Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In 2010, the United States pledged to provide at least 50 percent of its development aid directly through the Afghan government budget within 2 years. This direct assistance is intended to help develop the capacity of Afghan government ministries to manage programs and funds. Using bilateral agreements and multilateral trust funds, the United States more than tripled its direct assistance awards to Afghanistan in the first year of the pledge, going from over $470 million in fiscal year 2009 to over $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2010. The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) most current reporting shows that for fiscal year 2012 the agency provided over $800 million in mission funds through direct assistance. In 2013, GAO reported that while USAID had established and generally complied with various financial and other controls in its direct assistance agreements, it had not always assessed the risks in providing direct assistance before awarding funds. USAID has taken steps in response to GAO's recommendations to help ensure the accountability of direct assistance funds provided to the Afghan government. Recently, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that USAID determined …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Jackson. Jackson was born in 1924. At age 16, he joined the US Navy and underwent boot training at the Naval Training Center in Chicago. Upon graduation, he was assigned to USS Texas (BB-35) as a member of Gun Fire Control. Later, he was transferred to an LST.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alvin W Hall. Hall graduated from the Naval Academy in June of 1942. He was commissioned as ensign and assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35). Hall participated in convoy duty and the North African invasion. He then served aboard the USS Quincy (CA-71) as senior officer of turret 2, participating in the battles of Normandy and Cherbourg, and the invasion of Southern France. Hall then returned to the US to complete flight training and photographic school. He was later stationed as a B-24 pilot on Guam and Hawaii. Hall continued his service after the war ended, retiring from the Navy as a commander in 1962.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Fencik. Fencik was born in Port Vue, Pennsylvania in 1925. After dropping out of high school in 1942, he joined the Navy. Upon completing boot training, he was sent to St. Albans Naval Hospital, Long Island, to train as a Navy Corpsman. In 1943, he went aboard USS Texas (BB-35). He recalls the Texas participating in the Normandy invasion and of the ship being damaged by a German shore battery. Fenick also recalls participating in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Silvestri. Silvestri joined the Navy in October of 1942. From 1943 through mid-1945, he served as Second Class Cook aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). Stoneley shares his experiences through the Normandy Invasion, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. He returned home after the war, and received his discharge in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman Stoner. Stoner joined the Navy in July 1945 and received basic training in San Diego. After the war, Stoner was assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35) as a carpenter as part of Operation Magic Carpet. There were only three carpenters aboard ship, and Stoner was on call for damage control 24 hours a day. He did odd jobs such as plugging a hole in the admiral’s barge, replacing boards on deck, building crates for officers’ belongings, and attaching ammunition to barges so that it wouldn’t be lost in a storm. He made six round trips to Hawaii, transporting troops back to the States. Stoner helped prepare the ship for decommissioning before he was discharged in August 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lewis Morgan. Morgan joined the Navy toward the end of 1942 and received basic training in Maryland. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Texas (BB-35), where he served as a rangefinder operator. At Normandy he went ashore with Army Rangers, and at Cherbourg he was standing one deck above where the Texas was hit. At Iwo Jima, he saw the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi, and at Okinawa he manned his battle station for 52 days straight. After the war, he made two round trips to Hawaii as part of Operation Magic Carpet before being discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond Schramm. Schramm joined the Navy in November of 1942. From early 1943 through mid-1945, he served as a leading Petty Officer aboard the USS Texas (BB-35) conducting watch in the crow’s nest and playing in the band. Schramm shares his experiences through the Normandy Invasion, the Battle of Cherbourg, Operation Dragoon, the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. Schramm returned home after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Fischman. Fischman was born in 1925 in Alexandria, Virginia. Dropping out of high school, he joined the Navy in 1942 and was sent to Newport, Rhode Island for boot camp. He was assigned to USS Texas (BB-35). He recalls the ship being involved in convoy duties prior to the invasion of North Africa. He also tells of being involved in Operation OVERLORD and his duties as a powder handler as well as being assigned to the captain’s gig. He describes evacuating the wounded from Point du Hoc at Normandy and the Texas being damaged by German shore batteries. He also recalls participation in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was discharged soon after the ship returned to the US in 1945.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The extent to which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has funded its liabilities varies due to different statutory funding requirements specific to each benefit program and USPS's financial means to make payments. For example, USPS has been required to prefund its pension benefit liability over decades, and as shown in the table below, its pension liability is 94 percent funded. Prefunding USPS's retiree health benefits began in 2007, and the liability is about half funded. In contrast, USPS funds its workers' compensation benefits on a pay-as-you-go basis, and the entire liability is unfunded. The largest unfunded liabilities, in order of decreasing size, are $48 billion for retiree health, $19 billion for pensions, and $17 billion for workers' compensation. The rules for calculating the amount that USPS must fund each year differ among the pension and retiree health programs, including variations in amortization periods, recognition of any surpluses, use of actuarially determined versus fixed payments, and actuarial assumptions."