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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4270: Monetary Policy Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017
"Current law gives the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors and its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) broad authority to establish and conduct monetary policy. Twice each year, the Chair of the Federal Reserve is required to present Congressional testimony and to report to the Congress concerning the efforts, activities, objectives, and plans related to monetary policy. H.R. 4270 would require the FOMC to establish and describe an annual strategy for monetary policy that would include a mathematical description of the way that the committee would adjust the instruments of monetary policy, including an identified primary instrument, in response to changes in economic indicators. The bill would also require the Federal Reserve's testimony and reports to describe at least one additional reference rule, or alternative mathematical equation that would govern the conduct of monetary policy, and identify whether and how actual monetary policy has deviated from that rule."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-12-05
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Lessons Learned from Prior Reports on Disaster-Related Procurement and Contracting
"FEMA is currently responding to some of the most catastrophic disasters in U.S. history -- Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and the October 2017, California wildfires. Because of the massive scale of damage and the large number and high-dollar contracts that will likely be awarded, there is a significant risk that billions of taxpayer dollars may be exposed to waste, fraud, and abuse. The issues and observations we have described in our previous reports clearly point to FEMA's ongoing failures to oversee its grant recipients (grantees). FEMA is responsible for monitoring recipients to ensure they are performing proper grant administration. Grant recipients, in turn, must manage subrecipients to ensure grant fund expenditures comply with Federal procurement requirements. Noncompliance can result in high-risk contracts that may lead to excessive and ineligible costs. In addition, failure to follow these requirements can hinder many of the socioeconomic goals Congress intended. During the initial recovery phase of these disasters, it is imperative that FEMA ensures that grant recipients (states and tribal governments) effectively manage their disaster relief grants. In doing so, the states must also ensure that their subrecipients have adequate procurement policies and procedures and fully comply with Federal procurement requirements. These measures should provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that the grant funds are spent properly and mitigate the risk of taxpayers bearing ineligible and excessive costs."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2017-12-05
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Solano County, California, Has Policies, Procedures, and Business Practices to Manage Its FEMA Grant Funding
"Severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides during January and February 2017 caused significant damage to Solano County, California (County). County officials estimate damages at $1.6 million. We conducted this audit early in the Public Assistance process to identify areas in which the County may need additional technical assistance or monitoring to ensure compliance with Federal regulations and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines. [...] Based on our limited testing, the County appears to have in place policies, procedures, and business practices to generally account for and expend FEMA Public Assistance grant funds according to Federal regulations and FEMA guidelines. The County should be able to account for disaster-related costs on a project-by-project basis and adequately support these costs. In addition, the County's procurement policies, procedures, and practices are consistent with Federal procurement standards."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2017-12-05
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Osceola Electric Cooperative, Iowa, Generally Managed FEMA Grant Funds According to Federal Requirements
"Osceola Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Osceola) received a $10 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant award for damages caused by a severe winter storm in April 2013. Although the disaster occurred 4 years ago, Osceola has not completed all FEMA projects. We conducted this audit early in the grant process to identify areas in which Osceola may need additional technical assistance or monitoring to ensure compliance."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2017-12-05
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TSA's Adjudication Resources Are Inadequate to Meet TSA PreCheck Enrollment Goals
"In 2015 and 2016, TSA significantly ramped up its TSA PreCheck marketing campaign. In addition, TSA and its enrollment services contractor expanded the number of enrollment centers, increased staff, and extended hours of operation. However, TSA did not allocate additional resources or staff to the Adjudication Center tasked with manually processing about 26 percent of TSA PreCheck Application Program applications. To make matters worse, in June 2016, TSA PreCheck applications surged, leaving the Adjudication Center overwhelmed with applications to manually process. As the application queue grew, TSA brought on detailees from other Federal agencies to assist with adjudications part time, but they did not have a significant impact. Further, the Adjudication Center relies on a manual caseload assignment and reporting process, which is inefficient for the volume of TSA PreCheck applications needing adjudication. In summary, TSA developed a strategy to meet its ambitious goal of expanding TSA PreCheck to 25 million air travelers by the end of 2019 that focused on the front-end application phase of enrollment, but did not adequately plan for the anticipated influx of applications to the Adjudication Center at the back end."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2017-12-05
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Tribal Mitigation Plan Review Guide
"Mitigation Planning is the process used by tribal, state, and local government leaders to understand risks from natural hazards and to develop long-term strategies to reduce the impacts of future events on people, property, and the environment. The purpose of this 'Tribal Mitigation Plan Review Guide' (or Guide) is to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assess tribal governments' mitigation plans in a fair and consistent manner and to ensure that approved tribal mitigation plans meet the requirements of the Stafford Act and Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). [...] Through the National Mitigation Planning Program, FEMA provides guidance, training, and technical assistance to support Indian tribal governments (tribal governments) in developing and implementing mitigation plans. This 'Guide' interprets and explains the Mitigation Planning regulation at 44 CFR Part 201 and is FEMA's official source for describing the requirements for developing and updating tribal mitigation plans."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2017-12-05
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CBP Border Security Report: Fiscal Year 2017
"As the guardian of our nation's borders and the gateway to our global economy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a mission-focused agency committed to ensuring our safety, security and prosperity. This report summarizes CBP's fiscal year 2017 border enforcement efforts, which reflect CBP's focus on counterterrorism, countering transnational organized crime, and border security."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection; United States. Department of Homeland Security
2017-12-05
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Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Report as of October 31, 2017
"P.L. 115-31 requires that the FEMA Administrator provide a report by the fifth day of each month on the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) that includes a funding summary, a table delineating the DRF funding activities each month by state and event, a summary of the funding for the catastrophic events, and the fund exhaustion date, or end-of-fiscal-year balance. Consequently, the following report elements are included: 1. Appendix A is an appropriations summary that includes a synopsis of the amount of appropriations made available by source, the transfers executed, the previously allocated funds recovered, and the commitments, allocations, and obligations. 2. Appendix B presents details on the DRF funding activities delineated by month. 3. Appendix C presents Hurricanes Sandy, Harvey, Irma, and Maria obligations and estimates by spending categories. 4. Appendix D presents funding summaries for the current active catastrophic events including the allocations, obligations, and expenditures. 5. Appendix E presents the fund exhaustion date, or end-of-fiscal-year balance. 6. Appendix F presents a bridge table that provides explanation for the monthly and baseline change for all activities, to include details for catastrophic events."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2017-12-05
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Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress [December 5, 2017]
"Prior to 1984, neither federal civil service employees nor Members of Congress paid Social Security taxes, nor were they eligible for Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). [...] Members of Congress first elected in 1984 or later are covered automatically under the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). All Senators and those Representatives serving as Members prior to September 30, 2003, may decline this coverage. Representatives entering office on or after September 30, 2003, cannot elect to be excluded from such coverage. [...] Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. [...] A total of 276 Members had retired with service under FERS and were receiving an average annual pension of $41,076 in 2016."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2017-12-05
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Metaphor is the Message: Reconsidering Word Use for Today's Security Environment
From the Document: "'Linguistic metaphors are mental models. The IC [Intelligence Community] must identify and use appropriately 'organic' ones if it is ever going to think realistically about--and potentially anticipate--the emergent dynamics of the increasingly complex security environment. Too often, analysts use outdated 'mechanistic' metaphors better suited to a previous era.' [...] [M]etaphors are key to one's thinking in that they are nothing less than mental models. If the IC employs a bad metaphor, it has a bad mental model. The IC then potentially, and perhaps even likely, sets itself and its clients up for misunderstanding, confusion, and surprise."
National Intelligence University (U.S.)
Kerbel, Josh
2017-12-05
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Evaluation of Fingerprint Card and Final Disposition Report Submissions by Military Service Law Enforcement Organizations
"The objective of our evaluation was to determine whether all Military Services Law Enforcement Organizations (LEOs) had submitted fingerprint cards and final disposition reports for Military Service members convicted by court-martial of qualifying offenses, as required by DoD instruction. We reviewed these submissions for the period from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016. For this time-period, we identified a total of 2,502 convicted offenders from the Military Services whose fingerprint cards and final disposition reports were required to be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) for inclusion in the FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) database."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2017-12-04
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Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part I) [December 4, 2017]
"Agency shop arrangements (sometimes called 'fair share' provisions) require employees to pay a fee to the union designated to represent their bargaining unit even if the employees are not members of that union. The 'Abood' Court [Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 1977], held that these arrangements do not violate the First Amendment insofar as the union uses the fees for 'collective bargaining activities' and not 'ideological activities unrelated to collective bargaining.' In its October 2015 Term, the full Court heard oral argument on whether to overrule 'Abood', but ultimately divided four-to-four on this question following the death of Justice Scalia. Now that Justice Gorsuch has joined the bench, it remains to be seen whether a majority of the Court will reaffirm Abood or chart a new course. Part I of this two-part Sidebar provides general background on 'Abood' and the case law leading up to 'Janus' [Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31]. Part II then discusses the perspectives Justice Gorsuch may bring to 'Janus' and the potential implications of the decision for public sector collective bargaining and compulsory fees more broadly."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Killion, Victoria L.
2017-12-04
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Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part II) [December 4, 2017]
"As discussed in Part I of this two-part Sidebar, on March 29, 2016, an eight-member Supreme Court divided equally over whether to overrule its 1977 decision in 'Abood v. Detroit Board of Education' and hold that public sector agency fees violate core First Amendment principles (the Court's 'fixed star'). Earlier this Term, the Court agreed to consider the question again in the case of 'Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31'. Part II of this Sidebar begins with a brief summary of the parties' arguments in 'Janus'. It then highlights some key statements from the prior decisions of Justice Gorsuch, who is likely to be a critical voice in deciding whether to overturn 'Abood'. The post concludes by exploring the potential implications of the 'Janus' decision."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Killion, Victoria L.
2017-12-04
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Defining Broadband: Minimum Threshold Speeds and Broadband Policy [December 4, 2017]
"Broadband--whether delivered via fiber, cable modem, copper wire, satellite, or mobile wireless--is increasingly the technology underlying telecommunications services such as voice, video, and data. Since the initial deployment of high-speed internet in the late 1990s, broadband technologies have been deployed throughout the United States primarily by the private sector. These providers include telephone, cable, wireless, and satellite companies as well as other entities that provide commercial telecommunications services to residential, business, and institutional customers. [...] Three issues for Congress are how broadband benchmarks should be set, whether the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] will determine that broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, and how that determination and those benchmarks will impact current and future broadband policies and programs intended to improve broadband availability and adoption throughout the nation. As broadband technology advances, commercially available download and upload speeds will likely increase, and the level at which broadband benchmark threshold speeds should be set is likely to remain controversial."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.
2017-12-04
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Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances [December 4, 2017]
"Restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba have constituted a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate Cuba's communist government since the early 1960s. Such restrictions are part of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), the overall embargo regulations administered by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). [...] The Obama Administration lifted all restrictions on family travel and remittances in 2009. In 2011, the Administration eased restrictions on other types of travel, including travel related to religious, educational, and people-to-people exchanges, and allowed any U.S. person to send remittances to individuals in Cuba. As part of President Obama's major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba in December 2014, which moved the U.S. approach away from a sanctions-based policy toward one of engagement, the Administration took actions that considerably eased restrictions on nonfamily travel and remittances. [...] In June 2017, the Trump Administration announced a partial rollback of U.S. engagement toward Cuba that included the elimination of individual people-to-people travel and restrictions on financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel. [...] This report examines developments in U.S. policy restricting travel and remittances to Cuba, current permissible travel and remittances, enforcement of the travel restrictions, and debate on lifting the travel restrictions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2017-12-04
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Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): A Legal Overview [December 4, 2017]
"In the wake of the 2016 election, concerns have been raised with respect to the legal regime governing foreign influence in domestic politics. The central law concerning the activities of the agents of foreign entities acting in the United States is the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA or Act). [...] In 2016, the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report on DOJ's enforcement of FARA, finding that the department lacked a comprehensive strategy for enforcement. [...] This report examines the nature and scope of the current regulatory scheme, including the scope of FARA's application to agents of foreign principals; what the statute requires of those covered under the Act; exemptions available under the statute; and methods of enforcement."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Brown, Cynthia
2017-12-04
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Oman: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy [December 4, 2017]
"The Sultanate of Oman has been a strategic ally of the United States since 1980, when it became the first of the Persian Gulf states to sign a formal accord permitting the U.S. military to use its facilities. Oman has hosted U.S. forces during every U.S. military operation in and around the Gulf since then, and it is a partner in U.S. efforts to counter regional terrorism and related threats. [...] Within the region, Oman has tended to avoid joining its Gulf allies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman) in direct intervention in regional conflicts. Oman has publicly joined the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State organization, but it is apparently not participating militarily in those efforts. [...] Oman also has historically asserted that engaging Iran is the optimal strategy to reduce the potential threat from that country, and the country maintains close relations with Iran. [...] Prior to the wave of Middle East unrest that began in 2011, the United States consistently praised Sultan Qaboos for gradually opening the political process even in the absence of evident public pressure to do so. The liberalization allowed Omanis a measure of representation, but did not significantly limit Qaboos's role as paramount decisionmaker. [...] Oman receives minimal amounts of U.S. security assistance, and no U.S. economic aid."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2017-12-04
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Letter from [John E. McCoy II] to [George A. Robinson] Regarding [Cancellation of OIG Audit - FEMA's Initial Response to the 2016 Catastrophic Flooding in Louisiana], December 4, 2017
From the Document: "We are terminating our audit of the 'Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to the 2016 catastrophic flooding in Louisiana.' We have completed our quality assurance review of the events surrounding the issuance of the report and as a result, we have permanently removed OIG [Office of Inspector General] Report-17-80-D, 'FEMA's Initial Response to the 2016 Catastrophic Flooding in Louisiana' from our website. You should not place any reliance on the June 2017 report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
McCoy, II, John E.
2017-12-04
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 38: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017
"H.R. 38 would allow persons who are licensed to carry concealed firearms in their state of residence to carry concealed handguns in other states if those states have a permitting process for individuals seeking to carry a concealed firearm. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing the bill would have no significant cost to the federal government. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 38 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-12-04
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H. Rept. 115-435, Part 1: Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017, Report to Accompany H.R. 3731, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, December 4, 2017
From Purpose and Summary: "H.R. 3731, the Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017, extends until the end of calendar year 2018 the U.S. Secret Service-specific waiver of the pay cap for basic and premium overtime pay. Congress authorized this waiver in the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016. Lifting the pay cap allows Secret Service personnel to be partially compensated for overtime hours that result in owed compensation above the cap. The additional premium overtime pay will not be creditable for retirement annuity or annual leave calculations. In addition, the bill mandates a series of reports and information to Congress to assess future changes that might reduce the agency's reliance on premium overtime pay."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2017-12-04
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H. Rept. 115-433: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, Report Together with Dissenting views to Accompany H.R. 38, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, December 4, 2017
From the Purpose and Summary: "H.R. 38 allows persons with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits/licenses-or those who live in states that allow non-prohibited persons to carry a concealed firearm without a permit/license to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues concealed firearm permits/licenses, or in any other state that does not generally prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2017-12-04
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4324: Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act
"H.R. 4324 would amend current law to require the Department of the Treasury to report to the Congress on the financing of aircraft purchases by the Republic of Iran. The bill would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to certify whether or not financial transactions to facilitate the export of aircraft to Iran involve activities that could be sanctioned under current law."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-12-04
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"Online Detainee Locator System (Fiscal Year 2017 Report to Congress)
"This report provides an overview regarding the feasibility, cost, and benefits of developing and deploying an online detainee locator system (ODLS) within CBP [Customs and Border Protection]. The intent of creating an ODLS is to provide the general public with an accessible system that would allow the public to conduct online Internet-based queries to locate persons detained by CBP for administrative and/or criminal violations. CBP has reviewed the possibility of such a system and determined that an ODLS is not operationally feasible and should not be utilized within its short-term holding facilities. Individuals in CBP custody are held temporarily in short-term holding facilities, and this report will provide an overview of the operational tempo and the challenges of creating such a system."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2017-12-04
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Nuclear Negotiations with North Korea: In Brief [December 4, 2017]
"U.S. Presidents have faced the question of whether to negotiate with the North Korean government to halt Pyongyang's nuclear program and ambitions. [...] Among the questions related to negotiations with Pyongyang are their utility, timing, scope, and goals. This report summarizes past formal nuclear and missile negotiations between the United States and North Korea, also known by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and highlights some of the lessons and implications that can be drawn from these efforts."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nikitin, Mary Beth Dunham; Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Manyin, Mark E.
2017-12-04
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After Action Report/Improvement Plan: Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station [October 18, 2017]
From the Executive Summary: "On October 18, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VII, evaluated an exercise in the plume emergency planning zone (EPZ) around the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station. The purpose of the exercise was to assess the level of State and local preparedness in responding to a radiological emergency. The exercise was held in accordance with FEMA's policies and guidance concerning the exercise of State and local radiological emergency response plans and procedures. In addition, out of sequence drills were conducted on August 16 and 17, 2017. The previous plume exercise at this site was conducted on August 4, 2015. [...] Ft. Calhoun is going through decommissioning and as noted in the scenario summary, the facility is no longer producing energy, therefore the October exercise was the last biennial exercise. [...] This report contains the evaluation of the biennial exercise. The State and local organizations, demonstrated knowledge of their emergency response plans and procedures. No Level One or Level Two findings were identified. There were no previous findings to be corrected. No Plan Issues were identified during this exercise."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2017-12-04
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Strategic Readiness Review 2017
"This report responds to your direction to conduct a Strategic Readiness Review following the recent tragic incidents involving U.S. 7th Fleet ships that resulted in significant loss of life and injury. The attached report contains specific recommendations for your consideration as you determine the way ahead for our nation's Navy. We assembled a team of senior civilian executives and former senior military officers to conduct the review. The team examined issues of governance, accountability, operations, organizational structure, and manning and training over the past three plus decades to identify trends and contributing factors that have compromised performance and readiness of the fleet. We considered stresses on the force over time, significant changes to training, risk management processes, and how Navy culture has evolved. Our team reviewed past incidents and accidents and conducted numerous interviews with subject matter experts from across the government and with relevant leaders from the private sector in our areas of interest. The team specifically sought experts who have dealt with and responded to similar operational circumstances and events. Our Strategic Review examined the findings of the CNO's [Chief of Naval Operations] Comprehensive Review and we largely concur with its recommendations, however our assessments, judgments and recommendations are independent of that work."
United States. Department of the Navy
2017-12-03
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FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, December 3 - 9, 2017
This document is a compilation of all the FEMA Daily Operations Briefings from December 3 - 9, 2017. The FEMA Daily Operations Briefing provides an overview of the current emergency management situation nationwide and includes a summary of current significant events, weather activity, recent emergency declarations and projections for the coming week.
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2017-12-03?
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After Action Report/Improvement Plan: Three Mile Island: Wellspan Ephrata Hospital Medical Services (MS-1 ) [October 18, 2017]
From the Executive Summary: "On October 18, 2017, a Three Mile Island (TMI) Medical Services (MS-1) Drill was conducted for the 10-mile Plume Exposure Pathway, Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III. The most recent MS-1 Drill for this site was conducted on October 12, 2016. The purpose of the TMI, MS-1 Drill was to assess the State and local offsite response organizations preparedness in responding to a radiological medical emergency. [...] This report contains the final evaluation of the Three Mile Island MS-1 Drill. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and local organizations demonstrated knowledge of their emergency response plans and procedures and adequately implemented them. There were no Level 1 or Level 2 Findings or Plan Issues as a result of this Drill."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2017-12-03
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World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers 2017
"This edition of World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT), 'WMEAT 2017,' published in December 2017, covers the eleven-year period from 2005 through 2015. WMEAT responds to a statutory requirement, codified at 22 USC 2593b, that the U.S. Department of State annually publish detailed, comprehensive and statistical information and in-depth analyses regarding military expenditures, arms transfers, armed forces, and related economic data for each country of the world."
United States. Department of State
2017-12
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Transportation Security Administration: Surface Transportation Inspector Activities Should Align More Closely with Identified Risks, Report to Congressional Requesters
"The global terrorist threat to surface transportation - freight and passenger rail, mass transit, highway, maritime and pipeline systems - has increased in recent years, as demonstrated by the 2017 London vehicle attacks and a 2016 thwarted attack on mass transit in the New York area. TSA is the primary federal agency responsible for securing surface transportation in the United States. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review TSA surface inspector activities. This report addresses (1) how TSA surface inspectors implement the agency's surface transportation security mission, and (2) the extent to which TSA has used a risk-based approach to prioritize and implement surface inspector activities. GAO analyzed TSA data on surface inspector activities from fiscal year 2013 through March 24, 2017, reviewed TSA program and risk documents and guidance, and observed surface inspectors conducting multiple activities. GAO also interviewed TSA officials in 17 of 49 surface field offices and 15 industry stakeholders. [...] GAO recommends that TSA (1) address limitations in its data system to collect complete information, (2) ensure inspector activities more closely align with the results of risk assessments, (3) identify and prioritize entities and locations for its risk mitigation program, and (4) define measurable and clear objectives for the program. TSA concurred with these recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2017-12
