, (Pub. However, before any properties were approved for disposal the round was terminated when several Board members resigned and the Board determined it lacked the quorum required to conduct business. However, the National Economic Council has not developed a national broadband strategy to guide these efforts, either in general or on tribal lands. Washington, D.C.: August 26, 2022. Further, FBI and DHSs Office of Intelligence and Analysis had not consistently assessed the results of their collaborative efforts in preventing and addressing domestic terrorism; they only evaluated their respective agencies activities. GAO-23-106094. Washington, D.C.: September 7, 2022. For questions, contact blog@cagw.org. Congress should consider passing legislation to require the Social Security Administration (SSA) to offset Disability Insurance (DI) benefits for any Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits received in the same period. For the second round in 2021, the Board proposed properties with a total estimated long-term savings of $275 million. In March 2022, GAO recommended that USDA take steps to enhance collaboration within its workgroup with VA, including through a written agreement that specifically clarifies agency roles and responsibilities, articulates common outcomes, and establishes a mechanism to monitor progress. In 2022, GAO made two recommendations for Education to (1) in consultation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other stakeholders involved in updating the Education Facilities Sector-Specific Plan, establish a collaborative mechanism, such as an applicable government coordinating council, to coordinate cybersecurity efforts between agencies and with the K-12 community; and (2) in coordination with federal and nonfederal stakeholders, determine how best to help school districts overcome the identified challenges and consider the identified opportunities for addressing cyber threats, as appropriate. In November 2022, IRS said it documented the postfiling compliance process for the tax credits in response to GAOs recommendations to document compliance risks associated with tax credit claims on adjusted returns and claims with wage restrictions. HIGH-RISK SERIES . Optimize the federal role in rural housing. GAO's 2015 Annual Report identified 12 new areas of fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in federal programs and activities. Congress should establish a permanent analytics center of excellence, which could aid the oversight community in identifying and addressing improper payments and fraud and potentially achieve cost savings. In May 2022, GAO found that while an update to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Programs strategic plan is underway, a national risk assessment had not been conducted to gain greater awareness of improvements made in earthquake resilience. To identify new topic areas with matters and recommendations to address fragmentation, overlap, and duplication, we examined programs and operations for these conditions, considered the potential positive and negative effects, and determined what, if any, actions Congress may wish to consider and agencies may need to take. As a result of steps Congress and agencies have taken to address our open matters and recommendations, we have identified approximately $599.5 billion in total financial benefits, including $46.8 billion identified since our May 2022 report. COVID-19: IRS Implemented Tax Relief for Employers Quickly, but Could Strengthen Its Compliance Efforts, Federal Personal Property: Better Internal Guidance and More Action from GSA Are Needed to Help Agencies Maximize Use of Excess, Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026. However, the high price of sustainable aviation fuel compared to conventional jet fuel is a key factor inhibiting increased production and use. Figure 6: Fiscal Year 2022 Outlays and Number of Open Duplication and Cost Savings Recommendations, by Agency. We recommended that DOD take steps to fully implement joint oversight of its prepositioned stock programs, including providing detailed information on how to implement its oversight approach in department guidance and reviewing other joint oversight efforts, in order to synchronize the military services' preposition stock strategies. In response to a GAO department-wide survey, DOD respondents from 20 of the 39 organizations surveyed stated that they believe collaboration is challenged by a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities. s.hrg. Programs also vary in how they support broadbandsuch as building broadband infrastructure, helping people afford broadband services or devices to access the internet, or building digital skillsand some programs can be used for multiple purposes. NTIA agreed with the recommendation. Our most recent report is from May 2021. Billions wasted each year on redundant, overlapping, fragmented services. However, the interagency group did not identify which statutory broadband provisions limit alignment or coordination with other broadband programs, or recommend any changes, as that was beyond the scope of the groups analysis. Lessons Learned from Disasters Involving the Electricity Grid, 10. This report is based upon work we previously conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. More detail on our methodology for determining realized financial benefits is presented below. Programs may have different definitions or eligibility criteriafor example, there are differences in terminology or minimum eligible broadband speeds across programs. Progress in Enhancing Government Effectiveness and Achieving Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Financial Benefits. In March 2017, FirstNet entered into a 25-year contract with AT&T to deploy and enhance the networkwhich will be fully operational in 2023through 2042. GAO To identify whether matters and recommendations create new opportunities for cost savings and enhanced revenues, we first considered if implementing the matter or recommendation could result in efficiencies in program operations or increased revenue to the government. The Marine Corps identified three entities to oversee predictive maintenance implementation. Overseas Administrative Services. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the coordination of 12 U.S. agencies effortscollectively known as the GFSS Interagencyto implement the strategy. Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Agencies Should Track Progress toward Ambitious Federal Goals. WebStephen J. Sanford, Managing Director, spel@gao.gov, (202) 512-4707 U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7814, Washington, DC 20548 GAOs Mission GAO has previously reported that interagency collaborative efforts can benefit from creating and using performance measures. In assessing the status of matters for Congress, we applied the following criteria: closed implemented means relevant legislation has been enacted and addresses the intent of the matter; open partially addressed means a relevant bill has passed a committee, the House of Representatives, or the Senate during the current congressional session, or relevant legislation has been enacted but only addressed part of the action needed; or a federal agency takes steps to address part of the matter with or without legislation. GAO-22-104579. In doing so, Congress should consider whether to make the full amount of this reduction in an initial year, or to phase in the full amount of this reduction over several years. DOD expects to complete the first phase of this upgrade by the end of fiscal year 2025. 3The mandate calling for this report also asked GAO to identify specific areas where Congress may wish to cancel budget authority it has previously provideda process In doing so, Congress should consider directing the coordinating entity and its participating agencies to identify opportunities to streamline program delivery across federal agencies. The proposal would have authorized CBP to adjust the fee in the future without further statutory changes. As of February 2023, USAID stated that it plans to identify interagency field contacts by spring 2023 for all GFSS countries to facilitate coordination between those in country and at headquarters. Global Change Research Program and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. For example, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 revised the payment reduction for the professional component of multiple diagnostic imaging services from 25 percent to 5 percent beginning on January 1, 2017, and exempted the reduced expenditures attributable to this MPPR from the budget neutrality provision. State and local officials in the selected states GAO visited identified a variety of ways they facilitate coordination of NEMT. These challenges include lengthy disposal processes related to statutory and regulatory requirements and a lack of upfront funding needed to prepare properties for disposal. The Small Business Administration could recover millions of dollars by taking additional steps to identify and respond to potentially fraudulent or ineligible recipients. | GAO-23-106089. In March 2023, GAO found that sustainable aviation fuel production and use in the U.S. reached 15.8 million gallons in 2022. 6. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is the primary acquirer of commercial satellite imagery. On April 26, 2018, GAO will release its eighth annual duplication report. IRS Authority to Correct Returns with Ineligible IRA Contributions. Although DHSs Office of Intelligence and Analysis maintained a list of domestic terrorism incidents, FBI officials initially stated that they were unaware of the data and DHS officials stated that they were not asked for the data. Both agencies concurred with these recommendations but, as of April 2023, have not yet implemented them. Report For the third recommendation, in January 2023 SBA stated that it responds to document requests from enforcement agencies and follows procedures to refer suspicious activity to the Office of Inspector General. Sustainable aviation fuel production accounted for less than 0.1 percent of the total jet fuel used by major U.S. airlines. By implementing GAOs recommendations, SBA could identify additional potentially fraudulent or ineligible recipients, which also could increase the likelihood of recovering funds. The strategy could incorporate elements from the 2011 National Prevention Strategy and should address outcomes and accountability, resources, and leadership. Paid Tax Return Preparer Compliance, Sale of Unneeded Federal Real Property, Federal Employee Health Benefits, First Responder Network Authority. These programs are implemented by agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense. As of September 2022, GSAthe federal governments property disposal agenthad sold 10 of the 12 first round properties totaling $194 million of the estimated $419 million in potential sales proceeds. The programs strategic plan for fiscal years 2009-2013which was in place up to April 2023, until the 2022-2029 plan was recently finalizedhas an objective that calls for the development and dissemination of materials to all appropriate audiences. The status of GAOs proposed changes can be followed on itsAction Tracker, an online tool that monitors progress by Congress and federal agencies. GAO's 2016 annual report identifies 92 new actions that Congress and executive branch agencies could take to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government in 37 areas. 3GAO, Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue, GAO-11-318SP (Washington, D.C.: Mar. Matters suggested for Congress may also be closed implemented with or without relevant legislation if a federal agency takes steps that address all or part of the matter. report Additionally, the OIG community will lack a comprehensive tool with the power to bring together information from across the whole of government to better prepare for applying fundamental financial and fraud risk management practices to future emergency funding.