The five agencies GAO reviewed used a variety of approaches to estimate and report improper payments related to Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (DRAA) funding, in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. Specifically, these agencies, which received approximately 94 percent of the $50 billion provided by DRAA, used various approaches regarding the following: (1) Est

Of the approximately $608 million spent by the Department of Commerce's (Commerce) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in fiscal years 2009 through 2013 on the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, NIST used most of the funds to directly support MEP centers. Specifically, NIST spent about $495 million on awards to centers and spent the rest on contracts, staff, agen

From fiscal years 2007 through 2010, the Emergency Relief Program received about $2.3 billion, of which $1.9 billion came from three supplemental appropriations compared with about $400 million authorized from the Highway Trust Fund. FHWA allocated this funding to 42 states and 3 territories to reduce the backlog of funding requests, with $485 million in unfunded requests remaining as of June 201

Fifty-four of the 56 eligible states and territories submitted applications requesting a total of about $1.4 billion in SSBCI funds. According to GAO's survey of SSBCI applicants, states plan to support 153 lending programs nationwide with SSBCI funds, 69 of which are new programs being created because of the SSBCI program. These lending programs include a variety of capital access programs and o

The Agreement would provide steadily decreasing assistance, totaling approximately $215 million, for fiscal years 2011 through 2024. The proposed assistance includes the following: (1) direct economic assistance ($107.5 million) for Palau government operations; (2) infrastructure project grants ($40 million) to build mutually agreed projects; (3) infrastructure maintenance fund ($28 million) for

States reported to Education the number of displaced students served quarterly, as required, but the total number of students served is unknown. Districts were required to report the number of displaced students enrolled in public and participating private schools on a specific date each quarter during the 2005-2006 school year. According to national data from Education, enrollment was highest in

USAID and State conduct TCB activities that are aligned with their primary goals, but TCB is secondary to the goals of other agencies. USAID and State have developed strategic plans that include TCB-focused goals. Aligned with these goals, USAID and State assist countries in negotiating and implementing trade agreements. In addition, USAID assists countries in taking advantage of economic growth

Federal, state, and local authorities are beginning to take steps to adapt to climate change. Federal agencies are beginning to respond to climate change systematically through an Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force formed to recommend key components for inclusion in a national adaptation strategy. Individual agencies are also beginning to consider adaptation actions. For example, in

The U.S. government plans to allocate about $918 million of the $1.14 billion in supplemental Haiti reconstruction funds available through the end of fiscal year 2012 to USAID and State. USAID and State plan to allocate $770 million and $148 million, respectively, to projects in three geographic regions of Haiti, selected for their development potential, and four key sectors: (1) infrastructure a

HAC has three primary programs that it uses to meet its goals of serving low-income rural areas: loan funds, technical assistance and training, and research and information. HAC has several types of loan funds. The Rural Housing Loan Fund helps rural organizations finance activities that are key to developing new housing but are often difficult to fund, such as surveying and appraising properties