The Government Accountability Office has added four
government programs and operations to its “high-risk”
list for the 109th Congress, that it says are in some
cases vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement.
The 2005 update provides the status of the 26 areas
identified in 2003, and reflects a focus on challenges
related to “economy, efficiency or effectiveness,” stemming
from broad based transformations that warrant the attention
of Congress and the administration.
Removed from the list were the student financial aid
programs, and financial management at the Federal
Aviation Administration, and the Forest Service.
One new area is the need to establish “appropriate and
effective information-sharing mechanisms to improve
homeland security,” said GAO, adding that while this
issue has received much attention, the federal government
“faces formidable challenges sharing information among
stakeholders in an appropriate and timely manner to
minimize risk.”
The Department of Defense’s approach to business
transformation, as well as its personnel security clearance
program also made the list. GAO reiterated past warnings
about inadequate transparency, accountability and
inefficiencies throughout the massive department that
have resulted in “billions of dollars of wasted resources.”
It said that while senior Defense leadership has shown
commitment to “transformation through individual
initiatives in acquisition reform, business modernization,
and financial management,” there is little evidence of
improvement to date and DoD needs to “take stronger steps”
in support of reform.
While the Office of Personnel Management is taking on
DoD’s personnel security investigation duty, there remains
a shortage of investigative personnel, something GAO said
affects the entire government because DoD does hundreds
of thousands of investigations a year for 22 agencies.
The fourth area, interagency contracting management, is
risky because the amount of money being put into these
contracts — used to leverage buying power, simplify and
speed up procurement — out weighs the experience agencies
have with using them, according to GAO-05-207.
