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Patterns of enrollment in postsecondary education reflect that students frequently enroll in more than one postsecondary institution. Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) found that 40 percent of students who entered college in the 1995-1996 academic year attended at least two institutions in t... | Each year thousands of students transfer from one postsecondary institution to another. The credit transfer process, to the extent that it delays students' progress, can affect the affordability of postsecondary education and the time it takes students to graduate. Seeking information on the processes and requirements ... |
NRC is an independent agency of the federal government. Its five commissioners are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and its chairman is appointed by the president from among the commissioners. The current Chairman was sworn in as a commissioner in May 1995 and became Chairman that July. NRC’s mis... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) and Department of Labor's implementation of legislation pertaining to the protection of nuclear power industry workers who raise health and safety issues, focusing on: (1) how federal laws and regulations protect ... |
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), insures mortgages on both single-family homes and multifamily rental housing properties for low- and moderate-income households. In addition to mortgage insurance, many FHA-insured multifamily properties receive som... | GAO reviewed the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) proposals to reengineer its portfolio of insured Section 8 multifamily rental housing properties, focusing on the: (1) problems affecting the properties in the HUD insured Section 8 portfolio and HUD plans for addressing them; (2) results and reasonab... |
Over the last 15 years, the federal government’s increasing demand for IT has led to a dramatic rise in the number of federal data centers and a corresponding increase in operational costs. According to OMB, the federal government had 432 data centers in 1998 and more than 1,100 in 2009. Operating such a large number o... | In 2010, as focal point for information technology management across the government, OMBs Federal Chief Information Officer launched the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiativean effort to consolidate the growing number of federal data centers. In July 2011 and July 2012, GAO evaluated 24 agencies progress and ... |
In August 1995, IRS signed a $22 million interagency agreement with NTIS. To date, $17.1 million has been advanced to NTIS ($10 million in August 1995 and $7.1 million in December 1995). The agreement stipulated that NTIS would develop and operate Cyberfile, a tax systems modernization (TSM) project that would allow ta... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) acquisition of Cyberfile, an electronic filing system that the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) is developing for IRS, focusing on whether: (1) the IRS decision to use NTIS to develop Cyberfile was based on sound analysi... |
Interior, working with the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, has taken steps to help manage perhaps the most daunting challenge to its resource protection mission—protecting lives, private property, and federal resources from the threats of wildland fire. But concerns remain. Interior also faces challenges in... | The Department of the Interior is responsible for managing much of the nation's vast natural resources. Its agencies implement an array of programs intended to protect these precious resources for future generations while also allowing certain uses of them, such as oil and gas development and recreation. In some cases,... |
DOD’s Real Property Management Program is governed by statute and DOD regulations, directives, and instructions that establish real property accountability and financial reporting requirements. These laws, regulations, directives, and instructions—a selection of which are discussed below—require DOD and the military de... | GAO has designated DOD's Support Infrastructure Management as a high-risk area in part due to challenges DOD faces in reducing excess infrastructure. DOD manages a global real property portfolio of over 557,000 facilities DOD estimates to be valued at about $828 billion as of September 30, 2012. In September 2011, GAO ... |
RUS, an agency in USDA’s Rural Development mission area, oversees three programs for deploying broadband infrastructure in rural communities. The Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program (Infrastructure Program) has funded traditional telephone networks but, since the mid-1990s, has been used p... | RUS provides loans and grants to help finance the construction of broadband infrastructure in rural America. GAO was asked to review RUS's management of its programs to fund broadband deployment, including consistency with leading practices for federal funding, program management, and broadband deployment. This report ... |
Federal organizations relocate their civilian employees to help them accomplish their many varied and unique missions. Organizations carry out their missions through a civilian workforce of nearly 2 million employees assigned to offices in locations throughout the United States, its territories and possessions, and var... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the number of civilian employees relocated during fiscal years (FY) 1991 and 1995 and the associated costs of these relocations, focusing on: (1) the total number of civilian employees who were relocated at the federal government's expense; (2) the total ... |
We found weaknesses in the implementation of NASA’s export control policy and procedures concerning the CEA function and foreign national access procedures, which increase the risk of unauthorized access to export-controlled technology. Variations in CEA Position, Function, and Resources: NASA’s export control policy p... | NASA develops sophisticated technologies and shares them with its international partners and others. U.S. export control regulations require NASA to identify and protect its sensitive technology; NASA delegates implementation of export controls to its 10 research and space centers. Recent allegations of export control ... |
“Offshoring” generally refers to an organization’s replacement of goods and services produced domestically with imports from foreign sources. For example, if a U.S.-based company decides to move its computer programming activities to an overseas supplier, this would be considered offshoring. The overseas supplier may b... | Much attention has focused on offshoring of information technology (IT) services overseas. "Offshoring" of services generally refers to an organization's purchase from other countries of services such as software programming that it previously produced or purchased domestically. IT manufacturing, notably semiconductor ... |
According to the Nutrition Business Journal, the dietary supplement industry is growing, and total sales were about $23.7 billion in 2007, as shown in figure 1. Top selling supplements in 2007 included multivitamins, sports nutrition powders and formulas, and calcium, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. In add... | Dietary supplements and foods with added dietary ingredients, such as vitamins and herbs, constitute multibillion dollar industries. Past reports on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulation of these products raised concerns about product safety and the availability of reliable information. Since then, FDA pu... |
BIA’s irrigation program was initiated in the late 1800s, as part of the federal government’s Indian assimilation policy, and it was originally designed to provide economic development opportunities for Indians through agriculture. The Act of July 4, 1884, provided the Secretary of the Interior $50,000 for the general ... | The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) manages 16 irrigation projects on Indian reservations in the western United States. These projects, which were generally constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, include water storage facilities and delivery structures for agricultural purposes. Seri... |
DEA establishes quotas for the maximum amount of each basic class of schedule I and II controlled substances—such as amphetamine or morphine—that can be produced each year in the United States. DEA also establishes quotas for individual manufacturers, who must apply to DEA to obtain quotas for specific classes of contr... | DEA administers and enforces the CSA to help ensure the availability of controlled substances, including certain prescription drugs, for legitimate use while limiting their availability for abuse and diversion. The CSA requires DEA to set quotas that limit the amount of certain substances that are available in the Unit... |
About 90 percent of the estimated $49 billion Recovery Act funding to be provided to states and localities in fiscal year 2009 will be through health, transportation and education programs. Within these categories, the three largest programs are increased Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) grant awar... | This testimony discusses GAO's work examining the uses and planning by selected states and localities for funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The Recovery Act is estimated to cost about $787 billion over the next several years, of which about $280 billion will be a... |
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, establishes a comprehensive policy and program for the safe, permanent disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel and other highly radioactive wastes in one or more geologic repositories. The act charges DOE with (1) establishing criteria for recommending sites for repos... | Nuclear power reactors generate highly radioactive waste. To permanently store this waste, the Department of Energy (DOE) has been working to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain about 100 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the proj... |
BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 261 million surface acres and an additional 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is to maintain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future gen... | The mission of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is to maintain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. BLM employs about 11,000 people, with information technology (IT) playing a critical role in helping BLM... |
To date, the Congress has designated 24 national heritage areas, primarily in the eastern half of the country (see fig. 1). Generally, national heritage areas focus on local efforts to preserve and interpret the role that certain sites, events, and resources have played in local history and their significance in the br... | The Congress has established, or "designated," 24 national heritage areas to recognize the value of their local traditions, history, and resources to the nation's heritage. These areas, including public and private lands, receive funds and assistance through cooperative agreements with the National Park Service, which ... |
The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Installation Energy), under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Energy, Installations and Environment), has the role and responsibility for, among other things, overseeing DOD’s installation energy program. The office also is responsible for issuing installation ... | DOD, the largest energy consumer in the federal government, has been addressing its power needs by diversifying its power resources, reducing demand, and implementing conservation projects. To address its goals for energy projects, DOD also has been using alternative financing from private-sector contracts rather than ... |
Since plutonium production ended at the Hanford Site in the late 1980s, DOE has focused on cleaning up the radioactive and hazardous waste accumulated at the site. It has established an approach for stabilizing, treating, and disposing of the site’s tank wastes. Its planned cleanup process involves removing, or retriev... | The Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in Washington State stores 56 million gallons of untreated radioactive and hazardous wastes resulting from decades of nuclear weapons production. DOE is constructing facilities at the site to treat these wastes before permanent disposal. As part of meeting health, safety, a... |
DON’s primary mission is to organize, train, maintain, and equip combat- ready naval forces capable of winning the global war on terror and any other armed conflict, deterring aggression by would-be foes, preserving freedom of the seas, and promoting peace and security. To support this mission, DON performs a variety o... | GAO has designated the Department of Defense's (DOD) multi-billion dollar business systems modernization efforts as high risk, in part because key information technology (IT) management controls have not been implemented on key investments, such as the Navy Cash program. Initiated in 2001, Navy Cash is a joint Departme... |
Biomonitoring—one technique for assessing people’s exposure to chemicals—involves measuring the concentration of chemicals or their by- products in human specimens, such as blood or urine. While, biomonitoring has been used to monitor chemical exposures for decades, more recently, advances in analytic methods have allo... | Biomonitoring, which measures chemicals in people's tissues or body fluids, has shown that the U.S. population is widely exposed to chemicals used in everyday products. Some of these have the potential to cause cancer or birth defects. Moreover, children may be more vulnerable to harm from these chemicals than adults. ... |
As part of our audit of the fiscal years 2011 and 2010 CFS, we considered the federal government’s financial reporting procedures and related internal control. Also, we determined the status of corrective actions taken by Treasury and OMB to address open recommendations relating to the processes used to prepare the CFS... | Treasury, in coordination with OMB, is primarily responsible for preparing the Financial Report , which contains the CFS. Since GAOs first audit of the fiscal year 1997 CFS, certain material weaknesses and other limitations on the scope of GAOs work have prevented GAO from expressing an opinion on the CFS, exclusive ... |
FAA faces significant demands that will challenge its ability to operate both in the current environment and in what it expects to encounter in the coming decade. With the industry still attempting to recover from the most tumultuous period in its history, FAA’s funding is constrained by lowered Airports and Airways Tr... | Over the last two decades, FAA has experienced difficulties meeting the demands of the aviation industry while also attempting to operate efficiently and effectively. Now, as air traffic returns to pre- 9/11 levels, concerns have again arisen as to how prepared FAA may be to meet increasing demands for capacity, safety... |
The U.S. homeland continues to face an uncertain, complex security environment with the potential for terrorist incidents and natural disasters which can produce devastating consequences. Ensuring an effective response will require that federal departments and agencies, states, and local governments conduct integrated ... | U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) exercises to test preparedness to perform its homeland defense and civil support missions. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which NORTHCOM is (1) consistent with Department of Defense (DOD) training and exercise requirements, (2) involving interagency partners and states in its exe... |
Outsourcing for commercial services is a growing practice within the government in an attempt to achieve cost savings, management efficiencies, and operating flexibility. Various studies in recent years have highlighted the potential for DOD to achieve significant savings from outsourcing competitions, especially those... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed whether the Department of Defense's (DOD) outsourcing of commercial activities reduces the availability of rotational billets for active duty military personnel, focusing on: (1) how the Navy's current outsourcing efforts have affected rotational billets; and (2) whethe... |
Administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA), the Disaster Loan Program is the primary federal program for funding long-range recovery for nonfarm businesses that are victims of disasters. It is also the only form of SBA assistance not limited to small businesses. Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) ... | While SBA is known primarily for its financial support of small businesses, the agency also assists businesses of all sizes and homeowners affected by natural and other declared disasters through its Disaster Loan Program. Disaster loans can be used to help rebuild or replace damaged property or continue business opera... |
NTSB was initially established within the newly formed Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1966, but was made independent from DOT in 1974. NTSB is charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, ma... | The NTSB plays a vital role in transportation safety. It is charged with investigating all civil aviation accidents in the United States and selected accidents in other transportation modes, determining the probable cause of these accidents, and making appropriate recommendations, as well as performing safety studies. ... |
DOE has broadly indicated the direction of the LGP but has not developed all the tools necessary to evaluate progress. DOE officials have identified a number of broad policy goals that the LGP is intended to support, including helping to ensure energy security, mitigate climate change, jumpstart the alternative energy ... | Since the Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program (LGP) for innovative energy projects was established in Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, its scope has expanded both in the types of projects it can support and in the amount of loan guarantee authority available. DOE currently has loan guarantee... |
Through the purchase card program, agency personnel can acquire the goods and services they need directly from vendors. GSA, which manages the purchase card program governmentwide, has awarded contracts to banks to provide standard commercial charge cards for use by federal employees. When GSA first pilot-tested the pu... | From 1994 to 2003, the use of government purchase cards exploded from $1 billion to $16 billion. Most purchase card transactions are for small purchases, less than $2,500. While agencies estimate that using purchase cards saves hundreds of millions of dollars in administrative costs, the rapid growth of the purchase ca... |
The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs under the Social Security Act that provide benefits to people with disabilities: (1) Disability Insurance (DI) and (2) Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Established in 1956, DI is an insurance program that provides benefits to workers who become unable... | The Social Security Act requires that the Social Security Administration (SSA) find an improvement in a beneficiary's medical condition in order to remove him or her from either the Disability Insurance (DI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. GAO was asked to (1) examine the proportion of beneficiaries who... |
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the nation’s largest health care systems, including • a health benefits program for over 26 million eligible veterans and • a health care delivery program consisting of 173 hospitals, 376 outpatient clinics, 136 nursing homes, and 39 domiciliaries in fiscal year 1... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed various proposals that would simplify and expand eligibility for veterans' health care benefits. GAO found that: (1) the VA health care system was neither designed nor intended to be the primary source of health care services for most veterans; (2) as the eligibility re... |
The existing NGA West campus consists of 15 facilities on 27 acres. Some of the buildings’ original construction dates back to the early 1800s, and 22 acres of the site are on the National Register of Historic Places, according to NGA documents. In 2009 through 2010, NGA contracted with an independent firm to assess th... | NGA, a defense agency and element of the Intelligence Community, provides geospatial intelligence to military and intelligence operations to support national security priorities. It currently operates out of two primary facilities—its headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, and its NGA West campus in St. Louis, Missouri... |
Sacramento, California, was established at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers shortly after gold was discovered upstream at Sutter’s Mill in 1848. Frequent flooding has been a problem in Sacramento since its founding. To help reduce flooding, over time a complex system of levees, dams, and other relat... | In 1996 and 1999, Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) to strengthen sections of the American River and Natomas Basin levees that provide flood protection for Sacramento, California. In 2002, the Corps reported that the cost of this work, known as the Common Features Project, had increased s... |
Delta II has historically been NASA’s preferred medium class launch vehicle for its science missions, launching 36, or nearly 60 percent, of the agency’s science missions since October 1998. Known as the workhorse of the launch industry, the Delta II comprises a group of expendable rockets that can be configured as two... | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has long relied on the Delta II medium class launch vehicle to launch science missions. Delta II, however, is no longer in production, and no other vehicle in the relative cost and performance range is currently certified for NASA use. Thus, NASA faces a potentia... |
Security at the nation’s 424 federal courthouses is overseen by FPS, the Marshals Service, GSA, and AOUSC. Federal statutes and interagency agreements define these stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities for the protection and security of federal courthouses and persons within courthouses. FPS is the primary federal a... | Safe and accessible federal courthouses are critical to the U.S. judicial process. The Federal Protective Service (FPS), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Marshals Service (Marshals Service), within the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), and the G... |
Protections for workers in the United States were enacted in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established three basic rights in American labor law: a minimum wage for industrial workers that applied throughout the United States; the principle of the 40-hour week, with time- and-a-half pay for overtime; and a... | The military exchanges operate retail stores similar to department stores in more than 1,500 locations worldwide. The exchanges stock merchandise from many sources, including name-brand companies, brokers and importers, and overseas firms. Reports of worker rights abuses, such as child labor and forced overtime, and an... |
The four interagency groups we reviewed possessed varied characteristics related to their purposes and outcomes, leadership structures, agency participation, and funding sources and staffing, as discussed in more detail below. We reported in 2011 that there were approximately 1.1 million school-age dependents of milita... | Many of the meaningful results that the federal government seeks to achieve require the coordinated efforts of more than one federal agency, level of government, or sector. The GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) takes a more crosscutting and integrated approach to improving government performance. GPRAMA requires ... |
Nearly all students change school at some point during their school years, most typically when they are promoted to a higher grade at a different school. Specifically, students may change schools as they are promoted from elementary to middle school and again from middle to high school. In addition, students may also c... | Educational achievement of students can be negatively affected by their changing schools often. The recent economic downturn, with foreclosures and homelessness, may be increasing student mobility. To inform Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) reauthorization, GAO was asked: (1) What are the numbers a... |
Despite some similarities, each of the recent attacks is very different in its makeup, method of attack, and potential damage. Generally, Code Red and Code Red II are both “worms,” which are attacks that propagate themselves through networks without any user intervention or interaction. They both take advantage of a fl... | Organizations and individuals have recently had to contend with particularly vexing computer attacks. The most notable is Code Red, but potentially more damaging are Code Red II and SirCam. Together, these attacks have infected millions of computer users, shut down websites, slowed Internet service, and disrupted busin... |
The Navy ordnance business area, which consists of the Naval Ordnance Center (NOC) headquarters and subordinate activities, such as Naval weapons stations, operates under the revolving fund concept as part of the Navy Working Capital Fund. It provides various services, including ammunition storage and distribution, ord... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed financial and management issues related to the ordnance business area of the Navy Working Capital Fund, focusing on: (1) the Navy's proposed and ongoing actions to reduce the business area's costs; and (2) additional cost reduction opportunities. GAO noted that: (1) the... |
Through its disability compensation program, VBA pays monthly benefits to veterans for injuries or diseases incurred or aggravated while on active military duty. VBA rates such disabilities by using its Schedule for Rating Disabilities. For each type of disability, the Schedule assigns a percentage rating that is inten... | To help ensure that veterans are properly compensated for disabilities, VA is required to perform disability reevaluations for specific disabilities. VA also performs reevaluations whenever it determines there is a need to verify either the continued existence or current severity of veterans' disabilities. VBA complete... |
VA provides tax-free compensation to veterans who have service- connected disabilities.The payment amount is based on a disability rating scale that begins at 0 for the lowest severity and increases in 10-percent increments to 100 percent for the highest severity. More than half of initial applicants claim multiple dis... | Currently, veterans who are disabled while serving their country are compensated for average reduction in earning capacity. Monthly compensation is based on the severity of a veteran's disability. After an initial rating for compensation has been determined, veterans who believe their condition has worsened may file a ... |
Strategic planning provides an important mechanism for HHS to establish long-term goals and strategies to improve the performance of its many health care workforce programs. HHS, as with all executive branch agencies, is required by GPRAMA to engage in performance management tasks, such as setting goals, measuring resu... | An adequate, well-trained, and diverse health care workforce is essential for providing access to quality health care services. The federal government—largely through HHS—funds programs to help ensure a sufficient supply and distribution of health care professionals. Some experts suggest that maintaining access to care... |
The President’s fiscal year 2014 budget request included plans for the federal government to spend over $82 billion on IT. The stated goal of the President’s IT budget request is to support making federal agencies more efficient and effective for the American people; it also states that the strategic use of IT is criti... | Of the over $82 billion that federal agencies plan to spend on IT in fiscal year 2014, at least $59 billion is to be spent on O&M, which consists of legacy systems (i.e., steady state) and systems that are in both development and O&M (known as mixed life cycle). OMB calls for agencies to perform annual OAs, which are a... |
Nationwide, VA provides or pays for veterans’ nursing home care in three settings: CLCs, community nursing homes, and state veterans’ nursing homes.the cost of care that is covered for eligible veterans. These settings vary in terms of their characteristics, as well as VA provides nursing home care to veterans in 134 C... | In fiscal year 2012, about $4.9 billion of VAs $54 billion health care services budget was spent on nursing home care. To inform Congress of its budgeting priorities, VA prepares a budget justification, which is reviewed by OMB, that includes data on nursing home workload and expenditures in the three settings. VA als... |
As I previously stated, and we have reported on for several years, DOD faces a range of challenges that are complex, long-standing, pervasive, and deeply rooted in virtually all major business operations throughout the department. As I testified last March and as discussed in our latest financial audit report, DOD’s fi... | In March 2004, GAO testified before the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senate Committee on Armed Services on the impact and causes of financial and related business weaknesses on the Department of Defense's (DOD) operations and the status of DOD reform efforts. GAO's reports continue to show that fun... |
The 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the 5 U.S. territories (hereafter referred to collectively as “states”) each administer a state- based Medicaid program. Federal laws authorize both federal and state entities to protect the program from fraud, waste, and abuse. Specifically, various provisions of federal la... | Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides health care coverage to certain low-income individuals. The program is overseen by CMS, while the states that administer Medicaid are tasked with taking actions to ensure its integrity. Such actions include implementing IT systems that provide program integrity an... |
The federal government’s vast real property inventory reflects the diversity of agencies’ missions and includes office buildings, prisons, post offices, courthouses, laboratories, and border stations. The Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) is a database of owned and leased space held by executive branch agencies. It ... | GAO designated the federal governments management of its nearly 400,000 real property assets as high-risk in part because of overreliance on leasing and the retention of excess facilities. Real property management is coordinated nationally by the FRPCan association of landholding agencies chaired by the Deputy Direct... |
DOD’s readiness assessment and reporting system was designed to assess and report on military readiness at three levels—(1) the unit level; (2) the joint force level; and (3) the aggregate, or strategic, level. Unit-level readiness is assessed with the Global Status of Resources and Training System (GSORTS), which is a... | The Department of Defense's (DOD) readiness assessment system was designed to assess the ability of units and joint forces to fight and meet the demands of the national security strategy. In 1998, GAO concluded that the readiness reports provided to Congress were vague and ineffective as oversight tools. Since that tim... |
The use of information technology has created many benefits for agencies such as IRS in achieving their missions and providing information and services to the public, but extensive reliance on computerized information also creates challenges in securing that information from various threats. Information security is esp... | The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a demanding responsibility in collecting taxes, processing tax returns, and enforcing the nation's tax laws. It relies extensively on computerized systems to support its financial and mission-related operations and on information security controls to protect financial and sensitiv... |
Exchanging data electronically is a common method of transferring information among federal, state, and local governments; private sector organizations; and nations around the world. As computers play an ever-increasing role in our society, more information is being exchanged regularly. Federal agencies now depend on e... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on actions taken to address year 2000 issues for electronic data exchanges, focusing on the: (1) key actions taken to date to address electronic data exchanges among federal, state, and local governments; (2) actions the federal government has taken to minim... |
Congress passed ERISA to protect the interests of participants and beneficiaries of private sector employee benefit plans. Before the enactment of ERISA, few rules governed the funding of defined benefit pension plans, and participants had no guarantee that they would receive promised benefits. Title IV of ERISA create... | The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) employs over 800 federal employees and uses some 1,500 private sector employees to insure the pensions of millions of private sector workers and retirees in certain employer-sponsored pension plans. In recent years, PBGC's projected financial liabilities and workloads hav... |
On the basis on its 1993 Bottom-Up Review, the Department of Defense (DOD) adopted a strategy of maintaining the capability to fight and win two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts (MRC), conduct smaller scale operations such as peacekeeping, and provide overseas presence in critical regions. The Bottom-Up Rev... | GAO reviewed the Air Force's personnel reduction efforts, focusing on: (1) how the size and composition of the active Air Force has changed since 1986; (2) whether the Air Force has sufficient numbers of personnel to meet wartime requirements; and (3) whether there is potential to further reduce the active force that c... |
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights was established to serve as an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding agency whose mission is to investigate and report on the status of civil rights in the United States. It is required to study the impact of federal civil rights laws and policies with regard to discrimination or den... | The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (the Commission) was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to serve as an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding agency whose mission is to investigate and report on the status of civil rights in the United States. Since its inception, the Commission has conducted hearings and i... |
The United States has the largest, most extensive aviation system in the world with over 19,000 airports ranging from large commercial transportation centers handling millions of passengers annually to small grass airstrips serving only a few aircraft each year. Of these, roughly 3,300 airports are designated by FAA as... | U.S. airports are key contributors to the national and regional economies, providing mobility for people and goods, both domestically and internationally. Since 2007 when GAO last reported on airport funding, airports of all sizes have experienced significant changes in aviation activity. Financing for airport capital ... |
The JWST project continues to report that it remains on schedule and budget with its overall schedule reserve currently above its plan. However, the project is now entering a difficult phase of development— integration and testing—which is expected to take another 3.5 years to complete. Maintaining as much schedule res... | JWST is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) most complex and expensive projects. At an anticipated cost of $8.8 billion, JWST is intended to revolutionize understanding of star and planet formation, advance the search for the origins of the universe, and further the search for earth-like p... |
The percentage of older workers in the total workforce—those aged 55 and older—is growing faster than that of any other age group, and they are expected to live longer than past generations. Labor force participation for this cohort has grown from about 31 percent in 1998 to 38 percent in 2007. In contrast, labor force... | The federal workforce, like the nation's workforce as a whole, is aging, and increasingly large percentages are becoming eligible to retire. Eventually baby boomers will leave the workforce and when they do, they will leave behind gaps in leadership, skills, and knowledge due to the slower-growing pool of younger worke... |
Charter schools are a new and increasingly popular entrant in the debate on restructuring and improving U.S. public education. The model offered by charter schools differs substantially from the traditional model for governing and funding public schools. Charter schools operate under a charter or contract that specifie... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the growth of charter schools, focusing on: (1) the number of charter schools that have been approved under state laws; (2) the characteristics of charter schools' instructional programs; (3) whether charter schools operate autonomously and are held accou... |
DOD and NASA build costly, complex systems that serve a variety of national security and science, technology, and space exploration missions. Within DOD, the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center is responsible for acquiring most of DOD’s space systems; however, the Navy is also acquiring a replacement satellite... | Quality is key to success in U.S. space and missile defense programs, but quality problems exist that have endangered entire missions along with less-visible problems leading to unnecessary repair, scrap, rework, and stoppage; long delays; and millions in cost growth. For space and missile defense acquisitions, GAO was... |
DOT’s proposal to reauthorize surface transportation included a 6-year, $600 million Access to Jobs program to support new transportation services for low-income people seeking jobs. The funding levels and other program details of such an initiative may change as the Congress completes final action in 1998 to reauthori... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) whether current studies and research demonstrate the importance of transportation services in implementing welfare reform; (2) the preliminary results of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) current welfare-to-work programs and the Department of Housing and U... |
As I previously stated, and we have reported on for several years, DOD faces a range of financial management and related business process challenges that are complex, long-standing, pervasive, and deeply rooted in virtually all business operations throughout the department. As I recently testified and as discussed in o... | In March 2002, GAO testified on the Department of Defense's (DOD) financial management problems and key elements necessary for successful reform. Although the underlying conditions remain fundamentally unchanged, within the past 2 years DOD has begun a number of initiatives intended to address previously reported probl... |
Approximately 4 percent of discretionary spending in the United States’ federal budget is appropriated for the conduct of foreign affairs activities. This includes funding for bilateral and multilateral assistance, military assistance, and State Department activities. Spending for State, taken from the “150 Account,” m... | In recent years, funding for the Department of State has increased dramatically, particularly for security upgrades at overseas facilities and a major hiring program. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has also received more funds, especially for programs in Afghanistan and Iraq and HIV/AIDS relief. ... |
Since the inception of NFIP in 1968, FEMA has sought to have local communities adopt floodplain management ordinances and offered flood insurance to their residents in an effort to reduce the need for government assistance after a flood. Premium subsidies were seen as a way to achieve the program’s objectives by ensuri... | FEMA, which administers NFIP, estimated that in 2012 more than 1 million of its residential flood insurance policies--about 20 percent--were sold at subsidized rates; nearly all were located in high-risk flood areas. Because of their relatively high losses and lower premium rates, subsidized policies have been a financ... |
In 1987 the United States and its six major trading partners created the MTCR to restrict the proliferation of missiles and related technology. The MTCR, the only multilateral missile nonproliferation regime, is a voluntary arrangement among countries that share a common interest in arresting missile proliferation. It ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and U.S. missile technology-related exports to the Peoples' Republic of China, focusing on the: (1) extent to which dual-use and missile technologies are exported to sensitive end-users; (2) U.S. government's a... |
Governments are heavily involved in most defense export transactions and they support exports for a variety of reasons. European governments support defense exports primarily to maintain a desired level of defense production capability. Their national markets are not large enough to sustain the full range of weapon sys... | GAO reviewed the global defense export market and on the tools used by the United States and three major foreign competitors to enhance the competitiveness of their defense exports. GAO found that: (1) the United States has been the world's leading defense exporter since 1990; by 1993 its market share had increased to ... |
Over the past 8 years, DOD has designated over 33,000 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 Senior Oversight Committee (SOC)--jointly chaired ... |
The cost of child care often creates an employment barrier for low-income parents attempting to support their families through work. To help low-income families meet their child care needs, the Congress authorized four child care subsidy programs between 1988 and the passage of the new welfare reform legislation. Under... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed states' implementation of child care subsidy programs, focusing on: (1) how much federal and state funding is being spent on child care subsidy programs and how they are allocating these resources among welfare families, families making the transition from welfare to wo... |
The US-VISIT expenditure plan, including related program documentation and program officials’ statements, satisfies or partially satisfies some, but not all, of the legislative conditions. Specifically, the legislative conditions that DHS certify that an independent verification and validation agent is currently under ... | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has established a program known as U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) to collect, maintain, and share information, including biometric identifiers, on certain foreign nationals who travel to the United States. By congressional mandate, DHS is to d... |
Demand for GAO’s analysis and advice remains strong across the Congress. During the past 3 years, GAO has received requests or mandated work from all of the standing committees of the House and the Senate and over 80 percent of their subcommittees. In fiscal year 2007, GAO received over 1,200 requests for studies. This... | The budget authority GAO is requesting for fiscal year 2009--$545.5 million--represents a prudent request of 7.5 percent to support the Congress as it confronts a growing array of difficult challenges. GAO will continue to reward the confidence Congress places in us by providing a strong return on this investment. In f... |
As you know, Mr. Chairman, the decennial census is a constitutionally mandated enterprise critical to our nation. Census data are used to apportion seats and redraw congressional districts, and to help allocate over $400 billion in federal aid to state and local governments each year. We added the 2010 Census to our li... | The decennial census is a constitutionally mandated activity that produces data used to apportion congressional seats, redraw congressional districts, and help allocate billions of dollars in federal assistance. A complete and accurate master address file (MAF), along with precise maps--the U.S. Census Bureau's (Bureau... |
Since 1980, the Bureau has used statistical methods to generate detailed estimates of census undercounts and overcounts, including those of particular ethnic, racial, and other groups. To carry out the 2000 Census’s Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation program (A.C.E.), the Bureau conducted a separate and independent sampl... | Evaluations of past censuses show that certain groups were undercounted compared to other groups, a problem known as "coverage error." To address this, the Census Bureau included in its 2000 Census design the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation Program (A.C.E.) to (1) measure coverage error and (2) use the results to adju... |
The abuse of anabolic steroids differs from the abuse of other illicit substances. When users initially begin to abuse anabolic steroids, they typically are not driven by a desire to achieve an immediate euphoria like that which accompanies most abused drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. The abuse of anabolic... | The abuse of anabolic steroids by teenagers--that is, their use without a prescription--is a health concern. Anabolic steroids are synthetic forms of the hormone testosterone that can be taken orally, injected, or rubbed on the skin. Although a 2006 survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found tha... |
The natural gas and electricity industries perform three primary functions in delivering energy to consumers: (1) producing the basic energy commodity, (2) transporting the commodity through pipelines or over power lines, and (3) distributing the commodity to the final consumer. A range of federal, state, and local ent... | In June 2002, GAO reported that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had not yet adequately revised its regulatory and oversight approach for the natural gas and electricity industries' transition from regulated monopolies to competitive markets. GAO also concluded that FERC faced significant human capital c... |
As we reported in September 2004, improvements in information technology, decreasing data transmission costs, and expanded infrastructure in developing countries have facilitated services offshoring. Offshoring is reflected in services import data because when a company replaces work done domestically with work done ov... | Trade in business, professional, and technical (BPT) services associated with offshoring needs to be accurately tracked, but a gap exists between U.S. and Indian data. The extent of and reasons for this gap are important to understand in order to address questions about the magnitude of offshoring and to analyze its fu... |
Recent advances in aircraft technology, including advanced collision avoidance and flight management systems, and new automated tools for air traffic controllers enable a shift from air traffic control to collaborative air traffic management. Free flight, a key component of air traffic management, will provide pilots w... | This report reviews the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) progress on implementing the Free Flight Program, which would provide more flexibility in air traffic operations. This program would increase collaboration between FAA and the aviation community. By using a set of new automated technologies (tools) and pro... |
In our report, High-Risk Series: An Update, we identified agencies’ lack of comprehensive risk management strategies as an emerging challenge for the federal government. Increasingly limited fiscal resources across the federal government, coupled with the emerging requirements from the changing security environment, em... | The Department of Defense (DOD) is simultaneously conducting costly military operations and transforming its forces and business practices while it is also competing for resources in an increasingly constrained fiscal environment. As a result, GAO has advocated that DOD adopt a comprehensive threat or risk management a... |
J-1 visas allow foreign nationals to participate as exchange visitors in cultural and educational programs in the United States. USIA is responsible for managing the J-1 visa program and designates organizations as program sponsors. In 1995, over 9,000 foreign physicians with J-1 visas were in the United States for gra... | GAO reviewed the extent to which state and federal agencies used waivers to meet physician shortages in medically underserved areas, focusing on: (1) how many foreign physicians with J-1 visas receive waivers, where they practice, and their medical specialties; (2) whether federal agencies and states effectively coordi... |
DIA was built to replace Stapleton International Airport (SIA), which in 1994 was the eighth busiest airport in the world. A great deal of controversy was generated by DIA’s construction. Proponents pointed to various inadequacies related to SIA’s facilities, limits on expansion, and noise pollution. Opponents raised o... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Denver International Airport's (DIA) financial condition, focusing on DIA: (1) cash reserves and estimated cash flows; and (2) ability to meet its financial obligations. GAO found that: (1) predicting the future financial performance of DIA is difficult, since it ha... |
OSHA was established after the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. In the broadest sense, OSHA was mandated to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women. The act authorizes OSHA to conduct “reasonable” inspections of any workplace or environment where work is performe... | Each year, OSHA receives thousands of complaints from employees alleging hazardous conditions at their worksites. How OSHA responds to these complaints--either by inspecting the worksite or through some other means--has important implications for both the agency's resources and worker safety and health. Responding to i... |
General aviation encompasses a wide variety of activities, aircraft types, and airports. About 85 percent of all general aviation hours flown falls into one of five categories of flying activity, as defined by FAA and described in figure 1. The largest of these categories is recreational flying, which is defined as fly... | Federal intelligence agencies have reported that in the past, terrorists have considered using general aviation aircraft (all aviation other than commercial and military) for terrorist acts, and that the September 11th terrorists learned to fly at general aviation flight schools. The questions GAO answered regarding th... |
Before originating a residential mortgage loan, a lender assesses its risk through the underwriting process, in which the lender generally examines the borrower’s credit history and capacity to repay the mortgage and obtains a valuation of the property that will be the loan’s collateral. Lenders need to know the proper... | Real estate valuations, which encompass appraisals and other estimation methods, have come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the recent mortgage crisis. The Dodd-Frank Act codified several independence requirements for appraisers and requires federal regulators to set standards for registering AMCs. Additionally,... |
FAA, airports, and aircraft manufacturers have worked to meet the demands of continued growth in passenger and cargo traffic in different ways. FAA has worked to improve the capacity and efficiency of the national airspace system to accommodate a greater number and variety of aircraft by, for example, improving air tra... | Airbus S.A.S. (Airbus), a European aircraft manufacturer, is introducing a new aircraft designated as the A380, which is expected to enter service in late 2007. The A380 will be the largest passenger aircraft in the world, with a wingspan of about 262 feet, a tail fin reaching 80 feet high, and a maximum takeoff weight... |
GPRAMA is a significant enhancement of GPRA, which was the centerpiece of a statutory framework that Congress put in place during the 1990s to help resolve long-standing management problems in the federal government and provide greater accountability for results. GPRA sought to focus federal agencies on performance by ... | The federal government faces significant and long-standing fiscal, management, and performance challenges. The acts implementation offers opportunities for Congress and the executive branch to help address these challenges. This report is the latest in a series in which GAO, as required by the act, reviewed the acts ... |
In 1985, the Congress required the Department of Defense to carry out the destruction of the U.S. stockpile of chemical agents and munitions and established an organization within the Army to manage the disposal program. The Congress directed the program to provide maximum protection to the environment, the general pub... | Millions of people who live and work near eight Army storage facilities containing 30,000 tons of chemical agents are at risk of exposure from a chemical accident. In 1988, the Army established the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) to assist 10 states with communities near these eight storage fa... |
Navy ships undergo a variety of tests, trials, and construction after delivery from the shipbuilder (when the Navy takes custody of the ship) and before the Navy provides the ship to the fleet—a time referred to as the post-delivery period. The Navy’s policy for ship delivery is outlined in OPNAVINST 4700.8K, which est... | The U.S. Navy spends at least $18 billion per year on shipbuilding—a portion of which is spent after ships are delivered. During the post-delivery period—after delivery from the shipbuilder and before the ships enter the fleet—Navy ships undergo a variety of tests, trials, and construction. GAO was asked to assess the ... |
The CNMI comprises a group of 14 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, lying just north of Guam and 5,500 miles from the U.S. mainland. Most of the CNMI population—58,629 in 2007—resides on the island of Saipan, with additional residents on the islands of Tinian and Rota. After World War II, the U.S. Congress approved ... | In May 2008, the United States enacted the Consolidated Natural Resources Act (CNRA), amending the United States' Covenant with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to establish federal control of CNMI immigration in 2009, with several CNMI-specific provisions affecting foreign workers and investors ... |
It is time for a fundamental rethinking of DOE’s missions. Created predominantly to deal with the energy crisis of the 1970s, DOE has changed its mission and budget priorities dramatically over time. By the early 1980s, its nuclear weapons production grew substantially; and following revelations about environmental mis... | GAO discussed the Department of Energy's (DOE) future, focusing on DOE efforts to restructure its missions and address policy and management issues. GAO noted that: (1) DOE is having a difficult time responding to its changing mission and organizational structure; (2) DOE is unable to evaluate its activities due to wea... |
Through what is referred to as the 24-hour rule, CBP generally requires vessel carriers to electronically transmit cargo manifests to CBP 24 hours before cargo is loaded onto U.S.-bound vessels at foreign ports. Through the Importer Security Filing and Additional Carrier Requirements (known as the 10+2 rule), CBP requi... | The U.S. economy is dependent on a secure global supply chain. In fiscal year 2013, approximately 12 million maritime cargo shipments arrived in the United States. Within the federal government, CBP is responsible for administering cargo security, to include identifying “high-risk” maritime cargo shipments with the pot... |
Federal agencies and aviation industry stakeholders gather and analyze aviation data for a variety of purposes. Federal agencies gather and analyze aviation data primarily to improve safety. To oversee aviation safety across the national airspace system, FAA maintains data on various aviation sectors, including passeng... | To improve aviation safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to have in place the initial capabilities of a risk-based approach to safety oversight, known as a safety management system (SMS), by the end of fiscal year 2010. FAA is also implementing new procedures and technologies to enhance the safety, c... |
SMS provides a top-down approach to managing safety risk, which FAA expects will improve aviation safety. SMS is not an additional safety program that is distinct from existing activities that accomplish an entity’s safety mission, but rather, a process for safety management that incorporates systematic procedures, pra... | The nation's aviation system is one of the safest in the world, but with air travel projected to increase over the next 20 years, efforts to ensure the continued safety of aviation are increasingly important. The FAA is seeking to further enhance safety by shifting to a data-driven, risk-based safety oversight approach... |
The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 was enacted to address concerns expressed about federal statutes and regulations that require nonfederal parties to expend resources to achieve legislative goals without being provided funding to cover the costs. Although UMRA was intended to curb the practice of imposing unfund... | The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) was enacted to address concerns about federal statutes and regulations that require nonfederal parties to expend resources to achieve legislative goals without being provided federal funding to cover the costs. UMRA generates information about the nature and size of poten... |
Passenger and freight rail services help move people and goods through the transportation system, which helps the economic well-being of the United States. Passenger rail services can take many forms. Some mass transit agencies, which can be public or private entities, provide rail services, such as commuter rail and h... | Passenger and freight rail services are important links in the nation's transportation system. Terrorist attacks on passenger and/or freight rail services have the potential to cause widespread injury, loss of life, and economic disruption. The recent terrorist attack in Spain illustrates that rail systems, like all mo... |
The importance of patents and other mechanisms to enable inventors to capture some of the benefits of their innovations has long been recognized in the United States as a tool to encourage innovation, dating back to Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution and the 1790 patent law. Ensuring the protection of IP rights encoura... | In October 2008, Congress passed the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (PRO-IP Act), to improve the effectiveness of U.S. government efforts to protect intellectual property (IP) rights such as copyrights, patents, and trademarks. The act also directed GAO to provide informat... |
USPS’s current field-office structure includes 7 area offices and 67 district offices. USPS’s management structure is decentralized, with the area and district offices overseeing a vast network of facilities, which, as of December 19, 2011, included 31,060 post offices and 461 mail- processing facilities (see fig. 1). ... | USPS has lost $25.3 billion over the last 5 years and expects to lose another $83.2 billion through fiscal year 2016 unless it takes action to reduce its costs and improve its operational efficiency. USPS has cut costs in its retail, mail processing, and delivery networks, as well as in its field office structure, whic... |
Each state has a central repository for receiving criminal history information contributed by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and corrections agencies throughout the state. Each repository compiles this information into criminal history records (commonly called “rap sheets”), which are to be made availab... | Public safety concerns require that criminal history records be accurate, complete, and accessible. Among other purposes, such records are used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to ensure that prohibited persons do not purchase firearms. Initiated in... |
Although many aspects of an effective response to bioterrorism are the same as those for any form of terrorism, there are some unique features. For example, if a biological agent is released covertly, it may not be recognized for a week or more because symptoms may not appear for several days after the initial exposure... | Federal research and preparedness activities related to bioterrorism center on detection; the development of vaccines, antibiotics, and antivirals; and the development of performance standards for emergency response equipment. Preparedness activities include (1) increasing federal, state, and local response capabilitie... |
Terrorists have targeted federal facilities several times over the past 10 years. After the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the Department of Justice created minimum-security standards for federal facilities. In October 1995, the President signed Executive Order 12977, which esta... | The war on terrorism has made physical security for federal facilities a governmentwide concern. The Interagency Security Committee (ISC), which is chaired by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with coordinating federal agencies' facility protection efforts, developing protection standards, and overse... |
The President has established, and DOD operates geographic combatant commands to perform military missions around the world. Geographic combatant commands are each assigned an area of responsibility in which to conduct their missions and activities (see fig. 1 below). Combatant commands are responsible for a variety of... | In February 2007, the President announced the U. S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), a Department of Defense (DOD) geographic combatant command with a focus on strengthening U.S. security cooperation with Africa, creating opportunities to bolster the capabilities of African partners, and enhancing peace and security efforts o... |
O&M appropriations support the training, supply, and equipment maintenance of military units as well as the administrative and facilities infrastructure of military bases. Along with military personnel costs, which are funded with separate military personnel appropriations, O&M funding is considered one of the major co... | The Department of Defense (DOD) spent about 40 percent of the total defense budget to operate and maintain the nation's military forces in fiscal year 2005. Operation and maintenance (O&M) funding is considered one of the major components of funding for readiness. O&M appropriations fund the training, supply, and equip... |
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.