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The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service manage more than 670 million acres of federal lands across the country (see fig. 1). Each agency has a unique mission, focused on priorities that shape how it manages these lands. Specifically: The Forest Service manages... | Four federal agencies--the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service in the Department of the Interior--are responsible for managing federal lands, enforcing federal laws governing the lands and their resources, and ensuring v... |
The U.S. government’s framework for preventing and detecting money laundering efforts is the BSA, which was enacted in 1970, in part, in response to concern over the use of financial institutions by criminals to launder the proceeds of their illicit activity. Despite its name, the BSA, among other things, is a disclosu... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the regulatory role of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), focusing on the: (1) process FinCEN followed for developing and issuing Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulations; and (2) status of FinCEN's efforts to develop and issue BSA regulations. GAO noted that:... |
The DRC is a vast mineral-rich nation with an estimated population of approximately 68 million to 72 million people in an area that is roughly one-quarter the size of the United States. It was colonized in 1885 as a personal possession of Belgian King Leopold II, administered by the Belgian government starting in 1907,... | Large numbers of civilians in war-torn areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been the victims of horrific violence, including rape, mutilation, and sexual slavery carried out by armed groups and others. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act mandated GAO to submit to appropriat... |
Although commonly used, the term “federal fleet” is a misnomer because there is no single entity that is responsible for all of the almost 660,000 civilian, Postal Service, and non-tactical military vehicles (about 449,000 excluding Postal Service vehicles) owned and leased by federal agencies. Instead, each federal ex... | The federal fleets consist of about 449,000 civilian and non-tactical military (i.e., non-combat) cars, trucks, and other vehicles, excluding postal vehicles. Various legislation and policies have been aimed at reducing the size and changing the composition of federal fleets as a means of improving U.S. energy efficien... |
Criminal aliens annually cost our criminal justice system millions of dollars, and these aliens are generally perceived to be a serious and growing threat to public safety. In response to these problems, several major laws were passed between 1986 and 1996 that (1) provided for the initiation of removal proceedings for... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) Institutional Hearing Program's (IHP) performance during 1997, focusing on: (1) the extent to which deportable criminal aliens were included in the IHP; (2) the extent to which INS completed removal hearings for deporta... |
The law protecting taxpayers’ rights to privacy—codified in 26 U.S.C. 6103—is a critical underpinning of our voluntary tax system. Under this law, access to tax returns or return information is limited to certain federal employees working on tax issues and certain other authorized persons. Such information is not to be... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO evaluated the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) records management program, focusing on how IRS: (1) applies the restrictions of U.S. Code, title 26, section 6103, in reviewing and inventorying its records; and (2) carries out its records management responsibilities. GAO noted th... |
MAI, a component of the CARE Act, provides for funds to eligible grantees with the goal of reducing HIV-related health disparities among minority populations. HRSA awards MAI grants to Part A, B, C, D, and F grantees through a competitive process. HRSA provides oversight of these grantees, while the grantees provide ov... | The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 (CARE Act) makes federal funds available to assist individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awards CARE Act funding to grantees that include states, territori... |
The nation’s public transportation infrastructure—its highways, bridges, and transit systems—represents a multibillion-dollar investment that allows for the essential movement of people and goods. During the 1990s, all levels of government provided annually about $90 billion for highway and bridge programs and about $1... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed: (1) the status of the states' development and implementation of transportation management systems; (2) how the states expect to use the systems; and (3) the factors that have facilitated or hindered the development and implementation of the systems. GAO found that: (... |
Greenhouse gases—including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and synthetic chemicals such as fluorinated gases—trap heat in the atmosphere and prevent it from returning to space. The heat-trapping effect, known as the greenhouse effect, moderates atmospheric and surface temperatures, keeping the earth warm enough... | International policies to address climate change have largely relied on market-based programs; for example, under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) phase I (2005 to 2007) carbon dioxide emissions reductions were sought by setting a cap on each member state's allowable emissions and distributing tradab... |
FOIA established a legal right of access to government records and information, on the basis of the principles of openness and accountability in government. Before the act, an individual seeking access to federal records had faced the burden of establishing a right to examine them. FOIA also established a “right to kno... | The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives the public the right to access information about the federal government. In addressing requests for information, agencies have the authority to assess fees for certain categories of requesters to cover the costs of locating and copying records, as well as discretion to waive ... |
Typically, households receive television programming through over-the- air broadcasts or a subscription video service. Broadcast television provides free over-the-air programming to the public through local television stations; according to FCC, almost 10 percent of households exclusively rely on over-the-air televisio... | Local television stations play an important role in educating, entertaining, and informing the citizens they serve. FCC limits the number of television stations an entity can own or control to advance its media policy goals of competition, localism, and diversity. Competing television stations are entering into agreeme... |
The federal government owns and leases hundreds of thousands of buildings and permanent structures across the country that cost billions of dollars annually to operate and maintain. Federally owned buildings range from multi-story buildings located in urban centers to remotely located storage facilities in national par... | Disposal of unneeded buildings—for example through demolition, sale, or transfer to other federal agencies—has the potential to save the government millions of dollars. To this end, OMB has developed policies to reduce space in federal buildings and identify buildings for disposal. Recent progress notwithstanding, GAO'... |
The United States is the main source of foreign direct investment and also the leading host country for foreign direct investment (FDI). The top three destinations for U.S. foreign direct investment, cumulatively as of 2006, were the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. The top three foreign direct investors in... | Foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies can pose a significant challenge for the U.S. government because of the need to balance the benefits of foreign investment with national security concerns. The Exon-Florio amendment to the Defense Production Act authorizes the President to suspend or prohibit foreign acquisitions ... |
Components of a Mobile Phone System. Mobile phones are low-powered radio transceivers (a combination radio transmitter and receiver) that use radio waves (spectrum) to communicate with base stations. These include traditional voice-only cellular phones, as well as “smart” phones that generally have large viewscreens, a... | Americans increasingly rely on wireless phones, with nearly 40 percent of households now using them primarily or solely. Under federal law, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is responsible for fostering a competitive wireless marketplace while ensuring that consumers are protected from harmful practices. As r... |
The U.S. Customs Service has a diverse mission spanning a large geographic area. Customs responsibilities include (1) collecting revenue from imports and enforcing Customs and other U.S. laws and regulations, (2) preventing the smuggling of drugs into the country, and (3) overseeing export compliance and money-launderi... | GAO reviewed the effects of proposed legislation--H.R. 1833--on the pay of officers at the U.S. Customs Service. The proposal would amend the 1911 Act governing Customs officers' overtime and premium pay, and it would more closely align Customs differential pay with that of other federal agencies. Should the provision ... |
THAAD is a ground-based weapon system being developed by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the Army to defeat theater ballistic missiles by colliding with them while in flight. The system supports the national objective of protecting U.S. and allied deployed forces, population centers, and industrial facil... | GAO reviewed the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) User Operational Evaluation System (UOES) program, focusing on whether planned testing would reasonably demonstrate the capabilities of UOES as an interim system before funds are committed to interceptor production. GAO found that: (1) the Army purchased 20 in... |
In August 2005, we issued a report on federal climate change funding for 1993 through 2004, as reported by OMB. Specifically, we reported on how (1) total funding and funding by category changed and whether funding data were comparable over time and (2) funding by agency changed and whether funding data were comparable... | Climate change poses risks to many environmental and economic systems, including agriculture, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Federal law has periodically required the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to report on federal climate change funding. GAO was asked to examine (1) federal funding for climate change activ... |
In late 1997, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is scheduled to begin assembling the International Space Station (ISS). The facility is scheduled to be completely assembled in orbit by June 2002, and NASA is planning a 10-year operational life following its assembly. Its current configuration (se... | Pursuant to congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) International Space Station (ISS) program, focusing on: (1) the program's cost and schedule status; and (2) NASA efforts to improve its cost reporting. GAO found that: (1) over the past several years, ISS flight h... |
USDA has delivered farm programs through county offices since 1933. At that time, to serve more than 6 million farmers, ASCS had a county office in nearly all of the 3,100 agricultural counties in the United States. These county offices were managed by a county executive director hired by a committee of locally elected... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the impact of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 on the Farm Service Agency's county office workload. GAO noted that: (1) because of the limited availability of the Farm Service Agency's fiscal year (FY) 1997 actual workload data and changes in t... |
DOD is a massive and complex organization entrusted with more taxpayer dollars than any other federal department or agency. Organizationally, the department includes the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military departments, numerous defense agencies and field activities, and various u... | The Department of Defense (DOD) spends billions of dollars annually to build and maintain information technology (IT) systems intended to support its mission. For decades, DOD has been challenged in modernizing its systems environment to reduce duplication and increase integration. Such modernizations can be guided by ... |
Under federal and state laws, all federally chartered depository institutions and the vast majority of state-chartered institutions are required to have federal deposit insurance. The federal deposit insurance funds were established to restore and maintain depositors’ confidence in the banking system by providing a gov... | This mandated report responds to Congressional concerns that provisions in section 43 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDI Act) are not being enforced. Since 1991, section 43 has required, among other things, depository institutions lacking federal deposit insurance to conspicuously disclose that deposits in these... |
Cloud computing is an emerging form of computing that relies on Internet- based services and resources to provide computing services to customers, while freeing them from the burden and costs of maintaining the underlying infrastructure. Examples of cloud computing include Web- based e-mail applications and common busi... | Cloud computing, an emerging form of computing where users have access to scalable, on-demand capabilities that are provided through Internet-based technologies, has the potential to provide information technology services more quickly and at a lower cost, but also to introduce information security risks. Accordingly, ... |
The West Bank and Gaza are comprised of about 2,400 square miles and have a combined population of 4.3 million people. The Palestinian Authority and Israel administer areas within the West Bank, and the Hamas-controlled de facto authorities operate in Gaza. A negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian con... | According to the State Department (State), the U.S. government is one of the largest donors to the Palestinian Authority. According to State, the U.S. government provided about $3 billion in total bilateral assistance for fiscal years 2008 through 2012. PIF was established by Palestinian Authority presidential decree i... |
In February 2011, Boeing won the Air Force competition to develop the next generation aerial refueling tanker aircraft. Boeing received a FPIF development contract with incentives to control cost while limiting the government’s financial liability. The development contract is to design, manufacture, and deliver four KC... | Aerial refueling allows U.S. military aircraft to fly further, stay airborne longer, and carry more weapons, equipment, and supplies. Yet the mainstay of U.S. tanker forces--the KC-135 Stratotanker--is over 50 years old. It is increasingly costly to support and its age-related problems could potentially ground the flee... |
The Air Force recognized that reductions in spare parts inventories since the early 1990s have negatively affected aircraft readiness indicators such as mission capable rates, not-mission-capable supply, not-mission- capable maintenance, and cannibalizations. Recognizing the need to reverse this trend and that previous... | Despite reporting $10.5 billion in appropriations spent on spare parts since fiscal year 2000, the Air Force continues to report shortages of spare parts. The service has taken numerous actions to address these shortages. GAO examined whether the Air Force's strategic plan addresses the mitigation of spare parts shorta... |
The number of people age 65 and older will nearly double by the year 2030 to 71 million. An estimated 6 percent of people aged 65 or older have Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative condition that may lead to dementia. Over time, some elderly adults may become physically or mentally incapable of making or communicating i... | As people age, some become incapable of managing their personal and financial affairs. To protect these people, state laws provide for court appointment of guardians to act on their behalf. In many cases federal programs provide these incapacitated people financial benefits. GAO was asked to examine: (1) what state cou... |
PC3 and Choice are among several VA community care programs, each of which has varying eligibility requirements and types of services offered. While the amount of claims VA paid for the treatment of veterans under PC3 decreased by about half over the past year, the amount has more than tripled for the treatment of vete... | To help ensure that veterans are provided timely and accessible health care, VHA purchases care from community physicians. Two community care programs, PC3 and Choice, require physicians to hold certain credentials reflecting their qualifications. Congress included a provision in law for GAO to review VHA's processes f... |
The provision of broadband Internet infrastructure and services in the United States is generally privately financed. Rural areas, though, can have conditions that increase the cost of broadband deployment, such as remote areas with challenging terrain like mountains, which increase construction costs, or conditions th... | Access to affordable broadband telecommunications is increasingly viewed as vital to economic growth and improved quality of life. Broadband is particularly critical in rural areas, where advanced communications can reduce the isolation of remote communities and individuals. To extend access to broadband and therefore ... |
Lenders usually require mortgage insurance when a home buyer has a down payment of less than 20 percent of the value of the home because foreclosures are more likely on these loans than on those with higher down payments. As the principal provider of federally backed mortgage insurance, FHA insured 32 percent of the in... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO looked at early foreclosures in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; and San Bernadino, California focusing on: (1) comparing early foreclosure rates on Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured single-family loans made in... |
The DOD centrally billed travel card program is part of a governmentwide travel card program started in 1983 with the express purpose of increasing convenience to the traveler and lowering the government’s cost of travel by reducing the need for cash advances to the traveler, and the associated administrative costs. Th... | Ineffective management and oversight of the Department of Defense's (DOD) premium class travel and unused airline tickets led to concerns about DOD's overall management of the centrally billed accounts. GAO was asked to determine whether (1) DOD improperly reimbursed travelers for airline tickets DOD paid for using cen... |
VBA’s compensation program pays monthly benefits, based on degree of disability, to veterans who have service-connected disabilities (injuries or diseases incurred or aggravated while on active military duty), regardless of whether these veterans are employed or have earnings. The pension program pays monthly benefits,... | The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) developed a computer-assisted training program, known as the Training and Performance Support System (TPSS), to help its employees become more accurate in processing disability compensation and pension claims. The program seeks to provide uniform and consistent training to emp... |
Immigration court hearings are adversarial proceedings in which an individual appears before an immigration judge for adjudication of charges of removability from the United States, and may raise defense to removal by seeking asylum and other forms of relief or protection from removal. Immigration judges are to assess ... | Tens of thousands of foreign nationals in the United States apply annually for asylum, which provides refuge to those who have been persecuted or fear persecution on protected grounds. EOIR's immigration judges decide asylum application outcomes in court proceedings. In 2008, GAO reported that EOIR data from October 19... |
The mission of NWS—an agency within Commerce’s NOAA—is to provide weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, and its adjacent waters and oceans to protect life and property and to enhance the national economy. NWS is the official source of aviation- and marine-related wea... | Using advanced systems and trained specialists located in 122 weather forecast offices throughout the country, the National Weather Service (NWS) provides storm and flood warnings and weather forecasts to protect life and property and to enhance the national economy. To improve the efficiency of its operations, in Nove... |
The OSH Act was enacted to ensure safe and healthful working conditions, in part by providing for the adoption and enforcement of federal occupational safety and health standards and by assisting and encouraging states to adopt programs of their own. OSHA develops and enforces federal safety and health standards under ... | The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is generally responsible for setting and enforcing occupational safety and health standards in the nation's workplaces. OSHA carries out enforcement directly in 34 states and territories, while the remaining 22 have chosen to administer their own enforcement prog... |
In 1962, the U.S. government enacted conflict of interest laws that were designed to protect against the improper use of government information by former employees, as well as to limit the potential influence that a financial arrangement may have on current federal officials when dealing with prospective private client... | Congress has enacted post-government employment restrictions and foreign agent registration requirements with the objectives of protecting the U.S. government against the improper use of government information by former federal employees and ensuring the American people know the identity of persons trying to influence ... |
Public participation in federal agency decision making has evolved over the past 60 years. The Administrative Procedure Act, enacted in 1946, created a legal basis for public participation by requiring agencies to hold public comment periods for proposed rules. In 1969, the enactment of NEPA provided the public with an... | Dedicated access privilege (DAP) programs are one tool the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) uses to help end overfishing and promote conservation. Under a DAP program, NMFS sets an allowable catch in a fishery and allocates the privilege to harvest a portion of the total to eligible entities, such as fishermen.... |
The Bureau’s mission is to provide comprehensive data about the nation’s people and economy. Its core activities include conducting decennial, economic, and government censuses; conducting demographic and economic surveys; managing international demographic and socioeconomic databases; providing technical advisory serv... | The Decennial Census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and provides vital data that are used, among other things, to reapportion and redistrict congressional seats. In March 2008, GAO designated the 2010 Decennial Census a high-risk area, citing a number of long-standing and emerging challenges, including weaknesses... |
FFP is shifting to larger programs in fewer countries in order to leverage nonemergency food aid resources more effectively. FFP’s Strategic Plan for 2006-2010 concentrates on a single objective of reducing food insecurity in vulnerable populations with an aim to fund programs that can be modified when circumstances ch... | In passing the Food for Peace Act in 2008, Congress authorized up to $22 million annually for fiscal years 2009 to 2012 to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of nonemergency food aid programs. Congress also required USAID to report on... |
In recent years, automobiles have been associated with nearly 29,000 traffic fatalities annually in the United States, including the deaths of both automobile occupants and others involved in collisions with automobiles.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a unit of the Department of Transportati... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed highway safety, focusing on: (1) the most important predictors of injury in an automobile crash; (2) how the risk of injury in a crash is affected by the severity and type of crash, automobile size, safety belts and airbags, and the occupants' age and gender; and (3) ar... |
In December 1994, the heads of state and government of the 34 democratic countries in the Western Hemisphere agreed at the first Summit of the Americas in Miami, Florida, to conclude negotiations to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) no later than 2005. These negotiations are an extension of the economic r... | The 34 democratic countries of the Western Hemisphere pledged in December 1994 to form Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) no later than 2005. The FTAA agreement would eliminate tariffs and create common trade and investment rules among the 34 democratic nations of the Western Hemisphere. When completed, the FTAA ag... |
Government-wide, improper payment estimates totaled $124.7 billion in fiscal year 2014, a significant increase of approximately $19 billion from the prior year’s estimate of $105.8 billion. The estimated improper payments for fiscal year 2014 were attributable to 124 programs spread among 22 agencies. Table 1 shows the... | As the steward of taxpayer dollars, the federal government is accountable for how it spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars annually. The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002, as amended, requires federal executive branch agencies to (1) review all programs and activities, (2) identify those that may be s... |
When the President declares a state of emergency after a natural or other major disaster, the declaration gives the federal government the authority to engage in various emergency response activities, many of which the agencies provide through contracts with private businesses. Such activities include, among other thin... | In response to Hurricane Katrina, the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) were responsible for 94 percent of the federal funds awarded for relief efforts via contracting as of May 2006. This report, which GAO c... |
According to the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, over 9.3 million passengers departed from a U.S. port on North American cruises in 2008, on a total of almost 3,900 cruises from 30 ports. The U.S. ports with the most departures were located in Florida and include Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Port... | Over 9 million passengers departed from U.S. ports on cruise ships in 2008, and according to agency officials, cruise ships are attractive terrorist targets. GAO was asked to review cruise ship security, and this report addresses the extent to which (1) the Coast Guard, the lead federal agency on maritime security, ass... |
When investigating complaints about nursing homes, state survey agencies follow state policies and procedures based on CMS instructions. To oversee state survey agencies’ complaint investigation processes, CMS uses data from its complaints database and State Performance Standards System. CMS’s State Operations Manual o... | CMS, the agency within HHS that manages Medicare and Medicaid, contracts with state survey agencies to investigate complaints about nursing homes from residents, family members, and others. CMS helps assure the adequacy of state complaint processes by issuing guidance, monitoring data that state survey agencies enter i... |
The assistance PIH provides to low-income families encompasses three broad program areas: public housing, which offers units for eligible tenants in properties generally owned and administered by state and local public housing agencies (PHA); tenant-based rental assistance, which provides vouchers that eligible househo... | HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) administers programs that help some of the nation's most vulnerable households—including low-income families and members of Native Americans tribes—obtain safe, decent, and affordable housing. PIH also operates complementary programs, such as FSS, that are designed to hel... |
In 1977, many rural communities were facing a disconnect between their health care delivery systems and Medicare and Medicaid, the nation’s primary health insurance programs for the elderly and the poor. Many isolated rural communities that had not been able to attract or retain a physician had come to rely on clinics ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Program, focusing on: (1) whether the RHC program is serving a Medicare and Medicaid population that would otherwise have difficulty obtaining primary care; and (2) whether there are controls in place to ensure that costs claimed for reimbu... |
Multiyear contracting is a special authority for acquiring more than one year’s requirements —including weapon systems— under a single contract award without having to exercise an option for each program year after the first. It is an exception to the full-funding policy that requires the entire procurement cost of a w... | DOD spends $10 billion annually on multiyear procurement (MYP) contracts for weapons systems. MYPs may save money through more efficient relationships with suppliers and producers, but may also suffer losses if cancelled and can limit future budget flexibility. Recently, Congress has been concerned about DOD's manageme... |
Insurance companies are regulated principally by the states and are chartered under the laws of a single state, known as the state of domicile. Companies may conduct business in multiple states, but the state of domicile remains the primary regulator. States in which an insurer is licensed to operate but is not charter... | The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) evaluates a state's program for regulating insurer solvency about once every five years to determine if it meets the association's minimum standards. The accreditation program has been in place for about 10 years. During that time, NAIC expanded the standards ... |
VA comprises three major components: the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and the National Cemetery System (NCS). VA’s mission is “to administer the laws providing benefits and other services to veterans and dependents. . . .” The department’s vision is to be a more cust... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has implemented specific provisions of the Clinger-Cohen Act and other legislative reforms, including: (1) reengineering business processes before acquiring information technology; (2) completing an integrated information tech... |
DOD’s medical mission includes maintaining the health of 1.7 million active duty personnel and providing health care to them during military operations. About 12 percent of the Navy’s active duty personnel, about 16 percent of the Army’s active duty personnel, and about 19 percent of the Air Force’s active duty personn... | Half of all beneficiaries in the Department of Defense's (DOD) Tricare health care program are women. With a health care system historically oriented towards men, DOD has had to work to ensure that its women beneficiaries receive the full range of medical services they are entitled to, including obstetrical and gynecol... |
The U.S. Coast Guard is a multimission, maritime military service within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). To accomplish its responsibilities, the Coast Guard is organized into two major commands that are responsible for overall mission execution—one in the Pacific area and the other in the Atlantic area. Thes... | The U. S. Coast Guard is a multimission agency responsible for maritime safety, security, and stewardship. It performs these missions, relating to homeland security and non-homeland security in U.S. ports and inland waterways, along the coasts, and on international waters. The President's budget request, including the ... |
The UI program, established under Title III of the Social Security Act in 1935, was intended to, among other things, help those who become unemployed through no fault of their own, and help stabilize the economy during recessions. The program is generally financed by federal and state payroll taxes levied on employers.... | The recession of 2007 to 2009 was the most severe in the United States since the 1930s, resulting in a net loss of 7.5 million jobs. Workers who lose a job through no fault of their own (referred to as displaced workers in this report) may turn to financial assistance offered through the Unemployment Insurance (UI) p... |
Each year, OMB and federal agencies work together to determine how much the government plans to spend on IT projects and how these funds are to be allocated. Federal IT spending has risen to an estimated $71 billion for fiscal year 2009. OMB plays a key role in overseeing the implementation and management of federal IT... | The federal government spends billons of dollars on information technology (IT) projects each year. Consequently, it is important that projects be managed effectively to ensure that public resources are wisely invested. To this end, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which plays a key role in overseeing the fed... |
Fishery products (i.e., seafood), including wild catch, aquaculture, and processed fish products, are one of the most highly traded commodities in the world today, and more than half of this commodity originates in developing countries. The EU is the largest market for imported seafood, followed by the United States an... | Most seafood consumed in the United States is imported, and about half of it is raised on fish farms. Because farmed seafood is raised in confined areas and susceptible to infections, farmers may use drugs like antibiotics. The use of unapproved drugs or the misuse of approved drugs may result in unsafe residues in sea... |
Security clearances are required for access to certain national security information, which may be classified at one of three levels: confidential, secret, and top secret. The level of classification denotes the degree of protection required for information and the amount of damage that unauthorized disclosure could re... | The Department of Defense (DOD) personnel security clearance program has been on GAO's high-risk list since 2005, due to delays in the process and incomplete documentation. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducts most of DOD's clearance investigations, which DOD adjudicators use to make clearance decisions. T... |
As demonstrated by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States and other nations face increasingly diffuse threats. Potential adversaries are more likely to strike vulnerable civilian or military targets in nontraditional ways to avoid direct confrontation with our military forces on the battlefield,... | Because of the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11 and the subsequent appearance of letters containing anthrax, terrorism rose to the top of the national agenda. The Attorney General has indicated that the country needs to be prepared for still more terrorist incidents. The... |
The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is one of the most serious dangers confronting the United States today and will likely continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Responsibility for thwarting this proliferation is shouldered by numerous federal agencies and by many individual departments within these... | The mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (R&D) Program is to conduct needs-driven research, development, testing, and evaluation of new technologies that are intended to strengthen the United States' ability to prevent and respond to... |
DOE’s budget authority for renewable, fossil, and nuclear energy R&D dropped by 92 percent from $6 billion in fiscal year 1978 to $505 million in fiscal year 1998 (in inflation-adjusted terms) before bouncing back to $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2008. As shown in figure 2, R&D budget authority in renewable, fossil, and ... | For decades, the nation has benefited from relatively inexpensive energy, in the process growing heavily reliant on conventional fossil fuels--oil, natural gas, and coal. However, in the current wake of higher energy costs and environmental concerns about fossil fuel emissions, renewed attention is turning to the devel... |
The constitutional framework for elections contemplates both state and federal roles. States are responsible for the administration of both their own elections and federal elections. They also regulate various aspects of the elections process, including, for example, ballot access, registration procedures, absentee vot... | GAO's past work and the work of others has shown that challenges processing voter registration applications and maintaining voter registration lists can result in individuals arriving at polls on Election Day to find they were not listed as registered. GAO surveyed local election officials in 14 jurisdictions in 7 stat... |
Since 1948 VA has provided adaptive housing assistance grants to eligible individuals who have certain service-connected disabilities to construct an adapted home or modify an existing home to accommodate their disabilities. Today, VA provides adaptive housing assistance primarily through two programs—Specially Adapted... | Adaptive housing assistance grants help eligible service members or veterans adapt or modify a residence to accommodate disabilities sustained through military service. The Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006 authorized the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand its existing adapti... |
The Zika virus is related to dengue, yellow fever, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses, among others. The virus was first identified in the Zika Forest in Uganda, Africa in 1947, from where it moved east, causing only sporadic human disease until 2007. The first documented outbreak of Zika virus disease was re... | Zika virus disease can cause adverse pregnancy and neurological outcomes. Given this ongoing threat, GAO was asked to evaluate progress made and challenges faced by federal agencies in responding to the Zika virus outbreak in the United States. GAO examined (1) information on what is known and not known about the epide... |
In the banking industry, the specific regulatory configuration for a banking institution depends on the type of charter the institution chooses. Depository institution charter types include: commercial banks, which originally focused on the banking needs of businesses but over time have broadened their services; thrift... | The Dodd-Frank Act includes numerous reforms to strengthen oversight of financial services firms and consolidate certain consumer protection responsibilities within CFPB. To help minimize its regulatory burden on small institutions, including community banks and credit unions, the act exempts such institutions from sev... |
The UN is composed of six principal bodies: the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat. The UN system also encompasses funds and programs, such as the United Nations Development Program, and specialized agencies, such as ... | The U.S. Congress has continuing concerns about U.S. underrepresentation in United Nations (UN) organizations. Some UN organizations establish targets for member state representation, and such positions are classified as geographic positions. GAO's 2006 report found that the State Department (State) could take addition... |
Farming has always been an inherently risky enterprise because farmers operate at the mercy of nature and frequently are subjected to weather-related perils such as droughts, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Since the 1930s, many farmers have been able to transfer part of the risk of loss in production ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) crop insurance program, focusing on whether USDA: (1) has set adequate insurance rates to achieve the legislative requirement of actuarial soundness; (2) appropriately reimburses participating crop insurance companies for their ad... |
DOE has major sites and facilities around the country where the department carries out its missions, including developing, maintaining, and securing the nation’s nuclear weapons capability; cleaning up the nuclear and hazardous wastes resulting from more than 50 years of weapons production; and conducting basic energy ... | Federal policy requires that small businesses receive the maximum practicable subcontracting opportunity for providing goods and services to large businesses that contract directly with federal agencies. The Department of Energy (DOE) annually directs almost $20 billion to the 34 "facility management contractors" of wh... |
Information security is a critical consideration for any organization that depends on information systems and computer networks to carry out its mission or business. It is especially important for government agencies, where the public’s trust is essential. The dramatic expansion in computer interconnectivity and the ra... | The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau within the Department of the Treasury, relies extensively on its own computer systems, as well as those at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Communications System (TCS), to administer the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and fulfill its mission of safe... |
According to CBP documentation, throughout the travel process, OFO’s NTC analyzes traveler information and uses it to provide CBP officers at CBP’s predeparture locations with relevant and timely information about an individual. According to CBP documentation, these efforts provide CBP officers stationed overseas and w... | DHS seeks to identify and interdict international air travelers who are potential security threats to the United States, such as foreign fighters and potential terrorists, human traffickers, and otherwise inadmissible persons, at the earliest possible point in time. In fiscal year 2015, CBP processed more than 104 mill... |
Civilian nuclear research reactors located throughout the world contribute to the development of nuclear power, basic and applied science, and isotope production for medicine and industry. While many of the reactors use LEU fuel, others use or have inventories of HEU. The fuel acceptance program and Russian fuel return... | Many foreign nuclear research reactors use highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel. Because HEU can be used in nuclear weapons, the Department of Energy (DOE) has two programs to return HEU from foreign reactors to either the United States or Russia. The U.S. fuel acceptance program includes HEU exported by the United State... |
When selecting contractors, the FAR requires agencies to consider past performance as one evaluation factor in most competitive procurements. During the source selection process, contracting officials often rely on various sources of past performance information, such as the prospective contractor’s prior government or... | DOD relies on contractors to perform a broad array of activities. Having complete, timely, and accurate information on contractor performance is critical so officials responsible for awarding new federal contracts can make informed decisions. Agencies are required to document contractor performance for contracts exceed... |
Before 1978, the Civil Aeronautics Board controlled the number of markets that established airlines could enter and prevented new airlines from forming. Concerned that these practices had caused fares to be too high and inhibited the industry’s growth, the Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. The act p... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on airline operating and marketing practices that restrict the entry of new airlines in the deregulated airline industry, focusing on: (1) whether barriers still exist that prevent airlines, particularly those started after deregulation, from servicing new m... |
The domestic and international experiences with market-based air pollution control and climate change programs demonstrate that comprehensive and accurate information on emissions is critical to a program’s success. Since 1995, the United States has operated a cap-and- trade program to limit sulfur dioxide emissions, a... | Elevated levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the resulting effects on the earth's climate could have significant impacts in the United States and internationally. Potential impacts include a change in sea levels, ecosystems, and ice cover. The United States Congress is considering proposals to limit greenh... |
SSI provides cash benefits to low-income aged, blind, or disabled people. Those who are applying for benefits on the basis of age must be at least 65 years old and financially eligible for benefits; those who are applying for disability benefits must qualify on the basis of financial and medical criteria. To qualify fo... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, focusing on: (1) the problem areas that currently pose the greatest risk to the SSI program; (2) the Social Security Administration's (SSA) recent efforts to improve the SSI program; and (3) additional actions that should... |
FMD is a highly infectious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. FMD virus has seven serotypes and many subtypes. Immunity to or vaccination for one type of the virus does not protect animals against infection from the other types. FMD-infected animals u... | Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is the most highly infectious animal disease known: nearly 100 percent of exposed animals become infected with it. Although the United States has not had an outbreak of FMD since 1929, a single outbreak of FMD virus as a result of an accidental or intentional release from a laboratory on th... |
HRSA provides grants to a variety of entities using the HHS grant management process, which consists of seven phases. The first five phases of the grant management process cover the planning of the grant funding opportunity through the awarding of the grant funds. The sixth phase of the process, which occurs postaward,... | In fiscal year 2013, HRSA awarded over $6 billion in grants, which accounted for over 80 percent of the agency's appropriations. HRSA's workforce—its staff and contractors— is responsible for monitoring the agency's grantees to ensure they are financially sound, using federal funds appropriately, and in compliance with... |
Under the IG Act, OIGs are to provide agency heads and the Congress with independent assessments of the management and operation of agencies and their programs. Specifically, the IGs’ mission is to audit and investigate agency programs and operations with an eye toward (1) promoting economy, efficiency, and effectivene... | Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the legal services provided to presidentially-appointed Inspectors General (IG), focusing on the independence of legal services provided to IG by agencies' offices of general counsel (OGC) compared with those legal services provided within Offices of Inspector General... |
Upon its breakup in 1991, the Soviet Union bequeathed a vast array of weapons of mass destruction to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakstan. This legacy included about 30,000 nuclear weapons, 2,500 strategic nuclear delivery systems, and at least 40,000 metric tons of chemical weapons. In 1991, Congress authorized DOD... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Defense's (DOD) draft 1996 multiyear Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program plan, focusing on its: (1) estimated costs; and (2) potential impacts on helping control nuclear weapons and materials, and eliminating strategic delivery ve... |
Conducting research is one of VA’s core missions. VA researchers have been involved in a variety of important advances in medical research, including development of the cardiac pacemaker, kidney transplant technology, prosthetic devices, and drug treatments for high blood pressure and schizophrenia. In fiscal year 2002... | Every year thousands of veterans volunteer to participate in research projects under the auspices of the VA. Research offers the possibility of benefits to individual participants and to society, but it is not without risk to research subjects. VA studies, like other federally funded research programs, are governed by ... |
SBA’s need to monitor activities of lenders that help deliver its programs has increased significantly in recent years. One reason is that the reported volume of loans processed by lenders almost doubled between 1992 and 1997, from about $24 billion to about $46 billion. A second reason is that SBA shifted to lenders t... | GAO discussed the Small Business Administration's (SBA) activities to complete planning for its loan monitoring system, as required by the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997, focusing on SBA's project plan for completing the mandated actions. GAO noted that: (1) SBA's project plan provides information in many k... |
BCBP has undertaken efforts to focus its enforcement on selecting and inspecting the highest-risk incoming cargo, while enabling legitimate cargo to be cleared in a timely manner. It has a number of initiatives underway aimed at improving its ability to identify potentially risky cargo for inspection. BCBP and Customs ... | Balancing our nation's security and commercial needs is a longstanding issue that is especially important in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that changed the nation's security environment. Addressing this challenge now falls principally to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Bor... |
In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act created the Superfund program to clean up highly contaminated hazardous waste sites. Under the act, EPA is authorized to compel the parties responsible for the contamination to perform the cleanup. EPA may also pay for the cleanup and at... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO: (1) updated the share of annual Superfund spending that went for contractor cleanup work to include fiscal year (FY) 1997; (2) determined the share of contractor spending for remedial actions that were managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), other federal agencies... |
The federal government provides, or assists in providing, a number of diverse financial services programs to help meet identified goals. For example, some of these programs provide credit or loan guarantees for housing, education, business, and the export of various products, as well as insurance for pension plans and ... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on selected financial services institutions, focusing on: (1) the potential financial exposure faced by the federal government as a result of financial services institutions sponsored, in whole or in part, by the federal government; (2) the institutions spon... |
In all countries, entitlement programs such as public pension programs and disability programs are politically sensitive and difficult to change. The hard choices needed to change the path of these programs include trade-offs that are likely to result in redistribution, creating “winners” and “losers.” Such choices rai... | Looking to the future, our nation faces large and growing structural deficits and escalating federal debt due primarily to rising health care costs and known demographic trends. Slowing the growth of entitlements is an essential part of the solution to these challenges. GAO was asked to identify useful insights from th... |
Congress established FHA in 1934 under the National Housing Act (P.L. 73- 479) to broaden homeownership, protect lending institutions, and stimulate employment in the building industry. FHA’s single-family programs insure private lenders against losses (up to almost 100 percent of the loan amount) from borrower default... | The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has seen increased competition from conventional mortgage and insurance providers. Additionally, because of the worsening performance of the mortgages it insures, FHA has estimated that its single-family insurance program would require a subsidy--that is, appropriations--in fisc... |
To address our objectives, among other things, we interviewed DOJ’s Criminal Division, Justice Management Division, FBI, and EOUSA officials; reviewed FBI’s and EOUSA’s policies and guidance for classifying cases; researched terrorism definitions in the United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations; compared FBI a... | In accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Department of Justice (DOJ) provides Congress and the public with an annual performance report. These reports serve as an important measure of DOJ's progress related to its strategic goals and objectives, including statistics on its Fiscal Year ... |
Before advanced computerized techniques, obtaining people’s personal information usually required visiting courthouses or other government facilities to inspect paper-based public records, and information contained in product registrations and other business records was not generally available at all. Automation of the... | Federal agencies collect and use personal information for various purposes from information resellers--companies that amass and sell data from many sources. GAO was asked to testify on its April 2006 report on agency use of reseller data. For that report, GAO was asked to determine how the Departments of Justice, Homel... |
Extensive research and development have led to new and improved prescription drug therapies that, in some instances, have replaced other health care interventions. For example, new medications for the treatment of ulcers have virtually eliminated the need for some surgical treatments. As a result of these innovations, ... | The lack of outpatient prescription drug coverage may leave Medicare's most vulnerable beneficiaries with high out-of-pocket costs. Recent estimates suggest that, at any given time, more than a third of Medicare beneficiaries lack prescription drug coverage. The rest have some coverage through various sources--most com... |
Medicaid finances health care for certain categories of low-income individuals, including pregnant women, children, certain low-income In parents, persons with disabilities, and persons who are elderly.addition, states can expand Medicaid eligibility to other individuals, including children and eligible parents with in... | Medicaid enrollment has grown significantly in recent years due to the economic downturn. This growth is expected to continue as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act potentially extends Medicaid eligibility in 2014 to millions of uninsured individuals. To better understand whether states are providing adequat... |
GPRA is the centerpiece of a statutory framework that Congress put in place during the 1990s to help resolve the long-standing management problems that have undermined the federal government’s efficiency and effectiveness and to provide greater accountability for results. GPRA was intended to address several broad purp... | The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) has been in effect for 10 years. In that context, the subcommittee asked GAO to discuss our recent report, Results- Oriented Government: GPRA Has Established a Solid Foundation for Achieving Greater Results. Our testimony addresses the effectiveness of GPRA in creating ... |
In November 2005, the President of the United States released the Homeland Security Council’s National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza to guide the country’s overall effort to address the threat that highly pathogenic AI could create a human pandemic influenza. The strategy identified four lead agencies, each responsib... | A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza (AI) has spread to nearly 60 countries over the past few years, killing millions of birds and more than 170 humans. Controlling the virus in poultry is key to reducing the risk of a human pandemic. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for planning for AI outb... |
Studies have shown that uninsured children are less likely than insured children to get needed health and preventive care. The lack of such care can adversely affect children’s health status throughout their lives. Without health insurance, many families face difficulties getting preventive and basic care for their chi... | Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the number of uninsured Medicaid-eligible children in 1994. GAO found that: (1) the percentage of children without health insurance was 14.2 percent in 1994; (2) the percentage of children with private health insurance has steadily decreased since 1987; (... |
DOD is one of the largest and most complex organizations in the world. Overhauling its business operations will take years to accomplish and represents a huge management challenge. Execution of DOD’s operations spans a wide range of defense organizations, including the military services and their respective major comma... | Of the 25 areas on GAO's 2005 high-risk list of federal programs or activities that are at risk for waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, 8 are Department of Defense (DOD) programs or operations and 6 are governmentwide high-risk areas for which DOD shares some responsibility. These high-risk areas relate to DOD's maj... |
The United States’ border with Mexico spans almost 2,000 miles, with Arizona and Texas sharing 387 and 697 miles of that border respectively. The U.S. border with Mexico comprises different types of terrain, a fact that presents a significant challenge to border security efforts. For example, in Arizona, the border is ... | Persons illegally crossing the United States' southwest border and corresponding law enforcement activity may, at times, result in private property damage. Such damage that persists over extended periods of time can result in expensive repairs for landowners. GAO was asked to identify the types of private property dama... |
Energy oversees a nationwide network of 40 contractor-operated industrial sites and research laboratories that have historically employed more than 600,000 workers in the production and testing of nuclear weapons. In implementing EEOICPA, the President acknowledged that it had been Energy’s past policy to encourage and... | The Department of Energy (Energy) and its predecessor agencies and contractors have employed thousands of people in the nuclear weapons production complex. Some employees were exposed to toxic substances, including radioactive and hazardous materials, during this work, and many subsequently developed illnesses. Subtitl... |
The Workforce Investment Act created a new, comprehensive workforce investment system designed to change the way employment and training services are delivered. When WIA was enacted, in 1998, it replaced the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) with three new programs—Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth—that allow for a... | In 1998, Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), requiring states and localities to bring together employment and training programs into a single workforce system, the one-stop system. States have flexibility in how they provide these services--colocated within the one-stop--through electronic linkage or re... |
In addition to being administered by different agencies, BTOP and BIP differ in several ways, including in methods for providing funding to awardees, types of awardees funded, and services funded through the programs. NTIA funded a range of organizations from states and municipalities to non-profit and commercial organ... | Access to affordable broadband service is seen as vital to economic growth and improved quality of life, yet residents in many areas of the country lack access to or do not use broadband. To extend broadband access and adoption, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) provided over $7 billion ... |
This section provides information on the use of RPS in NASA space missions, NASA’s PSD mission portfolio and mission classes, DOE’s role in RPS production, DOE’s Pu-238 Supply Project, RPS production across DOE’s national laboratories, and NASA’s funding for RPS production. RPS are long-lived sources of spacecraft elec... | NASA uses RPS to generate electrical power in missions in which solar panels or batteries would be ineffective. RPS convert heat generated by the radioactive decay of Pu-238 into electricity. DOE maintains a capability to produce RPS for NASA missions, as well as a limited and aging supply of Pu-238 that will be deplet... |
LANL is responsible for planning and executing all facets of stockpile stewardship, including assessing, refurbishing, and certifying nuclear weapons. The laboratory operates and manages numerous nuclear facilities. Critical activities include plutonium, uranium, and tritium processing; research and development on spec... | The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which is operated by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), has experienced security lapses protecting information on its unclassified computer network. The unclassified network contains sensitive information. GAO (1) assessed the effectiveness of the security co... |
Carriers deliver mobile phone service by subdividing large geographic areas into smaller overlapping sections called cells. Each cell has a base station equipped with an antenna to receive and transmit radio signals to the mobile phones within its coverage area. This area can vary in size from under a mile to 20 miles ... | Over the past decade, Americans have come to rely increasingly on mobile phones to meet their business and personal needs. However, because of the nature of radio transmission and other constraints, consumers are not always able to complete calls or to hear their calls clearly. As reliance on mobile phones has increase... |
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 I... | This testimony discusses the potentially duplicative information technology (IT) investments at selected agencies and actions these agencies are taking to address them. With at least $79 billion spent in fiscal year 2011 by the United States government on IT investments, it is important that federal agencies avoid inve... |
IRC Section 6103 allows IRS to disclose taxpayer information to federal agencies and to authorized employees of those agencies for specified purposes. It was enacted, in part, to control whether and how tax information submitted to IRS on federal tax returns could be shared. IRC Section 6103 specifies which agencies (o... | Data sharing can be a valuable tool for federal agencies in determining applicants' eligibility for benefit and loan programs. Congress has authorized the Department of Education, among others, to have limited access to federal taxpayer information collected by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Likewise, IRS is able ... |
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.