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Chemical Security: DHS Should Provide Options for Voluntary Vetting of Facility Personnel for Terrorist Ties
GAO-26-108127
Sep 08, 2026
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency The Director of CISA should identify, evaluate, and implement voluntary options for chemical facility owners and operators to address insider terrorist security risks by vetting their personnel and unescorted visitors with access to restricted areas or critical assets, and, if necessary, seek the legislative authority to do so. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Secret Service: Protection Policies Should be Consistently Updated to Better Ensure Protectee Safety
GAO-26-108455
Sep 03, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Secret Service The Director of the U.S. Secret Service should revise its policy on security incident reporting to require its personnel to document their rationale in the standard form when they decide a security incident (i.e., unusual protective event) does not warrant a protection policy change. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Secret Service The Director of the U.S. Secret Service should revise its policy on issuing, maintaining, and organizing protection processes to assign responsibility to specific positions within the relevant offices for consistently reviewing and updating protection policies within required time frames. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Secret Service The Director of the U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, should review and update the 1991 memorandum of understanding that delineates separate and joint roles and responsibilities for securing the President and other full-time protectees traveling abroad, and foreign dignitaries traveling to the U.S. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of State The Secretary of State should direct the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, in collaboration with the Director of the U.S. Secret Service, to review and update the 1991 memorandum of understanding that delineates separate and joint roles and responsibilities for securing the President and other full-time protectees traveling abroad, and foreign dignitaries traveling to the U.S. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Disaster Contracting: FEMA and the Corps of Engineers Have Opportunities to Improve Local Vendor Use
GAO-26-108426
Sep 03, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Federal Emergency Management Agency The FEMA Administrator should ensure the Office of the Chief Component Procurement Officer establishes a process to monitor its local vendor use, including assessing the reliability of any data used in the process. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Corps of Engineers The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works should ensure that the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers establishes a process to collect data on and monitor its use of local vendors, including assessing the reliability of any data used in the process. (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 FEMA Administrator should ensure the Office of the Chief Component Procurement Officer take additional action to clearly communicate existing FAR requirements and ensure that contracting officers correctly identify the local area for disaster contracts. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Corps of Engineers The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology should ensure the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take additional action to ensure that contracting officials follow FAR documentation requirements for awarding disaster contracts to nonlocal vendors. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

FEMA Workforce: Staff Reductions and Lack of Planning May Impact Mission Readiness
GAO-26-108427
Aug 04, 2026
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Congress Congress should consider requiring that significant FEMA workforce decisions be informed by the results of the agency's workforce planning process. (Matter for Consideration 1)
Open
As of August 2026, Congress has not enacted legislation to address this matter.
Congress Congress should consider requiring FEMA report to Congress on the results of its workforce planning process prior to the start of each year's hurricane season. (Matter for Consideration 2)
Open
As of August 2026, Congress has not enacted legislation to address this matter.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The FEMA Administrator should issue a FEMA Strategic Plan that includes clear goals and objectives. (Recommendation 1)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In commenting on the report, DHS said it would take steps to develop and issue a FEMA Strategic Plan, to include clear goals and objectives. DHS indicated that FEMA would wait until a FEMA Administrator was confirmed before starting to implement this recommendation. The Senate confirmed a FEMA Administrator in August 2026. GAO continues to believe that without timely completion of a Strategic Plan FEMA is at risk of being underprepared and under-resourced to effectively respond to future disasters. When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The FEMA Administrator should develop and implement a workforce planning process that includes a workforce analysis, which assesses its workforce and mission needs, in accordance with OPM's Workforce Planning Guide. (Recommendation 2)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In commenting on the report, DHS said that the FEMA Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer and Office of Response and Recovery will lead the design and implementation of an agency-wide workforce analysis and planning process. However, DHS indicated that FEMA would wait until the outlines of the FEMA Strategic Plan were in place before starting to implement this recommendation. GAO continues to believe that without timely completion FEMA is at risk of being underprepared and under-resourced to effectively respond to future disasters. When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Federal Emergency Management Agency The FEMA Administrator should ensure that its annual staffing plan developed in response to Executive Order 14356 is informed by its workforce planning process. (Recommendation 3)
Open
DHS concurred with this recommendation. In commenting on the report, DHS said that the FEMA Strategic Hiring Committee will incorporate the results of FEMA's workforce analysis and planning process into their annual Staffing Plan efforts. When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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