A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In August 2005, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum directing agencies to identify high risk information technology (IT) projects and provide quarterly reports on those with performance shortfalls--projects that did not meet criteria established by OMB. GAO was asked to (1) provide a summary identifying by agency the number of high risk projects, their proposed budget for fiscal year 2007, agency reasons for the high risk designation, and reported performance shortfalls; (2) determine how high risk projects were identified and updated and what processes and procedures have been established to effectively oversee them; and (3) determine the relationship between the high risk list and OMB's Management Watch List--those projects that OMB determines need improvements associated with key aspects of their budget justifications."

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In February 2006, we briefed Congress on the results of our review of various contracting issues related to the Gulf Coast hurricanes. We conducted this work under the Comptroller General's statutory authority in order to assess how three agencies--the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the General Services Administration (GSA)--planned for and conducted oversight of several key contracts in support of Katrina and Rita response and recovery efforts."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal statistical information is used to make appropriate decisions about budgets, employment, and investments. GAO was asked to (1) describe selected characteristics of federally funded statistical or research surveys, (2) describe agencies' and Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) roles in identifying and preventing unnecessary duplication, (3) examine selected surveys to assess whether unnecessary duplication exists in areas with similar subject matter, and (4) describe selected agencies' efforts to improve the efficiency and relevance of surveys. GAO reviewed agency documents and interviewed officials. Using this information and prior GAO work, GAO identified surveys with potential unnecessary duplication."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Policymakers have expressed concern over how costs to administer the Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs are contributing to overall increased federal expenditures for these programs, estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to rise from about $6 billion in fiscal year 2003 to $8 billion in fiscal year 2008. The purpose of these programs is to provide financial support for the proper care of children who need placement outside their homes and find adoptive homes for children with special needs. They are authorized under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and administered by the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF). GAO was asked to address (1) how the amounts and types of administrative costs changed from FY 2000 to FY 2004; (2) the reasons for differences in and among states in administrative spending and how these differences affect program services; and (3) whether HHS's oversight of administrative costs provides adequate controls over program spending."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Hurricane Katrina was one of the largest natural disasters in U.S. history. Despite a large deployment of resources at all levels, many have regarded the federal response as inadequate. GAO has a body of ongoing work that covers the federal government's preparedness and response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Due to widespread congressional interest, this review was performed under the Comptroller General's authority. It examined (1) the extent to which pre-Katrina plans and training exercises reflected the military assistance that might be required during a catastrophic, domestic, natural disaster, (2) the military support provided in response to Katrina and factors that affected that response, and (3) the actions the military is taking to address lessons learned from Katrina and to prepare for the next catastrophe."