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Pipeline transportation for hazardous liquids and natural gas is the safest form of freight transportation. By one measure, the annual number of accidents, the hazardous liquid pipeline industry’s safety record has greatly improved over the past 10 years. (See fig. 1.) From 1994 through 2003, accidents on interstate ha... | Interstate pipelines carrying natural gas and hazardous liquids (such as petroleum products) are safer to the public than other modes of freight transportation. The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), the federal agency that administers the national regulatory program to ensure safe pipeline transportation, has been under... |
The legal framework for addressing and paying for maritime oil spills is established by OPA, which places the primary burden of liability and the costs of oil spills on the owner and operator of the vessel or onshore facility and the lessee or permittee of the area in which an offshore facility is located. This “pollut... | The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 included a provision for GAO to examine NPFC. This report addresses the extent to which (1) NPFC has designed and implemented internal controls over damage claim and oil removal disbursements to reasonably assure that amounts are appropriately disbursed from the Fund; (2) NPFC ... |
Our proactive testing found ineffective HUBZone program eligibility controls, exposing the federal government to fraud and abuse. In a related report and testimony released concurrently with this testimony, we reported that SBA generally did not verify the data entered by firms in its online application system. We foun... | The Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program is intended to provide federal contracting opportunities to qualified small business firms in order to stimulate development in economically distressed areas. As manager of the HUBZone program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is responsible for cert... |
The use of information technology (IT) to electronically collect, store, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial health information has great potential to help improve the quality and efficiency of health care. Historically, patient health information has been scattered across paper records kept ... | VA and DOD operate two of the nation's largest health care systems, serving approximately 16 million veterans and active duty service members, and their beneficiaries, at total annual costs of over $100 billion. The departments have recognized the importance of developing capabilities for sharing electronic patient hea... |
Historically, the census has focused on counting people stateside, although various overseas population groups have been included in the census at different times. For example, as shown in table 1, over the last century, the Bureau has generally included federally affiliated individuals and their dependents, but except... | The U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) has typically excluded from the census private citizens residing abroad, but included overseas members of the military, federal civilian employees, and their dependents (in the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, these individuals were included in the numbers used for apportioning Congress). The Bur... |
FDA regulates the content of all prescription drug advertising, whether directed to consumers or medical professionals. Advertising that is targeted to consumers includes both DTC and “consumer-directed” materials. DTC advertising includes, for example, broadcast advertisements (such as those on television and radio), ... | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for overseeing direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs, which includes a range of media, such as television, magazines, and the Internet. If FDA identifies a violation of laws or regulations in a DTC advertising material, the agency may issue a re... |
Drug applications—including NDAs, BLAs, and efficacy supplements— are reviewed primarily by FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), with a smaller proportion reviewed by the Center for Prior to submission of an Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). When we refer to consumer advocacy groups, we are ref... | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for overseeing the safety and efficacy of drugs and biologics sold in the United States. New drugs and biologics must be reviewed by FDA before they can be marketed, and the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDU... |
Puerto Rico is an island about 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, and relies heavily on oceangoing vessels to move large volumes of goods to and from the island. Puerto Rico has maintained a strong trade relationship with U.S. suppliers and imports significantly more in trade volume, by weight, than it exports ba... | Puerto Rico is subject to Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, known as the "Jones Act" (Act), which requires that maritime transport of cargo between points in the United States be carried by vessels that are (1) owned by U.S. citizens and registered in the United States, (2) built in the United States, and ... |
Nuclear waste is long-lived and very hazardous—without protective shielding, the intense radioactivity of the waste can kill a person within minutes or cause cancer months or even decades after exposure. Thus, careful management is required to isolate it from humans and the environment. To accomplish this, the National... | High-level nuclear waste--one of the nation's most hazardous substances--is accumulating at 80 sites in 35 states. The United States has generated 70,000 metric tons of nuclear waste and is expected to generate 153,000 metric tons by 2055. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, requires the Department of Ene... |
In 2000, an unprecedented number of delays and cancellations in commercial airline flights occurred. At 31 of the nation’s busiest airports, 28 percent of the domestic flights arrived late. Certain flights were almost always late; for example, in December 2000, 146 regularly scheduled flights were late 80 percent or mo... | Initiatives to address flight delays include adding new runways to accommodate more aircraft and better coordinating efforts to adjust to spring and summer storms. Although most of these efforts were developed separately, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has incorporated many of them into an Operational Evolut... |
EPA was established in 1970 to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment. EPA is staffed with large numbers of technically trained personnel; more than half of its employees are engineers, scientists, and environmental protection specialists. Today, it employs 18,000 people. EPA is headquartered in Was... | Minority employees at the EPA reported for a number of years that the agency had discriminated against them based on their race and retaliated against them for filing complaints. These issues were aired at hearings held by the House Committee on Science at which EPA said it would take actions to ensure a fair and discr... |
The federal government’s civilian real-property holdings include thousands of leased office buildings and warehouses across the country that cost billions of dollars annually to rent, operate, and maintain. As the federal government’s principal landlord, GSA acquires, manages, and disposes of real property on behalf of... | GSA leases real property on behalf of many federal tenants, but some federal entities have statutory independent leasing authority. GAO was asked to review federal entities with independent leasing authority. This report examines (1) what is known about which federal entities have independent leasing authority and thei... |
To address the extent to which CMS implemented control procedures over contract actions, we focused on contracts that were generally subject to the FAR (i.e., FAR-based), which represented about $2.5 billion, or about 70 percent, of total obligations awarded in fiscal year 2008. The FAR is the governmentwide regulation... | In November 2007, GAO reported significant deficiencies in internal control over certain contracts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). This Subcommittee and others in Congress asked GAO to perform an in-depth review of CMS's contract management pr... |
IRS has two major programs to collect tax debts: telephone collection and field collection. If taxpayers become delinquent (that is, do not pay their taxes after being notified of amounts owed), IRS staff assigned to the telephone collection program may attempt collection over the phone or in writing. According to IRS ... | Congress is considering legislation to authorize IRS to contract with private collection agencies (PCA) and to pay them out of the tax revenue that they collect. Some have expressed concerns that this proposal might be unsuccessful, inefficient, or result in taxpayers being mistreated or having their private tax inform... |
Most of the diseases treated by stem cell transplantation involve abnormalities of the blood, metabolic, or immune systems. These diseases include several forms of cancer as well as certain nonmalignant diseases. They strike all races, although one racial group or another may have a higher incidence rate for a particul... | More than 30,000 people are diagnosed annually with leukemia or other blood, metabolic, or immune system disorders, many of whom may die without stem cell transplants, using stem cells from bone marrow or another source. When a patient needs a transplant of donated stem cells and no genetically compatible related donor... |
The growth in state prekindergarten programs has occurred for various reasons, but three frequently cited reasons are (1) evidence of the importance of early childhood to later development, (2) the high rate of labor force participation by mothers of young children, and (3) increased concern over school readiness and s... | For nearly 40 years, the federal government has played a role in providing early childhood development programs for children of low-income families through Head Start and other programs. Since 1980, the number of states with preschool programs has also significantly increased. While most of these programs have targeted... |
In 2011, an estimated 6.2 million children were referred to child welfare agencies by sources including educators, law enforcement officials, and relatives because they were allegedly maltreated. After an initial screening process, agencies conducted abuse or neglect investigations and assessments on behalf of more tha... | In fiscal year 2011, over 675,000 children were found to be victims of abuse or neglect. To help ensure that such children have safe and permanent homes, state and local child welfare agencies secure child welfare services, such as parenting classes and substance abuse treatment. Title IV-B of the Social Security Act i... |
The Coast Guard is a multimission, maritime military service within DHS. The Coast Guard has a variety of responsibilities including port security and vessel escort, search and rescue, and Polar ice operations. To carry out these responsibilities, the Coast Guard operates a number of vessels, aircraft, and information ... | The Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring a multi-billion dollar portfolio of systems intended to conduct missions that range from marine safety to defense readiness. GAO has reported extensively on the Coast Guard's significant acquisition challenges, including those of its former Deepwater program, as well as ar... |
As shown in figure 1, INS has benefited from significant increases in its regular appropriations and appropriations from its fee accounts. Funding increases have continued in fiscal year 1999 with Congress providing over $3.9 billion. When funding from the Working Capital Fund, carryover balances, and certain reimburse... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the fiscal year (FY) 2000 budget request for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), focusing on: (1) INS' overall fiscal condition in FY 1999; and (2) how factors such as overhiring and a decline in Examinations Fee applications have affected INS' fiscal sit... |
One of the five government-wide initiatives in the 2001 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) was improved financial management, which targeted improper payments as an area with opportunities for improvement. This initiative called for the administration to establish a baseline on the extent of improper payments. In July... | DOD reported $1.1 billion in improper payments for fiscal year 2011, which marked the eighth year of implementation of IPIA, as well as the first year of implementation of IPERA. IPIA required executive branch agencies to annually identify programs and activities susceptible to significant improper payments, estimate t... |
On June 10, 1975, the U.S. government executed a Memorandum of Understanding with the governments of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway to produce F-16 aircraft under a program known as the F-16 Multinational Fighter Program. Of the 998 aircraft produced under this program, the U.S. Air Force purchased 650 a... | GAO reviewed the pricing of selected contracts and subcontracts awarded under the F-16 Aircraft Mid-Life Update (MLU) Program, designed to develop, produce, and install upgrades to F-16 fighter aircraft owned by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, focusing on: (1) differences between the rates and factors us... |
VA began providing formal treatment for alcohol dependency in the late 1960s and treatment for drug dependency in the early 1970s. According to VA, the guiding principle behind its national substance abuse treatment program has been the development of a comprehensive system of care for veterans. In accordance with this... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) substance abuse program and the effect of VA reorganization on this program, focusing on: (1) characteristics of veterans who receive substance abuse treatment; (2) services VA offers to veterans with substance abuse disorders; (... |
Prior to restructuring, the electricity industry in California was organized around three regulated monopoly utilities, which were responsible for ensuring that electricity demand and supply were balanced at all times in order to maintain a reliable electricity system. The utilities owned and operated the electricity g... | Historically, utility monopolies have generated electricity and sold it to customers at prices set by state regulators. Today, private companies in 24 states compete to sell electricity at market prices determined by supply and demand. California is part of a broader western market in which electricity is routinely bou... |
Ensuring the security of our nation’s commercial aviation system has been a long-standing concern. As demonstrated by the 1988 bombing of a U.S. airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the 1995 plot to blow up as many as 12 U.S. aircraft in the Pacific region discovered by Philippine authorities, U.S. aircraft have long... | It has been 2 years since the attacks of September 11,2001, exposed vulnerabilities in the nation's aviation system. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent on a wide range of initiatives designed to enhance the security of commercial aviation. However, vulnerabilities in aviation security continue to exist. As... |
GAO remains one of the best investments in the federal government, and our dedicated staff continues to deliver high quality results. In FY 2013 alone, GAO provided services that spanned the broad range of federal programs and activities. We received requests for our work from 95 percent of the standing committees of C... | GAO's mission is to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. GAO provides nonpartisan, objective, and reliable information to Congress, federal agencies, and to the public and ... |
Energy, and specifically petroleum-based fuel, will be a key issue facing the nation during the 21st century. The United States accounts for only 5 percent of the world’s population but about 25 percent of the world’s oil demand. The Department of Energy projects that worldwide oil demand will continue to grow, reachin... | The Department of Defense (DOD) relies heavily on petroleum-based fuel for mobility energy--the energy required for moving and sustaining its forces and weapons platforms for military operations. Dependence on foreign oil, projected increases in worldwide demand, and rising oil costs, as well as the significant logisti... |
To assist New York in recovering from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress passed Public Law 107-147, the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002. The act was signed into law on March 9, 2002, and created seven tax benefits that focus on the New York Liberty Zone. The Liberty Zone tax benefits inc... | The President pledged a minimum of $20 billion in assistance to New York for response and recovery efforts after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This includes tax benefits, commonly referred to as the Liberty Zone tax benefits, that the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimated would reduce federal tax rev... |
Safeguarding federal computer systems and the systems supporting the nation’s critical infrastructures is essential to protecting national and economic security, and public health and safety. For government organizations, information security is also a key element in maintaining the public trust. Inadequately protected... | Federal agencies face an ever-increasing array of cyber threats to their information systems and information. To address these threats, FISMA 2014 requires agencies to designate a CISO—a key position in agency efforts to manage information security risks. GAO was asked to review current CISO authorities. This report id... |
HUD is the principal government agency responsible for programs dealing with housing, community development, and fair housing opportunities. HUD’s missions include making housing affordable through FHA’s mortgage insurance for multifamily housing and the provision of rental assistance for about 4.5 million lower-income... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed aspects of the management reform proposals outlined in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) 2020 Management Reform Plan, focusing on: (1) studies and analyses that HUD performed to determine the efficiencies derived from the centralization and consoli... |
Internet banking is one form of on-line banking; PC direct dial banking is another. Before Internet banking, customers using direct-dial PC banking needed to use specialized computer software provided and supported by their depository institution. More recently, these direct-dial connections are being replaced by Inter... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federal oversight of depository institutions' Internet banking activities, focusing on: (1) the risks posed by Internet banking and the extent of any industrywide Internet banking-related problems; (2) the methods used by regulators to track depository institutions' pla... |
IRS’ telephone assistors are located at 25 call sites around the country. In the 1999 filing season, IRS made major changes to its telephone customer service program. For example, IRS extended its hours of service to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. IRS officials said they believed around-the- clock assistance would impr... | The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must significantly improve telephone assistance if it is to meet its long-term goal of providing world-class customer service to the tens of millions of taxpayers who call. Although IRS has tried to analyze its performance and identify ways to improve, these efforts have been incomple... |
The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 (Pub. L. No. 96-517, Dec. 12, 1980) has fostered linkages between universities and businesses by giving universities, other nonprofit organizations, and small businesses the option to retain title to the inventions they make in the course of federally funded research. Before 1980, federal agen... | In fiscal year 2001, federal agencies provided $19 billion for university research, a vital part of the nation's research and development effort. GAO was asked to examine federal agencies' actions to ensure that (1) the results of the university research grants they fund are made available to the public and (2) univers... |
Despite U.S. and Iraqi efforts to shift a greater share of the country’s defense to the Iraqi security forces, the security situation continues to deteriorate, impeding management of the more than $29 billion obligated for reconstruction and stabilization efforts. The desired end-state for U.S.- stabilization operation... | This testimony discusses some of the systemic conditions in Iraq that contribute to the fraud, waste, or abuse of U.S.-provided funds. Since 2003, DOD has reported total costs of about $257.5 billion for military operations in Iraq; these have increased from about $38.8 billion in fiscal year 2003 to about $83.4 billio... |
Child pornography is prohibited by federal statutes, which provide for civil and criminal penalties for its production, advertising, possession, receipt, distribution, and sale. Defined by statute as the visual depiction of a minor—a person under 18 years of age—engaged in sexually explicit conduct, child pornography i... | The availability of child pornography has dramatically increased in recent years as it has migrated from printed material to the World Wide Web, becoming accessible through Web sites, chatrooms, newsgroups, and now the increasingly popular peer-to-peer file sharing programs. These programs enable direct communication b... |
The current MOBILE model, MOBILE5a, also known as the EPA mobile source emissions factor model, is a computer program that estimates the emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides for eight different types of gasoline-fueled and diesel highway motor vehicles. The model consists of an integrated col... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) MOBILE series of complex computer models to estimate motor vehicle emissions, focusing on the model's major limitations and EPA's process for improving the current and future versions of the model. GAO noted that: (1) EPA and ... |
Under legislation that established Advocacy in its current form in 1976, Advocacy’ duties are to serve as a focal point for small businesses’ concerns about the federal government’s policies and activities; advise small businesses on how to interact with the federal develop proposals for federal agencies on behalf of s... | Congress created Advocacy within SBA in 1976 as an independent voice for small businesses. Questions have recently been raised about Advocacy's efforts to represent small businesses in regulatory activities and some of its research on small business issues. In light of these questions, GAO was asked to review Advocacy'... |
Roughly half of all workers participate in an employer-sponsored retirement, or pension, plan. Private sector pension plans are classified as either defined benefit or defined contribution plans. Defined benefit plans promise to provide, generally, a fixed level of monthly retirement income that is based on salary, yea... | Employers are increasingly moving away from traditional pension plans to what has become the most dominant and fastest growing type of plan, the 401(k). For 401(k) plan sponsors, understanding the fees being charged helps fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of plan participants. Participa... |
Southeast Asian nations have growing populations and economies. According to a 2014 study by the Asian Development Bank Institute, the combined populations of ASEAN countries are projected to reach 700 million by 2030. This study also found that ASEAN countries’ collective nominal GDP increased by an average of 5.7 per... | Both the United States and China seek to deepen their economic engagement with the 10 ASEAN members: Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ASEAN countries are seeking to further integrate their economies and create an economic community by the ... |
Countries provide food aid through either in-kind donations or cash donations. In-kind food aid is food procured and delivered to vulnerable populations, while cash donations are given to implementing organizations to purchase food in local, regional, or global markets. U.S. food aid programs are all in-kind, and no ca... | The United States is the largest global food aid donor, accounting for over half of all food aid supplies to alleviate hunger and support development. Since 2002, Congress has appropriated an average of $2 billion per year for U.S. food aid programs, which delivered an average of 4 million metric tons of food commoditi... |
The SSI program provides eligible aged, blind, or disabled persons with monthly cash payments to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. State Disability Determination Services determine whether SSI applicants are medically disabled, and SSA field office staff determine whether applicants meet the program’s n... | As the nation's largest cash assistance program for the poor, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program SSI provided $33 billion in benefits to 6.8 million aged, blind, and disabled persons last year. In 2001, the outstanding SSI debt and newly detected overpayments totaled $4.7 billion. To deter and detect overpa... |
Head Start is administered by HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Services are provided at the local level by public and private nonprofit agencies that receive their funding directly from HHS. These agencies include public and private school systems, community action agencies, government agencies, and... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the: (1) amount of Head Start funding unspent by program grantees at the end of budget years 1992 to 1994 and the reasons for these unspent funds; (2) proportion of carryover funds that were added to grantee awards and that are 1 or more budget years old; and (3) grante... |
OSD has issued guidance to the military departments for reporting public- private workload allocations required by 10 U.S.C. 2466. The guidance is consistent with 10 U.S.C. 2460, which defines depot maintenance and repair. The guidance requires the comprehensive reporting of all work associated with the overhaul, upgra... | Federal law states that not more than 50 percent of annual depot maintenance funding can be used for work by private sector contractors. In an earlier report, GAO could not determine whether the Department of Defense (DOD) had complied with the 50-percent limitation. More recent GAO testimony highlighted continuing and... |
The federal government relies heavily on contractors to provide a range of goods and services. In fiscal year 2007, about 160,000 contractors provided support to federal agencies. A large portion of these contractors was concentrated in five agencies: DOD, DHS, DOE, NASA, and GSA. Among these five agencies, DOD account... | In fiscal year 2007, federal agencies worked with over 160,000 contractors, obligating over $456 billion, to help accomplish federal missions. This reliance on contractors makes it critical that agencies have the information necessary to properly evaluate a contractor's prior history of performance and better inform ag... |
BLM, BSEE, and BOEM are directly overseen by the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, who is responsible for guiding Interior’s management and use of federal lands and waters and their associated mineral and nonmineral resources. In addition, human capital programs at the bureaus and elsewhere in the d... | The explosion onboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April 2010 highlighted the importance of effective oversight of oil and gas activities, but Interior has faced challenges in hiring, retaining, and training staff responsible for such oversight. Since 2011, Interior's management of federal oil and gas resource... |
NRC is responsible for ensuring that the nation’s 103 operating commercial nuclear power plants pose no undue risk to public health and safety. Now, however, the electric utility industry is faced with an unprecedented, overarching development: the economic restructuring of the nation’s electric power system, from a re... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the actions the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has taken to move from its traditional regulatory approach to an approach that considers risk in conjunction with engineering analyses and operating experience-termed risk-informed regulation, focusing on the: (1) iss... |
The federal High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program began in fiscal year 1992 as a joint effort among nine federal agencies to significantly accelerate the availability and utilization of the next generation of high performance computers and networks. The overall goals of the program are to extend ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program, focusing on: (1) the effectiveness of the program's management structure in setting goals and measuring progress; and (2) how extensively private industry has been involved in program planni... |
Prior to the fall of 2005, the U.S. stabilization and reconstruction effort in Iraq lacked a clear, comprehensive, and integrated U.S. strategy. State assessments and other U.S. government reports noted that this hindered the implementation of U.S. stabilization and reconstruction plans. A review of the U.S. mission co... | According to the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq (NSVI) issued by the National Security Council (NSC), prevailing in Iraq is a vital U.S. interest because it will help win the war on terror and make America safer, stronger, and more certain of its future. This report (1) assesses the evolving U.S. national strate... |
A constitutional role of the federal government is to provide for the common defense, which includes preventing terrorist attacks. The government must prevent and deter attacks on our homeland as well as detect impending danger before attacks occur. Although it may be impossible to detect, prevent, or deter every attac... | The sharing of information by federal authorities to state and city governments is critical to effectively execute and unify homeland security efforts. This report examines (1) what initiatives have been undertaken to improve information sharing and (2) whether federal, state, and city officials believe that the curren... |
The growing sophistication and effectiveness of cyber attacks, and the increase of information assurance and information assurance-enabled information technology (IT) products available for use on national security systems, have heightened federal attention to the need for information assurance. As a result of these tr... | In 1997, the National Security Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology formed the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) to boost federal agencies' and consumers' confidence in information security products manufactured by vendors. To facilitate this goal, NIAP developed a national prog... |
The DHS Privacy Office was established with the appointment of the first Chief Privacy Officer in April 2003. The Chief Privacy Officer is appointed by the Secretary and reports directly to him. The Chief Privacy Officer serves as the designated senior agency official for privacy, as has been required by the Office of ... | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy Office was established with the appointment of the first Chief Privacy Officer in April 2003, as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Privacy Office's major responsibilities include: (1) reviewing and approving privacy impact assessments (PIA)--analyses of... |
The Federal Reserve System was created by the Federal Reserve Act in 1913 as the central bank of the United States to provide a safe and flexible banking and monetary system. The System is composed primarily of 12 FRBs with 25 branches (organized into 12 districts), the Federal Open Market Committee, and the Federal Re... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed several internal control issues at the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) of Dallas and the Federal Reserve Automation Services' (FRAS) accounting procedures, focusing on: (1) Dallas FRB financial accounting and reporting and electronic data processing (EDP) control weaknesses;... |
Shortages of chemical and biological defense equipment are a long-standing problem. After the Persian Gulf Conflict, the Army changed its regulations in an attempt to ensure that early-deploying units would have sufficient equipment on hand upon deployment. This direction, contained in U.S. Forces Command Regulation 70... | GAO discussed its assessment of U.S. forces' capability to fight and survive chemical and biological warfare. GAO noted that: (1) none of the Army's crisis-response or early-deployment units have complied with requirements for stocking equipment critical for fighting under chemical or biological warfare; (2) the Depart... |
HHS is the federal government's principal agency for protecting the health of Americans and provides essential human services, such as ensuring food and drug safety and assisting needy families. HHS disburses almost a quarter of all federal outlays and administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies comb... | In June 2001, the Secretary of HHS directed the department to establish a unified accounting system that, when fully implemented, would replace five outdated accounting systems. GAO was asked to review HHS' ongoing effort to develop and implement the Unified Financial Management System (UFMS) and to focus on whether th... |
EPA’s 2009–2013 grants management plan contained five strategic goals that addressed weaknesses we identified in our 2006 grants management report related to: (1) demonstrating achievement of environmental results; (2) fostering a high-quality grants-management workforce; (3) enhancing the management process for grants... | In 2014, EPA disbursed about $4.6 billion in grants through its headquarters and 10 regional offices to states and others, in part to implement laws. In 2006, GAO identified weaknesses in EPA's grants management program, including the absence of goals, and made recommendations to address them. As part of its response t... |
The word hunger has several meanings—it can describe, for example, one’s desire for food; the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need for food; or famine. While severe hunger—manifesting as clinical malnutrition—is uncommon in this country, millions of children and adults who lack resources go without... | The federal government spends billions of dollars every year on domestic food assistance programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture administers most of these programs and monitors the prevalence of food insecurity--that is, the percentage of U.S. households that were unable to afford enough food sometime during the y... |
VA is responsible for administering health care and other benefits, such as compensation and pensions, life insurance protection, and home mortgage loan guarantees, that affect the lives of more than 25 million veterans and approximately 44 million members of their families. In providing these benefits and services, VA... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO assessed the effectiveness of information system general controls at the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Austin Automation Center (AAC). GAO noted that: (1) AAC had made substantial progress in correcting specific computer security weaknesses that GAO identified in its pr... |
Ensuring access to postsecondary education while reducing vulnerability of aid programs to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement is one of the key management challenges Education faces. Education helps millions of students enroll in higher education programs by providing for more than $50 billion in grants and loans a... | In its 2003 performance and accountability report on the Department of Education, GAO identified challenges in, among other areas, student financial aid programs and financial management. The information GAO presents in this testimony is intended to assist Congress in assessing Education's progress in addressing and ov... |
The national airspace system is a complex, interconnected, and interdependent network of systems, procedures, facilities, aircraft, and people that must work together to ensure safe and efficient operations. DOT, FAA, airlines, and airports all affect the efficiency of national airspace system operations. DOT works wit... | Flight delays have beset the U.S. national airspace system. In 2007, more than one-quarter of all flights either arrived late or were canceled across the system, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT and its operating agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are making substantial investmen... |
Tens of thousands of industrial facilities directly discharge wastewater into the waters of the United States and are subject to permit limits on their discharges, which for certain industries are determined by effluent guidelines set by EPA under the Clean Water Act. For certain industries, EPA issues a similar type o... | Under the Clean Water Act, EPA has made significant progress in reducing wastewater pollution from industrial facilities. EPA currently regulates 58 industrial categories, such as petroleum refining, fertilizer manufacturing, and coal mining, with technology-based regulations called effluent guidelines. Such guidelines... |
The current schedule for the full implementation of the Full Service program has been delayed by almost 10 months, and key functionality that was originally intended to be delivered in the program has been deferred indefinitely. In addition, the life-cycle cost estimate that program officials prepared does not capture ... | In 2003, the United States Postal Service (USPS) initiated the Intelligent Mail program, which is intended to use information-rich standardized barcodes to track mail and thus provide USPS and mailers with better and timely information. A major component of this program is the Full Service program, which, among other t... |
OI work years devoted to investigating alien smuggling along the southwest border increased from about 190 work years in fiscal year 2005 to about 197 work years in fiscal year 2009, an overall increase of 4 percent, with hundreds of arrests, indictments, and convictions resulting. The overall number of work years decr... | This testimony discusses federal efforts to address alien smuggling along the southwest border. Alien smuggling along the southwest border is an increasing threat to the security of the United States and Mexico as well as to the safety of both law enforcement and smuggled aliens. One reason for this increased threat is... |
Air ambulances are an integral part of U.S. emergency medical systems, primarily transporting patients between hospitals, but also providing transport from accident scenes or for organs, medical supplies, and specialty medical teams. Air ambulances may be helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. Helicopter air ambulances pr... | Air ambulance transport is widely regarded as improving the chances of survival for trauma victims and other critical patients. However, recent increases in the number of air ambulance accidents have led to greater industry scrutiny by government agencies, the public, the media, and the industry itself. The National Tr... |
UOCAVA, as amended, generally protects the right to register and vote by absentee ballot in federal elections for military personnel and U.S. citizens who live overseas. The act also requires that states adopt a number of processes, such as permitting absent servicemembers and overseas voters to use the Federal Write-i... | The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act generally protects the rights of military personnel and overseas citizens to register and vote absentee in federal elections. In 2014, the most recently completed federal election, the Election Assistance Commission estimated that around 6 percent, or 8,500 of the... |
Federal programs for bridge construction, reconstruction, and repair are authorized in surface transportation acts. In 2012, MAP-21 consolidated a number of existing highway formula programs, including the Highway Bridge Program (HBP). Bridge projects are now generally funded through the National Highway Performance Pr... | The nation's 612,000 bridges are critical elements of the surface transportation system, but the entire system is under growing strain and funding it is on GAO's High Risk List. While state and local governments own and maintain most of the nation's bridges, the federal government provides some funding for them, admini... |
The Forest Service’s reforestation and timber stand improvement program shapes our national forests as well as their associated plant and animal communities through treatments that establish, develop, and care for trees over their lifetime. Under NFMA, each national forest is required to have a forest management plan d... | In 2004, the Forest Service reported to the Congress that it had a backlog of nearly 900,000 acres of land needing reforestation--the planting and natural regeneration of trees. Reforestation and subsequent timber stand improvement treatments, such as thinning trees and removing competing vegetation, are critical to re... |
We developed an initial set of results-oriented agency budget practices by reviewing literature on performance management and budgeting and speaking to budget experts. Although some of the literature we reviewed focused on executive branch departments and agencies, much of it focused on the congressional budget process... | GAO analyzed federal government budget practices in order to produce a framework for agency budget practices that can guide an agency toward incorporating performance information into the budget process. GAO also reviewed challenges to implementing results-oriented budget practices that were identified by a panel of ag... |
The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)(referred to in this report jointly as the enterprises) are government-sponsored enterprises that play important roles in federal support of home ownership and America’s housing finance system. The primary rol... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement and a congressional request, GAO examined the potential effects of privatizing the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Freddie Mac). GAO noted that: (1) the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would have a major ... |
As shown in figure 1, expenditures for the section 515 program increased throughout the 1970s, peaked in 1979, and fell sharply after that. In recent years, the program has received about $115 million annually and has allocated $55 million for new construction, $55 million for rehabilitation, and $5 million for equity ... | Nearly 450,000 elderly and other households depend on federal assistance to live in multifamily rural rental properties that were constructed with subsidized federal loans. Because the properties were built in areas when and where privately financed housing units, affordable by lower income households, were not conside... |
On February 17, 2002, pursuant to ATSA, TSA assumed responsibility for the security of the nation’s civil aviation system from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including FAA’s existing aviation security programs, plans, regulations, orders, and directives covering airports, air carriers, and other related ent... | Incidents of airport workers using access privileges to smuggle weapons through secured airport areas and onto planes have heightened concerns regarding commercial airport security. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), along with airports, is responsible for security at TSA-regulated airports. To guide ris... |
IRS is responsible for administering our nation’s voluntary tax system in a fair and equitable manner. To do so, IRS has roughly 100,000 employees, many of whom interact directly with taxpayers. In fiscal year 1994, IRS processed over 200 million tax returns, issued about 86 million tax refunds, handled about 39 millio... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the: (1) adequacy of the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) controls to protect against abuse of taxpayers; (2) extent of information available concerning abuse allegations received and investigated by IRS, the Department of the Treasury Office of the Inspector General (O... |
RTC’s sales centers planned and carried out land sales initiatives. Asset marketing specialists at the National Sales Center and in regional sales centers developed disposition plans, identified the assets to be offered for sale in the initiatives, and obtained approval from RTC management to carry out the sales initia... | GAO reviewed the Resolution Trust Corporation's (RTC) land disposition activities, focusing on whether RTC: (1) developed and implemented a strategy to dispose of its land assets; and (2) assessed the results of its land sales initiatives to identify the most cost-effective disposition methods and best practices. GAO f... |
NHTSA’s mission is to prevent motor vehicle crashes and reduce injuries, fatalities, and economic losses associated with these crashes. To carry out this mission, NHTSA conducts a range of safety-related activities, including setting vehicle safety standards; investigating possible safety defects and taking steps to he... | In 2010, motor vehicle crashes in the United States cost almost 33,000 lives, injured 2.2 million people, and resulted in almost $900 billion in economic costs. As part of its mission to reduce these losses, NHTSA collects and analyzes data on motor vehicle crashes. One NHTSA program that collects crash data is NASS-CD... |
The Army has taken a number of steps since June 2010 at different levels to provide for more effective management and oversight of contracts supporting Arlington, including improving visibility of contracts, establishing new support relationships, formalizing policies and procedures, and increasing the use of dedicated... | Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington) is the final resting place for many of our nations military servicemembers, their family members, and others. In June 2010, the Army Inspector General identified problems at the cemetery, including deficiencies in contracting and management, burial errors, and a failure to notif... |
Manufactured homes differ from site-built homes based on how they are constructed, classified, financed, and appraised, with many differences resulting from the home’s status as either real or personal property. Manufactured home parks have a variety of ownership models, ranging from sole to corporate ownership and inc... | Pending legislation to the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Title I Manufactured Home Loan program would increase loan limits, insure each loan, incorporate stricter underwriting requirements, and set up-front premiums. GAO was asked to review (1) selected characteristics of manufactured housing and the demograph... |
BIE’s mission is to provide Indian students with quality education opportunities starting in early childhood. Its Indian education programs derive from the federal government’s trust relationship with Indian tribes, a responsibility established in federal statutes, treaties, and court decisions. Students attending BIE ... | BIE, within Interior's office of Indian Affairs, oversees 185 schools, serving about 41,000 students on or near Indian reservations. BIE's mission is to provide students with a quality education. However, BIE student performance has been consistently below that of public school students, including other Indian students... |
The close integration and coordination of ground combat forces and bombing operations is essential to the exercise of lethal combat power on the modern battlefield. As depicted in figure 1, military doctrine describes targeting in terms of a cyclical process composed of six basic phases. During this process, the joint ... | Recent U.S. combat operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq benefited from new Department of Defense (DOD) strategies and technologies, such as improvements in force networks and increased use of precision weapons, designed to address changes in the security environment resulting from the continuing terrorist threat... |
The broader context of U.S. efforts for Iraqi reconstruction is tied to how missions and projects are being conducted and managed. Over the past decade, DOD has increasingly relied on contractors to provide a range of mission-critical services. Overall, DOD’s obligations on service contracts rose from $82.3 billion in ... | The Department of Defense (DOD) has relied extensively on contractors to undertake major reconstruction projects and provide support to its deployed forces, but these efforts have not always achieved desired outcomes. Further, the Iraqi government must be able to reduce violence, sustain reconstruction progress, improv... |
Before I go into detail regarding the Department of Education’s Year 2000 challenges, I would like to first discuss the Year 2000 issue in broader terms to put the department’s efforts into perspective. As the world’s most advanced and most dependent user of information technology, the United States possesses close to ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed year 2000 (Y2K) computing crisis risks to the Department of Education, focusing on: (1) student financial aid systems; (2) actions the department has taken in recent months to address these risks; and (3) key issues the department must deal with if its systems are to b... |
The United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile comprises nine nuclear weapons types, all of which were designed during the Cold War. Two of these systems—the B61 and the W76—are currently being refurbished to extend their useful lives for up to 30 years through NNSA’s Life Extension Program. In May 2008, we reported that... | Over the past several years, a serious effort has begun to comprehensively reevaluate how the United States maintains its nuclear deterrent and what the nation's approach should be for transforming its aging nuclear weapons complex. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a separately organized agency with... |
When borrowers default on single-family mortgages insured by HUD, the Department encourages lenders to work with the borrowers to bring their mortgage payments up to date. If that is not possible, the homes may be sold to third parties, voluntarily conveyed to the lenders, or surrendered to the lenders through foreclos... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) whether the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is ensuring that real estate asset management contractors meet their contractual obligations; and (2) what actions HUD has planned or under way to change its handling and disposition of the single-family... |
VA’s mission is to promote the health, welfare, and dignity of all veterans in recognition of their service to the nation by ensuring that they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and lasting memorials. In addition to its central office located in Washington, D.C., VA has field offices located throughout th... | VHA, an administration within VA, provides a broad range of primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services to veterans. In doing so, VHA operates one of the nation's largest health care systems through 168 VA medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient facilities. The administration ... |
To carry out its missions, DOE relies on contractors for the management, operation, maintenance, and support of its facilities. DOE headquarters and its field offices oversee 34 major contractors at DOE sites throughout the country. The activities that these contractors conduct serve a variety of DOE missions, such as ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Energy's (DOE) contractor travel costs, and DOE's efforts to reduce these costs, focusing on the: (1) travel costs incurred by DOE contractors and their primary destinations during fiscal years (FY) 1996 through 1998; (2) purpose of this... |
Corporate credit unions occupy a unique niche among financial institutions. They are nonprofit financial cooperatives that are owned by natural person credit unions (that is, credit unions whose members are individuals), and provide lending, investment, and other financial services to these credit unions. For example, ... | Thousands of credit unions have placed about $55 billion of their excess funds in corporate credit unions (corporates). In a three-tiered system, corporates provide lending, investment, and processing services for their member credit unions. Problems with investments in the past prompted regulatory changes that require... |
Substantial numbers of ground combat Army and Marine Corps servicemembers are exposed to combat experiences often associated with an increased risk of developing PTSD or other mental health conditions. Specifically, according to a 2004 study, more than half of Army or Marine Corps ground combat units in OEF or OIF repo... | The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 included provisions regarding mental health concerns and traumatic brain injury (TBI). GAO addressed these issues as required by the Act. In this report GAO discusses (1) DOD efforts to implement pre-deployment mental health screening; (2) how post... |
Hospitals’ budgets for medical devices and other goods are substantial. Many hospitals buy medical devices and other supplies through GPOs, which are generally owned by member hospitals and vary in size and scope of services. GPOs are expected to use volume purchasing as leverage in negotiating prices with vendors. In ... | This testimony discusses group purchasing organizations (GPO) for medical devices and supplies used in hospitals. By pooling the purchases of their member hospitals, these specialized firms negotiate lower prices from vendors. GAO found that a hospital's use of a GPO contract did not guarantee that the hospital saved m... |
About 19,600 communities have joined the flood insurance program. Under the program, flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) were prepared to identify special flood hazard areas. In order for a community to join the program, any structures built within a special flood hazard area after the FIRM was completed were required to ... | Floods have been, and continue to be, the most destructive natural hazard in terms of economic loss to the nation, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. From fiscal years 1969 through 2000, the National Flood Insurance Program--a major federal effort to provide flood disaster assistance paid about $10 b... |
The EHCY program is the key federal education program targeted to homeless children and youth, and, in school year 2011-12, more than 1.1 million were enrolled in our nation’s public schools, according to Education data. For purposes of the program, a homeless child or youth is one who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequ... | The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act established a grant program to help the nation's homeless students—more than one million in school year 2011-12—have access to public education. Under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth grant program, states and their school districts are required to identify homele... |
The SAB provides a mechanism for EPA to receive peer review and other advice in the use of science at EPA. The SAB is authorized to, among other things, review the adequacy of the scientific and technical basis of EPA’s proposed regulations. The SAB and its subcommittees or panels focus on a formal set of charge questi... | EPA formulates rules to protect the environment and public health. To enhance the quality and credibility of such rules, EPA obtains advice and recommendations from the SAB and CASAC—two federal advisory committees that review the scientific and technical basis for EPA decision making. ERDDAA requires the SAB to provid... |
Roughly half of all workers participate in an employer-sponsored retirement or pension plan. Private sector pension plans are classified either as defined benefit (DB) or as defined contribution (DC) plans. DB plans promise to provide, generally, a fixed level of monthly retirement income that is based on salary, years... | 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. However, questions remain about IRAs' effectiveness in facilitating... |
A federal position dedicated to overseeing security at commercial airports was first established in 1990 under the Federal Aviation Administration and was later transferred to TSA. The Federal Aviation Administration established the position of Federal Security Manager pursuant to a mandate in the Aviation Security Imp... | The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assigned Federal Security Directors (FSD) to oversee security, including the screening of passengers and their baggage, at the nation's more than 440 commercial airports. FSDs must work closely with stakeholders to ensure that airports are adequately protected and prepar... |
When EESA was enacted on October 3, 2008, the U.S. financial system was facing a severe crisis that rippled throughout the global economy, moving from the U.S. housing market to an array of financial assets and interbank lending. The crisis restricted access to credit and made the financing on which businesses and indi... | The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 authorized Treasury to create TARP, a $700 billion program designed to restore liquidity and stability to the financial system and to preserve homeownership by assisting borrowers struggling to make their mortgage payments. The act also required that GAO report every 60 ... |
The Weed and Seed Program is a DOJ discretionary grant program that provides funding to community grantees to help prevent and control crime and improve the quality of life in targeted high-crime neighborhoods across the country. It is a joint federal, state, and local program for coordinated law enforcement and neighb... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the effectiveness of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Weed and Seed Program, focusing on how: (1) the program is managed by DOJ's Executive Office for Weed and Seed (EOWS); (2) EOWS monitors local Weed and Seed sites to ensure that grant requirements are met; (3) EOW... |
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic continues to spread rapidly in the developing world, where more than 90 percent of the 30 million people living with the HIV infection live (see fig. 1.1). Moreover, the UNAIDS Secretariat recently reported that more than 90 percent... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention activities of the Agency for International Development (AID) and the United Nations' (U.N.) Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), focusing on the: (1) contributions AID has made to t... |
According to FPS officials, the agency has required its guards to receive training on how to respond to an active-shooter scenario since 2010. However, as our 2013 report shows, FPS faces challenges providing active-shooter response training to all of its guards. We were unable to determine the extent to which FPS’s gu... | Recent incidents at federal facilities demonstrate their continued vulnerability to attacks or other acts of violence. As part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FPS is responsible for protecting federal employees and visitors in approximately 9,600 federal facilities under the control and custody the Genera... |
E/M office visits are frequently performed services during which a physician or other provider assesses a patient’s health and begins managing his or her care. These services are predominantly performed in two settings—physician offices and HOPDs. Medicare FFS paid for approximately 250 million E/M office visits in 201... | Medicare expenditures for HOPD services have grown rapidly in recent years. Some policymakers have raised questions about whether this growth may be attributed to services that were typically performed in physician offices shifting to HOPDs. GAO was asked to examine trends in vertical consolidation and its effects on M... |
Our review of medical records for a sample of newly enrolled veterans at six VA medical centers found several problems in medical centers’ processing of veterans’ requests that VA contact them to schedule appointments, and thus not all newly enrolled veterans were able to access primary care. For the 60 newly enrolled ... | This testimony summarizes the information contained in GAO's March 2016 report, entitled VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Newly Enrolled Veterans' Access to Primary Care , GAO-16-328 . GAO found that not all newly enrolled veterans were able to access primary care from the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) ... |
The tens of thousands of individuals who responded to the September 11, 2001, attack on the WTC experienced the emotional trauma of the disaster and were exposed to a noxious mixture of dust, debris, smoke, and potentially toxic contaminants, such as pulverized concrete, fibrous glass, particulate matter, and asbestos.... | Six years after the attack on the World Trade Center (WTC), concerns persist about health effects experienced by WTC responders and the availability of health care services for those affected. Several federally funded programs provide screening, monitoring, or treatment services to responders. GAO has previously report... |
A special education dispute may involve a variety of issues. According to an Education study published in 2011, the most common topics of disputes were (1) whether schools were providing an appropriate educational environment for certain students; (2) whether schools carried out the education programs as set forth in t... | States receiving IDEA funds must ensure that a free appropriate public education is made available to all children with disabilities, and IDEA has long incorporated formal methods to resolve disputes between parents and school districts. The 2004 reauthorization of IDEA expanded the availability of alternative dispute ... |
To address the need for improved funding, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) included new provisions designed to compel multiemployer plans in poor financial shape to take action to improve their long-term financial condition. The law established two categories of troubled plans—endangered status (commonly referr... | Multiemployer pension plans--created by collective bargaining agreements including more than one employer--cover more than 10 million workers and retirees, and are insured by the PBGC. As a result of investment market declines, employers withdrawing from plans and demographic challenges in recent years, many multiemplo... |
Consistent with the premise that physicians play a central role in the generation of most health care expenditures, some health care purchasers employ physician profiling to promote efficiency. We selected 10 health care purchasers that profiled physicians in their networks—that is, compared physicians’ performance to ... | Medicare's current system of spending targets used to moderate spending growth for physician services and annually update physician fees is problematic. This spending target system--called the sustainable growth rate (SGR) system--adjusts physician fees based on the extent to which actual spending aligns with specified... |
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.