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Priority Open Recommendations: Department of the Treasury

GAO-24-107324 Published: Jun 05, 2024. Publicly Released: Jun 12, 2024.
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Fast Facts

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List, and significantly improve government operations.

This letter to the Department of the Treasury outlines 34 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, improving data collection on Emergency Rental Assistance payments and developing additional processes—such as recovery audits—could strengthen Treasury's oversight of more than $46 billion in program funds.

Treasury implemented 4 recommendations we identified as a priority last year. We regularly update priority recommendations here.

Graphic that says, "GAO's Priority Open Recommendations" and includes the Treasury seal.

Highlights

What GAO Found

In July 2023, GAO identified 33 priority recommendations for the Department of the Treasury (Treasury). Since then, Treasury has addressed four of those recommendations. For example, Treasury implemented key workforce planning activities to better respond to various human capital risks when developing and operating critical information technology (IT) systems. Treasury also assigned work role codes for various IT and cyber-related positions, thus providing greater assurance that it has reliable information for workforce planning.

In June 2024, GAO identified five additional priority recommendations for Treasury, bringing the total number to 34. These recommendations involve the following areas:

  • Improving program oversight and controls,
  • Ensuring cybersecurity and information privacy,
  • Improving federal financial management, and
  • Protecting workers' retirement savings.

Treasury's continued attention to these issues could lead to significant improvements in government operations.

Why GAO Did This Study

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 ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent, among other benefits. Since 2015, GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations.

For more information, contact Michelle Sager at (202) 512-6806 or sagerm@gao.gov.

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Topics

Government Operations
CybersecurityFinancial managementConsolidated Financial Statements of the U.S. GovernmentHigh-risk issuesPrivacyPrivacy protectionProgram managementRetirement savingsWorkforce protectionTax expenditures