Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
The Department of the Treasury has awarded billions of dollars to state and local governments to help them cover COVID-19 recovery costs. In this Q&A, we update our prior work on the status of this funding, including spent funds and more. As of March 31, 2024: States have reported spending $117.3 billion, or 60% of their awards Localities have reported spending $75.8 billion, or 60%...
GAO-24-107600
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
The Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Defense are working to define and detect foreign disinformation. This Q&A report describes their efforts. We also discussed their relevant legal authorities. This report is the first of two that examine U.S. agencies' efforts to counter foreign disinformation threats, including identifying and publicizing threats. Russia, China, and Iran are the main foreign governments spreading disinformation, U.S. agencies report...
GAO-24-106989
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
The Department of Energy has been building facilities to treat highly radioactive waste at its Hanford site in Washington state. One facility will cost $10 billion to finish and will treat 3 million gallons. Experts said there are alternative methods for treating this waste. They say that these methods could help DOE remove waste from the state earlier, and save taxpayer money. DOE hasn't fully...
GAO-24-107671
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
Every year, when federal agencies implement our recommendations, it leads to billions of dollars in savings and thousands of other improvements across government. Among the 108 recommendations we made to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence from FY 2011 to 2024, 39 have yet to be fully implemented. These recommendations are intended to address issues with workforce management, intelligence enterprise management, personnel vetting...
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
This report examines U.S. coordination with other countries on military training provided to Ukrainian forces outside Ukraine. This is one of many GAO reports on U.S. aid to Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. We found that over 30 countries helped train about 116,000 Ukrainians outside Ukraine as of Feb. 2024. The U.S. trained about 16% of them. As of May, the number...
GAO-24-107010
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
Over the last 8 years, VA spent about $2 billion to provide CPAP devices to veterans with sleep apnea. The devices use air pressure to keep a person breathing normally while sleeping. In 2021, VA changed the way it buys and distributes CPAPs—setting broad goals to spend less, improve customer service for veterans, and more. For example, it allows veterans to order CPAP supplies by...
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
The World Bank lends money to low-and middle-income countries for infrastructure, social, and economic development. It assesses risks and oversees borrowers who award contracts and manage the projects. U.S. businesses can compete for contracts, but nearly half of the 15 we spoke to raised concerns about process integrity and transparency. Over half said they may not bid on future contracts based on their prior experiences...
Published: Aug 14, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
Climate change has cost the government billions. Even with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, costs are likely to rise—in part because greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue altering the climate for decades. The federal government is currently not well-positioned to manage this reality. We identified several areas where the government can better manage climate change risks. We recommended Congress consider organizing the...
GAO-24-107518
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
The General Services Administration plays a central role in coordinating and facilitating transitions from one presidential administration to another. For example, it provides office space, IT, and other services and equipment. GSA reported that its total cost of supporting the 2020–2021 presidential transition was about $34.6 million. Its work for the 2024-2025 transition is underway. Congress has provided some initial funding to GSA, with more...
GAO-24-107461
Published: Sep 26, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 26, 2024 .
USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is intended to help low-income people and families purchase food. In this Q&A, we reported that for FY 2023, USDA estimated 11.7% (or about $10.5 billion) of SNAP benefits that it paid were improper—meaning that payments were the wrong amount or otherwise should not have been made. This was an increase from the prior year's estimate of 11.5%. We've also...
GAO-24-107656
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
A listing of all federal programs, along with funding and performance information, could help decisionmakers and the public better understand what the government does, spends, and achieves. Such an inventory has been required since 2011 but hasn't been produced. This Q&A is one in a series of reports reviewing inventory efforts. The Office of Management and Budget made solid progress in Feb. 2024 by publishing...
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
Millions of Americans rely on medical transportation services and public transport to get to routine medical care. In 2015, the Federal Transit Administration began a pilot program to provide grants specifically for nonemergency transportation programs. We found weaknesses, such as no plan for evaluating whether the program is meeting goals. The agency has 6 other programs that could fund nonemergency transportation. However, information about using..
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
As part of FY22 appropriations, Members of Congress could request to designate a certain amount of federal funding for specific projects in their communities. Congress approved $9.1 billion for 4,963 such projects. We track these funds to help ensure transparency. We found that generally: Recipients planned to use the funds for their intended purposes Federal agencies planned to conduct oversight of projects before they are...
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
U.S. Special Operations Forces are being refocused to do different kinds of missions than they have in the past few decades. These service members now must decide to embrace this change in focus or leave the military. We examined Defense Department programs that help with the transition to civilian life and more. Fewer than half of Special Operations service members started the mandatory transition program...
GAO-24-107029
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
U.S. Customs and Border Protection employs more than 45,000 law enforcement personnel. In recent years, CBP has fallen short of staffing targets, while encounters with noncitizens at the border have greatly increased. Since our 2018 report on this topic, CBP bolstered its recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts. For example, Border Patrol began offering a $20,000 recruitment benefit in 2024, with another $10,000 for work in...
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
For decades, drones have helped the Department of the Interior manage remote federal lands and navigate hazardous conditions, such as wildfires. Since FY 2020, Interior has been revising its policies to restrict the purchase and use of certain foreign-made drones due to potential security risks. Today, Interior is allowed to use them, but generally still isn't allowed to buy more of them. This Q&A report...
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
Federal agencies help fund small businesses' technology development through grants and other awards. This Q&A report looked at a pilot program that could provide more funding for small businesses to bring their technologies to the market. Since the pilot began in 2018, only the Department of Energy's Office of Science has used it. Other agencies didn't implement the pilot as required because they don't work...
Released on Sep 24, 2024 DOD Financial Management:
GAO-24-107656
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
A listing of all federal programs, along with funding and performance information, could help decisionmakers and the public better understand what the government does, spends, and achieves. Such an inventory has been required since 2011 but hasn't been produced. This Q&A is one in a series of reports reviewing inventory efforts. The Office of Management and Budget made solid progress in Feb. 2024 by publishing...
GAO-24-107493
Published: Sep 25, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 25, 2024 .
Wetlands, streams, and other aquatic resources are critical to healthy ecosystems. People who are dredging or doing other work that may damage these aquatic resources generally must get a permit. Federal permits may require permittees to offset the damage. Permittees may do the work themselves or buy credits from a third-party agency, company, or organization that will preserve or improve wetlands elsewhere. This Q&A report...
GAO-24-106523
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
Chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAS—are used in some consumer products, like carpet, clothing, and nonstick cookware. But PFAS contaminate the environment, and some are associated with negative health effects, including cancer. Starting in April 2029, the EPA will require public water systems to limit specific PFAS in drinking water. But of the public water systems we surveyed, 77% have yet to fully implement a...
GAO-24-107173
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
The Department of Energy estimated it will cost $1.4 billion to deactivate and decommission National Nuclear Security Administration facilities that are no longer used and are contaminated with radiological and chemical waste. DOE is required to regularly update its plans for this work. Its last plan didn't have all the required information or all of what's needed to help ensure goals are met. For example...
GAO-24-106890
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
DOD continues to work toward its goal of achieving a "clean" audit opinion—when its financial statements are presented fairly and in accordance with accounting principles. The financial statement audit process also finds problems that can be fixed—which has value far beyond the audit opinion. As a result of the audit process, DOD has seen cost savings, better asset management, increased efficiency, and more. While DOD...
GAO-24-107593
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
DOD is working to improve its long-standing financial management issues. Its goal is to get a "clean" audit opinion on its financial statements—indicating that they're presented fairly and consistent with accounting principles. We testified that DOD's financial audits have led to financial management benefits and more, including identifying assets that DOD didn't even know it had. DOD is also modernizing its financial IT systems. These...
GAO-24-107798
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
States get $16.5 billion a year in federal funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash and other assistance. States spend about another $15 billion. Questions have been raised about accountability in the use of these funds. This statement for the Congressional Record covers what we've seen so far in our ongoing work. We found billing and other fraud risks. For...
GAO-24-107282
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
Banks have about $3 trillion of their assets invested in commercial real estate loans, which is double what they had in 2012. The post-pandemic rise in remote work and declining commercial real estate prices have led to a steady increase in delinquent payments since 2022. This Q&A report examines what bank regulators are doing to monitor risks. Federal regulators said that current risks are manageable...
GAO-24-107783
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
We testified about our ongoing work on the Department of Education's federal student aid application system. The system had processed millions of "FAFSA" applications annually for more than 30 years. So far, we've found that the replacement system's initial rollout was delayed several times. The eventual rollout was immediately met with technical issues. For example, users said the system was unavailable or caused submission errors...
GAO-24-107407
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
We testified on Education's troubled rollout of its newly simplified student aid application. Students rely on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—FAFSA—to determine their eligibility for federal grants and loans. Education streamlined the form this application cycle to make the process easier for students. But the rollout was delayed 3 months. Multiple technical issues also blocked some students from completing the form. Support for...
GAO-24-107824
Published: Sep 24, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2024 .
We testified about our work related to the Federal Air Marshal Service. The agency deploys air marshals, who provide onboard security on some U.S. airlines' domestic and international flights. Since 9/11, threats have continued to evolve. Keeping the airways safe has been a national priority. We've issued 20 recommendations since 2016 that focus on the agency's organizational performance and management of its workforce. As of...
Released on Sep 23, 2024
GAO-24-107733
Published: Sep 23, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2024 .
GAO-24-107001
Published: Sep 23, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2024 .
The Federal Aviation Administration relies on information systems to help air traffic controllers keep the airspace safe and efficient. Last year, FAA determined that 51 of its 138 systems are unsustainable, citing outdated functionality, a lack of spare parts, and more. Over half of these unsustainable systems are especially concerning, but FAA has been slow to modernize. Some system modernization projects won't be complete for...
GAO-24-107595
Published: Sep 23, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2024 .
The U.S. government is liable for the cost of cleaning up contamination left over from mining, energy production, and more—estimated at $645 billion in FY 2023. As agencies fund and complete environmental hazard cleanups, they're often faced with complex decisions. In this Q&A report, we share our framework that agencies can use to make these decisions effectively. The framework helps agencies prioritize activities while balancing...
GAO-24-106539
Published: Sep 23, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2024 .
Two U.S. Department of Agriculture programs supply food banks and pantries that support seniors and families who struggle to afford groceries. USDA oversees states that assist local groups operating these programs, often with volunteer help. However, it doesn't have user-friendly guidance for them, such as a handbook. We found more than 100 guidance documents across both programs. In addition, the process for rejecting deliveries of...
GAO-24-106434
Published: Sep 23, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2024 .
The Department of Defense's TRICARE program offers health care to more than 9 million beneficiaries through DOD facilities and private providers. TRICARE contractors are responsible for ensuring the network's 1.1 million doctors and other service providers are qualified and competent. We reviewed credentialing and monitoring procedures and found 6 providers who were ineligible and 9 whose participation had previously been revoked or limited. DOD's disqualification...
GAO-24-107031
Published: Sep 23, 2024 . Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2024 .
Millions of Americans rely on federal websites, kiosks, and more to access critical information and services. Accessibility is vital for the over 60 million American adults with a disability. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to create and maintain information and communication technology that people with disabilities can access. The mandate has existed for about 25 years, but many agencies don't fully...
IASB
AssistantCareers
30 Sep 2024
Project summary
30 Sep 2024
Careers
27 Sep 2024
Update
27 Sep 2024
Announcement
26 Sep 2024
Podcast
26 Sep 2024
Meeting
25 Sep 2024
25 Sep 2024
Meeting
24 Sep 2024
Update
23 Sep 2024
Update
23 Sep 2024
Speech
23 Sep 2024
IRS
IR-2024-246, Sept. 26, 2024 — The Internal Revenue Service announced today that the agency is opening a supplemental claim process to help third-party payers and their clients resolve incorrect claims for the Employee Retention Credit.
PCAOB
Sep. 24, 2024
SEC
2024-157
Washington D.C., Sept. 30, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Olayinka Oyebola and his Public Company Accounting Oversight Board-registered accounting firm, Olayinka Oyebola & Co. (Chartered Accountants), with aiding and abetting a massive securities fraud perpetrated by Mmobuosi Odogwu Banye, also known as Dozy Mmobuosi, and three related U.S. companies that Mmobuosi controlled (the Tingo entities). The SEC recently obtained a $250 million final judgment against Mmobuosi and the Tingo entities.
2024-156
Washington D.C., Sept. 27, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission is closely monitoring the impact of Hurricane Helene on investors and capital markets.
2024-155
Washington D.C., Sept. 27, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today adopted rule and form amendments intended to enhance the security of its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system and improve filers’ access and account management capabilities.
2024-154
Washington D.C., Sept. 27, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed settled charges against Mango DAO and Blockworks Foundation for engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of crypto assets called “MNGO” tokens. The SEC also settled charges against Blockworks Foundation and Mango Labs LLC for engaging in unregistered broker activity in connection with various crypto assets being offered and sold as securities on the Mango Markets platform. The SEC’s complaint alleges that by skirting the SEC’s registration provisions, Mango DAO, Blockworks Foundation, and Mango Labs deprived investors of critical protections afforded by the federal securities laws.
2024-153
Washington D.C., Sept. 27, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against U.K. citizen Robert B. Westbrook for hacking into the computer systems of five U.S. public companies to obtain material nonpublic information about their corporate earnings and using that information to make approximately $3.75 million in illicit profits by trading in advance of the companies’ public earnings announcements.
2024-152
Washington D.C., Sept. 27, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Richard R. Best, the Director of the Division of Examinations, will transition to an advisory role as Senior Advisor to the Director of the Division of Examinations once he returns from medical leave. Keith E. Cassidy will continue serving as the Division’s Acting Director, a role he began in July.
2024-151
Washington D.C., Sept. 26, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced Cassava Sciences, Inc., its founder and former CEO, Remi Barbier, and its former Senior Vice President of Neuroscience, Dr. Lindsay Burns, will pay more than $40 million to settle charges related to misleading statements made in September 2020 about the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial for the company’s purported therapeutic for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
2024-150
Washington D.C., Sept. 26, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against Florida-based GQG Partners LLC, a registered investment adviser, for entering into agreements with candidates for employment and a former employee that made it more difficult for them to report potential securities law violations to the SEC.
2024-149
Washington D.C., Sept. 26, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged DraftKings Inc. with selectively disclosing material, nonpublic information to investors who followed or otherwise viewed the company CEO’s social media accounts without disclosing that same information to all investors, in violation of Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD). DraftKings agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty to settle the SEC’s charges.
2024-148
Washington D.C., Sept. 25, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against 23 entities and individuals for failures to timely report information about their holdings and transactions in public company stock. Two public companies were also charged for contributing to filing failures by their officers and directors and failing to report their insiders’ filing delinquencies as required.
2024-147
Washington D.C., Sept. 25, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Harvest Volatility Management LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. for exceeding clients’ designated investment limits over a two-year period beginning in March 2016, which resulted in clients paying higher fees, being subjected to increased market exposure, and incurring investment losses. As part of the separate settlements, Harvest and Merrill have agreed to pay a combined $9.3 million in penalties and disgorgement to resolve the SEC’s claims.
2024-146
Washington D.C., Sept. 24, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against Baba Nadimpalli, the co-founder and former CEO of SKAEL Inc., a San Francisco-based private technology company that developed business automation software.
2024-145
Washington D.C., Sept. 24, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against TrueCoin LLC and TrustToken Inc. for their fraudulent and unregistered sales of investment contracts involving TrueUSD (TUSD), a purported stablecoin.
Washington D.C., Sept. 24, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against 12 firms, comprising broker-dealers, investment advisers, and one dually-registered broker-dealer and investment adviser, for widespread and longstanding failures by the firms and their personnel to maintain and preserve electronic communications in violation of recordkeeping provisions of the federal securities laws.
2024-143
Washington D.C., Sept. 23, 2024 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Texas-based registered investment adviser Atom Investors LP for its failure to maintain and preserve off-channel communications in violation of the recordkeeping provisions of the federal securities laws. The Commission did not impose a penalty because Atom Investors self-reported the conduct, promptly remediated the violations, and provided substantial cooperation to Commission staff in an investigation of another entity.
TIGTA
September 26, 2024
September 25, 2024
September 24, 2024
September 24, 2024
September 23, 2024
September 23, 2024
September 23, 2024
September 23, 2024