What GAO Found GAO’s 2020 annual report identifies 168 new actions for Congress or executive branch agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government in 29 new mission areas and 10 existing areas. For example: The Department of Defense could potentially save hundreds of millions of...
What GAO Found The F-35 program is at risk of missing its test schedule and not meeting manufacturing leading practices. In 2019, the F-35 program conducted much of its planned operational testing but extended the schedule by 9 months, which delays the program's full-rate production decision to between...
What GAO Found The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established mechanisms to qualify and deploy staff to disasters. For example, the FEMA Qualification System tracks training and task performance requirements for disaster workforce positions and has a process to designate staff as qualified...
What GAO Found The Department of Defense (DOD) experienced slight increases in the overall percentage of female active-duty servicemembers from fiscal year 2004 through 2018 (15.1 percent in fiscal year 2004 to 16.5 percent in fiscal year 2018), with those percentages varying by pay grade category (see...
What GAO Found General information about the process of making cell-cultured meat—food products grown from the cells of livestock, poultry, and seafood—is available. However, no company is commercially producing cell-cultured meat. Specific information about the technology being used, eventual commercial...
What GAO Found The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for ensuring that approximately 15,500 nursing homes nationwide meet federal quality standards. These standards require, for example, that nursing...
What GAO Found The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Preparedness System and associated grants have helped build some emergency management capabilities, but gaps remain. Capabilities fall in five mission areas: (1) prevention—preventing imminent acts of terrorism, (2) protection—protecting...
Why This Matters As the nation works to save lives and flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, widespread testing could help reduce the death rate, help identify those who should self-isolate, and help businesses recover. There are challenges, however, associated with the use and availability of tests,...
Why This Matters SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, has killed millions worldwide. Vaccines can help save lives and speed economic recovery. Developing a safe, effective vaccine is a complicated, costly, and typically lengthy process that has historically had a low success rate. U.S.-funded efforts have...
What GAO Found Since GAO's 2009 high-risk designation, the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) financial viability has progressively worsened due to declining mail volume, increased employee compensation and benefit costs, and increased unfunded liabilities and debt. First-Class Mail volume has declined 44...