GAO called on DHS to direct the US-VISIT program director to increase program transparency and accountability by defining and justifying planned investments and effectively measuring and reporting on progress.
It also recommended that the program office mitigate risks associated with not fully satisfying legislative conditions and report these risks to DHS senior leadership and to the appropriate congressional committees.
DHS generally agreed with the recommendations, which also include the following:
Limit planned expenditures for program management-related activities until such investments are economically justified and have well-defined plans;
Report regularly to the secretary and DHS authorization and appropriations committees on the range of program risks associated with not having fully satisfied all expenditure plan legislative conditions, reasons why they were not satisfied, and steps being taken to mitigate those risks;
Limit planned expenditures for exit pilots and demonstration projects until such investments are economically justified and until each investment has a well-defined evaluation plan; and,
Work with the DHS enterprise architecture board to identify and mitigate program risks associated with investing in new US-VISIT capabilities in the absence of a DHS-wide operational and technological context for the program.
