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Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Homeland Security [August 13, 2021]
From the Document: "[T]he purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) implementation of GAO [Government Accountability Office]'s recommendations and to call your personal attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority. In November 2020, we reported that on a government-wide basis, 77 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented. DHS's recommendation implementation rate was 84 percent. As of March 2021, DHS had 464 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-13
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U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund: Estimated Lump Sum Catch-Up Payments
From the Document: "The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of people. In 2015, the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act (Terrorism Act) was enacted, which established the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (Fund) to provide compensation for persons injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism. In May 2016, the Attorney General appointed a Special Master to administer the Fund. U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) personnel support the Fund. To date, the Fund has allocated approximately $3.3 billion in three payment rounds, which began in 2017, 2019, and 2020. In 2019, the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund Clarification Act (Clarification Act) amended the groups of individuals who were eligible to claim payments from the Fund. [...] The Sudan Claims Resolution Act includes provisions for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to (1) estimate lump sum catch-up payments to eligible 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents that would result in the percentage of claims received from the Fund being equal to the percentage of claims of 9/11 family members received from the Fund; and (2) estimate amounts of lump sum catch-up payments for 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents. [...] In summary, we [GAO] estimated that lump sum catch-up payments to 5,364 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents in our population would total about $2.7 billion."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-11
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Private Health Coverage: Results of Covert Testing for Selected Sales Representatives Listed on Healthcare.gov
From the Document: "Since 2014, millions of consumers have purchased individual market health insurance plans through the health insurance exchanges--or marketplaces--established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). PPACA directed each state to establish an exchange--referred to as a state-based exchange--or elect to use the federally facilitated exchange established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each year the exchanges offer an open enrollment period during which eligible consumers may enroll in or change their coverage. Consumers enroll in the federally facilitated exchange through HHS's healthcare.gov [hyperlink] website, and some state-based exchanges have chosen to also use this website for enrollment. [...] You requested that we perform additional work to obtain insights on the marketing and sales practices of sales representatives who are listed on healthcare.gov [hyperlink]. In this report, we describe the results of covert tests we conducted involving selected sales representatives listed on healthcare.gov [hyperlink] when contacted by our undercover investigators stating that they had preexisting conditions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-10
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Capitol Attack: Special Event Designations Could Have Been Requested for January 6, 2021, but Not All DHS Guidance is Clear [Revised August 09, 2021]
From the Document: "In the months leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, there were reported efforts to organize large groups of protestors to travel to Washington, D.C., to dispute the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. [...] Questions have been raised about the extent to which necessary steps were taken to adequately secure the Capitol Complex, and share intelligence information. [...] We have a body of work underway that examines the preparation, coordination, and response on January 6, that we will begin issuing over the next several months, (see appendix III for additional details). We were asked to review, among other things, coordination between federal and local entities for security and emergency support for events at the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas on January 6, 2021[.]. Specifically, this report examines the extent to which federal, state, and local government entities requested an NSSE [National Special Security Event] or SEAR [Special Event Assessment Rating] designation for the planned events of January 6, 2021 to include: (1) the definition of an NSSE and its designation process; (2) the definition of SEAR and its designation process; (3) the characteristics of past NSSE and SEAR events; (4) the applicability of NSSE and SEAR designations to the events of January 6 and the extent to which they were considered; and, (5) why NSSE and SEAR designations were not considered for the events of January 6."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-09
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Human Trafficking: DOD Should Address Weaknesses in Oversight of Contractors and Reporting of Investigations Related to Contracts, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "GAO [government Accountability Office] and DODIG [Department of Defense Office of Inspector General] reports on overseas U.S. military operations have highlighted TIP [trafficking in persons] among foreign workers employed on contracts. Congress included a provision in the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 for GAO to review DOD's efforts to combat TIP related to contracts. This report examines, among other things: the extent to which selected DOD components have implemented oversight and training requirements for CTIP [combating trafficking in persons] in contracts and the extent to which selected DOD components have tracked and reported investigations of TIP incidents in contracts from fiscal years 2015 through 2020. GAO analyzed federal laws, and DOD guidance, regulations, contracts, and data related to CTIP. GAO also interviewed DOD officials, including Army and Navy officials responsible for overseeing contracts in U.S. Southern Command. GAO is making six recommendations to improve DOD oversight of contractors' CTIP efforts and reporting of TIP in contracts: two to strengthen guidance on oversight, one to reinstate requirements on reporting the percentage of people trained, and three to clarify guidance for reporting on TIP investigations. DOD concurred with all of the recommendations."
United States. General Accounting Office
2021-08-04
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Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Defense [August 2, 2021]
From the Document: "[T]he purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Department of Defense's (DOD) implementation of GAO's [Government Accountability Office] recommendations and to call your personal attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority. Many of the recommendations in this letter directly address key challenges that significantly affect DOD's ability to accomplish the department's mission, such as rebuilding readiness, mitigating cyber threats, and controlling costs."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08-02
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U.S. Postal Service: Further Analysis Could Help Identify Opportunities to Reduce Injuries Among Non-Career Employees, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "From fiscal year 2016 through 2018, USPS [United States Postal Service] saved an estimated $6.6 billion by increasing its use of non-career employees; this increase is an important accomplishment given USPS's financial challenges. Compared to career employees, noncareer employees are compensated less and USPS has more flexibility in setting their schedules. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review the effects of USPS's increased use of non-career employees. This report examines the rates of non-career employees: (1) turnover and (2) injuries, as well as factors and costs associated with each and USPS's efforts to manage these issues."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Nuclear Weapons: Actions Needed to Improve Management of NNSA's Lithium Activities, Report to the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate
From the Highlights: "Since the 1940s, the nation's supply of lithium used in some nuclear weapons components has been processed at NNSA [National Nuclear Security Administration]'s Y-12 site. However, due to deteriorating facilities and equipment and the need to reestablish dormant processing capabilities, NNSA faces risks in meeting future lithium demand. To address these challenges, NNSA has developed a strategy to meet lithium demand until the 2030s, by which time it expects the new LPF [lithium processing facility] will be fully operational. The Senate committee report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to examine NNSA's lithium programs and projects. GAO's report examines, among other things, (1) the status of current cost and schedule estimates and design activities for NNSA's LPF project and (2) the extent to which NNSA has developed management tools for the lithium program that are consistent with best practices."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Federal Debt Management: Treasury Quickly Financed Historic Government Response to the Pandemic and is Assessing Risks to Market Functioning, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The federal government's fiscal response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic dramatically increased the government's borrowing needs. Treasury borrows money needed by issuing Treasury securities. The ability to borrow large amounts of money quickly and cheaply is especially important during a crisis, when government spending tends to increase and revenues tend to decrease. Any disruptions in investor demand for Treasury securities or the functioning of the Treasury market can have costly implications for the federal government and taxpayers. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines (1) how the cost and liquidity of Treasury securities changed during COVID-19; (2) actions Treasury is taking to mitigate future disruptions; and (3) the actions Treasury took to finance the federal government's response to the pandemic."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Defense Nuclear Enterprise: DOD Can Improve Processes for Monitoring Longstanding Issues, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "In 2014, the Secretary of Defense directed two reviews of DOD's nuclear enterprise. The reviews made recommendations to address longstanding issues with leadership, investment, morale, policy, and procedures, as well as other shortcomings adversely affecting the nuclear deterrence mission. In 2015, DOD conducted a review focused on nuclear command, control, and communications systems, resulting in additional recommendations. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review DOD's processes for addressing these recommendations. GAO assessed the extent to which DOD has (1) made progress implementing the recommendations; (2) evaluated the metrics and milestones for implementing the 2014 nuclear enterprise review recommendations related to nuclear security forces; and (3) implemented oversight mechanisms, including developing an approach for monitoring long-standing issues. GAO reviewed documents and interviewed DOD officials on the recommendations' status and DOD's oversight."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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COVID-19: HHS's Collection of Hospital Capacity Data, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "The magnitude of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has underscored the importance of having quality data to help the federal government understand the health care system's capacity to provide care and to inform the allocation of resources. HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] launched HHS Protect in April 2020 to capture hospital capacity data. Throughout the public health emergency HHS has made changes to how information is collected and used. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing COVID-19 monitoring and oversight efforts. GAO was asked to examine HHS's implementation of HHS Protect. In this report, GAO describes (1) HHS's implementation of HHS Protect hospital capacity reporting requirements and the challenges experienced by reporting entities; (2) HHS's and stakeholders' use of the data, if at all; and (3) lessons learned about ensuring the collection of quality hospital capacity data during a public health emergency."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Biodefense: After-Action Findings and COVID-19 Response Revealed Opportunities to Strengthen Preparedness, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic shows how catastrophic biological incidents can cause substantial loss of life, economic damage, and require a whole-of-nation response involving multiple federal and nonfederal entities. The 2018 National Biodefense Strategy outlines specific goals and objectives to help prepare for and respond to such incidents. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to conduct monitoring and oversight of federal efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from COVID-19. This report addresses: (1) interagency plans key federal agencies developed, and exercises they conducted, to help prepare for biological incidents; and (2) the extent to which exercises and real-world incidents revealed opportunities to better achieve National Biodefense Strategy objectives. GAO reviewed biological incident plans and after-action reports from exercises and real-world incidents from calendar years 2009 through 2019, including a non-generalizable sample of 19 reports selected based on threat scenario and other factors. GAO interviewed federal and state officials to obtain their perspectives on plans, exercises, and the COVID-19 response."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Sexual Assault and Harassment: NOAA Has Made Substantial Progress in Prevention and Response but Could Further Improve Its Processes, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "Sexual assault and sexual harassment can have harmful effects on the individual employees as well as the workplace by undermining employee morale and decreasing productivity. In 2018, NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] identified several factors indicating that the agency may be at risk for harassment or assault, or both. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review NOAA's policies and actions for preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment. This report examines: (1) the extent to which NOAA's policy is consistent with relevant legal requirements in the 2017 NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017] and follows EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]'s promising practices and (2) the extent to which NOAA's actions follow EEOC's promising practices."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Facial Recognition Technology: Current and Planned Uses by Federal Agencies, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "Facial recognition--a type of biometric technology--mimics how people identify or verify others by examining their faces. Recent advancements have increased the accuracy of automated FRT [facial recognition technology] resulting in increased use across a range of applications. As the use of FRT continues to expand, it has become increasingly important to understand its use across the federal government in a comprehensive way. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review the extent of FRT use across the federal government. This report identifies and describes (1) how agencies used FRT in fiscal year 2020, including any related research and development and interactions with non-federal entities, and (2) how agencies plan to expand their use of FRT through fiscal year 2023."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Defense Transportation: The Army Should Take Action to Better Ensure Adequate Rail Support to Combatant Commanders, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "According to Army officials and doctrine, rail is the most cost effective and expeditious means of moving large quantities of materiel, such as tanks and ammunition, over long distances. Army officials also stated that during contingencies, approximately 67 percent of Army unit equipment moves by rail from its fort or base of origin to a shipping port. House Report 116-120, accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review military rail capabilities. GAO evaluated the extent to which the Army has taken action to 1) meet potential needs for rail operating crews and 2) inspect, repair, and monitor installations' rail track."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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COVID-19: Improvements Needed in Guidance and Stakeholder Engagement for Immigration Courts, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "Each year, EOIR [Executive Office for Immigration Review] issues decisions for hundreds of thousands of cases of foreign nationals charged as removable under U.S. immigration law. Approximately 500 immigration judges at 66 immigration courts nationwide determine whether these individuals are removable from the U.S. and, if so, whether they are eligible for any requested relief from removal. During the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, EOIR faced unprecedented challenges adapting its operations to continue its mission. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review EOIR's management of court operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines, among other things, (1) EOIR's modifications to court operations and related guidance and (2) EOIR's engagement with court stakeholders."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Global Food Security: Improved Monitoring Framework Needed to Assess and Report on Feed the Future's Performance, Report to the Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, House Committee on Appropriations
From the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Highlights: "The United Nations reported that nearly 690 million people in the world were undernourished as of 2019, and estimated that food insecurity could worsen due to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. In response to the Global Food Security Act of 2016, FTF [Feed the Future] agencies monitor and report the progress of their global food security assistance and developed a process to graduate FTF target countries from the initiative. GAO was asked to review U.S. global food security assistance. This report evaluates, among other things, USAID's [U.S. Agency for International Development] monitoring and public reporting of FTF's progress and assessment of countries' potential to graduate from FTF. GAO reviewed FTF documents and data, and interviewed representatives of USAID, FTF partner agencies, and other stakeholders, including implementing partners from four sample countries selected based on factors such as geographic diversity and amount of food security funding."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Actions Needed to Address Pending Caseload, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] is the federal agency charged with adjudicating applications and petitions for immigration benefits, such as humanitarian relief, naturalization, and employment authorization. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review issues related to USCIS's caseload. This report examines (1) what USCIS data indicate about its caseload, including its pending caseload, and factors affecting it; (2) how USCIS monitors its case processing operations, including efforts to reduce its pending caseload; and (3) the extent to which USCIS has implemented workforce planning strategies to address its pending caseload. GAO analyzed USCIS documentation and data for fiscal year 2015 through the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 and interviewed officials from USCIS program offices, directorates, and eight field locations and from three external stakeholder organizations. GAO also analyzed USCIS processing time data for seven types of applications and petitions, selected based on various factors, including volume of pending caseload and benefit category. [...] GAO is making six recommendations, including that USCIS develop performance measures for monitoring the timeliness of its case processing for certain forms, develop a long-term workforce plan, and identify the resources necessary to address its pending caseload. DHS concurred with five recommendations and did not concur with the recommendation that USCIS develop a long-term workforce plan. GAO continues to believe that such a plan would help USCIS better address its workforce challenges."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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DOD Fraud Risk Management: Actions Needed to Enhance Department-Wide Approach, Focusing on Procurement Fraud Risks, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review issues related to DOD's fraud risk management. DOD obligated $421.8 billion in fiscal year 2020 on contracts. GAO has long reported that DOD's procurement processes are vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse. In 2018, DOD reported to Congress that from fiscal years 2013- 2017, over $6.6 billion had been recovered from defense-contracting fraud cases. In 2020, the DOD Office of Inspector General reported that roughly one-in-five of its ongoing investigations are related to procurement fraud. This report assesses the steps DOD took in fiscal year 2020 (1) to combat departmentwide fraud risks and (2) to conduct a fraud risk assessment and ensure that DOD's component organizations reported procurement fraud risks."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Private Security Contractors: DOD Needs to Better Identify and Monitor Personnel and Contracts, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "During Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001-2014 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-2011, DOD significantly increased its use of PSCs [private security contractors]. In 2008, the Swiss Government and the Red Cross issued the Montreux Document, which generally reaffirmed the obligation nations have to ensure that their PSCs respect international humanitarian law. PSCs supporting DOD have faced international attention resulting from incidents allegedly involving their personnel. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 included a provision for GAO [government Accountability Office] to review DOD's use of PSCs. GAO assessed the extent to which DOD has (1) identified PSC contracts and personnel used to support contingency operations and (2) established a framework to oversee the department's use of PSC contracts. GAO analyzed DOD contract and personnel data for PSCs from 2009 through 2019, reviewed DOD guidance on PSC use, and conducted interviews with DOD officials and representatives from standards organizations. GAO is making three recommendations to improve PSC oversight, including identifying and communicating the activities that fall under DOD's definition of PSC functions, and assigning a senior-level position responsible for monitoring the implementation of DOD's PSC oversight framework. DOD partially concurred with the recommendations, agreeing in substance and planning several actions as a result. DOD's planned actions should address the intent of GAO's recommendations if implemented."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-29
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COVID-19 Pandemic: Actions Needed to Improve Federal Oversight of Assistance to Individuals, Communities, and the Transportation Industry, Statement of Heather Krause, Director, Physical Infrastructure and Chris P. Currie, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Testimony Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "In response to the public health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, Congress provided billions of dollars across a range of agencies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. This included billions to: [1] FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund to provide assistance to individuals as well as state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and [2] DOT [Department of Transportation] and Treasury to provide financial assistance to the transportation sector. This statement describes: (1) the federal response and selected relief programs administered by FEMA, DOT, and Treasury and (2) lessons learned based on GAO's [Government Accountability Office's] reviews of selected COVID-19 relief programs, including related recommendations and their implementation status. This statement is based on GAO's body of work on the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act issued from June 2020 through July 2021. To update this information, GAO reviewed agency documentation; and interviewed agency officials, industry associations, and selected businesses that applied to these programs on the latest implementation efforts."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Krause, Heather; Currie, Chris
2021-07-29
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Military Installations: DOD Should Consider Various Support Services When Designating Sites as Remote or Isolated, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "DOD operates hundreds of installations in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, which support the daily operations of military units. The support services provided to servicemembers and their dependents at these installations include morale, welfare, and recreation services; medical care; housing; and education. Senate Report 116-48, accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review support services at remote or isolated installations. This report assesses the extent to which DOD (1) designated installations in the United States since 2011 as remote or isolated for the provision of support services, and (2) established objectives for support services at installations and assessed whether current support services are meeting the needs of servicemembers and their dependents. GAO reviewed relevant policies and guidance, conducted interviews with four selected installations and conducted a non-generalizable web-based survey of 756 active-duty servicemembers. GAO is making two recommendations to DOD to develop policy for designating installations in the United States as remote or isolated that includes a process for considering support services in addition to MWR [morale, welfare, and recreation], and to assess the risks of not providing support services and subsequently develop strategies to meet identified needs. As discussed in the report, DOD concurred with the recommendations and described some related actions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-29
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Bureau of Prisons: BOP Could Further Enhance Its COVID-19 Response by Capturing and Incorporating Lessons Learned, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "BOP [Federal Bureau of Prisons] was responsible for the custody and care of about 129,000 federal inmates in BOP-managed facilities, and employed more than 37,000 staff as of May 2021. Because of confined spaces, the prison population is particularly vulnerable during infectious disease outbreaks, such as COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. About $620 million has been appropriated to or designated by BOP for COVID-19- related efforts. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review BOP's approach to responding to COVID-19. This report addresses, among other objectives: (1) BOP's development and updates of COVID-19 guidance; (2) BOP's provision of PPE [personal protective equipment], COVID-19 tests and vaccines, and infection and fatality rates for inmates and staff; and (3) the impact of COVID-19 on inmates and staff, and the extent to which BOP has incorporated lessons learned into its response. GAO reviewed BOP policies, data, and other documentation related to the impact of COVID-19 and how BOP addressed it. GAO also conducted non-generalizable interviews of officials from five BOP facilities and one private facility operating under contract with BOP, selected based on inmate infection rates and other factors. GAO is making three recommendations that BOP evaluate communication of COVID-19 guidance, develop an approach to capture and share best practices and lessons learned; and develop an approach to ensure facilities apply these practices as appropriate. BOP concurred with all three recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-29
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COVID-19 Contracting: Opportunities to Improve Practices to Assess Prospective Vendors and Capture Lessons Learned, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "In response to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], agencies awarded contracts for goods and services to vendors from a range of industries and with varying levels of federal contracting experience, but some vendors have been unable to deliver under those contracts. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] Act included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review COVID-19-related federal contracting under the act. This report addresses (1) COVID-19 contract obligations and characteristics of vendors, (2) contracting challenges, including with agency assessments of vendors, and (3) whether lessons learned efforts reflect those challenges. GAO analyzed federal procurement data on agencies' reported COVID-19 contract obligations through May 31, 2021. GAO examined a nongeneralizable sample of 28 contracts with high dollar values or other characteristics from four agencies--DOD, HHS [Department of Health and Human Services], USDA, and DHS. GAO interviewed officials, including Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials about their emergency acquisition guidance. GAO is making 10 recommendations, including that agencies establish processes to better collect and communicate contracting lessons learned during emergencies such as COVID-19. Agencies agreed with nine recommendations. OMB did not agree to establish time frames for updating its guidance. GAO continues to believe OMB should do so, as discussed in this report."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-29
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Paycheck Protection Program: SBA Added Program Safeguards, but Additional Actions Are Needed, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "Since March 2020, Congress has provided commitment authority of about $814 billion for PPP [Paycheck Protection Program], which provides small businesses with low-interest loans that SBA [Small Business Administration] fully guarantees. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to monitor funds provided for the COVID-19 [coronavirus 2019] pandemic. This report examines (1) safeguards that SBA put in place during the PPP loan approval process, (2) the PPP loan forgiveness process, including processes for unforgiven loans, and (3) SBA's oversight of PPP loans and lenders. GAO reviewed SBA documentation; surveyed a generalizable sample of PPP lenders; analyzed data on loan forgiveness applications; compared SBA processes against federal guidance on credit programs; and interviewed staff from SBA, the Department of the Treasury, and four trade associations representing lenders. GAO recommends that SBA (1) finalize a process for claiming the PPP loan guarantee, (2) implement the statutory requirement to purchase PPP loans in advance of loan forgiveness or seek statutory exceptions to the requirement, (3) finalize procedures for the steps of its loan review process that are not yet documented, and (4) develop and implement a process to ensure timely communication with lenders. SBA generally agreed with the four recommendations, including seeking statutory flexibility or repeal of the requirement to purchase PPP loans in advance of loan forgiveness."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-29
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Cybersecurity and Information Technology: Federal Agencies Need to Strengthen Efforts to Address High-Risk Areas, Statement of Carol C. Harris, Director, Information Technology and Cybersecurity, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Government Operations, Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "The nation's critical infrastructures and federal agencies are dependent on IT [information technology] systems and electronic data to carry out operations and to process, maintain, and report essential information. Each year, the federal government spends more than $100 billion on cybersecurity and IT investments. GAO has long stressed the continuing and urgent need for effective cybersecurity, as underscored by recent events that have illustrated persistent and evermore sophisticated cyber threats and incidents. Moreover, many IT investments have failed, performed poorly, or suffered from ineffective management. Accordingly, GAO has included information security on its high-risk list since 1997 and added improving the management of IT acquisitions and operations in 2015. In its March 2021 high-risk series update, GAO reported that significant attention was needed in both of these important areas. GAO was asked to testify on federal agencies' efforts to address cybersecurity and the management of IT. For this testimony, GAO relied on selected products it previously issued."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Harris, Carol C.
2021-07-28
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Federal Contracting: Senior Leaders Should Use Leading Companies' Key Practices to Improve Performance, Report to the Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate
From the Highlights: "Federal agencies face significant, longstanding procurement challenges that increase the risk of waste and mismanagement. GAO [U.S. Government Accountability Office] was asked to review key procurement practices in the private sector and assess whether federal agencies could adopt them. This report examines key practices that leading companies use to improve the performance of their procurement organizations, and the extent to which procurement leaders at selected federal agencies use those practices. GAO interviewed senior procurement leaders at seven leading companies, and experts from four professional associations and five academic institutions. GAO selected these individuals based on literature reviews and conversations with knowledgeable officials. GAO compared key practices they identified to those used at six federal agencies selected based on the dollar value and number of their procurement actions, among other factors. GAO analyzed documentation on each agency's procurement management practices, and interviewed the agencies' senior procurement leaders. The federal government does not have generally accepted definitions for outcome-oriented and process-oriented metrics. For the purposes of this report, GAO defined outcome-oriented metrics as those metrics that measure the results of organizations' procurement activities. GAO defined process-oriented metrics as those metrics that measure the type or level of procurement activities conducted."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-27
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Critical Infrastructure Protection: TSA is Taking Steps to Address Some Pipeline Security Program Weaknesses, Statement of Leslie V. Gordon, Acting Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Statement Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "The nation's pipelines are vulnerable to cyber-based attacks due to increased reliance on computerized systems. In May 2021 malicious cyber actors deployed ransomware against Colonial Pipeline's business systems. The company subsequently disconnected certain systems that monitor and control physical pipeline functions so that they would not be compromised. This statement discusses TSA's [Transportation Security Administration] actions to address previous GAO findings related to weaknesses in its pipeline security program and TSA's guidance to pipeline owner/operators. It is based on prior GAO products issued in December 2018, June 2019, and March 2021, along with updates on actions TSA has taken to address GAO's recommendations as of June 2021. To conduct the prior work, GAO analyzed TSA documents; interviewed TSA officials, industry association representatives, and a sample of pipeline operators selected based on type of commodity transported and other factors; and observed TSA security reviews. GAO also reviewed TSA's May and July 2021 Pipeline Security Directives, TSA's Pipeline Security Guidelines, and three federal security alerts issued in July 2020, May 2021, and June 2021."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-27
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COVID-19 Contracting: Actions Needed to Enhance Transparency and Oversight of Selected Awards, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "In March 2020, Congress passed the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act as part of the federal response to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. The act had certain provisions for federal contracting, including providing additional flexibilities. Contracting plays a critical role in the pandemic response as agencies obligate billions of dollars for goods and services. The act also included a provision for GAO [U.S. Government Accountability Office] to review federal contracting in response to COVID-19. This report examines, among other objectives, the extent to which the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security--the only agencies that reported using other transaction agreements in response to COVID-19 in the federal procurement database--used such agreements, including awards to consortia, and oversight of such use. GAO analyzed federal procurement data as of March 2021; reviewed a nongeneralizable sample of 15 agreements selected based on high dollar amounts, agency, a mix of products and services, among other criteria; reviewed agency policies; and interviewed agency officials. GAO is making 14 recommendations to selected agencies, to improve the transparency of agreement awards in the federal procurement database and update policies to improve the oversight of agreements awarded through consortium management firms. The agencies agreed with 11 of the recommendations and did not agree with three of them. GAO continues to believe the recommendations are valid, as discussed in the report."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-07-26
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Spectrum Management: Agencies Should Strengthen Collaborative Mechanisms and Processes to Address Potential Interference, Statement of Andrew Von Ah, Director, Physical Infrastructure, Testimony Before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives
From the Statement of Andrew Von Ah: "I am pleased to be here today as you examine spectrum needs for science applications. Regulating and managing the diverse uses of spectrum are complex and challenging tasks that involve accommodating the growing needs of emerging spectrum-dependent technologies, protecting existing uses from harmful interference, and balancing the concerns of various spectrum users to promote the most efficient and effective use of the spectrum resource in the public interest."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Von Ah, Andrew
2021-07-20
