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Archive › Friday, September 25, 2026 › Accountability

Accountability Friday, September 25, 2026

  1. Shutdown mass-layoff policy rescinded as part of settlement with unions

    The Trump administration sent reduction in force notices to thousands of employees during the 43-day government shutdown last fall.

    Government Executive ·

  2. Navy’s shipyard revamp could cost more than $200 billion: GAO

    The Navy originally estimated that the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) would cost approximately $21 billion.

    Breaking Defense ·

  3. K-12 spending, absenteeism programs face risks as feds stop key monitoring, watchdog says

    The U.S. Department of Education’s suspension this year of a comprehensive monitoring process puts billions of K-12 dollars at heightened risk of undetected waste, fraud and abuse, according to a new report by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office. The congressional watchdog’s…

    Stateline (States Newsroom) ·

  4. Watchdog won’t discipline agencies over partisan shutdown posts but warns against ‘derogatory’ messaging

    Many departments blamed congressional Democrats for last year’s funding lapse by posting banners on agency websites and modifying furloughed employees’ out-of-office messages.

    Government Executive ·

  5. Colorado Marijuana Company Voluntarily Recalls Dozens of Contaminated Products Amid State Regulatory Delays

    The post Colorado Marijuana Company Voluntarily Recalls Dozens of Contaminated Products Amid State Regulatory Delays appeared first on ProPublica.

    ProPublica ·

  6. Acquisition Management: Opportunities Exist for GAO to Strengthen Its Policies and Procedures

    What the OIG Found Proper contract administration is critical to ensure GAO complies with contract terms and conditions. In FY 2019, GAO entered into a blanket purchase agreement for commercial facility maintenance (the BPA), which it awarded under the General Services Administration (GSA)…

    GAO ·

  7. ICE wasted millions in rush to expand detention, government watchdog finds

    ICE has received more than $75 billion to expand operations since President Trump returned to office — and wasted millions on scaled-back and mismanaged projects, a new GAO report found. Why it matters: In rushing to execute Trump's mass deportation agenda, the agency failed to properly develop a…

    Axios · ICE detention spending

  8. E-commerce shippers exploit USPS to dispose of undelivered packages

    The U.S. Postal Service system for handling undelivered packages is a black hole for customers, who rarely get matched with a missing item, and a money pit for the agency because it absorbs the disposal cost when e-tailers refuse to accept return-to-sender packages, an inspector general’s report…

    FreightWaves ·

  9. Naval Shipyards: Complete Information Needed for Decision-Making on Multibillion-Dollar, 50-Year Infrastructure Program

    What GAO Found The Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) will surpass $200 billion and take over 50 more years to execute, based on GAO’s analysis of Navy plans. Developing the plans and cost estimates to rebuild the Navy’s four public shipyards has taken the Navy years…

    GAO ·

  10. Compacts of Free Association: VA Is Pursuing Partial Implementation of Health Care Authorities in the Freely Associated States

    What GAO Found GAO found that veterans face multiple challenges in accessing health care in the Freely Associated States (FAS), according to VA assessments and interviews with VA and FAS officials. These challenges include limited availability of specialty services, such as mental health and…

    GAO ·

  11. Tax Fraud: The Federal Government Loses an Estimated $116 Billion to $304 Billion Annually

    What GAO Found GAO estimated that annual federal tax fraud loss is between $116 billion and $304 billion based on data and information from 2018 through 2024. GAO’s estimate is informed by data on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) cases of fraud and potential fraud, potential fraud in the tax gap…

    GAO ·

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