Government Accountability Office (GAO) Podcast: Watchdog Report

The last several decades have marked a turbulent, transformative time for commercial airlines--with mergers, failed mergers, and even airlines like Spirit going out of business. What's going on with the airline industry? And what do all these…

During long flights or extended air combat missions, aerial refueling tankers can eliminate the need for military planes to land. Having this capability is vital for some missions, like rapid long-distance strikes or when landing to refuel isn'…

The federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars to fraud each year and millions more to payment errors—also known as improper payments. GAO helps federal understand the causes of these losses and works with them to reduce risks. We’ll…

Drug cartels and other illegal enterprises often use shell companies to hide their dealings and launder money. To combat this activity, many countries have requirements that corporations disclose their ownership-or their beneficial owners. And the U…

Over the years, GAO’s work has helped save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing duplication, overlap and fragmentation in programs. Each year, we issue a report that highlights this work. On this episode of the Watchdog Report—we’ll talk with…

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 defenses against them. Our guest is Nick Marinos, GAO’s managing director of our Information Technology…

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 risks of fraud. We'll talk with GAO's Leslie Gordon to find out about efforts to detect and…

New tobacco product must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being sold in the United States. Despite this requirement, there are thousands of unapproved e-cigarette products and devices being sold. We learn about this…

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 and was sworn in as 8th Comptroller General of the United States in 2010. During his final days at…

Before Congress makes tough policy decisions, it often comes to GAO for information. This episode looks at some of the toughest questions Congress has asked GAO to answer, and how we did it. We’ll learn more from our Applied Research and Methods…

In some parts of the United States, growing populations and prolonged droughts are straining water supplies. Large-scale water recycling could offer these communities a solution to their shortages. In a new report, we looked at the status of these…

Thousands of Americans die each year after overdosing on illicit synthetic drugs, including synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Transnational criminal organizations have played a central role in fueling this health crisis here in the United States. In…

The U.S. Postal Service is a quintessentially American institution. But during the last 20 years or so, USPS has struggled financially with rising costs and declining revenues from mail volumes. What's the current status of USPS financial…

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for overseeing the safety of medical devices sold in the U.S. and issuing recalls when they're found to be unsafe. But recent headlines and high-profile lawsuits have drawn attention to the…

In the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies responded with wide-ranging sanctions and export controls on Russia. What impact have these actions had on Russia's economy and its war efforts and have sanctions achieved…

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 priorities" that could impact the military's mission and combat readiness. We'll…

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, nonpartisan reputation by ensuring our work is free from partisanship and bias.

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 Congress.

Each year, the federal government spends more than $100 billion on IT systems and cyber-related investments. About 80% of this funding goes to operating and maintaining existing IT, including old systems known as legacy IT. GAO identified several…

The IRS has a long-standing goal of improving its taxpayer services and experiences. But many Americans still struggle to connect with the IRS or report having a bad experience when they do. What is the IRS doing to improve the taxpayers'…

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 NASA. We looked at the status of these projects, including their costs and whether they're on…

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 estimates that these emissions will contribute to as many as 18,000 premature deaths in the U.S.…

Under harsh conflict conditions, Ukrainians have struggled to operate nuclear power plants and to secure nuclear and radioactive materials from potentially falling into the wrong hands. As part of the United States's aid to Ukraine, Congress…

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 for artillery and missile systems that are more mobile, durable and more lethal than what the Army…

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 year of separation than for active-duty military. Both the Departments of Defense and Veterans…