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                            Coronavirus Oversight
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                          Coronavirus Oversight
                          An ongoing review of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and oversight of related spending. Jump To:
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                    OverviewOn July 11, 2023, we issued a report on our key findings and recommendations with an eye toward helping federal agencies be better prepared for future emergencies. GAO has regularly reported on the accountability and effectiveness of the federal government’s $4.7 trillion pandemic response since 2020.

This report includes several key data updates and five enclosures that summarize and highlight standalone reports issued from April 2022 through April 2023 on the following topics:

public health preparedness
	improper payments and fraud
	vulnerable populations
	distribution of federal COVID-19 funding
	COVID-19 and the economyExamples of recommendations not yet implemented but vital to preparing for the nation’s next emergency include:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should continue progress toward establishing the public health situational awareness and biosurveillance network, which federal law over 16 years ago required HHS to establish. Such a network could be used to provide vital information to manage a timely response in a future emergency.
	The Department of Labor should develop and implement an antifraud strategy for Unemployment Insurance programs that is consistent with leading practices from GAO’s Fraud Risk Framework. GAO has previously reported evidence of widespread fraud in the unemployment insurance program.CARES Act Oversight ReportsThe Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 included a provision for GAO to report regularly on the effects of the pandemic and the federal response. In this body of work, GAO has issued 11 comprehensive reports and over 200 standalone reports, made 386 recommendations to 26 federal agencies and raised 19 matters for congressional consideration. As of April 30, 2023, Congress and the agencies have fully or partially addressed 45 percent of these recommendations. You can view the recommendations from this body of work here:

VIEW ALL CARES ACT RECOMMENDATIONS

Read all CARES Act reports here:
      
      COVID-19: GAO Recommendations Can Help Federal Agencies Better Prepare for Future Public Health EmergenciesGAO-23-106554
      
	Published:  Jul 11, 2023


	Publicly Released: Jul 11, 2023
              COVID-19: Current and Future Federal Preparedness Requires Fixes to Improve Health Data and Address Improper PaymentsGAO-22-105397
      
	Published:  Apr 27, 2022


	Publicly Released: Apr 27, 2022
              COVID-19: Significant Improvements Are Needed for Overseeing Relief Funds and Leading Responses to Public Health EmergenciesGAO-22-105291
      
	Published:  Jan 27, 2022


	Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2022
              COVID-19: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Accountability and Program Effectiveness of Federal ResponseGAO-22-105051
      
	Published:  Oct 27, 2021


	Publicly Released: Oct 27, 2021
              COVID-19: Continued Attention Needed to Enhance Federal Preparedness, Response, Service Delivery, and Program IntegrityGAO-21-551
      
	Published:  Jul 19, 2021


	Publicly Released: Jul 19, 2021
              COVID-19: Sustained Federal Action Is Crucial as Pandemic Enters Its Second YearGAO-21-387
      
	Published:  Mar 31, 2021


	Publicly Released: Mar 31, 2021
              COVID-19: Critical Vaccine Distribution, Supply Chain, Program Integrity, and Other Challenges Require Focused Federal AttentionGAO-21-265
      
	Published:  Jan 28, 2021


	Publicly Released: Jan 28, 2021
              COVID-19: Urgent Actions Needed to Better Ensure an Effective Federal ResponseGAO-21-191
      
	Published:  Nov 30, 2020


	Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2020
              COVID-19: Federal Efforts Could Be Strengthened by Timely and Concerted ActionsGAO-20-701
      
	Published:  Sep 21, 2020


	Publicly Released: Sep 21, 2020
              COVID-19: Brief Update on Initial Federal Response to the PandemicGAO-20-708
      
	Published:  Aug 31, 2020


	Publicly Released: Aug 31, 2020
              Covid-19: Opportunities to Improve Federal Response and Recovery EffortsGAO-20-625
      
	Published:  Jun 25, 2020


	Publicly Released: Jun 25, 2020
  

              Load AllAll COVID-19 ReportsHow to Get Notified about New ReportsBe the first to know when GAO issues new work related to the pandemic and Coronavirus oversight.

**Live Feed of Reports**: Embed a feed of reports on your website.
	**Daily Emails**: Sign up for our daily emails on this topic or several others.
	**Twitter**: The fastest way to know we have issued new work is to follow us on Twitter @usgao.
	**Open Recommendations**: Keep track of related open recommendations.
	**Blog** **Posts**: Visit the WatchBlog to read the latest COVID-19 posts.
	**Previously Issued Work by Topic:** Take a look at our section on Past Pandemic-Related Reports.Our published reports and congressional testimonies that are relevant to the Coronavirus pandemic are available below. The list will be updated with new reports as they are published.View AllReport Suspected Fraud to GAOImage
              GAO Special Agent badge


Federal agencies are responsible for ensuring that all the funds from the record $4+ trillion stimulus package end up where they’re supposed to. GAO has been tasked with tracking that money. If you suspect waste, fraud, or abuse of stimulus funds, you can help us out by using FraudNet to report your concerns. Read April 10, 2020 press release.

Report Fraud

FraudNet and COVID-19 Federal Assistance
    Tuesday, April 14, 2020
      
            Transcript


FraudNet is a GAO program for the public, government workers, and contractors to report allegations of improper activities in the federal government—including fraud, waste, or abuse of funds provided under the CARES Act.Contacts and ResourcesGAO Contacts

Jessica Farb
      
              Jessica Farb
            
            Managing Director
      
            farbj@gao.gov
      
            (202) 512-7114

External Federal Resources Related to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Coronavirus.gov: Public information provided by the U.S. government related to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
	CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Current public health and safety information on COVID-19.
	USA.gov Coronavirus: What the U.S. government is doing in response to Coronavirus (COVID-19). View en español.
                                                      MultimediaVideo
    
      U.S. Comptroller General Testifies to House on Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Pandemic Recovery Programs.
      
        
        U.S. Comptroller General Testifies to House on Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Pandemic Recovery Programs.
          Wednesday, February 01, 2023Transcript
Podcasts
    
      The Federal Response to COVID-19 Could Be Strengthened by Timely Actions
    Monday, September 21, 2020
      
            Transcript
          Federal Response to COVID-19 Challenged by Ongoing Supply Shortages, Vaccine Distribution Delays
    Thursday, January 28, 2021
      
            Transcript
          Urgent Actions Needed to Improve Federal Response to COVID-19
    Monday, November 30, 2020
      
            Transcript
Photo showing a medical worker injecting a COVID vaccine into a woman's arm with others standing by awaiting vaccinations.
          Blog Post
              For World Health Day (April 7), We Look At U.S. Efforts to Promote Global Wellness
            Thursday, April 4, 2024
      
            When it comes to communicable diseases, it turns out, it is a small world after all. Serious...
          Stock image of a stack of credit cards.
          Blog Post
              American Credit Card Debt Hits a New Record—What’s Changed Post-Pandemic?
            Tuesday, October 31, 2023
      
            It’s Halloween! And while you may be thinking of goblins and ghosts, nothing can haunt you the way...
          Graphic showing how antiviral drugs fight viruses.
          Blog Post
              In the Next Pandemic Antiviral Drugs Could Be Key, But Are They Ready?
            Wednesday, October 4, 2023
      
            Scientists say another pandemic is likely and have even identified several viruses that could be a...
Press Release
        GAO’s New COVID-19 Report Highlights Recommendations Critical to Preparing for Future Public Health EmergenciesDate
              Tuesday, July 11, 2023

            WASHINGTON, DC (July 11, 2023) – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a new report on the agency’s key findings and recommendations with an eye toward helping federal agencies be...
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