The Office of Personnel Management maintains USAJOBS—a website for posting federal job opportunities from across the government. USAJOBS connects federal agencies with job seekers and facilitates the transfer and merit-based promotions of current federal employees. Since the redesign of USAJOBS in 2016, OPM has assessed and enhanced the user experience with the website. For example, OPM added in...

Even before COVID-19, the federal government's long-term fiscal path was unsustainable because debt was growing faster than the economy. By the end of FY 2019, debt held by the public had climbed to 79% of GDP. It is expected to reach 195% of GDP by FY 2050. We testified that the federal government does not have a long-term fiscal plan to control the growing debt. Such a plan could benefit from fi...

5G will dramatically increase the number of devices connected to the Internet—and the number of opportunities for hackers to steal information and wreak havoc on connected systems. The Administration issued a National Strategy to Secure 5G, which we assessed against our 6 key characteristics for effective national strategies. The plan only partially addressed 5 of the 6 characteristics. For exam...

U.S. agencies provide training and equipment for park rangers overseas to combat wildlife trafficking and protect natural areas. However, media and non-governmental organization reports have alleged that U.S.-funded organizations have supported park rangers who have committed human rights violations, including sexual assaults and killings in Africa and Asia. In response, U.S. agencies took a range...

Through its Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, the Small Business Administration has provided about $729 billion to small businesses hurt by COVID-19. SBA streamlined the programs to speed fund distribution. However, this meant less oversight and left the programs more susceptible to potential fraud. There have been reports of fraud in both programs. This testimony dis...

After a disaster, FEMA's Individuals and Households Program can help uninsured and underinsured people whose necessary expenses and serious needs won't be covered. We compiled information—such as age, income, and insurance status—about people who applied for help from this program after Hurricane Florence, the California wildfires, and other disasters from 2016-2018. For example, the program p...

Federal agencies awarded almost $3 billion in FY 2019 to small businesses through two programs designed to develop and commercialize technologies—the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. In most cases, agencies are to notify applicants within 90 days and issue awards within 180 days. Of the 29 agencies reviewed, half notified most applicants late. T...

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...

Workplace sexual harassment is illegal. But how prevalent is it? And how costly are legal fees, lost productivity, and other consequences? We found few reliable nationwide estimates across workplaces. Experts say recurring national surveys would help answer these questions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission collects data on sexual harassment claims but can't fully analyze the problem. Sp...

Facilities that produce, use, or store hazardous chemicals could be targeted by terrorists. The Department of Homeland Security identifies and regulates high-risk facilities that contain certain quantities of these chemicals. Some facilities with hazardous chemicals are excluded from DHS's chemical security program, but are regulated by other federal agencies. For example, the EPA regulates public...