Government Accountability Office (GAO) Podcast: Watchdog Report
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Government Accountability Office (GAO) Podcast: Watchdog Report
Featuring interviews with GAO officials on significant issues and new reports, the Watchdog Report is recorded, hosted, and produced by GAO staff.
Recent Episodes
68 episodes
The Navy's Attack Submarines Have Costly Maintenance Challenges
The Navy's attack submarine fleet provide the United States with an unparalleled advantage to gather intelligence undetected and attack enemy targets....
At FEMA, Staff Reductions and Lack of Planning May Impact Readiness
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is tasked with helping Americans and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. B...
Ebola, Measles, and Avian Influenza—The Importance of Emerging Disease Surveillance
In recent decades, several emerging infectious diseases
have necessitated the need for global responses. We looked at what's
being done...
Health Insurance Marketplace Agents' Scams and the Efforts to Prevent Them
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 co...
How Airline Mergers and Competition Impact Passengers?
The last several decades have marked a turbulent, transformative time for commercial airlines--with mergers, failed mergers, and even airlines like Sp...
The Air Force’s Aerial Refueling Fleet Is Shrinking in Capability
During long flights or extended air combat missions, aerial refueling tankers can eliminate the need for military planes to land. Having this capabili...
What a Recent Rule Change Means for Corporate Transparency
Drug cartels and other illegal enterprises often use shell companies to hide their dealings and launder money. To combat this activity, many countries...
How GAO is Fighting Fraud and Reducing Improper Payments in Government Spending
The federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars to fraud each year and millions more to payment errors—also known as improper payments. G...
GAO Has Found New Ways to Save the Federal Government Billions of Dollars
Over the years, GAO’s work has helped save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing duplication, overlap and fragmentation in programs. Each year, we...
America’s Cybersecurity Risks and How GAO Is Helping to Address Them
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 defe...
Preventing Fraud in Medicare
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 ris...
Efforts to Stop the Sale of Thousands of Unauthorized E-Cigarette Products
New tobacco product must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold in the United States. Despite this requirement,...
Gene L. Dodaro, the 8th Comptroller General of the United States and Head of GAO
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 an...
GAO Stands Out in its Ability to Answer the Tough Questions. Here’s How We Do it.
Before Congress makes tough policy decisions, it often comes to GAO for information. This episode looks at some of the toughest questions Congress has...
Water Recycling Program Could Help Drought-Stricken Communities
In some parts of the United States, growing populations and prolonged droughts are straining water supplies. Large-scale water recycling could offer t...
Mexican Crime Organizations and the Synthetic Drug Crisis
Thousands of Americans die each year after overdosing on illicit synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Transnational criminal or...
USPS’s Financial Condition Struggles Under an Unsustainable Business Model
The U.S. Postal Service is a quintessentially American institution. But during the last 20 years or so, USPS has struggled financially with rising cos...
FDA's Efforts to Recall Faulty Medical Devices Limited by Insufficient Staffing
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for
overseeing the safety of medical devices sold in the U.S. and issuing
recalls wh...
Sanctions and Export Controls on Russia
In the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, the United States
and its allies responded with wide-ranging sanctions and export controls
on Russ...
What are DOD's Unfunded Priorities?
The U.S.'s defense budget makes up about half of all federal discretionary spending. But even so, there are billions of dollars in "unfunded prioritie...
GAO Is Nonpartisan. Here’s How We Do It
On this special episode of the podcast, we sit down with GAO's Chief Quality Officer Tim Bowling to discuss how GAO protects our fact-based, nonpartis...
How GAO Serves Congress
On this special episode of the podcast, we sit down with GAO’s Managing Director of Congressional Relations Nikki Clowers to discuss how GAO serves Co...
Which Critical Government IT Systems Are Most In Need of Modernization?
Each year, the federal government spends more than $100 billion on IT systems and cyber-related investments. About 80% of this funding goes to operati...
IRS’s Efforts to Improve Customer Service and the Taxpayer Experience
The IRS has a long-standing goal of improving its taxpayer
services and experiences. But many Americans still struggle to connect
with the...
Our 2025 Assessment of NASA's Major Projects
NASA plans to invest billions this year on major projects, including those that would return American astronauts to the moon. For our annual report on...
Are Efforts to Reduce Emissions through Road Projects Working, Cost Effective?
Cars, trucks and other vehicles are a major source of emissions that have had serious consequences on air quality and people's health. One study estim...
Ukraine Nuclear Security and Safety Efforts
Under harsh conflict conditions, Ukrainians have struggled to operate nuclear power plants and to secure nuclear and radioactive materials from potent...
U.S. Army's Efforts to Modernize Artillery, Missiles for a New Era of Warfare
The U.S. Army is shifting its focus from counterinsurgency-style warfare to large scale combat operations. And with this shift comes an urgent need fo...
Mental Health Screenings for Military Service Members Transitioning to Civilian Life
This transition from military to civilian life can be difficult for many. Suicide rates among veterans are about 2.5 times higher during that first ye...
A New Nuclear Waste Cleanup Plan Could Save Billions
For decades, the Department of Energy has been working to clean up dangerous nuclear waste left behind by U.S. nuclear weapons production and energy r...
SBA Disaster Loans—Limiting Duplication of Assistance
After a natural disaster, the Small Business Administration helps homeowners and businesses recover by providing loans. While this funding is importan...
The Financial Sector is Increasing Its Use of Artificial Intelligence. What’s the Risk?
The financial services sector is increasingly using artificial intelligence to automate services and decisions. While this could provide benefits for...
Veterans Benefits--Program to Help Vets with Disabilities Claims Needs Better Oversight
The Department of Veterans Affairs processed about 2 million disability benefits claims in fiscal year 2023. Navigating the claims process can be diff...
To Fight Fraud, Inspectors General Need Help Identifying Companies’ Ownership
Fraud in federal programs is a significant and persistent problem. Some fraud is perpetrated by private companies that obscure their ownership informa...
Improving College Students’ Access to Food Assistance
About 25% of college students face food insecurity. Over the years, efforts have been made to better connect students with food assistance programs. A...
How is FDA working to Prevent Drug Shortages?
Drug shortages are a serious public health concern. They can delay or limit a patient's access to effective care, with potentially dire consequences f...
As Scams Become More Costly and Sophisticated, What is Needed to Protect Consumers?
Increasingly, Americans are falling victim to more frequent and sophisticated scams. Technology is helping to fuel this increase. And it’s costing Ame...
Hurricane Hunters from NOAA and the Air Force Face the Growing Storm
On this special episode of the Watchdog Report, we'll listen in on a conversation between GAO Director Cardell Johnson and his team, who worked on a n...
We Went Undercover to Test Federal Building Security
Protecting federal buildings and facilities from growing threats is a big, important job. We recently tested security at some of these facilities. We...
Federal Efforts to Combat Criminals' Illicit Financial Activities
Criminal organizations and terrorist groups use money laundering to carry out their crimes, including human and drug trafficking. Federal agencies wor...