Government Accountability Office (GAO) Podcast: Watchdog Report
Government
Featuring interviews with GAO officials on significant issues and new reports, the Watchdog Report is recorded, hosted, and produced by GAO staff.
Location:
United States
Description:
Featuring interviews with GAO officials on significant issues and new reports, the Watchdog Report is recorded, hosted, and produced by GAO staff.
Language:
English
Episodes
Mpox Response Highlights the Risks of Repeating Past Mistakes
4/18/2024
After the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a new worldwide health emergency--a global outbreak of Mpox, which may be better known as monkeypox. That outbreak once again highlighted the need for a strong federal response to public health emergencies. But…
Duration:00:05:53
Our First-Of-A-Kind Estimate of Fraud in the Federal Government
4/16/2024
Our new report estimates, for the first time, the direct financial losses from fraud across federal programs and operations. GAO looked at a recent 5-year period and is estimating annual losses from fraud to be between $233 and $521 billion dollars…
Duration:00:10:11
F-35 Costs More and Maybe Used Less
4/15/2024
The F-35 Lightning II aircraft is the military's most advanced stealth fighter. It's the Department of Defense's most ambitious and costly weapons system. The military currently has about 600 of these jets with plans to buy nearly…
Duration:00:07:18
Each State has Its Own Move Over Law, But Many Drivers Don't Know About Them
4/4/2024
The first Move Over law originated in 1996 in South Carolina. Today, every state has its own law. But despite this, many drivers don’t know about them. We learn more about efforts to get the word out from GAO’s Elizabeth "Biza" Repko.
Duration:00:06:38
Lack of Sleep Among Active Duty Military Contributes to Millions of Dollars in Damage and Service Member Deaths
3/26/2024
We expect our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines to be combat ready. But sleep deprivation and fatigue can dramatically reduce readiness, and fatigue has been connected to accidents that have resulted in deaths, as well as hundreds of millions of…
Duration:00:09:52
At-Home Testing Tools for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases
3/25/2024
At-home testing tools may aid early detection of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and be more cost effective for patients. In a new report, a Science & Tech Spotlight, we looked at the status of this at-home…
Duration:00:07:41
COVID-19 Battered the Aviation Industry, Is the US Prepared if it Happens Again?
3/18/2024
U.S. commercial airline traffic dropped 96% during peak pandemic times. In response, the federal government (the taxpayers) provided $132 billion in financial assistance to the industry and related businesses. Today, the industry has largely…
Duration:00:08:37
Oversight of Defense and Security Assistance to Ukraine
3/13/2024
Congress has approved $113 billion dollars in aid for Ukraine. Today, GAO is issuing the first in a series of reports--requested by Congress--about the use and oversight of this assistance. Today’s report specifically looks at defense and security…
Duration:00:06:54
Combating Deepfakes
3/11/2024
We're seeing more deepfakes on social media and in the news. These are videos, audio or images that have been manipulated using artificial intelligence. What's being done to combat these fakes? We find out from GAO's Brian Bothwell.
Duration:00:06:12
Is Head Start--An Important Program for Children in Poverty--Reaching All Who Need It?
2/27/2024
Head Start is an important program that supports early learning and development in young children (from birth to 5), who live in poverty. Nearly 800,000 young children were enrolled in Head Start programs during the 2021-2022 school year. But many…
Duration:00:07:27
Active-Duty Military Can Face Long Wait Times for Even Urgent Mental Health Care
2/6/2024
Serving in the military, especially combat, may carry a psychological cost for active-duty service members. If left untreated, behavioral health conditions--such as mental health and substance use disorders-- can worsen with consequences for the…
Duration:00:08:15
Meet Our New Chief Economist
1/29/2024
Here at GAO, we recognize economic trends can change quickly and have major impacts on Americans. We publish reports and provide technical assistance to Congress to help members understand these emerging issues and their potential policy options. On…
Duration:00:08:53
We Tested Prenatal Supplements to See What's in Them--Here's What We Found
1/11/2024
Many pregnant people take prenatal vitamins to promote healthy pregnancies and babies. But these widely used supplements are not subject to the same scrutiny for safety and labeling as prescription drugs. For a new report, we looked at whether some…
Duration:00:07:39
The Growing Need for Cyber Diplomacy
1/11/2024
The U.S. and its allies face growing cyber threats from adversaries and individuals looking to undermine our democracies, institutions, and economies. These include threats from nations like China and Russia. In a new report, we looked at recent…
Duration:00:08:35
Spending Under Medicaid Managed Care is Growing Rapidly--Here's Why
12/14/2023
Medicaid is the government's program that helps low income, medically needy, populations receive health care services. Within Medicaid, managed care allows beneficiaries to receive these services from a network of approved providers. Spending…
Duration:00:06:53
Artificial Intelligence in Severe Weather and Wildfire Modeling
12/14/2023
As weather-related events--like hurricanes and wildfires--become more frequent and severe, meteorologists and others are looking for new ways to forecast these events. GAO's Brian Bothwell joins us to share his new report on the role artificial…
Duration:00:05:52
Meet GAO’s New Chief Scientist
12/4/2023
GAO publishes reports and provides technical assistance to Congress to help members understand the emerging technology and science issues and potential policy options. We recently named a new chief scientist to help lead this work. Met our new Chief…
Duration:00:12:27
Federal Response to Cyber-based Attacks
12/4/2023
Cyber-based attacks on federal systems have become more damaging and disruptive. Federal agencies are required to secure their IT systems from these attacks. GAO's Jennifer Franks joins us to look at our new report on the federal government…
Duration:00:08:48
High-Risk Radioactive Material Disposal
11/30/2023
Radioactive materials are commonly used for medical, industrial and research purposes. But after use, what's being done to ensure radioactive materials are disposed of safely. In a new report, we look at these concerns. GAO's Allison…
Duration:00:06:05
Public Health Preparedness--Building and Maintaining Infrastructure Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
11/7/2023
At the beginning of the pandemic, we heard a lot about shortages of hospital beds, ventilators, testing supplies, as well as doctors and nurses. GAO has reported heavily on the impacts of not being prepared for a pandemic. But in a new report, we…
Duration:00:06:53