Reports & Testimonies

As part of FY 2022 appropriations, Members of Congress could request to designate a certain amount of funding for specific projects in their communities. While agencies often have discretion over how they award funds, Congress has directed them to distribute these funds to the designated recipients. We're tracking the funds to help ensure transparency. FY 2022 appropriations included $9.1 billion for 4,963 projects. At the...

As part of FY 2023 appropriations, Members of Congress could request to designate a certain amount of funding for specific projects in their communities. While agencies often have discretion over how they award funds, Congress has directed them to distribute these funds to the designated recipients. We're tracking these funds to help ensure transparency. FY 2023 appropriations included about $15.3 billion for 7,234 projects. This...

Federal cybersecurity is an urgent priority because it protects critical infrastructure, federal operations, and individuals' personal data. This guide gives analysts and auditors the methodologies, techniques, and audit procedures they need to evaluate the components of agencies' cybersecurity programs and systems. These components include risk management and incident response, among others. Over the last 3 decades, we've made thousands of recommendations to improve federal cybersecurity...

The federal government's office spaces cost billions every year to lease, operate, and maintain. Even before the pandemic, agencies struggled to determine how much office space they needed. In this testimony for the Senate, we discuss the 21.4 million square feet of usable office space—conference rooms, team rooms, and offices—in the headquarters buildings of 24 agencies. During 3 weeks in January, February, and March 2023...

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) collects and analyzes data to help people understand U.S. performance in science and engineering in a global context. NCSES covers topics such as research facility funding and job opportunities for science and engineering graduates. Governments, companies, nonprofits, and others use this data to make decisions. But NCSES generally didn't involve these users in developing its strategic...

A group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAS—are used in manufacturing, fire safety, and consumer products including nonstick cookware. But the chemicals contaminate the environment, and some may cause human health problems. This Snapshot report covers our work on government and other efforts to detect PFAS, prevent exposure, and treat contamination. For example, technologies like granular activated carbon filters can remove most PFAS from...

Millions of people around the world have died from COVID-19 . The U.S. government has pledged to help reach a goal to vaccinate 70% of the global population against the virus. In support of this goal, the U.S. Agency for International Development worked with global and local partners to help 125 countries vaccinate their populations against COVID-19. But issues like falling demand for the vaccine...

For the last 5 years, our work yielded an average of $145 in financial benefits for every $1 invested in us, as well as an annual average of more than 1,200 other improvements. In this testimony before the Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Modernization, U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro discusses how we achieve our results, including: Understanding congressional priorities and needs and evolving national...

Hundreds of thousands of service members live in military housing—such as government-owned barracks or privatized family housing. In recent years, there have been concerns about health and safety risks in military housing and DOD's management of its housing programs. Poor housing conditions negatively affect quality of life. We testified about our work on poor living conditions in barracks and DOD's oversight of housing. For example...

Private equity firms have drawn attention in recent years by buying nursing homes, changing their operations to increase profit, and selling them for more money. We estimated that 5% of about 14,800 nursing homes enrolled in Medicare had private equity owners in 2022. Medicare collects information about nursing home owners as part of its enrollment and oversight processes. But we had to supplement Medicare's data...

Protecting critical infrastructure—like water and electricity—from cyberattacks is a national priority. Federal agencies and critical infrastructure owners and operators must share information to tackle increasingly complex cyber threats. Long-standing challenges, such as security concerns and timeliness, make this harder. For example, representatives from a nonfederal partner said the FBI briefed them on a cyber threat about 5 months after it was identified. We recommended monitoring...

Manufactured housing—prefabricated, factory built homes—can be an affordable option for lower-income homebuyers. But some borrowers may not qualify for mortgages and might have to turn to other kinds of financing with less favorable rates and terms. Several federal agencies, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac have created new or modified existing loan programs to help manufactured home borrowers. But while the Department of Housing and Urban...

About a quarter of people released by the court before their federal trials are required to use location monitoring devices. These devices often use GPS and radio frequency to transmit their location data to court officers. Officers investigate immediately when devices send them "key alerts," which can indicate noncompliance. Key alerts often come in after hours and can be caused by GPS or cellular connection...