October 14th, 2010
03:21 PM ET
Comments (8 comments)
12 years ago

Obama's cybersecurity initiative mired in 'shortfalls,' audit says

Posted by

(CNN) - More than a year after President Obama called for improved national cybersecurity, only two of his recommendations have been fully implemented and the remaining 22 have been only partially implemented, a federal audit said Thursday.

Delays stem from federal agencies "moving slowly because they have not been assigned roles and responsibilities," the Government Accountability Office report said. Also, the position of a new cybersecurity policy official was vacant for seven months, auditors said.
FULL POST
Filed under: GAO • issues • Obama administration
May 18th, 2010
03:05 PM ET
Comments (36 comments)
13 years ago

GAO uncovers fraud, abuse at Head Start centers

Posted by

Washington (CNN) - Staff members at eight Head Start centers manipulated income information given to them by undercover applicants so that the applicants would get benefits they were not qualified for, according to a Government Accountability Office report being released Tuesday.

In response to the report, Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius has notified the more than 1,600 operators of Head Start facilities nationwide of new steps being taken to crack down on fraud.

The GAO report says undercover applicants made 15 visits to 13 centers in six states and the District of Columbia to register their fictitious children.

At eight of those centers, Head Start employees disregarded "part of the families' income to register over-income children into under-income slots" or "lied about applicants' employment status or misrepresented their earnings," the report says.

FULL POST
Filed under: GAO
April 12th, 2010
03:34 PM ET
Comments (17 comments)
13 years ago

Post office needs to cut deeper

Posted by

New York (CNNMoney.com) - The U.S. Postal Service is laboring under an outdated business model and needs to cut salaries, close facilities and take other steps to to aggressively slash costs, the Government Accountability Office said Monday.

"USPS's business model is not viable due to USPS's inability to reduce costs sufficiently in response to continuing mail volume and revenue declines," the GAO said in a report. "Given its financial problems and outlook, USPS cannot support its current level of service and operations."

The GAO study was commissioned after the Post Office submitted a proposal to Congress last month to overhaul its business model that included, among other things, the elimination of Saturday mail service.

Over the last three years, the USPS has lost nearly $12 billion as mail volume plunged 17% due to the weak economy and the increasing popularity of electronic mail.

Full Story
Filed under: GAO • USPS