Reports & Testimonies
GAO’s reports and testimonies give Congress, federal agencies, and the public timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can improve government operations and save taxpayers billions of dollars.
Most Recent Reports
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Federal Telework: Interior Can Benefit from Strategic Workforce Planning and Following Key Practices
The pandemic abruptly changed how and where people work—and federal agencies, like other employers, are now figuring out what a "new normal" might be. In this testimony, we discussed our prior reports on telework, some recent federal policies, and specific considerations for the Department of the Interior. Even before the pandemic, federal agencies were encouraged to use telework to meet mission needs and realize other...
Foreign Assistance: Agencies Allocated $8.4 Billion Congressionally Directed Funds to Advance U.S. Goals in the Indo-Pacific Region
Congress passed the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act in December 2018 to advance U.S. policy interests and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region. This Q&A report includes information on the act. Under this act, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development allocated $6.6 billion to the region during FYs 2019-2022—largely to support activities in Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Vietnam. For instance, these...
Cloud Security: Federal Authorization Program Usage Increasing, but Challenges Need to Be Fully Addressed
The Office of Management and Budget established the FedRAMP program to authorize secure cloud services for federal use. From 2019-23, agencies increased FedRAMP use—authorizations were up 60%. But some agencies reported using services that weren't FedRAMP-authorized. OMB still hasn’t fully implemented our previous recommendation to monitor program use. OMB is proposing new guidance that aims to help reduce the cost of pursuing FedRAMP authorizations. Some...
Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks
Foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land grew to about 40 million acres in 2021, per USDA estimates. This can pose national security risks—such as when foreign interests buy land near U.S. military installations. USDA annually publishes data on agricultural land investments, which DOD, Treasury, and other agencies may review for risks. DOD noted that it needs more specific and timely data. USDA needs to collect...
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Higher Education: VA Should Provide Additional Information to Its Staff and Schools on the Rogers STEM Scholarship
Over 7,000 veterans have used a Veterans Affairs' Rogers STEM scholarship to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. VA provides some training and guidance to help its staff process scholarship applications. But some STEM majors—like engineering and math—are easier to identify than others. Using VA data, we found over 100 instances where it appeared VA approved the scholarships for non-STEM majors. VA confirmed...
NASA Artemis Programs: Lunar Landing Plans Are Progressing but Challenges Remain
NASA is making progress on its Artemis missions, including Artemis III, which will eventually land humans on the moon for the first time since 1972. We testified that: NASA has made progress on its test flights, including launching Artemis I in 2022 Our prior work showed that Artemis III was unlikely to occur in 2025, and NASA recently adjusted the launch date to 2026 NASA...
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Veterans Health: VA Should Improve Its Monitoring of Severe Maternal Complications and Mental Health Screenings
Pregnant veterans are more likely to have physical and mental health conditions that may lead to adverse maternal outcomes or complications. The Department of Veterans Affairs currently monitors maternal deaths and screens pregnant and postpartum veterans for mental health conditions. But VA hasn't said when it will start reviewing screening results or what demographic data it will use when monitoring severe maternal complications to address...
Coast Guard: Improved Reporting on Domestic Icebreaking Performance Could Clarify Resource Needs and Tradeoffs
The U.S. Coast Guard uses icebreaking vessels to keep waterways open and safe for commercial ships during winter in certain domestic areas, including the Great Lakes. This Q&A report looks at the economic impact of ice in the Great Lakes and the Coast Guard's assessment of what it needs to continue keeping waterways open. The Coast Guard is currently able to break ice with its...
Public Health Preparedness: HHS Emergency Agency Needs to Strengthen Workforce Planning
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)'s workforce planning problems are ongoing. These issues were part of the reason why we added the Department of Health and Human Services' leadership in public health emergencies to our High Risk list in 2022. In this report, we recommend ways for ASPR to address the problems and improve emergency response, such as: Setting specific goals and performance...
Revolving Funds: Key Features
In this testimony, we describe key features of revolving funds—a type of appropriation that allows an agency to fund an operation more like a business. The money that the operation collects—such as user fees or proceeds from the sale of goods or services—is available to the agency for that operation without the need for further congressional action and without fiscal year limitations. Agencies must have...
Financial Technology: SEC Should Prepare a Workforce Plan, Document Oversight Controls, and Set Goals for Innovation Office
Crypto assets such as Bitcoin have grown rapidly in recent years. Given the complexity and risks associated with them, it's essential that the Securities and Exchange Commission have staff with the skills necessary to oversee and regulate this growing industry. SEC has followed some good workforce planning practices, such as regularly assessing hiring and training needs. But SEC hasn't yet updated its workforce planning strategy...
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Prenatal Supplements: Amounts of Some Key Nutrients Differed from Product Labels
Unlike medications, dietary supplements—including those for prenatal care—don't have to be evaluated for safety or effectiveness by the Food and Drug Administration before reaching stores. This Q&A report assesses whether labels for over-the-counter prenatal supplements reflect actual amounts of vitamins and minerals in them. Our testing showed that 11 of 12 prenatal supplements had at least one nutrient above or below the levels noted on...
Research Security: Strengthening Interagency Collaboration Could Help Agencies Safeguard Federal Funding from Foreign Threats
Federal agencies can award funds to foreign organizations or individuals to encourage scientific advancements. But some applicants may try to exploit U.S.-funded research—including in ways that jeopardize U.S. national security. While there are safeguards around these funds, not all agencies use the same tools to vet applicants. Also, agencies use available lists to determine which universities, companies, and other organizations are excluded from U.S. funding—but...
Traveler Inspections: DHS Mechanisms to Help Prevent Discrimination and Address Complaints
U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspects travel and trade at our nation's borders. The agency must secure the nation's borders while ensuring the respectful, impartial treatment of travelers. CBP has issued policies and designed trainings to help prevent discrimination during traveler inspections. We reviewed CBP's efforts and found that it has procedures in place to help prevent discrimination and to address traveler complaints. For example...
Cyber Diplomacy: State's Efforts Aim to Support U.S. Interests and Elevate Priorities
The U.S. and its allies face growing foreign cyber threats as international trade, communication, and critical infrastructure are increasingly dependent on the internet. In 2022, the State Department created the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy to consolidate its efforts and leadership of cyber-related activities into a single unit led by an Ambassador-at-Large. In doing so, State raised the profile of cyberspace as a diplomatic...
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Commuter Rail: Agencies' Estimates of Operations and Maintenance Costs for Positive Train Control
Positive train control (PTC) is a communications-based system designed to prevent train-to-train collisions and other types of accidents. We surveyed all 29 commuter rail agencies about the costs they incur to operate and maintain PTC. Of the 26 that responded, most told us it was challenging to identify prior years' costs because PTC costs are integrated into other costs. For example, employees' PTC-related tasks aren't...
Discretionary Transportation Grants: DOT Should Improve Transparency in the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Program
The Department of Transportation awarded $1.5 billion in grants to 26 significant freight and highway projects in the FY 2022 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program (INFRA). DOT combined some phases of the INFRA grant award process with 2 of its other competitive grant programs. DOT has taken steps to improve the transparency of the INFRA award process—such as writing a new memo to explain the...
Deferred Maintenance: Agencies' Project Selection and Challenges
Buildings, roads, and other structures on the federal government's public lands require billions of dollars to maintain each year. Agencies may defer maintenance projects to future years when funds are unavailable. This testimony discusses a fund Congress established in 2020 to address deferred maintenance in fiscal years 2021-2025. The money—as much as $1.9 billion annually—is divided among 5 eligible agencies at 70% for the National...
Aviation Certification: FAA Should Evaluate Effectiveness of the International Validation Process
U.S. manufacturers export billions of dollars' worth of airplanes and other aviation products each year. Exported products require safety approvals from both the exporting and the importing country. Manufacturers told us it's hard to predict how long other countries will take to approve their products. They also said countries are requesting more data and extending timelines, and the Federal Aviation Administration is short-staffed—affecting how much...
Child Trafficking: Addressing Challenges to Public Awareness and Survivor Support
This Q&A report reviews issues—like public misperception and insufficient support—that impact child trafficking survivors. Trafficked children detained by law enforcement may not be seen as victims, and so may not get counseling or other services. Also, service providers and others told us there isn't enough support available for certain groups of trafficked children, such as victims of forced labor. The Departments of Justice and Health...