Updated Jun 24, 2026
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Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Labor
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 12 priority recommendations for the Department of Labor (DOL). Since then, DOL has implemented two of those recommendations, bringing the total to 10 priority recommendations in June 2026. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely a
Government Performance Management: OMB and Selected Agencies Need to Fully Address New Requirements
What GAO Found The Federal Agency Performance Act of 2024 (FAPA) amends statutory requirements for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and federal agencies to manage performance and address crosscutting issues, such as improving food safety and ensuring cybersecurity. For example, OMB is now
VA Medical Facility Security: Actions Needed to Address Longstanding Risks
What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for securing its facilities. GAO has identified security challenges at VA medical facilities and made recommendations to help manage related risks. In January 2018, for example, GAO found limitations with VA’s risk assessment me
Priority Open Recommendations: Environmental Protection Agency
What GAO Found In April 2025, GAO identified 9 priority recommendations for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since then, EPA has implemented one of those recommendations, bringing the total to 8 as of May 2026. GAO is highlighting the following two areas that warrant timely and focused a
National Association of Insurance Commissioners: Role with State Insurance Regulators and IRS Reporting Requirements
What GAO Found The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) supports its members—state insurance regulators—in their regulation of insurance companies by providing a forum (such as committees, task forces, and working groups) to develop standards for insurance companies through mod
Priority Open Recommendations: Securities and Exchange Commission
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified one priority recommendation for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to blockchain technology. Specifically, GAO recommended that SEC and other regulators jointly establish an ongoing coordination mechanism to identify and address risks pos
Countering China: Agencies Provided Over $1 Billion but Have Not Assessed Overall Results of Projects
What GAO Found Since fiscal year 2020, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have used an interagency proposal process to allocate funding for countering Chinese influence projects. An interagency working group has overseen the process and drafted annual
Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Housing and Urban Development
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified nine priority recommendations for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Since then, HUD has not implemented these recommendations. In June 2026, GAO identified an additional two priority recommendations and removed the priority designatio
Service Member Reemployment Rights: Enhanced Education and Additional Training Could Improve Investigations
What GAO Found The Department of Labor's (DOL) Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) closed 5,433 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) complaints from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2025, according to GAO’s analysis of USERRA complaint data. The number
Priority Open Recommendations: Small Business Administration
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 17 priority recommendations for the Small Business Administration (SBA). Since then, SBA has implemented three of those recommendations, bringing the total to 14. GAO is highlighting the following two areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Im
Robotic Autonomous Systems: Navy Needs to Address Leadership and Organizational Challenges to Meet Urgent Needs
What GAO Found Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East prove that robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) are disrupting naval warfare and challenging traditional naval superiority. To provide more adaptable, dispersed operations, the Navy intends to shift away from its World War II-era operat
Special Operations Forces: Actions Needed to Improve Monitoring of Acquisitions
What GAO Found In 2016, Congress strengthened the role of an existing office within the Department of Defense (DOD) to oversee and advocate for training and equipping special operations forces assigned to the Special Operations Command (SOCOM). That office, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sp
VA Menopause Care: Actions Needed to Help Ensure Quality Care and Patient Education
What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) offers menopause care—treatments to manage symptoms of menopause—at its medical facilities through a wide array of treatment options, including medications and medical services. Primary care and gynecology
The Nation's Fiscal Health: Urgent and Sustained Action Needed to Improve the Fiscal Outlook
What GAO Found The federal government is on an unsustainable fiscal path that poses serious economic, national security, and societal challenges if not addressed. Nearly every year this century, the government has spent more than it collected in revenue. To finance these deficits, the government ha
F-35 Sustainment: Actions Needed to Ensure Updated Strategy Improves Persistent Readiness Challenges
What GAO Found Since 2021, F-35 sustainment costs have continued to increase, but the F-35 has not met performance goals and performance has trended down. Across the fleet from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2025: The mission capable rate (percentage of time the aircraft can perform one of
Veterans Health Care: Scheduling Systems and Related Challenges
What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses dozens of systems to schedule appointments, manage referrals, and monitor wait times for veterans. The department is also in the process of replacing its primary health information system—the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technol
Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Health and Human Services
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 35 priority recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Since then, HHS has implemented four of those recommendations. In May 2026, GAO identified an additional seven priority recommendations, bringing the total to 38. GAO is hig
Medicare Hospice: Action Needed to Pay More Efficiently for Routine Home Care
What GAO Found The routine home care that makes up the bulk of Medicare hospice care for its beneficiaries is primarily delivered through visits made by nurses, aides and social workers. GAO found that in 2024 for selected beneficiaries and hospices, low-visit hospices—the 20 percent of hospices th
Disaster Contracting: Actions Needed to Encourage Advance Contract Use and Improve Information Sharing and Oversight
What GAO Found When communities are hit by a major disaster—such as a flood, hurricane, or wildfire—a key first step is removing large quantities of debris so that they can begin to recover. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal Real Property: GSA Should Improve and Streamline Its Real Property Inventory
What GAO Found The General Services Administration (GSA) maintains an inventory of the federal government’s real property assets in a database called the Federal Real Property Profile (FRPP) Management System. Over time, data elements have been added to the FRPP for various reasons, including in re
Spectrum Management: DOD and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Should Improve External Collaboration
What GAO Found The electromagnetic spectrum is a critical resource for many uses including national defense and commercial wireless services. Since more than one user operating on the same frequency can disrupt transmissions, the Department of Defense (DOD) must coordinate its spectrum use. It does
Commercial Aviation: Air Service to Small Communities Continues to Face Challenges
What GAO Found In general, small communities continue to face declining scheduled passenger air service, especially at nonhub airports—airports that have more than 10,000 annual commercial passenger boardings but less than 0.05 percent of the annual total of U.S. commercial passenger boardings. At
Federal Law Enforcement: DHS Could Improve Data Collection and Assessment of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Programs
What GAO Found Stakeholders and available literature identified occupation, culture, and personal life stressors that may negatively affect the mental health of law enforcement officers in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Stressors that Department of Homeland Security Law Enforcement Off
Electronic Health Records: Better Goals and Measures Would Improve Interagency Cybersecurity Collaboration
What GAO Found The Department of Defense (DOD) has primary responsibility for ensuring the cybersecurity of the federal electronic health record (EHR). The Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization office (FEHRM) is responsible for providing direction and oversight on joint functions. To that
Federal Statistics: Stakeholders Said Jobs Report Generally Meets Their Needs, but Opportunities Exist to Improve Data Quality
What GAO Found The Bureau of Labor Statistics’s (BLS) Employment Situation report (the Jobs Report) provides key information on the nation’s economy based on data from two surveys—one of households (the household survey) and one of employers (the establishment survey). Stakeholders with jobs data e
Military Health Care: Families Face Challenges Accessing Care for Special Needs, Defense Has Not Reviewed Coverage
What GAO Found The Department of Defense (DOD) offers eligible military families with special needs dependents coverage for additional services beyond what is covered by TRICARE health plansthrough the TRICARE Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) program and its ECHO Home Health Care (EHHC) benefit.
Rural Housing: Weaknesses in Data Quality and Use Limit HUD’s Ability to Assess Effectiveness of Service Coordinators
What GAO Found Service coordinators employed by owners or managers of affordable housing link residents to supportive services, such as health care, meals, and transportation. Comprehensive data on service coordinators in rural federally assisted housing are not available. Some agencies, including
Civilian Workforce: DOD Should Assess Lessons Learned to Better Understand Reduction Impacts
What GAO Found Department of Defense (DOD) components develop their program requirements and estimate needed resources—a phase known as programming—during an annual resourcing process. GAO found that roughly half of DOD components (22 of 40) programmed reductions to their civilian workforces in at
Corporate Transparency: Treasury Should Address Gaps in Ownership Information Resulting from Expanded Exemptions
What GAO Found The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) requires the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to develop reporting requirements for and create a registry of beneficial owners—individuals who own or control business entities. The CTA and FinCEN’s 2022 be
Electric Aircraft: FAA Is Evaluating Designs for Certification and Considering Long-Term Regulatory Approaches
What GAO Found Manufacturers are developing fully electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, mostly for short-range and medium-range flying. These aircraft vary widely in design. Some require a runway for takeoff, while others take off vertically, for example, from the top of a building. They also have
Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Veterans Affairs
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 29 priority recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Since then, VA has implemented two of those recommendations. In May 2026, GAO identified an additional 3 priority recommendations, bringing the total to 30. GAO is highlighting the f
Federal Research: Agencies Should Better Manage Anticipated Publishing Cost Increases Amid Shift to Public Access
What GAO Found In 2022 The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directed federal agencies to make research results freely accessible to the public immediately when published. In response, seven of the nine agencies GAO reviewed issued updated plans or policies. The Department of Transport
Artificial Intelligence: A Framework to Assess U.S. Competitiveness and Inform Policy Options
How to Use the Framework GAO’s framework is a method for assessing AI capabilities and capacity in the U.S. and its competitiveness. A nation’s competitiveness in AI is how well it develops or deploys AI technologies compared to other nations. Policymakers may be interested in knowing how the U.S.
Hanford Cleanup: DOE’s Plans to Grout and Dispose of Millions of Gallons of Tank Waste
What GAO Found The Department of Energy (DOE) is pursuing options to grout (i.e., immobilize in a concrete-like mixture) a portion of waste from 22 underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site. Specifically, DOE plans to grout about 24 million gallons of waste that has low levels of radioactivity—
Congressional Award Foundation: Review of the FY 2024 Financial Statement Audit
Based on the limited procedures GAO performed in reviewing the performance of the independent public accountant’s (IPA) audit of the Congressional Award Foundation’s financial statements for fiscal year 2024, GAO did not identify any significant issues it believes require attention. Had GAO performe
Semiannual Report to Congress, September 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026
This report was submitted to the Acting Comptroller General in accordance with Section 5 of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Act of 2008. The report summarizes the activities of GAO's Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the 6-month reporting period ending March 31, 2026. During this rep
Telecommunications: Selected Agencies Have Taken Steps to Address Risks of Equipment Linked to China
What GAO Found A 2018 law generally prohibits executive agencies from procuring telecommunications and video surveillance equipment produced by certain companies, or their subsidiaries and affiliates, linked to the People’s Republic of China (referred to as “covered equipment”). Agencies are not pr
Border Security: Additional Information Could Inform Enforcement Decisions for Noncitizens Paroled at the Southwest Border
What GAO Found From October 2018 through May 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) granted about 2.4 million paroles—temporary permission for a noncitizen to stay in the U.S.—out of its nearly 10.4 million encounters at the southwest border (see figure). Over half were to Mexicans, Cubans,
Disaster Loan Program: SBA Should Ensure Consistent Outreach to Survivors
What GAO Found The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Disaster Loan Program provides low-interest loans to businesses, nonprofits, homeowners, and renters to help repair, rebuild, and recover from physical and economic losses after a declared disaster. In 2023 and 2024, SBA and the Federal Emer
Air Force Readiness: Actions Needed to Address Depot Maintenance Delays and Staffing Challenges
What GAO Found The Air Force has three maintenance depots that maintain the readiness of aircraft required for military operations. Depot maintenance delays have increased considerably since fiscal year 2019, whether measured by the original target completion date set before aircraft arrive at the
Regulatory Reporting Reform: Financial Data Transparency Act Requires Initial Steps Toward Government-wide Data Standards
What GAO Found The Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA) was enacted in December 2022 with the intent of eventually reducing the private sector’s regulatory compliance burden while enhancing transparency and accountability. The FDTA requires agencies that regulate the financial sector to create a
VA Medical Facility Security: Actions Needed to Address Longstanding Risks
What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for securing its facilities. GAO has identified security challenges at VA medical facilities and made recommendations to help manage related risks. In January 2018, for example, GAO found limitations with VA’s risk assessment me
Facility Security: VA Should Fully Implement Federal Security Requirements and Improve Performance Reporting
What GAO Found Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) police records report around 74,700 crimes at VA medical facilities in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The overwhelming majority were nonviolent and included disorderly conduct, theft, and drug offenses, according to GAO analysis. GAO found that the av
Recommendations for Congress: Action Can Cut Costs, Reduce Waste, and Improve Services
What GAO Found Matters for congressional consideration are recommendations that GAO makes to Congress to address findings from GAO’s work. Since 2000, GAO has recommended that Congress consider more than 1,150 matters, and nearly 80 percent of them have closed. Addressing these can result in saving
2026 Annual Report: Opportunities to Reduce Duplication, Overlap, and Fragmentation and Achieve an Additional One Hundred Billion Dollars or More in Future Financial Benefits
What GAO Found GAO identified 97 new matters for congressional consideration and recommendations to federal agencies to improve efficiency and effectiveness across the federal government. These matters and recommendations highlight various risks that are heightened when duplication, overlap, and fr
Pell Grants: Overall Student Eligibility Increased After Free Application for Federal Student Aid Simplification
What GAO Found GAO found that about 570,000 more students were eligible for Pell Grants after the Department of Education implemented the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for school year (SY) 2024–25 compared with SY 2023–24. In addition, about 1.9 million more students w
Black Lung Benefits Program: Miners Reported Experiencing Challenges, and DOL Should Monitor Operator-Provided Medical Coverage
What GAO Found The Black Lung Benefits Program provides benefits (income and medical benefits) to coal miners who are totally disabled due to black lung disease. These miners may also receive other benefits, such as state workers’ compensation payments, for their black lung disability. According to
Department of Energy: Action Needed to Approve Advanced Test Reactor Spent Fuel Plan
What GAO Found The Department of Energy (DOE) faces two challenges affecting Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) operations in the near term. First, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Office of Naval Reactors (Naval Reactors) is finding it increasingly difficult to meet testing requireme
U.S. Ports of Entry: Update on CBP Public-Private Partnership Programs
What GAO Found Since GAO's January 2024 report, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continued to expand its public-private partnership programs—the Reimbursable Services Program (RSP) and the Donations Acceptance Program (DAP). The RSP ensures partners, such as port authorities or local munici
High-Tech Medical Equipment: VA Has Opportunities to Improve Its Acquisition of Maintenance Services
What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to buy and maintain high-tech medical equipment (HTME)—such as magnetic resonance imaging equipment—to deliver health care to veterans. To maintain this equipment, and help ensure its safe use, me
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