$186 Billion in Improper Payments—Why Federal Spending Transparency Is Still Broken
Description
On March 18, 2026, Jeff Arkin, Director of Strategic Issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, delivered testimony before the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, U.S. Senate.
The federal government spends trillions each year--but how transparent is that spending? In this testimony, GAO highlights ongoing challenges in federal spending transparency, including gaps in data reported to USAspending.gov, incomplete tracking of federal programs, and delays in public access to information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). One of the most striking findings: At least $186 billion in improper payments were reported across federal programs in fiscal year 2025--but even that number may be incomplete. This video breaks down: Why federal spending data is still unreliable The scale of improper payments across government programs Gaps in transparency tools like USAspending.gov How FOIA backlogs limit public access to information What Congress and federal agencies need to fix
The federal government spends trillions each year--but how transparent is that spending? In this testimony, GAO highlights ongoing challenges in federal spending transparency, including gaps in data reported to USAspending.gov, incomplete tracking of federal programs, and delays in public access to information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). One of the most striking findings: At least $186 billion in improper payments were reported across federal programs in fiscal year 2025--but even that number may be incomplete. This video breaks down: Why federal spending data is still unreliable The scale of improper payments across government programs Gaps in transparency tools like USAspending.gov How FOIA backlogs limit public access to information What Congress and federal agencies need to fix