GAO

March 14, 2008 -- By law, GAO annually assesses the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) progress in developing and fielding a Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). Funded at $8 billion to nearly $10 billion per year, it is the largest research and development program in the Department of Defense (DOD). The program has been managed in 2-year increments, known as blocks. Block 2006, the second BMDS block, was completed in December 2007.    » read more »

UCS Research Concludes Closures Impede Fed Scientists’ Work

WASHINGTON (March 13, 2008) – A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today criticizes the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to close five of its libraries around the country in 2006. The report concluded that the closures may have hindered EPA staff work and curtailed public access to information. Meanwhile, an independent investigation by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that hundreds of EPA scientists maintain the closures hampered their ability to do their jobs.    » read more »

March 13, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - A bill written by Reps. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) to withhold federal contracts from companies and grantees that have not paid their federal taxes cleared its first hurdle today. According to studies by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), thousands of federal contractors owe billions of dollars in unpaid taxes.    » read more »

Amendment requires GAO study of current import regulation and recommendations

March 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) applauded the Senate's passage of his amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act (S. 2663), which would help improve government regulation of imported products.    » read more »

Both FAA and the National Weather Service Need to Better Ensure Product Quality

February 26, 2008 -- Funded at $8 billion to $10 billion per year, the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) effort to develop and field a Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) is the largest research and development program in the Department of Defense (DOD). The program has been managed in 2-year increments, known as blocks. Block 2006, the second BMDS block, was completed in December 2007. By law, GAO annually assesses MDA's progress.    » read more »

Bank Secrecy Act

February 21, 2008 -- To aid law enforcement efforts against financial crimes, under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) depository institutions must file the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's (FinCEN) currency transaction report (CTR) form on their customers' cash transactions of more than $10,000. While FinCEN's regulations allow institutions to exempt certain customers, over 15 million CTRs were filed in 2006.    » read more »

February 14, 2008 -- U.S. military forces, and ground forces in particular, have operated at a high pace since the attacks of September 11, 2001, including to support ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2001 and July 2007, approximately 931,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps servicemembers deployed for overseas military operations, including about 312,000 National Guard or Reserve members.    » read more »

February 14, 2008 -- Information security is especially important for federal agencies, where the public's trust is essential and poor information security can have devastating consequences. Since 1997, GAO has identified information security as a governmentwide high-risk issue in each of its biennial reports to the Congress.    » read more »

February 14, 2008 -- In 2006, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paid about $3.5 billion in means-tested pension benefits to over 500,000 veterans and survivors. GAO was asked to review the management of VA pension program.    » read more »

February 14, 2008 -- The Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, House Veterans' Affairs Committee, asked GAO to present its views on the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) disability claims process.    » read more »

February 14, 2008 -- Health information technology (IT) offers promise for improving patient safety and reducing inefficiencies. Given its role in providing health care in the United States, the federal government has been urged to take a leadership role to improve the quality and effectiveness of health care, including the adoption of IT.    » read more »

February 11, 2008 -- GAO is required to annually audit the financial statements of the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) and FSLIC Resolution Fund (FRF), which are administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). GAO is responsible for obtaining reasonable assurance about whether FDIC's financial statements for DIF and FRF are presented fairly in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and whether FDIC maintained effective internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations.    » read more »

Less than Half of At-Risk Guard and Reserve Veterans are Referred to VA Facilities

January 25, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and member of the Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the Government Accountability Office's report, entitled "VA and DOD Health Care: Administration of DOD's Post-Deployment Health Reassessment to National Guard and Reserve Servicemembers and VA's Interaction with DOD."    » read more »

Calls on GAO to immediately open investigation into EPA’s denial of California’s waiver

January 24, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) today to introduce a measure to overturn the EPA’s denial of California’s Clean Air Act waiver. The Boxer-Feinstein bill would legislatively grant the State of California (and any other state) the authority to adopt and enforce tailpipe emissions reductions.    » read more »