Reports & Testimonies

The U.S. helps to promote democracy in Cuba through federal agencies and grants. But nongovernmental organizations and others receiving federal funds face potential backlash from the Cuban government. Federal agencies—such as the U.S. Agency for International Development—work with awardees to identify these risks and prevent them. But we found that USAID doesn't have a process to gather and document security risk information for awardees before...

Thousands of infants are diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing each year. The Department of Health and Human Services has a program that tracks infants' screening for and diagnosis of hearing loss. The program connects families with early intervention services to help prevent developmental delays. HHS required states to submit diversity and inclusion plans that target underserved populations to address disparities in access to...

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health supports advanced biomedical and health research. It aims to create the next generation of treatments and cures to improve Americans' health and well-being. The agency, known as ARPA-H, faces two main challenges recruiting its scientific workforce: Competing with the private sector for specialized personnel A small talent pool of diverse candidates with the requisite experience To help, ARPA-H...

DOD isn't supposed to award certain contracts to contractors that require their employees to arbitrate claims of sexual assault or civil rights violations. Arbitration resolves disputes through a neutral third party instead of allowing employees to bring cases to court. DOD correctly included a clause restricting arbitration in most contracts we reviewed. The clause was missing in two contracts due in part to a problem...

Every year, the U.S. engages in billions of dollars in defense trade. To support this trade, the Department of Defense has signed Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreements with 28 partner countries, such as the U.K., Germany, and Japan. These agreements waive "buy national" laws, among other things, to help the partners enhance readiness and work together. DOD has skipped important steps in initiating and renewing these...

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent hurricanes have highlighted the need for federal agencies to work together during public health emergencies. This Q&A report looks at the Department of Health and Human Services' coordination role. HHS relies on national guidance and some interagency agreements to coordinate an emergency response. Officials told us this guidance has been enough, as no agency has ever refused its request to...

Most electoral campaigns are privately financed. But some states and localities offer programs through which candidates running for state or local offices can use public funds for their campaigns. We reviewed 5 public financing programs. They all required candidates to collect a specific number of contributions to qualify and then adhere to spending limits. The average amount of public funding that candidates received varied by...

Companies can lease trust or restricted land for their oil and gas wells, which then generate revenue for Tribes and tribal citizens. When the wells stop producing, companies have to plug them and restore the land to its natural state. If they don't, Tribes can face environmental, health, and safety risks. Companies buy bonds and give them to the government as a promise to finish...

The Federal Reserve authorized 13 emergency lending programs in response to COVID-19, including the Main Street Lending Program. This program made 1,830 loans to small- and mid-sized businesses and nonprofits. We found that as of August 31: Almost half of the loans have been fully repaid Less than 1% of current loans had late payments About 8% of the loans had losses that totaled about...

The Forest Service sells timber that can be used to build homes and make paper products, among other things. This Q&A report looks at how the Forest Service manages timber sales. The Forest Service manages several types of timber sales. In some sales, buyers bid on contracts that give them rights to harvest timber in certain areas. The agency may also exchange timber for services...

IRS is offering a new, free service to help taxpayers prepare and file tax returns electronically. It piloted Direct File in 2024 for taxpayers with simple tax returns in 12 states and will make it a permanent option starting in 2025. Taxpayers said it was easier to prepare and file returns. IRS plans to offer Direct File in 12 more states in 2025 but is...

Our Q&A report examines U.S. Coast Guard efforts to expand its polar icebreaker fleet. But can it afford to do so? The Coast Guard doesn't know—because it is: Building heavy polar icebreakers and planning for a new class of medium polar icebreakers, but has yet to determine the necessary mix of the two. So, it doesn't know how many of each it needs to build...

Demand for water is increasing as U.S. droughts are expected to get more frequent and intense. "Cloud seeding" is an 80-year-old technology that adds tiny particles—usually silver iodide crystals—to clouds to trigger rain or snow. But the benefits of this technology are unproven. Some states are using cloud seeding, but there is little federal involvement. This technology assessment looks at how policies might address challenges...

The State Department spent about $3.1 billion on pay, benefits, and allowances for employees serving overseas in FY 2023. Most of this spending went to basic compensation, housing, and federal benefits like the employer's contribution toward retirement and health insurance. Cost-of-living allowance—which include reimbursement for dependents' education and extra pay in areas with high living costs—accounted for about 10% of State's spending. The amount State...

The Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review holds immigration hearings to determine whether noncitizens will be removed from the country. As of July 2024, there's a backlog of about 3.5 million pending cases. Noncitizens are expected to attend their hearings. Failing to show up could result in removal from the U.S.—unless a judge waives their appearance. But the Office's case management system doesn't...

Partnerships and trusts can be created without naming the people who own and control them. This lack of transparency can be attractive to criminals laundering money or hiding illegal activities. The Corporate Transparency Act requires certain businesses to report ownership information to Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). But some partnerships and trusts are not subject to this reporting requirement. As a result, illegal activities...

Research using animals can lead to a better understanding of human health and treatments for diseases. To achieve these advancements, it is important for research results to be replicated and shown to apply to humans. However, this is challenging to do. The National Institutes of Health has taken steps to address the challenges in research it conducts or supports. But it hasn't fully followed best...

Wildfires have increased in size and severity in recent decades. There are also more new homes and other buildings in fire-prone areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided over $3.8 billion in wildfire-related assistance in FY 2019-2023. That paid for work such as debris removal and utility repairs. We interviewed officials from 22 state, local, and tribal governments about their experiences with FEMA assistance. They...

Most people who receive vaccines or treatments for certain public health threats, such as COVID-19 vaccines, have no serious problems as a result. But with any medicine, there is a rare chance of injury or death. To encourage the development of these vaccines and treatments, legislation limited industry liability. It also authorized a compensation program for serious injuries or deaths. The program: Received a surge...

Artificial intelligence is complex and evolving. It could be used to improve the systems that operate critical infrastructure, like water and energy. But it could also make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Federal agencies that protect critical infrastructure had to assess AI risks to infrastructure sectors. But the Department of Homeland Security's guidance for assessments didn't have agencies fully measure how much harm an attack...