*HomeU.S. Government Accountability Office*
Menu

      close


          
          
                          	
				
				
	
	
					Reports & Testimonies
									
																				
				
				
	
	
								Reports & Testimonies
													
																												
																						
							
																Recommendations Database
							
																												
																						
							
																Month in Review
							
																												
																						
							
																Order Copies
							
																												
																						
							
																Restricted Reports
							
																												
																						
							
																View Topics
							
																												
																						
							
																View Agencies
							
																												
																						
							
																Bid Protests & Appropriations Law
									
																				
				
				
	
	
								Bid Protests & Appropriations Law
													
																												
																						
							
																Bid Protests
							
																												
																						
							
																Appropriations Law
							
																												
																						
							
																Federal Vacancies Reform Act
							
																												
																						
							
																Other Legal
							
																												
																						
							
																About
									
																				
				
				
	
	
								About
													
																												
																						
							
																What GAO Does
							
																												
																						
							
																U.S. Comptroller General
							
																												
																						
							
																Careers
							
																												
																						
							
																Contact UsFor Congress
                                
                          
        
                Press Center
                                
                          
        
                Careers
                                
                          
        
                BlogSearch Breadcrumb
        Home
                            Reports & Testimonies
    Reports & Testimonies Reports & Testimonies
              
                          
                          
        
        
        Recommendations Database
              
                          
                          
        
        
        Month In Review
              
                          
                          
        
        
        Order Copies
              
                          
                          
        
        
        Restricted Reports
                                      
                                                            Filter Reports & Testimonies
        Skip to search results
    
    Publicly Released DatePast 6 Months
Custom Date Range
    
      StartEnd
By TopicsAgriculture and Food
  (4)Auditing and Financial Management
  (67)Budget and Spending
  (62)Economic Development
  (65)Education
  (1)Employment
  (31)Energy
  (3)Equal Opportunity
  (11)GAO Mission and Operations
  (1)Government Operations
  (54)Health Care
  (11)Homeland Security
  (8)Housing
  (6)Human Capital
  (30)Information Management
  (4)Justice and Law Enforcement
  (55)National Defense
  (6)Natural Resources and Environment
  (181)Space
  (2)Tax Policy and Administration
  (2)Telecommunications
  (10)Transportation
  (10)Veterans
  (2)
By Agency Name(-)
National Park Service
  (259)< Clear
  (856)Bureau of Indian Affairs
  (6)Bureau of Land Management
  (46)Bureau of Prisons
  (1)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  (2)Corps of Engineers
  (2)Department of Agriculture
  (35)Department of Commerce
  (3)Department of Defense
  (19)Department of Energy
  (5)Department of Health and Human Services
  (5)Department of Homeland Security
  (7)Department of Housing and Urban Development
  (2)Department of Justice
  (11)Department of Labor
  (1)Department of State
  (5)Department of the Air Force
  (3)Department of the Army
  (14)Department of the Interior
  (246)Department of the Navy
  (1)Department of the Treasury
  (6)Department of Transportation
  (6)Department of Veterans Affairs
  (10)Environmental Protection Agency
  (6)Executive Office of the President
  (19)Federal Aviation Administration
  (3)Federal Communications Commission
  (1)Federal Emergency Management Agency
  (2)Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  (2)Food and Drug Administration
  (1)Forest Service
  (39)General Services Administration
  (2)Internal Revenue Service
  (4)National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  (2)National Institutes of Health
  (2)National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  (4)National Science Foundation
  (1)Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  (1)Office of Management and Budget
  (20)Office of Personnel Management
  (1)Small Business Administration
  (1)United States Coast Guard
  (1)United States Customs and Border Protection
  (2)United States Fish and Wildlife Service
  (41)United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  (1)United States Postal Service
  (5)GAO’s reports and testimonies give Congress, federal agencies, and the public timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can improve government operations and save taxpayers billions of dollars.Jump To:
    Jump ToElder Abuse
          Services for Older Adults
          State and Local-Level Drivers and Trends
          State and Local Fiscal Projections
          Federal Borrowing
          Managing the Debt
          Summary of Funding Provisions
          Auditing the Government's Books
          Unpacking the Financial Report
          Highlights
          Recommendations
          Background
          About This Work
          About This Work
          Trends
          About the Center
          Why It's High Risk
          What Remains To Be Done
          Key Reports
          Newest COVID-Related Reports
          AI Use Cases
          Flood Insurance
          Past Pandemic-Related Reports
          CARES Act Oversight Reports
          All COVID-19 Reports
          Report Suspected Fraud
          Subjects
          How to Get Notified
          Past Reports
          Public Health Threats
          Explore the FY 2022 and 2023 Funds
          Lessons Learned
          Agency Reports
          Recent Reports
          Recommendations
          Supplemental Material
          Full Report
          Additional Data
          View Decision
          Downloads
          Previously Identified Actions
          Related Pages
          Associated Agencies
          Tough Choices and Opportunities Ahead
          Americas Fiscal Future Key Areas
          Retirement Security Key Areas
          Current List
          About The High Risk List
          Area Ratings
          Previous High Risk Products
          Search Federal Vacancies
          Past Federal Vacancies
          Violation Letters
          About the Yellow Book
          Advisory Council
          Related Resources
          Comment Letters
          Related Publications
          Contacts and Resources
          Major Issues Facing the Nation
          Meeting Strategic Challenges
          Additional Resources
          Resources
          GAO Contacts
          Mission Teams
          Operations and Staff Offices
          Organization Chart
          Why a Career at GAO?
          Am I Qualified?
          Company Culture
          Reasonable Accommodations
          Video Gallery
          Paid Internships
          Student Volunteers
          Professional Development Program
          Advancement
          Executive Candidate Program
          Summer Associates
          Externships
          Benefits
          Contacts
                    Most Recent Reports**1 - 20 of 259 Reports**
	
	

	
	  **Released on   Feb 6, 2024**
          Federal Hiring: USA Staffing System Supports Hiring Needs, but Actions Are Needed to Strengthen Training and Program Management
    GAO-24-105738
      Published:   Feb 6, 2024
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 6, 2024
.
    Many federal agencies use the Office of Personnel Management's USA Staffing system to assess job candidates and onboard new hires. OPM provides initial training and ongoing technical and cybersecurity support. Human capital professionals at several agencies told us they were satisfied with the system. Agencies give their staff agency-specific training and guidance. Some IRS and National Park Service system users expressed concern about the timing...
      **Released on   Jan 10, 2024**
          Deferred Maintenance: Agencies' Project Selection and Challenges
    GAO-24-107234
      Published:   Jan 10, 2024
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jan 10, 2024
.
    Buildings, roads, and other structures on the federal government's public lands require billions of dollars to maintain each year. Agencies may defer maintenance projects to future years when funds are unavailable. This testimony discusses a fund Congress established in 2020 to address deferred maintenance in fiscal years 2021-2025. The money—as much as $1.9 billion annually—is divided among 5 eligible agencies at 70% for the National...
      **Released on   Jan 8, 2024**
          Deferred Maintenance: Agencies Generally Followed Leading Practices in Selections but Faced Challenges
    GAO-24-106495
      Published:   Jan 8, 2024
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jan 8, 2024
.
    Buildings, roads, and other structures on the federal government's public lands require billions of dollars to maintain each year. Agencies may defer maintenance projects to future years when funds are unavailable. In 2020, Congress established a fund to address deferred maintenance in fiscal years 2021-2025. The money—as much as $1.9 billion annually—is divided among 5 eligible agencies at 70% for the National Park Service, 15%...
      **Released on   Sep 29, 2021**
          COVID-19: Reviewing Existing Policies Could Help Selected Agencies Better Prepare for Dedicated User Fee Revenue Fluctuations
    GAO-21-104325
      Published:   Sep 29, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Sep 29, 2021
.
    Many federal agencies like the National Park Service and Federal Aviation Administration rely, in part, on user fees. In FY 2019, federal agencies collected over $100 billion in fees dedicated to specific purposes like park maintenance and airport improvements. We looked at how fee revenue changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and what some agencies did to respond. Fee revenue declined in FY 2020 for 16...
      **Released on   Jul 21, 2021**
          Federal Lands and Waters: Information on Agency Spending for Outdoor Recreation Is Limited
    GAO-21-592
      Published:   Jul 21, 2021
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jul 21, 2021
.
    Federal agencies provide outdoor recreation areas and facilities on the lands and waters that they manage, attracting hundreds of millions of visitors each year. But how much does that cost the agencies? Although they aren't required to do so, most of the 7 federal agencies we reviewed identified some (but not all) of their spending related to outdoor recreation. It is difficult to identify spending...
      **Released on   Mar 11, 2020**
          Abandoned Hardrock Mines: Information on Number of Mines, Expenditures, and Factors That Limit Efforts to Address Hazards
    GAO-20-238
      Published:   Mar 5, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Mar 11, 2020
.
    Until the 1970s, mine operators could mine for valuable hardrock minerals—i.e., gold or copper—then abandon the land. On lands they oversee, federal agencies identified about 140,000 remnants of these hardrock mines, including unsecured tunnels and toxic waste piles. Hundreds of thousands more likely exist. Remedies include sealing tunnels and treating contaminated water to address safety and environmental hazards. But this can come with a hefty...
      **Released on   Mar 6, 2020**
          Bureau of Land Management: Agency's Reorganization Efforts Did Not Substantially Address Key Practices for Effective Reforms
    GAO-20-397R
      Published:   Mar 6, 2020
. 
        Publicly Released:   Mar 6, 2020
.
    The Bureau of Land Management announced in 2019 that most of its employees in Washington, D.C., will be transferred to offices in western states. We assessed the bureau’s reorganization efforts against key practices for agency reforms. The bureau established goals for the reorganization, but did not establish performance measures. We also found that the bureau’s implementation plan did not include milestones, which would help ensure...
      **Released on   Dec 19, 2019**
          Wildland Fire: Federal Agencies' Efforts to Reduce Wildland Fuels and Lower Risk to Communities and Ecosystems
    GAO-20-52
      Published:   Dec 19, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Dec 19, 2019
.
    Overgrown vegetation can fuel wildfires, which have been increasing in size and severity. Federal land management agencies reduce vegetation on high-risk public lands primarily by cutting it or intentionally burning it, often in combination. In fiscal years 2009-2018, these agencies received more than $5 billion (over $500 million per year on average) to reduce this vegetation. Officials cited several factors affecting their efforts. For example...
      **Released on   Dec 18, 2019**
          Land and Water Conservation Fund Act: Forest Service Has Not Taken Steps to Ensure Compliance with Limitation on Land Acquisition
    GAO-20-175R
      Published:   Dec 5, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Dec 18, 2019
.
    Forest Service uses the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to acquire land. Under the LWCF Act, not more than 15% of the land added is to be west of the 100th meridian, which runs through the Midwest. However, areas “specifically authorized by act of Congress” are excluded from the limit. From fiscal years 2014-2018, we found that 80% of the land acquired was west...
      **Released on   Oct 22, 2019**
          Federal Land Management Agencies: Additional Actions Needed to Address Facility Security Assessment Requirements
    GAO-20-171T
      Published:   Oct 22, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Oct 22, 2019
.
    Federal land management agencies have law enforcement divisions to help protect employees and facilities on nearly 700 million acres of land. Security incidents on federal land include the 2016 armed occupation of a wildlife refuge by individuals motivated by anti-government beliefs. Federal employees have been subject to a range of threats and assaults. But we testified that agencies have not completed all of the required...
      **Released on   Oct 21, 2019**
          Federal Land Management Agencies: Additional Actions Needed to Address Facility Security Assessment Requirements
    GAO-19-643
      Published:   Sep 25, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Oct 21, 2019
.
    Federal land management agencies have law enforcement divisions to help protect employees and facilities on nearly 700 million acres of land. Security incidents on federal land include the 2016 armed occupation of a wildlife refuge by individuals motivated by anti-government beliefs. Federal employees have been subject to a range of threats and assaults. But agencies have not completed all of the required facility security assessments...
      **Released on   Jun 20, 2019**
          Land and Water Conservation Fund: Variety of Programs Supported, but Improvements in Data Collection Needed at BLM
    GAO-19-346
      Published:   May 31, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jun 20, 2019
.
    4 agencies—Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Forest Service—use funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to conserve land or enhance recreational activities. These agencies used LWCF funds to acquire over 850,000 acres from FYs 2013-2017 for things like protecting wildlife habitat or improving recreational access. We found that, unlike the other agencies, Bureau of Land Management...
      **Released on   May 16, 2019**
          Hardrock Mining: Availability of Selected Data Related to Mining on Federal Lands
    GAO-19-435R
      Published:   May 16, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   May 16, 2019
.
    The federal government manages 29% of the land in the United States. We reviewed the extent to which federal agencies collected data on hardrock mining on federal land, and found that the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service are the 2 agencies that reported collecting some of this data. For example, both agencies collect data on the value of their reclamation bonds, which ensure...
      **Released on   Apr 19, 2019**
          Tribal Consultation: Additional Federal Actions Needed for Infrastructure Projects
    GAO-19-22
      Published:   Mar 20, 2019
. 
        Publicly Released:   Apr 19, 2019
.
    Federal agencies are required, at times, to consult with tribes on infrastructure projects like pipelines that may harm tribal natural and cultural resources. According to tribal and agency officials, there are several factors making these consultations less effective. For example: Some tribal representatives held the view that agencies did not consider their input and that consultations started too late. Agencies reported difficulty obtaining the contact...
      **Released on   Nov 5, 2018**
          Federal Real Property Asset Management: Agencies Could Benefit from Additional Information on Leading Practices
    GAO-19-57
      Published:   Nov 5, 2018
. 
        Publicly Released:   Nov 5, 2018
.
    The federal government spends billions of dollars to operate and maintain its real property assets, which include buildings, roads, and bridges. Agencies are responsible for managing these assets efficiently and cost-effectively. We identified 6 key characteristics of effective asset management. For example, we found that leadership support—with leaders clearly articulating their support and providing resources—can help. The federal information available to help agencies maximize the...
      **Released on   Feb 27, 2018**
          Heavy Equipment: Selected Agencies Should Improve Guidance for Purchases and Leases
    GAO-18-295
      Published:   Feb 27, 2018
. 
        Publicly Released:   Feb 27, 2018
.
      **Released on   Jul 27, 2017**
          National Mall: Actions Needed to Better Manage Physical Security Risks
    GAO-17-679
      Published:   Jul 27, 2017
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jul 27, 2017
.
      **Released on   Mar 20, 2017**
          National Park Service: Concessions Program Has Made Changes in Several Areas, but Challenges Remain
    GAO-17-302
      Published:   Feb 16, 2017
. 
        Publicly Released:   Mar 20, 2017
.
    Have you ever purchased a postcard or eaten a meal at a national park? Chances are you bought it from a concessioner. The National Park Service managed nearly 500 concessions contracts in 2016 that provided visitor services like lodging, food, and retail sales. The Park Service has taken steps to address issues we've previously identified in its concessions program, including a lack of qualified staff...
      **Released on   Jan 12, 2017**
          Grants Management: Selected Agencies Should Clarify Merit-Based Award Criteria and Provide Guidance for Reviewing Potentially Duplicative Awards
    GAO-17-113
      Published:   Jan 12, 2017
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jan 12, 2017
.
    How do federal agencies decide who should receive grants? Federal agencies must establish a merit-based review process for competitive grants. We looked at the design and implementation of this process at parts of the Departments of the Interior, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture. We found that parts of these Departments could be more transparent about their criteria for evaluating grant applications, and that most...
          National Park Service: Process Exists for Prioritizing Asset Maintenance Decisions, but Evaluation Could Improve Efforts
    GAO-17-136
      Published:   Dec 13, 2016
. 
        Publicly Released:   Jan 12, 2017
.
    At the end of fiscal year 2015, the National Park Service reported $11.9 billion in deferred maintenance—that is, the estimated costs of asset maintenance or repairs that the agency has postponed for more than a year and has not yet resolved. To address its maintenance needs, the agency has determined that its highest priority assets—assets that are critical to the operation of parks—should be considered...
    
		Go back to search filters
	  1
              2
              3
              4
              5
              6
              7
              8
              9
                          ...
                          Next
                          Last
 Receive GAO Updates
  Stay informed as we add new reports & testimonies.

  Federal Depository Library Program member and GPO digital preservation partner.

    GAO Logo
      U.S. Government Accountability Office


                                   Column 1
                            Press Center
                              Contact Us
                              Inspector General
                              Restricted Reports
                              Column 2
                            Copyright & Terms of Use
                              Privacy Policy
                              Accessibility
                              Sitemap
                              Column 3
                            FOIA Requests
                              Scam Alerts
                              No FEAR Act Data
                              Health Care Advisory Committees