This letter provides GAO's comments on the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board's (IAASB) proposed International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 600 (Revised), Special Considerations—Audits of Group Financial Statements (Including the Work of Component Auditors). GAO promulgates generally accepted government auditing standards, which provide professional standards for auditors of gove...

The government's public debt will reach 107% of GDP by the end of 2023—its highest point in history—according to the Congressional Budget Office. The growing debt will require attention once the economy has substantially recovered from COVID-19 and public health goals have been achieved. Fiscal rules and targets can help manage debt by controlling factors like spending and revenue. We identifi...

Armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to commit severe human rights abuses and to profit from the mining and trading of "conflict minerals," according to the State Department. These minerals include tin, gold, and others that are used to finance conflict in the area. State and the U.S. Agency for International Development created a conflict minerals strategy in 2011 to try...

Consumer electronics contain gold, platinum, rare earth metals, and other high value materials. Domestic recycling of electronics could reduce the U.S. reliance on imports of these materials. However, electronics recycling is complex and faces challenges, such as a lack of profitability. Electronics require disassembly by hand or shredding and separation. Emerging technologies could make it easier...

This letter provides GAO's responses to questions on the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) consultation paper entitled Proposed Non-Authoritative Guidance Extended External Reporting (EER) Assurance. GAO promulgates generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), which provide professional standards for auditors of government entities in the United States...

This letter provides GAO's response to the exposure draft, Proposed Revisions to the Non- Assurance Services Provisions of the Code. GAO promulgates generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS) in the United States. GAGAS provides a framework for conducting high-quality audits of government awards with competence, integrity, objectivity, and independence. Our comments reflect the impo...

On average, 17 pedestrians died each day in 2018 as a result of vehicle crashes—up 43% from 2008. Automakers offer safety features on many new cars to help protect pedestrians. For example, crash avoidance technologies use cameras or radar to detect pedestrians and warn drivers or automatically slow or stop the car. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has researched pedestrian sa...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help improve the federal government. We alert department heads to the recommendations where they can save the most money, address issues on our High Risk List, or significantly improve government operations. This report outlines our 20 priority open recommendations for the Department of Commerce as of April 2020. For example, 2 of our priorit...

In October 2015, a cargo ship from the United States sank at sea during a hurricane, killing all 33 crew members. Concerns with the ship’s safety plan raised questions about how the Coast Guard ensures that U.S. commercial ships comply with safety regulations. The Coast Guard relies on “recognized organizations,” third parties that the Coast Guard has authorized to perform activities such a...

Nuclear cooperation agreements outline conditions—such as physical security and peaceful use—for partner countries that may import civilian nuclear material and equipment from the U.S. It is unclear whether the Departments of State and Energy kept Congress “fully and currently informed” of nuclear cooperation negotiations with Saudi Arabia, as required by the Atomic Energy Act. These nego...