Federal Information Transparency — GAO Testimony, GAO-26-109034

Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Arkin Testimony
Date: 2026-03-18
Case: Arkin Testimony

Summary

GAO-26-109034, Federal Information Transparency: Action Needed to Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness and Enhance Program Integrity, is the statement of Jeff Arkin, Director, Strategic Issues at the United States Government Accountability Office, before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, dated for release Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The testimony addresses USAspending.gov spending data, improper payments, the Office of Management and Budget's Federal Program Inventory, and Freedom of Information Act request processing. It states that 15 agencies reported an estimated $186 billion in improper payments across 64 programs for fiscal year 2025. It reports that GAO identified $77.5 billion in other transaction agreements reported by the Department of Defense in SAM.gov but not to USAspending.gov, and describes subaward data quality issues.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

United States Government Accountability Office
Testimony
Before the Committee on Small
Business and Entrepreneurship,
U.S. Senate

FEDERAL INFORMATION
For Release on Delivery
Expected at 2:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, March 18, 2026

TRANSPARENCY
Action Needed to Improve
Efficiency and
Effectiveness and
Enhance Program Integrity
Statement of Jeff Arkin, Director, Strategic Issues

GAO-26-109034
FEDERAL INFORMATION TRANSPARENCY
Action Needed to Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness and
Highlights Enhance Program Integrity
GAO-26-109034 March 2026

A testimony before the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, United States Senate
For more information, contact: Jeff Arkin at arkinj@gao.gov.

What GAO Found Why GAO Did This Study
Congress and the executive branch have taken steps to improve the The federal government is one of the
transparency of information on federal spending and programs. However, GAO world’s largest and most complex
has found that challenges remain in various areas and has made entities. About $7 trillion in outlays in
recommendations to federal agencies and Congress to help address them. fiscal year 2025 funded a broad array of
programs and operations. Access to
• Federal spending data transparency. Agencies are required by law to quality data on federal programs and
report federal spending data to USAspending.gov, the government’s official spending is important for policymaking,
public source of such data. While progress has been made to improve the oversight of federal dollars, and
data on USAspending.gov, GAO has continued to identify challenges. For fostering public trust in government. It is
example, federal agencies do not consistently report spending data for other also important for assessing whether
transaction agreements—legally binding agreements other than standard federal agencies are meeting program
contracts or grants that are not subject to certain federal acquisition laws and objectives, for identifying and reducing
requirements. GAO also has identified issues with the completeness and fraud and improper payments, and for
accuracy of data on USAspending.gov describing subawards—awards providing transparency to taxpayers on
provided by a recipient to a subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award. how their tax dollars are spent.
This statement highlights efforts to
• Improper payments. Improper payments―those that should not have been
improve the quality, transparency, and
made or were made in the incorrect amount—have been a longstanding and
accessibility of information on federal
persistent issue for the federal government. For fiscal year 2025, 15 federal programs and spending, as well as
agencies reported an estimated total of $186 billion in improper payments remaining challenges that require
across 64 programs. However, that estimate does not include certain additional attention. The statement is
programs that agencies have determined are susceptible to significant based on prior reports from GAO’s large
improper payments and does not represent the full extent of government- body of work on federal spending data
wide improper payments. transparency, improper payments,
implementation of the Federal Program
• Federal Program Inventory. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Inventory, and FOIA.
is required to develop and update annually an inventory of federal programs
on a publicly available website. In recent years, OMB has made progress
developing a complete inventory. However, the inventory does not yet
What GAO Recommends
include all federal programs—such as acquisitions, defense, or foreign Across the reports summarized in this
assistance programs—or provide all required information—such as each statement, GAO has made numerous
program’s contribution to its agency’s mission and goals. recommendations to OMB, the
Department of the Treasury, and other
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request processing. FOIA seeks to federal agencies to address these
improve public access to government information and requires agencies to challenges. Federal agencies have
provide the public with access to certain government records. Federal taken action to address some of these
agencies have faced persistent challenges processing requests within recommendations, but additional action
required time frames, resulting in government-wide FOIA request backlogs. is needed to fully implement others.
GAO has also made several matters for
Improving the transparency of information on federal programs and spending is congressional consideration, which if
foundational for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal enacted, would enhance the
government as well as addressing persistent management challenges, such as transparency of federal spending data.
preventing fraud and reducing improper payments. In addition, expanding the For example, GAO suggested that
quality and availability of federal spending data opens the potential for federal Congress consider requiring agencies
program managers to make data-driven decisions about how they use to report other transaction agreements
government resources to meet agency goals. Improving transparency also to USAspending.gov.
provides taxpayers with key information on how their tax dollars are spent.
However, to realize this promise, agencies need to continue to take steps to
improve the transparency of federal programs. Congress can play a critical role
by acting on needed legislation and continuing to exercise active oversight.

United States Government Accountability Office
Letter Letter

Chair Ernst, Ranking Member Markey, and Members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to join you today to discuss congressional
and executive branch efforts aimed at improving the transparency of
information on federal programs and spending.

The federal government is one of the world’s largest and most complex
entities. About $7 trillion in outlays in fiscal year 2025 funded a broad
array of programs and operations. Access to quality data on federal
programs and spending is important for policymaking, transparency and
oversight of federal dollars, and fostering public trust in government.
Quality data is also important for assessing whether federal agencies are
meeting program objectives, for identifying and reducing fraud and
improper payments, and for providing transparency to taxpayers on how
their tax dollars are spent.

My remarks today will highlight the progress that has been made to
improve the quality, transparency, and accessibility of information on
federal programs and spending, as well as remaining challenges that
require additional attention. Specifically, I will discuss

• USAspending.gov, the government’s official public source of federal
spending data;
• information available on the magnitude of improper payments made
by federal agencies;
• the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) implementation of the
Federal Program Inventory; and
• access to federal government information through Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) requests.
My testimony is based on prior reports and testimonies from GAO’s large
body of work on federal data transparency, improper payments,
implementation of the Federal Program Inventory, and FOIA. More
detailed information on the objectives, scope, and methodologies for that
work can be found in the products referenced in this statement. For this
statement, we also analyzed publicly available data on other transaction
agreements (OTA) and reviewed publicly available data on federal
agency estimates of improper payments for fiscal year 2025, as
discussed later in this statement.

The work upon which this testimony is based was conducted in
accordance with either generally accepted government auditing standards

Page 2 GAO-26-109034
or GAO’s Quality Assurance Framework, as applicable. The auditing
standards and the framework require that we plan and perform our work
to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to either provide a
reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit
objectives or obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to meet our
stated objectives and to discuss any limitations in our work, as
appropriate. We believe that the information and data obtained, and the
analysis conducted, provide a reasonable basis for any findings and
conclusions we discuss in this statement.

Opportunities Exist to
Improve the Quality
and Transparency of
Federal Spending
Data
Actions Taken to Improve Over almost two decades, both Congress and the executive branch have
Federal Spending Data taken steps to improve the quality and transparency of federal spending
data. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006
(FFATA) required information on federal awards—including contracts,
loans, and grants—to be made available to the public.1 Toward this end,
the act required OMB to establish a free, publicly accessible website
containing federal spending data, which became what is now known as
USAspending.gov. This site was launched in December 2007 and initially
only included data on federal award obligations.

The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act)
expanded FFATA in several significant ways.2 Following the enactment of
the DATA Act, reporting expanded to cover (1) appropriation and outlay
amounts, in addition to obligations, for federal awards; (2) linking of award
information to programs and other agency financial information; and (3)
federal spending, including, for example, disclosure of budget information
and direct federal agency expenditures, such as personnel compensation
reported in the aggregate. Additionally, the DATA Act required agency
Inspectors General (IG) to periodically review a sample of data submitted

1Pub. L. No. 109-282, 120 Stat. 1186 (2006), codified, as amended, at 31 U.S.C. § 6101
note.
2Pub. L. No. 113-101, 128 Stat. 1146 (2014).

Page 3 GAO-26-109034
by their respective agencies and assess and report on the data’s
completeness, timeliness, quality, and accuracy.3

Challenges Continue to While progress has been made to improve the quality and transparency
Impact the Transparency of federal spending information available on USAspending.gov, we have
also continued to identify challenges that make it difficult for policymakers
of USAspending.gov Data
and the public to have access to consistent, reliable, and searchable
data. These challenges relate other transaction agreements (OTA), the
quality of subaward data, nonreporting agencies, and data on awards
made under emergency supplemental appropriations.

Other Transaction Agreements. In November 2023, we reported that
federal agencies were not consistently reporting spending data for OTAs
on USAspending.gov.4 OTAs are legally binding agreements other than
standard contracts and grants that authorized government agencies may
use and are not subject to certain federal acquisition laws and
requirements. OTAs allow the government and its industry partners to
enter into flexible arrangements tailored to the particular projects and
needs of the participants. Our analysis of USAspending.gov and other
public sources found that significant amounts of OTAs are likely not being
reported to USAspending.gov. In preparing for this testimony, we
analyzed publicly available OTA data and identified $77.5 billion in OTAs
that were reported by the Department of Defense in SAM.gov from fiscal
year 2021 through 2025 but were not reported to USAspending.gov.5

3The requirement for IGs to conduct audits of the data their agencies submitted to
USAspending.gov expired in 2021. To help ensure the accuracy of federal spending data,
we have suggested that Congress consider extending the previous requirement for IGs to
review their agencies’ data submissions on a periodic basis. The Stop Secret Spending
Act of 2025, if enacted, would expand the requirements for the federal Offices of
Inspectors General of specified federal agencies to periodically submit to Congress and
make publicly available a report assessing the agency’s spending data and use of data
standards for 10 years. H.R. 2069,119th Cong. (2025); S. 872, 119th Cong. (2025). The
Senate bill was placed on the Senate legislative calendar on November 7, 2025. See
GAO, Emergency Relief Funds: Significant Improvements Are Needed to Ensure
Transparency and Accountability for COVID-19 and Beyond, GAO-22-105715,
(Washington, D.C.: Mar. 17, 2022).
4GAO, Federal Spending Transparency: Opportunities to Improve USAspending.gov Data,
GAO-24-106214 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 7, 2023).
5As part of the General Services Administration’s ongoing systems modernization effort,
on February 24, 2026, SAM.gov replaced the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS)
as the government’s repository for federal procurement information. It contains OTA and
federal contracts data.

Page 4 GAO-26-109034
FFATA does not explicitly include OTAs in the list of federal awards
agencies must report to USAspending.gov, nor does it exclude OTAs
from being reported. In our November 2023 report, we found that OMB’s
and the Department of the Treasury’s interpretations of whether agencies
should report OTA data to USAspending.gov differed. OMB told us that it
had not issued guidance specific to reporting OTAs and that it advised
agencies to report OTAs based on the type of funding with which they
more closely align. Treasury told us that it did not believe agencies should
report OTA spending to USAspending.gov because OTAs do not fall
within the express FFATA definition of “federal award,” and because
FFATA and the DATA Act do not mention OTAs.6 To improve the
completeness and transparency of OTA data, we suggested that
Congress consider amending the DATA Act to include OTAs in the list of
federal awards that agencies must report to USAspending.gov.7

Issues with the quality of subaward data. We have also identified
issues with the completeness and accuracy of data on USAspending.gov
describing subawards—awards provided by a recipient to a subrecipient
to carry out part of a federal award.

• In a November 2023 report, we estimated that about 70 percent of
Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology
Transfer programs Phase II awards have at least one subcontractor or
consultant.8 However, only 10 percent of the awards that we reviewed
had subaward information reported on USAspending.gov.
• In a separate report from November 2023, we identified challenges
with the accuracy of subaward information, including grant subawards

6FFATA defines “federal award” as “Federal financial assistance and expenditures that (i)
include grants, subgrants, loans, awards, cooperative agreements, and other forms of
financial assistance; [and] (ii) include contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders, task
orders, and delivery orders.” FFATA § 2(a)(4)(i)–(ii), as amended; codified in 31 U.S.C. §
6101 note.
7The Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, if enacted, would expand the requirements for
federal agencies to report expenditures on USAspending.gov to include other transaction
agreements. H.R. 2069, 119th Cong. (2025); S. 872, 119th Cong. (2025). The Senate bill
was placed on the Senate legislative calendar on November 7, 2025.
8Agencies issue Phase I awards to fund small businesses to determine the scientific and
technical merit and feasibility of ideas that appear to have commercial potential.
Generally, small businesses with successful Phase I projects may compete for Phase II
awards, which continue the research and development project for an additional period.
Phase II awards generally provide more funding and have a longer period of performance
than Phase I awards. GAO, Small Business Research Programs: Information Regarding
Subaward Use and Data Quality, GAO-24-106399 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 28, 2023).

Page 5 GAO-26-109034
with impossibly large amounts, and likely duplicative records.9 For
example, we found one subaward record on USAspending.gov with a
subaward amount of $1 quintillion, and five other grant subaward
records with amounts that exceeded the United States’ gross
domestic product for the year in which they were reported.
While grant recipients are responsible for overseeing their subawards,
federal agencies are to ensure that the grant recipients to which they
make awards carry out their oversight responsibilities, which include
reporting information on subawards to be displayed on
USAspending.gov.10 However, in our November 2023 report we found
that OMB guidance was unclear on what processes agencies are
expected to implement to support subaward data quality.11 We
recommended OMB clarify guidance on agency responsibility for ensuring
the quality of subaward information reported on USAspending.gov. In
2024, OMB implemented our recommendation by issuing guidance that
clarifies agency responsibilities for data quality.12 We have ongoing work
reviewing subaward reporting. We plan to report on the results of that
work later this year.

Nonreporting agencies. In November 2023, we reported that not all
agencies reported spending information to USAspending.gov.13 We found
that 49 of the 152 federal agencies that reported information in the
consolidated financial statements for the U.S. government for fiscal year
2022 did not report data to USAspending.gov. We determined that more
than 20 of the 49 nonreporting agencies we identified were in the
executive branch and accounted for more than $5 billion in net outlays for
fiscal year 2022. Although many nonreporting agencies may not be
required to report, neither Treasury nor OMB have clear responsibility for

9GAO, Federal Spending Transparency: Opportunities Exist to Improve COVID-19 and
Other Grant Subaward Data on USAspending.gov, GAO-24-106237, (Washington, D.C.:
Nov. 16, 2023).
10Prime grant recipients are required to report data on grants, subgrants, loans, awards,
cooperative agreements, and other forms of financial assistance greater than $30,000 to
SAM.gov, which is also available on USAspending.gov. Prime grant recipients with less
than $300,000 in gross income the previous year do not have to report subawards they
make. See Guidance for Grants and Agreements, 85 Fed. Reg. 49506, 49526 (Aug. 13,
2020), codified at 2 C.F.R. pt. 170 App. A.
11GAO-24-106237.

12OMB, Reducing Burden in the Administration of Federal Financial Assistance, M-24-11,
(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 4, 2024).
13GAO-24-106214.

Page 6 GAO-26-109034
determining which agencies must report.14 To help address this issue, we
suggested that Congress consider amending the DATA Act to assign
Treasury, in coordination with OMB, the responsibilities to periodically
assess and determine which agencies must report data to
USAspending.gov and to oversee the completeness of reporting by all
required agencies.15

Inaccuracies in Data on Awards Made Under Emergency
Supplementals. In November 2023, we also found a range of differences
between the COVID-19 data reported on USAspending.gov and publicly
available federal agency reports.16 For example, we found that Treasury
reported COVID-19 obligations in its fiscal year 2022 agency financial
report that exceeded the amounts it reported to USAspending.gov and to
the budget report by more than $195 billion. For the Department of
Transportation, we found a difference of $10 million.

While OMB required agencies with significant COVID-19 budgetary
activity to disclose information, including obligations, on their annual
financial reports, it has no guidance for agencies to help ensure that this
information is consistent and comparable with the information agencies
report to USAspending.gov. We recommended that OMB, in collaboration
with Treasury, provide guidance for agencies to ensure that the disaster
and emergency budgetary data agencies report to USAspending.gov are
consistent and comparable across other public sources, such as agency
budget and annual financial reports. OMB agreed with this
recommendation. As of January 2026, OMB has not provided additional

14Under FFATA, as amended by the DATA Act, executive agencies, as defined in section
5 U.S.C. § 105, must report to USAspending.gov. Per 31 U.S.C. § 331(e), Treasury, in
coordination with OMB, prepares the annual consolidated financial statements (CFS)
report of the U.S. government. CFS reporting adheres to the Federal Accounting
Standards Advisory Board accounting standards, which require the inclusion of
organizations that, if excluded, would result in misleading or incomplete information. The
CFS includes information from executive, legislative, and judicial branch agencies. We did
not assess whether any of these are among the “executive agencies” required to report to
USAspending.gov
15The Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, if enacted, would require Treasury, in
coordination with OMB, to assess and determine which federal agencies and components
of federal agencies are required to report to USAspending.gov. H.R. 2069, 119th Cong.
(2025); S. 872, 119th Cong. (2025). The Senate bill was placed on the Senate legislative
calendar on November 7, 2025.
16GAO-24-106214.

Page 7 GAO-26-109034
information about progress made to address this recommendation. We
will continue to monitor OMB’s progress towards implementing it.

Improper payments―those that should not have been made or were
Government-wide made in the incorrect amount—have been a long-standing and persistent
Improper Payment issue for the federal government.17 The Payment Integrity Information Act
of 2019 (PIIA) requires agencies to report on estimated improper
Estimates Are Not payments for programs they administer, among other requirements.18 In
Complete and preparing for this testimony, we reviewed the improper payment
estimates that agencies posted to PaymentAccuracy.gov for fiscal year
Estimates for Some 2025. We found that 15 federal agencies reported a total estimate of
Programs Are Not approximately $186 billion in improper payments across 64 programs.19
Reliable However, we have reported various times that the improper payment
estimates do not include certain programs that agencies have determined
are susceptible to significant improper payments.20 As a result, the total
reported improper payment estimates do not represent the full extent of
government-wide improper payments.

For example, the $186 billion total does not include estimates of improper
payments made under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) program, on which approximately $16.5 billion was spent in fiscal
year 2025. The Department of Health and Human Services, which
administers TANF, reported that it does not have the authority to obtain
the information it needs to estimate or report improper payment

17An improper payment is defined by law as any payment that should not have been made
or that was made in an incorrect amount (including overpayments and underpayments)
under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements. It
includes any payment to an ineligible recipient, any payment for an ineligible good or
service, any duplicate payment, any payment for a good or service not received (except
for such payments where authorized by law), and any payment that does not account for
credit or applicable discounts. 31 U.S.C. § 3351(4). When an executive agency’s review is
unable to discern whether a payment was proper because of insufficient or lack of
documentation, that payment must also be included in the improper payment estimate. 31
U.S.C. § 3352(c)(2)(A).
1831 U.S.C. § 3352(c).

19PaymentAccuracy.gov is a website that Treasury, in coordination with the U.S.
Department of Justice and OMB, established to create a centralized location to publish
information about improper payments.
20For example, we reported this finding most recently in GAO, Improper Payments:
Information on Agencies’ Fiscal Year 2024 Estimates, GAO-25-107753 (Washington,
D.C.: Mar. 11, 2025). We plan to report on agencies’ fiscal year 2025 estimates in the
coming months.

Page 8 GAO-26-109034
information for the program. In April 2022, we suggested that Congress
consider providing the Department with the authority to require states to
report the data the agency needs to estimate and report on improper
payments for TANF.21 As of February 2026, Congress had not enacted
legislation to address this recommendation.

Likewise, in March 2025, we reported that agency IGs found that many
agencies did not fully comply with criteria from the Payment Integrity
Information Act of 2019―which established requirements for agency
management of improper payments―and related OMB requirements.22
Some IGs found that their agencies’ improper payment estimates were
unreliable. For example, we reported that the IG for the Small Business
Administration found that for fiscal year 2023, the Administration did not
design and implement adequate review procedures to produce reliable
sample results for its improper payment estimates. The IG for the Small
Business Administration reported a similar finding for some of the
Administration’s programs for fiscal year 2024.23

OMB is required to develop and annually update an inventory of federal
Opportunities Exist programs on a publicly available website.24 In recent years, OMB has
for OMB to Improve made progress toward developing a complete inventory, referred to as
the Federal Program Inventory. For example, in January 2025, it updated
Implementation of the and expanded the program inventory website to include spending and
Federal Program other information for over 2,600 programs. However, in a report issued
earlier this month, we found that the inventory does not yet include all
Inventory programs, such as acquisitions, defense, or foreign assistance
programs.25 It also does not provide all required information, such as each
program’s contributions to its agency’s mission and goals.

21GAO, COVID-19: Current and Future Federal Preparedness Requires Fixes to Improve
Health Data and Address Improper Payments, GAO-22-105397 (Washington, D.C.: Apr.
27, 2022).
22GAO-25-107753. Pub. L. No. 116-117, 134 Stat. 113 (2020), codified, in part, at 31
U.S.C. §§ 3351–3358.
23Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Independent Auditors’
Report on SBA’s Fiscal Year 2024 Compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act
of 2019, Report 25-15 (Washington, D.C.: May 15, 2025).
2431 U.S.C. § 1122(a).

25GAO, Federal Programs: OMB Needs to Continue Developing a Complete and Useful
Inventory, GAO-26-107551 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 5, 2026).

Page 9 GAO-26-109034
Moreover, we identified opportunities for OMB to improve the
transparency and usefulness of the inventory. These opportunities include
disclosing known data quality issues and limitations, such as inactive
programs being included in the inventory and missing spending data. In
total, we made 17 recommendations to OMB related to implementing a
complete inventory and enhancing its usefulness.

In the report, we concluded that without a complete and useful inventory,
it is difficult to answer basic questions, such as how many programs
support a given goal, which agencies administer them, what each
program costs, and whether multiple programs are delivering similar
services to the same communities. A complete inventory would also be a
critical tool to help Congress and federal agencies more effectively
manage instances of fragmentation, overlap, and duplication; reduce
unnecessary costs; and facilitate efforts to streamline, consolidate, and
improve service delivery.

FOIA, enacted into law almost 60 years ago, seeks to improve the
Delays in Processing public’s access to government information and promote the principles of
FOIA Requests openness and accountability in government. FOIA requires federal
agencies to provide the public with access to certain government
Reduces records.26 We have reported that federal agencies face persistent
Transparency of challenges processing requests within required time frames, resulting in
large government-wide FOIA request backlogs.27
Government
Information We have made recommendations to help agencies administer FOIA to
strengthen backlog reduction efforts. For example, in 2022, we
recommended that the Department of Labor address risks to sustained
backlog reduction efforts by identifying training and other needs to resolve
data quality issues.28 We also recommended the Department of
Homeland Security work with agency components to develop backlog
reduction plans that include key performance information. Both
departments agreed with these recommendations and have taken steps
toward addressing them, such as working to develop backlog reduction
26See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a).

27For example, in 2024, we reported that the government-wide FOIA request backlog had
risen to over 200,000 requests at the end of fiscal year 2022. GAO, Freedom of
Information Act: Additional Guidance and Reliable Data Can Help Address Agency
Backlogs, GAO-24-106535 (Washington, D.C., Mar. 7, 2024).
28GAO, Freedom of Information Act: Selected Agencies Adapted to the COVID-19
Pandemic but Face Ongoing Challenges and Backlogs, GAO-22-105040 (Washington,
D.C., Jan. 26, 2022).

Page 10 GAO-26-109034
plans. We are continuing to monitor both departments’ actions toward
implementing these recommendations.

FOIA also requires federal agencies to provide public access to certain
records and information without waiting for specific requests.29 In 2021,
we found weaknesses in various agency policies and processes to
address and document compliance with these proactive disclosure
requirements.30 We made recommendations to address these issues to
the selected agencies we reviewed, including the Federal Aviation
Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and
the Veterans Health Administration. The agencies concurred with the
recommendations and have taken steps toward addressing them.
However, recommendations we made to the Department of Housing and
Urban Development to comply with proactive disclosure requirements and
to the Veterans Health Administration to track and report the number of
proactive disclosures, remain open. We will continue to monitor those
agencies’ progress in implementing these recommendations.

In conclusion, improving the transparency of information on federal
programs and spending is foundational for increasing the efficiency and
effectiveness of the federal government as well as addressing persistent
management challenges such as preventing fraud and reducing improper
payments. Increased transparency is also critical for increasing the
public’s understanding of federal programs and how their tax dollars are
spent. In addition, expanding the quality and availability of federal
spending data opens the potential for federal program managers to make
data-driven decisions about how they use government resources to meet
agency goals. However, to realize this promise, agencies need to
continue to take steps to improve the transparency of federal programs.
Congress can play a key role by acting on needed legislation and
continuing to exercise active oversight.

Chair Ernst, Ranking Member Markey, and members of the Committee,
this concludes my prepared remarks. I look forward to answering any
questions you may have.

295 U.S.C. § 552(a)(2).

30GAO, Freedom of Information Act: Actions Needed to Improve Agency Compliance with
Proactive Disclosure Requirements, GAO-21-254 (Washington, D.C., Mar. 10, 2021).

Page 11 GAO-26-109034
If you or your staff have questions about this statement, please contact
GAO Contact and me at arkinj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional
Staff Relations and Media Relations may be found on the last page of this
statement.
Acknowledgments
GAO staff who made key contributions to this testimony were Peter Del
Toro and Kathleen Drennan (Assistant Directors), Colenn Berracasa
(Analyst in Charge), Maria Belaval, Daniel Flavin, Evan Ismail, Claire Li,
Benjamin T. Licht, Susan Murphy, Matthew Valenta, and Tatiana Winger.
Additional contributors are listed in the products on which this statement
is based.

Page 12 GAO-26-109034
This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the
United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety
without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain
copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be
necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and investigative
GAO’s Mission arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional
responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the
federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public
funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses,
recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed
oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO’s commitment to good government
is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost is
Obtaining Copies of through our website. Each weekday afternoon, GAO posts on its website newly
GAO Reports and released reports, testimony, and correspondence. You can also subscribe to
GAO’s email updates to receive notification of newly posted products.
Testimony
Order by Phone The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO’s actual cost of production and
distribution and depends on the number of pages in the publication and whether
the publication is printed in color or black and white. Pricing and ordering
information is posted on GAO’s website, https://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm.
Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or
TDD (202) 512-2537.
Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard,
Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional information.

Connect with GAO on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
Connect with GAO Subscribe to our Email Updates. Listen to our Podcasts.
Visit GAO on the web at https://www.gao.gov.

Contact FraudNet:
To Report Fraud,
Website: https://www.gao.gov/about/what-gao-does/fraudnet
Waste, and Abuse in
Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454
Federal Programs
Sarah Kaczmarek, Managing Director, Media@gao.gov
Media Relations

David A. Powner, Acting Managing Director, CongRel@gao.gov
Congressional
Relations
https://www.gao.gov/about/contact-us
General Inquiries

Please Print on Recycled Paper.

File and source

File: Arkin_Testimony.pdf
Size: 249,699 bytes
SHA-256: 45fdbfe77b0eaedea4c57f2434e9ae37c43f017ae2c877784fff1be4f5dafc49
Our copy: Arkin_Testimony.pdf
Original: No public link identified.

Federal Information Transparency — GAO Testimony, GAO-26-109034

Summary

Full text

File and source

Related records