Reports & Testimonies

Community organizations can get Head Start grants to provide education and other early childhood services to children in poverty. If a community loses its grant recipient, another organization provides services temporarily. But parents have raised concerns about the quality of these interim services. We found that the Office of Head Start didn't always monitor programs to assess whether they met child safety and other standards...

The U.S. economy depends on the efficient flow of millions of tons of cargo each day throughout the global supply chain, most arriving by ship. The Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection monitor these vessels for potential national security risks, like smuggling. At the 8 ports we reviewed, the agencies generally followed selected leading collaboration practices such as "leveraging resources"—like helping each other...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's civil rights office leads efforts to address workplace discrimination complaints for the department's nearly 100,000 employees. On average, formal complaints filed in FY 2015-2023 were most frequently allegations of retaliation. Employees who complain about workplace discrimination are protected from retaliation under federal law. The department takes steps to resolve disputes, but the civil rights office hasn't monitored this since its...

The Financial Report of the U.S. Government provides a comprehensive view of government finances, including revenues, costs, assets, liabilities, and long-term sustainability. We audit the financial statements in that report each year, but we haven't yet been able to determine if they are fairly presented. This year, it was primarily due to: Serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense Problems in accounting for...

Building and maintaining a cybersecurity workforce is vital to protecting the IT systems that support government operations. But a shortage of skilled workers has made that challenging. We looked at how five departments have implemented key cybersecurity workforce practices. Homeland Security has fully implemented nearly all the practices, but the others implemented less than half. Some departments described actions they've taken to address challenges like...

Over half the country's infant formula is bought through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). States must contract with the formula manufacturer that offers the lowest price after a rebate to be their sole supplier for WIC. Two formula manufacturers hold most of the contracts. In 2022, the U.S. had a formula shortage because one of them halted production after...

Musculoskeletal injuries cost employers at least $17.7 billion in 2021. Workers in manufacturing and warehousing had these injuries at higher rates. This technology assessment looks at wearable technologies, such as exoskeletons, that aim to reduce musculoskeletal injuries in industrial workplaces. We interviewed people involved with wearable technologies including manufacturers, companies and workers who use them, and more. We found that the technologies may help workers...

Workers who lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic were eligible for a 100% subsidy to continue health care coverage for up to 6 months via former employers. Employers offering coverage could receive tax credits to offset costs. The Department of Labor and the IRS expedited their pre-pandemic processes to make this happen. Under tight deadlines, the agencies created guidance—like Q&A notices and updated forms—for employers...

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program gives states substantial flexibility over how they will meet program goals to help families. For example, TANF can provide cash to eligible families as well as "non-assistance" services such as job training. We reviewed state spending trends, Health and Human Services' oversight of the program, and more. Spending on non-assistance services increased from FY 2015-22 Unspent TANF funds...

Fusion—the process that powers the sun—could produce commercial electricity to help meet growing clean energy needs. But there are technical, economic, and other challenges. The Department of Energy's Fusion Energy Sciences program has started investing in public-private partnership initiatives and taken steps to develop a fusion energy strategy. For example, it has partnered with industry and universities on research and development to design fusion power...

The U.S. food supply is generally considered safe, but tens of millions of people get sick from foodborne illnesses each year. Our Q&A report examines the Food and Drug Administration's role in ensuring the safety of the nation's food. The FDA inspects domestic and foreign food facilities to try to prevent outbreaks before they occur. But it hasn't met mandated targets for these inspections since...

Many older adults need services as they age, such as meal programs or in-home care. Demand for programs that provide these services continues to grow as the U.S. population ages. Multiple agencies provide services for older adults. The Department of Health and Human Services coordinates with agencies to avoid duplication between programs. Some overlap between programs for older adults is beneficial because of variations in...

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 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...

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...

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...