaged about $1.1 billion for the Clean W... | The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) included $4 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). This testimony--based on GAO's report GAO-10-604 , issued on May 26, 2010, in response to a mandate under the Recovery Act--addresses (1) state ef... |
Credit unions are nonprofit financial cooperatives organized to provide their members with low-cost financial services. According to NCUA, as of 1996, federally insured credit union assets totaled $326 billion. About one in four Americans belongs to a credit union, and credit unions accounted for about 2 percent of the... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Credit Union Administration's (NCUA) progress in making sure that the automated information systems belonging to the thousands of credit unions it oversees have adequately mitigated the risks associated with the year 2000 date change. GAO noted that: (1) NC... |
Since the early 2000s, states have been building longitudinal data systems to better address data collection and reporting requirements in federal laws—such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act (Americ... | From fiscal years 2006 through 2013, the Departments of Education and Labor provided over $640 million in grants to states through the SLDS and WDQI grant programs. These grants support states' efforts to create longitudinal data systems that follow individuals through their education and into the workforce. Analyzing ... |
Several organizations are integrally involved in carrying out the Navy’s financial management and reporting, including: (1) the Office of the Navy’s Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller, which has overall financial responsibility, (2) DFAS, which reports to the Department of Defense (DOD) Comptr... | GAO reviewed the Navy's fiscal year (FY) 1994 consolidated financial reports, focusing on the areas contributing to the inaccurate financial reporting of the Navy's plant property account balance. GAO found that: (1) substantial weaknesses in the Navy's financial reporting systems caused the Navy to submit inaccurate F... |
Workers with disabilities frequently face special challenges and disincentives when entering or maintaining a place in the workforce. To help those with disabilities overcome these challenges, the federal government has designed a wide variety of programs and incentives. Most of these federal efforts, as described in a... | More than 17 million working-age individuals have a self-reported disability that limits work. Their unemployment rate is also twice as high as for those without a work disability, according to recent Census data. In the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, the Congress mandated that GAO study an... |
In 2004, President George W. Bush announced his Vision for Space Exploration that included direction for NASA to pursue commercial opportunities for providing transportation and other services to support the space station after 2010. When the project was established in 2005, the approach that NASA laid out was a marked... | Since the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created the strategy for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project in 2005, the space landscape has changed significantly--the Space Shuttle program is retiring and the Ares I will not be available--increasing the importance of the timel... |
FAS administers USDA’s five market development programs on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, which is owned and operated by the U.S. government. The programs provide matching funds to support U.S. industry efforts to build, maintain, and expand commercial overseas markets for U.S. agricultural products, with ... | USDA administers five programs to assist U.S. agricultural industry efforts to build, maintain, and expand overseas markets. However, members of Congress continue to debate the level of funding for this assistance and its impact on agricultural exports. USDA provides about $250 million annually for the five market deve... |
Federal environmental policy is shaped by numerous federal statutes, including The Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act, and The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. These laws charge EPA with protecting the environment through such activities as setting standards for air and water quality, issuing permits, and taking... | The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues regulations that states, localities, and private companies must comply with under the existing federal approach to environmental protection. This approach has been widely criticized for being costly, inflexible, and ineffective in addressing some of the nation's most pre... |
Drug court programs are designed to address the underlying cause of an offender’s behavior—alcohol, drug addiction, and dependency problems. Drug court programs share several general characteristics but vary in their specific policies and procedures because of, among other things, differences in local jurisdictions and... | A drug court is a specialized court that targets criminal offenders who have drug addiction and dependency problems. These programs provide offenders with intensive court supervision, mandatory drug testing, substance-abuse treatment, and other social services as an alternative to adjudication or incarceration. As of J... |
Under authority of the Inspector General Act of 1978, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the military criminal investigative organization within each of the services investigate alleged procurement fraud. NCIS has primary responsibility for investigating alleged procurement fraud affecting the Navy. ... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Naval Criminal and Investigative Service's (NCIS) policies and practices regarding agent interviews of suspects and witnesses during procurement fraud investigations, focusing on: (1) NCIS's policies on interviewing, including agent conduct and demeanor and the ca... |
Congress passed the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) in 1990 to address issues related to workforce quality, to formally establish the acquisition workforce, and to increase its professionalism by directing DOD to create certification requirements for the acquisition workforce. In response, DOD def... | In fiscal year 2010, more than half of the $367 billion dollars the Department of Defense (DOD) spent on contracts was spent on services. Buying services is fundamentally different than buying weapon systems, yet most acquisition regulations, policies, processes, and training remain structured for acquiring weapon syst... |
To date, the commercial space launch industry has primarily focused on putting payloads, such as satellites, into orbit, using launch vehicles that are used only once. The number of launches for this purpose has, however, dropped off, and the industry appears to be increasing its focus on space tourism. Apart from the ... | Since the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported on the commercial space launch industry in 2006, the industry has evolved and moved further toward space tourism. Commercial space tourism promises to make human space travel available to the public for the first time. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) o... |
According to ISS, over 28,000 publicly-traded corporations globally send out proxy statements each year that contain important facts about more than 250,000 separate issues on which shareholders are asked to vote. Votes are solicited on a variety of key issues that could potentially affect the corporations’ value, such... | At annual meetings, shareholders of public corporations can vote on various issues (e.g., mergers and acquisitions) through a process called proxy voting. Institutional investors (e.g., mutual funds and pension funds) cast the majority of proxy votes due to their large stock holdings. In recent years, concerns have bee... |
The ManTech Program is designed to enable DOD to develop advanced technologies to use in manufacturing weapon systems. Such technologies, in turn, should reduce weapon system costs and improve quality. ManTech projects address development of technology in areas such as metals, composite materials, electronics, munition... | The Department of Defense (DOD) established the Defense Manufacturing Technology Program to develop and apply advanced manufacturing technologies to reduce the total cost and improve the manufacturing quality of weapon systems. By maturing and validating emerging manufacturing technology and transferring it to the fact... |
Prostate cancer patients choose among multiple treatments that are often considered equally appropriate but can have different risks and side effects. The treatments can also vary in cost, with IMRT being one of the most costly options. Cancer of the prostate—a gland located at the base of the urinary bladder—is the se... | Questions have been raised about self-referral's role in Medicare Part B expenditures' rapid growth. Self-referral occurs when a provider refers patients to entities in which the provider or the provider's family members have a financial interest. Services that can be self-referred under certain circumstances include I... |
Without proper safeguards, computer systems are vulnerable to individuals and groups with malicious intentions who can intrude and use their access to obtain and manipulate sensitive information, commit fraud, disrupt operations, or launch attacks against other computer systems and networks. The risks to federal system... | For many years, GAO has reported that weaknesses in information security are a widespread problem that can have serious consequences--such as intrusions by malicious users, compromised networks, and the theft of intellectual property and personally identifiable information--and has identified information security as a ... |
Since the Social Security Act became law in 1935, workers have had the right to review their earnings records on file at SSA to ensure that they are correct. In 1988, SSA introduced the PEBES to better enable workers who requested such information to review their earnings records and obtain benefit estimates. According... | GAO discussed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES). GAO noted that: (1) the public has reacted favorably to unsolicited PEBES, and SSA has improved the statement in response to public feedback; (2) the public generally feels that the statement is a valuable... |
The Coast Guard is a multimission, maritime military service within DHS. The Coast Guard has a variety of responsibilities including port security and vessel escort, search and rescue, and polar ice operations. To carry out these responsibilities, the Coast Guard operates a number of vessels, aircraft, and information ... | The Deepwater Program includes efforts to build or modernize ships and aircraft, including supporting capabilities. In 2007, the Coast Guard took over the systems integrator role from Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) and established a $24.2 billion program baseline which included schedule and performance parameter... |
Seeking to improve the health and nutrition education of American schoolchildren, USDA began the Team Nutrition initiative (commonly known as Team Nutrition) in fiscal year 1995 by seeking and obtaining $20.3 million in funding. The Congress made another $10.5 million available for Team Nutrition in fiscal year 1996 an... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Team Nutrition contracts, cooperative agreement, and grant for multimedia nutrition education. GAO noted that: (1) Team Nutrition officials acted improperly in assigning tasks under the the Global contract and did not follow norma... |
The AQI program provides for inspections of imported agricultural goods, products, passenger baggage, and vehicles, including commercial aircraft, ships, trucks, and railcars, to prevent the introduction of harmful agricultural pests and diseases. CBP has responsibility for inspection activities at ports of entry, incl... | The AQI program guards against agriculture threats by inspecting international passengers and cargo at U.S. ports of entry, seizing prohibited material, and intercepting foreign agricultural pests. The program, which cost $861 million in 2011, is funded from annual appropriations and user fees. GAO has reported several... |
The overall process used to implement USERRA is as follows. Outreach and resolution of informal complaints. DOD and DOL share responsibility for outreach—the education of servicemembers and employers about their respective responsibilities under USERRA. Much of DOD’s outreach is accomplished through ESGR, which perform... | Since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense (DOD) has mobilized more than 500,000 National Guard and Reserve members. As reservists return to civilian life, concerns exist about difficulties with their civilian employment. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 protects t... |
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 directed DOE to identify and recommend to the President three sites for detailed investigation as a potential permanent repository for nuclear waste. In May 1986, the President selected three candidate sites, including Yucca Mountain, Nevada. However, faced with escalating costs and... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO investigated allegations of conflicts of interest at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Yucca Mountain Project, focusing on whether: (1) the DOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) properly implemented and adequately enforced federal standards of ethical conduc... |
The term “e-cigarettes” refers to a wide range of products that share the same basic design and generally consist of three main parts: a power source (typically a battery), a heating element containing a wick (to deliver liquid to the heating element), and a cartridge or tank containing liquid solution. Cartridges and ... | While use of traditional cigarettes in the United States continues to decline, use of e-cigarettes is increasing. Treasury collects FET on cigarettes and other tobacco products manufactured in the United States. The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, does not specifically define or list a tax rate for e-cigaret... |
Our analysis of FDIC data showed that while the profitability of most minority banks with assets greater than $100 million nearly equaled the profitability of all similarly sized banks (peers), the profitability of smaller minority banks and African-American banks of all sizes did not. Profitability is commonly measure... | Minority banks can play an important role in serving the financial needs of historically underserved communities and growing populations of minorities. For this reason, the Financial Institutions, Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) established goals that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FD... |
The ATA program was established in 1983 to provide assistance to foreign countries in enhancing the ability of their law enforcement personnel to deter terrorists and terrorist groups from engaging in international terrorist acts such as bombing, kidnapping, assassination, hostage taking, and hijacking. The stated purp... | State's ATA program aims to enhance foreign partners' capabilities to prevent acts of terrorism, address terrorism incidents when they do occur, and apprehend and prosecute those involved in such acts. In fiscal years 2012 through 2016, State allocated about $715 million to the ATA program, which it reports to have use... |
As the Army transitions away from major wartime operations, it faces fiscal constraints and a complex and growing array of security challenges. The Army will be smaller and senior leaders recognize that the core of a smaller yet still highly capable force is having a capable tactical information network. Over the last ... | In 2011, the Army began a major undertaking to modernize its tactical network to improve communication and provide needed information to soldiers on the battlefield. The Army has identified the network as its number one modernization priority requiring approximately $3 billion per year indefinitely. NIEs provide semi-a... |
Human trafficking—the worldwide criminal exploitation of men, women, and children for others’ financial gain—is a violation of human rights. Victims are often lured or abducted and forced to work in involuntary servitude. Although the crime of human trafficking can take different forms in different regions and countrie... | Since the 1990s, there have been allegations of abuse of foreign workers on U.S. government contracts overseas, including allegations of TIP. In 2002, the United States adopted a zero tolerance policy on TIP regarding U.S. government employees and contractors abroad and began requiring the inclusion of this policy in a... |
The public faces a high risk that critical services provided by the government and the private sector could be severely disrupted by the Year 2000 computing crisis. Financial transactions could be delayed, flights grounded, power lost, and national defense affected. Moreover, America’s infrastructures are a complex arr... | GAO discussed the year 2000 computer system risks facing the nation, focusing on: (1) GAO's major concerns with the federal government's progress in correcting its systems; (2) state and local government year 2000 issues; and (3) critical year 2000 data exchange issues. GAO noted that: (1) the public faces a high risk ... |
Bacteria exist almost everywhere—in water, soil, plants, animals, and humans. Bacteria can transfer from person to person, among animals and people, from animals to animals, and through water and the food chain. Most bacteria do little or no harm, and some are even useful to humans. However, others are capable of causi... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the potential threat to the public's health from antimicrobial resistant bacteria, focusing on: (1) what is known about the public health burden--in terms of illnesses, deaths and treatment costs--due to antimicrobial resistance; (2) potential future burd... |
The Economy Act, as amended (31 U.S.C. 1535), authorizes the head of an agency to place an order with another agency for goods or services if, among other requirements, a decision is made that the items or services cannot be obtained by contract as conveniently or cheaply from a commercial enterprise. The interagency o... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the: (1) impact of the Department of Defense's (DOD) policy changes for interagency orders on the Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center; and (2) Coast Guard's recent initiatives and legislative changes extending the statutory requir... |
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 lasting memorials. It is the second largest federal department and, in addition to its central office located in Washington,... | For several years, GAO has reported in its audit reports on the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government that the federal government is unable to determine the full extent to which improper payments occur and reasonably assure that actions are taken to reduce them. Strong financial management practices,... |
Long-term services and supports (LTSS) include many types of health and health-related services for individuals of all ages who have limited ability to care for themselves because of physical, cognitive, or mental disabilities or conditions. Individuals needing LTSS have varying degrees of difficulty performing activit... | The 1999 Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C. held that states must serve individuals with disabilities in community-based settings under certain circumstances. Under the joint federal and state Medicaid program, states are required to cover nursing facility care for eligible individuals, while the provision of m... |
From 1987-1997, U.S. diplomatic facilities overseas were attacked on more than 200 occasions. On August 7, 1998, terrorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, killed 220 people and injured thousands more. Subsequent investigations into these attacks and on the conditions of U.... | To provide safe and secure workplaces for overseas posts, the Department of State (State) has built 64 new embassy compounds (NEC) and other facilities since 1999, has 31 ongoing projects, and plans to build at least 90 more. In 2007, State reported the U.S. contractor pool for building NECs had reached its limit and p... |
Tax expenditures are provisions of the tax code that are viewed as exceptions to the “normal structure” of the individual and corporate income tax (i.e., exceptions to taxing income). They take the form of exemptions, exclusions, deductions, credits, deferrals, and preferential tax rates; however, not all such provisio... | By one measure, tax expenditures resulted in an estimated $1 trillion of revenue forgone by the federal government in fiscal year 2011. GAO has recommended greater scrutiny of tax expenditures, as periodic reviews could help determine how well specific tax expenditures achieve their goals and how their benefits and cos... |
Congress created GSA in 1949 through the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act to serve as a centralized property management agency with one of its responsibilities to provide space to federal agencies as economical as possible. The GSA Administrator may delegate and may authorize successive redelegations of... | The General Services Administration (GSA) issues different types of delegations, whereby agencies may request authority to perform certain real property activities, such as leasing space and maintaining property. Effective management of the program is critical to ensuring that federal dollars are well spent and adequat... |
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 directed NASA to, among another things, develop a Space Launch System as a follow-on to the Space Shuttle and prepare infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center to enable processing and launch of the Space Launch System as a key component in expand... | NASA is in the midst of developing systems needed to support deep-space exploration by humans. SLS will be NASA's first exploration-class launch vehicle in over 40 years to propel astronauts and cargo beyond low-Earth orbit. The EGS program is developing systems and infrastructure to support both SLS and the crew capsu... |
Temporary limited appointments are appropriate for meeting a range of staffing requirements when an agency expects there will be no permanent need for an employee. Temporary employees can work on a full-time, part- time, seasonal, or intermittent basis. Federal employers are prohibited from using temporary employees to... | In the early 1990s, concerns arose that federal agencies were retaining employees in an ongoing series of temporary appointments without benefits or tenure. For fiscal years 1991 through 2000, 10 agencies accounted for 90 percent of all temporary limited employees hired governmentwide. During this period, the number of... |
According to the American Financial Services Association (AFSA), some of its members have been issuing live loan checks since the 1980s. Live loan checks are delivered in the mail and are preapproved offers of credit. Consumers are selected to receive the loan offers if they meet certain credit criteria. These preappro... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on live loan checks, focusing on the: (1) characteristics of live loan checks and the major organizations that provide unsolicited loan checks; (2) volume of live loan checks in 1995, 1996, and 1997 and the expected volume in 1998; and (3) benefits and risks... |
According to a 2010 Interior study, 97 percent of oil and gas production in federal waters occurs along the U.S. outer continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico. The outer continental shelf is the submerged lands outside the territorial jurisdiction of all 50 states but within U.S. jurisdiction and control. The outer con... | On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire on board the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore drilling rig, resulted in 11 deaths and the largest oil spill in U.S. history in the Gulf of Mexico. After this event, the Department of the Interior (Interior), which oversees oil and gas operations in federal waters, suspended certai... |
The SWT program is a component of State’s Exchange Visitor Program, known as the J-1 Visa Program, which was established to implement the purposes of the Fulbright-Hays Act, including strengthening ties and increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through... | Created under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, the SWT program is intended to further U.S. public diplomacy by giving foreign undergraduate students short-term opportunities to experience the people and way of life in the United States. In 2005, GAO found that State's oversight was insufficient... |
FAA is the largest operating administration in DOT with almost 46,000 employees and a budget of $15.9 billion in fiscal year 2014. FAA carries out its mission—to provide the safest, most efficient airspace system in the world—through four lines of business and 10 staff offices (offices). Headquartered in Washington, D.... | As fiscal pressures facing the federal government continue, so too does the need for federal agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and activities. Section 812 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 mandated that FAA review its programs, offices, and organizations to, among other thin... |
In 2007, the United States produced an average of 8.5 million barrels of petroleum per day, or about 10 percent of the global average production of 84.4 million barrels per day. As a percentage of total world consumption, the United States was the largest consumer of crude oil and petroleum products in 2007, with an av... | During the late 1990s, many petroleum companies merged to stay profitable while crude oil prices were low, and in recent years mergers have continued. Congress and others have concerns about the impact mergers might be having on competition in U.S. petroleum markets. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the authority... |
In part to improve the availability of information on and management of DOD’s acquisition of services, Congress enacted section 2330a of title 10 of the U.S. Code, which required the Secretary of Defense to establish a data collection system to provide management information on each purchase of services by a military d... | DOD relies on contractors to perform many functions, which can offer benefits for DOD. GAOs work has shown that reliance on contractors to support core missions, however, can place DOD at risk of contractors performing inherently governmental functions. (2) the extent to which the military departments addressed instan... |
In 2011, according to Corrosion Office officials, the Corrosion Office established the TCC program, a research and development program that is the successor to the University Corrosion Collaboration (UCC) pilot program, established in 2008. The TCC program builds on efforts of the UCC pilot program by expanding and for... | According to DOD, corrosion can significantly affect maintenance cost, service life of equipment, and military readiness by diminishing the operations of critical systems and creating safety hazards. Pursuant to Section 2228 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, DOD's Corrosion Office is responsible for prevention and mitigati... |
The federal government’s civilian workforce faces large losses over the next several years, primarily through retirements. Expected retirements in the SES, which generally represents the most senior and experienced segment of the workforce, are expected to be even higher than the governmentwide rates. In our January 20... | The federal government faces large losses in its Senior Executive Service (SES), primarily through retirement but also because of other normal attrition. This presents the government with substantial challenges to ensuring an able management cadre and also provides opportunities to affect the composition of the SES. In... |
ICE has not developed and implemented a process to identify and analyze program risks since assuming responsibility for SEVP in 2003, making it difficult for ICE to determine the potential security and fraud risks across the more than 10,000 SEVP-certified schools and to identify actions that could help mitigate these ... | This testimony discusses the findings from our June 2012 report assessing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) oversight of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). ICE, within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for managing SEVP, including ensuring that foreign students study... |
The complexity of the environment in which CMS operates the Medicare program cannot be overstated. CMS manages Medicare, the nation’s largest health insurer, in a challenging and complex environment in which medical providers and beneficiaries form a vast network of stakeholders with differing priorities. The agency is... | Unlike other federal programs that make expenditures under the direct control of the government, Medicare constitutes a promise to pay for covered medical services provided to its beneficiaries by about one million providers. Given this open-ended entitlement, it is essential that appropriate and effective rules and po... |
Historically, DOD has used its readiness assessment system to assess the ability of units and joint forces to fight and meet the demands of the national security strategy. DOD’s readiness assessment and reporting system is designed to assess and report on military readiness at three levels—(1) the unit level; (2) the j... | The Department of Defense (DOD) reports data about the operational readiness of its forces. In 1999, Congress directed DOD to create a comprehensive readiness system with timely, objective, and accurate data. In response, DOD started to develop the Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS). After 7 years, DOD has incre... |
Medicare’s fee-for-service health care program consists of two parts—A and B. Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice, and certain home health services. Part B covers physician services, diagnostic tests, and related services and supplies. Medicare providers, on behalf of their beneficiaries... | The Medicare appeals process has been the subject of widespread concern in recent years because of the time it takes to resolve appeals of denied claims. Two federal agencies play a role in deciding appeals--the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Currently, neith... |
Over the last few decades, the number of participants and the complexity of the market for home mortgage loans in the United States has increased. In the past, a borrower seeking credit for a home purchase would typically obtain financing from a local financial institution, such as a bank, a savings association, or a c... | Entities responsible for managing home mortgage loans--called servicers--may initiate foreclosure proceedings on certain delinquent loans but then decide to not complete the process. Many of these properties are vacant. These abandoned foreclosure--or "bank walkaway"--properties can exacerbate neighborhood decline and ... |
FOIA establishes a legal right of access to government records and information, on the basis of the principles of openness and accountability in government. Before the act (originally enacted in 1966), an individual seeking access to federal records had faced the burden of establishing a right to examine them. FOIA est... | The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) establishes that federal agencies must provide the public with access to government information, enabling them to learn about government operations and decisions. To help ensure proper implementation, the act requires that agencies annually report specific information about their F... |
In 2015, FFP provided EFSP funding for cash transfer and food voucher projects in 30 countries (see fig. 1). To deliver assistance through these projects, USAID’s implementing partners employ a variety of mechanisms. These mechanisms include (1) distributing cash manually or electronically through accounts at banks or ... | For more than 60 years, the United States provided assistance to food-insecure countries primarily in the form of food commodities procured in the United States and transported overseas. In recent years, the U.S. government has increasingly provided food assistance in the form of cash transfers or food vouchers. In fis... |
Within DOD, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (OUSD ) is responsible for coordinating and implementing DOD-wide policies related to access to classified information. Within OUSD (I), the Defense Security Service (DSS) is responsible for conducting background investigations and administering ... | As more and more federal jobs are privatized, individuals working for private industry are taking on a greater role in national security work for the Department of Defense (DOD) and other federal agencies. Because many of these jobs require access to classified information, industry personnel must hold a security clear... |
Most of the military services’ active and reserve components faced recruiting difficulties during the strong economic climate of the late 1990s. As a result, the services stepped up their recruiting to ensure that they would have enough recruits to fill their ranks. Recruiting efforts focus on three initiatives. First,... | The Department of Defense (DOD) must convince more than 200,000 people each year to join the military. To assist in recruiting, the military services advertise on television, on radio, and in print and participate in other promotional activities. In the late 1990s, some of the services missed their overall recruiting g... |
Contractors have a long-standing and essential role in administering the Medicare program, including conducting program integrity activities, such as postpayment claims reviews, which are integral to protecting the Medicare program from improper payments or fraud. The four types of contractors we examined conducted abo... | Several types of Medicare contractors conduct postpayment claims reviews to help reduce improper payments. Questions have been raised about their effectiveness and efficiency, and the burden on providers. GAO was asked to assess aspects of the claims review process. Building on GAO's July 2013 report on postpayment cla... |
Over time, cruising has developed into a highly concentrated industry with three primary carriers. At the end of September 2003, two companies, Carnival Cruises Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., controlled 86.4 percent of the market in North America, with NCL being the next largest cruise provider, holding a lit... | No large U.S.-flagged cruise ships (ships registered in the U.S. that are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S. crewed) are in operation. Foreignflagged vessels cruising to foreign ports serve most of the U.S. demand for cruises. However, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) recently obtained an exemption from U.S. maritime law to o... |
Effective tax rates on corporate income can be defined in a variety of ways, each of which provides insights into a different issue. These rates fall into two broad categories—average rates and marginal rates. An average effective tax rate, computed as the ratio of taxes paid in a given year over all of the income the ... | U.S. and foreign tax regimes influence decisions of U.S. multinational corporations (MNC) regarding how much to invest and how many workers to employ in particular activities and in particular locations. Tax rules also influence where corporations report earning income for tax purposes. The average effective tax rate, ... |
Over time, the military services report they have increasingly lost training range capabilities because of encroachment. According to DOD officials, the concerns about encroachment reflect the cumulative result of a slow but steady increase in problems affecting the use of their training ranges. Historically, specific ... | Section 366 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 required the Secretary of Defense to develop a report outlining a comprehensive plan to address training constraints caused by limitations on the use of military lands, marine areas, and air space that are available in the United States and over... |
Four federal banking regulators—FDIC, the Federal Reserve, OCC, and OTS—oversee the nation’s banks and thrifts to ensure they are operating in a safe and sound manner. The failure of more than 2,900 depository institutions during the 1980s and early 1990s led to the passage of FDICIA, which amended FDIA to require regu... | The Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Conforming Amendments Act of 2005 required GAO to report on the federal banking regulators' administration of the prompt corrective action (PCA) program under section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA). Congress created section 38 as well as section 39, which required re... |
Health care providers submit claims to the Medicare program in order to receive payment for services provided to beneficiaries. Financial limits known as therapy caps are one tool used to better manage spending on outpatient therapy services. Congress directed CMS, beginning in 2006, to establish an exceptions process ... | In 2011, Medicare paid about $5.7 billion to provide outpatient therapy services for 48 million beneficiaries. Rising Medicare spending for outpatient therapy services--physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology--has long been of concern. Congress established per person spending limits, or "t... |
The safety and quality of the U.S. food supply is governed by a highly complex system that is based on more than 30 laws and administered by 12 agencies. In addition, there are over 50 interagency agreements to govern the combined food safety oversight responsibilities of the various agencies. The federal system is sup... | The safety of the U.S. food supply is governed by a highly complex system of more than 30 laws administered by 12 agencies. In light of the recent focus on government reorganization, it is time to ask whether the current system can effectively and efficiently respond to today's challenges. At the request of the Subcomm... |
NRC is an independent federal agency that (1) establishes standards and regulations for commercial nuclear power plants and non-power research, test, and training reactors; fuel cycle facilities; medical, academic, and industrial uses of nuclear materials; and the transport, storage, and disposal of nuclear materials a... | Encouraging a clearer and closer link between budgeting and planning is essential to improving federal management and instilling a greater focus on results. Through work at various levels within the organization, this report on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)--and its two companion studies on the Administration... |
The quality data submitted by hospitals are collected from the medical records of patients admitted to the hospital. Hospital patient medical records contain many different types of information, which are organized into different sections. Frequently found examples of these sections include the face sheet, which summar... | Hospitals submit data in electronic form on a series of quality measures to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and receive scores on their performance. Increasingly, the clinical information from which hospitals derive the quality data for CMS is stored in information technology (IT) systems. GAO was as... |
In 1998, we reported that difficulties in comparing EPA’s fiscal year 1999 and 1998 budget justifications arose because the 1999 budget justification was organized according to the agency’s strategic goals and objectives, whereas the 1998 justification was organized according to EPA’s program offices and components. Fu... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget justification for its Science and Technology account, and changes among the justifications for fiscal years (FY) 1998, 1999, and 2000, focusing on: (1) difficulties experienced in comparing EPA's Science and Technology... |
Since NASA was established in 1958, its civil service workforce has fluctuated widely. In 1967, during the Apollo program, the workforce was at about 35,900. In the 1970s, due to unfunded programs, the workforce shrank, with several thousand employees involuntarily separated during the middle of the decade. By 1980, th... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) efforts to downsize its staff. GAO found that: (1) NASA has reduced its fiscal year (FY) 2000 full-time equivalent (FTE) goal by more than 3,000 personnel; (2) NASA has provided eligible employees with voluntary... |
Most federal civilian employees are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. Both of these retirement plans include survivor benefit provisions. Three separate retirement plans apply to various groups of judges in the federal judiciary, with JSAS being available... | The Judicial Survivors' Annuities System (JSAS) was created in 1956 to provide financial security for the families of deceased federal judges. It provides benefits to eligible spouses and dependent children of judges who elect coverage within 6 months of taking office, 6 months after getting married, or 6 months after ... |
The Capitol Hill anthrax incident occurred a month after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, while EPA and other federal agencies were continuing to respond to these attacks. The Capitol Police Board, which governs the U.S. Capitol Police Force, led the anthrax cleanup at the Capitol Hill ... | In September and October 2001, the first cases of anthrax bioterrorism occurred in the United States when letters containing anthrax were mailed to congressional leaders and members of the news media. As the cleanup of the Capitol Hill anthrax site progressed, EPA's estimates of the cleanup costs steadily rose. GAO was... |
We found that Interior continues to experience problems hiring and retaining sufficient staff to provide oversight and management of oil and gas activities on federal lands and waters. BLM, BOEM, and BSEE office managers we surveyed reported that they continue to find it difficult to fill vacancies for key oil and gas ... | Interior employs a wide range of highly trained specialists and scientists with key skills to oversee oil and gas operations on leased federal lands and waters. GAO and others have reported that Interior has faced challenges hiring and retaining sufficient staff to carry out these responsibilities. In February 2011, GA... |
The U.S. Commercial Service, within Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), plays a leading role in the federal government’s efforts to encourage and promote U.S. nonagricultural exports. CS was founded in 1980, as overseas commercial work was transferred from the Department of State (State) to CS. The pur... | Federal and state trade promotion activities are intended to help U.S. firms compete successfully in foreign markets. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)--firms with fewer than 500 employees--represent a key segment of exporting firms. GAO was asked to determine (1) the relationship between the Department of Comme... |
The SES is relatively small—about 7,900 members in 2013—and represents less than one percent of the over two million federal civilian employees. As a corps of executives selected for their leadership qualifications, members serve in the key positions just below the top presidential appointees. SES members are the major... | The career SES, a cadre of senior leaders, has a pay-for-performance compensation system, which includes annual cash performance awards. OPM has a key leadership and oversight role in the implementation of the SES pay-for-performance system, including the certification of SES performance appraisal systems. GAO was aske... |
Advances in the use of IT and the Internet are continuing to change the way that federal agencies communicate, use, and disseminate information; deliver services; and conduct business. For example, electronic government (e-government) has the potential to help build better relationships between government and the publi... | The federal government spends billions of dollars annually on information technology (IT) investments that are critical to the effective implementation of major government programs. To help agencies effectively manage their substantial IT investments, the Congress has established a statutory framework of requirements a... |
The Fair Housing Act, title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The act allowed the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate and conciliate complaints of housing discrimi... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Housing Initiatives Program, focusing on: (1) how funds are allocated among the program's four initiatives or funding categories, what dollar amounts are made available under each category, and what level of demand ... |
The AFWCF relies on sales revenue rather than regular appropriations to finance its continuing operations. The AFWCF is intended to (1) generate sufficient resources to cover the full cost of its operations and (2) operate on a break-even basis over time—that is, neither make a gain nor incur a loss. Customers primaril... | The AFWCF earned revenue of $21.2 billion in fiscal year 2013 by, among other things, (1) repairing aircraft and engines; (2) selling inventory items (parts); and (3) providing air, land, and sea transportation. Cash generated from the sale of goods and services is used by the AFWCF to cover its expenses, such as payin... |
Congress created the research tax credit in 1981 to encourage businesses to do more research. The credit has never been a permanent part of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Since its enactment on a temporary basis in 1981, the credit had been extended 13 times, often retroactively. There was only a 1-year period (betwe... | The tax credit for qualified research expenses provides significant subsidies to encourage business investment in research intended to foster innovation and promote long-term economic growth. Generally the credit provides a subsidy for research spending in excess of a base amount but concerns have been raised about its... |
The Randolph-Sheppard Act created a vending facility program in 1936 to provide blind individuals with more job opportunities and to encourage their self-support. The program trains and employs blind individuals to operate vending facilities on federal property. While Randolph-Sheppard is under the authority of the Dep... | Randolph-Sheppard and Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) are two federal programs that provide employment for persons with disabilities through federal contracts. In 2006, participants in the two programs had contracts with the Department of Defense (DOD) worth $465 million annually to provide dining services at military dinin... |
Unlike conventional, or subtractive, manufacturing processes—such as drilling or milling—that create a part or product by cutting away material from a larger piece, additive manufacturing builds a finished piece in successive layers, generally without the use of molds, casts, or patterns. Additive manufacturing can pot... | Additive manufacturing—building products layer-by-layer in a process often referred to as three-dimensional (3D) printing—has the potential to improve aspects of DOD's mission and operations. DOD and other organizations, such as America Makes, are determining how to address challenges to adopt this technology throughou... |
Congress established FHA in 1934 under the National Housing Act (P.L. 73- 479) to broaden homeownership, protect and sustain lending institutions, and stimulate employment in the building industry. FHA insures a variety of mortgages for initial home purchases, construction and rehabilitation, and refinancing. In fiscal... | In recent years, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has experienced a sharp decline in market share. Also, the agency has estimated that, absent program changes, its Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (Fund) would require appropriations in 2008. To adapt to market changes, FHA has implemented new procedures and propo... |
The federal government is facing several significant challenges when it comes to its acquisition workforce: the number of workers is declining, while the workload and the demand for more sophisticated technical, financial, and management skills are increasing. DOD’s contracting workload, for example, has increased by a... | The federal government is dramatically changing the way it purchases goods and services--by relying more on judgment and initiative versus rigid rules to make purchasing decisions. At the same time, agencies are dealing with reductions in the civilian acquisition workforce. GAO was asked to determine what efforts feder... |
NTIA and RUS have until September 30, 2010, to obligate the Recovery Act funding for broadband projects. While the completion time will vary depending on the complexity of the project, recipients of BTOP grants and BIP awards must substantially complete projects supported by these programs no later than 2 years, and pr... | Access to affordable broadband service is seen as vital to economic growth and improved quality of life. To extend broadband access and adoption, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) provided $7.2 billion to the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NT... |
To assess how agencies are using the results of single audits, we conducted a survey of the 24 agencies subject to the CFO Act. We pretested our survey with one federal agency, solicited comments from OMB, and modified the survey based on the comments we received. The survey included two sections. The first section cap... | The federal government awards $300 billion to state and local governments and nonprofit groups each year. The Single Audit Act promotes sound financial management, including effective internal controls, over these federal awards. Before the act, government relied on audits of individual grants to determine if the money... |
SBIR has four overarching purposes: to (1) use small businesses to meet federal R&D needs, (2) stimulate technological innovation, (3) increase commercialization of innovations derived from federal R&D efforts, and (4) encourage participation in technological innovation by small businesses owned by women and disadvanta... | The Small Business Act established the SBIR and STTR programs to use small businesses to meet federal R&D needs. The law mandates that agencies, with extramural R&D budgets that meet the thresholds for participation, must spend a percentage of these annual budgets on the SBIR and STTR programs. The agencies are to repo... |
Under the pilot program, a SIB serves essentially as an umbrella under which a variety of innovative finance techniques can be implemented. Much like a bank, a SIB would need equity capital to get started; and equity capital could be provided at least in part through federal highway funds. Once capitalized, the SIB cou... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed states' interest in establishing state infrastructure banks (SIB), focusing on the: (1) extent of states' interest in the SIB pilot program and how states might use SIB; and (2) benefits and barriers to states using SIB. GAO found that: (1) 15 states applied for the 10 ... |
In recent years, federal agencies have been making greater use of interagency contracting—a process by which agencies can use another agency’s contracting services or existing contracts already awarded by other agencies to procure many goods and services. An agency can enter into an interagency agreement with a servici... | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has some of the most extensive acquisition needs within the federal government. In fiscal year 2005, DHS spent $17.5 billion on contracted purchases, $6.5 billion, or 37 percent, of which was through the use of other agencies' contracts and contracting services, a process known... |
OSHA is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 for about half the states; the remaining 26 states have been granted authority to set and enforce their own safety and health standards under a state plan approved by OSHA. At present, 22 of these 26 states enforce occupa... | The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for ensuring workplace safety. OSHA has established a number of programs, including the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), that take a cooperative approach to obtaining compliance with safety and health regulations and OSHA'... |
Early childhood is a key period of development in a child’s life and an emphasized age group for which services are likely to have long-term benefits. Recent research has underscored the need to focus on this period to improve children’s intellectual development, language development, and school readiness. Early childh... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed how Congress can use the Government Performance and Results Act to facilitate agency performance plans to oversee early childhood programs, focusing on: (1) how the Results Act can assist in management and congressional oversight, especially in areas where there are mu... |
Carrier strike groups are typically centered around an aircraft carrier and its air wing, and also include a guided missile cruiser; two guided missile destroyers; a frigate; an attack submarine; and one or more supply ships with ammunition, fuel, and supplies (such as food and spare parts). These groups are formed and... | The Navy has been transforming itself to better meet 21st century needs. Since 2000, the Congress has appropriated about $50 billion annually for the Navy to operate and maintain its forces and support around 376,000 military personnel. In recognizing that the Navy faces affordability issues in sustaining readiness wit... |
The narrow margin of victory in the 2000 presidential election raised concerns about the extent to which members of the military, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad were able to vote via absentee ballot. The elections process within the United States is primarily the responsibility of the individual stat... | The narrow margin of victory in the 2000 presidential election raised concerns about the extent to which members of the military, their dependents, and U.S. citizens living abroad were able to vote via absentee ballot. In September 2001, GAO made recommendations to address variances in the Department of Defense's (DOD)... |
The NFIP seeks to minimize human suffering and flood-related property losses by making flood insurance available on reasonable terms and encouraging its purchase by people who need flood insurance protection—particularly those living in flood-prone areas known as special flood hazard areas (SFHA). Prior to the flood in... | This testimony discusses the preliminary results of GAO's ongoing review of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is run by the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) Federal Insurance Administration (FIA) and Mitigation Directorate, a major component of the federal government's efforts to pr... |
The U.S. government classifies information that it determines could damage the national security of the United States if disclosed publicly. Currently, all classified information falls under two authorities, one for national defense and foreign relations, the other for nuclear weapons and technology. Beginning in 1940,... | In recent years, the Congress has become increasingly concerned that federal agencies are misclassifying information. Classified information is material containing national defense or foreign policy information determined by the U.S. government to require protection for reasons of national security. GAO was asked to as... |
Over the past decade, DOD has increasingly relied on contractors to provide a range of mission-critical services from operating information technology systems to providing logistical support on the battlefield. The growth in spending on services clearly illustrates this point. DOD’s obligations on service contracts, ex... | The Department of Defense (DOD) is relying more and more on contractors to provide billions of dollars in services. Congress has pushed DOD to employ sound business practices when using the private sector for services. This testimony discusses DOD's (1) increasing reliance on contractors; (2) efforts to follow sound bu... |
Within DOD’s overall acquisition framework, there are three key decision- support processes—the acquisition management system, requirements determination, and resource allocation—that must work closely together for acquisition programs to successfully deliver the right weapon systems at the right time and right price. ... | GAO has reported extensively on problems in cost, schedule, and performance for major defense acquisition programs. According to some acquisition reform advocates, expanding the role of the military service chiefs in the process to acquire weapon systems may improve acquisition outcomes. Following a 2014 GAO report on ... |
The creation of DHS in November 2002 represents the most significant transformation of the U.S. government since 1947, when the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces were combined into the Department of Defense (DOD) to better coordinate the nation’s defense against military threats. In January 2003, we cited numer... | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is attempting to integrate 22 federal agencies, each specializing in one or more interrelated aspects of homeland security. An enterprise architecture is a key tool for effectively and efficiently accomplishing this. In September 2003, DHS issued an initial version of its archi... |
A safe and secure aviation system is a critical component to securing the nation’s overall physical infrastructure and maintaining its economic vitality. Billions of dollars and a myriad of programs and policies have been devoted to achieving such a system. Critical to ensuring aviation security are screening checkpoin... | The aviation industry and business traveler groups have proposed the registered traveler concept as a way to reduce long waits in airport security lines caused by heightened security screening measures implemented after the September 11 terrorist attacks. In addition, aviation security experts have advocated this conce... |
The Federal Aviation Act of 1958, as amended, gives DOT responsibility for promoting new airlines’ operations, while at the same time determining whether applicants proposing to provide air transportation services for compensation or hire meet federal economic and safety standards before commencing operations. Within D... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Transportation's (DOT) processes for certifying the initial operations of new airlines, focusing on the: (1) number of applicants that applied for and received authorization to begin new airlines since 1990; and (2) cost to certify new airlines and how... |
Under the provisions of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, NASA is authorized to acquire aircraft. Since its creation, NASA has operated a small fleet of aircraft, primarily to provide passenger transportation. According to the 2004 General Services Administration’s Federal Aviation Interactive Reporting S... | Since its creation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has operated passenger aircraft services. These operations have been questioned in several prior audit reports. GAO was asked to perform a series of audits of NASA's controls to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. In this audi... |
Many participants along the entire drug supply chain are affected by shortages. A typical drug supply chain involves a drug manufacturer selling a drug to a wholesale distributor, which then sells the drug to a hospital or pharmacy. (See fig. 1.) Shortages of drugs can result in a variety of problems that directly affe... | From prolonged duration of a disease, to permanent injury, to death, drug shortages have led to harmful patient outcomes. FDA—an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—is responsible for protecting public health and works to prevent, alleviate, and resolve shortages. In 2011, GAO recommended th... |
IRS is responsible for administering our nation’s voluntary tax system in a fair and efficient manner. To do so, IRS has a staff of about 115,000 employees who work at hundreds of locations in the United States and in several foreign countries. These employees (1) process over 200 million tax returns each year, (2) exa... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has adequate controls to prevent taxpayer abuse and whether additional appropriations are needed to strengthen IRS ability to prevent taxpayer mistreatment. GAO found that: (1) although IRS has undertaken several initiatives to... |
Power plant developers consider many factors when determining where to locate a power plant, including the availability of fuel, water, and land; access to electrical transmission lines; electricity demand; and potential environmental issues. Often, developers will consider several sites that meet their minimum require... | In 2000, thermoelectric power plants accounted for 39 percent of total U.S. freshwater withdrawals. Traditionally, power plants have withdrawn water from rivers and other water sources to cool the steam used to produce electricity, so that it may be reused to produce more electricity. Some of this water is consumed, an... |
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 and some scientists have projected that the Arctic will be ice- diminished for periods of time in the summer by as soon as 2040.recently as September 2011, scientists a... | The gradual retreat of polar sea ice, combined with an expected increase in human activity--shipping traffic, oil and gas exploration, and tourism in the Arctic region--has increased the strategic interest that the United States and other nations have in the Arctic. As a result, the U.S. Coast Guard, within the Departm... |
The GPD program is one of nine VA programs that specialize in serving homeless veterans. Six of these programs fall under the responsibility of the Veterans Health Administration, which obligated about $224 million in fiscal year 2006 for these programs as well as $1.2 billion for outreach and treatment of homeless vet... | About one-third of the nation's adult homeless population are veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Many of these veterans have experienced substance abuse, mental illness, or both. The VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program, which is up for reauthorization, provides transiti... |
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.