FEMA and CBP Oversight of Operation Stonegarden Program Needs Improvement

We determined that FEMA is not meeting its monitoring of Operation Stonegarden grantee responsibilities because it does not have accurate financial data to identify grantees that require additional monitoring. Also, FEMA has included just 4 of 79 Operation Stonegarden awards made during FYs 2011–14 in its financial monitoring reviews required under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended. Additionally, FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have not issued adequate guidance or conducted thorough reviews of proposed Operation Stonegarden spending. As a result, FEMA and CBP approved more than $14.6 million (or 72 percent of the amount audited) in overtime costs and more than $390,500 (or 4 percent of the amount audited) in equipment costs without addressing the risk of supplantation. Moreover, FEMA and CBP have not collected reliable program data or developed measures to demonstrate program performance resulting from the use of more than $531.5 million awarded under Operation Stonegarden since fiscal year 2008. We made seven recommendations, aimed at improving oversight of the Operation Stonegarden Program. FEMA and CBP concurred with six recommendations and non-concurred with one.