CABI U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) conducts immigration court proceedings both in-person and using remote technology, such as WebEx—an internet-based video teleconferencing platform, or telephone. Per EOIR policy, immigration judges may use discretion to decide which, if any, remote medium is used by participants in a hearing. EOIR collects data on the medium used for each hearing, which reflects the location of only the judge and respondent. According to GAO’s analysis of this data, of the nearly 6 million hearings held from fiscal year 2022 through 2025, about 63 percent or 3.8 million hearings were in-person. Of the approximately 2.2.
CABI U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Department of Transportation (DOT) and its component agencies are underutilizing their office space department-wide based on the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies (USE IT) Act benchmark of 60 percent utilization. Specifically, GAO found that 89 percent of DOT’s 189 office buildings, including the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) headquarters complexes, were underutilized in August and September 2025 based on the USE IT benchmark. This was largely consistent with DOT’s USE IT Act reporting in March 2026. DOT’s underutilized office space costs hundreds of millions of dollars annually to lease, operate, and maintain. In August 2025, DOT..
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
Why This matters Across the globe, over 24 million tons of plastic (as much weight as 12 million cars) enter the environment each year. Larger plastics gradually break down into smaller microplastics, which can move into the organs, blood, and cells of humans and other animals. Key Takeaways Major sources of microplastics include vehicle tires, synthetic fabrics, plastic bottles, and paint. Exposure to microplastics is associated with health problems in humans and other organisms, but scientists have not determined the extent to which microplastics cause such problems. Federal agencies have announced actions to measure and remove microplastics in the human body, consider potential regulatio.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found Through the Moab Cleanup Project, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has removed over 16 million tons of uranium mill tailings and other materials at the Moab Mill Site in Utah, as of 2026. Tailings are leftover waste after uranium has been removed from rock. EM has sent the tailings and contaminated material to a nearby disposal site. EM is also working to remediate contaminated groundwater, which threatens the nearby Colorado River. Moab Mill Site and Surrounding Area The Moab Cleanup Project has cost approximately $970 million through fiscal year 2025 and is expected to reach around $1.16 billion. The federal government pays 100 percen.
CABI U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found As of September 2025, the Coast Guard reported about $448 million in environmental liabilities related to its shore infrastructure. This includes about $228 million for structures, like housing, presumed to be contaminated with asbestos-containing material or lead-based paint based on their age. It also includes about $220 million in cleanup projects at sites with a known or suspected release of contaminants. Several factors create uncertainty that could potentially lead to hundreds of millions of dollars of additional cleanup costs that the Coast Guard has not communicated to Congress. For example, the Coast Guard has identified properties which may be contaminated with “for.
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Veterans Affairs Department | Notice | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing that it will make no change in regulation to adjust for inflation the amount of civil monetary penalties that are allowed within VA's authorities. This notice is in accordance with the requirement in the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, to make annual adjustments to the penalties, based on the prior year's October Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and as interpreted and determined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in Memorandum M-.
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration | Rule | The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2026-13- 05, which applied to all The Boeing Company Model 737-8, 737-9, and 737-8200 airplanes. AD 2026-13-05 required revising the existing airplane flight manual (AFM) to provide the flightcrew with operating procedures (non-normal checklists) if a certain circuit breaker in the standby power control unit (SPCU) trips or certain environmental control system (ECS) circuit breakers downstream of the SPCU trip. Since the FAA issued AD 2026-13-05, a formatting error that omitted part of a certain appendix from AD 2026-13-05 was discovered. This AD retains the certain requir.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found In 2023, the Department of Defense (DOD) directed the military departments—Army, Navy, and Air Force—to update their policies on clinical quality management to align with Defense Health Agency (DHA) procedures to ensure high-quality care in operational settings. In December 2024, GAO reported that the military departments had not yet issued policies, specifically on provider credentialing and privileging, and recommended that they do so. As of March 2026, GAO found that Army and Air Force had not issued updated policies, while Navy issued several policies on aspects of clinical quality management. GAO maintains that the military departments’ updates to these policies will fac.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to modernize its IT systems to increase efficiency and accuracy of claims processing for disability compensation. However, past GAO reports have found that VA faces long-standing challenges in managing its disability compensation program and implementing innovative technologies. For example, GAO found gaps in VA’s oversight of the quality of exams provided by contracted medical providers and in the management of training for claims processors. Moreover, in 2009, VA began developing an electronic, paperless system called the Veterans Benefits Management System. GAO found that this effort was not driven by robust planning and d.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found In April 2025, GAO identified 30 priority recommendations for the Department of Energy (DOE). Since then, DOE has implemented 5 of those recommendations by, among other things, directing NNSA Production Modernization programs to follow best practices for schedule development. In July 2026, GAO identified an additional priority recommendation, and removed the priority status from two recommendations, bringing the total number to 24. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Addressing nuclear modernization challenges, Addressing DOE environmental liabilities, and Managing energy security and programs. Addressing GAO's recommendati.
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration | Proposed Rule | The Drug Enforcement Administration proposes placing the substance tianeptine (7-[(3-chloro-6,11-dihydro-6-methyl-5,5- dioxidodibenzo[c,f][1,2]thiazepin-11-yl)amino]heptanoic acid), including its isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters, and ethers whenever the existence of such isomers, esters, ethers, salts, and salts of isomers, esters, and ethers is possible, in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. If finalized, this action would impose the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture,.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified eight priority recommendations for the Department of Education. Since then, Education has implemented one of those recommendations. In June 2026, GAO identified an additional three priority recommendations, bringing the total to 10. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Improving the federal student aid system, Protecting sensitive information, and Managing financial risks associated with charter school management organizations. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would make it easier for students and families to apply for financial aid and ensure a more successful modernization of the..
