Featured Stories
Postal Service IG: Management and Oversight of Non-Revenue Transactions
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 25-145-R26) on September 1, 2026, entitled "Management and Oversight of Non-Revenue Transactions."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Background
The U.S. Postal Service processed 1.1 billion transactions across 31,000 retail locations in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Nearly half of these transactions were "non-revenue," such as package pickup or change of address, that required staff time but no customer payment. Non-revenue transactions grew by 11 percent over the last five years, compared to
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 25-145-R26) on September 1, 2026, entitled "Management and Oversight of Non-Revenue Transactions."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Background
The U.S. Postal Service processed 1.1 billion transactions across 31,000 retail locations in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Nearly half of these transactions were "non-revenue," such as package pickup or change of address, that required staff time but no customer payment. Non-revenue transactions grew by 11 percent over the last five years, compared toa 33 percent drop in revenue transactions. Effectively managing these transactions -- which are important to customers and accounted for over $276 million in staff-related costs in FY 2025 -- is increasingly important.
What We Did
Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Postal Service's management and oversight of non-revenue transactions. We analyzed data; interviewed officials; and reviewed related policies, procedures, and leading best practices.
What We Found
The Postal Service's management of non-revenue transactions was limited due to data gaps and a lack of timeliness targets, which hindered the oversight of staff performance, efficient resource allocation, and fraud detection. Specifically, we identified transactions exceeding expected timeframes, anomalous activity (such as staff processing unusually high volumes of certain transaction types in a short timeframe), inconsistent transaction totals across reports, and improper categorizations. We estimate $23 million in questioned costs and another $23 million in funds that could be put to better use from April 2025 through March 2027 due to transactions exceeding expected timeframes. We also estimate $15 million in impact associated with over 16 million transactions without timeliness targets to benchmark performance in FY 2025.
The Postal Service also lacks a unified strategy to align local retail operations with the growing non-revenue transaction volume. A comprehensive, data-driven approach would guide efforts to strengthen analyses, implement enhancements, and monitor performance -- ultimately positioning the Postal Service to meet changing customer demand for non-revenue transactions more cost-effectively.
Recommendations and Management's Comments
We made three recommendations to address the issues identified in the report, and Postal Service management disagreed with all three. We will pursue the disagreements through the audit resolution process. Management's comments and our evaluation are at the end of each finding and recommendation.
* * *
View the original text at: https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2026-09/25-145-r26.pdf
Postal Service IG: Assessment of Postal Service's Network Changes
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 26-042-R26) on September 8, 2026, entitled "Assessment of Postal Service's Network Changes."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Background
In March 2021, the U.S. Postal Service released its 10-year strategic Delivering for America (DFA) plan to achieve financial sustainability and improve service. Since that time, the Postal Service has implemented significant changes in its transportation, package processing, and delivery network. This involved reducing operational costs by consolidating
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 26-042-R26) on September 8, 2026, entitled "Assessment of Postal Service's Network Changes."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Background
In March 2021, the U.S. Postal Service released its 10-year strategic Delivering for America (DFA) plan to achieve financial sustainability and improve service. Since that time, the Postal Service has implemented significant changes in its transportation, package processing, and delivery network. This involved reducing operational costs by consolidatingoperations and moving mail from air networks to ground transportation, eliminating duplicate and unneeded routes. Additionally, the Postal Service implemented several service standard changes to enable network changes and improve on-time delivery.
What We Did
Our objective was to determine the impacts that network change initiatives have had on the Postal Service and its stakeholders. For this audit, we focused on cost, savings, and service performance impacts of the Postal Service's network processing, transportation, and delivery initiatives from fiscal year (FY) 2016 through FY 2026, quarter 2.
What We Found
The Postal Service has made significant changes to its network in the first five years of the DFA plan reducing mail processing, transportation, and delivery costs. However, the financial position of the Postal Service has not improved, and the operational changes have coincided with service performance declines, with rural communities experiencing the most noticeable impacts. Additionally, the Postal Service does not have a long-term cost savings target nor does it track the financial impact of network change initiatives. Instead, it manages initiatives on an annual basis but does not have an overall program schedule and timeline to track and report long-term progress. We also found issues with network changes that could have been identified through better planning and modeling.
Finally, the organization is missing an opportunity to better standardize the network of facilities envisioned at the outset of the DFA plan. As a result, the Postal Service continues to operate a fragmented system that hampers nationwide decision-making, limits expected efficiencies, and complicates efforts to measure performance.
Recommendations and Management's Comments
We made five recommendations to address the issues identified in the report, and management agreed with all five recommendations. We consider management's comments responsive as corrective actions should resolve the issues identified in the report.
* * *
View the original text at: https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2026-09/26-042-r26.pdf
NTSB Releases Safer Seas Digest Detailing Lessons to Improve Maritime Safety
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release:
* * *
NTSB Releases Safer Seas Digest Detailing Lessons to Improve Maritime Safety
WASHINGTON (September 15, 2026) -- The National Transportation Safety Board released Safer Seas Digest 2025, a collection of safety lessons drawn from the NTSB's marine investigations completed in 2025.
The annual publication provides the marine community with a concise look at what happened, why it happened, and what can be done to prevent similar casualties in the future. The 2025 digest examines 49 investigations
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following news release:
* * *
NTSB Releases Safer Seas Digest Detailing Lessons to Improve Maritime Safety
WASHINGTON (September 15, 2026) -- The National Transportation Safety Board released Safer Seas Digest 2025, a collection of safety lessons drawn from the NTSB's marine investigations completed in 2025.
The annual publication provides the marine community with a concise look at what happened, why it happened, and what can be done to prevent similar casualties in the future. The 2025 digest examines 49 investigationsthat looked at accidents including capsizings, collisions, contacts with fixed objects, fires, floodings, groundings, and machinery damage.
Among the investigations featured in this year's Safer Seas Digest are the contact of the containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and subsequent bridge collapse, the hull failure and implosion of the Titan submersible and the fire aboard the roll-on/roll-off container vessel Grande Costa D'Avorio.
The NTSB encourages marine operators and other stakeholders to review the safety issues identified in the digest and consider how the lessons from these investigations can be applied to their own operations. Applying these lessons before a casualty occurs can save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce property and environmental damage.
NTSB investigators noted some commonalities that all mariners should consider. These include the following:
* Performing maintenance effectively,
* Effective voyage planning and management,
* Detecting and containing vessel fires,
* Assessing the condition of waterfront infrastructure,
* Ensuring watertight integrity,
* Accounting for bank effect,
* Combating fatigue and distraction,
* Properly securing and monitoring lithium-ion batteries,
* Mitigating the risks of a loss of electrical power,
* Planning and training for emergencies,
* Operating in strong currents or heavy-weather conditions, and
* Operating equipment and machinery systems as designed.
Safer Seas Digest 2025 (https://www.ntsb.gov/about/organization/MS/Documents/SPC2601.pdf) and previous editions are available on NTSB.gov.
The NTSB's Office of Marine Safety investigates major marine casualties upon the navigable waters of the U.S. and accidents involving U.S. flagged vessels worldwide. The investigations determine probable causes and lead to safety recommendations to prevent future causalities and improve maritime safety.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
* * *
View digest here: https://www.ntsb.gov/about/organization/MS/Documents/SPC2601.pdf
* * *
Original text here: https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20260915.aspx
GSA IG: 'PBS Is Not Consistently Complying With Its Internal Guidance for the Building Assessment Tool, Resulting in Underreported Liabilities and Increasing the Risk of Errors'
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSrep) -- The General Services Administration Inspector General issued the following audit report entitled "PBS Is Not Consistently Complying with Its Internal Guidance for the Building Assessment Tool, Resulting in Underreported Liabilities and Increasing the Risk of Errors."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Why We Performed This Audit
Building maintenance liabilities are the current estimated costs to repair building deficiencies to an acceptable condition. GSA is required to identify and report its building maintenance liabilities annually. Accurate, complete, and reliable
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSrep) -- The General Services Administration Inspector General issued the following audit report entitled "PBS Is Not Consistently Complying with Its Internal Guidance for the Building Assessment Tool, Resulting in Underreported Liabilities and Increasing the Risk of Errors."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Why We Performed This Audit
Building maintenance liabilities are the current estimated costs to repair building deficiencies to an acceptable condition. GSA is required to identify and report its building maintenance liabilities annually. Accurate, complete, and reliablebuilding maintenance liability data is critical to GSA because it: (1) directly affects its financial reporting; (2) informs its long-term capital planning; and (3) supports decisions about funding, prioritizing, and executing repairs across GSA's building portfolio.
GSA's Public Buildings Service (PBS) uses the Building Assessment Tool (BAT) system to estimate the cost of repairs and maintenance needed to correct major deficiencies in GSA-owned buildings, as well as in certain leased buildings for which GSA is responsible for repairs and alterations. PBS prepares this estimate using BAT surveys, which are 40-section surveys completed by a PBS employee based on physical inspections of individual GSA buildings.
BAT surveys were previously completed on a 2-year cycle; however, because PBS underwent significant staffing reductions and a major reorganization in 2025, it now requires BAT surveys to be completed on a 5-year cycle. The longer interval between BAT surveys increases the risk of outdated building maintenance liability data, making it critically important that PBS's BAT surveys are complete, accurate, and reliable.
Due to the importance of the BAT system to PBS's management of its building portfolio, we included this audit on the GSA Office of Inspector General's Fiscal Year 2025 Audit Plan. The objective of the audit was to determine whether PBS is effectively using the BAT system to monitor the costs of building repairs and maintenance in accordance with internal guidance.
What We Found
PBS is not consistently complying with the internal guidance it designed to ensure that the estimated costs of building repairs and maintenance in the BAT system are complete and accurate, resulting in underreported building maintenance liabilities and increasing the risk of undetected errors.
Specifically, we found that:
PBS did not consistently review existing data sources for repair and alteration costs when preparing some BAT surveys, resulting in underreported building maintenance liabilities. We found that 79 of the BAT surveys in our sample of 196 buildings underreported repair and alteration costs by a total of $73 million.
PBS did not consistently perform independent completeness and accuracy reviews of BAT surveys, thereby increasing the risk of undetected errors.
Taken together, these deficiencies limit assurance that PBS consistently uses and reports complete, accurate, and reliable information on the repair and maintenance needs of its building portfolio.
* * *
The report is posted at: https://www.gsaig.gov/sites/default/files/audit-reports/A250036-1%20Final%20Report.pdf
Federal Housing Finance Agency IG: Isk Assessment of FHFA's Charge Card Programs April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General issued the following report (OIG-RA-2026-001) entitled "Risk Assessment of FHFA's Charge Card Programs April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026".
Here are excerpts:
* * *
PURPOSE
The Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012 (Charge Card Act) requires our office to conduct periodic risk assessments of Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA or Agency) charge card programs to identify and analyze the risks of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases and payments.
We conducted a risk assessment of FHFA's charge
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency Inspector General issued the following report (OIG-RA-2026-001) entitled "Risk Assessment of FHFA's Charge Card Programs April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026".
Here are excerpts:
* * *
PURPOSE
The Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012 (Charge Card Act) requires our office to conduct periodic risk assessments of Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA or Agency) charge card programs to identify and analyze the risks of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases and payments.
We conducted a risk assessment of FHFA's chargecard programs, covering both purchase cards and travel cards for the period from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026 (assessment period) to determine scope, frequency, and number of audits of FHFA's charge card programs to perform.
RESULTS
We concluded that the risk of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases and payments through FHFA's charge card programs was low during the assessment period. The assessment of low risk for the purchase card and travel card programs was consistent with our previous risk assessment for the period of April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.
During this assessment period, FHFA significantly reduced spending under its purchase card and travel card programs to comply with Executive Order 14222, Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Cost Efficiency Initiative (February 26, 2025). FHFA also implemented corrective actions for recommendations in our fiscal year 2023 management advisory, which improved key control objectives for travel cards related to timely payments and handling of previous audit recommendations. Based on these factors and our assessment work, we determined that an audit of these programs is not warranted at this time.
Although the overall risk is low in FHFA's purchase card and travel card programs, it is important to note that this period's assessment of low risk does not imply that these risk levels will remain constant indefinitely. Existing internal controls could become inadequate due to changing conditions or a variation in compliance with applicable policies or procedures, or both.
* * *
The report is posted at: https://www.fhfaoig.gov/sites/default/files/OIG-RA-2026-001.pdf
EPA IG: Oversight Plan for Fiscal Year 2027
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General issued the following report (No. 26-N-0051) entitled "Oversight Plan for Fiscal Year 2027."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Our Oversight Plan for Fiscal Year 2027 outlines themes for audits, evaluations, and other oversight activities that will help us provide independent and objective oversight of the EPA and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
This plan reflects the top management challenges we identified for the EPA and the CSB; our prior oversight work and open recommendations; work conducted
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General issued the following report (No. 26-N-0051) entitled "Oversight Plan for Fiscal Year 2027."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Our Oversight Plan for Fiscal Year 2027 outlines themes for audits, evaluations, and other oversight activities that will help us provide independent and objective oversight of the EPA and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
This plan reflects the top management challenges we identified for the EPA and the CSB; our prior oversight work and open recommendations; work conductedby the Government Accountability Office; and remarks from EPA and CSB officials, Congress, and the White House. Where our recommendations are open, we will continue to work with the EPA on implementation and, per our mandate, report on the agency's progress in carrying them out.
* * *
The report is posted at: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2026-09/_epaoig_20260915-26-n-0051_cert.pdf
EPA IG: Compendium of Open Recommendations: Data as of May 31, 2026
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General issued the following report (No. 26-N-0050) entitled "Compendium of Open Recommendations: Data as of May 31, 2026."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Why We Did This Report
The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires each inspector general to prepare semiannual reports for Congress. As part of that reporting, the inspector general must identify all recommendations from the prior reporting period for which corrective actions have not been completed by the agency. We are publishing this compendium to provide
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General issued the following report (No. 26-N-0050) entitled "Compendium of Open Recommendations: Data as of May 31, 2026."
Here are excerpts:
* * *
Why We Did This Report
The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires each inspector general to prepare semiannual reports for Congress. As part of that reporting, the inspector general must identify all recommendations from the prior reporting period for which corrective actions have not been completed by the agency. We are publishing this compendium to providean update on the recommendations that remained open as of May 31, 2026.
Summary of Findings
This compendium provides an update on the 83 resolved recommendations that we identified in our semiannual Report to Congress issued in May 2026. Our update recognizes changes in the status of recommendations that occurred after March 31, 2026, but not later than May 31, 2026.
In that time frame, the EPA completed corrective actions for six of the 83 resolved recommendations listed in the semiannual report; therefore, this update analyzes 77 resolved recommendations, which represent over $265.2 million in potential cost savings. Of those 77 resolved recommendations, 38 will be at least three years old on their scheduled corrective action completion date. These 38 recommendations represent over $33.3 million in potential cost savings.
* * *
The report is posted at: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2026-09/_epaoig_20260908-26-n-0050_compendium_cert.pdf
