Energy Management: Some Unsubstantiated Payments for the Secretary's Foreign Travel

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Energy's (DOE) expenditures for selected foreign trips, focusing on the adequacy of DOE recordkeeping and the propriety of charges to appropriation accounts. GAO noted that DOE: (1) does not have written procedures specifying the types of records to be kept or the process for obtaining support for foreign travel; (2) could not substantiate about $80,000 paid on behalf of DOE for a trade mission to India; (3) inappropriately shifted the funding source for some security travel costs from one appropriation account to another appropriation account during fiscal year 1995; and (4) will take actions to document all travel payments and Congress has clarified which appropriation DOE is to use for security travel costs.