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In 2008, FDA inspected 153 foreign food facilities out of an estimated 189,000 such facilities registered with FDA and estimated that it would conduct 200 inspections in 2009 and 600 in 2010. In 2007, FDA inspected 95 facilities. Table 1 shows the number of FDA inspections of foreign food facilities, by country, from f... | Food imported from around the world constitutes a substantial and increasing percentage of the U.S. food supply. Ensuring the safety of imported food challenges the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to better target its resources on the foods posing the greatest risks to public health and to coordinate efforts with th... |
According to recent studies on the adoption of health information technology, most health care providers in the United States still use paper health records to store, maintain, and share patients’ information. Sharing this information among multiple providers treating the same patient requires transferring paper docume... | To promote the use of information technology for the electronic exchange of personal health information among providers and other health care entities, Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. It provides incentives intended to promote the widespread adoption of t... |
Medicaid and SCHIP are joint federal-state programs that finance health care coverage for certain categories of low-income individuals. To qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP, individuals must meet specific eligibility requirements related to their income, assets, and other personal characteristics such as age. Each state op... | In February 2006, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) appropriated $2 billion for certain health care costs related to Hurricane Katrina through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was charged with allocating the $2 billion in fundin... |
In part to improve the information available and management of DOD’s acquisition of services, in 2001 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 de... | DOD is the government's largest purchaser of contractor-provided services. In 2008, Congress required DOD to compile and review an annual inventory of its contracted services to identify the number of contractors performing services and the functions contractors performed. In 2011, Congress required DOD to use that inv... |
DOD invests in electronic warfare capabilities as a means to maintain unimpeded access to the electromagnetic spectrum during war and selectively deny adversary use of the spectrum. Traditionally, electronic warfare has been composed of three primary activities: Electronic attack: Use of electromagnetic, directed energ... | Airborne electronic attack involves the use of aircraft to neutralize, destroy, or suppress enemy air defense and communications systems. Proliferation of sophisticated air defenses and advanced commercial electronic devices has contributed to the accelerated appearance of new weapons designed to counter U.S. airborne ... |
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, enacted in November 2001, assigned TSA responsibility for security in all modes of transportation, which include aviation, maritime, mass transit, highway and motor carrier, freight rail, and pipeline. The act included requirements for deploying a federal screening workforc... | The U.S. transportation system, comprised of aviation, freight rail, highway, maritime, mass transit and passenger rail, and pipelines, moves billions of passengers and millions of tons of goods each year. Disrupted terrorist attacks involving rail and air cargo in 2010 demonstrate the importance of effective informati... |
Job Corps was established as a national employment and training program in 1964 to address employment barriers faced by severely disadvantaged youths. Job Corps enrolls youths aged 16 to 24 who are economically disadvantaged, in need of additional education or training, and living under disorienting conditions such as ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Job Corps' vocational training component to describe the program's contracting policies and to assess contractor performance, focusing on: (1) how Job Corps ensures that vocational training is appropriate and relevant to employers' needs and the extent to which particip... |
The International Space Station program has three key goals: (1) maintain a permanent human presence in space, (2) conduct world-class research in space, and (3) enhance international cooperation and U.S. leadership through international development and operations of the space station. Each of the partners is to provid... | In 1998, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its international partners--Canada, Europe, Japan, and Russia--began on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station, envisioned as a permanently orbiting laboratory for conducting scientific research under nearly weightless conditions. Since it... |
Mortgage insurance, a commonly used credit enhancement, protects lenders against losses in the event of default. Lenders usually require mortgage insurance when a homebuyer has a down payment of less than 20 percent of the value of the home. FHA, VA, the USDA’s Rural Housing Service (RHS), and private mortgage insurers... | The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through its Federal Housing Administration (FHA), insures billions of dollars in home mortgage loans made by private lenders. FHA insures low down payment loans and a number of parties have made proposals to either eliminate or otherwise change FHA's borrower ... |
Influenza pandemic—caused by a novel strain of influenza virus for which there is little resistance and which therefore is highly transmissible among humans—continues to be a real and significant threat facing the United States and the world. While some scientists and public health experts believe that the next influen... | GAO has conducted a body of work over the past several years to help the nation better prepare for, respond to, and recover from a possible influenza pandemic, which could result from a novel strain of influenza virus for which there is little resistance and which therefore is highly transmissible among humans. GAO's w... |
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 significantly changed the system for providing assistance to low- income families with children by replacing the existing entitlement program with fixed block grants to states to provide Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). TANF prov... | Established in 1998, the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program (JARC)-administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)--awards grants to states and localities to provide transportation to help low-income individuals access jobs. In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A L... |
The operation of the Medicare program is extremely complex and requires close coordination between CMS and its contractors. CMS is an agency within HHS but has responsibilities for expenditures that are larger than those of most other federal departments. Under Medicare’s fee-for-service system—which accounts for over ... | Complete, accurate, and timely communication of program information is necessary to help Medicare providers comply with program requirements and appropriately bill for their services. Information provided to physicians about billing and payment policies is often incomplete, confusing, out of date, or even incorrect. GA... |
As shown in table 1, according to SOI data, somewhat over half of the approximately 130 million individual tax returns filed for tax year 2002 were done by a paid preparer. This filing breakdown was true for all income levels we analyzed, although the income level exceeding $100,000 had the highest percentage—64 percen... | Despite the importance of paid tax return preparers in helping taxpayers fulfill their obligations, little data exist on the quality of services they provide. Paid preparers include, for example, enrolled agents, who are approved by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) once they pass an examination on tax matters or demo... |
The transfer of defense items to friendly nations and allies is an integral component in both U.S. national security and foreign policy. The U.S. government authorizes the sale or transfer of military equipment, including spare parts, to foreign nations either through government-to-government agreements or through dire... | From 1990 through 2001, the Department of Defense delivered over $138 billion in services and defense articles--including classified and controlled parts--to foreign governments through its foreign military sales programs. Classified spare parts are restricted for national security reasons, while controlled parts conta... |
Transit agencies provide transportation services in a variety of ways. For purposes of this report, we used the following descriptions of transportation modes: Fixed-route bus service: rubber-tired passenger vehicles operate on fixed routes and schedules over roadways. Diesel, gasoline, battery, or alternative fuel eng... | Some transit agencies have found that they can save money by contracting out some or all of their services with private providers, while others have found it more beneficial to use their own staff to provide services. The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act mandated that GAO review issues related to trans... |
Enacted in 1988, the Exon-Florio amendment to the Defense Production Act authorized the President to investigate the effects of foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies on national security and to suspend or prohibit acquisitions that might threaten national security. The President delegated investigative authority to th... | The Exon-Florio amendment to the Defense Production Act of 1950, enacted in 1988, authorized the President to suspend or prohibit foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies that pose a threat to national security. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States--chaired by the Department of Treasury with 11 other ... |
H5N1 has spread to infect poultry and wild birds over a wide geographic area. After appearing in southeastern China and Hong Kong in 1996 and 1997, the virus reappeared in late 2003 and early 2004 in a number of other Southeast Asian countries. In 2005 and 2006, it spread rapidly to countries in other parts of Asia and... | Since 2003, a global epidemic of avian influenza has raised concern about the risk of an influenza pandemic among humans, which could cause millions of deaths. The United States and its international partners have begun implementing a strategy to forestall (prevent or delay) a pandemic and prepare to cope should one oc... |
The federal-aid highway program provides nearly $30 billion annually to the states, most of which are formula grant funds that FHWA distributes through annual apportionments according to statutory formulas; once apportioned, these funds are generally available to each state for eligible projects. The responsibility for... | It is important to ensure that longterm spending on transportation programs meets the goals of increasing mobility and improving transportation safety. In this testimony, GAO discusses what recently completed work on four transportation programs suggests about challenges and strategies for improving the oversight and u... |
U.S. taxpayers can hold offshore accounts for a number of non-tax reasons, including access to funds while living or working overseas, asset protection, investment portfolio diversification, enhanced investment opportunities, and to facilitate international business transactions. U.S. taxpayers must report whether they... | Tax evasion by individuals with unreported offshore financial accounts was estimated by one IRS commissioner to be several tens of billions of dollars, but no precise figure exists. IRS has operated four offshore programs since 2003 that offered incentives for taxpayers to disclose their offshore accounts and pay delin... |
We recently issued several reports on acquisition spending and workforce trends. These reports show that spending on services acquisitions is increasing at a time when the acquisition workforce is decreasing. Our report on spending and workforce trends in federal procurement shows that federal agencies continue to buy ... | Since 1997, federal spending on services has grown 11 percent and now represents more than 60 percent of contract spending governmentwide. Several significant changes in the government--including funding for homeland security--are expected to further increase spending on services. Adjusting to this new environment has ... |
While providing many benefits to our economy and citizens’ lives, financial services activities can also cause harm if left unsupervised. As a result, the United States and many other countries have found that regulating financial markets, institutions, and products is more efficient and effective than leaving the fair... | The United States and other countries are in the midst of the worst financial crisis in more than 75 years. While much of the attention of policymakers understandably has been focused on taking short-term steps to address the immediate nature of the crisis, these events have served to strikingly demonstrate that the cu... |
DOD depends overwhelmingly on the U.S. commercial electrical power grid for electricity to support its operations and missions. As illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the grid is a vast, complex network of interconnecte d regional systems and infrastructure (e.g., power plants, electricity lines, and control centers) used ... | The Department of Defense (DOD) relies on a global network of defense critical infrastructure so essential that the incapacitation, exploitation, or destruction of an asset within this network could severely affect DOD's ability to deploy, support, and sustain its forces and operations worldwide and to implement its co... |
As shown in figure 1, each of the 16 parts we purchased was either suspect counterfeit or bogus. Specifically, all 12 of the parts we received after requesting authentic part numbers (either with valid or invalid date codes) were suspect counterfeit, according to SMT Corp. In addition, vendors provided us with 4 bogus ... | Counterfeit partsgenerally the misrepresentation of parts identity or pedigreecan seriously disrupt the Department of Defense (DOD) supply chain, harm weapon systems integrity, and endanger troops lives. In a November testimony (GAO-12-213T), GAO summarized preliminary observations from its investigation into the p... |
MMA enacted and affected a number of activities that SSA identified as related to its responsibilities. Listed are six provisions enumerated in MMA affecting SSA, and the Medicare-related functions and activities undertaken by SSA as a result. Prescription Drug Program (Part D) and Low Income Subsidy (LIS)–In addition ... | The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) created a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit as part of the Medicare program, and appropriated up to $500 million for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to fund the start-up administrative costs in meeting its responsibil... |
In 1996, the United Nations and Iraq established the Oil for Food program to address growing concerns about the humanitarian situation in Iraq after international sanctions were imposed in 1990. The program’s intent was to allow the Iraqi government to use the proceeds of its oil sales to pay for food, medicine, and in... | The Oil for Food program was established by the United Nations and Iraq in 1996 to address concerns about the humanitarian situation after international sanctions were imposed in 1990. The program allowed the Iraqi government to use the proceeds of its oil sales to pay for food, medicine, and infrastructure maintenance... |
The JCP and the GPO have prominent roles in federal government printing. The oldest joint committee in Congress, the JCP was established in 1846 and is comprised of five Representatives and five Senators. It oversees the operation of GPO, which by law is the principal printing organization for federal agencies. The JCP... | Federal law requires that, with limited exceptions, all federal printing be performed by or through GPO. The JCP authorizes exemptions to specific agencies to operate in-house printing plants. In its 1990 JCP Regulations, the JCP included a list of authorized federal in-house printing plants. Some agency documents, onc... |
Advocates of biennial budgeting often point to the experience of individual states. In looking to the states it is necessary to disaggregate them into several categories. First, 8 states have biennial legislative cycles and hence necessarily have biennial budget cycles. Second, as the table below shows, the 42 states w... | GAO discussed several proposals to change the budget process from an annual to a biennial cycle. GAO noted that: (1) many congressional members believe a biennial budget cycle would streamline the budget process, provide longer-term funding levels, enhance agencies' ability to manage their programs, and provide more ti... |
As the economy begins to recover from the financial crisis, the extraordinary government interventions taken to stabilize the financial system will need to be withdrawn. The consequences of financial crises— specifically systemic bank-based crises—on economic activity have been well documented. As a result, governments... | The Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) authority to purchase, commit to purchase, or commit to guarantee troubled assets was set to expire on December 31, 2009. This important authority has allowed Treasury to undertake a number of programs to help stabilize the financial system. In December 2009, the Secretary of... |
This chapter first provides background information on the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Program. Then, the objectives, scope, and methodology of our review of current and potential approaches to achieving a model program are described. The chapter concludes with an overview of the organization of t... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined a model nutrition monitoring system and potential approaches to incorporating it into the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Program (NNMRRP). GAO found that: (1) a model nutrition program would have a coordinated set of activities, provide data continuo... |
To determine what is known about the supply and domestic demand for lithium-7, we analyzed data provided by industry representatives, reviewed agency and industry documents, and interviewed agency officials and industry representatives. Specifically, to understand the supply and domestic demand of lithium-7, we reviewe... | About 13 percent of our nations electricity is produced by pressurized water reactors that rely on lithium-7, an isotope of lithium produced and exported solely by China and Russia, for their safe operation. Lithium-7 is added to the water that cools the reactor core to prevent the cooling water from becoming acidic. ... |
DOD manages the acquisition of weapon systems through the Defense Acquisition System, which is an event-based process. Acquisition programs proceed through a series of milestone reviews and other decision points that may authorize entry into the next program phase (see figure 1). Based upon DOD’s acquisition-related gu... | DOD has reported that it expects to invest $1.6 trillion on acquiring 80 major defense acquisition programs, many of which depend on intelligence input both during the acquisition process and to effectively perform missions once deployed. The complexity of advanced weapon systems, such as the F-35, is creating increasi... |
Many foreign physicians who enter U.S. graduate medical education programs do so as participants in the Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program—an educational and cultural exchange program aimed at increasing mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries. Participants in the E... | Many U.S. communities face difficulties attracting physicians to meet their health care needs. To address this problem, states and federal agencies have turned to foreign physicians who have just completed their graduate medical education in the United States under J-1 visas. Ordinarily, these physicians are required t... |
The process for importing goods into the United States generally involves at least two private parties (exporters and importers) as well as the U.S. government. The U.S. AD/CV duty collection process typically involves the five steps summarized below and illustrated in figure 1. 1. Commerce communicates the initial est... | The United States assesses AD duties on products imported at unfairly low prices (i.e., dumped) and CV duties on products subsidized by foreign governments. Nonpayment of AD/CV duties means the U.S. government has not fully remedied unfair trade practices and results in lost revenue. GAO was asked to review CBP's effor... |
Borrowers arrange residential mortgages through either mortgage lenders or brokers. The funding for mortgages can come from federally or state- chartered banks, mortgage lending subsidiaries of these banks or financial holding companies, or independent mortgage lenders, which are neither banks nor affiliates of banks. ... | Alternative mortgage products (AMPs) can make homes more affordable by allowing borrowers to defer repayment of principal or part of the interest for the first few years of the mortgage. Recent growth in AMP lending has heightened the importance of borrowers' understanding and lenders' management of AMP risks. This rep... |
U.S. diplomatic missions have faced numerous attacks in recent years, resulting in legal and policy changes. According to DS, between January 1998 and December 2013, there were 336 attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities. Several of those attacks resulted in the deaths of U.S. personnel, destruction of U.S. facil... | U.S. policy can call for U.S. personnel to be posted to high-threat, high-risk posts overseas. To maintain a presence in these locations, State has often relied on older, acquired (purchased or leased), and temporary work facilities that do not meet the same security standards as more recently constructed permanent fac... |
While there is no single definition of municipal fiscal crisis, both academic research and state policy documents distinguish between municipalities in distress, crisis, and in extreme cases, bankruptcy. In managing revenue and expenses, local governments occasionally confront deficits and periods when they lack enough... | Similar to the federal and state sectors, local governments are facing long-term fiscal pressures. In cases of fiscal crisis, municipalities may be required to make significant cuts to personnel that may impact their oversight of federal grants. GAO was asked to review the oversight of federal grants received by munici... |
Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, USDA, through FSIS, is responsible for ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, and certain egg products. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act, FDA is responsible for... | The events of September 11, 2001, have placed added emphasis on ensuring the security of the nation's food supply. GAO examined (1) whether FDA and USDA have sufficient authority under current statutes to require that food processors adopt security measures, (2) what security guidelines FDA and USDA have provided to in... |
In fiscal year 2011, VA provided about $ 4.3 billion in pension benefits for about 517,000 recipients. These benefits are available to low-income wartime veterans who are age 65 and older, or who are under age 65 but are permanently and totally disabled as a result of conditions unrelated to their military service.also... | The VA pension program is intended to provide economic benefits to wartime veterans and survivors with financial need. GAO was asked to examine (1) how the design and management of VAs pension program ensure that only those with financial need receive pension benefits and (2) what is known about organizations that are... |
Methadone, a long-acting opioid medication, is available as a liquid, a solid tablet (5 and 10 mg), a rapidly dissolving wafer or diskette (40 mg), or a powder. Liquid methadone is most commonly used for addiction treatment, while the 5 and 10 mg tablets are most often prescribed for pain management. FDA considers meth... | Prescription drug abuse is a growing public health problem. In particular, methadone-associated overdose deaths--those in which methadone may have caused or contributed to the death--have risen sharply. Before the late 1990s, methadone was used mainly to treat opioid addiction but has since been increasingly prescribed... |
As of September 2007, the Iraqi government included 34 ministries responsible for providing security and essential government services. U.S. capacity development programs target 12 key ministries: State and USAID focus on 10 civilian ministries while DOD is responsible for the Ministries of Defense and Interior. These ... | The development of competent and loyal government ministries is critical to stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq. The ministries are Iraq's largest employer, with an estimated 2.2 million government workers. U.S. efforts to build the capacity of Iraqi ministries include programs to advise and help Iraqi government employees... |
The department’s Unified Command Plan sets forth basic guidance to all combatant commanders and establishes the missions, responsibilities, and areas of geographic responsibility among all the combatant commands. There are currently nine combatant commands—six geographic and three functional. The six geographic combata... | To perform its missions around the world, DOD operates geographic combatant commands each with thousands of personnel. In response to direction from the congressional committees to review the resources of the combatant commands, GAO (1) identified the trends in the resources devoted to DOD's geographic combatant comman... |
Most Medicare beneficiaries elect to enroll in Part B insurance, which helps pay for certain physician, outpatient hospital, laboratory, and other services; DME, such as oxygen, wheelchairs, hospital beds, and walkers; prosthetics and orthotics; and certain supplies. Medicare, under Part B, pays for most DMEPOS based o... | In fiscal year 2004, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated that Medicare improperly paid $900 million for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies--in part due to fraud by suppliers. To deter such fraud, CMS contracts with the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) to verify... |
Since the early 1980s, roughly half of the private-sector work force has participated in either a defined benefit (DB) retirement plan, commonly known as a pension, or a defined contribution (DC) plan, such as a 401(k) plan. In 2006, approximately 79 million—or about half of all workers— worked for an employer or union... | Congress created individual retirement accounts (IRAs) with two goals: (1) to provide a retirement savings vehicle for workers without employer-sponsored retirement plans, and (2) to preserve individuals' savings in employer-sponsored retirement plans when they change jobs or retire. Questions remain about IRAs' effect... |
The Army has been faced with a significant challenge to meet the facility needs associated with several recent initiatives, such as the transformation of the Army’s force structure, the permanent relocation of thousands of overseas military personnel back to the United States, the implementation of Base Realignment and... | To meet the challenges associated with a threefold increase in the Army's military construction program between fiscal years 2005 and 2009, the Army adopted numerous changes, including the expanded use of wood materials and modular building methods, designed to reduce building costs and timelines for new facilities. Wi... |
Section 861 of the NDAA for FY2008 directed the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the USAID Administrator to sign an MOU related to contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The law specified a number of issues to be covered in the MOU, including identifying common databases to serve as repositories of infor... | The Departments of Defense (DOD) and State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have relied extensively on contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements for a wide range of services in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, as GAO previously reported, the agencies have faced challenges in obtaining suffici... |
During the 20th century, tens of thousands of wild horses were either killed or captured for slaughter on America’s western ranges. Documented abuses suffered by wild horses led concerned individuals and national humane organizations to push for federal protections in the 1950s. Subsequently, Congress passed legislatio... | The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages about 33,100 wild horses and burros on 199 Herd Management Areas (HMA) in 10 western states. Under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, as amended, BLM is to protect wild horses and burros, set appropriate management levels (AML), ... |
Congress first provided a general definition of homeless individuals in 1987 in what is now called the McKinney-Vento Act. In 2002, Congress added a definition for homeless children and youths to be used in educational programs. Prior to the enactment of the HEARTH Act, the McKinney-Vento Act generally defined a homele... | Multiple federal programs provide homelessness assistance through programs targeted to those experiencing homelessness or through mainstream programs that broadly assist low-income populations. Programs' definitions of homelessness range from including primarily people in homeless shelters or on the street to also incl... |
Executive Order 12291, which was issued by President Reagan in 1981, authorized OMB to review all proposed and final federal regulations, except those of independent regulatory agencies. The order also required OMB to monitor agencies’ compliance with the order’s requirements and to coordinate its implementation. OIRA’... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the regulatory review process, focusing on the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and four regulatory agencies, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety a... |
Transplants are performed for organs such as kidney, liver, heart, intestine, pancreas, heart-lung, and kidney-pancreas. However, the kidney, liver, and heart are the most commonly transplanted organs. In 2000, doctors performed 13,333 kidney, 4,950 liver, and 2,197 heart transplants. Of these, children made up 617 of ... | Pediatric patients in need of an organ transplant face a shortage of donated organs. The number of pediatric organ donors has remained relatively constant from 1991 to 2000, despite a drop in potential donors. The number of adult donors rose 45 percent during the same period, in large part because donor eligibility cri... |
The purposes of the Single Audit Act are to promote sound financial management, including effective internal controls, with respect to federal awards administered by nonfederal entities; promote the efficient and effective use of audit resources; and ensure that federal departments and agencies, to the maximum extent p... | In fiscal year 2015, federal agencies outlaid over $600 billion in federal awards to state and local governments, according to OMB. The Single Audit Act of 1984, as amended, requires that federal agencies oversee their awards to nonfederal entities. OMB Circular No. A-133 provided guidance for implementing the act duri... |
Since 2014, we have reported multiple times on the progress CBP has made deploying technologies under the ATP. We reported in May 2016 that CBP had initiated or completed deployment of technology to Arizona for six programs under the ATP. In addition to deploying technologies under the ATP, CBP’s 2014 Southwest Border ... | CBP deploys land-based surveillance technologies to help monitor and secure the border and apprehend individuals who attempt to cross the border illegally. GAO has reported on the progress and challenges DHS and its components have faced implementing its border security efforts. This statement addresses (1) the status ... |
Medicaid is a federal-state partnership that finances health care for certain low-income individuals, including children, families, the aged, and the disabled. More than 64 million persons were enrolled in the Medicaid program for fiscal year 2009. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported combined fi... | The Recovery Act increased the federal share of Medicaid funding. Federal law does not prohibit providers with tax debt from enrolling in Medicaid, but GAOs prior work found that thousands of Medicaid providers do have unpaid federal taxes. Since any provider who received Medicaid reimbursements during 2009 received R... |
the University of California had inadequate work controls at one of its laboratory facilities, resulting in eight workers being exposed to airborne plutonium and five of those workers receiving detectable intakes of plutonium. This was identified as one of the 10 worst radiological intake events in the United States in... | This testimony discusses GAO's views on H.R. 723, a bill that would modify the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 by changing how the Department of Energy (DOE) treats nonprofit contractors who violate DOE's nuclear safety requirements. Currently, nonprofit contractors are exempted from paying civil penalties that DOE assesses ... |
Afghanistan is a mountainous, arid, landlocked country with limited natural resources, bordered by Pakistan to the east and south; Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China to the north; and Iran to the west (see fig. 1). At 647,500 square kilometers, Afghanistan is slightly smaller than the state of Texas; its p... | In October 2001, coalition forces forcibly removed the Taliban regime from Afghanistan, responding to their protection of al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the United States. Congress subsequently passed the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 authorizing funds to help Afghanistan rebuild a stable, democratic societ... |
Linking efficiency to physician payment policy has been a subject of interest among policymakers and health policy analysts. For example, the Institute of Medicine has recently recommended that Medicare payment policies should be reformed to include a system for paying health care providers differentially based on how ... | GAO was asked to discuss--based on Medicare: Focus on Physician Practice Patterns Can Lead to Greater Program Efficiency, GAO-07-307 (Apr. 30, 2007)--the importance in Medicare of providing feedback to physicians on how their use of health care resources compares with that of their peers. GAO's report discusses an appr... |
Over the past several decades, the introduction of two types of drugs— traditional and atypical antipsychotic drugs—for treating schizophrenia, and in some cases, bipolar disorder, have enabled physicians to better manage their patients’ mental illnesses, resulting in a better quality of life for many veterans. Because... | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides health care services to veterans who have been diagnosed with psychosis--primarily schizophrenia, a disorder that can substantially limit their ability to care for themselves, secure employment, and maintain relationships. These veterans also have a high risk of prematur... |
In 1956, Congress established the Judgment Fund—a permanent, indefinite appropriation—to pay judgments against federal agencies that are not otherwise provided for in agency appropriations. Among other things, the fund is intended to allow for more prompt payments to claimants, thereby reducing the assessment of intere... | The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation (No FEAR) Act, which took effect October 1, 2003, requires agencies to repay discrimination settlements and judgments paid on their behalf. The No FEAR Act is similar to the Contract Disputes Act (CDA) of 1978, which holds agencies accountable for... |
Under the existing, or “legacy” system, the military’s disability evaluation process begins at a military treatment facility when a physician identifies a condition that may interfere with a servicemember’s ability to perform his or her duties. On the basis of medical examinations and the servicemember’s medical record... | Since 2007, the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) have been pilot testing a new disability evaluation system designed to integrate their separate processes and thereby expedite veterans' benefits for wounded, ill, and injured servicemembers. Having piloted the integrated disability evaluation syste... |
Under PPACA, health-insurance marketplaces were intended to provide a single point of access for individuals to enroll in participating private health plans, apply for income-based subsidies to offset the cost of these plans, and, as applicable, obtain an eligibility determination or assessment of eligibility for other... | PPACA provides for the establishment of health-insurance marketplaces where consumers can, among other things, select private health-insurance plans. States may operate their own health-care marketplace or rely on the federal Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace). The Congressional Budget Office estimates subsidie... |
The FLSA requires that workers who are covered by the act and not specifically exempt from its provisions be paid at least the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25 per hour) and 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The act also regulates the employment of youth under the age of 1... | The FLSA sets federal minimum wage and overtime pay requirements applicable to millions of U.S. workers and allows workers to sue employers for violating these requirements. Questions have been raised about the effect of FLSA lawsuits on employers and workers and about WHD's enforcement and compliance assistance effort... |
The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 created the independent U.S. Postal Service and authorized it to make arrangements with DOD regarding the performance of military postal services. Each military service managed its own mail program until 1980, when DOD and the U.S. Postal Service entered into an agreement for the j... | Mail is a morale booster for troops fighting overseas and for their families at home. More than 65 million pounds of letters and parcels were delivered to troops serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and problems with prompt and reliable mail delivery surfaced early in the conflict. Congress and the White House fo... |
HUD housing serves populations that include persons in a position to increase their self-sufficiency and those who need long-term support (for example, the elderly and persons with severe disabilities). To assist those who can improve their self-sufficiency, HUD permits PHAs to allocate space in its public housing to o... | HUD reported in 2011 that nearly 8.5 million lower-income families paid more than half their monthly income for rent, lived in substandard housing, or both. As the number of those needing assistance is greater than existing federal programs can serve, if families were able to increase their income and no longer require... |
In April 2002, following a yearlong study, the Commercial Activities Panel reported its findings on competitive sourcing in the federal government. The report lays out 10 sourcing principles and several recommendations, which provide a road map for improving sourcing decisions across the federal government. Overall, th... | In May 2003, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a revised Circular A-76, which represents a comprehensive set of changes to the rules governing competitive sourcing--one of five governmentwide items in the President's Management Agenda. Determining whether to obtain services in-house or through commerci... |
Enlisted servicemembers can be separated from the military when they are found to be unsuitable for continued military service. If a servicemember is diagnosed with a non-disability mental condition that interferes with the servicemember’s ability to function in the military, a commanding officer may initiate the separ... | Non-disability mental conditions, such as personality disorders, can render a servicemember unsuitable for military service and can lead to an administrative separation. GAO was mandated to report on non-disability mental condition separations. This report examines the extent to which (1) DOD and the military services ... |
In 1986, IRS began to modernize its technology for processing tax returns, enforcing the tax laws, and assisting taxpayers. IRS was several years into its system modernization efforts before it began to study the implications for its organization and work processes. In response to suggestions from us and others, IRS de... | GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) progress in realizing its plan for improving its customer service, focusing on: (1) IRS customer service goals and its plans to meet these goals; (2) the difficulty IRS has in meeting these goals; (3) current management concerns; and (4) important challenges IRS faces. ... |
The Bureau’s mission is to collect and provide comprehensive data about the nation’s people and economy. Its core activities include conducting decennial, economic, and government censuses; conducting demographic and economic surveys; managing international demographic and socioeconomic databases; providing technical a... | The U.S. Census Bureau plans to significantly change the methods and technology it uses to count the population with the 2020 Decennial Census, such as offering an option for households to respond to the survey via the Internet. This involves developing and acquiring IT systems and infrastructure to support the collect... |
OCC closed Rushville on December 18, 1992, on the basis of its determination that the bank had a negative net worth of about $326,000 and thus was insolvent. At the time, Rushville was a two-branch bank with $38 million in assets. During that same year, OCC also closed 15 other small U.S. banks with assets under $50 mi... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the events leading up to the 1992 closure of the Rushville National Bank by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), focusing on whether OCC followed its policies and procedures in its: (1) net worth calculation and loan classifications, which led to Rushvil... |
DOD relies increasingly on globally networked computer systems to manage the information it uses to perform operational missions and daily management functions. These systems provide military offensive and defensive capabilities as well as intelligence support. According to DOD, the department operates 2 million to 3 m... | The components, military services, and agencies of the Department of Defense (DOD) share many risks in their use of globally networked computer systems to perform operational missions. Many reports of vulnerabilities, organized intrusions, and theft related to department systems and networks have underscored weaknesses... |
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 esta... | Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), federal agencies must generally provide access to their information, enabling the public to learn about government operations and decisions. To help ensure proper implementation, the act requires that agencies report annually to the Attorney General on their processing of FO... |
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress passed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, which amended and broadened the scope of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to include additional financial industry secto... | In 2004, Congress combined preexisting and newly created units to form the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) within the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). TFI's mission is to integrate intelligence and enforcement functions to (1) safeguard the financial system against illicit use and (2) combat ... |
From fiscal year 2002 to fiscal year 2008, the U.S. government provided approximately $16.5 billion for the training and equipping of Afghan National Security Forces. State and Defense officials told us they will request over $5.7 billion to train and equip the Afghan army and police in fiscal year 2009. The goal of th... | The Department of Defense (Defense), through its Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and with the Department of State (State), directs international efforts to train and equip Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). As part of these efforts, the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) and t... |
The FAR requires that contracting officers provide for full and open competition in soliciting proposals and awarding government contracts. However, the FAR also recognizes that full and open competition is not always feasible, and authorizes contracting without full and open competition under certain conditions. Situa... | Competition is a critical tool for achieving the best return on the governments investment. Federal agencies are generally required to award contracts competitively, but they are permitted to use other than full and open competition in certain situations, such as when open competition would reveal information that wou... |
The F/A-18E/F program is the successor to prior unsuccessful attempts to modernize the Navy’s tactical aviation fleet. The Navy’s initial focus was on replacing its high-end A-6 attack aircraft. The programs that were initiated in that regard—the A-12 and then the A/F-X—were eventually canceled. The Navy also initiated... | GAO reviewed the Navy's plan to procure with F/A-18E/F aircraft, focusing on: (1) whether operational deficiencies in the F/A-18C/D cited by the Navy to justify the need for the F/A-18E/F have materialized and, if they have, the extent to which the F/A-18E/F would correct them; (2) whether the F/A-18E/F will provide an... |
According to IRS records from its master files on individual and business returns, IRS annually abated, on average, about 10 million tax, penalty, and interest assessments, totaling nearly $30 billion, in fiscal years 1995 through 1998. In fiscal year 1998, IRS abated 11.3 million assessments—3.1 million tax, 4.7 milli... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO described the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) abatement process, focusing on IRS': (1) process for making abatements from initiation through final review in selected IRS locations; and (2) efforts to improve the abatement process. GAO noted that: (1) an abatement may be initiat... |
The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2013 that American Indians and Alaska Natives were almost twice as likely to live in poverty as the rest of the population. A 2014 Interior report estimated that between 43 and 47 percent of American Indian families in South Dakota earned incomes below the poverty line, compared with ... | Indian tribes and their members hold considerable energy resources and may use these resources to provide economic benefits and improve the well-being of their communities. However, GAO and others have found that Indian energy development is hindered by several factors, such as a complex regulatory framework, BIA workf... |
In 1995, DOD’s TMA introduced TRICARE’s purchased care system. Since then, TMA has implemented three generations of contracts to support that system. The first generation of TRICARE contracts included seven MCSCs that covered 11 geographic health care regions nationwide. In 2001, GAO testified about the acquisition pro... | DOD provides certain health care services through its TRICARE Program, which complements the health care services provided in military treatment facilities. DOD acquires these health care services through MCSCs with private sector companies. As of October 1, 2013, DOD's Defense Health Agency is responsible for awarding... |
Established in 1967, NTSB is an independent nonregulatory agency. NTSB’s principal responsibility is to promote safety in various modes of transportation through accident investigation, special studies, and recommendations intended to prevent accidents. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2000, NTSB was appropriate... | The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) promotes transportation safety through accident investigations, special studies, and recommendations intended to prevent accidents. Separate reviews at NTSB by PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC) and GAO found significant shortcomings in the design and operation of NTSB's i... |
Responding to the massive and expensive failure of federally insured savings and loans in the mid-1980s, Congress and the administration examined government-sponsored enterprises to ensure that they were operating in a manner that protected the taxpayers’ interest and minimized the risk that these entities would fail. ... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the status of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's (OFHEO) development, focusing on OFHEO progress in designing and instituting key management systems. GAO found that: (1) OFHEO has made considerable progress toward setting up its key management system... |
The IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 established a goal of having 80 percent of individual returns filed electronically by 2007. IRS worked to promote e-filing, and although rates increased steadily between 1998 and 2007, IRS did not meet the 80 percent goal. The IRS Oversight Board recommended extending the go... | The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) goal is to receive 80 percent of all major types of tax returns electronically by 2012. Legislation passed in November 2009 supports the 80 percent goal for individual income tax returns by requiring tax return preparers who file more than 10 individual returns per year to file them... |
The United States has approximately 500 airports served by scheduled airlines. Airports have long served as places for planes to take off and land, consisting of runways, control towers, terminals and other facilities that directly served airlines’ passengers and cargo. Airlines play a key role in the functioning of ai... | GAO was asked to examine airport-centric development and the activities of airport operators and regional stakeholders to facilitate such development. In an effort to increase airports' efficiency in moving passengers and cargo while bolstering the economies of regions surrounding airports, some airport operators, gove... |
FPS was established in 1971 as the uniformed protection force of GSA government-occupied facilities. The mission of FPS is to render federal properties safe and secure for federal employees, officials, and visitors in a professional and cost-effective manner by deploying a highly trained and multi-disciplined police fo... | Events such as the February 2010 attack on the Internal Revenue Service offices in Texas, and the shooting in the lobby of the Nevada federal courthouse, demonstrate the vulnerabilities of federal facilities and the safety of the federal employees who occupy them. The Federal Protective Service (FPS) is the primary age... |
DOD’s S&T community—including research laboratories, test facilities, industry, and academia—conducts initial research, development, and testing of new technologies to improve military operations and ensure technological superiority over potential adversaries. Key expectations DOD places on its S&T community include th... | DOD relies on innovative technologies to ensure the superiority of its weapon systems and planned to invest about $12.5 billion in fiscal year 2017 to achieve this aim. Recently, DOD's leadership role in fostering innovation has been supplanted by the commercial sector. This has changed DOD's approach to technology dev... |
To help protect against threats to federal systems, FISMA 2002 set forth a comprehensive framework for ensuring the effectiveness of information security controls over information resources that support federal operations and assets. This framework created a cycle of risk management activities necessary for an effectiv... | Since 1997, GAO has designated federal information security as a government-wide high risk area, and in 2003 expanded this area to include computerized systems supporting the nation's critical infrastructure. In February 2015, in its high risk update, GAO further expanded this area to include protecting the privacy of ... |
The largest of the interagency contracting vehicles is the MAS program (also known as the Federal Supply Schedule or the schedules program). GSA directs and manages the MAS program. MACs and GWACs are also interagency contracts. Government buyers usually pay a fee for using other agencies’ GWACs, MACs, and schedule con... | Agencies can use several different types of contracts to leverage the government's buying power for goods and services. These include interagency contracts--where one agency uses another's contract for its own needs--such as the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs multiple award... |
Leadership in agencies across the federal government is essential to providing the accountable, committed, consistent, and sustained attention needed to address human capital and related organization transformation issues. Leaders must not only embrace reform, they must integrate the human capital function into their a... | The federal government is facing new and more complex challenges in the 21st century because of long-term fiscal constraints, changing demographics, evolving governance models, and other factors. Strategic human capital management, which remains on GAO's high-risk list, must be the centerpiece of any serious change man... |
Anesthesia services are generally administered by anesthesia practitioners, such as anesthesiologists and CRNAs. In 2004, there were approximately 42,000 anesthesiologists and 30,000 CRNAs in the United States. Anesthesiologists are physicians who have completed a bachelor’s degree, medical school, and an anesthesiolog... | In 2005 Medicare paid over $1.4 billion for anesthesia services. These services are generally provided by anesthesia practitioners, such as anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). A government-sponsored study found that Medicare payments for anesthesia services are lower than private paym... |
GSA serves as federal agencies’ landlord and designs, builds, manages, and maintains federal facilities. According to fiscal year 2013 data, over 8,900 buildings in the United States are held or leased by the GSA, and these buildings provide workspace for over 1-million federal employees and average 1.4-million daily v... | FPS and USMS conduct building security screening at thousands of GSA buildings across the country. Given continued concerns related to the security of federal buildings, GAO was asked to examine the: (1) challenges federal entities face in their efforts to prevent prohibited items and individuals who may pose a securit... |
The U.S. government maintains more than 270 diplomatic posts, including embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic offices, in about 180 countries worldwide. More than 80,000 U.S. government employees work overseas, including both U.S. direct hires and locally-employed staff under chief of mission authority, represent... | After the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies, a U.S. government panel determined that staffing levels had not been adjusted to reflect changing missions, requirements, and security concerns. In 2004, Congress mandated the establishment of the Office of Rightsizing within the Department of State. The office reviews lev... |
Social Security’s projected long-term financing shortfall stems primarily from the fact that people are living longer and having fewer children. As a result, the number of workers paying into the system for each beneficiary is projected to decline. This demographic trend is occurring or will occur in all OECD countries... | Many countries, including the United States, are grappling with demographic change and its effect on their national pension systems. The number of workers for each retiree is falling in most developed countries, straining the finances of national pension programs, particularly where contributions from current workers f... |
Under NEPA, federal agencies are to evaluate the potential environmental effects of projects they are proposing by preparing either an Environmental Assessment (EA) or a more detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), assuming no Categorical Exclusion (CE) applies. Agencies may prepare an EA to determine whether a ... | NEPA requires all federal agencies to evaluate the potential environmental effects of proposed projects—such as roads or bridges—on the human environment. Agencies prepare an EIS when a project will have a potentially significant impact on the environment. They may prepare an EA to determine whether a project will have... |
According to APTA, 6,800 organizations— ranging from large multi-modal systems in major metropolitan areas to single-vehicle special demand- response service providers that transport senior citizens and the disabled—provided public transportation in 2013. While it is difficult to establish the exact dimensions of urban... | Public transit providers are adopting electronics and information-processing applications called ITS to help improve operations and service. ITS technologies can play an important role in facilitating multimodal choices in a rapidly changing transportation environment. This report describes: (1) the extent to which sel... |
All international mail and packages entering the United States through the U.S. Postal Service and private carriers are subject to potential CBP inspection at the 14 USPS international mail facilities and 29 express consignment carrier facilities operated by private carriers located around the country. CBP inspectors c... | This testimony summarizes a GAO report on federal efforts to address the importation of prohibited prescription drugs through international mail and carrier facilities for personal use. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in... |
The decennial census is the nation’s largest, most complex survey. In April 2009, address canvassing—a field operation for verifying and correcting addresses for all households and street features contained on decennial maps—will begin. One year later, the Bureau will mail census questionnaires to the majority of the p... | The decennial census is a Constitutionally-mandated activity that produces data used to apportion congressional seats, redraw congressional districts, and allocate billions of dollars in federal assistance. The Census Bureau (Bureau) estimates the 2010 Census will cost $11.3 billion, making it the most expensive in the... |
The Automobile Industry The automobile industry affects industries that manufacture steel, glass, plastics, and rubber. The sector also supports the refining and selling of gasoline and road construction, as well as maintaining, repairing, and selling motor vehicles. In 2008, the automobile sector employed 1.7 million ... | The U.S. manufacturing sector—representing about 12 percent of the economy and employing 12 million workers in 2015—has undergone changes over the last several decades. With increased productivity and technological innovation, the sector experienced a decreasing number of jobs and share of the economy. GAO was asked to... |
Cutting off terrorists’ funding is an important means of disrupting their operations. As initial U.S. and foreign government deterrence efforts focused on terrorists’ use of the formal banking or mainstream financial systems, terrorists may have been forced to increase their use of various alternative financing mechani... | The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks highlighted the importance of data collection, information sharing, and coordination within the U.S. government. Such efforts are important whether focused on terrorism or as an integral part of a broader strategy for combating money laundering. In this testimony, GAO addresses... |
Federal interest in performance information and its potential relationship to budgeting practices has existed to varying degrees for over 50 years. More recently, this interest culminated in the passage of GPRA and related management reforms of the 1990s. GPRA mandates that federal agencies develop performance informat... | GAO was asked to examine (1) the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) and agency perspectives on the effects that the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) recommendations are having on agency operations and program results; (2) OMB's leadership in ensuring a complementary relationship between the PART and the Gover... |
The L.A. courthouse operations currently are split between two buildings—the Spring Street Courthouse built in 1938 and the Roybal Federal Building built in 1992. The Spring Street building currently consists of 32 courtrooms—11 of which do not meet the judiciary’s minimum design standards for size. It also does not me... | Since the early 1990s, the General Services Administration (GSA) and the federal judiciary (judiciary) have been carrying out a multibillion-dollar courthouse construction initiative. In downtown Los Angeles, California, one of the nation's busiest federal district courts (L.A. Court), the federal judiciary has split i... |
Education’s Direct Loan program provides financing to students and their parents to help students obtain postsecondary education. This program is currently the largest federal direct loan program with $912 billion in outstanding loans as of June 2016. Under this program, Education issues several types of student loans ... | As of June 2016, 24 percent of Direct Loan borrowers repaying their loans (or 5.3 million borrowers) were doing so in IDR plans, compared to 10 percent in June 2013. Education expects these plans to have costs to the government. GAO was asked to review Education's IDR plan budget estimates and estimation methodology. T... |
During our review, we compared DFAS’ efforts to plan and manage its Year 2000 program to our Year 2000 assessment guide for evaluating the awareness and assessment phases. We also performed limited work in areas where DFAS had progressed to the renovation and validation (testing) phases. Specific audit work was perform... | GAO reviewed the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) program for solving the year 2000 computer systems problem, focusing on the: (1) status of DFAS' efforts to identify and correct its year 2000 systems problems; and (2) appropriateness of DFAS' strategy and actions for ensuring that problems will be success... |
IoT has no generally accepted, all-inclusive definition. Instead, IoT is generally described as a concept referring to how connected devices interact and process information. The devices themselves are generally not computers, but have embedded components that connect to a network. We define IoT for the purposes of our... | Communities are increasingly deploying IoT devices generally with a goal of improving livability, management, service delivery, or competitiveness. GAO was asked to examine federal support for IoT and the use of IoT in communities. This report describes: (1) the kinds of efforts that selected federal agencies have unde... |
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.