Government Accountability Office (GAO) Podcast: Watchdog Report

Zika virus infections during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, as well as a nervous system disease in adults called Guillain-Barré syndrome. So, what lessons has the government learned about responding effectively to an outbreak?

If a Navy ship doesn’t have the right number and mix of sailors, it may end up overworking its crew—which can have detrimental effects on safety, morale, and retention. How does the Navy determines its crew needs? What does this mean for a larger fleet in the future?

GAO’s 2017 review of the NASA’s major acquisitions projects, such as the James Webb space telescope and the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle.

The internet has gone well beyond computers to affect everything in our daily lives—from our cars to our baby monitors to our…toasters. We’ll talk about what all this connectivity means for consumers, jobs, and the economy.

Audio interview by GAO staff with Shelby Oakley, Director, Natural Resources and Environment

Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder are less likely than youth with other disabilities to transition successfully from high school to work or college. What kinds of challenges do these youth face as they transition to adulthood? And what services do schools offer to help with this transition?

Description: Transnational criminal organizations are smuggling drugs and humans across the U.S. border using things like cross-border tunnels, ultralight aircraft, and fishing boats. So, what is the Department of Homeland Security doing about it?

Across the federal government, federal agencies are making final preparations to submit data ahead of the DATA Act’s May 2017 deadline. This law intends to make federal spending data more transparent to taxpayers. Moving forward, how can the government not only report data, but insure the quality of the data produced?

The National Flood Insurance Program owes $24.6 billion to the Treasury Department. How can this program reduce its costs while keeping flood insurance affordable for property owners?

Each year, GAO issues a report that identifies duplication, overlap, and fragmentation in federal programs - as well as opportunities for the federal government to save money and increase revenue. So, what's new this year? And which agencies have the most work to do?

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet is one of DOD's most expensive and ambitious programs - it could end up costing over $1 trillion over its lifetime. How will delays with development and testing affect the project and its costs? And what are DOD's future plans for the F-35?

The digital currency Bitcoin, as well as other financial products and services, are all part of a growing Fintech market. We’ll discuss how Fintech, or financial technology, uses these technologies to provide financial services directly to consumers in this longer form podcast.

Audio interview by GAO staff with Shelby Oakley, Director, Natural Resources and Environment

Violent extremism in the United States: what is the federal government doing about it, and have these efforts made us safer?

GAO’s 2017 review of the Department of Defense's major weapons system acquisitions. We’ll talk about what still needs to be done to improve oversight