Treasury awarded billions of dollars to state and local governments to help cover COVID-19 costs. This Q&A provides an update on the status of this funding. As of March 31, 2025: States reported spending $156.3 billion, or 80% of their funds Localities reported spending $107.2 billion, or 84% Recipients have until Dec. 31, 2026, to spend the funds. Recipients were required to obligate their funds...

When service members are unexpectedly absent from their unit, it can be challenging to establish whether the person is intentionally absent or potentially in danger. The Army, Navy, and Air Force have processes in place to guide their response, but we found gaps that could make it harder for them to find absent service members. For example, the Army has specific timeframes for actions to...

The Coast Guard is responsible for ensuring its members are supported as they rotate between different duty stations. This includes investigating reports of local community hostility, harassment, and discrimination against Coast Guard members or their families. For example, a Coast Guard member might report that they were refused service in a restaurant because of their race. In this Q&A, we found that Coast Guard commands...

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is responsible for the care and custody of incarcerated people. Some people nearing the end of their sentences may be transferred to a halfway house that can help them prepare to re-enter their communities. But the Bureau: Doesn't know how many people are eligible to be transferred to a halfway house or should have been transferred already Doesn't have the...

The Department of Energy created the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations in 2021 to manage $27 billion in funding for clean energy projects. As of November 2025, OCED had committed over $18 billion to about 100 projects. OCED needs to oversee these projects and had developed a plan to do so. However, a significant decrease in its workforce and other changes in 2025 have reduced...

We testified on fraud risks in immigration benefit programs administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration. It is based primarily on the following reports: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Additional Actions Needed to Manage Fraud Risks Humanitarian Parole: DHS Identified Fraud Risks in Parole Processes for Noncitizens and Should Assess Lessons...

Many mortgage companies aren't banks and don't take deposits to fund loans. "Nonbank" mortgage companies rely on short-term funding instead, which can leave them more vulnerable to failure in economic downturns. Nonbanks make and service most of the loans packaged into federally backed mortgage securities. Sales of these securities to investors help fund more loans. A major nonbank failure could disrupt mortgage lending and leave...

Research labs study and store bacteria, viruses, and other biological agents to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Incidents involving these agents could threaten the health of researchers, nearby communities, or the general public. Biosafety and biosecurity practices ensure lab staff work safely, communities are protected, and harmful agents aren't misused. Almost all countries we examined had public guidance with similarities to the U.S.'s. But documentation...

We testified on the Osprey Aircraft program before the Subcommittees on Seapower and Projection Forces and Readiness, House Committee on Armed Services. It is based primarily on the following report: Osprey Aircraft: Additional Oversight and Information Sharing Would Improve Safety Efforts. The Department of Defense is working to address our recommendations. We are monitoring its progress. U.S. Capitol Building with the words GAO Testimony to...

The Employee Retention Credit helped employers keep paying employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. IRS had processed nearly 5 million claims for this credit as of June 2025. But IRS received a large number of improper claims and was overwhelmed. The agency was unable to issue most payments for the credit until after the unemployment rate returned to pre-pandemic levels. Multiple factors contributed to such claims...

Between February and August 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took multiple actions to reorganize its operations and activities, largely in response to executive orders. We found that these actions included issuing stop-work orders; closing supervisory examinations; and terminating employees, contracts, and enforcement cases. Some of these actions are subject to ongoing litigation. The bureau's mission-related activities generally include enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial...

DOD has struggled for decades to modernize its business systems, including its travel system. In 2023, DOD abandoned an initiative to replace its existing travel system, raising concerns about the effectiveness of its business process reforms. We reviewed DOD's efforts to modernize its travel and other systems. We found it hasn't fully addressed leading practices like establishing lead offices to oversee the efforts or ensuring...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau works to enhance citizens' financial education and ensure that banks, lenders, and other financial companies treat people fairly. The agency spent $867.5 million in FY 2025 to do its work. We audit and issue an opinion annually on CFPB's financial statements and on related internal controls (e.g., processes to reasonably assure that transactions are properly authorized and recorded). In FY...

DOD's Office of Research and Engineering helps DOD quickly adopt innovative tech. The office has developed a national strategy to guide DOD's science and tech efforts and investments. But the military services' tech strategies don't always line up with DOD's, which might lead to competing or conflicting efforts. Also, the office doesn't receive detailed and timely budget information. So, it can't determine whether the military...

Continuing resolutions provide temporary funding for federal operations. CRs are used when Congress and the President don't reach agreement on final funding levels before the start of the fiscal year. In all but 12 of the last 49 years, the Department of Defense has had to carry out its national security mission under CRs. We reviewed several DOD activities and programs and found they faced...

In 2025, the Department of the Interior's Indian Affairs froze hiring and offered voluntary resignation and early retirement to its employees in response to presidential directives. Its total workforce, which numbered 7,470 in January, had decreased by 11% by the end of July. Agency officials said the reductions resulted in the loss of experienced leadership and placed additional strain on already short-staffed offices. Tribal leaders...

The Department of Defense has been unable to accurately account for government property in its contractors' possession. Some of the $118.4 billion in general equipment the Air Force reported in FY 2024 was held by contractors. We traced a sample of these items held across 5 contractor facilities and in 3 systems of record. One of the systems didn't accurately account for this equipment. About...

Commercial drones are flying further distances, including for package delivery and public safety operations. But existing technologies don’t allow for two-way communication between drones and other aircraft, which could help avoid potential collisions. The Federal Aviation Administration proposed rules in 2025 that would require drones to be able to detect and avoid other aircraft. However, FAA has not identified further actions to help move toward...