"Title: Download of GAO Recommendation Results",,,,,,, "Prepared by: GAO",,,,,,, "Source: GAO recommendations database, status as of Mar 29, 2024 at 3:06 AM EST" ,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,, "Publication Name","Publication Number","Date Publication Issued","Director Name","Director Phone",Agency,Recommendation,Status,Priority,Comments "Federal Software Licenses: Agencies Need to Take Action to Achieve Additional Savings",GAO-24-105717,"Jan 29, 2024","Carol C. Harris","(202) 512-4456","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency tracks software licenses that are currently in use for its widely used licenses by, at a minimum, consistently implementing its procedures for tracking license usage. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"The Department of Agriculture generally concurred with this recommendation. When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Federal Software Licenses: Agencies Need to Take Action to Achieve Additional Savings",GAO-24-105717,"Jan 29, 2024","Carol C. Harris","(202) 512-4456","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency compares the inventories of software licenses that are currently in use with information on purchased licenses to identify opportunities to reduce costs and better inform investment decision making for its widely used licenses on a regular basis. At a minimum, it should consistently implement its procedures for comparing the inventories of licenses in use to purchase records. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"The Department of Agriculture generally concurred with this recommendation. As of March 2024, the department statement that it is in the process of developing a new enterprise-wide process to consistently reconcile purchased licenses with active usage. We will continue to monitor the department's efforts to fully implement this recommendation." "Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks",GAO-24-106337,"Jan 18, 2024","Kimberly Gianopoulos, Steve Morris","(202) 512-8612, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC, in coordination with relevant CFIUS member agencies, establish a process to provide detailed and timely AFIDA transaction data relevant to foreign investments in agricultural land to CFIUS member agencies, including DOD and Treasury. Such information could include whether a party has filed a disclosure, who filed it, and when it was filed. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks",GAO-24-106337,"Jan 18, 2024","Kimberly Gianopoulos, Steve Morris","(202) 512-8612, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of FSA, as FPAC-BC updates the AFIDA handbook, to clarify and provide specific instructions to headquarters and county employees for completing AFIDA responsibilities, including reviewing the accuracy of forms and identifying missing information. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks",GAO-24-106337,"Jan 18, 2024","Kimberly Gianopoulos, Steve Morris","(202) 512-8612, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC and the Administrator of FSA to jointly complete an analysis to determine the extent to which the agency can satisfy the requirements of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to create an AFIDA online submission system and public database within its expected budget. If the analysis shows that the agency would be unable to meet the requirements of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, USDA should report the results to Congress and recommend appropriate legislative changes. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks",GAO-24-106337,"Jan 18, 2024","Kimberly Gianopoulos, Steve Morris","(202) 512-8612, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC to improve its verification and monitoring of collected AFIDA data, such as reviewing and validating information throughout the AFIDA data collection process. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks",GAO-24-106337,"Jan 18, 2024","Kimberly Gianopoulos, Steve Morris","(202) 512-8612, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC, in coordination with the Administrator of FSA, to continue data mining activities that compare AFIDA data to FSA program data to identify suspected non-filers. (Recommendation 5)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Foreign Investments in U.S. Agricultural Land: Enhancing Efforts to Collect, Track, and Share Key Information Could Better Identify National Security Risks",GAO-24-106337,"Jan 18, 2024","Kimberly Gianopoulos, Steve Morris","(202) 512-8612, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Chief Operating Officer of FPAC-BC to ensure its AFIDA reporting is complete, such as incorporating country information from additional foreign persons beyond the primary investor when available. (Recommendation 6)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Oil and Gas Pipelines: Agencies Should Improve Oversight of Decommissioning",GAO-24-106444,"Feb 20, 2024","Frank Rusco","(202) 512-3481","Department of Agriculture","The Chief of the Forest Service should develop a documented plan to ensure the agency collects and maintains the data necessary to oversee the decommissioning of gathering lines. (Recommendation 7)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Oil and Gas Pipelines: Agencies Should Improve Oversight of Decommissioning",GAO-24-106444,"Feb 20, 2024","Frank Rusco","(202) 512-3481","Department of Agriculture","The Chief of the Forest Service should further specify when gathering lines should be decommissioned following the termination or revocation of rights-of-way. (Recommendation 8)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Oil and Gas Pipelines: Agencies Should Improve Oversight of Decommissioning",GAO-24-106444,"Feb 20, 2024","Frank Rusco","(202) 512-3481","Department of Agriculture","The Chief of the Forest Service should analyze all gathering lines the Forest Service oversees to identify and prioritize those that pose the greatest safety, environmental, or fiscal risks for oversight and decommissioning. (Recommendation 9)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Artificial Intelligence: Agencies Have Begun Implementation but Need to Complete Key Requirements",GAO-24-105980,"Dec 12, 2023","Kevin Walsh","(202) 512-6151","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the department (a) reviews the department's authorities related to applications of AI, and (b) develops and submits to OMB plans to achieve consistency with the Regulation of AI Applications memorandum (M-21-06). (Recommendation 8)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Artificial Intelligence: Agencies Have Begun Implementation but Need to Complete Key Requirements",GAO-24-105980,"Dec 12, 2023","Kevin Walsh","(202) 512-6151","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the department updates its AI use case inventory to include all the required information, at minimum, and takes steps to ensure that the data in the inventory aligns with provided instructions. (Recommendation 9)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Equal Employment Opportunity: Additional Actions Would Improve USDA's Collection and Reporting of Key Data",GAO-24-106791,"Nov 2, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that OASCR updates USDA's website to note which of the department's No FEAR Act reports prior to 2022 may contain inaccurate data for complaints by the basis of race or national origin because of a data input error. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"As of January 2024, USDA has not implemented this recommendation." "Equal Employment Opportunity: Additional Actions Would Improve USDA's Collection and Reporting of Key Data",GAO-24-106791,"Nov 2, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that OASCR documents and implements a process to review and compare selected complaint data in USDA's No FEAR Act and EEOC Form 462 reports, and identifies and resolves, as appropriate, any inconsistencies before issuing the No FEAR Act reports. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"As of January 2024, USDA has not implemented this recommendation." "Equal Employment Opportunity: Additional Actions Would Improve USDA's Collection and Reporting of Key Data",GAO-24-106791,"Nov 2, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that OASCR develops internal guidance on how to compare the data in USDA's No FEAR Act and EEOC Form 462 reports when reviewing for inconsistencies during the data review process. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"As of January 2024, USDA has not implemented this recommendation." "Equal Employment Opportunity: Additional Actions Would Improve USDA's Collection and Reporting of Key Data",GAO-24-106791,"Nov 2, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that OASCR adds a section to Farm Bill reports that explains the methods used to analyze EEO complaints, including data sources and any changes to those sources or related analyses that were made from the prior year. (Recommendation 5)",Open,No,"As of January 2024, USDA reported that it has implemented this recommendation. We are reviewing USDA's documentation and will update the status of this recommendation." "Equal Employment Opportunity: Additional Actions Would Improve USDA's Collection and Reporting of Key Data",GAO-24-106791,"Nov 2, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that OASCR documents and implements an internal quality review process for Farm Bill reports to identify and correct any errors and incomplete information. This process should include assigning the role of quality review to someone, independent from the work itself, who verifies that the key facts, figures, and findings align with the sources and are correctly reported. (Recommendation 6)",Open,No,"As of January 2024, USDA reported that it has implemented this recommendation. We are reviewing USDA's documentation and will update the status of this recommendation." "Sugar Program: Alternative Methods for Implementing Import Restrictions Could Increase Effectiveness",GAO-24-106144,"Oct 31, 2023","Kimberly Gianopoulos","(202) 512-8612","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should evaluate the effectiveness of the WTO raw sugar tariff-rate quota allocation method versus other tariff-rate quota allocation methods to determine which would most effectively maintain an adequate sugar supply and minimizes costs to the government. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Strengthening Interagency Collaboration Could Help Inform Nutrition Research and Future Guidelines",GAO-24-106130,"Nov 16, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics—as co-chair of the Interagency Committee on Human Nutrition Research—fully incorporates seven leading interagency collaboration practices in order to better inform and prioritize DGA-related nutrition research. Actions to incorporate these practices could include ensuring that agency research plans are complementary and reflect the current desired outcomes and conducting an inventory of federal authorities, activities, and appropriations related to nutrition research that could inform the DGA development process. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"In its written comments, USDA neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. In February 2024, USDA indicated that with dedicated funds and resources, the Interagency Committee on Human Nutrition Research Committee could address the leading interagency collaboration practices and stated that it could establish and curate the inventory needed to support advancing human nutrition-related research to inform all public health research and policy, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. GAO will continue to monitor USDA's progress and provide additional information about the status of this recommendation. By fully incorporating leading interagency collaboration practices, USDA will be better able to ensure it has the research it needs to inform and prioritize future editions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans." "Alaska Land Management: Resolving Ownership of Submerged Lands",GAO-23-106235,"Aug 28, 2023","Cardell Johnson","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Chief of the Forest Service coordinates with the Directors of BLM, FWS, and NPS to secure an independent third-party facilitator to help agencies within the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture and the State of Alaska work toward agreement on a collaborative approach for the management of submerged lands in Alaska while ownership is being resolved. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"As of November 2023, we are following up with the agency and will update the response to this recommendation in the future." "Meat and Poultry Worker Safety: OSHA Should Determine How to Address Persistent Hazards Exacerbated by COVID-19",GAO-23-105104,"Jun 20, 2023","Thomas Costa","(202) 512-4769","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture should ensure that the Food Safety and Inspection Service meets regularly with DOL's OSHA through their interagency workgroup to resolve longstanding collaboration challenges and incorporate leading collaboration practices. In incorporating these practices, the agencies should clearly define short and long-term outcomes, track and monitor progress towards these outcomes, and publicly report collaborative outcomes. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) agreed with this recommendation and noted its commitment to partnering with OSHA and to doing a better job collaborating to resolve challenges. Specifically, FSIS stated that it is committed to clearly defining short- and long-term outcomes, tracking and monitoring progress, and publicly reporting collaborative outcomes related to meat and poultry worker safety. We laud these plans and, as FSIS and OSHA develop additional outcomes through their workgroup, we encourage them to clearly link these outcomes to the leading collaboration practices and to the challenges we identified in this report. In August 2023, DOL stated that OSHA plans to work with FSIS to employ the leading collaborative practices that are already in use to identify and track specific short- and long-term outcomes. As of February 2024, USDA had not provided additional updates on its efforts to implement the recommendation. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of FSIS's collaboration with OSHA as they implement this recommendation." "School Meals: USDA Should Address Challenges in Its “Foods in Schools” Program",GAO-23-105697,"Jul 14, 2023","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should develop a mechanism to routinely and systematically identify and address challenges to operating the USDA Foods in Schools program. For example, the agency could add relevant questions to the annual School Meals Operations Study, and create and implement a plan to address findings. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"USDA agreed with this recommendation and said it has made significant efforts to identify and address challenges in the USDA Foods in Schools program. For example, the agency said it has conducted listening sessions with stakeholders and initiated actions based on the feedback. USDA also said it has used surveys and other formal research to inform the agency's priorities regarding the USDA Foods in Schools program. USDA said it will continue to engage with partner organizations to identify areas of concern and solutions. By September 30, 2024, USDA said it will identify and document additional opportunities to routinely and systematically collect information on challenges pertaining to USDA Foods in Schools, whether through existing data collections or new opportunities. We will monitor the progress of these efforts." "School Meals: USDA Should Address Challenges in Its “Foods in Schools” Program",GAO-23-105697,"Jul 14, 2023","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Administrator of FNS establishes guidelines for timely communication with states on the USDA Foods in Schools program. For example, the guidelines could distinguish response times regarding specific orders and general policy questions. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"USDA agreed with this recommendation. The agency said it would seek input from state agencies about the best way to meet their needs regarding communication for USDA Foods in Schools. USDA also said its Food and Nutrition Service and Agricultural Marketing Service would work jointly to ensure communication is as timely as possible and develop guidelines for response times by September 30, 2024. We will monitor the progress of these efforts and await the establishment of guidelines." "School Meals: USDA Should Address Challenges in Its “Foods in Schools” Program",GAO-23-105697,"Jul 14, 2023","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Administrator of FNS systematically identifies and shares promising practices and lessons learned with states related to the USDA Foods in Schools program, for example, by creating a repository or toolkit on the agency's public website that is accessible to all states. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"USDA agreed with this recommendation. The agency said it supports a variety of efforts to facilitate the sharing of promising practices through promoting state interaction and communication. By September 30, 2024, USDA said it will assess the multitude of resources available on the USDA Foods in Schools program and include additional resources as needed. USDA said it will also ensure those same resources are available in a repository on the public website. We will monitor the progress of these efforts." "Cloud Security: Selected Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices",GAO-23-105482,"May 18, 2023","David (Dave) Hinchman, Brian Bothwell","(214) 777-5719, (202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency fully documents the access authorizations for its selected PaaS system. (Recommendation 1)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"In September 2023, Agriculture officials described their plans for addressing our recommendation. Specifically, the officials stated that they will review their existing identity, credential and access management procedures, and will document the access authorizations for the selected system. In January 2024, the agency provided documentation of its procedures for the system's authorization process. However, the procedures did not document the access authorizations for the system. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address our recommendation." "Cloud Security: Selected Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices",GAO-23-105482,"May 18, 2023","David (Dave) Hinchman, Brian Bothwell","(214) 777-5719, (202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency fully implements continuous monitoring for its selected PaaS system, to include reviewing the continuous monitoring deliverables from the CSP and committing to a time frame to review audit logs. (Recommendation 2)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"In September 2023, Agriculture officials described their plans for addressing our recommendation. Specifically, the officials stated that they plan to develop and adopt procedures that detail the process for implementing and documenting continuous monitoring for its selected system. According to the officials, the procedures would include the review of continuous monitoring deliverables from the cloud service provider, and the frequency for review of audit logs. In January 2024, the agency provided documentation of its continuous monitoring procedures. The procedures including, among other things, steps for reviewing the continuous monitoring deliverables from the CSP. However, the agency did not provide documentation showing that these efforts were implemented. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address our recommendation." "Cloud Security: Selected Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices",GAO-23-105482,"May 18, 2023","David (Dave) Hinchman, Brian Bothwell","(214) 777-5719, (202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency fully implements continuous monitoring for its selected SaaS system 1, to include reviewing the continuous monitoring deliverables from the CSP and committing to a time frame to review audit logs. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"In September 2023, Agriculture stated that they plan to review continuous monitoring reports from the cloud service provider (CSP) on a monthly basis. In addition, the officials stated that they plan to document their review using a continuous monitoring checklist. In January 2024, officials stated that the CSP's continuous monitoring deliverables at the departmental level. However, as of February 2024, we have not received documentation demonstrating that these reviews are performed. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address our recommendation." "Cloud Security: Selected Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices",GAO-23-105482,"May 18, 2023","David (Dave) Hinchman, Brian Bothwell","(214) 777-5719, (202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency fully implements continuous monitoring for its selected SaaS system 2, to include reviewing the continuous monitoring deliverables from the CSP. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"In September 2023, Agriculture stated that they plan to review continuous monitoring reports from the cloud service provider (CSP) on a monthly basis. In addition, the officials stated that they plan to document their review using a continuous monitoring checklist. In January 2024, officials stated that the CSP's continuous monitoring deliverables at the departmental level. However, as of February 2024, we have not received documentation demonstrating that these reviews are performed. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address our recommendation." "Cloud Security: Selected Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices",GAO-23-105482,"May 18, 2023","David (Dave) Hinchman, Brian Bothwell","(214) 777-5719, (202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency provides the authorization letter to the FedRAMP PMO for its selected SaaS system 2. (Recommendation 6)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"In September 2023, Agriculture officials described their plans for addressing our recommendation. Specifically, the officials stated that they plan to develop procedures, including guidance, for addressing the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) requirements. In February 2024, the agency provided its FedRAMP Standard Operating Procedures. The procedures include requirements for providing authorization letters to the FedRAMP program management office (PMO). However, the agency did not provide evidence that it had provided the letter to FedRAMP PMO for its selected SaaS system 2. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address our recommendation." "Cloud Security: Selected Agencies Need to Fully Implement Key Practices",GAO-23-105482,"May 18, 2023","David (Dave) Hinchman, Brian Bothwell","(214) 777-5719, (202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the agency's contracts with CSPs include requirements for the service providers to comply with FedRAMP security authorization requirements. (Recommendation 7)",Open,No,"In September 2023, Agriculture officials stated that they planned to coordinate with the agency's Office of Contracting and Procurement to ensure that contracts with cloud service providers (CSP) include requirements for them to comply with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) security authorization requirements. In February 2024, USDA officials stated that the agency had updated its contracts with CSPs. The agency provided documentation, including its contracting desk book and the agency's cloud strategy. However, our review of these documents found that they did not include policies to ensure that the agency's contracts with CSPs include requirements for the service providers to comply with FedRAMP security authorization requirements. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address our recommendation." "School Meal Programs: USDA Could Enhance Implementation of the Buy American Provision",GAO-23-105884,"Apr 13, 2023","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Administrator of FNS develops a standard form that school food authorities can use to document their reasons for using exceptions from the Buy American provision, and disseminates that form through state agencies. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"FNS concurred with this recommendation and stated that it will develop a standard form that school food authorities can use to document information related to the Buy American provision when utilizing exceptions. FNS noted that in developing the form, it will consider topical comments on the Buy American provision included in the proposed rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published in February 2023. FNS plans to issue the final rule in early 2024, and subsequently plans to provide state agencies and school food authorities with the standard form for the 2024-2025 school year that begins in July 2024. We will monitor the progress of these efforts." "Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Agencies Should Track Progress Toward Ambitious Federal Goals [Reissued with Revisions May 17, 2023]",GAO-23-105300,"May 17, 2023","Heather Krause","(202) 512-2834","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should coordinate with DOT and DOE to develop and incorporate into the Grand Challenge Roadmap performance measures that enable the agencies to evaluate their actions and the effect of policy on SAF production and communicate the extent to which SAF is poised to contribute to larger aviation greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"USDA agreed with, but has not fully addressed, this recommendation. As of February 2024, officials from DOT, DOE, and USDA reported they are in the process of developing metrics to track the progress of the Grand Challenge and address GAO's recommendations, which were made in March 2023. These officials reported these metrics will be included in the forthcoming Grand Challenge Implementation Framework, which will be issued after each department has approved the document, in late March 2024 at the earliest. According to the officials, these metrics will also be included in the Grand Challenge Progress Report, which will be issued after the Implementation Framework. To close the recommendation, performance measures need to be developed and incorporated into such reports that are associated with the roadmap. Incorporating performance measures could help enable the three departments better manage fragmentation by monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of their actions and communicate and report on the extent to which sustainable aviation fuel is poised to contribute to larger aviation greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. GAO will continue to monitor USDA's efforts regarding this recommendation." "Climate Change: Options to Enhance the Resilience of Agricultural Producers and Reduce Federal Fiscal Exposure",GAO-23-104557,"Feb 16, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Climate Change Program Office, located within the Office of the Chief Economist, analyzes the options to enhance the climate resilience of agricultural producers that were identified in this report and integrates them, as appropriate, into USDA's future climate resilience prioritization and planning efforts. Such analysis should include an explanation of USDA's decision to prioritize or not prioritize the options identified in this report and the identification of any additional authority and resources that USDA would need to implement the options. (Recommendation 1)",Open,Yes,"USDA agreed with the recommendation. According to the Statement of Action included in the Department's response letter sent on June 6th, 2023, USDA will integrate the evaluation of GAO's 13 options into its ongoing climate adaptation efforts. Specifically, USDA''s Statement of Action said that, beginning in calendar year 2023, the Department will include an analysis of the 13 policy options GAO identified to help enhance the resilience of agricultural producers in its revised Departmental-level Action Plan for Climate Adaptation and Resilience. We will continue to assess USDA's progress towards completing this analysis." "Abandoned Hardrock Mines: Land Management Agencies Should Improve Reporting of Total Cleanup Costs",GAO-23-105408,"Feb 13, 2023","Cardell Johnson, Nathan Anderson","(202) 512-3841, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should require the inclusion of available cleanup cost estimates from documents, such as records of decision and site investigation studies, in NEAT, so that more precise information can be considered for program management and decision-making. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information." "Thrifty Food Plan: Better Planning and Accountability Could Help Ensure Quality of Future Reevaluations",GAO-23-105450,"Dec 14, 2022","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should develop and document a process to ensure that TFP reevaluations follow the project management practice of creating a comprehensive project management plan that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, controlled, and closed and, in addition to a project schedule, includes:a risk management plan that manages operational risk and applies controls to ensure the project meets its objectives.a quality management plan that describes how the project will be monitored and controlled based on applicable USDA and other federal quality standards.a stakeholder engagement plan outlining all of the relevant stakeholders that must be included in the reevaluation and their respective roles for achieving qualitya requirements management plan that establishes how the project requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"USDA did not explicitly agree or disagree with this recommendation. As of December 2023, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) developed and documented a more formal project management guidance for use by agency staff, including a project management plan template. The project management plan template includes sections prompting the project team to describe and reference the project schedule, a strategy for risk management (or a full risk management plan for complex projects), and the general approach to managing project quality. The template also includes a section prompting the team to list all internal and external stakeholders, and a section to describe the project's approach to conveying clear, consistent, and timely information to stakeholders. FNS officials stated that the section in the template addressing the project's scope outlines the project requirements, and a supplemental ""requirements"" template focuses on the analysis, documentation, and management of those requirements. However, as of February 2024, FNS officials have not provided that supplemental template. In addition, the section of the template on quality does not prompt the project team to describe how the project will be monitored and controlled based on applicable USDA and other federal quality standards, as we recommended. Beyond the templates, FNS stated that its Office of the Administrator provided a brown bag training to staff on the templates and tools and created a project management matrix to help project managers determine when to use the templates. Projects concluding with a product including extensive research, service, or results--such as the Thrifty Food Plan reevaluation--are required to have project documentation, including a project management plan. Finally, the agency re-initiated its Project Management Community of Practice to further equip project managers with tools and best practices to manage projects agency-wide. We will continue to review FNS's actions with respect to this recommendation and will consider it addressed when we receive documentation of the supplemental requirements template, which we have requested, and additional guidance to project teams to describe how the project will be monitored and controlled based on applicable USDA and other federal quality standards." "Thrifty Food Plan: Better Planning and Accountability Could Help Ensure Quality of Future Reevaluations",GAO-23-105450,"Dec 14, 2022","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should consult with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and designate the TFP as a ""highly influential scientific assessment"" subject to more stringent OMB guidance concerning peer review. (Recommendation 5)",Open,No,"USDA did not explicitly agree or disagree with this recommendation. In December 2023, USDA stated that the agency consulted with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to determine if the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) should be designated a ""highly influential scientific assessment"" subject to more stringent OMB guidance concerning peer review. The agency said that it is in the process of finalizing further information regarding the outcome of the consultation. We will close this recommendation when USDA provides documentation of its consultation with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and designates the TFP as a highly influential scientific assessment." "Thrifty Food Plan: Better Planning and Accountability Could Help Ensure Quality of Future Reevaluations",GAO-23-105450,"Dec 14, 2022","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should establish specific quality assurance guidelines for TFP reevaluations that will ensure methodological decisions meet key quality standards for an analysis that will affect public policy and inform policy makers. These guidelines should summarize applicable USDA and other federal quality standards and should describe how such standards will be embedded in future TFPs. These guidelines should ensure that future TFP reports have:clear rationales linked to the objective and scope of the analysis;consideration of alternatives based in evidence, including important economic effects;underlying analysis of economic effects associated with decisions; where important economic effects cannot be quantified, the analysis explains how they affect the comparison of alternatives;transparent description of analytical choices, assumptions and data, including explanation of key limitations in the data and methods used; andadequate documentation included in the analysis; the analysis should document that it complies with a robust quality assurance process. (Recommendation 6)",Open,Yes,"USDA did not explicitly agree or disagree with this recommendation. In February 2024, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) stated that the agency would follow the same quality assurance guidelines for the 2026 reevaluation as it did for the ""Thrifty Food Plan Cost Estimates for Alaska and Hawaii"" report. For example, the report included information on the objectives of the analyses, alternatives considered, and sensitivity analyses. In addition, FNS published an ""Initial Study Plan: Thrifty Food Plan, 2026."" This document outlines several quality assurance commitments for the 2026 reevaluation, such as publishing the initial and a final study plan and the project management plan on FNS's website; conducting the TFP reevaluation in alignment with USDA's Scientific Integrity Policy; following analytic best practices, collaboration with experts, and external peer review; and ensuring transparency by disclosing key information in the final TFP report. However, this initial study plan does not lay out specific quality assurance guidelines or controls, such as a checklist, to ensure the reevaluation team is aware of and held accountable for key quality assurance steps and standards. By contrast, as we noted in our report, USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) has published specific quality guidelines for its data products. For example, these standards state that all products are thoroughly reviewed by knowledgeable staff prior to dissemination to verify the accuracy and validity of the data, and that the procedures used to conduct this review must be documented and available upon request. ERS also has turned these guidelines into a checklist for product quality review. We will close this recommendation when USDA provides documentation of specific quality assurance standards that would apply to future TFP reevaluations." "Thrifty Food Plan: Better Planning and Accountability Could Help Ensure Quality of Future Reevaluations",GAO-23-105450,"Dec 14, 2022","Kathy Larin","(202) 512-7215","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that FNS designs, documents, and implements key internal controls related to data processing, including standards and procedures for review of the computer code used in generating the TFP Market Baskets. (Recommendation 7)",Open,No,"USDA did not explicitly agree or disagree with this recommendation. In June 2023, USDA stated that the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has designed, documented, and implemented expanded internal controls related to data processing, including review of the computer code. In December 2023, USDA stated that FNS implemented these controls and described them in the ""Thrifty Food Plan Cost Estimates for Alaska and Hawaii"" report, published in July 2023. Specifically, according to FNS, the calculations were performed independently by two economists and data management and analysis results were compared at each step. The economists worked collaboratively to identify and resolve any inconsistencies and confirmed their final analyses yielded consistent results. However, FNS has not provided documentation of these controls or confirmed they will be used in future Thrifty Food Plan reevaluations. We will close this recommendation when we receive this documentation." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should expand the departmental regulation on reorganizations to more fully reflect leading practices on agency reforms, such as documenting performance measures and enhancing employee engagement. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"As of August 2023, USDA was in the process of reviewing its departmental regulation on reorganization. Officials stated that they may consider the recommended expansion and incorporate changes, where applicable, when the regulation is revised. GAO will re-evaluate the status of the recommendation once the departmental regulation is finalized." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should expand the departmental regulation on reorganizations to apply its guidance to all departmental reorganizations and require documentation of the reasons for any deviation from the departmental regulation, including for decisions by the Secretary to do so. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"As of August 2023, USDA was in the process of reviewing its departmental regulation on reorganization. Officials stated that they may consider the recommended expansion and documentation requirements but had not done so yet. GAO will re-evaluate the status of the recommendation once the departmental regulation is finalized." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary should require ERS to more fully follow leading practices for strategic workforce planning, such as documenting a strategic workforce plan and agency succession plans. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"As of February 2024, GAO is assessing the actions reported by the agency." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary should require NIFA to more fully follow leading practices for strategic workforce planning, such as documenting a strategic workforce plan and agency succession plans. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"As of February 2024, GAO is assessing the actions reported by the agency." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary should require ERS to more fully follow leading practices for training and development, such as planning for, designing, implementing, and evaluating training and development programs and efforts. (Recommendation 5)",Open,No,"As of February 2024, GAO is assessing the actions reported by the agency." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary should require NIFA to more fully follow leading practices for training and development, such as planning for, designing, implementing, and evaluating training and development programs and efforts. (Recommendation 6)",Open,No,"As of February 2024, GAO is assessing the actions reported by the agency." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary should require ERS to more fully follow leading practices for diversity management, such as developing a strategy for sustaining diversity and inclusion and documenting ongoing succession and recruiting planning processes. (Recommendation 7)",Open,No,"As of February 2024, GAO is assessing the actions reported by the agency." "Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce",GAO-23-104709,"Jan 13, 2023","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary should require NIFA to more fully follow leading practices for diversity management, such as developing a strategy for sustaining diversity and inclusion and documenting ongoing succession and recruiting planning processes. (Recommendation 8)",Open,No,"As of February 2024, GAO is assessing the actions reported by the agency." "National School Lunch Program: USDA Could Enhance Assistance to States and Schools in Providing Seafood to Students",GAO-23-105179,"Nov 17, 2022","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should develop a plan to enhance its assistance to states and school food authorities in providing seafood to students through the National School Lunch Program. Actions described in such a plan could build upon information that GAO collected regarding factors that selected states and school food authorities said have affected their efforts to provide more seafood to students through the program. The plan could also incorporate USDA's experience and lessons learned from previous efforts aimed at enhancing the variety and availability of other food products, such as dairy products and unprocessed fruits and vegetables. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"USDA agreed with our recommendation to develop a plan to enhance its assistance to states and school food authorities in providing seafood to students through the National School Lunch Program. Actions described in such a plan could build upon information that GAO collected regarding factors that selected states and school food authorities (SFAs) said have affected their efforts to provide more seafood to students through the program. USDA developed a plan with activities it carried out in 2023 that included updating some training and a food buying guide. The plan, however, does not discuss if and how the agency will the use the information GAO collected regarding factors that selected states and SFAs said affected their efforts to provide more seafood, nor does the plan identify agency activities beyond 2023, which would signal a continuing effort. In addition, the plan does not discuss the use of the domestic seafood vendors list that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will provide to USDA. Information on NOAA's domestic seafood vendor list would also allow states and SFA officials to identify local vendors on their own, which would also enable them to more easily purchase seafood directly. We will continue to monitor USDA efforts to implement this recommendation." "Broadband: USDA Should Set Performance Goals and Improve Fraud Risk Management for Funding Program",GAO-23-105265,"Nov 30, 2022","Andrew Von Ah","(202) 512-2834","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct ReConnect program officials to establish program specific performance goals and use them to manage the program. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"Previously, USDA said it will develop performance goals for ReConnect. In January 2024, USDA officials said they expect to complete this work by the end of June 2024. GAO will continue to monitor the agency's progress in implementing this recommendation." "Broadband: USDA Should Set Performance Goals and Improve Fraud Risk Management for Funding Program",GAO-23-105265,"Nov 30, 2022","Andrew Von Ah","(202) 512-2834","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should document that the Office of the Chief Risk Officer is the dedicated entity to design and oversee fraud risk management activities in the ReConnect program and outline this office's responsibilities consistent with leading practices as provided in our Fraud Risk Framework. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"Previously, USDA said it is working to align fraud risk management activities for ReConnect with GAO's Fraud Risk Framework. Further, the agency expects to provide GAO with additional documentation regarding the Office of the Chief Risk Officer as the dedicated entity to oversee fraud risk management activities for ReConnect. In January 2024, USDA officials said they expect to complete this work by the end of June 2024. GAO will continue to monitor the agency's progress in implementing this recommendation." "Broadband: USDA Should Set Performance Goals and Improve Fraud Risk Management for Funding Program",GAO-23-105265,"Nov 30, 2022","Andrew Von Ah","(202) 512-2834","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Office of the Chief Risk Officer conducts and documents a fraud risk assessment for the ReConnect program that aligns with the leading practices outlined in our Fraud Risk Framework. (Recommendation 3)",Open,No,"Previously, USDA said it plans to conduct and document a series of activities that will culminate in the production of the ReConnect program's fraud risk profile. In October 2023, USDA officials said they expect to complete this work in June 2024. GAO will continue to monitor the agency's progress in implementing this recommendation." "Privacy: Dedicated Leadership Can Improve Programs and Address Challenges",GAO-22-105065,"Sep 22, 2022","Jennifer Franks, Marisol Cruz Cain","(404) 679-1831, (202) 512-5017","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should establish a time frame for incorporating privacy into an organization-wide risk management strategy that includes a determination of risk tolerance, and develop and document this strategy. (Recommendation 6)",Open,No,"The Department of Agriculture stated that it generally agreed with the findings and recommendations in our report. As of February 2023, the department stated that its Office of Budget and Program Analysis will incorporate privacy and a process for developing risk tolerance into the USDA Enterprise Risk Management strategy through departmental guidance. It estimated completing these efforts by the end of December 2023. Once the department states that it has taken action, we plan to verify whether implementation has occurred." "Tribal Economic Development: Action is Needed to Better Understand the Extent of Federal Support",GAO-22-105215,"Aug 30, 2022","William B. Shear, Anna Maria Ortiz","(202) 512-8678, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Director of USDA's Office of Tribal Relations, in coordination with tribes, should establish a plan for periodically analyzing and publicly reporting the amount of economic development assistance provided to tribal entities by USDA and using that analysis to identify opportunities to improve assistance to tribal entities. This could include leveraging methods already used by specific USDA program offices such as Rural Development (Recommendation 4)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"USDA has taken steps to address the recommendation. For example, in May 2023, USDA's Office of Tribal Relations produced an action plan in response to the recommendation. Additionally, for FY2022 and FY2023, USDA's Office of Tribal Relations analyzed data and publicly reported on tribal obligations for relevant USDA Farm Service and Rural Development programs. In order to fully implement the recommendation, USDA's Office of Tribal Services should work closely with and inquire about the steps the Farm Service Agency has taken to explore additional data analysis methods beyond self-reported data to understand the reach of that agency's programs/funding in tribal communities." "Tribal Funding: Actions Needed to Improve Information on Federal Funds That Benefit Native Americans",GAO-22-104602,"May 19, 2022","Beryl (Berri) H. Davis, Anna Maria Ortiz","(202) 512-2623, (202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Office of Tribal Relations and the Office of Budget and Program Analysis develop a formal process to ensure meaningful and timely input from tribal officials when formulating budget requests and program reauthorization proposals for programs serving tribes and their members. (Recommendation 6)",Open,No,"The Department of Agriculture neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation, but indicated that it is in the process of updating its consultation policy. We will continue to follow-up with the agency to determine what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation." "USDA Market Facilitation Program: Stronger Adherence to Quality Guidelines Would Improve Future Economic Analyses",GAO-22-468,"Dec 20, 2021","Kimberly Gianopoulos","(202) 512-8612","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Office of the Chief Economist revises its internal review process to help ensure that USDA internal reviews of future economic analyses address the transparency of its documentation of the analyses. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"In June 2022, and again in September 2023, USDA reiterated that it disagreed with our recommendations. USDA stated that the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) conducted the analysis in accordance with USDA Information Quality Guidelines and published the data sources, methodology, and assumptions underlying the analysis in two methodology reports posted to the OCE website and in the rulemaking Cost Benefit Analysis. However, OCE's published documentation did not transparently describe, to the extent possible, the 2019 MFP baseline methodology or OCE's selection of the elasticity values used in its economic model from among the available estimates, as USDA Information Quality Guidelines require. In February 2024, USDA OCE stated that it had not revised, and did not have plans to revise, its internal review process to ensure the documentation of its analysis is transparent since the publication of GAO's report in November 2021." "USDA Market Facilitation Program: Stronger Adherence to Quality Guidelines Would Improve Future Economic Analyses",GAO-22-468,"Dec 20, 2021","Kimberly Gianopoulos","(202) 512-8612","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Office of the Chief Economist revises its internal review process to help ensure that USDA internal reviews assess whether future economic analyses use representative baselines. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"In June 2022, and again in September 2023, USDA reiterated that it disagreed with our recommendations. USDA stated that GAO's findings with respect to the 2019 baseline and payment levels do not take into account that USDA policy makers, not the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE), made those determinations. However, though OCE did not make the policy decision, it provided options to policy makers that directly affected the program spending levels and payment rates, and we found that OCE's analysis did not meet USDA Information Quality Guidelines. OCE presented an option to policymakers that relied on an unrepresentative baseline for the 2019 MFP. In February 2024, USDA OCE stated that it had not revised, and did not have plans to revise, its internal review process to ensure the baselines in its analysis are representative since the publication of GAO's report in November 2021." "Small Business Research Programs: Agencies Should Further Improve Award Timeliness",GAO-22-104677,"Oct 14, 2021","Candice N. Wright","(202) 512-6888","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should evaluate the effectiveness of steps taken to improve SBIR award timeliness and take any necessary additional steps in order to consistently meet SBA award timeliness guidelines. (Recommendation 3)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"In its March 2022 letter responding to our report, USDA concurred with this recommendation. In its letter, USDA said it would take actions to implement the recommendation, including requesting the same review award timeline allowances afforded to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In further documentation provided to GAO in March 2022, USDA stated it would pursue legislative action to request extended timeframes. Furthermore, USDA provided documentation describing how it is taking a more aggressive approach in managing its SBIR program timelines, such as by increasing email reminders to staff to ensure their Phase I panel managers were in place prior to solicitation, and holding awardee selection meetings after each of the 10 SBIR topic area panels concluded rather than waiting for all panels to conclude. Our evaluation of USDA's SBIR award data shows that, initially, USDA's timeliness improved from FY2020 to FY2021. Going forward, we will follow up to obtain data on USDA's SBIR award timeliness in subsequent fiscal years to determine if these actions result in the agency being able to consistently meet SBA's award timeliness guidelines. We will provide an update as additional data are available." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of establishing and maintaining a workforce planning process. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of developing competency and staffing requirements. (Recommendation 5)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of assessing competency and staffing needs regularly. (Recommendation 6)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of assessing gaps in competencies and staffing. (Recommendation 7)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of developing strategies and plans to address gaps in competencies and staffing. (Recommendation 8)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of implementing activities that address gaps in competencies and staffing. (Recommendation 9)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of monitoring the agency's progress in addressing competency and staffing gaps. (Recommendation 10)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Business Center Chief Operating Officer to have the FPAC mission area implement the key IT workforce planning activity of reporting to agency leadership on progress in addressing competency and staffing gaps. (Recommendation 11)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Workforce Steering Committee had updated the technical competencies for its IT workforce. Subsequently the FPAC Human Resources group used the updated competencies to develop a competency assessment process. However, agency officials stated that that the assessment process was put on hold. FPAC officials noted that in August 2023 they began the process of restarting the competency assessments. We will continue to review FPAC's progress in this area." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Assistant Chief Information Officer to have the FPAC mission area develop a strategic plan, in alignment with departmental policies and procedures, to include performance goals and measures for maximizing efficiencies and reducing IT duplication and overlap. (Recommendation 12)",Open,Yes,"As of February 2024, the department stated that FPAC's mission area IT strategic plan was still in the review and approval process. Agency officials did not provide an estimated completion date. We will continue to monitor the status of this recommendation." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Assistant Chief Information Officer to have the FPAC mission area monitor IT program performance against efficiency goals and measures documented in its plan for maximizing efficiencies and reducing IT duplication and overlap. (Recommendation 13)",Open,Yes,"In August 2023, agency officials noted that they were developing metrics dependent on the FPAC IT strategic plan. However, as of February 2024, the IT strategic plan was still in the review approval process. We will continue to monitor the status of this recommendation." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Director for Customer Experience to establish baselines and measures for customer service performance, and targets and goals associated with the progress. (Recommendation 14)",Open,No,"In August 2023, USDA officials stated that as of December 2021, the FPAC Customer Service division had gathered feedback, and completed analysis of the 2020 Producer Satisfaction Survey. They further stated that they had developed performance indicators associated with improving customer experience feedback and customer experience support. Additionally, the officials stated that they had developed several indicators associated with these improvements. However, the agency has yet to provide us with documentation for the above activities. We will continue to monitor the status of this recommendation." "IT Modernization: USDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area",GAO-21-512,"Sep 23, 2021","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) directs the Director for Customer Experience to establish a timeframe for releasing the customer service survey results and plans for addressing the customer feedback to the public. (Recommendation 15)",Open,No,"In August 2023, agency officials stated that the FPAC Customer Service division had gathered feedback and completed analysis of the 2020 Producer Satisfaction Survey by December 2021. They also stated that they had developed plans for addressing customer service feedback. However, the agency has yet to provide us with the documentation. We will continue to monitor the status of this recommendation." "Biodefense: After-Action Findings and COVID-19 Response Revealed Opportunities to Strengthen Preparedness",GAO-21-513,"Aug 4, 2021","Christopher P. Currie","(404) 679-1875","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture, should, with input from key nonfederal partners, work through the Biodefense Steering Committee to ensure that the Biodefense Coordination Team defines the set of capabilities needed to prepare for and respond to nationally significant biological incidents. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"USDA concurred with our recommendation and described Biodefense Coordination Team efforts to identify capabilities necessary for advancing the goals and objectives of the National Biodefense Strategy. In March 2022, officials from USDA reported that a prior presidential memorandum establishing processes and leadership for the biodefense enterprise, was undergoing revision. In August 2022, USDA officials reported that they were working with other interagency partners to address our recommendation. In October 2022, the White House released an updated National Biodefense Strategy and associated implementation plan. As of January 2024, we have started new work to assess the updated National Biodefense Strategy and its associated implementation plan. As part of this work, we will determine if the changes meet the intent of our recommendation, or if agencies need to take action to meet that intent." "Biodefense: After-Action Findings and COVID-19 Response Revealed Opportunities to Strengthen Preparedness",GAO-21-513,"Aug 4, 2021","Christopher P. Currie","(404) 679-1875","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should work through the Biodefense Steering Committee to ensure that the Biodefense Coordination Team establishes a process to periodically assess and communicate exercise priorities among the capabilities they identify to support nationally significant biological incidents. (Recommendation 8)",Open,No,"USDA concurred with our recommendation and described avenues that the Biodefense Coordination Team could use to help identify and communicate exercise priorities, such as creating an exercise working group. In March 2022, officials from USDA reported that a prior presidential memorandum, which established processes and leadership for the biodefense enterprise, including the coordination team, was undergoing revision. In August 2022, USDA officials reported that they are working with other interagency partners to address our recommendation. In October 2022, the White House released an updated National Biodefense Strategy and associated implementation plan. As of January 2024, we have started new work to assess the updated National Biodefense Strategy and its associated implementation plan. As part of this work, we will determine if the changes meet the intent of our recommendation, or if agencies need to take action to meet that intent." "Biodefense: After-Action Findings and COVID-19 Response Revealed Opportunities to Strengthen Preparedness",GAO-21-513,"Aug 4, 2021","Christopher P. Currie","(404) 679-1875","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should work through the Biodefense Steering Committee to ensure that the Biodefense Coordination Team provides guidance for federal and nonfederal partners for how to report on capabilities in after-action reports for exercises and real-world incidents in a consistent manner. (Recommendation 12)",Open,No,"USDA concurred with our recommendation. In March 2022, officials from USDA reported that a prior presidential memorandum, which established processes and leadership for the biodefense enterprise, including the coordination team, was undergoing revision. In August 2022, USDA officials reported that they are working with other interagency partners to address our recommendation. In October 2022, the White House released an updated National Biodefense Strategy and associated implementation plan. As of January 2024, we have started new work to assess the updated National Biodefense Strategy and its associated implementation plan. As part of this work, we will determine if the changes meet the intent of our recommendation, or if agencies need to take action to meet that intent." "Biodefense: After-Action Findings and COVID-19 Response Revealed Opportunities to Strengthen Preparedness",GAO-21-513,"Aug 4, 2021","Christopher P. Currie","(404) 679-1875","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should work through the Biodefense Steering Committee to ensure that the Biodefense Coordination Team routinely monitors the results of interagency biological exercises and real-world incidents to identify patterns of challenges and potential root causes of identified challenges, and reports these to the Biodefense Steering Committee along with recommendations for addressing the root causes that also identify the responsible agencies. (Recommendation 16)",Open,No,"USDA concurred with our recommendation. In March 2022, officials from USDA reported that a prior presidential memorandum, which established processes and leadership for the biodefense enterprise, including the coordination team, was undergoing revision. In August 2022, USDA officials reported that they are working with other interagency partners to address our recommendation. In October 2022, the White House released an updated National Biodefense Strategy and associated implementation plan. As of January 2024, we have started new work to assess the updated National Biodefense Strategy and its associated implementation plan. As part of this work, we will determine if the changes meet the intent of our recommendation, or if agencies need to take action to meet that intent." "Farm Programs: USDA Should Take Additional Steps to Ensure Compliance with Wetland Conservation Provisions",GAO-21-241,"May 4, 2021","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service instructs state and field offices to consistently report any potential violations they observe. (Recommendation 5)",Open,No,"As of August 2022, the agency has not implemented this recommendation. In commenting on our draft report, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) agreed that policy clarification is needed and said the agency would develop policy that clearly identifies when NRCS will submit reports of potential violations." "Food Safety: FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Existing Efforts to Prepare for Oversight of Cell-Cultured Meat",GAO-20-325,"May 7, 2020","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, should more fully incorporate the seven leading practices for effective collaboration in the agencies' interagency agreement for the joint oversight of cell-cultured meat. (Recommendation 2)",Open,No,"FDA and USDA partially concurred with this recommendation. FDA stated that it concurred with the intent of incorporating the seven leading practices into the interagency agreement, and both agencies said that they are open to incorporating the practices into their development of the structure for joint oversight of cell-cultured meat. However, the agencies stated that they did not agree to revise the agreement at this time. FDA and USDA stated that the agreement is a general framework and that incorporating the leading practices would constitute an inappropriate level of detail. Instead, the agencies stated that they believe it would be most valuable to incorporate the leading practices into a more detailed joint framework or standard operating procedure they plan to issue. We appreciate the agencies' willingness to incorporate the leading practices for effective collaboration into their efforts. The March 2019 interagency agreement states that the agencies have the ability to modify it as needed and will review the agreement every 3 years to determine whether they should modify or terminate it. Therefore, the agencies were due to revisit the agreement in March 2022, if not sooner. Regarding the agencies' concern that incorporating the leading practices in the interagency agreement would add an inappropriate level of detail, we note that, as we state in our report, the existing agreement already partially incorporates each of the seven leading practices. We continue to believe that FDA and USDA should more fully incorporate the seven leading practices for effective collaboration into their interagency agreement for the joint oversight of cell-cultured meat. Developing a more detailed joint framework or standard operating procedure in accordance with the existing interagency agreement that incorporates those leading practices would meet the intent of our recommendation to improve the effectiveness of the agencies' collaboration. As of January 2024, USDA and FDA had drafted a revised interagency agreement that was pending review and approval by the two agencies. We will review the revised agreement once it is finalized to see if it is responsive to our recommendation." "Critical Infrastructure Protection: Additional Actions Needed to Identify Framework Adoption and Resulting Improvements",GAO-20-299,"Feb 25, 2020","Vijay A. D'Souza","(202) 512-6240","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, should take steps to consult with respective sector partner(s), such as the SCC, DHS, and NIST, as appropriate, to collect and report sector-wide improvements from use of the framework across its critical infrastructure sector using existing initiatives. (Recommendation 2)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"USDA concurred with our recommendation and has taken steps towards implementing it. For example, USDA, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services has distributed multiple requests for information to sector members that include questions regarding framework adoption and improvements. In addition, USDA requested feedback from sector partners and made subsequent changes to its data calls. Despite these efforts, as of February 2024 USDA has not yet collected information regarding sector improvements resulting from use of the NIST cybersecurity framework. To fully implement this recommendation, USDA needs to collect and report on sector-wide improvements resulting from use of the framework. Until the department does so, it will not fully understand the value of the framework and approaches that could be prioritized in helping protect the food and agriculture sector from cyber threats. We will continue to monitor the agency's progress in implementing our recommendation." "USDA Administrative Services: More Could Be Done to Assess Effectiveness and Impact of Business Centers",GAO-20-243,"Feb 19, 2020","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct Departmental Administration to work with the mission areas to develop department-level outcome-oriented performance goals and related measures for the business centers, and use them to assess the effectiveness and impact of the business center reforms. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"In January 2020, USDA officials agreed with our recommendation and stated that the department is evaluating options for the development of performance metrics and inclusion of these metrics and related information as part of the regular and recurring reviews by the department's Deputy Secretary who is identified as the Chief Operating Officer. As of January 2024, we are following up with USDA regarding this recommendation." "Federal Property: Improved Monitoring, Oversight, and Data Would Help Understand Effects of Providing Property to Non-Federal Recipients",GAO-20-101,"Dec 20, 2019","Lori Rectanus","(202) 512-2834","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Office of Property and Fleet Management to consistently monitor property provided to non-federal recipients within 1 year of receipt, and to ensure property is being used for its intended purpose 1 year after initial monitoring. (Recommendation 1)",Open,No,"As of March 2024, we requested an updated from USDA regarding the status of its efforts to implement this recommendation. When USDA responds to our request, we will update the status of this recommendation accordingly." "Federal Property: Improved Monitoring, Oversight, and Data Would Help Understand Effects of Providing Property to Non-Federal Recipients",GAO-20-101,"Dec 20, 2019","Lori Rectanus","(202) 512-2834","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Office of Property and Fleet Management to establish clear processes to oversee property programs, including excess property provided to non-federal recipients across the agency. (Recommendation 4)",Open,No,"As of March 2024, we are in coordination with the Office of Inspector General to obtain an update from USDA regarding the status of its efforts to implement this recommendation. We are awaiting a response and will update the status of this recommendation accordingly." "Environmental Justice: Federal Efforts Need Better Planning, Coordination, and Methods to Assess Progress",GAO-19-543,"Oct 16, 2019","J. Alfredo Gómez","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture should issue a progress report on the department's environmental justice efforts each year. (Recommendation 10)","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"In April 2023, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the U.S. Digital Service published the first phase of a publicly available Environmental Justice (EJ) Scorecard, as directed by the February 2021 Executive Order 14008, ""Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad."" Additionally, in April 2023, the White House issued Executive Order 14096, ""Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All."" Executive Order 14096 builds on the foundational 1998 environmental justice Executive Order 12898 as well as Executive Order 14008. Executive Order 14096 directs agencies to develop an EJ strategic plan and submit to CEQ and make public an EJ assessment that evaluates the plan's effectiveness within two years, based on additional guidance to be provided by CEQ. This EJ assessment would fulfill the Executive Order 12898 requirement for agencies to submit annual EJ progress reports, and be included among other items in the EJ Scorecard. As of August 2023, USDA had taken some actions to report on its environmental justice progress, including publishing baseline information on the EJ Scorecard and preparing a progress report for fiscal year 2018. However, USDA has not continued to prepare progress reports for subsequent years as planned. We will continue to review the department's actions and provide updated information." "Critical Infrastructure Protection: Additional Actions Are Essential for Assessing Cybersecurity Framework Adoption",GAO-18-211,"Feb 15, 2018","Nick Marinos","(202) 512-9342","Department of Agriculture","The Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, should take steps to consult with respective sector partner(s), such as the sector coordinating council (SCC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NIST, as appropriate, to develop methods for determining the level and type of framework adoption by entities across their respective sector. (Recommendation 1)","Open--Partially Addressed",Yes,"USDA neither agreed nor disagreed with the recommendation, but stated that it would attempt to develop a measurement mechanism as part of its annual data calls to the Food and Agriculture Sector. USDA has taken steps towards determining framework adoption across the sector. For example, USDA has distributed several requests for information to sector members that include questions regarding framework adoption and resulting improvements. In addition, USDA requested feedback from sector partners and made subsequent changes to its data calls responses. Despite these efforts, as of February 2024, USDA has not yet received information from sector entities regarding their adoption of the NIST cybersecurity framework. To fully implement this recommendation, USDA needs to implement actions that will allow the agency to better assess framework adoption among entities within its sector. USDA has been encouraging and supporting the use of the framework. However, in order to assist in protecting critical infrastructure the agency needs to implement our recommendation so it can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the framework's use." "Small Business Contracting: Actions Needed to Demonstrate and Better Review Compliance with Select Requirements for Small Business Advocates",GAO-17-675,"Sep 25, 2017","William B. Shear","(202) 512-8678","Department of Agriculture","To address demonstrated noncompliance with section 15(k) of the Small Business Act, as amended, the Secretary of Agriculture should comply with sections 15(k)(2), (k)(15), and (k)(17) or report to Congress on why the agency has not complied, including seeking any statutory flexibilities or exceptions believed appropriate.",Open,No,"For section 15(k)(2), related to the compensation and seniority of the person heading the OSDBU office, and for section 15(k)(15), related to collateral duties, on September 13, 2018, an agency official stated that the agency currently does not have an OSDBU director. The official stated that the agency does not have an estimate for when this would occur because the director is appointed by the White House. We will continue to monitor USDA's efforts to address this part of the recommendation. For section 15(k)(17), related to undue restriction on the ability of small businesses to compete, an agency official stated that the OSDBU is working on an internal policy which will include guidelines for action. The official stated that the estimated completion date is January 2019. We will continue to monitor USDA's efforts to address this part of the recommendation." "Crop Insurance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Program Delivery and Reduce Costs",GAO-17-501,"Aug 24, 2017","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","To reduce year-to-year fluctuations in the administrative and operating expense subsidies that companies receive at the crop, state, and county levels, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of the Risk Management Agency to consider adjusting the administrative and operating expense subsidy calculation method in a way that reduces the effects of changes in premiums caused by changes in crop prices or other factors when it renegotiates the standard reinsurance agreement.",Open,Yes,"RMA stated it would take steps to implement this recommendation. According to a USDA official, to take action on this recommendation, USDA would need to renegotiate its agreement with insurance companies. As of October 2023, USDA had not taken action to implement this recommendation and it is unclear when USDA will renegotiate the agreement." "Rural Housing Service: Actions Needed to Strengthen Management of the Single Family Mortgage Guarantee Program",GAO-16-193,"May 2, 2016","Matthew Scirè","(202) 512-8678","Department of Agriculture","To improve compliance with OMB Circular A-129 standards and strengthen management and oversight of the guarantee program, and to strengthen risk assessment and reporting, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Undersecretary for Rural Development to improve performance measures comparing RHS and the Federal Housing Administration loan performance, potentially by making comparisons on a cohort basis and limiting comparisons to loans made in similar geographic areas.","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"Consistent with one aspect of our recommendation, RHS produces an internal quarterly report that includes a comparison of RHS and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan performance by state. However, the report does not include any cohort-level comparisons. In August 2023, RHS said it had implemented Moody's rating agency's Mortgage Portfolio Analyzer (MPA) and stated that this allowed RHS to make comparisons to FHA loan performance on a cohort basis and in similar geographic areas. RHS has used MPA to compare RHS and FHA expected portfolio-level losses under baseline and severely adverse environments. However, as of December 2023, RHS had not provided documentation that it uses MPA to compare RHS and FHA loan performance at the cohort level and in similar geographies. We maintain that these more detailed comparisons would be more meaningful than the portfolio-level comparisons RHS currently makes." "Genetically Engineered Crops: USDA Needs to Enhance Oversight and Better Understand Impacts of Unintended Mixing with Other Crops",GAO-16-241,"Apr 14, 2016","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","To improve USDA's ability to better understand the economic impacts of unintended mixing of GE and other crops, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to work with all relevant USDA stakeholders, including APHIS and the Organic Working Group, to determine what additional information should be sought in future organic surveys, such as the costs of reshipping and re-storing shipments rejected because of unintended GE presence, as well as the costs associated with finding new buyers for such shipments.",Open,No,"In its August 2016 Statement of Action on our report, USDA did not provide any new information on actions it has taken, if any, to implement this recommendation. For example, there was no indication whether stakeholders internal to the department had continued to meet to discuss the 2014 Organic Survey results and how to move forward with future survey questions to obtain additional data, such as data needed to better understand the economic impacts of unintended mixing with GE crops. As of February 2022, USDA did not have an update regarding the implementation of this recommendation. We will continue to follow up on USDA's efforts. As of December 2023, we are following up with USDA and will update this recommendation when we have additional information." "Genetically Engineered Crops: USDA Needs to Enhance Oversight and Better Understand Impacts of Unintended Mixing with Other Crops",GAO-16-241,"Apr 14, 2016","Steve Morris","(202) 512-3841","Department of Agriculture","To improve USDA's ability to better understand the economic impacts of unintended mixing of GE and other crops, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of NASS to include producers, growing identity-preserved crops, in addition to organic producers in USDA's survey efforts.",Open,No,"In its August 2016 Statement of Action on our report, USDA did not provide any new information on actions it has taken, if any, to implement this recommendation. We continue to believe that USDA should survey producers growing identity-preserved crops regarding their potential economic losses from unintended GE presence, as is being done for organic producers. As we previously reported, U.S. acreage planted to identity-preserved crops is significantly greater than that planted to organic crops; yet, little is known about the economic costs to identity-preserved farmers of unintended mixing. As of February 2022, USDA did not have an update regarding the implementation of this recommendation. We will continue to follow up on USDA's efforts. As of December 2023, we are following up with USDA and will update this recommendation when we have additional information." "Rural Housing Service: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Farm Labor Housing Program Management and Oversight",GAO-11-329,"Mar 30, 2011","A. Nikki Clowers",202-512-7114,"Department of Agriculture","To better ensure that requirements for tenant eligibility are met across the FLH portfolio, the Secretary of Agriculture should direct the Administrator of RHS to require its loan servicers to use the Systematic Alien Verification and Entitlements (SAVE) program administered by the Department of Homeland Security to verify tenant's residency status during supervisory reviews.",Open,No,"As of February 2024, USDA was taking steps to implement the use of electronic third-party verifications systems to establish tenant legal residency and income documentation. Officials reported that the draft rule incorporating the usage of Systematic Alien Verification and Entitlements (SAVE) program for verifying tenant residency is under departmental clearance review and they expect the rule to be finalized in late 2024. Officials reported they will not make any changes to its guidance to loans servicers on verifying tenants' residency until the rule is finalized. In addition, officials reported USDA is implementing a Computer Matching Agreement and System of Record Notice for verifying tenant income, which they anticipate will be finalized in 2024. We will continue to monitor USDA's progress in implementing our recommendation." "Community Development: Federal Revitalization Programs Are Being Implemented, but Data on the Use of Tax Benefits Are Limited",GAO-04-306,"Mar 5, 2004","William B. Shear",202-512-8678,"Department of Agriculture","To facilitate the administration, audit, and evaluation of the EZ/EC and RC programs, HUD, USDA, and IRS should collaborate to (1) identify the data needed to assess the use of the tax benefits and the various means of collecting such data; (2) determine the cost-effectiveness of collecting these data, including the potential impact on taxpayers and other program participants; (3) document the findings of their analysis; and, if necessary, (4) seek the authority to collect the data, if a cost- effective means is available.","Open--Partially Addressed",No,"In response to GAO's recommendation, officials from HUD, USDA, and IRS met to identify data needed to assess the use of the tax benefits and identified three means of collecting such data. These methods include (1) using existing data to extrapolate an estimate of the use of some tax benefits; however, such data would be limited to the national level; (2) changing tax return forms to indicate the Empowerment Zone or Renewal Community in which each benefit is claimed; and (3) surveying businesses located in Empowerment Zones and Renewal Communities about tax benefit use. They also discussed the cost-effectiveness of each of the data collection options. The IRS Director of Research, Analysis, and Statistics, sent a letter to GAO that documented these discussions and indicated that the agencies were unable to agree on a cost effective method of collecting the data. GAO has been told that none of the agencies plan to seek the authority to collect the data at this time."