Federal Reports

What We Looked AtWe queried and downloaded 16 single audit reports prepared by non-Federal auditors and submitted to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse between October 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, to identify significant findings related to programs directly funded by the Department of Transportation (DOT).What We FoundWe found that reports contained a range of findings that impacted DOT programs. The auditors reported seven incidents of significant noncompliance with Federal guidelines related to four grantees that require prompt action from DOT’s Operating Administrations. Of these seven significant findings, five were repeat findings related to two grantees. The auditors also identified questioned costs totaling $10,240,600 for three grantees. Of this amount, $29,997 was related to the Gary Public Transportation Corporation, Gary, IN; $8,570,742 was related to the Navajo Nation, Window Rock, AZ; and $1,639,861 was related to the Pit River Tribe, Burney, CA. Additionally, we identified a nonmonetary repeat finding that caused a qualified opinion for the Navajo Nation.RecommendationsWe recommend that DOT coordinate with the impacted Operating Administrations to develop a corrective action plan to resolve and close the findings identified in this report. Additionally, we recommend that DOT determine the allowability of the questioned transactions and recover $29,997, if applicable. Furthermore, we recommend that OST works with FHWA to determine the allowability of the questioned tribal transactions and recover $10,210,603, if applicable.  

As of December 2023, the EPA had issued 11 Build America, Buy America Act waivers. We found that the EPA did not track the use of ten of these waivers across EPA-funded infrastructure projects. Build America, Buy America Act waivers can be categorized into two types: project-specific waivers and general applicability waivers. The Agency was unable to provide the number of award recipients that fall under either type of waiver and does not have a method in place to track this information. With approximately $60.3 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act projects potentially subject to Build America, Buy America Act requirements, the EPA needs to develop and implement a method to track all waiver use. Without tracking the use of such waivers, the EPA may not be able to maximize use of U.S. goods, products, and materials in EPA-funded infrastructure projects.

Three Department of Homeland Security components—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—have separate but interconnected processes for identifying and resolving derogatory information for individuals evacuated from Afghanistan and paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW).

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An Amtrak Foreman based in Providence, Rhode Island, was terminated on May 7, 2024, after an administrative hearing for repeatedly going to his residence during his shift without permission to do so and without taking the appropriate leave. Instead, the foreman did so without swiping out on a time keeping machine, which resulted in his receipt of over $2,300 in pay for hours he did not work. The former employee is ineligible for rehire.