Federal Reports

In accordance with the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, OIG is submitting a statement on what it considers to be the most significant management and performance challenges facing the Peace Corps. At Peace Corps OIG, we base this statement on the following: our audit, evaluation, and investigative work; our knowledge of the Peace Corps’ activities and operations; and the insights of agency senior leaders who provide their perspectives and expertise. For fiscal year (FY) 2026, we identified the following challenge areas:  Volunteer Delivery System; Volunteer Health and Safety; Human Capital Management; and Information Technology Security Management.

Addressing the issues related to these challenge and performance areas will enhance the agency’s operational efficiencies, minimize potential fraud, waste, and abuse, and improve mission effectiveness.

The independent public accounting firm of McBride, Lock & Associates, LLC, under contract with the Office of Inspector General, audited Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grants administered by the Oregon Secretary of State, totaling almost $22.1 million. This included federal funds, state matching funds, interest income, and program income earned on the reissued Section 251 and Election Security grants.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) contracted with the independent certified public accounting firm Harper, Rains, Knight, & Company, P.A. (HRK) to audit the Commission’s financial statements and related footnotes as of September 30, 2025.  The contract requires that the audit be performed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards Office of Management and Budget audit guidance, Government Accountability Office/Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Financial Audit Manual, and Audit Requirements for Federal Financial Statements.  HRK found:

• The financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the Commission's financial position as of September 30, 2025, and its net cost of operations, changes in net position, and budgetary resources for the fiscal years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
• One material weakness related to the Commission not having appropriate controls in place to review the validity of material financial adjustment transactions recorded by their service provider on their behalf.
  While the report includes one material weakness related to a gap in controls over financial reporting by a shared service provider, HRK’s objective was not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of the Commission's internal control or compliance.

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, requires that the Inspector General take appropriate steps to ensure that any work performed by non-Federal auditors complies with the auditing standards established by the Comptroller General. We evaluated the independence, objectivity, and qualifications of the auditors and specialists; reviewed the plan and approach of the audit; monitored the performance of the audit; sought and obtained clarification of the auditor's methodology and findings; and reviewed HRK's reports and related audit documentation.

HRK is responsible for the attached independent auditor’s report and the conclusions expressed therein. The OIG does not express opinions on the Commission’s financial statements or internal control over financial reporting, or conclusions on compliance or other matters. The audit report provides an opinion on the Commission’s financial statements and communicates reporting requirements on internal control over financial reporting and compliance with laws and regulations.

We received an anonymous hotline complaint in January 2025 asking the Office of Inspector General to investigate a conflict of interest involving two senior CPSC officials at the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) directs Inspectors General to conduct an annual evaluation of the agency information security program. FISMA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) establish information technology (IT) security guidance and standards for Federal agencies. We conducted this evaluation to assess the overall effectiveness of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s information security (InfoSec) program, assess their compliance with Federal guidance, and respond to OMB reporting questions for the fiscal year 2025 annual assessment.  In FY 2025, we assessed HUD at maturity level 3, consistently implemented, for its overall InfoSec program.  HUD has made incremental progress across its InfoSec program and should continue to take steps to improve the security of its IT systems and assets, which will lead to an increase in its FISMA maturity level.  We assessed HUD’s maturity across 25 metrics.  HUD scored 3.13 in the 20 core metrics that we have assessed every year since FY 2022, and it scored 2.67 in the 5 supplemental metrics that were first assessed in FY 2025.

We contracted with the independent public accounting firm of Sikich CPA LLC to audit the financial statements of HUD as of and for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, and to provide reports on HUD’s (1) internal control over financial reporting and (2) compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters, including whether financial management systems complied substantially with the requirements of the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA).  Our contract with Sikich required that the audit be performed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards, Office of Management and Budget audit requirements, and the Financial Audit Manual of the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. 

 In its audit of HUD, Sikich reported 

• A Disclaimer of Opinion on HUD’s financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025.  Management indicated in its written representations that it cannot assert to the fair presentation of the FY 2025 HUD financial statements. Since management could not make this assertion, Sikich was unable to express an opinion on the fair presentation of HUD’s financial statements.
• Two significant deficiencies for fiscal year 2025 in internal control over financial reporting, based on the limited procedures performed.  The significant deficiencies were related to internal control deficiencies identified by the HUD AIR Program and internal control deficiencies over FHA’s loans receivables.   
• No reportable noncompliance issues for fiscal year 2025 with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements or other matters.
• Due to the matter discussed in the Basis for Disclaimer of Opinion paragraph, Sikich was unable to obtain sufficient evidence to conclude whether HUD substantially complied with FFMIA. 

In connection with the contract, we reviewed Sikich’s reports and related documentation and questioned its representatives.  Our review, as differentiated from an audit of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards, was not intended to enable us to express and we do not express opinions on HUD’s financial statements or conclusions about (1) the effectiveness of HUD’s internal control over financial reporting; (2) HUD’s compliance with laws, regulations, contracts,  and grant agreements or other matters; or (3) whether HUD’s financial management systems complied substantially with the three FFMIA requirements.  Sikich is responsible for the attached Independent Auditors’ Report, dated December 18, 2025, and the conclusions expressed therein.  Our review disclosed no instances in which Sikich did not comply, in all material respects, with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards. 

HUD’s financial statements are included in HUD’s Agency Financial Report, which can be found at - https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/afr2025.pdf.

We contracted with the independent public accounting firm Sikich CPA LLC to audit the financial statements of Ginnie Mae as of and for the years ending September 30, 2025 and 2024, and to provide reports on Ginnie Mae’s (1) internal control over financial reporting and (2) compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters. Our contract with Sikich required that the audit be performed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted auditing standards, Office of Management and Budget audit requirements, and the Financial Audit Manual of the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. 

In its audit of Ginnie Mae, Sikich reported 

• That Ginnie Mae’s financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ending September 30, 2025 and 2024, were presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
• No material weaknesses or significant deficiencies for fiscal year 2025 in internal control over financial reporting, based on limited procedures performed.
• No reportable noncompliance for fiscal year 2025 with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements or other matters. 

 In connection with the contract, we reviewed Sikich’s reports and related documentation and questioned its representatives. Our review, as differentiated from an audit of the financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards, was not intended to enable us to express and we do not express opinions on Ginnie Mae’s financial statements or conclusions about (1) the effectiveness of Ginnie Mae’s internal control over financial reporting and (2) Ginnie Mae’s compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements or other matters. Sikich is responsible for the attached Independent Auditors’ Report, dated December 18, 2025, and the conclusions expressed therein. Our review disclosed no instances in which Sikich did not comply, in all material respects, with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards.

 When Ginnie Mae publishes its Annual Report, we will update this post to include this report and a link to Ginnie Mae's audited financial statements.