Government Accountability Office (GAO) Podcast: Watchdog Report

A lot has changed in the last couple of years. Our government has changed—not just politically, but also in what policymakers expect from federal agencies. They are looking for greater efficiency, as well as faster results in addressing some of the…

Each year, federal agencies dispose of hundreds of millions of dollars in personal property that is no longer needed. This includes everything from office supplies to airplanes. What happens to these items when they are no longer needed? We'll…

There are thousands of properties on the National Register of Historic Places. It's everything from buildings to battlefields. But some organizations, including Native American Tribes, have struggled to participate in this list. Learn more from…

The Navy's attack submarine fleet provide the United States with an unparalleled advantage to gather intelligence undetected and attack enemy targets. But during the last decade, the Navy has lost thousands of days of submarine use to costly…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is tasked with helping Americans and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. But recent reductions in staffing at FEMA may jeopardize these efforts. Here to tell us more is GAO…

In recent decades, several emerging infectious diseases have necessitated the need for global responses. We looked at what's being done here in the U.S. to detect and prevent the spread of emerging infectious diseases through surveillance.…

Consumers can use the help of a broker or agent to help them navigate government-run health insurance marketplaces. Agents can be useful in helping consumers pick the best insurance plan. But recent federal fraud cases have highlighted concerns that…

The last several decades have marked a turbulent, transformative time for commercial airlines--with mergers, failed mergers, and even airlines like Spirit going out of business. What's going on with the airline industry? And what do all these…

During long flights or extended air combat missions, aerial refueling tankers can eliminate the need for military planes to land. Having this capability is vital for some missions, like rapid long-distance strikes or when landing to refuel isn'…

The federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars to fraud each year and millions more to payment errors—also known as improper payments. GAO helps federal understand the causes of these losses and works with them to reduce risks. We’ll…

Drug cartels and other illegal enterprises often use shell companies to hide their dealings and launder money. To combat this activity, many countries have requirements that corporations disclose their ownership-or their beneficial owners. And the U…

Over the years, GAO’s work has helped save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing duplication, overlap and fragmentation in programs. Each year, we issue a report that highlights this work. On this episode of the Watchdog Report—we’ll talk with…

On this special episode of the Watchdog Report podcast, we discuss America’s cybersecurity risks, as well as GAO’s role in auditing and improving defenses against them. Our guest is Nick Marinos, GAO’s managing director of our Information Technology…

Medicare is the biggest spending area for the U.S. government and the largest federal health program. Due to the sheer size of Medicare, there are risks of fraud. We'll talk with GAO's Leslie Gordon to find out about efforts to detect and…

New tobacco product must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold in the United States. Despite this requirement, there are thousands of unapproved e-cigarette products and devices being sold. We learn about this…

For nearly two decades, the U.S. Government Accountability Office was led by Gene L. Dodaro, an auditor who came up-through the ranks of the agency and was sworn in as 8th Comptroller General of the United States in 2010. During his final days at…

Before Congress makes tough policy decisions, it often comes to GAO for information. This episode looks at some of the toughest questions Congress has asked GAO to answer, and how we did it. We’ll learn more from our Applied Research and Methods…

In some parts of the United States, growing populations and prolonged droughts are straining water supplies. Large-scale water recycling could offer these communities a solution to their shortages. In a new report, we looked at the status of these…

Thousands of Americans die each year after overdosing on illicit synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Transnational criminal organizations have played a central role in fueling this health crisis here in the United States. In…

The U.S. Postal Service is a quintessentially American institution. But during the last 20 years or so, USPS has struggled financially with rising costs and declining revenues from mail volumes. What's the current status of USPS financial…