US Government Accountability Office

Congratulations to GAO’s Daniel Garcia-Diaz, who was inducted as a 2024 Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration last week During his 25 years at GAO, Dan has led evaluations of mortgage finance programs, assistance to homeowners and renters, disaster recovery, and much more. He also oversaw our work on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (in the wake of the financial crisis) and the Terrorism Risk Insurance program. Today, Dan leads our Financial Markets and Community Investment team. Congrats Dan on this honor and thank you for your service!

NEW BLOG POST—Gun trafficking is fueling crime and violence in the Caribbean. Many of the firearms used in these crimes can be traced back to the U.S. Today’s WatchBlog post looks at efforts to combat gun trafficking in Caribbean countries like Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago: https://lnkd.in/eManY2vC

Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children enter the U.S. each year. We’ve made recommendations to ensure these children receive care from qualified providers at facilities with appropriate oversight and more. GAO’s Kathy Larin testifies about the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s efforts to address our recommendations--today at 2 p.m.: https://lnkd.in/e-2jYwFk

NEW BLOG POST: Attacks on rideshare passengers and drivers may make headlines, but how common are these attacks? Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our work on rideshare and taxicab safety, as well as the in-app/in-car features that can help keep both riders and drivers safe: https://lnkd.in/euEdFbbV

Cyberattacks can disrupt transportation systems that many Americans rely on—like mass transit and freight rail. GAO’s Tina Won Sherman testifies about our work on TSA’s efforts to ensure transportation sector cybersecurity—tomorrow at 10 a.m.: https://lnkd.in/exyqQPzw

Rare diseases affect millions of Americans—many of them children. But only 5% of nearly 10,000 known rare diseases have FDA-approved treatments. Our new report looks at the latest FDA efforts to quickly develop safe and effective drugs for these diseases: https://lnkd.in/erVTBVZv

GAO’s Office of Inspector General seeks a reemployed annuitant to lead inspections and evaluations in Washington, D.C. as a GS-14 equivalent. Qualified annuitants must have at least 2 years of experience conducting inspections or evaluations under Blue Book standards or conducting performance audits in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards in a position equivalent to at least the GS-13 level. If interested, please send your resume and an SF-50 indicating your retirement from the federal government to oig@gao.gov. This position will remain open until filled.

Did you know that for every $1 invested in GAO in Fiscal Year 2024, we saved Congress & taxpayers $76? We’re proud of our work helping the government save money and improve operations. Learn more about our 2024 accomplishments in our latest performance and accountability report: https://lnkd.in/eB9zjK2e

U.S. farmers facing labor shortages can temporarily fill jobs with foreign workers using the H-2A visa program. But interest in the program has increased rapidly, straining both application processing and oversight of employers, including to ensure workers are paid. Learn more in our new report: https://lnkd.in/eSjvh2as

NEW PODCAST—Climate-related threats like wildfires and flooding from hurricanes increasingly threaten the safety of hundreds of hazardous waste facilities across the U.S. Today’s podcast with GAO’s Alfredo Gomez explores what's being done to better protect these facilities from climate-related risks, which could result in the accidental release of hazardous waste into the environment: https://lnkd.in/e5sQMSZH