Reports News from the GAO http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/repandtest.html 2009-11-06T14:32:18+01:00 FeedCreator 1.7.2-ppt 2009-11-06T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-06T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-52?source=ra

In Process

2009-11-06T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-06T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-2?source=ra

In fiscal year 2009, the federal government planned to spend about $71 billion on information technology (IT) investments. To more effectively manage such investments, in 2005 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed agencies to implement earned value management (EVM). EVM is a project management approach that, if implemented appropriately, provides objective reports of project status, produces early warning signs of impending ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-178R?source=ra

In March 2009, out of concern that the overall security situation in Afghanistan had not improved after more than 7 years of U.S. and international efforts, the administration completed a 60-day strategic review of U.S. policy and the security environment in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Based on this review, and recognizing the vital U.S. interest in addressing security threats posed by extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the administration ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-92R?source=ra

We have performed the procedures described in this letter, which we agreed to perform and with which the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation concurred, solely to assist the Inspector General's office in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, is supported by the underlying records. As agreed with the Inspector ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-93R?source=ra

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has performed the procedures to which we agreed upon to perform and with which you concurred, solely to assist your office in ascertaining whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, is supported by the underlying records. GAO evaluated fiscal year 2009 activity affecting excise tax distributions to the HTF. GAO conducted ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-167R?source=ra

The Army has three government-owned and operated manufacturing arsenals that it considers vital to the Department of Defense's (DOD) industrial base because they provide products or services that are either unavailable from private industry or ensure a ready and controlled source of technical competence and resources in case of national defense contingencies or other emergencies. These three arsenals are Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas; Rock ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-222T?source=ra

Since 2001, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has been working to develop a modern Electronic Records Archive (ERA) system, a major information system that is intended to preserve and provide access to massive volumes of all types and formats of electronic records. The system is being developed incrementally over several years, with the first two pieces providing an initial set of functions and additional capabilities ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-191T?source=ra

The U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) financial condition and outlook deteriorated significantly during fiscal year 2009. USPS was not able to cut costs fast enough to offset declining mail volume and revenues resulting from the economic downturn and changing mail use. Facing an unprecedented cash shortfall, USPS stated that it would have insufficient cash on hand to make its mandated $5.4 billion payment to prefund postal retiree health benefits ...

2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-05T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-172R?source=ra

The Department of Defense (DOD) prepositions equipment at strategic locations around the world to enable it to field combat-ready forces in days, rather than the weeks it would take if equipment had to be moved from the United States to the locations of conflicts. These prepositioned materiel and equipment sets have played an important role in supporting ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, sustained operations in Iraq and ...

2009-11-02T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-02T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-187?source=ra

This statement discusses ongoing efforts by the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State (State), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to track information on contractor personnel and contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reliable, meaningful data on contractors and the services they provide are necessary to inform agency decisions on when and how to effectively use contractors, provide support services to ...

2009-11-02T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-02T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-179?source=ra

The United States and the Government of Iraq have signed a Security Agreement calling for the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq. Predicated on that agreement and U.S. Presidential guidance, Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) has issued a plan for the reduction of forces to 50,000 U.S. troops by August 31, 2010, and a complete withdrawal of forces by the end of 2011. The drawdown from Iraq includes the withdrawal of approximately 128,700 ...

2009-11-02T00:00:00+01:00 2009-11-02T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-151?source=ra

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) provided $81.1 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) aid to the U.S. auto industry, including $62 billion in restructuring loans to Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) and General Motors Company (GM). In return, Treasury received 9.85 percent equity in Chrysler, 60.8 percent equity and $2.1 billion in preferred stock in GM, and $13.8 billion in debt obligations between the two companies. As ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-107R?source=ra

The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act (the act) extended the federal age standard for pilots of large commercial aircraft from 60 to 65 years of age. The act also requires us to report--no later than 24 months after its enactment--on the effect, if any, of this change on aviation safety. This report responds to that requirement. Our review of FAA's accident and incident data and NTSB's accident data from December 2007, when the ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-7?source=ra

The Department of Labor (DOL) Black Lung Benefits Program provides medical and income assistance to coal miners who suffer total disability or death due to lung disease caused by coal dust. To provide insight into DOL's administration of the Black Lung Benefits Program, GAO is reporting on (1) how long it takes to process and resolve black lung benefits claims; (2) at what rate and for what reasons black lung claims and appeals are denied ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-85R?source=ra

On December 22, 2008, a breach in a surface impoundment (or storage pond) dike at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee resulted in the release of 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash--also referred to as coal combustion residue (CCR)--into the nearby Emory River. The spill covered more than 300 acres and made 3 homes uninhabitable; it damaged 23 other homes, plus roads, rail lines, and utilities. TVA estimated ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-22?source=ra

The federal government is the nation's largest energy consumer. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) establishes high-performance federal building requirements that include reducing energy use and managing storm water runoff. The Department of Energy (DOE), General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are implementing and, in turn, helping other ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-64?source=ra

The Department of Homeland Security, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), awards grants to fire departments and other organizations for equipment, staffing, and other needs. As of July 2009, FEMA had received about 25,000 and 22,000 applications for its fiscal years 2007 and 2008 fire grant programs, respectively, and had awarded more than 5,000 grants in both years. GAO was congressionally directed to review the application ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-84?source=ra

In creating the Valles Caldera National Preserve from a unique parcel of land in north-central New Mexico, and by creating the Valles Caldera Trust as a wholly owned government corporation to manage the preserve, the Valles Caldera Preservation Act of 2000 established a 20-year public-private experiment to operate the preserve without continued federal funding. The Trust is charged with achieving a number of goals, including becoming financially ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-55?source=ra

The Department of Defense (DOD) expects to spend more than $50 billion to develop and procure eight major space systems. Typically, the systems have two main components: satellites and ground control systems. Some also have a third component--user terminals--that can allow access from remote locations. If the delivery of these three components is not synchronized, there can be delays in providing full capabilities to the warfighter, and ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-183T?source=ra

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), whose reauthorization is the subject of today's hearing, plays a vital role in advancing transportation safety by investigating accidents, determining their causes, issuing safety recommendations, and conducting safety studies. To support the agency's mission, NTSB's Training Center provides training to NTSB investigators and others. From 2006 through 2008, GAO made 21 recommendations to ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-09-921?source=ra

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, cost-reimbursement contracts are suitable only when the cost of the work to be done cannot be estimated with sufficient accuracy ...

2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-30T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-09-976?source=ra

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), $23 billion in unpaid individual income tax debt existed in 2001, its most recent estimate. The notice phase is the first of IRS's three-phase process to collect unpaid debt. IRS annually sends notices to millions of individual taxpayers about billions of dollars of unpaid tax debt. Congress and others have questioned IRS's collection process's effectiveness. As requested, GAO is reporting ...

2009-10-29T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-29T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-29?source=ra

Federal student aid is intended to play an integral part in fulfilling the promise of greater academic access and success for less affluent students. However, many experts have expressed concern about the length and complexity of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the statutory need analysis formula used to determine aid eligibility. The Higher Education Opportunity Act required GAO to form a study group to examine ...

2009-10-29T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-29T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-210T?source=ra

In June 2007, GAO reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had made little progress in integrating its existing financial management systems and made six recommendations focused on the need for DHS to define a departmentwide strategy and embrace disciplined processes. In June 2007, DHS announced its new financial management systems strategy, called the Transformation and Systems Consolidation (TASC) program. GAO's testimony ...

2009-10-29T00:00:00+01:00 2009-10-29T00:00:00+01:00 http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-46?source=ra

The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that cleaning up known hazards at the over 4,700 formerly used defense sites (FUDS)--sites transferred to other owners before October 1986--will require more than 50 years and cost about $18 billion. This estimate excludes any additional needed cleanup of emerging contaminants--generally, those not yet governed by a health standard. DOD delegated FUDS cleanup responsibility to the U.S. Army Corps ...