Reports & Testimonies

We reviewed how well the Army kept track of ammunition being repaired at sites that contractors own and operate. This included Stinger air defense missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and more. We estimate the Army didn't properly account for at least 95% of the ammunition held at these sites, as of July 2024. The Army was unaware of which sites held ammunition. Initially, the Army told...

A key component of the government’s ability to deal with cyber threats is a right-sized and effective federal and contractor cyber workforce. To plan well, agencies need to accurately track their cyber workforce resources. They must also evaluate their efforts to build and maintain cyber workforces. However, most of the 23 agencies in our review couldn’t tell us the size and cost of their cyber...

Since 2003, the Department of Homeland Security has been working to modernize paper-based processes and consolidate duplicative systems it uses for human resources management—like hiring and processing payroll. We estimated it spent at least $262 million on efforts to modernize human resources IT systems between 2005 and 2023. These efforts have produced limited results. We identified weaknesses in key management practices for this modernization effort...

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is the only federal agency that provides independent safety oversight at nuclear sites. The agency is headed by its Board with up to 5 members. But prior assessments described a deterioration in the agency's effectiveness that was largely driven by dysfunctional relationships among the Board members. The agency fully addressed most of the previously identified issues and continues to...

Millions of Americans are affected by behavioral health conditions, including mental health conditions and substance use disorders. People in crisis may be at risk of harming themselves or others. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides resources, including over $1.3 billion from FY 2021-2024, to states and others for crisis response services. We reviewed how states used SAMHSA resources for crisis response efforts...

DOD can award funds via an “other transaction agreement.” OTAs can attract contractors that haven’t worked with DOD before. DOD officials said there are pros and cons to using OTAs. For example, they are customizable and offer flexibilities during prototype development. But there can be risks using them, including less oversight of contractor costs than in standard contracts. As a result, many switch to standard...

DOD’s F-35 has unique capabilities that make it crucial to U.S. national security. DOD awarded billions to 2 defense contractors to build the aircraft and its engine. In 2024, aircraft deliveries were late by an average of 238 days. To encourage timely delivery, among other things, DOD paid the contractors hundreds of millions in incentives over the last several years. Nonetheless, delivery time frames continued...

The Department of Defense relies on its federal blue-collar workforce to maintain and repair weapons, aircraft, electronics, and other equipment. DOD has faced longstanding recruitment and retention challenges for these positions. We found that a pay cap set by Congress on wage rates for this workforce may have contributed to these challenges. To offset these challenges, the DOD installations we reviewed used recruitment, relocation, and...

The Department of Veterans Affairs may require veterans filing disability claims to undergo medical exams, which are often conducted by contractors. VA uses veteran feedback and other data to oversee the quality of the exams but could do more. For example, VA doesn’t collect feedback directly from contracted examiners—missing a key perspective to help identify exam quality issues. Also, VA awards financial incentives based on...

Federal agencies sent thousands of personnel to support response efforts to recent disasters such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. But the concurrent disasters and limited workforce capacity, among other things, made response more difficult. Efforts are underway to review the federal role in disaster response. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency's responsibilities have not changed. Recent FEMA workforce reductions...

The Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies can buy goods and services in bulk across common categories, like medical and IT. This helps them use the buying power of the government to save taxpayer dollars. But VA isn't getting the full benefit of this "category management" approach. For example, VA category management officials aren't required to take relevant training. There also isn't a...

The Department of Energy’s Tribal Energy Financing Program offers Tribes loans and loan guarantees for energy projects—such as natural gas, solar, and wind infrastructure. But several factors make it harder for Tribes to access this financing, which can cause them to miss opportunities to generate revenue. For example, DOE hires outside lawyers, technical experts, and more to review projects. Tribes are required to cover the...

With about 48,000 deaths in 2024, fentanyl continues to be the primary cause of overdose deaths in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has various efforts to combat the trafficking of illicit fentanyl. For example, it inspects incoming travelers and shipments and conducts patrols along the border. We reviewed these efforts and found issues with how DHS assesses their effectiveness. For example, DHS...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection can use temporary soft-sided facilities when it needs more capacity to process and hold people apprehended at the southwest border. Between 2019-2024, CBP spent over $4 billion on contracts for meals, guards, and services at these facilities. As of March 2025, CBP isn’t using these facilities but likely will use them again. It hasn’t assessed lessons learned about staffing, operations...

Tornadoes claim more lives annually in the U.S. than hurricanes and earthquakes combined. The Federal Emergency Management Agency helps tornado survivors and communities through a variety of programs. By law, only states and territories are eligible to receive Emergency Management Performance Grant awards directly from FEMA. States may distribute these grant awards to local governments and Tribes. However, Tribes aren't eligible to apply directly. As...