The hurricanes and fires of 2017 and 2018 affected more than 47 million people in the U.S. From 2016-18, survivors received about $6 billion and 12,805 temporary housing units from FEMA's Individuals and Households Program. Most applicants were uninsured, and a majority had incomes under $50,000. About 2.4 million people (of the 4.4 million referred to the program) were ineligible. Common reasons...

This report updates our oversight of federal actions to support public health, individuals, and the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings include: There have been shortages of personal protective equipment and testing supplies because very few of them are made in the U.S. and global demand for them is highHHS may be able to collect more complete data on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, a...

Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Irma—4 of the costliest hurricanes in the U.S. since 2005—caused damage totaling trillions of dollars. Their effects on economic activity and employment in damaged areas varied widely. State and local government officials said that the storms significantly affected certain communities, local governments, households, and businesses. Communities are taking actions to...

To focus more federal funds on counties with persistent poverty, some federal programs have been required to spend at least 10% of their budgets in these counties. A 2019 bill proposes expanding this requirement to more federal programs and proposes spending requirements for high-poverty Census areas. We looked at data from USAspending.gov for programs that may be included in this bill. The progr...

FEMA grants have been used to acquire and demolish flood-prone properties to help reduce flood damage. Reduced damage should lead to fewer or less costly claims for the National Flood Insurance Program, which FEMA also administers. But the number of such properties keeps growing, and the program still doesn’t collect enough in premiums to cover claims over the long term. The flood insurance pro...

FEMA grants have been used to acquire and demolish flood-prone properties to help reduce flood damage. Reduced damage should lead to fewer or less costly claims for the National Flood Insurance Program, which FEMA also administers. But the number of such properties keeps growing, and the program still doesn’t collect enough in premiums to cover claims over the long term. The flood insurance pro...

The statutory federal minimum wage has not applied in American Samoa for many years. In 2007, Congress approved increasing the territory's minimum wages, but later delayed or reduced the increases. Minimum wages are now scheduled to rise to the current federal level by 2036. American Samoa’s economy depends on the tuna canning industry—but its only cannery is in financial trouble. We intervi...

Certain federal contracts that go to large businesses must have small business subcontracting plans. Under these plans, contractors have to make a good-faith effort to offer subcontracting opportunities to small businesses. Agencies are supposed to notify Small Business Administration representatives about proposed contracts with these plans for possible review. But for about half of the 26 contr...

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides funding to Small Business Development Centers to train and counsel small businesses. Since FY 2016, SBA has used the President’s proposed budget to estimate funding for the following year. For FY 2020, the President requested $101 million; Congress appropriated $135 million. The large gap between estimated and actual funding caused the centers to...

The National Flood Insurance Program can be most effective when participating communities take steps to reduce the risk of flood damage. To do so, communities must adopt the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) floodplain management requirements. For example, participating communities must ensure that property owners rebuild substantially damaged structures to meet current elevation stan...