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The legislative conditions that the Congress placed on the use of fiscal year 2006 ACE appropriated funds have been either partially or fully satisfied by the latest expenditure plan and related program documentation and activities. However, more can be done to better address several aspects of these conditions. For ex... | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is conducting a multiyear, multibillion-dollar acquisition of a new trade processing system, planned to support the movement of legitimate imports and exports and strengthen border security. By congressional mandate, plans for expenditure of appropriated funds on this system, t... |
UN Secretariat procurement has tripled over the past decade, as peacekeeping operations have grown. The UN procures a variety of goods and services, including freight services, motor vehicle parts, and telecommunications equipment. UN procurement is conducted by the Department of Management and the Department of Peacek... | For more than a decade, experts have called on the United Nations (UN) Secretariat to correct serious deficiencies in its procurement process. Recent evidence of corruption and mismanagement in procurement suggests that millions of dollars contributed to the UN by the United States and other member states are at risk o... |
When developing its annual budget submission, BOP uses three general steps to estimate costs for its two budget accounts—the Salaries and Expenses account (known as its operational budget) and its Buildings and Facilities account. First, BOP estimates cost increases for maintaining the current level of services for ope... | The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is responsible for the custody and care of about 209,000 federal inmates--a population which has grown by 44 percent over the last decade. In fiscal years 2008 and 2009, the President requested additional funding for BOP because costs for key operations ... |
Since its founding in 1718, the city of New Orleans and its surrounding areas have been subject to numerous floods from the Mississippi River and hurricanes. The greater New Orleans metropolitan area, composed of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany parishes, sits in the tidal lowlands of Lake ... | The greatest natural threat posed to the New Orleans area is from hurricane-induced storm surges, waves, and rainfalls. A hurricane surge that can inundate coastal lowlands is the most destructive characteristic of hurricanes and accounts for most of the lives lost from hurricanes. Hurricane surge heights along the Gul... |
EMS systems are designed to provide a quick, coordinated response of emergency medical care resources for traumatic incidents and medical emergencies. Persons who need such a response may need help for a variety of medical conditions, such as cardiac arrest, diabetes, seizures, or behavioral disorders, or they may have... | Local emergency medical systems (EMS) have reported substantial needs in such areas as personnel, training, equipment, and the availability of doctors to advise emergency personnel in the field. Federal agencies have supported EMS improvements by acting as facilitators rather then by establishing requirements or provid... |
The Clean Air Act, as amended, provides the basic statutory framework for the role of the federal government and the states in managing air quality in the United States. Among other things, the Act authorizes EPA to set and enforce standards, referred to as National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), for pollutants... | The Clean Air Act, as amended, requires some areas with especially poor air quality to use a "special gasoline blend" designed to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) and requiring the use of an oxygenate such as ethanol. In less severely polluted areas, the Act allows states, ... |
The August 2000 DOT&E report summarized the progress, up to that date, of the National Missile Defense program and the adequacy of testing in the context of a deployment decision. At the time, the development program revolved around a series of ground and flight tests and was to have culminated in an initial operationa... | In August 2000, the Defense Department's (DOD) Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), made 50 recommendations on a test program for a system to defeat long-range ballistic missile threats against the United States. DOD's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plans to begin fielding the system by September 2004. GAO ... |
VA’s disability compensation claims process starts when a veteran submits a claim to VA (see fig. 1). A claim folder is created at 1 of VA’s 57 regional offices, and a Veterans Service Representative (VSR) then reviews the claim and helps the veteran gather the relevant evidence needed to evaluate the claim. Such evide... | This testimony discusses the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) disability benefits program, which provides monetary support to veterans with disabling conditions that were incurred or aggravated during military service. In fiscal year 2013, VA estimates it will provide $59.6 billion in compensation benefits to 3.98 ... |
FDA is responsible for ensuring that medical products—including medical devices—sold in the United States provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness and do not pose a threat to public health. FDA’s oversight responsibilities for medical devices begin before a product is brought to market and continue afte... | Recalls are an important tool to mitigate serious health consequences associated with defective or unsafe medical devices. Typically, a recall is voluntarily initiated by the firm that manufactured the device. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ov... |
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... |
While Native American veterans are geographically dispersed throughout the United States, the West and South regions contain the majority of the Native American veteran population, according to Census data. Some Native American veterans are members of the 566 federally recognized tribes that are distinct, independent p... | Native Americans who have served in the military may be eligible for health care services from both VA and IHS. To enhance health care access and the quality of care provided to Native American veterans, in 2010, these two agencies renewed and revised an MOU designed to improve their coordination and resource sharing r... |
The federal government collects, generates, and uses large amounts of information in electronic form, from enormous geographic databases to individual e-mails. Much of that information can constitute official federal records, and agencies must have ways to manage such records. Under the Federal Records Act, each federa... | Federal agencies are increasingly using electronic means to create, exchange, and store information, and in doing so, they frequently create federal records: that is, information, in whatever form, that documents government functions, activities, decisions, and other important transactions. As the volume of electronic ... |
Many firms of varying sizes make up the U.S. petroleum industry. While some firms engage in only limited activities within the industry, such as exploration for and production of crude oil and natural gas or refining crude oil and marketing petroleum products, fully vertically integrated oil companies participate in al... | Gasoline is subject to dramatic price swings. A multitude of factors affect U.S. gasoline markets, including world crude oil costs and limited refining capacity. Since the 1990s, another factor affecting U.S. gasoline markets has been a wave of mergers in the petroleum industry, several between large oil companies that... |
Among the pre-Medicare population, the primary source of health insurance is private coverage. In the first half of 2012, nearly 69 percent of individuals in this population were privately insured. An additional 13 percent of individuals obtained coverage through government programs such as Medicaid. However, a signifi... | Nearly 7 million individuals aged 55 to 64--more than 18 percent of the pre-Medicare population--lacked health insurance coverage in the first half of 2012. Health insurance protects individuals from the risk of financial hardship when they need medical care, and uninsured individuals may refrain from seeking necessary... |
The military exchanges are nonappropriated fund activities that are established, controlled by, and operated for the benefit of DOD components. Their mission is to provide (1) authorized patrons with articles and services necessary for their health, comfort, and convenience and (2) DOD’s morale, welfare, and recreation... | The military exchange services operate a wide range of retail activities, such as department stores, florist shops, barber and beauty shops, gas stations, and restaurants. Hamburger restaurants represent a major segment of the exchange services' name-brand, fast-food sales. The exchange services use either a direct or ... |
Children enter state foster care when they have been removed from their parents or guardians and placed under the responsibility of a state child- welfare agency. Removal from the home can occur because of reasons such as abuse or neglect. When children are taken into foster care, the state’s child-welfare agency becom... | In December 2011, GAO reported that foster children in selected states were prescribed psychotropic medications at rates higher than nonfoster children in Medicaid in 2008. GAO was asked to further examine instances of foster children being prescribed psychotropic medications. For the five states included in GAO's 2011... |
Title II of the Social Security Act, as amended, establishes the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, which is generally known as Social Security. It provides cash benefits to retired and disabled workers and their dependents and survivors. Workers become eligible when they have enough years of... | Before Social Security, being old often meant being poor. Today, dependency on public assistance has dropped to a fraction of its Depression-era levels, and poverty rates among the elderly are now lower than for the population as a whole. At the same time, Social Security has become the single largest source of retirem... |
The sole purpose of Newark AFB is to house and support the large industrial complex comprising the AGMC. Supporting two Air Force missions—depot maintenance and metrology and calibration—AGMC provides depot level maintenance of inertial guidance and navigation systems and components and displacement gyroscopes for the ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the cost and savings issues related to the closure and privatization of the Newark Air Force Base Aerospace Guidance and Metrology Center (AGMC). GAO found that: (1) the justification for closing AGMC is not clear; (2) the Department of Defense (DOD) considers AGMC work... |
Managed by DHS’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), SBInet is intended to strengthen CBP’s ability to detect, identify, classify, track, and respond to illegal breaches at and between ports of entry. The SBI Program Executive Office, which is organizationally within CBP, is responsible for managing key acquisition fu... | The Secure Border Initiative (SBI) is intended to help secure the 6,000 miles of international borders that the contiguous United States shares with Canada and Mexico. The program, which began in November 2005, seeks to enhance border security and reduce illegal immigration by improving surveillance technologies, raisi... |
SSA administers three major benefit programs: Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI), which provides benefits to retired workers and their families and to families of deceased workers; (2) Disability Insurance (DI), which provides benefits to eligible workers with disabilities and their family members; and (3) Suppleme... | For years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has experienced challenges managing a large disability workload and making timely decisions. In fiscal year 2006, SSA made about 3.7 million disability claims decisions, while over a million were awaiting a decision. Further, SSA has faced staffing challenges and diff... |
According to Census data, in 2005 an estimated 21.9 million households, or 20 percent of the 111.1 million households nationwide, were “veteran households”—that is, they had at least one member who was a military veteran. Most veteran households—about 80 percent—owned their own homes, a significantly higher percentage ... | Veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan could increase demand for affordable rental housing. Households with low incomes (80 percent or less of the area median income) generally are eligible to receive rental assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) housing choice voucher,... |
The departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force have a variety of statutory authorities that allow them to accept payments in the form of in- kind renovation or construction of facilities. For example, in fiscal year 2013, DOD used authority provided by sections 2667 and 2668 of Title 10 of the United States Code to l... | DOD uses in-kind payments domestically and overseas in its real-estate transactions as an alternative to appropriated funds to help manage a global real-property portfolio that includes more than 555,000 facilities worldwide. In-kind payments refer to DOD receiving construction and renovation services rather than cash ... |
Each insurance company is chartered under the laws of a single state, known as its state of domicile. Although an insurance company can conduct business in multiple states, the regulator in the insurer’s state of domicile is its primary regulator. States in which an insurer is licensed to operate, but in which it is no... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the readiness of the insurance industry to meet the year 2000 date change, focusing on: (1) an updated assessment, as of September 30, 1999, of state regulatory oversight of the insurance industry's year 2000 preparations; and (2) the status of the indust... |
Our assessment of IRS’s 2004 filing season performance was based on analyses of IRS data and information obtained from sources outside IRS, interviews with IRS officials and private sector tax practitioners, observations of IRS operations, and, for the comparison to previous years, on our past filing season reports. re... | Most taxpayers have their only contact with IRS during the filing season, with tens of millions filing their returns, getting refunds, and seeking assistance by calling or visiting IRS's offices or Web site. GAO was asked to assess IRS's performance in 2004 relative to goals and prior years' performance as well as init... |
The U.S. election system is highly decentralized and relies on a complex interaction of people, processes, and technology. Voters, local election jurisdictions (which number over 10,000), states and territories, and the federal government all play important roles in the election process. The process, however, is primar... | The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) protects the rights of military personnel, their dependents, and overseas citizens to vote by absentee ballot. The Department of Defense (DOD) and others have reported that absentee voting, which relies primarily on mail, can be slow and may, in certain c... |
Modernization of agency financial management systems has been an ongoing challenge due, in part, to federal agency attempts to develop and implement their own stovepiped systems that all too often have resulted in failure, been delayed, or cost too much. Recognizing the need for a more holistic approach to address the ... | In March 2004, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) launched the financial management line of business (FMLOB) initiative, in part, to reduce the cost and improve the quality and performance of federal financial management systems by leveraging shared service solutions and implementing other reforms. In March 2006... |
Remittances have become an important source of financial flows to developing regions and have been resilient in the face of economic downturns. These funds can be used for various purposes, including basic consumption, housing, education, and small business formation; they can also promote financial development in cash... | Remittances are the personal funds that the foreign born send to their home countries. In recent years, estimated remittances have grown dramatically, and policy makers have increased their attention to these flows. Organizations use various methodologies to estimate remittance flows, which result in a range of estimat... |
As we testified in July 2001, controls over grant and loan disbursements did not include a key edit check or follow-up process that would help identify schools that were disbursing Pell Grants to ineligible students. To identify improper payments that may have resulted from the absence of these controls, we performed t... | The Department of Education has a history of financial management problems, including serious internal control weaknesses, that have affected the Department's ability to provide reliable financial information on its operations. GAO found that significant internal control weaknesses in payment processes and poor physica... |
Initially, U.S. deployment plans in support of the NATO peacekeeping effort (known as Operation Joint Endeavor) called for a heavy reliance on road and rail for transporting troops and equipment into Bosnia. These early plans assumed only minimal airlift support would be needed and that would be provided by C-130s base... | GAO reviewed how the C-17 aircraft was used during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) peacekeeping force deployment to Bosnia, focusing on: (1) how well it performed during the deployment; and (2) whether deployment transportation requirements included the need for airlift aircraft to perform any of the C-17... |
Several key sources provide information on the number and characteristics of working children. The Current Population Survey (CPS), compiled monthly by BLS, is the primary source of information on the United States labor force. CPS provides nationally representative information on the number and characteristics of work... | In 2001, almost 40 percent of all 16- and 17-year-olds in the United States and many 14- and 15-year-olds worked at some time in the year. Children in the United States are often encouraged to work, and many people believe that children benefit from early work experiences by developing independence, confidence, and res... |
In preparation for the 2010 Census, the address canvassing operation was tested as part of the 2008 Dress Rehearsal. From May 7 to June 25, 2007, the Bureau conducted its address canvassing operation for its 2008 Dress Rehearsal in selected localities in California (see fig. 1) and North Carolina (see fig. 2). The 2008... | The U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) had planned to rely heavily on automation in conducting the 2010 Census, including using handheld computers (HHC) to verify addresses. Citing concerns about escalating costs, in March 2008 the Secretary of Commerce announced a redesign of the key automation effort. GAO was asked to (1) a... |
From fiscal years 2002 through 2007, several changes occurred that affected refuge management including changes in funding and staffing levels, refuge system policy initiatives, and the influence of external factors, such as extreme weather and human development. Fluctuations in refuge funding. Inflation-adjusted fundi... | The National Wildlife Refuge System, which is administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of the Interior, comprises 585 refuges on more than 96 million acres of land and water that preserve habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and other wildlife. Refug... |
The amount of insurance coverage available to homeowners under the NFIP is limited by requirements set forth in statute and regulation. As a result of these limitations, insurance payments to claimants for flood damage may not cover all the costs of repairing or replacing flood- damaged property. For example, there is ... | The disastrous hurricanes that have struck the Gulf Coast and Eastern seaboard in recent years--including Katrina, Rita, Ivan, and Isabel--have focused attention on federal flood management efforts. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), established in 1968, provides property owners with some insurance coverage f... |
The Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) describes the desired outcome of an income tax audit as the determination of the correct taxable income and tax liability of the person or entity under audit. In making these determinations, the auditor has a responsibility to both the audited taxpayer and all other taxpayers to conduc... | GAO reviewed the condition of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) audit workpapers, including the documentation of supervisory review. GAO noted that: (1) during its review of IRS' financial status audits, the workpapers did not always meet the requirements under IRS' workpaper standards; (2) standards not met in some... |
During congressional testimony in early 1996, the Army Chief of Staff requested funds from Congress to speed up the fielding of urgently needed new technologies to the soldier. The Chief of Staff stressed that Congress and the Army could accelerate the development of new technologies by making funds available more quic... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's implementation of the Warfighting Rapid Acquisition Program (WRAP), focusing on the current status of the program. GAO noted that: (1) the Army's criteria for selecting WRAP candidates are open-ended and allow room for different interpretations; (2) as a resu... |
We reported in April 2013 that costs increased and schedules were delayed considerably for all four of VA’s largest medical-facility construction projects, when comparing November 2012 construction project data with the cost and schedule estimates first submitted to Congress. Cost increases ranged from 59 percent to 14... | VA operates one of the nation's largest health care delivery systems. In April 2013, GAO reported that VA was managing the construction of 50 major medical-facility projects costing between $10 million and hundreds of millions of dollars, including the ongoing project in Denver. This statement discusses VA construction... |
SIPC’s mission is to promote confidence in securities markets by seeking to return customers’ cash and securities when a broker-dealer fails. SIPC provides advances for these customers up to the SIPA protection limits— $500,000 per customer, except that claims for cash are limited to $250,000 per customer. SIPC is gove... | With the collapse of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLCa broker-dealer and investment advisory firm with thousands of clientsBernard Madoff admitted to reporting $57.2 billion in fictitious customer holdings. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), which oversees a fund providing up to $500,0... |
According to NTSB’s aviation accident database, from 1998 to 2009 one large commercial airplane was involved in a nonfatal accident after encountering icing conditions during flight and five large commercial airplanes were involved in nonfatal accidents related to snow or ice on runways. Although there have been few ac... | Ice formation on aircraft can disrupt the smooth flow of air over the wings and prevent the aircraft from taking off or decrease the pilot's ability to maintain control of the aircraft. Taxi and landing operations can also be risky in winter weather. Despite a variety of technologies designed to prevent ice from formin... |
The Kennedy Center, established in 1964 as both a national cultural arts center and a memorial to the 35th President, opened in September 1971. Shortly thereafter, in 1972, the Secretary of the Interior, through NPS, assumed responsibility for building maintenance, security, interpretative, janitorial, and all other se... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' efforts to define and implement: (1) facility management positions; (2) a facility management system; and (3) facility project and financial reports. GAO noted that: (1) the Center managers, including the... |
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 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War, health problems prevented the deployment of a significant number of Army reservists. To help correct this problem the Congress passed legislation that required reservists to undergo periodic physical and dental examinations. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2002 directed... |
To meet the legislative requirements regarding independent management reviews, DOD issued guidance and instructions providing for a peer review process for services acquisitions. DOD’s guidance generally addresses requirements prescribed in the Act to develop a process to evaluate the specified contracting issues, but ... | The Department of Defense (DOD) is the federal government's largest purchaser of contractor-provided services, obligating more than $207 billion on services contracts in fiscal year 2009. DOD contract management has been on GAO's high-risk list since 1992, in part because of continued weaknesses in DOD's management and... |
Authorized in 1972 under title XVI of the Social Security Act, the SSI program is administered by SSA. Until recently, SSA was an agency within HHS. Effective March 31, 1995, it became an independent agency. SSI provides cash benefits to aged, blind, or disabled individuals whose income and resources are below certain ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed fraudulent claims for disability benefits under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, focusing on: (1) the extent of fraudulent applications submitted by non-English speaking immigrants using middlemen; (2) factors that contribute to SSI vulnerability to such ... |
Through a number of legislative actions, Congress has indicated its desire that agencies create telework programs to accomplish a number of positive outcomes. These actions have included recognizing the need for program leadership within the agencies; encouraging agencies to think broadly in setting eligibility require... | Telework continues to receive attention within Congress and federal agencies as a human capital strategy that offers various flexibilities to both employers and employees. Increasingly recognized as an important means to achieving a number of federal goals, telework offers greater capability to continue operations duri... |
This section provides information on avian influenza viruses; avian influenza transmission in and between humans and animals; commercial and noncommercial poultry production in the United States; our prior work on avian influenza; and the responsibilities that USDA, HHS, and Interior have with respect to avian influenz... | Avian influenza is an extremely infectious and potentially fatal disease in poultry. In 2014 and 2016, two outbreaks of avian influenza led to the deaths of millions of poultry in 15 states and prompted emergency spending to control the disease. While the health risk to humans is low, humans have been infected with the... |
In 1947, the United Nations (U.N.) created the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The United States entered into a trusteeship with the U.N. Security Council and became the administering authority of the current islands of the FSM and the RMI. The United States administered the islands under this trusteeship until... | In 1986, the United States entered into a Compact of Free Association (Compact) that provided about $2.1 billion in U.S. assistance from 1987 through 2003 to the Pacific Island nations of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). GAO has issued a number of reports raising ... |
Asylum, a form of humanitarian protection, is an immigration benefit that enables certain noncitizens to remain in the United States and apply for lawful permanent residence. Asylum provides refuge for certain individuals who have been persecuted in the past or fear persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationali... | Each year, tens of thousands of noncitizens apply in the United States for asylum, which provides refuge to those who have been persecuted or fear persecution. Asylum officers (AO) in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and immigration judges (IJ) in the Depart... |
USPS, an independent establishment of the executive branch, is intended to be a financially self-sufficient entity that covers its expenses almost entirely through postal revenues. In April 2001, we placed USPS on our First, in the short term, USPS’s ability to high-risk list for two reasons.continue to fulfill its mis... | PAEA required USPS to prefund its future retiree health benefits as part of comprehensive postal reform by establishing the PSRHBF along with an initial target period to fund the unfunded liability in 50 years. This requirement included annual payments to this fund from 2007 to 2016 of between $5.4 billion to $5.8 bill... |
Since it was launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has sent back images of space that have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the universe. The telescope uses pointing precision, powerful optics, and state-of-the-art instruments to explore the visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared regions ... | Hubble's continued operation has been dependent on manned servicing missions using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) shuttle fleet. The fleet was grounded in early 2003 following the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia, as NASA focused its efforts on responding to recommendations made by the Col... |
Financial literacy has been defined as the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial well-being. To make sound financial decisions, individuals need to be equipped not only with a basic level of financial knowledge but also with the skills to apply that kn... | Financial literacy plays an important role in helping ensure the financial health and stability of individuals and families, and efforts to improve consumers' financial literacy have grown in recent years. Currently, hundreds of nonprofit, private, and governmental entities provide some form of financial education to A... |
The Department of Defense (DOD) is in the process of realigning and closing military installations. An initial major round of installation realignments and closures occurred in 1988, subsequent rounds followed in 1991 and 1993, and another round is scheduled for 1995. Congress has expressed concern that environmental c... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the environmental cleanup of Department of Defense (DOD) facilities slated for closing, focusing on: (1) the cleanup cost, transferability, and reuse of property by nonfederal users; and (2) DOD progress, difficulties, and plans to address the problems. GAO found that: ... |
The first U.S.-Japan insurance agreement was signed on October 11, 1994, and was concluded under the United States-Japan Framework Agreement. In negotiating the insurance agreement, the U.S. government sought to establish that deregulation of the large primary sector of the Japanese insurance market, where U.S. firms h... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the implementation and monitoring of the U.S.-Japan insurance agreements, focusing on: (1) the views of U.S. insurance companies operating in Japan regarding the agreements' implementation and impact on their ability to compete in the Japanese market; (2)... |
In 1978, the Congress deregulated the airline industry, phasing out the federal government’s control over domestic fares and routes served and allowing market forces to determine the price, quantity, and quality of service. Most legacy carriers, free to determine their own routes, developed “hub-and-spoke” networks. Th... | Over the last decade significant changes have occurred in the airline industry. Many legacy carriers are facing challenging financial conditions and low cost carriers are attracting passengers away from some small community airports. These changes, and others, have challenged small communities to attract adequate comme... |
The U.S. export control system for items with military applications is divided into two regimes. State licenses munitions items, which are designed, developed, configured, adapted, or modified for military applications, and Commerce licenses most dual-use items, which are items that have both commercial and military ap... | GAO discussed the military sensitivity of commercial communications satellites and the implications of the 1996 change in export licensing jurisdiction, focusing on: (1) key elements in the export control systems of the Departments of Commerce and State; (2) how export controls for commercial satellites have evolved ov... |
Authority for controlling the export of defense items is provided through the Arms Export Control Act, and these exports are regulated through the ITAR by State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. While most defense items require a license for export, the ITAR contains numerous exemptions from licensing... | Defense (DOD) activities, U.S. defense companies may export defense items. The Department of State (State) controls such exports through its International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which provides for some exemptions from export licensing requirements. For a limited number of these exemptions, DOD may confirm-... |
CBP’s ability to inspect travelers at our nation’s ports of entry has been hampered by weaknesses in travel inspection procedures, inadequate physical infrastructure, and lack of staff at the air, land, and sea ports of entry. The use of fraudulent identity and citizenship documents by some travelers to the United Stat... | Since September 11, 2001, the need to secure U.S. borders has increased in importance and attracted greater public and Congressional attention. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has spent billions of dollars to prevent the illegal entry of individuals and contraband between ports of entry--government-designated... |
The federal government levies excise taxes on entities and individuals for the purpose of financing general federal activities and specific government programs. Several different bureaus and offices within Treasury collected about $59 billion of excise taxes in fiscal year 1997. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Fire... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO conducted a follow-up review of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) controls over its process for certifying excise taxes for distribution to the federal trust funds. GAO noted that: (1) IRS does not have adequate controls over its process for certifying excise taxes for dist... |
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), enacted in November 2001, created TSA and gave it responsibility for securing all modes of transportation. TSA’s aviation security mission includes strengthening the security of airport perimeters and restricted airport areas; hiring and training a screening workforc... | Within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) mission is to protect the nation's transportation network. Since its inception in 2001, TSA has developed and implemented a variety of programs and procedures to secure commercial aviation and surface modes of transport... |
Congress authorized State’s ATA program in 1983 through the Foreign Assistance Act. According to the legislation the purpose of ATA is “(1) to enhance the antiterrorism skills of friendly countries by providing training and equipment to deter and counter terrorism; (2) to strengthen the bilateral ties of the United Sta... | The Department of State's (State) Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program's objectives are to provide partner nations with counterterrorism training and equipment, improve bilateral ties, and increase respect for human rights. State's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (S/CT) provides policy guidance and its... |
There are two approaches for reorganizing or terminating a large financial company. Large financial companies may be reorganized or liquidated under a judicial bankruptcy process or resolved under special legal and regulatory resolution regimes that have been created to address insolvent financial entities such as insu... | The challenges associated with the bankruptcies of large financial companies during the 2007-2009 financial crisis raised questions about the effectiveness of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and international coordination for resolving complex financial institutions with cross-border activities. The Dodd-Frank Act mandates th... |
WIA requires states and local areas to bring together a number of federally funded employment and training programs into a comprehensive workforce investment system, the American Job Center network. These programs—including the Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs—are known as mandatory partners, and must provide servi... | Having reliable program data is important in effectively managing a program. However, there have been longstanding concerns about the quality of data on job seekers enrolled in the WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs, which rely on states and local areas to track participants and the services they receive. Given t... |
The Secretary of Commerce is legally required to (1) conduct the census on April 1 of the decennial year, (2) report the state population counts to the President for purposes of congressional apportionment by December 31 of the decennial year, and (3) send population tabulations to the states for purposes of redistrict... | To carry out the decennial census, the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) conducts a sequence of thousands of activities and numerous operations. As requested, The Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined (1) the Bureau's use of scheduling tools to maintain and monitor progress and (2) the status of two systems key to ... |
Congress established the Smithsonian in 1846 to administer a large bequest left to the United States by James Smithson, an English scientist, for the purpose of establishing, in Washington, D.C., an institution “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” In accepting Smithson’s bequest on behalf of the nat... | The Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) is the world's largest museum complex. Its funding comes from its own private trust fund assets and federal appropriations, with the majority of funds for facilities coming from federal appropriations. In 2005, GAO reported that the Smithsonian's current funding would not be su... |
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) grants the principle authority for the President to provide assistance in mitigating, responding to, and preparing for disasters and emergencies, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and terrorist acts. FEMA administer... | Concerns over the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) provision of temporary housing assistance, including travel trailers at group sites, after the 2005 hurricanes led to the development of the National Disaster Housing Strategy. GAO was asked to assess (1) the challeng... |
Following the 2000 national elections, we produced a comprehensive series of reports covering our nation’s election process that culminated with a capping report and framework for the Congress to use to enact reforms for election administration. Our reports were among the resources that the Congress drew on in enacting... | Since the 2000 national elections, concerns have been raised by various groups regarding the election process, including voting technologies. Beginning in 2001, GAO published a series of reports examining virtually every aspect of the elections process. GAO's complement of reports were used by Congress in framing the H... |
The FAA’s mission is to provide a safe and efficient national aerospace system. FAA’s key aviation functions include regulating compliance with civil aviation safety standards and air commerce, operating the national air traffic management system, and assisting in the development of airports. The achievement of FAA’s m... | In 1996, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) undertook a human capital reform effort under one of the most flexible human capital management environments in the federal government, including broad exemptions from title 5 laws governing federal civilian personnel management. GAO was asked (1) to examine the change... |
This section discusses DOE’s use of M&O and non-M&O contracts, cost- reimbursement contracts and cost-surveillance procedures, DOE headquarters and field office responsibilities for cost-surveillance and financial management policies and activities, leading practices for managing the risk of fraud and other improper pa... | Over the past decade, incidents of fraud by DOE contractors have occurred. From 2003 through 2008, employees of one contractor at DOE's Hanford site in Washington state made hundreds of fraudulent purchases and solicited and received kickbacks. In another case, Hanford contractors agreed to pay a combined $125 million ... |
Patch management is a critical process used to help alleviate many of the challenges involved with securing computing systems from attack. A component of configuration management, it includes acquiring, testing, applying, and monitoring patches to a computer system. Flaws in software code that could cause a program to ... | Flaws in software code can introduce vulnerabilities that may be exploited to cause significant damage to federal information systems. Such risks continue to grow with the increasing speed, sophistication, and volume of reported attacks, as well as the decreasing period of the time from vulnerability announcement to at... |
IRS improved its 2006 filing season performance in important areas that affect large numbers of taxpayers. This continues a trend of improvement since at least 2002. Returns processing has gone smoothly and electronic filing continues to grow, although at a slower rate than in previous years. Taxpayer assistance has im... | The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) filing season performance affects tens of millions of taxpayers who expect timely refunds and accurate answers to their tax questions. IRS's budget request is a planning tool showing how it intends to provide taxpayer service and enforce the tax laws in 2007. It is also the first in... |
The nation’s federal surface transportation investment policy has become increasingly complex, changing from a narrow focus on completing the nation’s interstate highway system to a broader emphasis on maintaining and more efficiently operating our highways, supporting mass transit, protecting the environment, and enco... | Passenger and freight traffic are expected to grow substantially in the future, generating additional congestion and requiring continued investment in the nation's surface transportation system. Over the past 12 years, the federal government has provided hundreds of billions of dollars for investment in surface transpo... |
Before addressing these issues in detail, we would like to review two primary reasons why effective and efficient supply chain management is important for DOD. First, supply support to the warfighter affects readiness and military operations. In fact, the supply chain is a critical link in determining outcomes on the b... | The Department of Defense's (DOD) management of its supply chain network is critical to supporting military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere and also represents a substantial investment of resources. As a result of weaknesses in DOD's management of supply inventories and responsiveness to warfighter requireme... |
CBP’s U.S. Border Patrol is the uniformed enforcement division responsible for border security between designated official ports of entry into the country. The Border Patrol reports that its priority mission is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons, including weapons of mass destruction, from entering the United ... | The U.S. Border Patrol, part of the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP), operates checkpoints on U.S. roads, mainly in the southwest border states where most illegal entries occur. As part of a three-tiered strategy to maximize detection and apprehension of illegal aliens, Border Patro... |
The West Bank and Gaza cover about 2,400 square miles and have a combined population of about 4.6 million people. The West Bank has a land area of 2,263 square miles and a population of about 2.8 million. Gaza has a land area of 139 square miles and a population of about 1.8 million. The Palestinian Authority and Israe... | Since 1993, the U.S. government has committed more than $5 billion in bilateral assistance to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Program assistance for development is a key part of the United States' commitment to a negotiated two-state solution to promote peace in the Middle East, and program funding is prima... |
Our prior work has found that DOD’s approach to managing service acquisition has tended to be reactive and has not fully addressed key factors for success at either the strategic or transactional level. The strategic level is where the enterprise sets the direction or vision for what it needs, captures knowledge to ena... | In fiscal year 2012, DOD obligated more than $186 billion for contracted services, making it the federal governments largest buyer of services. GAOs prior work found that DODs use of contracted services has been the result of thousands of individual decisions, not strategic planning across the department. Over the y... |
Debtors who file personal bankruptcy petitions usually file under chapters 7 or 13 of the bankruptcy code. Generally, debtors who file under chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code seek a discharge of all their eligible dischargeable debts. Debtors who file under chapter 13 submit a repayment plan, which must be confirmed by ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Credit Research Center report on personal bankruptcies, focusing on the report's research methodology and formula for estimating the income that debtors have available to pay debts. GAO noted that: (1) overall, the Center report represents a useful first step in ana... |
Under the authority of the Arms Export Control Act, State requires exporters to obtain licenses for defense exports unless an exemption applies. State has long exempted the export of many unclassified defense items to Canada without prior department approval. While these items are exempt from licensing requirements, th... | To control the export of defense items, the U.S. government requires exporters to obtain a license from the State Department. A license is not required to export many defense items to Canada, currently the only country-specific exemption to the licensing requirement. In May 2000, the U.S. government announced the Defen... |
The HUBZone program was established by the HUBZone Act of 1997 to stimulate economic development by providing federal contracting preferences to small businesses operating in economically distressed communities known as HUBZones. The SBA is responsible for administering the program and certifying applicant firms that m... | 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 and March 2009, GAO reported on substantial vulnerabilit... |
Modern agricultural biotechnology refers to various scientific techniques, most notably genetic engineering, used to modify plants, animals, or microorganisms by introducing into their genetic makeup genes for specific desired traits, including genes from unrelated species. For centuries people have crossbred related p... | Genetically modified foods pose the same risks to human health as do other foods. These risks include allergens, toxins, and compounds known as antinutrients which inhibit the absorption of nutrients. Before marketing a genetically modified food, company scientists seek to determine whether these foods pose any heighte... |
EPA administers and oversees grants primarily through the Office of Grants and Debarment, 10 program offices in headquarters, and program offices and grants management offices in EPA’s 10 regional offices. Figure 1 shows EPA’s key offices involved in grants activities for headquarters and the regions. The management of... | The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has faced persistent challenges in managing its grants, which, at about $4 billion annually constitute over one-half of the agency's total budget. EPA awards grants to thousands of recipients to implement its programs to protect human health and the environment. Given the size ... |
The Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve as the central bank of the United States. The Federal Reserve comprises the Board of Governors—an agency of the federal government in Washington, D.C., the 12 Reserve Banks, and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). FOMC comprises all members of the Board of G... | Section 19 of the Federal Reserve Act requires depository institutions to maintain reserves against a portion of their transaction accounts solely for the implementation of monetary policy. Regulation D implements section 19, and it also requires institutions to limit certain kinds of transfers and withdrawals from sav... |
Enacted on January 23, 1995, the CAA as amended, applies 12 federal civil rights, workplace, and labor laws to legislative branch employees who were previously exempted from such coverage. By passing the CAA, the Congress extended to approximately 30,000 employees of the legislative branch certain fair employment and o... | The Consolidated Appropriations Resolution of 2003 Conference Report mandated that GAO review the Office of Compliance (OOC), an independent legislative branch agency created by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (CAA). OOC, a 15-person office with about $2 million in expenditures during fiscal year 2003, adm... |
We substantiated the allegation of gross mismanagement of property at IHS. Specifically, we found that thousands of computers and other property, worth millions of dollars, have been lost or stolen over the past several years. We analyzed IHS reports for headquarters and the 12 regions from the last 4 fiscal years. The... | In June 2007, GAO received information from a whistleblower through GAO's FraudNET hotline alleging millions of dollars in lost and stolen property and gross mismanagement of property at Indian Health Service (IHS), an operating division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). GAO was asked to conduct a f... |
EPA offers two types of grants—nondiscretionary and discretionary: Nondiscretionary grants support water infrastructure projects, such as renovating municipal drinking water facilities, and continuing environmental programs, such as the Clean Air Program for monitoring and enforcing Clean Air Act regulations. For these... | Over the years, EPA has had persistent problems in managing its grants. Grants constituted one-half of the agency's annual budget, or about $4.2 billion in fiscal year 2002. EPA uses grants to implement its programs to protect human health and the environment and awards them to over 3,300 recipients, including state an... |
The medical mission of DOD is to provide and maintain readiness, medical services, and support to the armed forces during military operations and to provide medical services and support to members of the armed forces, their family members, retirees and their families, and eligible survivors of deceased active and retir... | The $24 billion Military Health System provided health care to over 8 million eligible beneficiaries. Although Congress has provided sizeable increases in funding for health care over the past few years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has needed supplemental appropriations for 6 of the last 8 fiscal years from 1994 to... |
The F/A-18E/F is currently undergoing development flight testing as part of its engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the acquisition cycle. The development flight test program is under the responsibility of the Integrated Test Team, which consists of Navy and contractor personnel. The team also rece... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the F/A-18E/F development program, focusing on the: (1) status of the E/F development flight test program; (2) deficiencies that have been identified to date and corrective actions planned; and (3) current cost estimate for the program. GAO noted that: (1) the Navy has ... |
The federal government recognizes Indian tribes as distinct, independent political communities with inherent powers of self-government that include enacting substantive law over internal matters and enforcing that law in their own forums. The United States has a trust responsibility to federally recognized Indian tribe... | Individuals seeking to enter the United States illegally may attempt to avoid screening procedures at ports of entry by crossing the border in areas between these ports, including Indian reservations, many of which have been vulnerable to illicit cross-border threat activity, such as drug smuggling, according to DHS. G... |
As of June 30, 2001, Amex was the third-largest U.S. market in terms of the number of companies whose common stock it listed. With the common stock of 704 companies listed, Amex trailed only Nasdaq, which had 4,378 listings, and NYSE, which had 2,814 listings. Overall, about 98 percent of the common stocks listed on U.... | The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has indicated that one-third of Amex's new listings did not meet the exchange's equity listing standards. Amex's listing guidelines address factors that are the same or similar to those addressed by other U.S. stock markets. Quantitative requirements addressed share price, s... |
Casualty assistance has evolved over the past several decades. In years past, survivors were notified of a servicemember’s death via telegram or a letter of condolence and were not provided assistance with applying for benefits. Today, casualty assistance has grown to encompass numerous benefits available to survivors ... | From January 2002 through November 2015, 17,911 servicemembers died while on active duty, leaving approximately 24,000 surviving dependents. The military services' casualty assistance programs guide these survivors through the casualty assistance process following the death of a servicemember. Senate Report 114-49 incl... |
We last provided you an overview of federal information security in September 1996. At that time, serious security weaknesses had been identified at 10 of the largest 15 federal agencies, and we concluded that poor information security was a widespread federal problem. We recommended that the Office of Management and B... | GAO discussed the state of information security in the federal government, focusing on the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) and the Social Security Administration's (SSA) efforts to develop and maintain an effective security management program. GAO noted that: (1) as the importance of computer security has increase... |
Quality assurance has a simple goal: to ensure that products perform the way they are supposed to. For many years, the traditional way DOD and commercial companies achieved quality was through systematic final inspection. But now, intense competition has led some U.S. companies to adopt total quality management practic... | GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) quality assurance practices, focusing on: (1) the problems that DOD has had in improving such practices; (2) private-sector practices that could be beneficial to DOD; and (3) DOD efforts to improve its quality assurance activities. GAO found that: (1) DOD spends more than ... |
The United States is the world’s largest trading nation, with over $1 trillion in trade in 1993. Nearly 50 percent of this trade, by value, was transported by sea. Throughout much of this century, however, the U.S. merchant marine industry has struggled to compete effectively in the international market. The U.S. ocean... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on cargo preference laws, focusing on their effect on: (1) federal transportation costs; and (2) the U.S. merchant marine industry. GAO found that: (1) cargo preference laws have increased federal agencies' transportation costs by an average of $578 million ... |
As we have reported previously, EPA estimates that across the federal government 10,000 computers are disposed of each week. Once these used electronics reach the end of their original useful lives, federal agencies have several options for disposing of them. Agencies generally are to donate their used electronics to s... | The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that across the federal government 10,000 computers are discarded each week. Once these used electronics reach the end of their original useful lives, federal agencies have several options for disposing of them. Agencies generally can donate their reusable electronics... |
USAID and its partners implement a variety of conditional food aid activities through development and emergency projects, including maternal and child health care and nutrition, food-for-training, and food- for-assets activities, among others. Such activities are intended to achieve a variety of objectives. For example... | In fiscal year 2014, USAID awarded about $1.3 billion for emergency and development food aid under Title II of the Food for Peace Act. USAID's implementing partners may provide what is known as conditional food aid—that is, food in exchange for beneficiaries' participation in activities intended to support development.... |
While the U.S. government’s spending to address international environmental issues and concerns has increased significantly in recent decades, it is not a simple matter to precisely quantify this spending or to identify that portion of the spending attributable to or in some way related to the international agreements ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federal funding for international environmental activities, focusing on: (1) the level of funding related to 12 prominent international environmental agreements for fiscal years (FY) 1993 through 1995; (2) funding provided by the Departments of State and Commerce, the D... |
The Border Patrol is the mobile, uniformed, enforcement arm of INS. Its mission is to detect and prevent the smuggling and illegal entry of undocumented aliens into the United States and to apprehend persons found in the United States in violation of immigration laws. With the increase in drug smuggling operations, the... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on Border Patrol hiring, focusing on: (1) the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) ability to meet its 5-year goal to increase the Border Patrol's onboard strength by 1,000 agents each year from fiscal years (FY) 1997 through 2001; (2) INS' efforts... |
Under the act that created it, the Corporation has a diverse set of responsibilities. These responsibilities include administering national service programs authorized under previous legislation, funding training and service clearinghouses, and undertaking activities related to disaster relief. In addition, the Corpora... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the public and private resources being used to support the Corporation for National and Community Service's AmeriCorps*USA program, focusing on: (1) the amount of funds and in-kind contributions used to support program participants; (2) the per-participan... |
The Results Act is designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs by establishing a system to set goals for program performance and to measure results. Specifically, the Act requires executive agencies to prepare multiyear strategic plans, annual performance plans, and annual performance repor... | GAO reviewed the Department of the Treasury's fiscal year (FY) 1999 annual performance plan, focusing on: (1) the extent to which Treasury's performance plan provides a clear picture of intended performance across the agency; (2) how well Treasury's performance plan discusses the strategies and resources it will use to... |
Strategic workforce planning—an integral part of human capital management—is an iterative, systematic process that helps organizations determine if they have staff with the necessary skills and competencies to accomplish their strategic goals. We have previously reported that having the right workforce mix with the rig... | GAO and others have found that DOD needs to take steps to ensure DOD has an adequately sized and capable acquisition workforce to acquire about $300 billion in goods and services annually. DOD is required by statute to develop an acquisition workforce plan every 2 years. DOD issued a plan in 2010, in which it called fo... |
In response to GLBA, NAIC has expedited efforts under its Producer Licensing Reciprocity and Uniformity initiative to streamline and simplify the process for allowing producers licensed in one state to become licensed in other states. GLBA required that states enact certain reforms simplifying and bringing more efficie... | The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), through its Accreditation Program, has made considerable progress in achieving uniformity among state insurance regulators. In addition, competitive pressures from further consolidation in the financial services sector and enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley A... |
The nation’s long-term fiscal outlook is daunting under any realistic policy scenarios and assumptions. For over 14 years, GAO has periodically prepared various long-term budget simulations that seek to illustrate the likely fiscal consequences of our coming demographic challenges and rising health care costs. Indeed, ... | The nation's long-term fiscal outlook is daunting. While the budget process has not caused the problems we face, the absence of meaningful budget controls and other mechanisms has served to compound our fiscal challenge. Conversely, a process that illuminates the looming fiscal pressures and provides appropriate incent... |
U.S. Attorneys prosecute criminal cases brought forward by the federal government, prosecute and defend civil cases in which the United States is a party, and collect debts owed to the federal government that are administratively uncollectible. EOUSA was established in 1953 as a component of the Department of Justice t... | The Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) of the Department of Justice is responsible for managing information technology (IT) resources for the United States Attorneys' Offices. GAO was asked to determine the extent to which EOUSA has institutionalized key IT management capabilities that are critical to... |
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.