Federal Reports

Our Objective(s)To assess FAA's oversight of SkyWest Airlines' maintenance practices. Specifically, we evaluated FAA's actions to address SkyWest's maintenance noncompliance and violations.
Why This AuditAviation safety is FAA's priority for the 2.9 million passengers that take 45,000 flights a day in the National Airspace System. In prior audits, we found weaknesses in FAA's oversight of maintenance at other airlines. We initiated this audit as part of our ongoing work reviewing FAA's oversight of air carrier maintenance programs.
What We FoundFAA's oversight of SkyWest's maintenance practices does not fully comply with Agency guidance.

FAA's Certificate Management Office (CMO) has not resolved issues with SkyWest's remote return to service maintenance practices for over 4 years.
The CMO also does not always adhere to FAA guidance when addressing SkyWest's noncompliance; CMO leaders are directing inspectors to use a method not included in FAA guidance to achieve compliance.
Delays in the CMO's access to SkyWest's data, CMO leadership and staff turnover, and ineffective communication have also slowed the resolution of SkyWest's noncompliance.
CMO inspectors do not always identify recurring noncompliance; CMO leaders may not be using the most effective tools to address repetitive noncompliance with more comprehensive solutions.
FAA's Safety Assurance System database surveillance documentation options do not fully align with FAA guidance.

RecommendationsWe made 7 recommendations to improve FAA's oversight of SkyWest Airlines' maintenance.

Our Objective(s)To assess FHWA's processes and procedures for overseeing grant recipient compliance with Federal Buy America requirements. Our assessment included reviews of FHWA's (1) guidance on Buy America requirements and (2) oversight of Federal-aid recipients' compliance.
Why This AuditFHWA's Buy America law and regulations require highway projects funded under Title 23 of United States Code to use only iron, steel, and manufactured products produced in the United States. Due to the high level of investment in surface transportation, we initiated this audit.
What We FoundFHWA provided insufficient guidance on Buy America requirements to its Federal-aid recipients.

FHWA's guidance to State Departments of Transportation (State DOTs) and local agencies lacks detail on how to certify highway project materials' compliance with Buy America requirements.
Because there were gaps in FHWA Buy America guidance, we found weaknesses in the procedures developed by the State DOTs and local agencies that we reviewed-Texas, Washington, and Seattle-and issues concerning Buy America compliance in their projects.
FHWA also did not provide adequate guidance on its minimal use threshold for foreign materials.

FHWA did not perform adequate oversight of Federal-aid recipients' Buy America compliance.

Neither FHWA Headquarters nor its Divisions' periodic reviews, such as Compliance Assessment Program reviews, consistently address Buy America requirements.
The Division Offices' risk-based project-level reviews may overlook Buy America compliance.

RecommendationsWe made six recommendations to improve FHWA's oversight of Federal-aid recipients' compliance with Buy America requirements.

The U.S. Postal Service plays a vital role in the life of this nation, serving nearly 169 million addresses nationwide. To deliver on its mission today and in the future, the agency needs to recruit and hire employees in every part of the country. However, the Postal Service currently faces several workforce-related challenges.

To inform USPS’s recruiting, hiring, and onboarding strategies for its pre-career workforce, this paper reviews a sample of organizations in the public and private sectors to identify their best practices. Pre-career employees are temporary workers who do not receive the same benefits as career employees and are not always guaranteed a regular schedule, providing USPS with cost and operational flexibility.