U.S. Government Accountability Office

Fast Facts Holocaust education offers historical understanding and context for examining unchecked antisemitism. In this Q&A, we reviewed how states approach Holocaust education in K-12 public schools and how the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum supports that education. We found that 42 states and D.C. require Holocaust education through academic standards or state laws. The remaining 8 states don't require it but may support it in other ways, such as providing guidance to teachers.

Fast Facts To clean up nuclear waste, the Department of Energy spends billions of taxpayer dollars on large projects, like waste treatment facilities. When planning these projects, DOE should identify a need without having a particular solution already in mind. This allows for openness to a range of solutions. But legal and regulatory constraints and contractor involvement in this stage have sometimes led to a less optimal solution.

Fast Facts DOD is again working to reform its acquisition processes to help deliver innovative weapons rapidly. But in this year's annual report, we found DOD struggled to fully enact existing reforms to achieve speed.

Fast Facts Seven million children received special education services in school year 2023-24. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, these students should be learning alongside their peers in general education classrooms as much as is appropriate. We found that the number of students with disabilities placed in general education classrooms for much of their day increased 25% nationally from school years 2012-13 to 2023-24. But this varied across states and school districts.

Fast Facts After natural disasters, the Economic Development Administration helps communities recover by coordinating federal agencies and funding projects. In FY 2014–2024, the agency awarded $2.1 billion for economic recovery projects. Projects included flood mitigation at ports, and programs like business incubators—which provide entrepreneurship support. But it's unclear how these efforts affect local economies because the agency doesn't have a process or effective measures to assess them.

Fast Facts A leading cause of death in the U.S., suicide resulted in more than 49,000 deaths in 2023. That's up by 31% from 2003. To help those at risk, the federal government set up the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It offers support via call, text, and chat.

Skip to Highlights Highlights GAO reviewed the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) new rule entitled "Medicare Program; Strengthening Oversight of Accrediting Organizations (AOs) and Preventing AO Conflicts of Interest, and Related Provisions." GAO found that the final rule (1) sets forth provisions to strengthen the oversight of Medicare national accrediting organizations by addressing conflicts of interest, establishing consistent...

What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified eight priority recommendations for the Department of Education. Since then, Education has implemented one of those recommendations. In June 2026, GAO identified an additional three priority recommendations, bringing the total to 10.

Description As America marks 250 years of democracy, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) continues to serve as Congress's trusted, independent watchdog by providing reliable, nonpartisan, and evidence-based information. Discover the history, mission, and impact of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the independent, nonpartisan agency that supports Congress through oversight, audits, and fact-based analysis.

Skip to Highlights Highlights GAO reviewed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) new rule entitled "Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2026." GAO found that the final rule (1) amends the licensing, inspection, special project, and annual fees charged to its applicants and licensees; and (2) makes amendments to establish fixed caps on service fees to implement section 5(a) of Executive Order No. 14300, Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.