Reports & Testimonies

VA spends billions annually on IT systems to manage benefits and health care for millions of veterans and their families. This testimony discusses our work on how VA spends that money. For example, VA is spending more money on fewer IT contracts. Department-wide efforts to consolidate IT requirements are one of the possible reasons for this. VA also didn't get required approvals from its Chief...

The Department of Defense anticipates spending $1.7 trillion over the life of its F-35 aircraft program. DOD owns certain F-35 spare parts that contractors manage. But DOD doesn't account for or oversee the parts. This is in part because various DOD offices and contractors haven't agreed on whether the spare parts should be categorized as government-furnished property. This lack of agreement affects how DOD processes...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the Department of Defense outlines 89 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, 8 recommendations dealt with accident prevention and the safety of servicemembers, including a recommendation that military services' safety centers standardize what...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the Small Business Administration outlines 13 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, SBA provided billions of dollars to businesses during the pandemic, but didn't fully assess the potential for fraud. Doing so could...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture outlines 12 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, one recommendation was for USDA to analyze different options to help farmers and ranchers prepare for the impacts of climate...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the Department of Commerce outlines 17 open recommendations that it should prioritize. Implementing these recommendations could yield improvements in the areas of cybersecurity, water quality, international trade, the decennial census and more. The Department of...

Social Security is a major source of income for millions of retirees and other Americans. As program costs continue to exceed revenues, the fund that supports payments for retirees and their families is projected to be unable to pay full benefits in 10 years. This brief updates our 2015 report on Social Security and examines financial issues the program faces. The sooner policymakers address the...

The Air Force has been using the same aircraft to train pilots for over 60 years, even as military plane designs have evolved. A new system of modern training jets and simulators is in the works, but is nearly a decade behind initial plans. Also, the Air Force's delivery schedule for the new training system isn't realistic. The schedule doesn't account for the risk of...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence outlines 19 open recommendations that it should prioritize. These recommendations are intended to address management issues related to business functions and systems, facilities, workforce, and personnel vetting...

IT and communications technologies use parts and services from around the globe. Emerging threats in the supply chain for these technologies can put federal agencies—including DOD—at risk. For example, communications hardware with compromised components could lead to the loss of sensitive data. Of our practices for managing agency-wide supply chain risks, DOD addressed 4 and partially addressed the other 3. Specifically, DOD still needs to...

Veterans Affairs is in the process of replacing its IT system used to maintain veterans' health records—and has deployed its new system to a few locations. But the new system has presented issues for some users. For example, many users said that they weren't adequately trained to use it. They also said that having to use the new system had decreased morale and job satisfaction...

The Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency develops systems to detect attacks and track, intercept, and destroy missiles in flight. Every year, MDA sets goals for the systems it plans to deliver to the military and the tests it plans to conduct. We found that MDA did not meet these goals in FY 2022. The agency didn't deliver all of its planned interceptors and radar...

The Small Business Administration provided $1 trillion to help small businesses during the pandemic. But in some instances funds went to fraudsters—the Department of Justice charged hundreds of individuals and is investigating many more. We flagged 3.7 million recipients of SBA funds as having warning signs consistent with potential fraud. Such "indicators" aren’t proof of fraud, which is why we referred them for further review...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the Department of the Interior outlines 12 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, Interior should improve its oversight of offshore oil and gas activities, and address the safety and environmental risks associated with...

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation helps maintain stability and public confidence in the nation's financial system. During our 2021-2022 financial statement audit of the two funds that the FDIC administers (the Deposit Insurance Fund and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation Resolution Fund), we continued to identify issues—what auditors call a "significant deficiency." These issues related to how the FDIC ensures that its payments...

Cloud services—on-demand access to shared resources such as networks, servers, and data storage—can help federal agencies deliver better IT services for less money. But without effective security measures, these services can make agencies vulnerable to risks such as cyberattacks. We looked at how four agencies implemented key cloud security practices—like having a plan to respond to incidents. While the agencies implemented some of the security...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the General Services Administration outlines 6 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, GSA could save millions of dollars by helping ensure that federal agencies make use of excess personal property—things like office chairs...

Students who attend nonprofit private schools may be eligible for the same services—such as tutoring and English language services—as public school students. These federally funded services are provided by school districts. States must designate a specialist to address inquiries and concerns about such services. We surveyed these specialists and found that many felt they didn't have enough guidance and training on their roles or on...

This testimony discusses FEMA's strategic plan and challenges the agency faces when leading national preparation for and response to disasters. The agency's work is complicated by longstanding workforce management issues and a fragmented federal approach to disaster recovery. The agency is short-staffed, and it's unclear if hiring efforts will be effective. Additionally, the government's disaster response programs are spread across 30 different agencies, making it...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the Department of Health and Human Services outlines 45 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, HHS should identify how it will increase U.S. production of medical supplies to help ease future global supply...