Reports & Testimonies

The U.S. Postal Service is consolidating some of its mail processing facilities. Before doing so, USPS must give public notice of the proposed changes and provide information on how the changes will affect costs, employees, and mail service. But we found that USPS's process for estimating the costs of these changes doesn't align with best practices we considered. For example, USPS doesn't document all the...

In 1967, the UN established a system to promote and protect human rights around the world. It selects independent experts and gives them a mandate to report and advise on specific human rights issues. As of 2024, the UN had 46 thematic (such as human trafficking) and 14 country-specific mandates. This Q&A report provides information on this system. For example: These human rights experts may...

The National Nuclear Security Administration is overseeing a $200 billion nuclear modernization effort and hasn't been this busy since the Cold War. An internal review concluded that it wouldn't be able to meet this workload without changes. It made 18 recommendations, including new approaches to contractor management and workforce retention. The NNSA has taken actions to implement many recommended reforms. Several reforms cover areas we...

FEMA—the federal agency that coordinates disaster response and recovery—spends billions annually on contracts to help communities recover. These contracts are mostly for goods (like water) and services (like construction). FEMA has staff that have been trained and certified to oversee these contracts which helps ensure communities receive their goods and services. For instance, FEMA staff assess contractor reports of work performed and conduct unannounced site...

The federal government is on an unsustainable fiscal path that poses serious economic, security, and social challenges. We reported that: As of September 30, 2024, publicly held debt was $28.2 trillion, or 98% of the size of the economy Publicly held debt is projected to grow more than twice as fast as the economy, reaching 200% of the size of the economy by 2047 Government...

In 2015, the U.S.-flagged cargo ship SS El Faro sank, killing its crew of 33. Investigators said a contributing factor was insufficient Coast Guard oversight of the third-party organization that helped certify its safety. We reviewed the Coast Guard's use and monitoring of these organizations. Third-party organizations helped certify 3,786 ships in 2023—a nearly 8-fold increase from 2018. But the Coast Guard hasn't assessed the...

Millions of Americans get sick from foodborne illness every year. While many cases are mild, some cases can result in hospitalization, long-lasting complications, or even death. In this Q&A, we reported that the safety and quality of the U.S. food supply is governed by at least 30 federal laws, collectively administered by 15 federal agencies. Federal agencies have developed some agency-specific and joint goals related...

Colleges provide many health services to students on campuses—including sexual and reproductive health care. College officials we interviewed said students face challenges accessing this care, such as misinformation, being unaware of services available on campus, and privacy concerns. For example, officials at most colleges we interviewed said that students were concerned that their use of sexual health services might be disclosed to their parents. Some...

The Navy has struggled to effectively maintain its combat surface ships. Our prior reports identified shortages of spare parts and trained personnel, postponed maintenance, and more. This Q&A review examines the Navy's budget process for sustaining its non-nuclear-powered combat ships, how much it requested and spent on maintenance, and the status of these maintenance challenges. The Navy: Received about $1 billion more than the $24.9...

Many mortgage companies aren't banks, meaning they don't take deposits to fund loans and help them withstand financial stress. Failure of these "nonbank" companies could severely affect mortgage markets. These companies service most of the loans in mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, a government-owned corporation. Ginnie Mae participated in a 2023 interagency exercise that simulated the failure of a large nonbank mortgage company. But...

States and school districts can compete for Department of Education grants. Applicants may increase their chances of success by addressing certain priorities. This Q&A covers these priorities, which officials said come from Education's general authority or from laws and regulations. Addressing overarching priorities can give applicants an edge in many grants. Since 2001, Education has published these 15 times. The most recent are from 2021...

While the IRS has made improvements to its customer service and systems, it continues to face challenges processing tax returns on time. The agency set a 13-day processing goal for individual paper returns but instead averaged 20. In addition, IRS responses to taxpayer mail continued to be delayed, with 66% considered late at the end of filing season. The agency has a webpage showing the...

The Child Care and Development Fund gives grants to states to subsidize child care for low-income families so parents can go to work, school, or job training. This is our 5th report on who is eligible for the subsidies and who got them. The number of children getting subsidies declined from 2 million in 2019 and 2020 to 1.8 million in 2021—about 15% of those...

The public health workforce protects community health by tracking disease, inspecting water quality, and more. But there aren't enough public health workers in some occupations, e.g., nursing. The workforce also needs more skills—like data analytics—for complex tasks such as monitoring disease outbreaks. It's tough for public health departments to hire and retain these workers for many reasons, including stiff competition from other employers. To address...

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...

Our Q&A report examines the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' process for expediting the review of permits affecting wetlands, streams, and aquatic resources. The Corps had made 23 agreements with public utilities, gas companies, and railroad carriers to receive money in exchange for expediting its permit process as of July 2, 2024. It issued over 3,600 permits under these agreements. Legally, the Corps must follow...

As part of the U.S. response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, DOD has trained Ukrainian personnel on specific group operations, weapons, and leadership within a broader international effort. DOD prioritized a quick start to the training without fully identifying and planning for training needs. For example, sometimes the training didn't reflect the trainers' expertise, or needed equipment hadn't arrived in time. As a result, the...

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program provides billions of dollars annually to support low-income families and communities. Concerns have been raised about program funds being fraudulently misused or diverted. In 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services assessed fraud risks in the program. But its assessment wasn't fully consistent with leading fraud risk management practices. Also, HHS doesn't have a formal plan to...