FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) overall processing performance during the 2026 filing season was similar to 2025. IRS processed about 98 percent of the 177 million individual and business returns that it received during the 2026 filing season—the same percentage as last year. However, according to IRS, unavailable processing systems and reduced staffing delayed paper return processing. IRS said the systems were not available due in part to recent staff losses that delayed programming updates. IRS sent about half of paper returns to outside vendors to scan and submit to IRS electronically, but paper return processing took longer than prior years. For example, on average,..
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Federal Communications Commission | Proposed Rule | In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) proposes and seeks comment on rules that would eliminate state and local requirements that constrain the deployment of modern high-speed wireline infrastructure in violation of section 253 of the Communications Act (Act), particularly through the imposition of excessive delays and fees that impede infrastructure deployments and disincentivize investments in them. Based on the record resulting from a Notice of Inquiry that identified numerous challenges providers face in offering telecommunications services and deploying wireline infrastructure (2025 Notice of Inquiry), th.
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Federal Communications Commission | Proposed Rule | The Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) issues a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on a broad set of additional measures to strengthen the security and integrity of its equipment authorization program. The measures include bifurcating the Covered List into producer/provider-based and production location-based categories; addressing "white labeling" of covered equipment; hardware and software bill of materials (HBOM/SBOM) disclosure requirements; further prohibitions or presumptions against authorizing equipment containing Covered List components or software; certification requirements for devices.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Department of Education provides student loan servicers with instruction for implementing program changes via formal documents known as change requests. Change requests outline new or modified requirements for servicers and can vary in their complexity. For example, Education could require servicers to carry out tasks ranging from sending straightforward borrower communications to implementing major repayment plan changes. Examples of Tasks Student Loan Servicers Carry Out for Education The servicers reported facing challenges in implementing Education’s instruction for program changes. All four servicers raised concerns about the number of clarifying questions they neede.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began posting its estimated savings on a web page known as the Wall of Receipts on February 17, 2025. As of July 7, 2026, the Wall of Receipts reported savings of $110 billion across contracts, grants, and leases, but some savings estimates are incorrect or lack supporting evidence. While DOGE provided some information about estimated savings, several issues limit the transparency and reliability of these reported savings. DOGE was not transparent regarding methodologies used to calculate savings. Specifically, DOGE did not use its stated methodology to calculate the majority of savings associated with the contracts reported as t.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Department of Defense (DOD) uses international agreements and arrangements to achieve political, economic, and military objectives. For example, these could include cooperatively developing and producing a military system with a foreign partner. From fiscal years 2021 through 2025, DOD established 303 acquisition-related international arrangements with an associated dollar value of $64 billion. However, both the number and dollar value of these arrangements declined over this period. DOD officials said that factors like personnel shortages and lengthy review and approval timelines contributed to this decline. Decline in DOD International Arrangements, Fiscal Years (FY) 20.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Carbon Oxide Sequestration Credit (45Q) is a tax credit provided for certain carbon oxides that are captured at emission sources or directly from the air and either stored underground or used to produce products. The credit has been amended multiple times, including by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which added new credit features. More recently, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act created parity in credit values across uses of captured carbon. As of March 2026, there were 33 carbon capture facilities in the U.S., with additional facilities planned. The number of 45Q credit claims more than tripled from 2019 to 2023, according to IRS data. The Internal Revenue Service.
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration | Proposed Rule | FAA proposes to eliminate the prescriptive list of required items in emergency medical kits and first aid kits and replace it with a performance-based requirement to ensure contents are practical and sufficient to allow crewmembers to address the most common medical emergencies that occur onboard commercial aircraft. FAA seeks to increase flexibility for operators while maintaining predictability for operators to equip their onboard medical kits. This rule would also remove an outdated reference to certain emergency medical kits modified on April 12, 2004. This action is necessary to address requirements in the FAA.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found Intercollegiate athletics at four-year colleges in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are organized into divisions, subdivisions, and conferences. Division I (DI) colleges compete at the highest level and can offer students full athletics scholarships. Division II (DII) colleges typically offer partial athletics scholarships. In both divisions, expenses for most athletic programs were greater than the revenue they generated, according to GAO’s analysis of NCAA data for the 2014–15 and 2023–24 academic years. In the 2023–24 academic year, the 352 DI colleges reported spending a total of $20.8 billion on athletics, which largely went to team and game expenses (.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found GAO identified 206 Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel who held positions in the Executive Office of the President (EOP) from January 20, 2025, through January 31, 2026. These individuals held positions at the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS), White House Office, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Some of these DOGE personnel were also detailed to other executive agencies outside of EOP. USDS is responsible for coordinating with executive agencies to advance DOGE’s initiatives. Coordination Between U.S. DOGE Service and Other Federal Entities Of the 206 personnel GAO identified, administration officials characterized four as DOGE leaders. The other 202 person.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 79 priority recommendations for the Department of Defense. Since then, the Department has implemented 17 of those recommendations. In June 2026, GAO identified an additional seven priority recommendations and removed the priority designation from 16 recommendations, bringing the total to 53 priority recommendations. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Sustaining U.S. military readiness, Ensuring weapon system acquisition and modernization, and Improving financial and fraud risk management. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would support combat readiness by maintaining the Department.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The increasing number and complexity of disasters demonstrates the need to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) workforce can meet its core mission to help people before, during, and after disasters. In response to 2025 presidential directives, many federal agencies have taken steps to reduce the size of their workforces. In fiscal year 2025, FEMA employed about 25,134 employees, on average. However, over 4,300 employees separated from FEMA in fiscal year 2025—a 55 percent increase in separations from fiscal year 2024 (see figure). These separations have resulted in a loss of institutional knowledge and experienced personnel, according to FEMA official.
