About This Report
Each year, as required by law, we report on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) top management challenges to help the Department meet its strategic priorities across its wide-ranging transportation program areas. We considered several criteria to identify the Department’s top management challenges for fiscal year 2025, including safety impact, documented vulnerabilities, large dollar implications, and the Department’s ability to effect change. In all these challenge areas, it is prudent that DOT focus on oversight that ensures compliance with Federal requirements and prevents fraud, waste, and abuse. Accordingly, in each chapter we’ve included a summary of our investigative work or other recent events to highlight the impact these instances can have on the Department’s ability to achieve its strategic goals.
What We Found
We identified the following top management challenges for fiscal year 2025:
Aviation safety. Strengthen the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ability to identify and resolve Boeing Production Issues; and improve data analysis and implement initiatives to identify root causes, prevent aviation close calls, and sustain the aviation safety track record.
Surface Transportation Safety. Partner with recipients and the private sector to improve the safety of drivers, passengers, and workers; and enhance verification and enforcement of safety compliance.
Aviation Governance and Modernization. Refine air traffic controller staffing, placement, and training practices to meet facility needs and maintain safety in an evolving operational environment; keep the deployment of NextGen systems and capabilities on track while FAA terminates the Office of NextGen; and improve processes for collecting and analyzing flight delay and cancellation data and consumer complaint data to oversee airlines and protect consumers.
Surface Transportation Infrastructure. Evaluate the progress of surface transportation programs; continue to strengthen oversight of Federal transportation investments; and provide support in a dynamic surface transportation sector.
Grant and Contract Fund Stewardship. Make sound, transparent grant and contract award decisions; and confirm grant and contract funds are used as intended.
Financial Management. Improve stewardship of agency-owned or federally funded property; improve compliance with Federal requirements for monitoring and reporting on grantee spending; and improve compliance with Federal requirements for managing and expending Federal funds.
Information Security. Address longstanding weaknesses to protect DOT’s critical information systems; and execute key cybersecurity initiatives to strengthen DOT’s effectiveness addressing transportation-sector cybersecurity matters.
Transportation Transformation. Integrate new technologies into the National Airspace System; and facilitate innovation by supporting stakeholders in their safe adoption of new technologies.
Organizational Excellence. Hire, train, and retain the workforce necessary to meet Department goals; manage workforce and property assets and facilities in an evolving environment; and address longstanding organizational issues.
