CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 1 

CARES Act Funding Snapshot 

Departmental Offices

Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act

(CARES Act) enacted on March 27, 2020, the U.S. Department of the

Interior (DOI) received $909.7 million to prevent, prepare for, and 

respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of the Secretary

(OS) received $158.4 million of the DOI’s CARES Act funding and 

transferred funds to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), 

National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 

Office of Inspector General (OIG), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), 

and Office of Wildland Fire (OWF). Figure 1 includes a breakdown of

the OS funds appropriated or transferred to these departmental offices.

Figure 1: Funding Status as of November 30, 2020

Office

Appropriation

or Transfer 

Amount ($)

Obligations 

to Date ($)

Expenditures 

to Date ($)

OS 143,580,000 2,816,896

(2%)

905,870

(0.6%)

FWS 3,585,000 1,343,896

(37.5%)

1,126,168

(31.4%)

1,206,000 Staffing and Immediate Response

2,379,000 Wildland Fire Management Program

NPS 5,467,000 1,854,108

(33.9%)

1,503,289

(27.5%)

2,029,000 Staffing and Immediate Response

3,438,000 Wildland Fire Management Program

BLM 4,053,000 1,421,697

(35.1%)

1,068,980

(26.4%)

830,000 Staffing and Immediate Response

3,223,000 Wildland Fire Management Program

OIG 1,000,000 755,627

(75.6%)

755,627

(75.6%)

OWF 265,000 241,460

(91.1%)

134,078

(50.6%)

BOR* 450,000 0

(0%)

0

(0%)

Total $158,400,000 $8,433,685

(5.3%)

$5,494,013

(3.5%)

OS expenditures can include:

• Equipment and supplies to

disinfect and clean buildings

and public areas

• Law enforcement and

emergency management

operations

• Biosurveillance of wildlife and

environmental persistence

studies

• Employee overtime and

special pay expenses

• Other response, mitigation,

or recovery activities

__________________________

Top Five Recipients

1. Corporate Lodging

Consultants, Inc. ($250,000)

2. Immigration and Customs

Enforcement ($200,000)

3. Valcorp Enterprises, LLC

($195,336)

4. San Diego, Allan ($168,193)

5. 4 Star Technologies, Inc.

($146,200)

* The OS recently transferred

$450,000 to the BOR for Field Special

Assistant Support. The BOR has not

obligated or expended any funds as of

the date of this report.
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 2 

As of November 30, 2020, 5.3 percent of the funding for departmental 

offices had been obligated. Figure 2 shows the obligated and 

nonobligated amounts by office. 

Figure 2: Percentages of Obligated and Nonobligated 

Amounts by Office

The Office of the Secretary’s Spend Plan

The OS requested that the bureaus and offices formulate spend 

plans for allocating CARES Acts funding, including any requested 

transfer of funds from the OS. The Office of the Solicitor also 

reviewed the plans for the purpose of ensuring that the proposed 

spending aligned with the purposes specified in the CARES Act. 

All bureaus and offices are eligible for the funding appropriated to 

the OS; therefore, additional fund transfers can be expected through 

September 30, 2021. The OS stated that it has maintained a flexible 

approach to its decision-making practices to ensure adaptation to 

the changing landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To prioritize the allocation of the funds, the OS stated that it 

has relied on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other 

sources to provide advice on decisions on whether to provide 

the requesting bureau or office with CARES Act funds.

Before the CARES Act, the DOI’s procurement executive proactively 

issued guidance to authorize increases in certain thresholds for 

purchases of supplies and services. 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

OS FWS NPS BLM OIG OWF BOR

Obligated Amount Nonobligated Amount

“What we have learned over the 

past six months is that while our 

scientific understanding of this 

virus has progressed, so too have 

the response needs of our 

bureaus, as well as our State and 

local partners. As such, rather 

than imprudently distributing all 

funds immediately, the 

Department has taken a 

deliberate approach to carefully 

steward CARES Act funds so that 

we may remain responsive to 

evolving needs through next 

September.”

—Acting Assistant Secretary for 

Policy, Management and Budget

__________________________

According to the NPS, BLM, and 

FWS:

• Wildland Fire Management

Program funding:

o The NPS does not need

additional funding.

o The BLM has

approximately $2 million

in excess funding.

o The FWS is awaiting

guidance on how to

allocate the funding.

• The funds the NPS and the

BLM received (other than for

wildland fire) were for

pandemic-response costs the

bureaus already incurred.
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 3 

OS Guidance to Bureaus and Offices

On March 27, 2020, the DOI’s Office of Budget issued a 

memorandum to bureaus and offices that provided initial guidance for 

apportionments, spend plans, and reporting requirements. The 

memorandum directed bureaus and offices receiving apportionments 

under the CARES Act to prepare draft spend plans by March 31, 

2020, so the DOI could meet its April 6, 2020 deadline to provide the 

OMB with its apportionments. The memorandum also directed 

bureaus and offices to provide spend plans reflecting anticipated costs 

directly related to the COVID-19 response and recovery that could not 

be addressed through annual appropriations. The spend plans were to 

include allocations for the entire appropriation and estimated 

timeframes for completion through June 30, 2020. DOI officials stated 

that leadership reviewed and approved all spend plans. 

As requirements change, bureaus and offices are required to submit 

updated spend plans. The DOI stated that it used information already 

available in the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS) 

to standardize the process. The DOI’s Office of Budget stated that it is

working with bureaus and offices to evaluate and align existing data 

with the spend plan structure. All bureaus that received transferred 

CARES Act funds informed us that they are complying with weekly 

reporting requirements. 

The OS plans to use existing reporting mechanisms to 

minimize the administrative burden on the bureaus and offices. 

For example, the OS stated that it can mine information from 

financial and HR systems to track spending and employee 

leave related to the pandemic. 

The Office of Wildland Fire

We issued a report on July 31, 2020, outlining the Wildland Fire 

Management Program’s allocation of CARES Act funds (Report No. 

2020-ER-042). The OWF is responsible for the coordination, 

accountability, and oversight of the Wildland Fire Management 

Program’s budget across the bureaus. Our report documented the 

$11.3 million in CARES Act funding and related obligations and 

expenditures as of June 19, 2020. The OWF received $265,000 in 

CARES Act funding from the OS for remote access to dispatch center 

software and broadband communications for incident management 

teams (see Figure 4).

The OWF’s mission is to develop 

a budget, coordinate work, 

create policy, and pursue 

technological innovation on 

behalf of the Wildland Fire 

Management Program. These

efforts cover thousands of 

employees and 535 million acres 

of public and tribal lands

affecting the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs (BIA), BLM, NPS, and 

FWS.

__________________________

The OWF stated that it is 

working with interagency 

partners—including the BIA, 

BLM, NPS, FWS, and U.S. Forest 

Service—to continue its 

firefighting mission during the 

COVID-19 pandemic by: 

• Hiring firefighters

• Protecting firefighters to

mitigate the spread of

COVID-19

• Preparing for outbreaks

during wildfire incidents

• Adapting wildfire response

plans

• Continuing work to reduce

wildfire risk

• Monitoring new

developments
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 4 

The OWF worked with the Office of Budget, the Office of the Chief 

Information Officer, and other program leaders to determine its IT 

priorities.

Figure 4. The OWF’s Plan for Spending the $265,000

The OWF has provided links to guidance for firefighters on its 

website including safety guidelines for wildland fire operations; 

recommendations for firefighter screening, testing, and social 

distancing; and regional guidance and best practices for wildland fire 

response during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The OWF stated that it is following guidance from the National 

Wildfire Coordinating Group on efficient clearance and remote 

onboarding of new and returning employees.

The OWF will be reporting its COVID-19 and CARES Act 

transactions to the Office of Budget on a weekly basis. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The FWS received $3,585,000 in CARES Act funding from the OS. 

The FWS determined its funding priorities by consulting with its

programs and regions, the COVID-19 incident management team, and 

the FWS safety office. 

The FWS anticipates spending the funding on personal protective 

equipment (PPE) and cleaning; physical security at the National 

Conservation Training Center; overtime, premium, and hazard pay; 

and the FWS Wildland Fire Management Program facilities and crew 

quarters. Figure 3 shows the funding amounts for these areas. 

The FWS is the oldest Federal 

conservation agency, dating

back to 1871, and the only 

agency in the Federal 

Government with the primary 

responsibility of managing fish 

and wildlife for the American 

public.

__________________________

In April, the NPS and the FWS 

issued safety alerts for 

counterfeit N95 filtering face 

respiration masks. The pandemic 

and a depletion of available PPE 

caused an increase in such 

masks. 

Before purchasing N95 masks, 

procurement officials were to 

verify the manufacturers of the 

masks are approved by the 

National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health. 

Some vendors falsely claimed to

meet the approval standards 

and included images of testing 

and certification numbers that 

did not match the product data. 

The FWS also published a 

frequently asked questions 

notice on N95 masks and other 

face coverings to provide

employees with information on

COVID-19 precautions.

Broadband 

communications

$125,000 Dispatch center 

software

$140,000
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 5 

Figure 3: Funding Amounts in the FWS’ Spend Plan

As part of its request, the FWS agreed to demonstrate to the 

Department that all costs are defensible and to build strong internal 

controls and develop routine reporting. Additionally, the FWS stated 

that it would develop communications strategies, especially for 

internal communications to employees affected by the pandemic. 

Currently, the FWS is awaiting further guidance from the OWF on 

how to allocate its Wildland Fire Management Program funding. 

The FWS kept its refuges open while State and other Federal

agency lands were closed. During the pandemic, the FWS saw

an increase in visitors to and interest in its public lands.

In its funding request to the OS, the FWS stated that it would establish 

an executive oversight team to monitor the status of projects, review 

obligation trends, and ensure that all funding requirements have been

met. The FWS is reporting its obligations and providing supporting 

documentation to the OS on a weekly basis. 

The National Park Service

The NPS received $5,467,000 in CARES Act funding from the OS. 

The funding included $3,438,000 for Wildland Fire Management, but 

those funds had not yet been obligated as of October 29, 2020. The 

OWF originally requested the funds, which were approved for 

wildland fire employee housing and firefighting facilities to comply 

with local and State social distancing mandates. Ultimately, the NPS 

did not need the OWF funds in fiscal year 2020. When asked what it 

planned to do with the unneeded funds, the NPS stated that it is

discussing this with the DOI but did not have a final plan as of

October 29, 2020. 

$2,379,000 

$775,000 

$200,000 

$231,000 

The NPS has had responsibility 

for national parks since 1916. It 

relies on the help of volunteers 

and partners and receives more 

than 318 million visitors each

year.

__________________________

The NPS created a website to 

update the public about its 

COVID-19 response plan. The 

website includes:

• News releases

• Digital resources

• Program operation

information

• Employee protection

resources

• Ideas for responsible

recreation

Visitors can also take “virtual 

tours” of national parks. The 

tours are available on various 

social media sites and include 

photographs, webcams, live 

programs, children’s activities, 

games and challenges, and a 

calendar of events.

PPE and cleaning 

supplies

Physical security

Overtime, premium, 

and hazard pay

Firefighting facilities 

and crew quarters
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 6 

Though the NPS did not specifically make such a request, the OS 

transferred $1,759,000 to the NPS for PPE and cleaning supplies 

obligations incurred prior to May 1, 2020. Most of the expenditures 

were moved from the original NPS accounts to CARES Act accounts, 

and the transfer of the remaining expenditures was to be completed by 

July 29, 2020. The NPS is not authorized to use the funds received for 

costs incurred after May 1, 2020. 

On its website, the NPS states that it is issuing PPE to employees 

performing critical functions such as visitor and resource protection, 

emergency management services, and facility maintenance. It also 

states that Park staff are following CDC guidance by cleaning and 

maintaining facilities to safeguard employee and public health and 

safety. 

The NPS is tracking confirmed employee cases of COVID-19

and has stated that it will notify the public if an employee 

presented an exposure risk to visitors, based on CDC guidance.

The NPS requires that parks and regions review their costs to ensure 

they are appropriate to charge to the CARES Act. The NPS has 

informed us that it provides weekly reports to the DOI’s Office of 

Budget on COVID-19-related costs paid for with the supplemental 

funding and regular annual appropriations. 

The Bureau of Land Management

The BLM received $4,053,000 in CARES Act funding from the OS. 

The funding included $3,223,000 for Wildland Fire Management 

Program requirements for expanded facilities. This includes costs 

associated with barracks staff tasked with cleaning and enforcing 

barracks quarantine; this staff also assists the residents and 

administrative office staff who provide cleaning services after hours 

and contracting officers and budget staff who execute virus-related 

contracts after hours. The BLM has expended approximately 

$1,000,000 of the funds and anticipates that it will not need most of 

the remaining funds for expanded facilities. 

The funds the OS transferred for PPE, cleaning supplies, and labor 

were based on actual obligations and were a reimbursement for 

expenses already incurred. The BLM stated that it has expended 

$650,000 for PPE and cleaning supplies but was only able to use 

$104,000 of CARES Act funding. 

In 1946, Congress merged the 

General Land Office and the U.S. 

Grazing Service to establish the 

BLM. The BLM manages 1 of 

every 10 acres of land in the 

United States and approximately 

30 percent of the Nation’s 

minerals.

__________________________

The BLM created a COVID-19 

response website to notify 

visitors of updates to the 

bureau’s many offices and 

districts. The website also 

provides information on how to 

visit public lands responsibly and 

safely during the COVID-19 

pandemic.

States with a BLM presence have

their own websites for updating 

visitors. The websites include 

alerts and news releases; refer 

visitors to local, State, and CDC 

guidance; and provide 

recommendations on how to 

prepare for accessing BLM lands 

with limited visitor services. 

Some recommendations include:

• Bringing sanitation supplies

• Taking out trash

• Reducing cash transactions

by paying fees through the

recreation.gov website
CARES Act Flash Report • No. 2020-FIN-056 • Issued December 28, 2020 7 

Per the COVID-19 updates on the BLM’s regional websites, 

visitors may continue to use BLM-managed public lands in a 

safe and responsible manner. The BLM recommends visiting 

areas close to home, avoiding popular or crowded locations 

where social distancing may be difficult, and limiting group 

activities to members of one household.

On June 5, 2020, the BLM’s budget office provided guidance to BLM 

staff on the appropriate uses of the CARES Act funding. The BLM 

reports weekly to the DOI’s Office of Budget on COVID-19-related 

costs paid for with the supplemental funding and regular annual 

appropriations. 

Timeline§

March 20 – The DOI increases 

procurement thresholds 

temporarily with the nationwide 

emergency declaration. 

March 27 – The Office of Budget 

provides initial guidance on 

submitting apportionments, 

operating plans, and reporting 

associated with the CARES Act.

March 31 – The Office of Budget 

gives guidance to DOI bureaus 

and offices for executing 

emergency supplemental funding 

provided in the CARES Act. The 

BLM requests CARES Act funds 

from the DOI.

April 3 – The DOI provides

bureau budget officers with 

information on soliciting CARES 

Act funding requests through its 

external communications site and 

asks them to submit operating 

and management plans.

April 6 & 8 – The FWS, NPS, and 

BLM request CARES Act funds 

from the DOI.

April 27 – The DOI informs the 

FWS, NPS, and BLM that it 

approved funding for the Wildland 

Fire Management Program.

May 19 – The DOI informs the 

NPS that it approved funding for 

PPE and cleaning supplies. The 

DOI informs the BLM that it 

approved funding for wildland fire 

and nonfire expenses.

July 8 – The OWF requests 

CARES Act funds from the DOI.

July 29 – The DOI informs the 

OWF that it approved the CARES 

Act funding. 

August 7 – The DOI Deputy 

Secretary provides guidance on 

bureau and office accountability 

for CARES Act charge card 

spending.

§All dates in 2020