Reports & Testimonies

Many mortgage companies aren't banks, meaning they don't take deposits to fund loans and help them withstand financial stress. Failure of these "nonbank" companies could severely affect mortgage markets. These companies service most of the loans in mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, a government-owned corporation. Ginnie Mae participated in a 2023 interagency exercise that simulated the failure of a large nonbank mortgage company. But...

The Navy has struggled to effectively maintain its combat surface ships. Our prior reports identified shortages of spare parts and trained personnel, postponed maintenance, and more. This Q&A review examines the Navy's budget process for sustaining its non-nuclear-powered combat ships, how much it requested and spent on maintenance, and the status of these maintenance challenges. The Navy: Received about $1 billion more than the $24.9...

Colleges provide many health services to students on campuses—including sexual and reproductive health care. College officials we interviewed said students face challenges accessing this care, such as misinformation, being unaware of services available on campus, and privacy concerns. For example, officials at most colleges we interviewed said that students were concerned that their use of sexual health services might be disclosed to their parents. Some...

States and school districts can compete for Department of Education grants. Applicants may increase their chances of success by addressing certain priorities. This Q&A covers these priorities, which officials said come from Education's general authority or from laws and regulations. Addressing overarching priorities can give applicants an edge in many grants. Since 2001, Education has published these 15 times. The most recent are from 2021...

The Child Care and Development Fund gives grants to states to subsidize child care for low-income families so parents can go to work, school, or job training. This is our 5th report on who is eligible for the subsidies and who got them. The number of children getting subsidies declined from 2 million in 2019 and 2020 to 1.8 million in 2021—about 15% of those...

While the IRS has made improvements to its customer service and systems, it continues to face challenges processing tax returns on time. The agency set a 13-day processing goal for individual paper returns but instead averaged 20. In addition, IRS responses to taxpayer mail continued to be delayed, with 66% considered late at the end of filing season. The agency has a webpage showing the...

Our Q&A report examines the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' process for expediting the review of permits affecting wetlands, streams, and aquatic resources. The Corps had made 23 agreements with public utilities, gas companies, and railroad carriers to receive money in exchange for expediting its permit process as of July 2, 2024. It issued over 3,600 permits under these agreements. Legally, the Corps must follow...

The public health workforce protects community health by tracking disease, inspecting water quality, and more. But there aren't enough public health workers in some occupations, e.g., nursing. The workforce also needs more skills—like data analytics—for complex tasks such as monitoring disease outbreaks. It's tough for public health departments to hire and retain these workers for many reasons, including stiff competition from other employers. To address...

Thousands of infants are diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing each year. The Department of Health and Human Services has a program that tracks infants' screening for and diagnosis of hearing loss. The program connects families with early intervention services to help prevent developmental delays. HHS required states to submit diversity and inclusion plans that target underserved populations to address disparities in access to...

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program provides billions of dollars annually to support low-income families and communities. Concerns have been raised about program funds being fraudulently misused or diverted. In 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services assessed fraud risks in the program. But its assessment wasn't fully consistent with leading fraud risk management practices. Also, HHS doesn't have a formal plan to...

As part of the U.S. response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, DOD has trained Ukrainian personnel on specific group operations, weapons, and leadership within a broader international effort. DOD prioritized a quick start to the training without fully identifying and planning for training needs. For example, sometimes the training didn't reflect the trainers' expertise, or needed equipment hadn't arrived in time. As a result, the...

Federal agencies rely on IT to carry out operations and fulfill their missions. Each year, the government invests more than $100 billion on IT. But for several decades, federal IT investments have often failed or cost more and taken longer to implement. Because of this, the federal government's IT management has been on our High Risk List since 2015. This report identifies 3 major challenges...

Federal oversight of food safety has been on our High Risk List since 2007. Yet, harmful bacteria in food sickens 1 in 6 Americans and kills thousands each year. Salmonella and Listeria are two bacteria commonly associated with foodborne illness. While some bacteria are normally found in meat and poultry, too much of it can make people sick. For example, in 2018 USDA designated Salmonella...

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation can protect uninsured deposits at a failed bank if the Treasury secretary determines that doing so would mitigate serious economic problems. This is known as the "systemic risk exception." The Treasury secretary invoked this exception for two banks that failed in March 2023. The secretary received recommendations from the FDIC and the Federal Reserve before making this decision, as required...

Since FY 2003, federal agencies have made $2.8 trillion in improper payments—i.e., payments that shouldn't have been made or were made in incorrect amounts. The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 requires agencies to manage and report their improper payments. This Q&A looks at how Inspectors General and the Office of Management and Budget meet their responsibilities under the act. When an IG finds an...

The Department of Health and Human Services funds a program aimed at providing services for young people who are aging out of the foster care system. States have the flexibility to decide what services to offer, which can include things like housing and employment assistance. For many years, states have returned millions of dollars to HHS—despite young people still needing these services. HHS officials plan...

An Environmental Protection Agency program assesses the safety of new chemicals. Chemical manufacturers praised some aspects of the program but shared concerns about unclear requirements, review delays, and more. EPA may face challenges implementing the program because it doesn't follow some key management practices. For example, effectively involving stakeholders—such as chemical manufacturers—could help clarify program requirements. Similarly, identifying resource needs could help EPA set and...

A "modular open systems approach" allows DOD to easily add or replace weapon parts over time—similar to plug-and-play computer parts. Deciding on this kind of approach early helps DOD save time and money on upgrades and maintenance later. DOD often cited short-term costs as a hurdle to this approach. But it didn't analyze whether those costs outweighed potential long-term benefits like faster upgrades. Also, DOD...

Community organizations can get Head Start grants to provide education and other early childhood services to children in poverty. If a community loses its grant recipient, another organization provides services temporarily. But parents have raised concerns about the quality of these interim services. We found that the Office of Head Start didn't always monitor programs to assess whether they met child safety and other standards...