Topic:
Oversight
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Comprehensive livestock biosurveillance faces resistance, funding challenges
An Agriculture Department effort to gain a comprehensive view of livestock and poultry health in a bid for better biosurveillance faces challenges including industry resistance, state confidentiality laws and lack of funding, says the Government Accountability Office.
Dodaro: Executive branch limited in its ability to reduce duplication and waste
The Government Accountability Office's annual report on costly overlap and duplication identifies 380 actions to make government more efficient. Despite White House efforts to make meaningful progress in this area, it is hamstrung, said GAO Comptroller General Eugene Dodaro.
VA halves disability claims on the books more than 2 years
A project to expedite the longest standing veteran disability claims eliminated more than half the applications that had been on the books for 2 years or longer, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey told the House Veterans Affairs Committee during a May 22 hearing .
Special Operations Command failed to make plane available for use, IG report says
Officials at the United States Special Operations Command unit failed to make a C-12 turboprop plane that was used to transport Army officials to meetings visible in their inventory when it was transferred there in 2000, a May 9 Defense Department Inspector General report (.pdf) says. Because the plane was not reported, the U.S. Transportation Command could not schedule it for use, the report says.
Global telecom supply chain cyber-attack risk considered low
The risk of a cyber attack executed via corrupt hardware inserted into a global supply chain is considered to be low in the private sector, reports the Government Accountability Office.
Potential visa overstays still difficult to track
In a preliminary assessment (.pdf) submitted as prepared testimony to a May 21 House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing , the GAO says DHS has taken steps to improve data sharing among various systems. But because the changes are so recent, GAO says it can't yet assess their effectiveness, and auditors note that DHS has about 1 million arrival records in ADIS without a corresponding departure records.
Fomer IRS head says he's not responsible for scrutinizing conservative groups
The official who led the Internal Revenue Service when it was improperly scrutinizing conservative organizations filing for tax exempt status said during a May 21 Senate Finance Committee hearing that he isn't to blame for those actions, but said he regretted it happened on his watch.
Plans for military's multibillion-dollar rust problem not sufficient, GAO says
The military's plans to mitigate rust and other forms of corrosion all lack performance measures, and some don't connect to the Defense Department's overarching goals, a report from the Government Accountability Office says.
Conference restrictions enacted in continuing resolution outlined by OGE
The continuing resolution signed into law by President Obama in March included new restrictions around conferences, which the Office of Government Ethics outlines in an advisory (.pdf) published May 15.
DoD paid more on average for prescription drugs than the VA did, GAO says
The Defense Department paid 31.8 percent more for the average unit price of prescription drugs than the Veterans Affairs Department across a sample of 83 drugs, says a Government Accountability Office report (.pdf) dated April 19 but only released publicly May 20. The DoD paid 66 percent more than the VA specifically for generic drugs, the report says.
