A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "A catastrophic public health event could threaten our national security and cause hundreds of thousands of casualties. Recognizing the need for efficient sharing of real-time information to help prevent devastating consequences of public health emergencies, Congress included in the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act in December 2006 a mandate for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with state, local, and tribal public health officials, to develop and deliver to Congress a strategic plan for the establishment and evaluation of an electronic nationwide public health situational awareness capability. Pursuant to requirements of the act, GAO reviewed HHS's plans for and status of efforts to implement these capabilities, described collaborative efforts to establish a network, and determined grants authorized by the act and awarded to public health entities. GAO assessed relevant strategic planning documents and interviewed HHS officials and public health stakeholders."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "E-Verify is a system to electronically verify work eligibility and operated by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). GAO testified in June 2008 that ensuring accuracy and combating fraud were challenges facing E-Verify. As requested, GAO examined the extent to which USCIS and SSA took efforts to (1) reduce tentative nonconfirmations (TNC) and E-Verify's vulnerability to fraud, (2) safeguard employee personal information, and (3) prepare for possible mandatory use by all employers nationwide. GAO reviewed key policy and procedural documents, interviewed relevant DHS and SSA officials, and conducted site visits to three states selected, in part, based on employer types."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Four federal agencies--the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service in the Department of the Interior--are responsible for managing federal lands, enforcing federal laws governing the lands and their resources, and ensuring visitor safety. Illegal activities occurring on these lands have raised concerns that the four agencies are becoming less able to protect our natural and cultural resources and ensure public safety. GAO examined (1) the types of illegal activities occurring on federal lands and the effects of those activities on natural and cultural resources, the public, and agency employees; (2) how the agencies have used their law enforcement resources to respond to these illegal activities; and (3) how the agencies determine their law enforcement resource needs and distribute these resources. GAO reviewed agency documents, interviewed agency officials, and visited or contacted 26 selected agency units."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Congress created the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to help reduce the number of foreclosed and abandoned properties and restore depressed local housing markets. The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) authorized the program's first round (NSP 1), providing $3.92 billion in grant funds to states and local governments. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers the program. HERA mandated that GAO report on whether grantees were using NSP 1 funds in accordance with the act's criteria. For this mandate, GAO examined (1) grantees' progress and challenges in meeting NSP 1 obligation and income-targeting requirements, (2) HUD's actions to mitigate program risks and ensure grantees' compliance with key NSP 1 requirements, and (3) HUD's efforts to collect program data and assess program performance. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed HUD data and the information system used for NSP 1; interviewed HUD officials and representatives of NSP 1 grantees; analyzed HUD's internal control processes; and conducted limited tests of 8 grantees' compliance with key NSP 1 requirements."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The challenges of securing the U.S.-Canadian border involve the coordination of multiple partners. The results of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) efforts to integrate border security among its components and across federal, state, local, tribal, and Canadian partners are unclear. GAO was asked to address the extent to which DHS has (1) improved coordination with state, local, tribal, and Canadian partners; (2) progressed in addressing past federal coordination challenges; and (3) progressed in securing the northern border and used coordination efforts to address existing vulnerabilities. GAO reviewed interagency agreements, strategies, and operational documents that address DHS's reported northern border vulnerabilities such as terrorism. GAO visited four Border Patrol sectors, selected based on threat, and interviewed officials from federal, state, local, tribal, and Canadian agencies operating within these sectors. While these results cannot be generalized, they provided insights on border security coordination."