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While there is no uniformly accepted definition of predatory lending, a number of practices are widely acknowledged to be predatory. These include, among other things, charging excessive fees and interest rates, lending without regard to borrowers’ ability to repay, refinancing borrowers’ loans repeatedly over a short ... | While there is no universally accepted definition, the term "predatory lending" is used to characterize a range of practices, including deception, fraud, or manipulation, that a mortgage broker or lender may use to make a loan with terms that are disadvantageous to the borrower. Concerns about predatory lending have in... |
Over the past 8 years, DOD has designated over 34,000 servicemembers involved in OEF and OIF as wounded in action. The severity of injuries can result in a lengthy process for a patient to either return to duty or to transition to veteran status. The most seriously injured servicemembers from these conflicts usually re... | The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (NDAA 2008) requires the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly develop and implement comprehensive policies on the care, management, and transition of recovering servicemembers. The Wounded, Ill, and Injured Senior Oversight Committ... |
VA manages a vast medical care network for veterans, providing health care services to about 5 million beneficiaries. The estimated cost of these services in fiscal year 2004 was $29 billion. According to VA, its health care system now includes 157 medical centers, 862 ambulatory care and community-based outpatient cli... | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains partnerships, or affiliations, with university medical schools to obtain medical services for veterans and provide training for medical residents. In 2002, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)--which is affiliated with VA's medical facility in Charleston--pro... |
A number of communicable disease threats have raised concern regarding international transmission and travel since the 2003 SARS epidemic, which was the first major new disease of the 21st century, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations. WHO described that 2003 epidemic as a watershed ev... | Past communicable diseases, such as the recent Ebola epidemic, have resulted in many deaths and highlight the potential economic cost of disruptions to air travel and the U.S. and global economies. GAO was asked to review the preparedness of the U.S. aviation system to respond to communicable diseases. This report exam... |
FDLP loan consolidation begins with a borrower sending EDS an application for a consolidation loan. The borrower lists each loan he or she wants to consolidate and the party holding or servicing the loan—the FDLP servicing center for FDLP loans and private lenders for FFELP loans. For FDLP loans, EDS obtains balance in... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed problems lenders had with William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP) consolidation loans, focusing on: (1) the nature and source of problems Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) lenders have encountered in the direct loan consolidation program; (2) whet... |
EPA used over two-thirds of its fiscal year 2003 budget on grants and contracts to carry out its environmental programs and obtain services. Out of an $7.6 billion fiscal year 2003 budget, EPA awarded $4.2 billion in grants and $934 million in contracts, as shown in figure 1. In fiscal year 2002, EPA made over 8,000 gr... | Grants and contracts constitute over two-thirds of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget. In fiscal year 2003, EPA awarded $3.6 billion in grants directed by Congress, $656 million in grants awarded at its own discretion, and $934 million in contracts. Under the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act ... |
Wildland fire triggered by lightning is a natural, inevitable, and necessary ecological process. Such fires periodically consume excess vegetation and renew the productivity of our nation’s ecosystems. However, in ecosystems that are adapted to frequent small, low-intensity fires, uncharacteristically large and intense... | Over the past two decades, the number of acres burned by wildland fires has surged, often threatening human lives, property, and ecosystems. Past management practices, including a concerted federal policy in the 20th century of suppressing fires to protect communities and ecosystem resources, unintentionally resulted i... |
Periodic reexamination and reevaluation of federal agencies’ activities has never been more important than it is today. The federal government must address and adapt to major trends in our country and around the world. At the same time, our nation faces a serious, long-term fiscal challenge. Increased pressure also com... | GAO has sought to assist the Congress and the executive branch in considering the actions needed to support the transition to a more high-performing, results-oriented, and accountable federal government. GAO provided perspectives on the federal government's overall structure and the need for reorganization to improve p... |
To achieve directed force structure reductions, the Air Force has been reducing the number of F-15 and F-16 aircraft in its inventory. Between fiscal years 1991 and 1997, the Air Force plans to reduce its F-15 aircraft from 342 to 252. Over this same period, the Air Force plans to reduce its F-16 aircraft from 570 to 4... | GAO reviewed the cost-effectiveness of the Air Force's reconfiguration of F-15 and F-16 fighters into smaller squadrons, focusing on the consequences this might have on the Secretary of Defense's efforts to reduce defense infrastructure costs. GAO found that: (1) while smaller 18-aircraft squadrons provide more deploym... |
The Coast Guard is a multi-mission, maritime military service within DHS. The Coast Guard’s range of responsibilities includes maintaining the United States’ maritime borders, facilitating the global movement of commerce, safeguarding marine resources, and protecting those at sea. To meet its statutory missions, the Co... | The Coast Guard is managing a multi-billion dollar effort to modernize aging assets, including ships, aircraft, and information technology to provide new capabilities to conduct missions ranging from marine safety to defense readiness. GAO has reviewed the Coast Guard's acquisitions since 2001 and has found it faces ch... |
FHWA is responsible for administering and overseeing various highway transportation programs, including the Federal-Aid Highway Program—which provides financial assistance to the states for improving the efficiency of highway and traffic operations. FHWA relies on AASHTO to (1) provide technical guidance for the design... | GAO provided information on the: (1) roles of the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) and others in developing and updating the pavement design guide; and (2) use and potential of a computer analysis method known as nonlinear 3 Dimensional-Finite Element Method (3D-FEM) for improving the design and analysis of highwa... |
The U.S. aviation system, which accounts for 40 percent of all worldwide aviation activity, is the largest in the world. In 1995, the nation’s system of airports served over 580 million passengers. The federal government has financed a considerable portion of this airport infrastructure. However, privatization advocate... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed issues relating to airport privatization in the United States, focusing on: (1) the extent of private sector participation at commercial airports in the United States and foreign countries; (2) incentives and barriers to the sale or lease of airports; and (3) the potent... |
In conducting our review, we assessed the Air Force’s Year 2000 efforts against our own Year 2000 Assessment Guide. This guide addresses common issues affecting most federal agencies and presents a structured approach and a checklist to aid in planning, managing, and evaluating Year 2000 programs. The guidance, which i... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Air Force's program for solving its year 2000 computer systems problem, focusing on the: (1) status of the Air Force's efforts to oversee its Year 2000 program; and (2) appropriateness of the Air Force's strategy and actions for ensuring that the problem will be suc... |
Fuel for nuclear power plants consists of fingernail-sized pellets of uranium dioxide, a radioactive compound. The pellets are fitted into hollow metal rods, typically constructed of zirconium alloy, and the rods are then gas pressurized. The rods are generally 12 to 14 feet in length and are bundled together into asse... | Spent nuclear fuel, the used fuel periodically removed from nuclear power reactors, is one of the most hazardous materials made by man. Nuclear power companies currently store 50,000 tons of spent fuel at 72 sites in 33 states. That amount will increase through 2010, when the Department of Energy (DOE) expects to open ... |
The DI program, created in 1954, provides monthly cash benefits to workers who have become severely disabled and to their dependents and survivors. These benefits are financed through payroll taxes paid by workers and their employers and by the self-employed. Proof of disability can involve complex technical issues, an... | To ensure that people claiming disability insurance program benefits can obtain legal representation at a fair price, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is required to regulate the fees that attorneys charge people to represent their disability claims before the agency. Balancing the needs of the claimants with t... |
FAA catalogs its acquisition programs in its annually updated Capital Investment Plan (CIP). The CIP identifies planned capital investment in the National Airspace System (NAS) for the next 5 years consistent with the amount requested in the agency’s annual budget submission. Appendix C of the CIP, which identifies the... | The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), partnering with other federal agencies and the aviation industry, is implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), a new satellite-based air traffic management system that will replace the current radar-based system and is expected to enhance the safety... |
The Marine Corps was established on November 10, 1775, to provide security to naval vessels and boarding parties and to conduct limited land engagements in support of naval operations. In fiscal year 2012, the Marine Corps reported that it had about 198,000 active duty marines, 39,000 reservists, and 22,000 civilian em... | After being identified in August 2009 as the pilot military service for an audit of its SBR, the Marine Corps received disclaimers of opinion on its fiscal year 2010 and 2011 SBRs. Because of difficulties in locating supporting documents for prior fiscal years, in June 2012, DOD leadership decided that the Marine Corps... |
The H-1B program was created by the Immigration Act of 1990, which amended the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The H-1B visa category was created to enable U.S. employers to hire temporary workers as needed in specialty occupations, or those that require theoretical and practical application of a body of highly ... | The H-1B visa program assists U.S. employers in temporarily filling certain occupations with highly-skilled foreign workers. There is considerable interest regarding how Labor, along with Homeland Security and Justice, is enforcing the requirements of the program. This testimony summarizes our report, GAO-06-720 , that... |
Although recent events may have moved airport congestion off center stage as a major national issue, delays remain a pervasive problem, in part because of the interdependence of the nation’s airports. The effect of delays can quickly spread beyond those airports where delays tend to occur most often, such as New York L... | Since the unprecedented flight delays in 2000, a year in which one in four flights were delayed, our aviation system has been adversely affected by many unanticipated events--such as the September 11th terrorist attacks, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)--that significantly reduced the demand for air travel.... |
The 2010 Nuclear Security Summit highlighted the global threat posed by nuclear terrorism and the need for countries to work in a comprehensive and concerted fashion to ensure that nuclear materials are not stolen or diverted for weapons use. The Summit produced a communiqué, a high- level political statement by the le... | In 2009, President Obama announced an international initiative to secure all vulnerable nuclear material worldwide within 4 years. Leaders of 47 nations endorsed this effort at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit and will meet again in March 2012 to evaluate their work and set new goals for nuclear security. The United St... |
The F/A-22 is planned to be an air superiority and ground attack aircraft with advanced features to make it less detectable to adversaries (stealth characteristics) and capable of high speeds for long ranges. It has integrated avionics that greatly improve pilots’ awareness of the situation surrounding them. The object... | Following a history of increasing cost estimates to complete F/A-22 development, Congress asked GAO to assess the Air Force's F/A-22 development program annually and determine whether the Air Force is meeting key performance, schedule, and cost goals. On April 23, 2003, a congressional subcommittee requested that the D... |
Some DI benefit recipients have incomes low enough to qualify them for SSI as well and receive benefits from both programs. gainful activity because of a severe physical or mental impairment. The standards for determining whether the severity of an applicant’s impairment qualifies him or her for disability benefits are... | GAO discussed issues involving the Social Security Administration's (SSA) process for paying attorneys representing applicants for disability benefits, focusing on three areas of the attorney payment process: (1) the process itself, including the costs of processing the payments; (2) possible changes to the way the use... |
NRC is an independent agency of over 3,200 employees established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to regulate civilian—that is, commercial, industrial, academic, and medical—use of nuclear materials. NRC is headed by a five-member Commission. The President appoints the Commission members, who are confirmed by t... | The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has the responsibility to provide oversight to ensure that the nation's 103 commercial nuclear power plants are operated safely. While the safety of these plants has always been important, since radioactive release could harm the public and the environment, NRC's oversight has be... |
Section 7122 of the Internal Revenue Code authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to compromise tax delinquencies. The purpose of the OIC Program is to (1) collect what can be fairly and reasonably collected from taxpayers who cannot fully pay their delinquent tax liability, (2) collect the tax in a timely and cost-ef... | Taxpayers unable to fully pay their tax liabilities may apply for an offer in compromise (OIC), an agreement with IRS to pay what they can afford. IRS writes off the rest of the liability. In 2005, IRS accepted over 14,000 offers. Because of concerns about program performance and a new category of offers based on excep... |
Under A-76, commercial activities may be converted to or from contractor performance either by direct conversion or by cost comparison. Under direct conversion, specific conditions allow commercial activities to be moved from government or contract performance without a cost comparison study (for example, for activitie... | This testimony discusses the Department of Defense's (DOD) use of the Office of Management and Budget's Circular A-76, which establishes federal policy for the performance of recurring commercial activities. DOD has been a leader among federal agencies in the use of the A-76 process and at one point planned to use the ... |
The Internet is a vast network of interconnected networks that is used by governments, businesses, research institutions, and individuals around the world to communicate, engage in commerce, perform research, educate, and entertain. The Internet became widely accessible to U.S. households by the mid-1990s. Early on, th... | The Broadband Data Improvement Act, enacted in 2008, established a variety of initiatives intended to improve the quality of state and federal data on broadband (i.e., high-speed Internet) services and promote the deployment (the building of infrastructure over which broadband services can be provided) of affordable br... |
The H-1B program enables companies in the United States to hire foreign workers for work in specialty occupations on a temporary basis. A specialty occupation is defined as one requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and the attainment of a bachelor’s degree or higher (... | Congress created the H-1B program in 1990 to enable U.S. employers to hire temporary, foreign workers in specialty occupations. The law capped the number of H-1B visas issued per fiscal year at 65,000. Since then, the cap has fluctuated with legislative changes. Congress asked GAO to assess the impact of the cap on the... |
CMS (formerly HCFA), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for administering much of the federal government’s multibillion dollar investment in health care— including the Medicare program. Medicare is a health insurance program for people aged 65 years and older, some disabl... | Considering the complexity, the size, and the statutory constraints affecting the Medicare Program, some contend that the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA)--recently renamed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services--management of Medicare has, on balance, been satisfactory. Others argue that HCFA's ma... |
This section of the report describes the paper- and electronic-based check collection processes, presents statistics on the use of electronic and nonelectronic payments and types of check processing, and describes the Federal Reserve’s role in check collection. Interbank checks are cleared and settled through an elabor... | Although check volume has declined, checks still represent a significant volume of payments that need to be processed, cleared, and settled. The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act of 2003 (Check 21) was intended to make check collection more efficient and less costly by facilitating wider use of electronic check p... |
The United States and many of its trading partners have long used laws known as “trade remedies” to mitigate the adverse impact of certain trade practices on domestic industries and workers, notably dumping (i.e. sales at below fair market value), and foreign government subsidies that lower producers’ costs or increase... | Between fiscal years 2001 and 2004, the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA) provided over $1 billion funded from import duties to U.S. companies deemed injured by unfair trade. Some supporters state CDSOA helps U.S. companies compete in the face of continuing unfair trade. Some opponents believe CDSOA reci... |
The federal government has established a policy to develop its employees through training programs, to improve public service, increase efficiency and economy, and build and retain a force of skilled and efficient employees, among other things. In 1967, President Johnson signed Executive Order No. 11348, to provide age... | OPM and agency CHCOs play an important role in ensuring that federal training dollars are invested effectively. GAO was asked to review the extent to which: (1) CHCOs of selected federal agencies have established processes to set and prioritize training investments that are aligned with leading practices; and (2) OPMs... |
As part of our undercover investigation, we produced counterfeit documents before sending our two teams of investigators out to the field. We found two NRC documents and a few examples of the documents by searching the Internet. We subsequently used commercial, off-the-shelf computer software to produce two counterfeit... | To address the threat of dirty bombs and other nuclear material, the federal government has programs in place that regulate the transportation of radioactive sources and to prevent illegal transport of radioactive sources across our nation's borders. The Department of Homeland Security through the U.S. Customs and Bord... |
The United States is engaged in a comprehensive effort to protect and defend the homeland and defeat terrorism. Using all instruments of national power, the United States and its partners are attacking terrorists both at home and abroad, denying terrorists sanctuary and sponsorship, disrupting the financing of terror, ... | After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the President announced a Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), requiring the collective instruments of the entire federal government to counter the threat of terrorism. Ongoing military and diplomatic operations overseas, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, constitute a key... |
Select agent regulations do not mandate that specific perimeter security controls be present at BSL-4 labs, resulting in a significant difference in perimeter security between the nation’s five labs. According to the regulations, each lab must implement a security plan that is sufficient to safeguard select agents agai... | Biosafety laboratories are primarily regulated by either the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), depending on whether the substances they handle pose a threat to the health of humans or plants, animals, and related products, respectively. Currently, all operationa... |
From 1996 through 2000, NASA was one of the few agencies to be judged by its independent auditor at that time, Arthur Andersen, as meeting all of the federal financial reporting requirements. That is, NASA was one of the few agencies to receive an unqualified, or “clean,” opinion on its financial statements, with no ma... | In April 2000, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began its Integrated Financial Management program (IFMP), its third attempt at modernizing its financial management processes and systems. In April 2003, GAO reported that NASA's acquisition strategy has increased the risk that the agency will impl... |
The National School Lunch Program, established in 1946, is intended to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation’s children. The program provides nutritionally balanced low-cost or free lunches in participating schools to about 31 million children each month. At the federal level, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Serv... | The National School Lunch Program served 31.6 million children in fiscal year 2012, in part through $11.6 billion in federal supports. The most recent reauthorization of the program, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 required that nutrition standards for school lunches be updated. As a result, USDA issued final... |
As of December 31, 1996, a total of 281 FBOs based in 59 countries had banking operations in the United States that were subject to the procedural requirements of the FBO program. FBOs operate in the United States through a number of types of offices with differing powers and oversight. The most common of these types o... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the oversight of the U.S. operations of foreign banking organizations (FBO), focusing on the: (1) FBO program; and (2) banking supervisors' progress in implementing this program. GAO noted that: (1) the FBO Program focuses on integrating into supervisory ... |
OBO is responsible for the acquisition, design, construction, maintenance, utilization, and sale of U.S. government diplomatic property abroad. Through its Capital Security Construction Program, administered by OBO, State replaces and constructs diplomatic facilities to provide U.S. embassies and consulates with safe, ... | Since re-opening in 2002, the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, has experienced a dramatic increase in staffing, followed by a gradual drawdown. State has invested or plans to invest a total of $2.17 billion in U.S. facilities to address current and projected space needs. State awarded two contracts in 2009 and 2010 ... |
Under DOD’s supply chain materiel management policy, the secondary item inventory should be sized to minimize DOD’s investment while providing sufficient inventory to support both peacetime and war requirements. The Offices of the Secretary of Defense and the Navy share the responsibility for management and oversight o... | Since 1990, GAO has designated the Department of Defense's (DOD) inventory management as a high-risk area. It is critical that the military services and the Defense Logistics Agency effectively and efficiently manage DOD's secondary inventory to ensure that the warfighter is supplied with the right items at the right t... |
The ICD-9 code set was adopted in the United States in 1979 as the standard for documenting morbidity and mortality information for statistical purposes. It was expanded and adopted in 2000 under HIPAA as the standard code set for use in all electronic transactions by covered entities. Specifically, ICD-9 codes are cur... | ICD is the standard code set used in the United States to document patient medical diagnoses and inpatient medical procedures. Every claim submitted by health care providers to payers for reimbursement, including those for Medicare programs, includes these codes. CMS is responsible for enforcing the use of ICD codes an... |
Homeland security is a complex mission that involves a broad range of functions performed throughout government, including law enforcement, transportation, food safety and public health, information technology, and emergency management, to mention only a few. Federal, state, and local governments have a shared responsi... | The challenges posed by homeland security exceed the capacity and authority of any one level of government. Protecting the nation against these threats calls for a truly integrated approach, bringing together the resources of all levels of government. The proposed Department of Homeland Security will clearly have a cen... |
The current health information system used by VA clinicians is VistA. Since the inception of this system in 1983, VHA has made numerous enhancements to its functionality. A significant example was the release in 1996 of the Computerized Patient Record System, which enabled the department to provide an individual electr... | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), through its Veterans Health Administration (VHA), provides health care for more than 5 million veterans each year. In 2001, VHA began an initiative, HealtheVet, to modernize its current medical information system. GAO's objectives were to determine the status of the modernizatio... |
GPO was established in 1861 to (1) assist Congress and federal agencies in the production and replication of information products and services, and (2) provide the public with government information products and services. GPO provides printing services to all three branches of government—either by producing work in-hou... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Government Printing Office's (GPO) procedures for managing its inventory of excess publications, particularly its management of a major inventory reduction that took place in September 1996, focusing on: (1) whether GPO followed existing policies and procedures; and... |
DOD sites that require cleanup are often contaminated by many different types of hazardous materials, have contamination in more than one medium (e.g., soil, surface water, or groundwater), and may encompass several acres or even square miles. Groundwater stored in subsurface formations called aquifers can become conta... | To date, the Department of Defense (DOD) has identified nearly 6,000 sites at its facilities that require groundwater remediation and has invested $20 billion over the past 10 years to clean up these sites. In the past, DOD primarily used "pump-and-treat" technologies to contain or eliminate hazardous contaminants in g... |
The private sector, driven by today’s globally competitive business environment, is faced with the challenge of improving its service while lowering costs. As a result, many companies have adopted innovative business practices to meet customer needs and retain profitability. Since DOD is facing a similar challenge of p... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Navy's aircraft logistics system, focusing on the Navy's efforts to improve and reduce the cost of the system. GAO found that: (1) the best practices identified in the airline industry could improve the responsiveness of the Navy's logistics system and save millions... |
Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), BLM manages about 250 million acres of federal land for multiple uses, including recreation; range; timber; minerals; watershed; wildlife and fish; and natural scenic, scientific, and historical values, as well as for the sustained yield of r... | The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was enacted in part to expedite domestic oil and gas development. Section 390 of the act authorized the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use categorical exclusions to streamline the environmental analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act o... |
Because of rising costs, a fundamental reexamination of how the Bureau conducts the decennial census—including improving the cost- effectiveness of the actual count, or enumeration—is needed. In response to external pressures to contain costs, including our 2010 report calling for such a reexamination, the Bureau is re... | A complete and accurate address list is a key building block of a successful census, but developing such a list is costly and labor intensive. For the 2020 Census, the Bureau is reexamining approaches to control cost and maintain accuracy, including approaches to meet its address and mapping needs. GAO was asked to exa... |
Commercial space transportation is carried out using launch vehicles operated by private companies. In February 1984, Executive Order 12465 designated the Department of Transportation (DOT) as the lead federal agency for enabling private-sector launch capabilities. In October 1984, the Commercial Space Launch Act (CSLA... | The U.S. commercial space industry has expanded, conducting eight launches in 2015 compared with none in 2011. These launches have traditionally been from federal facilities, but as of July 2016, there were 10 nonfederal FAA-licensed spaceport operators supporting both private and federal space activity. Almost all of ... |
Genetic engineering refers to a modern set of tools that can be used for precisely modifying the genetic makeup of crops, animals, or microorganisms in order to introduce, remove, or rearrange specific genetic material conferring desired traits. Genetic engineering techniques allow for faster development of new crop va... | Three agencies have primary responsibility for regulating GE crops and food in the United States: USDA, EPA, and FDA. USDA and industry groups estimate that at least 90 percent of many major commercial crops, such as corn and soybeans, are GE varieties. Proponents say GE crops offer greater pest resistance, use less la... |
The B-1, a long-range heavy bomber that began operations in 1986, was designed primarily to carry nuclear munitions. Effective October 1997, B-1 units were no longer assigned the nuclear mission. The B-1 continues, however, to support Air Force conventional wartime missions, and planned modifications will provide the B... | GAO reviewed the cost and operational implications of assigning more B-1 bombers to the reserve component, focusing on: (1) whether operational factors preclude greater reserve component participation in the B-1 mission; and (2) options for increasing the number of B-1s assigned to reserve component units and their eff... |
GPRA was enacted in August 1993 to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of federal programs by establishing a system to set goals for program performance and to measure results. Congress passed GPRA because a lack of precise goals and performance information on the results of federal programs had hindered federal m... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed six states' experiences in implementing management reforms and how their experiences could assist federal agencies in implementing the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). GAO found that: (1) federal agencies may be able to better implement GPRA and increase p... |
The Park Service is composed of headquarters, seven regional offices, and 417 park units that cover 84 million acres across all 50 states. Park units include national parks, national battlefields, national recreation areas, and national lakeshores. The Park Service has long worked with concessioners who provide visitor... | The 1998 Concessions Management Improvement Act governs concessions services at national parks. In 2016, the Park Service managed 488 concessions contracts, and such contracts generated about $1.4 billion in gross revenues in the prior year. Under these contracts, companies and individuals operate businesses in parks, ... |
During the past 20 years, state, local, and tribal governments as well as businesses have expressed concerns about congressional and regulatory preemption of traditionally nonfederal functions and the costs of complying with federal regulations. The executive and the legislative branch have each attempted to respond to... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed House Resolution (H.R.) 2245, the Federalism Act of 1999, focusing on the agency rulemaking and performance measurement requirements of the bill. GAO noted that: (1) during the past 20 years, state, local, and tribal governments as well as businesses have expressed con... |
According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), managing officers’ use of force is one of the most difficult challenges facing law enforcement agencies. The ability of officers to enforce the law, protect the public, and guard their own safety is very difficult in an environment in which violent ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' (ATF) use of deadly force and dynamic entry, focusing on: (1) ATF policies on the use of deadly force; (2) how ATF conveys its policies to its agents; (3) the reasons for and the extent to which ATF uses dynamic entry and wh... |
In September 2012, we found that DHS did not know how much its components invested in R&D, making it difficult to oversee R&D efforts across the department. According to DHS budget officials, S&T, DNDO, and the U.S. Coast Guard were the only components that conducted R&D and we found that they were the only components ... | Conducting R&D on technologies for detecting, preventing, and mitigating terrorist threats is vital to enhancing the security of the nation. Since its creation, DHS has spent billions of dollars researching and developing technologies used to support its missions including securing the border, and detecting nuclear mat... |
The Gulf Coast hurricanes collectively represented the most costly natural disaster in recent U.S. history. As table 1 shows, the estimated property damage from these hurricanes exceeded $118 billion, nearly five times greater than the damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake and more than two and one-half times grea... | Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma (the Gulf Coast hurricanes) caused more than $118 billion in estimated property damages across the Gulf Coast region in 2005. The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps individuals and businesses recover from disasters through its Disaster Loan Program. GAO initiated work to deter... |
The Army uses maintenance capabilities in both the public and private sectors to maintain, overhaul, and repair its military weapons systems, such as missiles, combat vehicles, tactical vehicles, aircraft, and communication and electronic equipment. The level at which maintenance work is performed depends largely on au... | Each year, the U.S. Army spends about $3 billion on depot-level maintenance and repair work for weapons systems and other equipment. However, because its data gathering and reporting processes have been limited, the Army historically has been unable to fully identify how much depotlevel maintenance takes place outside ... |
The Defense Environmental Restoration Program promotes and coordinates cleanup of hazardous substances associated with past DOD activities. Funding for cleanup at operational installations and formerly used defense sites has come from the Defense Environmental Restoration Account (DERA) since 1984. Cleanup associated w... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the Department of Defense's (DOD) process for allocating approved environmental cleanup budgets when funds received are less than requested or budget rescissions occur; and (2) reported cleanup schedule delays due to lack of funding. GAO noted that: ... |
We are unable to give an opinion on the Statement of Financial Position as of September 30, 1996, because IRS could not provide adequate documentation to support the classification of its inventory of unpaid assessments as federal tax receivables and compliance assessments. Because we were unable to determine the appro... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO examined the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) custodial financial statements for fiscal year (FY) 1996. GAO noted that: (1) GAO was unable to give an opinion on the statement of financial position because IRS could not provide adequate documentation to support its balance of f... |
RECA established a procedure to make partial restitution to individuals who contracted serious diseases, such as certain types of cancers, presumably resulting from their exposure to radiation from aboveground nuclear tests or as a result of their employment in the uranium industry. In addition to creating eligibility ... | On October 15, 1990, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was enacted providing for payments to individuals who contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases presumably as a result of their exposure to radiation released during aboveground nuclear weapons tests or as a result of their employment assoc... |
On March 19, 2003, the United States launched military operations in Iraq. As of the end of February 2005, an estimated 827,277 servicemembers had been deployed in support of OIF. Deployed servicemembers, such as those in OIF, are potentially subject to occupational and environmental hazards that can include exposure t... | Following the 1991 Persian Gulf War, research and investigations into the causes of servicemembers' unexplained illnesses were hampered by inadequate occupational and environmental exposure data. In 1997, the Department of Defense (DOD) developed a militarywide health surveillance framework that includes occupational a... |
In 1990, the Congress enacted the Global Change Research Act. This act, among other things, required the administration to (1) prepare and at least every 3 years revise and submit to the Congress a national global change research plan, including an estimate of federal funding for global change research activities to be... | The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports on federal funding for climate research and to develop technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among other things. The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which coordinates many agencies' activities, also reports on science funding. The Environmental Protect... |
The concept of “universal service” has traditionally meant providing residential telephone subscribers with nationwide access to basic telephone services at reasonable rates. Universal service programs traditionally targeted support to low-income customers and customers in rural and other areas where the costs of provi... | Since 1998, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) E-rate program has committed more than $13 billion to help schools and libraries acquire Internet and telecommunications services. Recently, however, allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse by some E-rate program participants have come to light. As steward of the... |
TSA is responsible for securing all modes of transportation while facilitating commerce and freedom of movement for the traveling public. In performing its responsibilities, TSA is guided by risk-based planning, which generally involves a consideration of threats, vulnerabilities, and the criticality or consequence of ... | In August 2006, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) substantially modified its passenger screening policies based on the alleged transatlantic bomb plot uncovered by British authorities. With the aim of closing security gaps revealed by the alleged plot, the revised policies severely restricted the amount ... |
The advanced information network is the heart of the Army’s FCS concept and is intended to allow fielded FCS Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) to see the enemy first, understand the situation first, act first, and finish decisively. The FCS network management system to be deployed to the Army’s BCT is envisioned to: (1) plan ... | The Army's Future Combat System (FCS) requires a software-based advanced information network to meld people, sensors, and weapons into a cohesive fighting force. As software controls 95 percent of FCS's functionality, it determines the success or failure of the program. The Army contracted with the Boeing Company as a ... |
The Navajo Generating Station (NGS) is a 2,250-megawatt coal-fired power plant located near Page, Arizona. The plant, which became fully operational in 1976, is located approximately 12 miles from the northern boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park. The Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to limit sulfur dioxide emissions from the Navajo Generating Station, focusing on: (1) the effect on emissions reductions and the associated costs that resulted from the negotiated agreement used by EPA in making its ... |
Victory in the Cold War brought changes in the size and resources available to today’s armed forces. A decline in DOD budgets has been a trend since the mid-1980’s peak in defense budgets. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the range of public and private businesses, departments, or facilities that work in the int... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed productivity and competition in the defense industrial base since the end of the Cold War, focusing on: (1) overall trends in productivity, competition, and other financial indicators in the defense industry over time, where possible; and (2) the relationship between th... |
In a 2001 report, we estimated that by the end of fiscal year 2006 about 31 percent of the 24 CFO agencies’ employees working in 1998, or 493,000 people, will be eligible to retire, and about half of the eligible employees (236,000 people, the equivalent of 15 percent of the 1998 workforce) would actually retire. We in... | The federal government faces large losses in its Senior Executive Service (SES), primarily through retirement but also because of other normal attrition. This presents the governmental with substantial challenges to assuring an able management cadre and also provides opportunities to affect the composition of the SES. ... |
Public education evolved from primarily single-gender (boys’) education to primarily coeducation before the turn of the 20th century. In colonial America, formal public education was primarily available to boys; girls were typically educated informally and in the home. Gradually, girls began to be integrated into the p... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the major educational and legal issues involved with public single-gender education. GAO found that: (1) single-gender educational programs are thought to reduce dropout rates and improve overall academic performance among urban males and academic achievement in mathema... |
In October 2001, an American Media Incorporated employee died from inhalation anthrax disease. In the same month, contaminated letters laced with Bacillus anthracis, or anthrax spores, were sent through the mail to Senators Thomas Daschle and Patrick Leahy. The response to the incident in the American Media Incorporate... | In September and October 2001, contaminated letters laced with Bacillus anthracis were sent through the mail to two U.S. senators and members of the media. Postal facilities in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere became heavily contaminated. The anthrax incidents highlighted major gaps in civilian preparedness ... |
Pursuant to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, the General Services Administration (GSA) was created to manage and acquire federal government space and administrative and operating supplies in order to eliminate duplicative functions within government and to establish a professional resource ... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO assessed the potential effects of a cooperative purchasing program administered by the General Services Administration (GSA) on nonfederal governments and federal agencies, and on industry, including small businesses and dealers. GAO found that: (1) the potential effects of th... |
According to the Defense Health Board’s Task Force on the Future of Military Health Care, rising health care costs result from a multitude of factors that are affecting not only DOD but also health care in general. These factors include greater utilization of health care services, increasingly expensive technology and ... | DODs health care costs have risen significantly, from $19 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $48.7 billion in its fiscal year 2013 budget request, and are projected to increase to $92 billion by 2030. GAO reviewed DODs efforts to slow its rising health care costs by changing selected clinical, business, and management pr... |
Ex-Im is an independent agency operating under the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, as amended. Its mission is to support the export of U.S. goods and services overseas, through the provision of loans, loan guarantees, and insurance, thereby supporting U.S. jobs. Ex-Im is generally prohibited by law from financing any c... | Since 1994, Ex-Im has had the authority to facilitate the financing of dual-use exports, which include construction equipment used by foreign militaries to build roads. After a 9-year hiatus, Ex-Im financed three dual-use exports in fiscal year 2012, accounting for $1.03 billion, or just under 3 percent of Ex-Im's $35.... |
For tax years beginning after 2000, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 applied a new 10-percent income tax rate to a portion of an individual’s income that was previously taxed at 15 percent. To stimulate the economy more rapidly than would be achieved if taxpayers had to wait until they file... | The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 directed the Treasury to issue advance 2001 tax refunds to individual taxpayers who filed a tax year 2000 return. As a result, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had to identify eligible taxpayers so that checks could be sent to these taxpayers by December 3... |
The financial regulatory system consists of numerous regulators with varying missions and functions. They promulgate regulations via federal rulemakings. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act includes specific rulemaking and coordination requirements. In the banking industry, the specific regulatory configuration generally... | The Dodd-Frank Act requires or authorizes various federal agencies to issue hundreds of rules to implement reforms intended to strengthen the financial services industry. Congress included a provision in statute for GAO to study these financial services regulations annually. This sixth annual report discusses (1) the r... |
The telephone remains an essential communication tool for business, government, and the general public. The public switched telephone network (PSTN), an interconnected network of telephone exchanges over which telephone calls travel from person to person, is the backbone of the communications architecture that enables ... | Government functions and effective disaster response and management rely on the ability of national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) personnel to communicate. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Communications System (NCS), is responsible for ensuring continuity of NS/EP communications when ... |
Workers have a variety of options to save for retirement. While personal savings accounts and home equity can be used in retirement, many workers who save for retirement do so in tax-advantaged accounts available through their workplace. Their employers may sponsor an employee benefit plan, such as a 401(k) plan, or ma... | Millions of U.S. workers have little or no savings for retirement, potentially adding to future strains on state and national safety net programs. In addition to federal efforts, a growing number of states have proposed efforts to expand coverage in private sector workplace retirement savings programs. Other countries ... |
The concept of an architecture to describe an enterprise first emerged in the mid-1980s, and over the years, various frameworks for defining the content of enterprise architectures have been published. Our work in the early 1990s identified architectures as critical success factors in allowing organizations to effectiv... | A well-defined enterprise architecture (EA) is a blueprint for institutional modernization and evolution that consists of models describing how an entity operates today and how it intends to operate in the future, along with a plan for how it intends to transition to this future state. Such architectures are essential ... |
A basic management objective for any organization is to protect the resources that support its critical operations from unauthorized access, use, destruction, or disruption. Organizations accomplish this objective by designing and implementing controls that are intended to, among other things, prevent, limit, and detec... | Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is one of three National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) laboratories that designs and develops nuclear weapons for the U.S. stockpile. LANL employees rely on sensitive and classified information and assets that are protected at different levels, depending on the risks posed... |
Subject to EPA’s oversight, state and local permitting agencies generally administer NSR and operate under one of two arrangements. Under the first arrangement, state and local agencies receive “delegated authority” from EPA under which they implement EPA’s NSR regulations. Under the second arrangement, states and loca... | Electricity generating units that burn fossil fuels supply most of the nations electricity and are major sources of air pollution. Under the Clean Air Act, such units are subject to NSR, a permitting process that applies to (1) units built after August 7, 1977, and (2) existing units that undertake a major modificatio... |
According to ONDCP, disrupting the illicit flow of drugs will reduce their availability, increase their cost, and eventually, reduce the rate of illicit drug usage. One part of the ONDCP strategy to disrupt the illicit drug market focuses interdiction efforts on seizing cocaine and other illicit drugs in the transit zo... | One part of the U.S. National Drug Control Strategy is to disrupt the flow of cocaine through the transit zone. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the only U.S. territories located geographically within the transit zone, have served as entry points for cocaine destined for the continental United States. In recent... |
In July 2002, President Bush issued the National Strategy for Homeland Security. The strategy set forth overall objectives to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and assist in the recovery from attacks that occur. The strategy set out ... | The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) recent 4-year anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress DHS has made. The creation of DHS was one of the largest federal reorganizations in the last several decades, and GAO has reported that it was an enormous management challenge and that the size, comp... |
In August 2003, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) dissolved the military organizations of the former regime, including the Ministry of Defense. In March 2004, the CPA established a new Ministry of Defense. The MOD was ultimately to be responsible for the overall management, direction, and control of the Iraqi a... | In November 2005, the President issued the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq. According to the strategy, victory will be achieved when Iraq is peaceful, united, stable, secure, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terror. To help Iraq achieve this, the U.S. is, a... |
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 established USCIS within DHS. USCIS is responsible for several functions transferred on March 1, 2003, from the former Immigration Services Division of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) under the Department of Justice. These functions include providing services or benefi... | The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) bureau within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides toll-free telephone assistance through call centers to immigrants, their attorneys, and others seeking information about U.S. immigration services and benefits. As the volume of calls increased--from a... |
Medicare Part B generally covers both synthetic drugs and biologicals administered under a physician’s direct supervision, including those administered in physician offices and in hospital outpatient departments that are not usually self-administered. These include injectable drugs (such influenza, pneumococcal, and he... | Medicare Part B covers drugs typically administered by a physician. Medicare pays physicians and other providers for these drugs at an amount generally equal to the ASP of the drug plus a fixed percentage. These payment rates are calculated quarterly by CMS based on price and volume data reported by drug manufacturers.... |
Since World War II, many employers have voluntarily sponsored health insurance as a benefit to employees for purposes of recruitment and retention, and some have also offered these benefits to their retirees. The federal tax code provides incentives for employers to subsidize health benefits because their contributions... | In 1999, nearly 10 million retired people aged 55 or older relied on employer-sponsored health insurance as either their primary source of coverage or as a supplement to their Medicare coverage. Some of these persons are concerned about the continued availability of employer-sponsored coverage. Premium increases and fo... |
Because of FEMA’s failure to establish basic upfront validation controls over registrants’ identity and address information, we estimate that FEMA made approximately $1 billion of improper and potentially fraudulent payments based on invalid registrations. This represents 16 percent of all individual assistance payment... | Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed homes and displaced millions of individuals. In the wake of these natural disasters, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responded to the need to provide aid quickly through the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) program, which provides housing assistance, real and per... |
Bridge safety first emerged as a high-priority issue in the United States in the 1960s, following the collapse of the Silver Bridge between Ohio and West Virginia, which killed 46 people. That collapse prompted national concerns about bridge conditions and safety and highlighted the need to repair and replace bridges b... | The August 1, 2007, collapse of a Minnesota bridge raised nationwide questions about bridge safety and the Department of Transportation's (DOT) prioritization of bridge resources. The Highway Bridge Program (HBP), the primary source of federal funding for bridges, provided over $4 billion to states in fiscal year 2007.... |
Prior to 1940, U.S. presidents or their descendents typically retained ownership of papers documenting their terms of office. The fate of these papers was up to the former president or his descendents, and some were lost forever. In 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to arrange to have a library built ... | The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) operates presidential libraries for all of the former U.S. presidents since Herbert Hoover. These libraries received over 2.4 million visits in 2009, including researchers, public program attendees, and museum visitors. Each library is associated with a private fo... |
In April 2011 DOD issued a directive establishing a “defense forensic enterprise” that, among other things, provided policy and assigned responsibilities within the department to develop and maintain an enduring and holistic forensic capability to support the full range of military operations. In January 2016 DOD reiss... | Since 2008 DOD has used biometric and forensic capabilities to capture or kill 1,700 individuals and deny 92,000 individuals access to military bases. These capabilities were mainly developed through rapid acquisition processes and were resourced with Overseas Contingency Operations funds—funds that are provided outsid... |
FDA conducts quality system inspections of medical device manufacturers’ establishments to assess compliance with applicable FDA regulations, including the quality system regulation to ensure good manufacturing practices and the regulation requiring reporting of adverse events. FDA’s routine postmarket quality system i... | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects domestic and foreign establishments where U.S.-marketed medical devices are manufactured to assess compliance with FDA's quality system requirements for ensuring good manufacturing practices and other applicable requirements. The Medical Device User Fee and Modernization ... |
Throughout this century, railroads have been a primary mode of transportation for many products, especially for such bulk commodities as coal and grain. Yet, by the 1970s American freight railroads were in a serious financial decline. The Congress responded by passing landmark legislation in 1976 and 1980 that reduced ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the environment within which railroad rates have been set since 1990; (2) how railroad rates have changed since 1990; (3) how railroad service quality has changed since 1990; and (4) actions taken by the Surface Transportation Board and others to add... |
Since 1992, we have reported that the government could pay hundreds of millions of dollars to and on behalf of DOD contractors for cleanup resulting from their operations. In October 1992, we reported that DOD reimburses contractors for cleanup expenses at their private property in different ways, with wide variances i... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Department of Defense's (DOD) policies and practices regarding cleanup of environmental contamination at government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) plants, as a followup to its previous reports that showed inconsistent policies and practices on cost sharing. GAO r... |
This section provides information on the characteristics of RDD and IND attacks, major cities considered at high risk of terrorist act, core capabilities for all hazards preparedness, and response planning and associated federal guidance in the national preparedness system. A radiological attack is defined as an event ... | A terrorist attack in a major city using an RDD or an IND could result not only in the loss of life but also have enormous psychological and economic impacts. Major cities are assumed to be preferred targets of such attacks, and local governments, along with their states, have primary responsibilities for early respons... |
Information systems can be complex undertakings consisting of a multitude of pieces of equipment and software products, and service providers. Each of these components may rely on one or more supply chains. Obtaining a full understanding of the sources of a given information system can also be extremely complex. Accord... | Information technology (IT) systems and the products and services that support them are essential to the operations of the federal government. These products and services are delivered through a complex global supply chain, and the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the IT supply chain is an emerging threat. Federal la... |
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, issued in December 2003, designates the Secretary of Homeland Security as the principal federal official responsible for leading, integrating, and coordinating the overall national effort to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources. Homeland Security Pre... | The Department of Defense (DOD) established the Defense Critical Infrastructure Program (DCIP) to assure the availability of mission-critical infrastructure, including surface, sea, and air transportation assets to carry out its missions. GAO was asked to evaluate (1) the extent to which the U.S. Transportation Command... |
Helium is an inert element that occurs naturally in gaseous form and has a variety of uses (see table 1). Helium’s many uses arise from its unique physical and chemical characteristics. For example, helium has the lowest melting and boiling point of any element and, as the second lightest element, gaseous helium is muc... | The federal government has been extensively involved in the production, storage, and use of helium since the early part of the twentieth century. The federal helium program is currently managed by the Department of the Interior's BLM. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Interior purchased about 34 billion cubic feet of c... |
OPAP was established by the Secretary of State following the August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The panel was formed to consider the future of U.S. overseas representation, to appraise its condition, and to develop practical recommendations on how best to organize and... | The Department of State is leading an interagency assessment of staffing needs in U.S. embassies and consulates to improve mission effectiveness and reduce security vulnerabilities and costs. This process, called "rightsizing," was begun in response to the recommendations of the Overseas Presence Advisory Panel. In the... |
Before discussing our preliminary findings in detail, it will be helpful to review the key features of Executive Order 12612 and some recent initiatives related to federalism. The executive order establishes a set of fundamental principles and criteria that executive departments and agencies should use when formulating... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the implementation of Executive Order 12612 on federalism, focusing on: (1) how often the preambles to covered agencies' final rules issued between April 1, 1996, and December 31, 1998, mentioned Executive Order 12612 and how often they indicated that the agencies had ... |
Compared to the nearly 6,600 children placed in ORR custody in fiscal year 2011, more recent migration represents a historic increase in unaccompanied children entering the United States. In fiscal years 2014 and 2015, more than 57,000 and 33,000 unaccompanied children, respectively, were apprehended by DHS and transfe... | Thousands of unaccompanied children arrive in the United States each year. For a small number of especially vulnerable children—about 1 percent in fiscal year 2015—ORR provides an independent child advocate to develop safety and well-being recommendations to stakeholders, such as immigration judges. The Violence Agains... |
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.