Pandemic unemployment fraud audits set the benchmarks still used today
GAO estimated $100 billion to $135 billion in pandemic-era UI fraud, and its recommendations on identity verification still shape how states run the program.
Accountability
Audit reports, inspector general findings, oversight hearings and whistleblower disclosures summarized with what agencies accepted and what they rejected.
Auditors keep finding the same roots of Social Security overpayments
The SSA inspector general has estimated nearly $72 billion in improper payments over eight years, and a 2025 report points to late self-reporting as a leading cause.
Agencies reported $162 billion in improper payments for fiscal 2024
GAO's tally of federal payment errors shows 16 agencies reporting about $162 billion paid in error across 68 programs — most of it overpayments.
The Pentagon's books still can't be fully audited
For the eighth straight year, the Defense Department's financial statements drew a disclaimer of opinion — auditors could not verify enough of the numbers to give a verdict.
The federal government's trouble spots, all in one list
GAO's High-Risk List tracks the programs most exposed to waste, fraud, and mismanagement — and most of them stay on it for years.