High Risk List

  • Even though the Office of Personnel Management is responsible for the biggest breach to federal employee data in history, it is by no means the only agency having a tough time addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The number of cybersecurity incidents government-wide is up from about 5,500 in fiscal 2006 to more than 67,000 in fiscal 2014 — and those are just the incidents agencies have reported. Information security has been on the Government Accountability Office's High Risk list since 1997. Greg Wilshusen is director of information strategic issues at the GAO. He tells In Depth guest host Jared Serbu why agencies are having a hard time coming up with risk-based cyber programs.

    July 14, 2015
  • Government spends $21 billion a year on building maintenance operations. The Obama administration knows it doesn\'t need all of the property it owns, but real property management has been on the Government Accountability Office\'s High Risk List since 2003. Dave Wise, director of physical infrastructure issues at GAO, testified this week before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose that there are better ideas for real property management, but they haven\'t been implemented yet.

    June 17, 2015
  • Republican lawmakers released their Fiscal Year 2016 budget plans this week, containing increased spending for the Pentagon, cuts for non-Defense operating budgets and a hike in federal employees' contributions to their retirement plans.

    March 20, 2015
  • The 2015 edition of the High Risk List is out from the Government Accountability Office. It includes two new areas, and no areas came off the list this year. Gene Dodaro is Comptroller General of the United States. He introduced the List this week and testified about it to both the House and the Senate. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said he gets one question about the High Risk List more than any other.

    February 13, 2015
  • The Government Accountability Office added two new issues to its ever-growing list of challenges for agencies. The biennial High Risk List includes six areas that have been problematic for 25 years.

    February 12, 2015
  • The Government Accountability Office says federal agencies have made "strong, steady progress" to cut down the potential for waste and fraud over the past two years, but not enough progress to take anything off of GAO's High Risk List. The latest list is 32 items long and has two new additions. Federal News Radio DoD Reporter has the story.

    February 11, 2015
  • As it does every two years at the start of a new Congress, the Government Accountability Office will release its "High Risk List" today. The list calls attention to agencies and programs GAO auditors believe are vulnerable to "fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement." Don Kettl, a professor at the University of Maryland's School for Public Policy, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with more on the guide, and what's different from the 2013 version.

    February 11, 2015
  • Two new entries join this year's High-Risk List from the Government Accountability Office. Nextgov reports the GAO includes IT acquisition and veterans health care in its biennial risk assessment. Keith Trippie is CEO of Trippie Group, and former executive director of the Enterprise System Development Office in the CIO Office of the Homeland Security Department. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he described the challenges agencies face to get off the list.

    February 10, 2015
  • GAO adds two new areas to the list, NOAA's satellite programs and the federal government's financial risk because of climate change. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said nearly every initiative on the list made progress in fixing their problems over the last two years.

    February 15, 2013
  • A total of 30 programs, once again, are considered troubled, including two new areas. But, the Government Accountability Office removed the IRS' Business Systems Modernization program after 18 years on the list, and interagency contracting after 8 years.

    February 14, 2013
  • Cyber criminals might unknowingly provide the impetus to help agencies address a cybersecurity skills gap. OPM also is working with agencies to address other shortfalls in key workforce competencies.

    September 20, 2012
  • GSA's System for Award Management is finding its footing after a rough start. OFPP Administrator Joe Jordan said he's watching the systems' progress carefully.

    September 12, 2012
  • GAO finds the Pentagon isn\'t moving fast enough in improving the skills of their workforce. House lawmakers focused in the acquisition workforce, specifically. DoD defended its efforts, pointing to the 8,600 new acquisition workers hired over the past few years.

    July 15, 2011
  • Management leaders in the Defense Department said a dogged and determined end-to-end examination of the government\'s complex security clearance processes got that topic off of GAO\'s high risk list this year. That approach is coming to the rest of DoD\'s back office operations.

    June 08, 2011
  • IT management challenges continue at the VA and the Government Accountability Office\'s recommendations might keep your agency off the high-risk list. Joel Willemssen is the Managing Director for Information Technology Issues at the GAO.

    May 18, 2011