Featured Stories
Southern Border Security: DOD Used Multiple Strategies to Fund Operations
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Southern Border Security: DOD Used Multiple Strategies to Fund Operations
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Fast Facts
Each year, millions of people enter the U.S. along its nearly 2,000-mile-long border with Mexico. But the border is also vulnerable to illegal activities, such as drug smuggling and organized crime.
In January 2025, the president directed the Department of Defense to help the Department of Homeland Security gain complete operational control of the border.
We reviewed DOD's costs to support these
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Southern Border Security: DOD Used Multiple Strategies to Fund Operations
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Fast Facts
Each year, millions of people enter the U.S. along its nearly 2,000-mile-long border with Mexico. But the border is also vulnerable to illegal activities, such as drug smuggling and organized crime.
In January 2025, the president directed the Department of Defense to help the Department of Homeland Security gain complete operational control of the border.
We reviewed DOD's costs to support theseoperations. As of March 2026, DOD reported $2.64 billion in costs and used a combination of funding strategies to support these operations. The department also set up a process to track costs.
U.S. Army solider and Border Patrol agent stand at border wall
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Defense (DOD) used multiple strategies to fund support for southern border operations since the start of fiscal year 2025 and into fiscal year 2026. Specifically, DOD
* realigned $1.74 billion in funding from amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2025 from various funding categories;
* transferred $608 million from or through DOD's Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities, Defense account;
* relied on military construction authorities to fund border barrier projects using $300 million from within existing military construction appropriation accounts;
* began obligating amounts from $1 billion appropriated in Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; and
* began providing some support to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in fiscal year 2026 that is eligible for reimbursement.
As of March 31, 2026, DOD has reported obligating $2.64 billion for southern border operations since the start of fiscal year 2025. These costs include DOD-directed activities, such as securing DOD-administered lands along the border, known as National Defense Areas, and constructing permanent border barriers. These costs also include DOD support to DHS in response to requests for assistance. Of the $2.64 billion DOD obligated, DOD reported $305 million is eligible for reimbursement by DHS.
DOD Southern Border Operations and Costs
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) (Comptroller) and the military services established a process for tracking southern border costs that included issuing guidance and business rules for pulling data from the military services' financial ledgers into Advancing Analytics-known as Advana-DOD's enterprise-level management system used for reporting. In addition, OUSD (Comptroller) officials stated they are working to finalize standard operating procedures that would codify DOD's process to manage and execute costs of southern border operations and provide continuity in the event of personnel turnover.
Why GAO Did This Study
The nearly 2,000-mile-long U.S. border with Mexico is a critical point of entry for millions of people annually. However, it is also vulnerable to illegal border crossings, smuggling of drugs and contraband, and organized crime. In January 2025, the President declared a national emergency at the southern border and directed DOD to assist DHS in obtaining complete operational control of the border.
GAO was asked to review DOD's costs to support operations at the southern border. Senate Report 119-39 accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 also includes a provision for GAO to examine similar issues. This report examines (1) how DOD has funded support for operations, (2) how much DOD has reported in costs, and (3) how DOD has tracked costs for its southern border operations since the start of fiscal year 2025.
GAO analyzed DOD documentation and guidance regarding funding sources and cost tracking processes. GAO analyzed cost summary reports for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. GAO also met with DOD officials and commands obligating the most funding for southern border operations.
GAO provided a draft of this report to DOD for review and comment. DOD did not provide official comments. DOD provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
For more information, contact Rashmi Agarwal at agarwalr@gao.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108437
Health Insurance Marketplaces: CMS Needs Stronger Controls to Prevent Unauthorized Actions by Agents and Brokers
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Health Insurance Marketplaces: CMS Needs Stronger Controls to Prevent Unauthorized Actions by Agents and Brokers
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Fast Facts
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services require agents and brokers to be licensed, registered, and obtain consumer consent before helping consumers buy or change their health insurance plans on the federal insurance marketplace.
However, we found that the agency's safeguards don't always protect consumers from unauthorized activity by unscrupulous agents
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Health Insurance Marketplaces: CMS Needs Stronger Controls to Prevent Unauthorized Actions by Agents and Brokers
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Fast Facts
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services require agents and brokers to be licensed, registered, and obtain consumer consent before helping consumers buy or change their health insurance plans on the federal insurance marketplace.
However, we found that the agency's safeguards don't always protect consumers from unauthorized activity by unscrupulous agentsand brokers. This could result in consumers not being aware of changes to their health plans or even losing coverage altogether.
We made 2 recommendations, including implementing stronger safeguards-such as a one-time passcode-to ensure consumers consent to changes in their health plans.showing the HealthCare.gov website with a spyglass enlarging the words "HealthCare.gov" and "Get Coverage."
Highlights
What GAO Found
Millions of consumers rely on the assistance of health insurance agents and brokers to purchase health insurance plans through federal and state Marketplaces established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The federal Marketplace is maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). To assist consumers in the federal Marketplace, agents and brokers must be licensed to sell health plans and be registered with the Marketplace, among other things. CMS conducts routine validation checks to help ensure that federal Marketplace agents and brokers are licensed. The agency also restricts access to its systems to only registered agents and brokers.
However, those CMS controls do not protect consumers from unauthorized activity by unscrupulous agents and brokers. Specifically, CMS
1. processes to ensure consumer consent for agent or broker actions are weak,
2. does not restrict access to consumer Marketplace records to the agent or broker already associated with a consumer's enrollment, and
3. does not inform consumers of all agent or broker actions.
In 2024, CMS implemented new procedures to better ensure agents and brokers obtain consumers' consent prior to certain actions. However, GAO found that the procedures do not prevent all unauthorized actions because they are not always used, and CMS takes limited steps to confirm the identity of the consumer.
Together these weaknesses leave consumers vulnerable to unauthorized agent or broker activity. The number of consumer complaints of unauthorized enrollments and plan switches grew more than fourfold from 2023 through 2025.
Number of Consumer Complaints Tied to Confirmed Unauthorized Enrollments and Plan Switches in the Federal Marketplace, Calendar Years 2023 Through 2025
GAO examined three selected state-based Marketplaces and found they have controls that go beyond those used by CMS, such as requiring one-time passcodes to verify consumer consent to agent or broker actions. CMS told GAO that the agency is exploring options to potentially implement new controls for the open enrollment period for plan year 2027 but had not yet made decisions regarding any new controls. Without effective controls, consumers remain at risk.
Why GAO Did This Study
Recent federal fraud cases highlight concerns about certain agents and brokers in the federal Marketplace making unauthorized enrollments and plan changes to receive compensation from health plan issuers. As previously reported based on ongoing investigative work, GAO found at least 160,000 federal Marketplace applications in plan year 2024 had likely unauthorized changes.
GAO was asked to review program integrity practices in health insurance Marketplaces. This report examines the extent to which CMS has controls to ensure (1) agents and brokers in the federal Marketplace are licensed and registered, and (2) consumers authorize, and are informed of, agent and broker activity.
To perform this evaluation, GAO compared CMS controls to federal regulations and CMS policies and procedures by reviewing CMS documentation and interviewing CMS officials. GAO also interviewed organizations representing stakeholders-including agents and brokers, state insurance regulators, and consumers-and reviewed documentation and interviewed officials from three selected state-based Marketplaces-California, Georgia, and New Mexico-about their controls.
Recommendations
GAO is making two recommendations, including that CMS design and implement stronger controls to ensure consumers consent to, and are informed of, agent and broker actions, such as with a one-time passcode and other controls. HHS concurred with GAO's two recommendations and identified steps it is considering to address the recommendation.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Administrator of CMS should design and implement stronger controls to verify consumer consent to agent and broker actions on consumer enrollments, restrict access to consumer information to the agent of record, and notify consumers of agent and broker activity on their federal Marketplace enrollments. Such controls could include use of a one-time passcode and limits to the amount of consumer details agents and brokers who are not the agent of record can see when conducting a person search. (Recommendation 1)
Open Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Administrator of CMS should periodically review the relevance and effectiveness of the controls it implements to ensure consumers authorize, and are informed of, agent and broker activity on their federal Marketplace enrollments and make changes as appropriate based on those reviews. (Recommendation 2)
Open Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108297
Human Capital: A Guide for Developing and Assessing Strategic Training and Development Efforts in the Federal Government
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Human Capital: A Guide for Developing and Assessing Strategic Training and Development Efforts in the Federal Government
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Fast Facts
Federal agencies train employees to carry out their missions in a rapidly changing world. But how do agencies know if their training programs are effective?
Our updated human capital guide can help agencies and oversight bodies assess whether training programs are aligned with priorities, efficiently implemented, and improving staff performance.
To develop
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Human Capital: A Guide for Developing and Assessing Strategic Training and Development Efforts in the Federal Government
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Fast Facts
Federal agencies train employees to carry out their missions in a rapidly changing world. But how do agencies know if their training programs are effective?
Our updated human capital guide can help agencies and oversight bodies assess whether training programs are aligned with priorities, efficiently implemented, and improving staff performance.
To developthe guide, we consulted with government officials, the private sector, academia, and nonprofit organizations. This guide updates our earlier work and covers new topics-including online learning and advancements in technology.
A woman sitting at a desk with a laptop in front of her while another woman stands next to her also looking at the laptop.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Training and development programs help federal agencies achieve their mission and goals by improving individual and, ultimately, organizational performance. This report is a guide that federal agencies can use to ensure their training and development investments are targeted strategically. In recent years, training and development have shifted from primarily classroom-based instruction to more integrated, blended learning approaches that reflect changes in the workplace and advances in technology. In addition, there is a greater focus on aligning learning to agency mission needs and outcomes, with coaching and mentoring playing an important support role in development.
The training and development process can loosely be segmented into four broad, interrelated components: (1) planning, (2) design and development, (3) implementation, and (4) evaluation. As shown in the figure, these components form an integrated cycle. Decisions made in early stages influence later outcomes, while evaluation results should feed continuously into future planning and design. Effective agencies treat evaluation as an ongoing activity rather than a discrete, end-of-process step.
Four Components of the Training and Development Process
GAO also identified nine core characteristics that make a training and development process effective and strategically focused on achieving results, such as improved customer service or public safety. These characteristics include ensuring stakeholder involvement throughout the process and effectively allocating resources to maximize training investments. Additionally, new technology advancements, including digital learning and artificial intelligence, are further shaping how training is designed, delivered, and evaluated.
Why GAO Did This Study
Federal agencies operate in an increasingly complex environment characterized by evolving missions, fiscal constraints, technological change, and shifting workforce demographics. In this context, the ability of agencies to achieve results depends significantly on the skills, competencies, and adaptability of their employees.
In March 2004, GAO issued a guide for assessing strategic training and development efforts across the federal government. GAO has updated this guide to provide a current framework to help agencies, among other things, evaluate their training and development programs-specifically, to assess whether these programs are aligned with mission priorities, efficiently implemented, and demonstrably contributing to improved performance. This guide also provides a common structure for oversight bodies to assess agency practices consistently and systematically.
GAO consulted with 24 knowledgeable government officials and subject matter specialists in the private sector, academia, and nonprofit organizations. To validate and update the key practices in our 2004 report, GAO reviewed relevant literature on strategic training and development. GAO used this literature to help identify practices that have emerged over the past 20 years and to help identify the subject matter specialists. These specialists validated the practices described in the 2004 report and identified new or modified practices.
For more information, contact Dawn Locke at locked@gao.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108218
VA Disability Benefits: Opportunities and Challenges to Modernizing Technology and Adopting AI
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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VA Disability Benefits: Opportunities and Challenges to Modernizing Technology and Adopting AI
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Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to modernize its IT systems to increase efficiency and accuracy of claims processing for disability compensation. However, past GAO reports have found that VA faces long-standing challenges in managing its disability compensation program and implementing innovative technologies. For example, GAO found gaps in VA's
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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VA Disability Benefits: Opportunities and Challenges to Modernizing Technology and Adopting AI
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Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to modernize its IT systems to increase efficiency and accuracy of claims processing for disability compensation. However, past GAO reports have found that VA faces long-standing challenges in managing its disability compensation program and implementing innovative technologies. For example, GAO found gaps in VA'soversight of the quality of exams provided by contracted medical providers and in the management of training for claims processors. Moreover, in 2009, VA began developing an electronic, paperless system called the Veterans Benefits Management System. GAO found that this effort was not driven by robust planning and did not include goals for system response times and user satisfaction, making it difficult to measure progress on efforts to improve user satisfaction with the system.
AI holds substantial promise for improving government operations, and VA is exploring multiple uses of AI for disability benefits, such as claims processing. However, GAO has reported that generative AI can increase risk and hinder accountability, in part because even its designers may not fully understand how it works. It can also require significant computational and technical resources. VA is exploring using AI to further automate the processing of disability claims, a use case that could benefit veterans. But this use could present a challenge in detecting errors or misuse, owing to AI's lack of transparency. GAO has a framework to help ensure accountability and responsible use of AI. VA and other agencies could use this framework as they consider, select, and implement AI systems (see figure).
Figure: GAO's AI Accountability Framework
Why GAO Did This Study
VA administers one of the largest federal disability benefit programs, providing over $195 billion to over 6.9 million veterans and their families in fiscal year 2025. Veterans with injuries or illnesses incurred or aggravated during military service may receive monthly compensation payments.
The Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 required VA to develop a plan to increase the speed and accuracy of claims processing decisions.
This statement summarizes (1) VA's long-standing challenges with managing its disability compensation program and implementing innovative technologies and (2) opportunities and challenges for using AI for VA's disability compensation program. This statement is based on GAO's body of work from September 2015 to June 2026 on VA disability compensation claims processing, IT modernization, and AI.
Recommendations
Since 2021, GAO has made 43 recommendations to improve VA's disability compensation program. VA has implemented 28 of them. It has taken some steps to adress the remaining 15, but has not fully implemented them. Doing so would help VA better ensure veterans receive timely and appropriate benefits.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-109137
Military Health Care: Clinical Quality Management in Operational Settings Like Field Hospitals
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Military Health Care: Clinical Quality Management in Operational Settings Like Field Hospitals
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Fast Facts
DOD health care providers deliver care where military operations and humanitarian missions take place. Such "operational settings" include hospital ships, field hospitals, and aircraft carriers.
DOD directed the Army, Navy, and Air Force to update their policies for managing health care quality in these settings. The policies are supposed to help ensure that safety incidents are
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 13 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Military Health Care: Clinical Quality Management in Operational Settings Like Field Hospitals
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Fast Facts
DOD health care providers deliver care where military operations and humanitarian missions take place. Such "operational settings" include hospital ships, field hospitals, and aircraft carriers.
DOD directed the Army, Navy, and Air Force to update their policies for managing health care quality in these settings. The policies are supposed to help ensure that safety incidents arereviewed, potential provider misconduct is investigated, and more.
As of March 2026, the Army and Air Force had not issued updated policies. The Navy has issued several policies on aspects of health care quality management.
Exterior of a field hospital
An exterior view of the entrance to a U.S. Army field hospital.
Highlights
What GAO Found
In 2023, the Department of Defense (DOD) directed the military departments-Army, Navy, and Air Force-to update their policies on clinical quality management to align with Defense Health Agency (DHA) procedures to ensure high-quality care in operational settings. In December 2024, GAO reported that the military departments had not yet issued policies, specifically on provider credentialing and privileging, and recommended that they do so. As of March 2026, GAO found that Army and Air Force had not issued updated policies, while Navy issued several policies on aspects of clinical quality management.
GAO maintains that the military departments' updates to these policies will facilitate a more consistent approach to clinical quality in operational settings. These updates may require more time, as the military departments incorporate additional changes resulting from DOD's October 2025 implementation of a universal provider privileging program (i.e., the process of reviewing a provider's qualifications and granting permission to deliver specific services).
Examples of Operational Settings Include Navy Hospital Ships and Army Field Hospitals
For patient safety events and health care risk management investigations, Army and Air Force officials stated that their departments generally follow the processes outlined in DHA's procedures manual as their policies are being updated. GAO also found that Navy's policies-which have been updated-align with DHA's procedures.
* Patient safety events are incidents or conditions that could have resulted, or did result, in harm to a patient, such as a medication error or a wrong-site surgery. Events are entered into a patient safety reporting system and investigated accordingly.
* Health care risk management activities primarily involve provider quality assurance investigations, which could originate from suspected provider misconduct, among other reasons. Army and Air Force leverage DHA for assistance for investigations; Navy relies on its medical staff for support.
Why GAO Did This Study
DOD health care providers deliver critical health care services in settings where military operations take place. These operational settings include hospital ships, field hospitals, and aircraft carriers. To guide efforts to promote health, prevent harm, and provide high-quality care in the military health system, DHA issued a clinical quality management framework in 2019. This framework consists of programs such as provider credentialing and privileging, patient safety, and risk management. Military departments are responsible for updating their policies to align with DHA's framework and implementing these programs in operational settings.
A House Report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 includes a provision for GAO to review how the military departments ensure clinical quality in operational settings. GAO reported in GAO-25-106445 on provider credentialing and privileging and recommended that the military departments issue updated policies, which they indicated would be included in overall clinical quality management policies for operational settings. In this report, GAO describes (1) the status of these military department policies on clinical quality management, (2) how the military departments report and manage patient safety events, and (3) how the military departments conduct health care risk management investigations.
GAO interviewed DHA and military department officials and reviewed relevant program documentation. GAO also reviewed available operational patient safety event data reported for fiscal years 2022 through 2024, the most recent available data at the time of this review. These data were not included due to DOD's concerns about the sensitivity of these data.
For more information, contact Sharon M. Silas at silass@gao.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107979
Inflation Reduction Act: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Should Develop Performance Goals for Its Wildlife Refuge Projects
WASHINGTON, July 10 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Inflation Reduction Act: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Should Develop Performance Goals for Its Wildlife Refuge Projects
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Fast Facts
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages a network of 856 million acres of land and water used for recreation and wildlife protection. FWS awarded funds it received from the Inflation Reduction Act to states, nonprofits and local agencies for projects that restore habitats and infrastructure and make them more resilient against future weather events.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 10 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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Inflation Reduction Act: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Should Develop Performance Goals for Its Wildlife Refuge Projects
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Fast Facts
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages a network of 856 million acres of land and water used for recreation and wildlife protection. FWS awarded funds it received from the Inflation Reduction Act to states, nonprofits and local agencies for projects that restore habitats and infrastructure and make them more resilient against future weather events.
FWS developed an implementation plan with objectives for each project. But FWS didn't set performance goals to measure progress. This means that FWS doesn't know the extent to which the projects are meeting those objectives.
Our recommendations address this and other issues.
A prairie pond in Minnesota with flat grasslands.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) provided $125 million in supplemental appropriations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to rebuild and restore units of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) and state wildlife management areas. Among other things, the appropriations are intended to increase the resiliency of habitats and infrastructure to withstand weather events. As of April 1, 2026, FWS had obligated 99.6 percent of the appropriations, primarily for financial awards to state agencies and other partners for the design, implementation, and monitoring of nine projects across 23 states and more than 75 NWRS units. For example, a northern forest project aims to restore forests, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce flood risks in the Northeast and Midwest. FWS has expended about $48.9 million, or 39 percent, of its appropriations. FWS officials told GAO that, so far, the IRA projects have resulted in the restoration of more than 5,000 acres of wetlands and 16,000 acres of other habitats.
Work on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Project in North Carolina
To select projects for IRA funding, FWS officials stated that the agency identified NWRS areas with planned, but unfunded, activities that aligned with the purpose of the IRA appropriations, such as to increase the resiliency of NWRS areas to weather events. FWS also prioritized projects in parts of the country that had not previously received supplemental appropriations, such as for disaster assistance, and where FWS could collaborate with long-standing partners, including state and local agencies, to expand the geographic scope of work. Once projects were selected, FWS's regional offices used existing processes and partnerships to determine activities to undertake, such as building water control structures to reduce flood risks and fences to improve bison management. FWS then used standard agency policies and procedures, such as recipient risk guidance, to issue financial awards and contracts to carry out activities.
To oversee IRA projects, FWS developed an implementation plan with objectives for meeting the purpose of the IRA appropriations. For example, the plan calls for projects to improve the capacity to recover from extreme weather events. FWS tracked data, such as acres restored, but did not establish performance goals for measuring progress toward the objectives. By developing and using performance goals for assessing progress toward the objectives in its IRA implementation plan, FWS can better develop and use evidence to assess the extent to which the IRA projects are achieving intended results, and change course if they are not.
Why GAO Did This Study
FWS, within the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages NWRS, a national network of 856 million acres of land and water dedicated to protecting fish and wildlife habitats and providing outdoor recreation opportunities, such as hunting and fishing. IRA appropriations for NWRS and state wildlife management areas are available to FWS for obligation through September 2026 and amount to over 23 percent of NWRS's typical annual appropriations. FWS uses grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to fund partners, including federal and state agencies and nonprofits.
GAO was asked to review FWS's use of its IRA appropriations. This report (1) describes how FWS has obligated and expended IRA appropriations for NWRS and state wildlife management areas; (2) describes how FWS selected, prioritized, and funded projects for these appropriations; and (3) examines how FWS provided oversight for these projects to ensure they achieve intended results.
GAO reviewed FWS obligations and expenditures data through April 1, 2026; FWS documents about its use and oversight of IRA appropriations; and recipients' single audit reports. GAO interviewed selected financial award and contract recipients based on factors such as geographic variation, as well as FWS and Interior officials. GAO also compared FWS efforts with federal guidance and key practices, such as for performance management.
Recommendations
GAO is making two recommendations, including that FWS develop and use performance goals for each IRA project to determine if FWS is meeting the purpose of the IRA appropriations and achieving the objectives in its IRA implementation plan. FWS concurred.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Fish and Wildlife Service The FWS Director should direct the NWRS Chief to develop and use performance goals for each of its IRA Section 60302 projects to determine if the agency is meeting the purpose of the IRA appropriations and making progress toward achieving the objectives in its IRA implementation plan. (Recommendation 1)
Open Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service The FWS Director should ensure that FWS's comprehensive review of the NWRS includes (1) determining the critical skills and staffing levels that are needed to achieve NWRS goals, and (2) developing strategies to address any gaps in those critical skills and overall staffing levels. (Recommendation 2)
Open Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108212
K-12 Education: How States and the U.S. Holocaust Museum Support Holocaust Education
WASHINGTON, July 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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K-12 Education: How States and the U.S. Holocaust Museum Support Holocaust Education
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Fast Facts
Holocaust education offers historical understanding and context for examining unchecked antisemitism. In this Q&A, we reviewed how states approach Holocaust education in K-12 public schools and how the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum supports that education.
We found that 42 states and D.C. require Holocaust education through academic standards or state laws. The remaining 8 states don't require
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 7 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report:
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K-12 Education: How States and the U.S. Holocaust Museum Support Holocaust Education
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Fast Facts
Holocaust education offers historical understanding and context for examining unchecked antisemitism. In this Q&A, we reviewed how states approach Holocaust education in K-12 public schools and how the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum supports that education.
We found that 42 states and D.C. require Holocaust education through academic standards or state laws. The remaining 8 states don't requireit but may support it in other ways, such as providing guidance to teachers.
The Museum also provides support with professional development for teachers and educational materials, among other efforts.
Exterior of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Highlights
What GAO Found
To support Holocaust education in K-12 public schools, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum-the main federal provider of Holocaust education resources-provides professional development for teachers through its annual conference, fellowships, online videos, and webinars. The Museum offers educational materials, such as lesson plans and online lessons, based on its collection of artifacts. It also partners with state and local organizations and researches effective education strategies.
Most states (43 of 51) have established academic standards that explicitly include Holocaust education or passed laws that explicitly require Holocaust education (see figure). The remaining eight states did not have such academic standards or laws, but they may have supported Holocaust education in other ways. Most state officials (30 of 48) who responded to GAO's survey reported having methods to ensure students receive Holocaust education, such as getting feedback from teachers and schools.
States Identified as Having Academic Standards or Laws Requiring K-12 Holocaust Education
Note: For details regarding GAO's analysis to identify states with academic standards or laws requiring K-12 Holocaust education, see figure 1 in GAO-26-108023.
Why GAO Did This Study
The Never Again Education Act authorized federal support for the U.S. Holocaust Museum to support Holocaust education through educational materials and professional development opportunities for teachers. Senate Report 118-84 includes a provision for GAO to examine Holocaust education in K-12 public schools. This report provides information on federal resources developed by the U.S. Holocaust Museum to support Holocaust education, state K-12 Holocaust education practices, and other topics.
To answer these objectives, GAO conducted a survey of state educational agency officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on providing K-12 Holocaust education. Officials from 48 states responded. GAO also reviewed publicly available state documents as of February 2026, including academic standards and budgets, and conducted an independent legal review of state laws explicitly requiring Holocaust education. Further, GAO sent a structured online questionnaire to a nongeneralizable sample of 2,063 public school teachers of sixth to 12th grade to learn about their experiences providing Holocaust education. GAO received responses from 111 teachers. GAO also interviewed officials from four selected state educational agencies, seven Holocaust organizations, and the U.S. Holocaust Museum.
For more information, contact Jackie Nowicki at NowickiJ@gao.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108023
