GAO to VA: Make Category Management Real — Why Contractors Should Care
GAO’s September 2025 review of VA acquisitions finds leadership accountability gaps, low best-in-class usage, and missing category-level savings goals—changes that will reshape how VA buys. For contractors, expect tougher proof of savings, more data-driven decisions, and new vendor-risk requirements. Learn what to do now to stay competitive.
Behind the Gate: What GAO Found About Airport Service Workers in 2025
GAO’s August 2025 report profiles airport service workers—the cleaners, handlers, concessions crews, security, wheelchair attendants, and agents who keep U.S. aviation running. It details their safety and security roles, how they help generate nearly half of airport operating revenue, and what data show on wages, benefits, poverty, rent burden, and demographics.
2025 Review of How Federal Programs Support Vulnerable Communities’ Water Systems
GAO’s August 2025 report finds EPA, FEMA, and USDA provided $35B in grants and $29B in loans for water infrastructure (FY2014–2023) but urges better measurement of who benefits, clearer FEMA cost-share communication, and wider use of EPA service-area maps to target vulnerable communities and strengthen disaster resilience.
Shrinkflation in America: GAO’s Findings on Trends, Consumer Behavior, and Policy Options
GAO’s July 2025 report on shrinkflation finds minimal impact on overall inflation but significant effects in products like paper goods and cereal. The study examines consumer behavior, transparency challenges, and policy options—from labeling requirements to unit pricing—to address downsizing and its effect on household budgets.
DOT’s Air Cargo Blind Spots: GAO Urges Data Transparency and Infrastructure Focus to Support Growing Sector
The GAO's July 2025 report finds that DOT's failure to assess and communicate limitations in air cargo data hampers planning and safety, while aging infrastructure and lack of stakeholder outreach threaten efficiency. Learn what the GAO recommends for improving U.S. air cargo operations.
Report Warns Federal EV Charger Programs Lack Performance Oversight
GAO’s July 2025 report finds that federal EV charging programs lack adequate performance goals, with only 384 chargers built despite $7.5B in funding. The Joint Office and DOT must improve tracking and transparency to ensure future success.
Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Costs: Size Matters, Burden Differs
GAO’s June 2025 report GAO-25-107500 reveals that Sarbanes-Oxley section 404 compliance costs scale higher in dollars for big firms but hit smaller public companies harder proportionally, with audit fees spiking 13 percent when firms lose their exemption. Exemptions free cash but correlate with weaker controls and more restatements, raising investor-confidence questions.
Report Illuminates Challenges and Innovations in Rural STEM Education
GAO's July 2025 report examines how federal agencies support rural K–12 STEM education, spotlighting challenges like teacher shortages and access gaps while highlighting innovative approaches like place-based learning, mobile labs, and strategic partnerships.
Reforming Veterans Affairs IT: GAO Urges Strategic Overhaul, Cites Billions at Stake
GAO urges the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt leading IT reform practices as it prepares to spend $7.3B in FY2026. Despite past failures in modernizing health records and financial systems, GAO outlines key steps for success. All 26 prior recommendations remain unimplemented.
VA and DOD Health Care Collaboration
A June 2025 GAO report urges the VA and DOD to evaluate and expand health care sharing agreements to improve veteran care and reduce costs. With 185 agreements in place, the agencies must adopt performance metrics and systematic strategies for greater impact. Read the key findings and implications.
NASA’s Expanding Artemis Portfolio Tests Cost Discipline and Project Integration
GAO’s 2025 report reveals that while NASA’s project performance has stabilized, Artemis programs are driving massive cost overruns. Learn what’s working, what’s not, and what it means for the future of lunar and Mars missions.
Report Highlights Need for Better Cost Recovery as Commercial Space Launches Surge
GAO’s June 2025 report urges DOD to improve cost recovery as commercial launches surge at federal ranges. The study reviews the Phase 3 launch strategy, infrastructure challenges, and offers recommendations to protect taxpayer investment and national security missions.
Quantum Computing and National Security: GAO Calls for Coordinated Strategy to Address Looming Cryptographic Threats
GAO’s 2025 report warns of critical gaps in the U.S. quantum cybersecurity strategy. Without unified leadership, cryptographic systems may be vulnerable to future quantum attacks. The Office of the National Cyber Director is urged to lead efforts in post-quantum cryptography migration and strategy coordination.
VA’s Appointment Scheduling Modernization Still Faces Major Gaps, GAO Finds
The GAO’s May 2025 report finds that the VA’s scheduling modernization efforts fall short of best practices in planning and requirements management, leaving veterans and schedulers to navigate fragmented, inefficient systems. Timely access to care remains at risk without critical improvements.
Remote Work at a Crossroads: GAO Urges OPM to Reassess Guidance Amid Federal Return-to-Office Mandates
GAO’s June 2025 report on federal remote work reveals recruitment and retention gains across agencies—but warns that rescinded OPM guidance may hinder future workforce planning. With return-to-office mandates in place, GAO urges renewed analysis of remote work’s impact on performance and costs.
Slowing the Pace of Innovation: GAO Calls on DOD to Reboot Weapon System Acquisition
GAO’s 2025 Weapon Systems Annual Assessment urges the DOD to overhaul its acquisition strategy. With nearly $2.4 trillion at stake, the report warns of increasing delays, cost overruns, and failure to implement leading practices. GAO recommends early integration of speed and innovation into new defense programs.
Improving Mental Health Screening at Military Separation: GAO Finds Gaps in Validation and Implementation
GAO's June 2025 report reveals gaps in the validation of mental health screening tools used during military separation. While VA has implemented a joint screening program, key tools for alcohol use, PTSD, and violence risk lack validation, putting service member care at risk.
Army’s Long-Range Fires Modernization Falls Short Without Iterative Development Practices
GAO’s June 2025 report on Army modernization finds that inconsistent application of iterative development and digital engineering practices undermines efforts to field modern artillery and missile systems.
AI in Financial Services: GAO Report Highlights Benefits, Risks, and Oversight Gaps
The GAO’s May 2025 report examines the use of artificial intelligence in financial services, outlining its benefits, associated risks, and the oversight mechanisms in place. It highlights regulatory gaps, especially at the National Credit Union Administration, and suggests paths forward for ensuring trustworthy AI deployment.
Veterans Affairs Faces Critical Gaps in Software License Management
GAO finds the Department of Veterans Affairs is failing to track and reconcile software licenses, risking over-purchasing and cloud migration delays. The report urges immediate reforms.