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Open Recommendations

FEMA: Billions in Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Subgrants Remain Unawarded
GAO-26-107774
Sep 24, 2026
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7 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Administrator of FEMA should assess FEMA's processes for reviewing subapplications to finalize its decisions to award BRIC subgrants to identify any inefficiencies and apply lessons learned that help ensure the agency awards subgrants in a timely manner. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Administrator of FEMA should assess FEMA's internal communication to identify and apply any lessons learned that could help ensure the agency communicates relevant program information, and any future program changes, to internal regional managers and staff in a timely and actionable manner. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Administrator of FEMA should assess FEMA's external communication to identify and apply lessons learned that help ensure the agency communicates relevant program information, and any future program changes, to applicants and recipients in a clear and timely manner. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Administrator of FEMA should establish BRIC performance goals that reflect key practices of results-oriented performance management such as including methods to measure the goal and setting targets. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Administrator of FEMA should ensure that FEMA consistently generates annual performance information for BRIC. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Administrator of FEMA should use BRIC's established performance goals and information to identify trends, effective approaches, and problems to inform agency decision-making. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

National Nuclear Security Administration: Agency Should Improve Cost Growth Notification Process
GAO-25-107767
Sep 30, 2025
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Nuclear Security Administration The Administrator of NNSA should direct CEPE to establish a deadline and finalize its efforts to establish templates and implement a process for reporting timely cost growth notifications. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DOE and NNSA concurred with this recommendation. When we receive information regarding actions taken, we will update the recommendation status.
National Nuclear Security Administration The Administrator of NNSA should direct CEPE to establish a deadline and finalize its efforts to establish guidance on performing a root cause analysis that also traces to the required elements under the cost growth notification provision. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DOE and NNSA concurred with this recommendation. When we receive information regarding actions taken, we will update the recommendation status.
National Nuclear Security Administration The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Administrator of NNSA, should communicate to the relevant congressional committees suggested changes to the cost growth notification provision. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DOE and NNSA concurred with this recommendation. When we receive information regarding actions taken, we will update the recommendation status.

Federal Spending Transparency: Actions Needed to Help Ensure Procurement Data Quality
GAO-25-107469
Sep 25, 2025
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9 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Management and Budget The Director of OMB should ensure that the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in collaboration with the Administrator of GSA, specifies and notifies all agencies required under the FAR to complete and submit procurement data quality reports. (Recommendation 1)
Open
At the time of our report, OMB did not comment on the draft report. As of August 2026, OMB had not addressed this recommendation. We will provide updated information once we have confirmed the actions OMB has taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of OMB should ensure that the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, in coordination with the Administrator of GSA, defines the roles and responsibilities for both OMB and GSA related to collecting and tracking agencies' procurement data quality reports. (Recommendation 2)
Open
At the time of our report, OMB did not comment on the draft report. As of August 2026, OMB had not addressed this recommendation. We will provide updated information once we have confirmed the actions OMB has taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of OMB should ensure that the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy designs and implements procedures to monitor procurement data quality reports to help ensure that agencies address reporting requirements, including submitting reports timely. (Recommendation 3)
Open
At the time of our report, OMB did not comment on the draft report. As of August 2026, OMB had not addressed this recommendation. We will provide updated information once we have confirmed the actions OMB has taken in response to this recommendation.
Office of Management and Budget The Director of OMB should ensure that the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy updates and consolidates the office's guidance for improving federal procurement data quality to help ensure that all reporting requirements, information, and references included are current and streamlined. (Recommendation 4)
Open
At the time of our report, OMB did not comment on the draft report. As of August 2026, OMB had not addressed this recommendation. We will provide updated information once we have confirmed the actions OMB has taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction develops procedures that require the documentation and implementation of root cause analyses and corrective action plans for FPDS data elements with recurring low accuracy rates. (Recommendation 8)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, VA agreed with this recommendation and cited actions it will take to address it. We are in the process of reviewing documentation VA provided and will provide updated information once we have confirmed the actions VA has taken in response to this recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Secretary of the Navy, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, develops and documents corrective actions and prepares root cause analyses for data discrepancies identified by the Navy's verification and validation process in accordance with DOD's Procurement Data Improvement & Compliance Plan. (Recommendation 9)
Open
In its comments on our draft report, DOD agreed with this recommendation and cited actions it has taken to address it. We reviewed documentation DOD provided in July 2026 and are awaiting to receive responses to our follow-up questions. We will provide updated information once we have confirmed the actions DOD has taken in response to this recommendation.

Medicaid Demonstrations: Action Needed to Address New Cost Concerns
GAO-25-107445
Sep 16, 2025
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Administrator of CMS should revise the agency's section 1115 budget neutrality policy to stop treating costs for populations or services that could not have otherwise been covered under existing Medicaid authorities as hypothetical when setting demonstration spending limits. Instead, CMS should require the costs of those populations or services to be offset by other reductions in demonstration spending.
Open
At the time of our report, CMS indicated that the agency would consider our recommendation while implementing a new statutory requirement, effective January 2027, that the Office of the Actuary certify Medicaid demonstrations as budget neutral before CMS approval. As of March 2026, CMS officials indicated that the agency is working on implementation. They noted that the statute now includes language defining what could be considered as spending absent the demonstration when setting spending limits, which CMS interprets as a new definition of hypothetical spending. CMS noted that they would be providing additional guidance to states on the implementation of the new provision. When CMS issues the guidance, we will reassess the status of the recommendation.
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