report stringlengths 320 1.32M | summary stringlengths 127 13.7k |
|---|---|
When the first manned spaceship landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, 500 million people around the world were able to watch Neil Armstrong take “one giant leap for mankind.” It was the most widely viewed event in history owing to the global commercial communications satellite system completed that year with the launch ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the institutional framework for providing international communications satellite services, focusing on: (1) the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT) and the International Mobile Satellite Organization (Immarsat); (2) elements of that framew... |
Established as a national program in the mid 1970s, WIC is designed to improve the health and nutritional well-being of pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children by providing nutritious supplemental foods, nutrition education, and referrals to health and social service programs. Research has shown that... | WIC provides nutritious foods and assistance to low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children. Research has shown that WIC helps to improve birth and dietary outcomes and contain health care costs. USDA's FNS oversees the program, which is administered by state and local agencies. While federal ... |
IRS provides tax law assistance to taxpayers through IRS’s toll-free telephone lines and tax law and return preparation assistance in person at IRS taxpayer assistance centers (formerly known as “walk-in sites”) nationwide, in addition to other means. The four taxpayer assistance programs we reviewed were: W&I Customer... | Millions of taxpayers ask IRS questions about tax law each year. While the accuracy of IRS's answers has improved in some cases, it is still not always what taxpayers or Congress expect. Concerns about accuracy have raised questions about the adequacy of the training IRS provides to its taxpayer assistance staff. Becau... |
Information technology should enable government to better serve the American people. However, according to OMB, despite spending more than $600 billion on IT over the past decade, the federal government has achieved little of the productivity improvements that private industry has realized from IT.Too often, federal IT... | The federal government reportedly plans to spend at least $82 billion on IT in fiscal year 2014. Given the scale of such planned outlays and the criticality of many of these systems to the health, economy, and security of the nation, it is important that OMB and federal agencies provide appropriate oversight and adequa... |
In 2000, the Surgeon General noted that tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children. Left untreated, the pain and infections caused by tooth decay can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and learning. Proper dental care can prevent tooth decay and associated problems that can lead to dental disease ... | Children's access to Medicaid dental services is a long-standing concern. The tragic case of a 12-year-old boy who died from an untreated infected tooth that led to a fatal brain infection renewed attention to this issue. He was enrolled in Medicaid--a joint federal and state program that provides health care coverage,... |
Approximately 1 year after our initial testimony and over 2 years after the KMCC’s originally scheduled construction completion date, the project continues to experience significant cost and schedule uncertainty along with construction quality problems and ongoing criminal investigations. Since our testimony in June of... | The Kaiserslautern Military Community Center (KMCC) is one of many projects initiated at Ramstein Air Base to upgrade capabilities of the base as a result of the consolidation of military bases in Europe. The KMCC is intended to provide lodging, dining, shopping, and entertainment for thousands of U.S. military and civ... |
IRAs serve dual roles by (1) providing a way for individuals not covered by a pension plan to save for retirement and (2) providing a place for retiring workers or individuals changing jobs to roll over, or transfer, their employer-sponsored pension plan balances. During the past 40 years, several types of IRAs with di... | In 2014, the federal government will forgo an estimated $17.45 billion in tax revenue from IRAs, which Congress created to ensure equitable tax treatment for those not covered by employer-sponsored retirement plans. Congress limited annual contributions to IRAs to prevent the tax-favored accumulation of unduly large ba... |
Over the past decade, the United States has paid increased attention to the threat that unsecured weapons-usable nuclear material in the countries of the former Soviet Union, particularly Russia, could be stolen and fall into the hands of terrorists or countries seeking weapons of mass destruction. By some estimates, t... | The worldwide trafficking and smuggling of nuclear material has reportedly increased in recent years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports 181 confirmed cases of illicit trafficking of nuclear material since 1993. Many of the cases reported by IAEA involved material that could be used to produce a "dir... |
USAID is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has field locations in approximately 90 countries to provide economic, development, and humanitarian assistance worldwide in support of U.S. foreign policy goals. USAID’s OAA has overall responsibility for the administration of A&A instruments in headquarters. Its A&A sta... | The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has shifted from conducting its own activities to managing acquisition and assistance (A&A) instruments--contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements--it awards to implementing organizations. From fiscal years 2002 through 2008, USAID's A&A obligations increased fr... |
The Army depot maintenance activity group is part of the Army Working Capital Fund, a revolving fund that relies on sales revenue rather than direct appropriations to finance its operations. DOD policy requires working capital fund activity groups to (1) establish sales prices that allow them to recover their anticipat... | The Army depot maintenance activity group received about $2.6 billion of orders in fiscal year 2004 to repair helicopters, combat vehicles, and air defense systems. To perform this work, the group operates under the working capital fund concept, where customers are to be charged the anticipated costs of providing goods... |
Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, HHS has worked to prepare for and mitigate potential consequences resulting from the intentional or unintentional release of CBRN agents. This work has involved the efforts of various agencies, industry, and subject-matter experts to develop, acquire, and store medical countermeasur... | The nation remains vulnerable to terrorist and other threats posed by CBRN agents. Medical countermeasures--drugs, vaccines, and medical devices--can prevent or treat the effects of exposure to CBRN agents, and countermeasures are available in the SNS for some of these agents. Children, who make up 25 percent of the po... |
The need for strong leadership and an integrated approach to information management has long been recognized as critical. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 established a single policy framework for federal management of information resources and formalized information resources management (IRM) as the approach govern... | E-government is critical to the government's ability to effectively communicate with the public. Both Congress and current and past administrations have emphasized the importance of e-government and have put forth proposals to address the challenges associated with this issue. Earlier this year, the Senate passed S. 80... |
In the United States, USDA and FDA have primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of domestic and imported foods. USDA is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and certain egg products and for performing certain food quality inspections and certifications that include food safety elements. FDA is responsibl... | Like other nations, the United States faces growing food safety challenges resulting from at least three major trends. First, imported food makes up a growing share of the food supply. Second, consumers are increasingly eating foods that are raw or have had minimal processing and that are often associated with foodborn... |
On February 17th, Chairman Lieberman and Senator Warner introduced S. 2129, entitled “Reforming and Consolidating Government Act of 2012”, a bill renewing the Presidential authority to propose government organizational changes and obtain congressional approval through an expedited process. From 1932 to 1984, Congress p... | This testimony discusses the need to reexamine the structures and operations of the federal government. Congress also asked that we address the Reforming and Consolidating Government Act of 2012 (S. 2129), first proposed by the President and introduced in the Senate by Chairman Lieberman and Senator Warner. The feder... |
We recently issued an exposure draft of an assessment guide that introduces a framework for evaluating a federal agency’s training and development efforts. This assessment guide consists of a set of principles and key questions that federal agencies can use to ensure that their training and development investments are ... | Effective training and development programs are an integral part of a learning environment, helping improve federal workforce performance in achieving agency results. Therefore, in this report GAO was asked to identify examples of selected federal agencies' experiences and some of the key lessons they have learned in d... |
In general, a user fee is related to some voluntary transaction or request for government goods or services, above and beyond what is normally available to the public (such as a national park entrance fee or a license to operate a radio station). We have previously reported on the characteristics (equity, efficiency, r... | In 2012, the President's Budget reported nearly $300 billion collected in user fees from the public. Given the nation's fiscal condition it is critical that every funding source and spending decision be carefully considered and applied to its best use. GAO was asked to review oversight opportunities for fees. GAO exami... |
Two or more airlines may enter into an alliance to increase their revenues and the number of passengers they carry. Code-sharing is one type of alliance. It can be an important marketing tool for airlines because it allows the code-sharing partners to replicate the “seamless travel” that can be provided by a single air... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the status of the proposed alliances to be formed by the six largest U.S. airlines; (2) the potential beneficial and harmful effects on consumers; and (3) the authority of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to ... |
The False Claims Act provides that anyone who “knowingly” submits false claims to the government is liable for damages up to three times the amount of the erroneous payment plus mandatory penalties between $5,500 and $11,000 for each false claim submitted. In the health care setting, where providers submit thousands of... | The Department of Justice (DOJ) recovered more than $1.2 billion in health care fraud cases in fiscal year 2001. The False Claims Act bolstered DOJ's recoveries and enabled the government to seek damages and penalties against providers who knowingly submitted fraudulent bills to Medicare, Medicaid, or other government ... |
USPS’s financial condition has deteriorated significantly since fiscal year 2006, and its financial outlook is grim in both the short- and long-term. In July 2009, we added USPS’s financial condition and outlook to our high- risk list because USPS was incurring billion-dollar deficits and its debt was increasing as mai... | The U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) financial condition and outlook are deteriorating because revenues are not sufficient to cover its expenses and financial obligations. These challenges continue to threaten USPS's financial viability and GAO has therefore retained USPS on its high risk list issued in February 2011. USPS... |
Before discussing these issues in detail, it is important to recognize that a large amount of federal paperwork is necessary and serves a useful purpose. Information collection is one way that agencies carry out their missions. For example, IRS needs to collect information from taxpayers and their employers to know the... | The Paperwork Reduction Act requires federal agencies to minimize the paperwork burden they impose on the public. The act also requires agencies to obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before collecting covered information. GAO examined changes during the past fiscal year in federal agencies' ... |
Business continuity and contingency plans should describe the steps an organization would take to ensure the continuity of its core business processes in the event of a system failure. In a June 1998 report, we made a series of recommendations aimed at broadening IRS’ Year 2000 contingency planning approach to encompas... | GAO reviewed two Internal Revenue Service (IRS) year 2000 business continuity and contingency plans for their consistency and completeness on the basis of IRS' guidance for such plans. GAO noted that: (1) two IRS business continuity and contingency plans--one for processing paper tax returns that result in a refund (re... |
Over 3,000 State employees, along with their household effects, are transferred to new duty stations each year, of which about 1,000 employees are transferred from Washington, D.C., to foreign locations. State’s direct costs associated with the employee transfer process have typically exceeded $60 million annually in r... | GAO discussed: (1) the Department of State's process for transferring employees and their household effects overseas; and (2) opportunities for State to apply the best practices that private-sector and other government organizations use to complete overseas transfers. GAO noted that: (1) GAO's comparison of State's pro... |
During fiscal year 2002, U.S. military forces participated in a number of contingency operations, and Congress appropriated funds to cover DOD’s costs. Contingency operations for fiscal year 2002 included efforts to combat terrorism as well as contingency operations in the Balkans and Southwest Asia. Operations in thes... | From the end of the Persian Gulf War in February 1991 through May 2002, the Department of Defense (DOD) reported over $43.9 billion in incremental costs for its overseas contingency operations. These operations include the enforcement of no-fly zones, humanitarian assistance, and peace enforcement operations, as well a... |
Now a part of DHS, the Coast Guard has experienced substantial budget growth since the terrorist attacks of September 11. The agency’s operating budget in fiscal year 2004 was $4.7 billion—an increase of 31 percent in nominal dollars over its fiscal year 2001 operating budget. The Coast Guard spends the bulk of this mo... | As the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security within the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard is facing extraordinary, heightened responsibilities to protect America's ports, waterways, and waterside facilities from terrorist attacks. At the same time, the Coast Guard remains responsible for man... |
Investigations of complaints filed against nursing homes can provide a valuable opportunity for determining if the health and safety of nursing home residents are threatened. Complaint investigations are typically less predictable than annual surveys and can target specific areas of potential problems identified by res... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the effectiveness of complaint and enforcement practices to protect nursing home residents, and to ensure that homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid comply with federal standards, focusing on the: (1) effectiveness of states' complaint practices in protecting re... |
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 established the Interstate Highway System but did not provide specific funding for construction. In the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, Congress declared that the completion of a “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways” was essential to the national interest. The act cal... | Federal spending on Interstate highways has contributed to changes in residential and business land-use patterns. In 1991, GAO raised concerns about the condition of Interstate highways and rising levels of congestion. The original purposes for the Interstate system were to provide for efficient long-distance travel, s... |
Under TRICARE, DOD contracts with private sector health care companies to supplement the care provided by military hospitals and clinics. These contracts, which are referred to as managed care support contracts, are generally performance-based contracts. For such contracts, most, but not all, of the requirements includ... | DOD provides health care through TRICARE, its regionally structured health care program. In each of its regions (North, South, West), DOD uses contractors to manage health care delivery through civilian providers, among other tasks. UnitedHealth—an organization new to TRICARE—was awarded the contract in the West region... |
The decennial census is the nation’s most comprehensive and expensive statistical data-gathering program. An accurate population count is critical because, as required by the Constitution, census results are used for allocating seats in the House of Representatives. Census data are also used for redistricting within st... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of key activities that the Bureau of the Census plans to test as part of its dress rehearsal for the 2000 Census. GAO noted that: (1) address list development, local outreach and promotion, staffing, and statistical sampling are all still facing the developme... |
DOD guidance requires that the services and DLA report the current and projected status of their secondary item inventories to support OSD’s oversight responsibilities and for use in its procurement and repair budget deliberations. To ensure the department has consistent data, the services and DLA are required, among o... | GAO has identified supply chain management as a high-risk area due in part to ineffective and inefficient inventory management practices that have caused DOD to accumulate billions of dollars worth of unneeded inventory. DOD reported that as of September 2010 it had $8.4 billion worth of on-hand excess inventory, categ... |
The federal government’s Housing Choice Voucher Program helps very-low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled pay for housing in the private market. The program, which has been operating for about 30 years, provides housing vouchers that individuals and families can use to rent houses or apartments in the priva... | The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received $12.9 billion in fiscal year 2003 for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which helps about 2 million low-income families pay rent for privately owned housing. This amount included $1.1 billion in administrative fee payments to the public housing agencies t... |
Palau’s territory of about 190 square miles includes 8 main islands and more than 250 smaller islands. As the westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, Palau is located approximately 500 miles southeast of the Philippines. Roughly 20,000 people live in Palau, and more than one-quarter of t... | Since 1995, when the Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States entered into force, U.S. aid to Palau has included assistance provided for in the compact and related subsidiary agreements--direct assistance to the Palau national government, including investment in a trust fund intended to provide $... |
The adverse impact that dropping out of school has on both those who drop out and society itself has long been recognized. Multiple studies have shown that dropouts earn less money and are more frequently unemployed than graduates. Dropouts are about three times as likely as high school completers who do not go on to c... | The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that the national status dropout rate--the percentage of 16- through 24-year olds who are not enrolled in school and who lack a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate--fluctuated between 10.9 and 12.5 percent between 1990 and 2000. Howeve... |
The child welfare system—composed mainly of state and local child welfare agencies and juvenile dependency courts—is supported by a complex mix of people and programs. Approximately 1 million children are the victims of abuse and neglect by their parents or caregivers each year, and each participant in the system plays... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed states' and local agencies' efforts to improve the timeliness of judicial decisions concerning the permanent placement of foster children, focusing on: (1) the key problems in the juvenile dependency court system; and (2) state and local responses to these problems. GAO... |
Since its creation in 1977, DOE has been responsible for developing, producing, and maintaining nuclear weapons; preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and designing, building, and maintaining naval nuclear propulsion systems. However, DOE historically has been plagued by organizational and manage... | Created to correct long-standing and widely recognized management and security problems at the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) manages the nation's nuclear weapons, nonproliferation, and naval reactors programs. Although NNSA announced a new headquarters organization in M... |
Through its Title II program, USAID has traditionally provided its implementing partners with U.S. in-kind food aid, which its partners distribute to beneficiaries in need overseas. Figure 1 shows the locations of projects that received Title II funding in fiscal years 2012 through 2015. Congress has historically amend... | In recent years, USAID has awarded about $1.4 billion annually for international food assistance projects under Title II of the Food for Peace Act (Title II). This funding has traditionally been used to provide U.S.-purchased commodities to food-insecure beneficiaries overseas. Section 202(e) of the Food for Peace Act ... |
IRC defines pension plans as either defined benefit or defined contribution plans and includes separate requirements for each type of plan. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey data, most participants in large and medium-sized firms’ defined benefit plans are covered by plans that use a final average pa... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the implications of converting traditional private pensions to cash balance plans, focusing on: (1) the prevalence and major features of cash balance plans, and reasons why firms adopt them; (2) how the use of cash balance plans affect the pension benefit... |
The demonstration program gives opportunities to collect new and increased fees to the major agencies that provide the public with recreational opportunities on federal land—the Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service (all within the Department of the Interior), and the Forest Service (wi... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the recreational fee demonstration program, focusing on: (1) ensuring that future revenues can be applied to the agencies' highest priority unmet needs; (2) coordinating fees between agencies at demonstration sites that are close to each other; (3) being more innovativ... |
The JSF program began in 1996 and is the largest DOD acquisition program to date with an estimated cost of over $250 billion for the development and production phase of the program. The program’s goals are to develop and field a family of stealthy fighter aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and U.S. allies.... | The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is the Department of Defense's (DOD) largest international cooperative effort to develop and produce a major weapon system. Due to the breadth of international participation, the number of export authorizations needed to share information with partner governments, solicit bids fro... |
In 1987, Congress enacted what is commonly known as the Farm Program Payments Integrity Act, requiring that an individual or entity be actively engaged in farming to receive farm program payments. To be considered actively engaged in farming, the act requires an individual or entity to provide the farming operation wit... | Agricultural producers receive about $5 billion annually in farm program payments for which being actively engaged in farming is required by the Farm Program Payments Integrity Act. GAO was asked to review FSA's processes for implementing actively engaged in farming regulations to determine payment eligibility. This re... |
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: We are pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the key steps and challenges in using the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) to improve federal civilian science agencies’ management and congressional decisionmaking. Each year, American taxpayers invest about $70 ... | GAO discussed the challenges in implementing the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) in federal civilian science agencies, focusing on ways to improve the management of federal civilian science agencies and aid congressional decisionmaking. GAO noted that: (1) GPRA enables Congress to make difficult funding, ... |
The Packers and Stockyards Act was passed in 1921 in response to concerns that, among other things, the marketing of livestock presented special problems that could not be adequately addressed by existing antitrust laws. The provisions of the act were based, in part, on prior antitrust statutes including the Sherman Ac... | GAO discussed before Congress the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) management and oversight of the Packers and Stockyards Act. Within USDA, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is responsible for administering the Packers and Stockyards Act and investigating concerns about unfair a... |
IRS’s financial management has long been problematic. In fiscal year 2001, it continued to be plagued by many of the serious internal control and financial management issues that we have reported each year since we began auditing IRS’s financial statements in fiscal year 1992. Despite these issues, IRS was, for the sec... | The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was, for the second consecutive year, able to prepare financial statements that received an unqualified opinion. However, this achievement once again came through the use of substantial, costly, and time-consuming processes to compensate for serious systems and control deficiencies. I... |
NCIC is an extensive computerized criminal justice information system maintained by the FBI that serves as a repository of data on crimes and criminals of nationwide interest and as a locator file for missing and unidentified persons. Over 92,000 law enforcement agencies and other criminal justice partners have access ... | Missing children who are not found quickly are at an increased risk of victimization. The National Child Search Assistance Act, as amended, requires that within 2 hours of receiving a missing child report, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) enter the report into the Department of Justice's (DOJ) National Crime Information... |
The WTO was established as a result of the Uruguay “Round” on January 1, 1995, as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the WTO administers agreed-upon rules for international trade, provides a mechanism for settling disputes, and serves as a forum for conduct... | U.S. officials often call the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda or "Round" of global trade talks, launched in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, a "once in a generation opportunity" to expand trade. President Bush has identified their success as his administration's top trade priority. Due to various... |
Federal agencies can choose among three main contract types to procure goods and services: fixed-price, time-and-materials, and cost- reimbursement. Each contract type comes with a different level of cost or performance risk for the government, as shown in table 2. Different types of cost-reimbursement contracts can be... | Federal agencies obligate billions of dollars annually using cost-reimbursement contracts. This type of contract involves high risk for the government because of the potential for cost escalation and because the government pays a contractor's costs of performance regardless of whether the work is completed. As such, co... |
DOD spends about $15 billion annually—or about 6 percent of its $243-billion fiscal year 1996 budget—on depot maintenance activities. Depot maintenance involves repairing, overhauling, and modifying and upgrading defense systems and equipment. It also includes limited manufacture of parts, technical support, modificati... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) "Depot Maintenance and Repair Workload" report, focusing on: (1) the effect of the legislative requirement concerning the allocation of depot maintenance workloads between the public and private sectors; (2) historical public and priv... |
EEOC and OFCCP carry out their enforcement responsibilities by either investigating charges of discrimination filed by individuals or by initiating their own reviews of employers’ workforces and employment practices in the private sector. They also promote awareness and prevention of discrimination through outreach to ... | In 2003, GAO found that women, on average, earned 80 percent of what men earned in 2000 and workplace discrimination may be one contributing factor. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor (Labor) enforce several laws intended to prevent gender pay discrimination. GAO examined (1)... |
U.S. and Chinese trade in goods with Angola has risen dramatically, dominated by oil imports, with China’s trade surpassing the United States’. From 2001 through 2011, China’s and the United States’ total trade with Angola rose rapidly, reflecting a similarly rapid increase in imports of crude oil; China’s total trade ... | This supplemental report is a companion to Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends in U.S. and Chinese Economic Engagement (GAO-13-199). This supplement presents the results of our case studies of U.S. and Chinese economic engagement in three sub-Saharan African countries--Angola, Ghana, and Kenya. We conducted these case studies t... |
DOD defines an unmanned aircraft as a powered aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. Generally, unmanned aircraft systems consist of ... | The current generation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) has been in development for defense applications since the 1980's. As of February 2006, the Department of Defense (DOD) had more than 3,000 unmanned aircraft, about 2,000 of which are supporting ongoing operations in Iraq. DOD's 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review v... |
Since the early 1990s, an explosion in computer interconnectivity, most notably growth in the use of the Internet, has revolutionized the way that our government, nation, and much of the world communicate and conduct business. The benefits have been enormous. Vast amounts of information are now literally at our fingert... | To better protect the nation's critical computer-dependent infrastructures from computer-based attacks and disruption, the President issued Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 63 in 1998. The directive established the National Infrastructure Protection Center as a national focal point for gathering information on thr... |
VA serves veterans of the U.S. armed forces, and provides health, pension, burial, and other benefits. In fiscal year 2015 VA procured about $20 billion—more than a quarter of its discretionary budget—of goods and services via contracts. As shown in the organizational chart below, these contracts were awarded by VA’s e... | The VA spent about $20 billion in fiscal year 2015 for procurement of a wide range of goods and services that are essential to meeting its mission to serve veterans. A 2015 independent review commissioned by VA found that the procurement acquisition function was unduly complex and inefficient. GAO was asked to look at ... |
The federal government purchases billions of dollars in goods and services each year in a structured process regulated by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The FAR establishes uniform policies and procedures for the acquisition of supplies and services. For the purpose of our survey, we divided the procurement ... | The Small Business Act is one of several laws designed to enhance the participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in federal procurement--a market that reached more than $200 billion in fiscal year 2002. Section 15(k) of the act requires that all federal agencies with procurement powers establish an Office of S... |
The intent of the Goldwater-Nichols Act was, in part, to reorganize DOD into a more unified military structure. Within that act, Congress included several provisions that specifically address the promotion of officers serving in joint positions, the education of officers in joint matters, and their assignment to joint ... | The Department of Defense (DOD) has increasingly engaged in multiservice and multinational operations. Congress enacted the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, in part, so that DOD's military leaders would be better prepared to plan, support, and conduct joint operations. GAO assessed DO... |
Wireless technologies have become a valuable asset to improve communications efficiency and reduce costs for industries and governments around the world. The first generation of wireless technology, analog cell phones, is still used in many areas of the country. The second generation of wireless technology added digita... | Current plans for identifying spectrum to support third generation mobile wireless systems by July 30, 2001, and to auction licenses by September 30, 2002, are premature. GAO agrees with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Commerce that delaying the identification of spectrum and the aucti... |
DHS and other federal agencies help administer access control efforts across a wide range of physical facilities and assets in critical infrastructure sectors for which they are responsible. These federal administrators help operators of critical infrastructure assets safeguard the assets against attacks, sabotage, the... | Critical infrastructure protection access controls limit access to those with a legitimate need. DHS is the lead federal agency for coordinating critical infrastructure protection efforts with other federal agencies, and partnering with nonfederal stakeholders. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 included a ... |
Medicare and Medicaid are the federal government’s two largest healthcare programs as measured by expenditures. Medicare is a healthcare insurance program for seniors, certain individuals with disabilities, and those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), with Medicare expenditures totaling $613.3 billion for 53.8 millio... | Medicare and Medicaid provide NEMT services to eligible beneficiaries who need transportation to scheduled nonemergency care. CMS administers Medicare NEMT benefits and is responsible for overseeing Medicaid at the federal level. Spending on NEMT under these programs was $2.7 billion in 2013—$1.2 billion for Medicare a... |
This section provides information on key DOE and NNSA nuclear sites, key DOE security concepts and processes, and DOE and NNSA processes to develop their annual security reports. There are four DOE and four NNSA sites holding category I and category II special nuclear material to carry out the agencies’ nuclear mission... | DOE and NNSA operate sites with facilities holding special nuclear material that can be used to make nuclear weapons. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 requires the Secretary of Energy to submit to congressional committees a report detailing the status of security at sites holding key quantities of special... |
To protect the security of the United States, DOD relies on a complex array of computer-dependent and mutually supportive organizational components, including the military services and defense agencies. It also relies on a broad array of computer systems, including weapon systems, command and control systems, financial... | The Department of Defense (DOD) is increasingly reliant on software and information systems for its weapon capabilities, and DOD prime contractors are subcontracting more of their software development. The increased reliance on software and a greater number of suppliers results in more opportunities to exploit vulnerab... |
Tribal lands vary dramatically in size, demographics, and location, ranging from the Navajo Nation, with 24,000 square miles and over 176,000 Native American residents, to tribal land areas in California comprising less than 1 square mile with fewer than 50 Native American residents. Most tribal lands are located in ru... | An important goal of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, is to ensure access to telecommunications services for all Americans. This testimony is based on GAO's January 2006 report GAO-06-189 , which reviewed 1) the status of telecommunications subscribership for Native Americans living on tribal lands; 2) feder... |
Clear Air Force Station is the oldest missile warning site in North America. The installation supports the 13th Space Warning Squadron and the 213th Space Warning Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard. The 13th Space Warning Squadron is one of seven geographically separated units of the 21st Space Wing, Peterson Air Forc... | Clear Air Force Station, located in the interior of Alaska where temperatures can drop as low as -60 o Fahrenheit, currently generates its own heat and power from a coal-fired combined heat and power plant. The station performs a critical radar mission for the Department of Defense, for which it is vital to have reliab... |
State defines its mission as advancing freedom by helping build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system. To achieve this mission, State relies on... | Because the U.S. Department of State (State) is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, its personnel require certain knowledge, skills, and abilities to address the global challenges and security threats facing the United States. State devoted about $255 million to personnel training in fiscal year 2010; the department'... |
Two offices within SBA are primarily responsible for the contracting assistance and business development programs discussed in this report. SBA’s Office of Government Contracting administers the prime contracting and subcontracting assistance programs through SBA headquarters and six area offices located across the cou... | The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps small businesses gain access to federal contracting opportunities and helps socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, known as 8(a) firms, by providing management and contracting assistance. SBA negotiates agency-specific goals to ensure that the federal gov... |
A patent is a grant given by a government to an inventor of the right to exclude others for a limited time from making, using, or selling his or her invention. In the United States, the sole granting authority for patents is PTO. While other countries throughout the world have patent offices of their own, the two large... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Patent and Trademark Office's (PTO) operations, focusing on: (1) patent pendency; (2) PTO allocation of resources among its patent and trademark processes, dissemination of information, and executive direction and administration; and (3) a comparison of PTO workload... |
During the past 20 years the level of foreign investment in the United States has increased. Foreign-owned assets in the United States, which include holdings of bonds and other securities, were approximately $20 trillion in 2007, having increased from 39 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1988 to 145 percent o... | Foreign investors in U.S. companies or assets include individuals, companies, and government entities. One type of foreign investor that has been increasingly active in world markets is sovereign wealth funds (SWF), government-controlled funds that seek to invest in other countries. As the activities of these funds hav... |
Perhaps the single most important element of successful management improvement initiatives is the demonstrated commitment of top leaders to change. This commitment is most prominently shown through the personal involvement of top leaders in developing and directing reform efforts. Organizations that successfully addres... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed efforts to improve the management and performance of the federal government. GAO noted that: (1) serious and disciplined efforts are needed to attack the management problems confronting some of the federal government's largest agencies; (2) successful management improv... |
HUD, through FHA, provides insurance that protects private lenders from financial losses stemming from borrowers’ defaults on mortgage loans for both single-family homes and multifamily rental housing properties for low- and moderate-income households. When a default occurs on an insured loan, a lender may “assign” the... | GAO discussed the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) proposal to restructure its section 8 multifamily rental housing portfolio. GAO noted that: (1) the section 8 portfolio suffers from high subsidy costs, exposure to insurance losses, and deteriorating property conditions; (2) HUD has proposed to impl... |
Ocean-going cargo containers are a critical link in the system of global trade. With the rise of the “just-in-time” delivery system, which allows companies to reduce their inventories, as well as the efficiencies of the maritime transportation system, the U.S. and world economies have become increasingly reliant on the... | Since September 11, 2001, concern has increased that terrorists could smuggle weapons of mass destruction in the 7 million ocean containers that arrive annually at U.S. seaports. In response to this concern, the U.S. Customs Service (Customs) implemented the Container Security Initiative (CSI) to screen for high-risk c... |
There is no general statutory authority for the use of paid administrative leave, which is an excused absence without loss of pay or charge to leave; however, we, as well as OPM and others, have provided direction in the permissible use of administrative leave. OPM regulation. In the absence of statutory authority to p... | Federal agencies have the discretion to grant paid administrative leave for a variety of reasons, such as weather closures and blood donations. While paid administrative leave costs taxpayers, it has not been reviewed or reported on extensively. GAO was asked to examine the use of paid administrative leave. This report... |
The federal government plays a major role in supporting housing. Federal housing assistance includes, but is not limited to, the following categories: Homeownership programs, often called single-family housing programs, provide mortgage insurance, loan guarantees, and direct loans to support the purchase or refinance o... | RHS, an agency within USDA, administers a number of direct loan, loan guarantee, and grant programs that support affordable housing and community development for rural residents. According to USDA financial and budget data, RHS manages a portfolio of almost $120 billion in housing loans and loan guarantees and administ... |
EPA relies extensively on states, public and private entities, and other federal agencies to implement most federal environmental programs by awarding grants and contracts. The administration of these grants and contracts has been primarily delegated to EPA’s Grants Administration Division and Office of Acquisition Man... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) progress in closing completed grants and contracts, focusing on: (1) EPA's efforts to close out inactive grants and contracts; (2) the progress that EPA has made in reducing the number of inactive grants and contracts, the num... |
Because the existing welfare system has not been successful in preventing long-term dependency, many states are using federally approved waivers of statutory requirements to implement their own welfare reform initiatives. Concurrently, efforts are under way at the federal level to reform the nation’s welfare system. So... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed five states' early experiences with implementing welfare reforms under waivers of federal law, focusing on the states' approaches in implementing time-limited benefits, work requirements, and family cap provisions. GAO found that: (1) the five states made relatively few... |
First, I would like to highlight the significant growth and transformation that has taken place in the ILC industry since 1987. ILCs began in the early 1900s as small, state-chartered loan companies, serving the borrowing needs of industrial workers unable to obtain noncollateralized loans from commercial banks. Since ... | Since their origin in the early 1900s, industrial loan corporations (ILCs) have grown significantly in size, and some have expressed concern that ILCs may have expanded beyond the original scope and purpose intended by Congress. Others have questioned whether the current regulatory structure for overseeing ILCs is adeq... |
Clinical contracts at VA are used to acquire the services of clinical personnel, such as physicians, pharmacists, and nurses. These contracts can be used to fill vacancies for clinicians in specialties that are difficult to recruit, supplement existing VAMC capacity by providing additional clinicians in high-volume are... | VA must frequently contract with non-VA health care providers so that clinical providers are available to meet veterans' health care needs. While recent studies have disclosed problems with VA's development of contracts for clinical services, there has been little scrutiny of how VA monitors and evaluates the care cont... |
Improvised explosive devices have caused numerous injuries and fatalities among U.S. and coalition forces while carrying out operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. To mitigate this threat, DOD has taken a number of actions, such as deploying its expeditionary forensic capabilities. In 2003, DOD established the Combined Ex... | DOD used expeditionary forensics for collecting fingerprints and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to identify, target, and disrupt terrorists and enemy combatants in Iraq and Afghanistan. The increased incidence of improvised explosive devices and other asymmetric threats has increased demand for expeditionary forensic capa... |
Federal civil service employees, other than those in the Senior Executive Service, are employed in either the competitive service or the excepted service. The competitive service examination process is one of the processes intended to ensure that agencies' hiring activities comply with merit principles. In January 1996... | Improving the federal hiring process is critical given the increasing number of new hires expected in the next few years. Congress asked GAO to report on the (1) status of recent efforts to help improve the federal hiring process and (2) extent to which federal agencies are using two new hiring flexibilities--category ... |
Advances in science and technology are widely seen as responsible for much of the economic growth and increased standard of living in modern societies. NIST, a nonregulatory agency within Commerce, plays a lead role in promoting innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and ... | The America COMPETES Act gave the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), within the Department of Commerce, the authority, through 2010, to obtain the temporary services of up to 200 experts or consultants per year, but did not specify how the agency should acquire these services. NIST has used this aut... |
RSPA has both legislative and departmental responsibilities for coordinating and evaluating DOT’s research and development programs, which, in fiscal year 2002, amounted to about $1 billion. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) made DOT responsible for establishing a strategic plan for surface tr... | The Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for coordinating and ensuring the evaluation of DOT research programs to promote the efficient use of departmental research funds, which in fiscal year 2002 totaled over $1 billion. RSPA is also responsi... |
Since the 1998 embassy bombings in East Africa, State has constructed more than 100 new diplomatic facilities and enhanced security measures at many others. Increased security at these facilities has raised concerns that would-be attackers may shift their focus to more easily accessible “soft targets”—places frequented... | U.S. diplomatic personnel posted overseas continue to face threats to their security. According to State, personnel and their families are particularly vulnerable when traveling outside the relative security of diplomatic work facilities or residences. In many serious or fatal attacks on U.S. personnel over the last th... |
The Forest Service, within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages the 192 million-acre national forest system with its 155 national forests. During the past 12 years, such phenomena as insect infestations, droughts, and wildfires have increased on the national forest system’s lands—particularly for western nationa... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Forest Service's emergency salvage timber program, commonly referred to as the salvage rider, focusing on: (1) the volume of salvage timber offered by the Forest Service under the salvage rider from fiscal year (FY) 1995 through December 1996 compared with the volum... |
At a projected cost of $15.7 billion, the FMTV program is one of the Army’s largest acquisition programs. From fiscal year 1991 through fiscal year 2022—a 32-year period—the Army plans to purchase 85,488 FMTV trucks to replace its aging medium truck fleet. Under the program, the Army will purchase a family of 2.5- and ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) program, focusing on: (1) the causes and effects of the contractor's delays in delivering acceptable trucks; and (2) the Army's actions to mitigate corrosion problems on FMTV trucks. GAO noted that: (1) a combination ... |
In June 2015, DHS delivered its CBRNE Functions Review Report to Congress which proposed consolidating the agency’s core CBRNE functions (see fig. 1), into a new Office of CBRNE Defense. According to DHS officials, the agency’s proposal to consolidate its CBRNE functions adopts the primary recommendation from a previou... | Committee reports accompanying the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, directed DHS to undertake an in-depth review of the department's weapons of mass destruction programs, including potential consolidation of CBRNE mission functions. DHS conducted its review, and in June 2015 provided a repo... |
The NAFTA-TAA program, which was implemented in January 1994 to assist workers dislocated from firms because of increased imports from or production shifts to Mexico and Canada, provides benefits in addition to those available under the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance (EDWAA) program. The NAFTA-TA... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Labor's efforts to provide services to workers affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), focusing on: (1) shortening the time frame for certification; (2) including states in the certification process; (3) broadening eligibility requ... |
The role of the armed forces in the global war on terrorism and in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq has heightened concerns about the assistance that these and other service members receive when they transition back into civilian life. All service members who have been on active duty for at least 180 days ar... | The increased role of the armed forces in military operations around the world, and the greater reliance on the Reserves and National Guard, has focused national attention on what is done to help service members transition to civilian life. GAO was asked to testify on its May 2005 report Military and Veterans' Benefits... |
According to Navy documents, producing a significantly less costly submarine would allow the Navy to maintain a force level of 45 to 55 submarines and maintain the current submarine industrial base. The NSSN program is intended to address the Navy’s requirement for 10 to 12 new attack submarines by the year 2012 that a... | GAO reviewed the status of the Navy's New Attack Submarine (NSSN) Program to identify areas of potential risk for rising costs and to provide information on the submarines' potential performance. GAO found that: (1) the NSSN program is not likely to meet the objective of producing a submarine that is significantly less... |
Dramatic increases in computer interconnectivity, especially in the use of the Internet, are revolutionizing the way our government, our nation, and much of the world communicate and conduct business. The benefits have been enormous. Vast amounts of information are now literally at our fingertips, facilitating research... | Federal agencies rely extensively on computer systems and electronic data to support their missions. The security of these systems is essential to avoiding disruptions in critical operations and to prevent data tampering, fraud, and inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. GAO analyzed information security au... |
Federally recognized tribes are distinct, independent political communities that possess certain powers of self-government. Federally recognized tribes and their members receive certain benefits because of their status as Indians. At the same time, as U.S. citizens, tribal members are afforded the same rights and prote... | Title IV-E of the Social Security Act provides federal support for foster care and adoption assistance programs. Since 2008, 5 tribes have been approved to operate their own title IV-E foster care programs, although more than 80 tribes initially expressed an interest in doing so. HHS provides development grants and tec... |
The Office of the Secretary of Defense has taken a number of steps over the past several years to transform its language and regional proficiency capabilities, including designating Senior Language Authorities within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and other DOD components; developing a g... | Today, and in the foreseeable future, military operations require U.S. personnel to work alongside multinational partners and among local populations. The Department of Defense (DOD) has placed a greater emphasis on transforming language and regional proficiency capabilities, which includes cultural awareness. GAO's pr... |
The National Mall in Washington, D.C., is one of the most recognizable landscapes in the United States and serves as both the public setting for our nation’s Capital as well as home to some of the most visited museums in the world. Along the National Mall are numerous monuments and memorials to our nation’s history and... | The National Mall is one of the most recognizable landscapes in the United States. It is home to memorials to our nation's history and some of the most visited museums in the world. Threats to these assets—whether acts of terrorism, violence, or vandalism or theft of artifacts or art—could result not only in the loss o... |
Colombia is the source of 90 percent of the cocaine and 40 percent of the heroin entering the United States. To assist the Colombian government in its efforts to implement Plan Colombia and reduce the cultivation and trafficking of illegal drugs, the United States has pursued a strategy emphasizing interdiction, aerial... | The Department of State supports foreign governments' efforts to eradicate illicit drug crops. In recent years, State's Office of Aviation has maintained aircraft and provided support for the aerial eradication program of the Colombian National Police. However, eradication aircraft are often shot at from the ground req... |
Recruiting and hiring involves developing and implementing strategies to advertise positions and attract top candidates as well as assessing applicants’ relative competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities against job-related criteria to identify the most qualified candidates. The federal hiring process typically ... | With more than 240,000 employees doing diverse jobs, DHS's workforce supports the department's multiple missions to prevent terrorism and enhance security and ensure resilience from disasters, amongst others. Given these missions, it is important that DHS effectively recruit and hire employees with the appropriate skil... |
The LDA requires lobbyists to register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House and to file quarterly reports disclosing their lobbying activity. Lobbyists are required to file their registrations and reports electronically with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House through a single ... | The LDA, as amended, requires lobbyists to file quarterly lobbying disclosure reports and semiannual reports on certain political contributions. The law also requires that GAO annually audit lobbyists' compliance with the LDA. GAO's objectives were to (1) determine the extent to which lobbyists can demonstrate complian... |
Medicaid—a federal-state partnership that finances health care for low- income individuals, including children, families, the aged, and the disabled—provided health coverage for over 60 million individuals in 2007. Title XIX of the Social Security Act established Medicaid as a joint federal- state program. States opera... | The financing of the $299 billion Medicaid program is shared between the federal government and states. States pay qualified providers for covered Medicaid services and receive federal matching funds from the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for expenditures au... |
My testimony today focuses on the major challenges faced by government in improving its performance and strengthening accountability. They are Adopting an effective results orientation. Improving the use of information technology to achieve results. Strengthening financial management for decision-making and accountabil... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the major challenges faced by the government in improving its performance and strengthening accountability, focusing on agencies' need to: (1) adopt an effective results orientation; (2) improve the use of information technology to achieve results; (3) strengthen finan... |
Foreign regimes’ assets can be targeted by unilateral, multilateral, or U.N. Security Council sanctions programs. Economic sanctions programs fall into two broad categories—(1) financial sanctions and asset freezes and (2) trade and commercial embargoes. Sanctions are generally used when other efforts, such as diplomac... | For many years, the United States has used economic sanctions, including the freezing of foreign regimes' assets, when such regimes have been determined to be a threat to the nation. In light of recent efforts to "recover"--or target, identify, freeze, and transfer--Iraqi assets, GAO was asked to examine overall U.S. e... |
TSCA provides EPA with the authority, upon making certain determinations, to collect information about the hazards posed by chemical substances and to take action to control unreasonable risks by either preventing dangerous chemicals from making their way into use or placing restrictions on those already in commerce. O... | The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorized under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to obtain information on the risks of chemicals and to control those that it determines to pose an unreasonable risk. EPA also conducts assessments of chemicals under its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) progr... |
Radioactive material in sealed sources is used in equipment designed to diagnose and treat illnesses (particularly cancer), irradiate food and medical products for sterilization purposes, detect flaws and other failures in pipeline and other types of metal welds, and determine the moisture content of soil and other mat... | Sealed radioactive sources, radioactive material encapsulated in stainless steel or other metal, are used worldwide in medicine, industry, and research. These sealed sources could be a threat to national security because terrorists could use them to make "dirty bombs." GAO was asked to determine (1) the number of seale... |
The GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide explains how four characteristics of a high-quality, reliable cost estimate can be understood in relation to 12 leading practices. The extent to which an agency meets the leading practices underlying each characteristic determines its For example, we consider the performance... | AOC is responsible for the maintenance, renovation, and new construction of the U.S. Capitol complex, which comprises more than four dozen facilities. Reliable cost estimates for projects are crucial to AOC's capital-planning and construction processes. The House Appropriations Committee report accompanying the fiscal ... |
In 1993, Medicaid, the government’s health financing program for certain low-income populations, cost the federal and state governments $131 billion—almost $100 billion more than just a decade ago. During that same period, the number of Medicaid beneficiaries increased from 22 million to 33 million. Although about thre... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federal and state Medicaid spending trends, focusing on: (1) states' efforts to contain Medicaid costs and expand coverage through waivers of certain federal requirements; and (2) the potential impact of these waivers on federal spending and on Medicaid's overall progra... |
The Occupational Safety and Health Act states that it is congressional policy to “assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions . . .” In fiscal year 2002, OSHA pursued this mandate with about $443 million and 2,316 employees, including 1,123 inspectors. Despi... | The United States has made great progress in improving working conditions since the construction of the Empire State Building. Yet, since the early 1990s, over 50,000 workers have died from work-related accidents and millions experience work-related injuries or illnesses each year. The Occupational Safety and Health Ad... |
The Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended, created the SBIC program to facilitate the flow of capital to small businesses and stimulate the economy. Under the program, which is operated by SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation, SBA does not make direct investments in small businesses but partners with p... | Under the SBIC program, SBA licenses privately owned and managed investment funds that provide capital to small businesses. SBICs use their own capital plus funds (known as leverage) that are borrowed at favorable rates because SBA guarantees the loan obligation, which is known as a debenture. Holders of SBIC licenses ... |
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.