Government Accountability Office (GAO) Archives

From left, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.,, ranking member Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, hold a hearing in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on June 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Republicans want data scientists at the IRS. Trump axed those roles last year, Dems say

House Ways & Means advanced a bill to create an IRS fellowship program to recruit data scientists — the “very people that the Trump regime just spent…

1 day ago By Matt Bracken

After financial agencies’ ‘Herculean effort’ on joint data standards, the wait begins

Data experts say the regulators’ final rule as part of the Financial Data Transparency Act is a boon for transparency and accuracy, but there’s still a ways…

Jun 23, 2026 By Matt Bracken

(Photo by Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Over 1,000 pages on FAR overhaul heads to formal rulemaking process

Public comment will open on Tuesday on four proposed rules to update the federal acquisition process.

Jun 22, 2026 By K. Sophie Will

blue digital check box answers test survey census — (Getty Images)

Roadmap for IT modernization ahead of 2030 Census ‘unreliable,’ per watchdog

While the Census Bureau has completed some management practices, its schedule for IT modernization plans related to the 2030 Census needs improvement.

Jun 4, 2026 By Madison Alder

Bipartisan ‘Great American AI Act’ draft proposes new federal AI governance framework

The discussion draft would authorize $100 million per fiscal year for a Center for AI Standards and Innovation and calls for oversight in government AI adoption.

Jun 4, 2026 By K. Sophie Will

EHR modernization effort lacks cyber performance measures, GAO finds

A report found two years of missing measures and undefined fiscal 2026 goals for the health records’ interagency cybersecurity and privacy protections.

Jun 2, 2026 By K. Sophie Will

From left, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Angus King, I-Maine, speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 26, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

GAO tells senators it will investigate IRS’s Free File program

The watchdog said in a letter to Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Angus King and Ron Wyden that it will honor their request to probe Free File following the…

Jun 1, 2026 By Matt Bracken

The FEMA building on Jan. 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

DHS data-migration guidance falls short as modernization project nears

As FEMA and ICE gear up for a financial management systems overhaul, a GAO report says lagging best practices increase the risk for errors, delays and hindered…

May 18, 2026 By Lindsey Wilkinson

Advocates gather in Washington, D.C., to call out tax prep companies like Intuit TurboTax and H&R Block for blocking simplified filing and to support IRS exploration of alternative free tax filing on April 17, 2023. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project)

Senators seek GAO probe of IRS’s Free File program

The Trump administration has touted the tax agency’s oft-criticized Free File partnership with tax companies after it eliminated Direct File following heavy industry lobbying.

May 18, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Construction work continues at the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Financial regulatory agencies have fallen behind on joint data standards

A new GAO report offers guidance to regulators that could lead to governmentwide data standards after the agencies missed a deadline required by the Financial Data Transparency…

May 15, 2026 By Matt Bracken