The U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund was established in 2015 to compensate people injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism. It allocated about $3.3 billion in payments across three rounds—in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Keep Reading
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has facilities to process lithium—a key material in nuclear weapons. However, these facilities have deteriorated and NNSA has proposed a new facility to meet the demand for lithium. Keep Reading
The Department of Homeland Security has been condemned by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for its inflexibility and failure to designate January 6, 2021 as a special event. Keep Reading
For overseas missions, Defense contractors rely on foreign workers for services like construction and security. Some workers have alleged labor abuses, like wage withholding, despite the government's zero-tolerance policy on forced labor and human trafficking. Keep Reading
The Government Accountability Office found agencies don't routinely work together to monitor exercise results to identify potential patterns of problems. Keep Reading
The threat of explosives reaching the United States via air cargo is significant. Terrorists have attempted to use air cargo shipments to smuggle concealed explosives into the United States previously, and will continue to do so. Keep Reading
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program requires homeowners with federally regulated mortgages to purchase flood insurance for properties located in high-risk areas. But some of FEMA's floodplain maps delineating those areas are outdated. Keep Reading
Contracting during an emergency can be challenging. For example, contracting officers had to buy things that their agencies don't usually buy, and faced pressure to award contracts quickly. Keep Reading
The Departments of Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security, and NASA reported bills totaling $883 million for paid leave costs incurred by contractors. These agencies implemented policies and tracked reimbursements in different ways. Keep Reading
GAO surveyed about 4,000 federal managers in 2020, and nearly all respondents said they had at least one type of evidence available for their programs. However, many fewer reported that their agencies had sufficient capacity (e.g., staff with skills) to develop and use evidence. Keep Reading
The government buys a huge range of products and services, from military aircraft to common office supplies. The Government Accountability Office looked at how 7 leading companies manage procurement, and whether the federal government follows similar practices. Keep Reading
DHS's strategy didn't include all 7 elements of a successful strategy, such as a resource assessment for carrying it out. DHS could also do more to ensure it's gathering and able to use quality data to evaluate the success of its strategy. Keep Reading
In recent years, some U.S. citizens have claimed they were mistakenly identified as foreign nationals and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or held by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on immigration charges. Keep Reading
The Government Accountability Office says the U.S. Coast Guard may be using inaccurate data to plan technology investments and determine staff's mission readiness. Keep Reading
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has faced long-standing challenges in its efforts to deploy information technology (IT) initiatives in two critical areas needing modernization. Keep Reading
In order to maintain this return on investment, the watchdog is looking at ways to make its workforce more familiar with data analytics and artificial intelligence tools. Keep Reading
A new GAO report reveals complications with implementing and validating COVID-19 policies in immigration detention facilities. Keep Reading
GAO made 21 recommendations to 10 agencies that did not fully implement the 10 minimum requirements made by SBA when awarding funding to small businesses. Keep Reading
The framework consists of four complementary principles: governance, data, performance and monitoring. The purpose of the framework is to ensure accountability and responsible use of AI in government programs and processes. Keep Reading
As far back as December 2015, during the Ebola epidemic, GAO recommended that the Secretary of Transportation work with relevant stakeholders to develop a national aviation-preparedness plan for communicable disease outbreaks. This plan remains elusive. Keep Reading