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...

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...

This is the Spanish language highlights associated with GAO-19-590.Lo que pudo constatar la Contraloría del Gobierno de los EE. UU. (GAO)Para apoyar sus objetivos de prosperidad, gobernanza y seguridad, los Departamentos de Estado (DOS), Defensa (DOD), Agricultura (USDA) y la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional (USAID) asignaron aproximadamente US$ 2.400 millones desde...

The Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have long struggled with poverty, weak governance, and insecurity. In 2014, the U.S. government introduced a strategy to increase their prosperity and strengthen governance and security. Has the strategy been working? Agencies allocated $2.4 billion for 370 projects to support these objectives from fiscal years 2013 to 2018....

The Denali Commission has faced two key challenges in fulfilling its statutory purpose of providing, among other things, infrastructure and economic development services to rural communities; but options exist to address them. First, a 90 percent decrease in Commission funding from its peak in fiscal year 2007 has raised concerns about whether the Commission can sustain its current approach as pri...

The U.S. government uses the annual eligibility review process required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to engage with sub-Saharan African countries on their progress toward economic, political, and development reform objectives reflected in AGOA's eligibility criteria. Managed by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the review process brings together officials fr...

The Arctic Council (Council) is a voluntary intergovernmental forum for Arctic States, with involvement of indigenous organizations and other stakeholders, to address various environmental and economic issues through projects and reports targeting a variety of subjects. The eight Arctic States guide the work of the Council through consensus decisions and rotate the chairmanship of the Council ever...

Federal outlays for grants to state and local governments totaled more than $606 billion in fiscal year 2011. Over the last three decades, these grants have consistently been a significant component of federal spending, but the focus of this spending has changed over time. For example, during this period the proportion of federal outlays to state and local governments dedicated to Medicaid grants...

The act requires that OMB develop federal government priority goals (crosscutting goals) and a federal government performance plan, which is to be updated annually and released concurrently with the President’s budget. Specifically, it requires OMB, starting with the 2015 budget and in coordination with agencies and in consultation with the Congress, to develop—every 4 years—long-te...

Of the approximately 400 non-federally recognized tribes that GAO identified, 26 received funding from 24 federal programs during fiscal years 2007 through 2010. Most of the 26 non-federally recognized tribes were eligible to receive this funding either because of their status as nonprofit organizations or state-recognized tribes. Similarly, most of the 24 federal programs that awarded funding to...