What the OIG Found GAO aims to provide Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars. To execute its mission, GAO relies on a highly-qualified workforce that includes employees in mission-critical occupations (MCO) such as contracting, human resources management, and information technology management. In FY 2024, GAO’s hiring of MCO employees took about 103 days on average, which is longer than its internal target of 98 or 101 days (depending on the application review process used), OPM’s goal of 80 days for executive branch agencies, and executive branch agencies’ reported time frames depicted on OPM’s public dashboard. GAO competes with the private sector and other federal agencies to hire highly-qualified employees. Hiring employees more quickly could decrease the risk of GAO losing qualified candidates to other opportunities and improve its ability to meet the needs of Congress. In addition, the agency’s internally-reported calculations on the timeliness of hiring excluded about 30 percent of the employees hired in MCOs and were based on inaccurate dates for when hiring actions began. Finally, GAO’s internal reporting and hiring guidance had different targets for how long the hiring process should take. By using reliable data and targets for the length of its hiring process, GAO may be better able to meet its hiring timeliness goals. Why the OIG Did This Evaluation The agency’s ability to provide timely, quality reports to Congress and to ensure the accountability of the federal government to the American people depends on hiring knowledgeable, skilled employees. In fiscal year 2024, GAO highlighted managing a quality workforce—including hiring—as one of its top management challenges. The OIG conducted this evaluation to assess the timeliness of GAO’s hiring process.

What GAO Found The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential 24/7 support for anyone experiencing mental health distress, suicidal thoughts, or substance use crises. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential emotional support, resources, and referrals to pregnant and postpartum women experiencing mental health challenges. Both of these hotlines, within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are operated by nonfederal entities—primarily by local crisis contact centers and a contractor, respectively—while the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are responsible for oversight. In addition, the Veterans Crisis Line offers specialized, confidential support to veterans, service members, and their families. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the Veterans Crisis Line and employs its crisis responders. Contact volume for the three hotlines generally increased throughout fiscal year 2025, based on available monthly agency data GAO reviewed. For example, for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, volume increased for each contact method in FY 2025, with an overall increase of 23 percent compared to FY 2024 (see figure). In addition, trends and fluctuations in volume and performance metrics for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line during fiscal year 2025 were generally similar to prior years, based on previous GAO reporting on these hotlines. Agency data also show that the federal agencies responsible for the three hotlines experienced some reductions of staff who oversee or operate the hotlines during fiscal year 2025. At the same time, selected stakeholders representing users of all three hotlines said that they experienced consistent services during the fiscal year. 988 Lifeline Contact Volume by Method, July 2022 Through September 2025 Why GAO Did This Study In early 2025, HHS and VA announced plans to implement the President’s February 2025 executive order to reduce the size of the federal workforce. GAO was asked for information on the operations and workforce of these three national crisis and support hotlines. This report describes what available monthly data covering fiscal year 2025 show for the hotlines, including data on staffing, contact metrics, and quality metrics. GAO obtained and reviewed available fiscal year 2025 data from SAMHSA, HRSA, and VA, and compared these data to similar data from previous GAO reports, when available. GAO also interviewed agency officials and representatives of nine external stakeholders, selected for their experience with the hotlines. For more information, contact Alyssa M. Hundrup at hundrupa@gao.gov.

Why GAO Did This Study In August 2024, GAO identified 37 priority recommendations for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Since then, OMB has implemented 11 of those recommendations. In August 2026, GAO identified an additional seven priority recommendations, removed the priority designation from five, and closed eight others as no longer valid, bringing the total number to 20. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely and focused attention:  Combatting federal fraud,  Reducing improper payments, and  Fully developing a federal program inventory. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would provide OMB with tools to better understand and monitor government spending, reduce governmentwide fraud and waste, and track federal programs. Taking action to implement all of GAO's open priority recommendations would help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of OMB's operations. What GAO Found Priority open recommendations are the GAO recommendations that warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money; improve congressional and/or executive branch decision-making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or make progress toward addressing a high risk or duplication issue, among other benefits. Since 2015, GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations. For more information, contact: Cardell Johnson at JohnsonCD1@gao.gov.

What GAO Found Fixed base operators (FBO) offer services at airports—such as fueling, parking, and maintenance—for general aviation pilots and other users. These users often seek information about fuel prices and fees for FBO services before taking a trip. Stakeholders that GAO interviewed said pilots obtain information from multiple sources, including websites and calls to FBOs, depending on the purpose of their trip. GAO compared information about fuel prices and fees that it obtained through covert phone calls to 45 FBOs with information that it obtained through online sources. GAO found that fuel prices were readily available online and generally matched the information obtained through phone calls. In instances where prices differed, the difference was usually less than $0.50 per gallon. GAO also found that, for those FBOs that said they have required fees for services over the phone, the information about those fees was limited online. Illustration of Fixed Base Operator Services at Airports Representatives of selected FBOs that GAO interviewed said they have taken steps to improve the availability of information online about fuel prices and fees for their services. These steps included, for larger FBOs with multiple locations, setting and updating fuel prices and fees centrally at the corporate level. The representatives cited factors that affect FBOs’ ability to put information on fuel prices and fees online and keep it up to date. For example, some FBOs charge fees for special events, and they said it can be challenging to provide information online about those fees because they vary based on supply and demand. Pilots’ groups that GAO interviewed said they were generally satisfied with the availability of information on fuel prices and fees for FBO services. However, selected stakeholders cited a few concerns about the availability of information on certain fees, such as for special events. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said they were not aware of any formal complaints, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officials said they were not aware of any administrative actions or enforcement decisions related to the transparency of FBOs’ fuel prices or fees. Why GAO Did This Study The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 includes a provision for GAO to review the efforts of FBOs to improve the online transparency of prices and fees for aviation users. This report provides information on the extent to which FBOs offer information about fuel prices and fees for their services, steps selected FBOs have taken to improve the availability of information online and factors affecting their ability to do so, and selected stakeholders’ views on the availability of this information. GAO reviewed relevant laws and regulations. GAO also obtained information about fuel prices and fees for services by posing as recreational pilots in covert phone calls to 45 FBOs at 40 airports that were selected to reflect a range of sizes and geographic diversity. GAO compared that information with information available online. Finally, GAO interviewed FAA and FTC officials, as well as representatives of FBOs and selected stakeholders, including pilot groups and aviation industry organizations. For more information, contact Danielle Giese at GieseD@gao.gov.