FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found Transnational criminal organizations (TCO) in Mexico seek to acquire semi-automatic firearms—AR-15s, AK-47s, and .50-caliber rifles—which they often convert to fully automatic firearms, according to agency officials. Armed with these weapons, TCOs pose a serious threat to Mexican law enforcement and military. TCOs acquire firearms from the U.S. primarily through straw purchasers—third parties who buy them on the TCOs’ behalf—and middlemen who smuggle the firearms through ports of entry on the border. U.S. agencies collect data on trafficked firearms, but some data have limitations that limit their utility. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reported.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has faced longstanding challenges in hiring and retaining adequate staff. NRC officials and most of the stakeholders GAO interviewed stated that increased attrition and industry competition have affected NRC’s workforce more in recent years. GAO found that from July 2024 through June 2026, NRC lost, on net, about 500 staff in various positions, most of which were due to voluntary retirements. This loss of staff has increased concerns about the stability of NRC’s workforce. Total Number of NRC Employees from July 2024 Through June 2026 In July 2024, the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found Visitor visa adjudications, which account for most nonimmigrant visas (NIV), have surpassed pre-COVID numbers. The Department of State adjudicated 9.2 million visitor visas pre-COVID in fiscal year (FY) 2019. That number dropped to 1.5 million in FY 2021. By FY 2025, the number of adjudications surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching 11.7 million. The average wait time to obtain an interview for a visitor visa was almost 8 times higher than before the pandemic, increasing from 26 days in FY 2019 to 201 days in FY 2025. In addition, the number of consular officers working on NIVs almost recovered from a COVID-era low of 1,104 in FY 2021 to pre-pandemic levels in FY 2024, reach.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What the OIG Found Proper contract administration is critical to ensure GAO complies with contract terms and conditions. In FY 2019, GAO entered into a blanket purchase agreement for commercial facility maintenance (the BPA), which it awarded under the General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule program. After subsequent modification, the BPA’s maximum value was about $119 million. Although the contractor submitted adjusted labor rates from a collective bargaining agreement, GAO did not modify the BPA and associated time-and-materials orders to reflect these higher rates before payment. As a result, the agency paid about $94,000 more than the previously negotiated rates during the second.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) will surpass $200 billion and take over 50 more years to execute, based on GAO’s analysis of Navy plans. Developing the plans and cost estimates to rebuild the Navy’s four public shipyards has taken the Navy years longer—and will cost much more—than originally anticipated due to multiple challenges and changes involved in the program. For example, environmental issues led to additional projects and more extensive work affecting project plans and costs at the shipyards, including Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (see figure). Seismic Risks Identified at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard The Navy established an oversight framewo.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found GAO found that veterans face multiple challenges in accessing health care in the Freely Associated States (FAS), according to VA assessments and interviews with VA and FAS officials. These challenges include limited availability of specialty services, such as mental health and cardiology, and the inability to utilize telehealth services with VA health providers. FAS veterans must travel to VA health facilities in U.S. states or territories to utilize their health benefits, but do not receive beneficiary travel reimbursement for travel to the U.S. Map of Health Care Facilities Providing Veteran Care in Pacific Region VA completed a variety of assessments from March 2024 to Mar.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found GAO estimated that annual federal tax fraud loss is between $116 billion and $304 billion based on data and information from 2018 through 2024. GAO’s estimate is informed by data on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) cases of fraud and potential fraud, potential fraud in the tax gap, and tax evasion from economic activities purposefully hidden from the government (i.e., shadow economy). The estimated range reflects approximately 2 percent to 6 percent of estimated tax owed to the federal government (tax liability) if applied to tax year 2022, the most recent year for which an estimate of the tax liability is available. GAO Estimated Range of Tax Fraud Loss as a Percentage of Esti.
FEDE Office of the Federal Register / National Archives and Records Administration · Rulemaking audits
Small Business Administration | Notice | In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on computer matching, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published a document in the Federal Register of September 11, 2026, concerning request for comments on a Privacy Act notice for a modified matching program. Pursuant to the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019, SBA is modifying a matching program consisting of the computerized comparison of systems of records for benefits programs at SBA with the U.S. Department of Treasury's Do Not Pay (DNP) Working System, which is administered by Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service. T.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found As of July 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has pursued an approach to expand detention capacity that has resulted in millions of dollars of waste. Since January 2025, ICE invested billions of dollars in six new initiatives without conducting necessary analysis and planning. For example, ICE purchased 11 warehouses to renovate for detention purposes at a reported cost of about $1.07 billion. In June 2026, ICE officials told GAO they were working to sell seven of the warehouses. ICE reported spending over $20 million on nonrecoverable costs, such as zoning assessments and security, on the warehouses it intends to sell. Waste, which occurs when agencies spen.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found As of March 2025, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded 1,245 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) subgrants to communities over its first four grant cycles in fiscal years 2020 through 2023. These subgrants were for mitigation activities to address hazards, such as floods. FEMA allocated about $2.5 billion for these subgrants, half the $4.8 billion available. FEMA reimbursed $62 million, and 37 subgrants had completed work and initiated the closeout process. From April 2025 to March 2026, FEMA did not award subgrants nor obligate funds. GAO found the median time for FEMA to finalize its review of su.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided federal funding to agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Energy (DOE), for a wide range of efforts. These efforts included projects to reduce wildfire risk, improve rural power production, and develop clean energy technologies. Of the $37 billion provided to USDA that was not later rescinded by Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, USDA obligated $32.2 billion for fiscal years 2022 through 2025. Of the $78 billion provided to DOE that was not later rescinded, DOE obligated $51 billion for fiscal years 2022 through 202.
FEDE U.S. Government Accountability Office · Audits audits
What GAO Found In 2024, about 82 percent of women of reproductive age reported using some form of contraception in the past 12 months, according to research from KFF. Most private health plans are generally required to cover the full range of contraceptives for women. The Department of Labor (DOL), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)—an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services—and states each have responsibilities for overseeing private health plans, including plans' coverage of contraception. See table for descriptions of their general oversight responsibilities and activities. DOL, CMS, and States’ General Responsibilities for Overseeing Private Health Plan.
