Federal Reports

The EPA Office of Grants and Debarment does not know the full extent to which program offices and regions have implemented grant flexibilities and exceptions permitted by the Office of Management and Budget due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of Grants and Debarment tracked grants that received flexibilities through its issued class waivers and regulatory exceptions but did not track grants that received flexibilities and exceptions approved by program offices and regions. The lack of agencywide tracking of grant flexibilities and exceptions hindered the Agency’s ability to assess how the coronavirus pandemic impacted the grant process.

We did not substantiate allegations that a company or its contractors, provided BSEE false information in response to an incident of noncompliance.

The U.S. Postal Service has 50 authorized officer positions, including the postmaster general, deputy postmaster general, and all vice presidents. Forty-four positions were active during fiscal year (FY) 2021. Officers filed 364 expense reimbursement requests totaling $417,075.Further, the Postal Service hired limited-term contract employees (contract employees) that were not officers, but management elected for their travel reimbursement requests to receive the same level of review as officers. During FY 2021, the contract employees filed 91 reimbursement requests, totaling $157,755.

A Cleaner based in Sunnyside Yard, New York, was terminated on February 17, 2022, after his disciplinary hearing for theft of supplies. During the joint investigation with the Amtrak Police Department, we found that the employee—along with his supervisor—violated company policies by stealing company property. Both employees admitted to taking the company property without permission or authority to do so. The supervisor resigned on February 4, 2022, after being interviewed by our office. Both employees are ineligible for rehire.