The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on July 29, 2021 titled, “Assessing the Federal Government’s Covid-19 Relief and Response Efforts and its Impact.” Witnesses included: Michael Horowitz (Chair, PRAC); Heather Krause (Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, GAO); Chris Currie (Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, GAO); Eric J. Soskin (Inspector General, DOT); James Izzard (Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, DHS); Paul Skoutelas (President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association); Juan Ortiz (Director, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, City of Austin, TX; testifying on behalf of the International Association of Emergency Managers); Dr. Michael J. Boskin (T.M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University); Dr. Wendy Edelberg (Director, The Hamilton Project, The Brookings Institution); and John Samuelsen (Transport Workers Union of America).

The Government Accountability Office examined challenges faced by child welfare agencies due to the Covid-19 pandemic; actions these agencies took to respond to challenges, including using additional funds and other supports provided by HHS; and practices agencies reported they may continue based on what they learned during the pandemic. Child welfare officials interviewed by GAO in five states reported challenges affecting child protective services and foster care services during the pandemic, including concerns about unreported child abuse and neglect, and challenges accessing technology and PPE needed to reduce health risks to staff and families.

The Government Accountability Office published a report reviewing coronavirus-related federal contracting under the CARES Act. The review addressed Covid-19 contract obligations and characteristics of vendors, and contracting challenges. As of May 31, 2021, federal agencies obligated $61.4 billion for contracts in response to the pandemic; agencies cancelled $4 billion in obligations, in some cases due to contract terminations. While a vast majority of the funds obligated were to vendors with prior federal contracting experience, in calendar year 2020, agencies awarded about five times as many contracts to vendors without prior federal contracting experience, as compared to contracts awarded overall in preceding calendar years.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed the objectives, guidance, and training the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has issued to help Community Living Centers (CLCs) respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. The GAO found that the VA conducted limited oversight of infection prevention and control in these facilities during the first year of the pandemic. Moreover, the VA suspended annual in-person inspections of CLCs before resuming them virtually in Feb. 2021. The GAO recommended that the VA review its oversight of infection prevention and control to better prepare its facilities for future infectious disease outbreaks.

The Government Accountability Office examined Section 3610 of the CARES Act, which authorized government agencies to reimburse contractors and subcontractors for paid leave who were unable to access worksites due to facility closures or other restrictions, and who duties could not be performed remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The GAO examined Section 3610 usage by DOD, DOE, DHS, and NASA. The GAO recommended that OMB, upon conclusion of the pandemic, should ensure that the Office of Federal Procurement Policy collect and share lessons learned from the implementation of paid leave reimbursement, including those related to data tracking and reporting.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on July 27, 2021 titled, “The Path Forward: Building on Lessons Learned from the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Les Becker (Deputy Secretary of Innovation, Washington State Department of Health); Phyllis Arthur (VP, Infectious Diseases and Diagnostics Policy, Biotechnology Innovation Organization); Dr. David Janz (Director, Medical Critical Care Services, University Medical Center New Orleans); and Anita Cicero (Deputy Director, Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health).

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on July 27, 2021 titled, “Oversight Of Pandemic Evictions: Assessing Abuses By Corporate Landlords And Federal Efforts To Keep Americans In Their Homes.” Witnesses included: Jim Baker (Executive Director, Private Equity Stakeholder Project); Katrina Chism (Affected renter, Georgia); Diane Yentel (Executive Director, National Law Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)); Rene Solis (Chief Program Officer, BakerRipley); and Joel Griffith (Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation Roe Institute).

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing on July 27, 2021 titled, “Protecting Student Loan Borrowers and the Economy in Upcoming Transitions.” Witnesses included: Randi Weingarten (President, American Federation of Teachers) and Letitia James (Attorney General for the State of New York).

The Government Accountability Office reviewed federal contracting in response to Covid-19 and published a report examining, among other objectives, the extent to which DOD, HHS, and DHS used a contracting mechanism that gave them the flexibility to quickly respond to urgent pandemic needs. Such agreements are not subject to certain federal contract laws and requirements, but allowed the agencies to customize the agreements. The GAO found that, as of March 2021, DOD, HHS, and DHS obligated at least $12.5 billion using other transaction agreements. The analysis revealed two challenges with how the agencies studied tracked these agreements due to limitations with the federal procurement database: First, the three agencies did not properly identify at least $1.6 billion of the $12.5 billion as coronavirus-related agreements; second, DOD reported that one consortium management firm received $7.2 billion in agreements, but in actuality, the management firm distributed nearly all of the awarded dollars to five pharmaceutical companies, with each receiving $450 million to $2 billion. Moreover, two of the agencies’ policies on other transaction agreements did not address the requirement for enhanced oversight of certain activities that consortium management firms may perform, potentially posing risks to the federal government.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration assessed the IRS’s efforts to protect the health and safety of individuals physically present at select IRS facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic. There are approximately 550 IRS-managed facilities throughout the U.S. In March 2021, TIGTA conducted unannounced health and safety inspections of nine selected IRS facilities. TIGTA found that overall, IRS generally implemented health and safety measures to help protect individuals at those facilities. Although TIGTA observed most individuals maintaining social distance, some were not maintaining at least six feet of separation. While most individuals at these facilities wore face masks correctly, TIGTA observed some individuals wearing their masks below their chins or otherwise incorrectly.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis published a staff analysis documenting at least 88 incidents of the Trump administration’s political interference in the country’s Covid-19 response, including 27 incidents identified since the subcommittee’s previous staff analysis in Oct. 2020. Upon release of the updated staff analysis, the subcommittee also sent requests for documents and transcribed interviews with current and former federal officials involved in the Trump administration’s Covid-19 response efforts, which can be found here: https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/select-subcommittee-seeks-interviews-with-11-current-and-former-officials-as.

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing on July 22, 2021 titled, “Examining Frameworks to Address Future Pandemic Risk.” Witnesses included: Evan Greenberg (Chairman and CEO, Chubb); Dr. Robert Hartwig (Professor, University of South Carolina); Adenah Bayoh (IHOP Franchisee and President and CEO, Adenah Bayoh and Companies); Robert Gordon (SVP for Policy, Research and International, American Property Casualty Insurance Association); Martin South (President, United States & Canada Division, Marsh); and L. Charles Landgraf (Arnold & Porter; testifying on behalf of the Business Continuity Coalition).

The House Armed Services Committee’s Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force published a report detailing their findings and recommendations following a review of supply chain threats and vulnerabilities. The bipartisan task force noted that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the degree to which weakened U.S. supply chains pose a risk to economic and national security. The task force recommended that DOD: treat supply chain security as a defense strategic priority; understand supply chain vulnerabilities and develop risk mitigation strategies; reduce reliance on foreign adversaries for resources and manufacturing; and facilitate workforce improvement by creating a productive partnership between itself, industry, education partners, labor, and other federal and local entities, among other recommendations.

The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on July 21, 2021 titled, “The U.S. Wood Products Industry: Facilitating the Post Covid-19 Recovery.” Witnesses included: Henry Schienbeck (Government Relations Chair, American Loggers Council); Caroline Dauzat (Co-Owner, Rex Lumber); Bill Imbergamo (Executive Director, Federal Forest Resource Coalition); and Iain Macdonald (Director, TallWood Design Institute, Oregon State University).

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on July 20, 2021 titled, “The Path Forward: A Federal Perspective on the Covid-19 Response.” Witnesses included: Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (Director, CDC); Anthony Fauci, MD (Director, NIAID); Janet Woodcock, MD (Acting Commissioner, FDA); and Dawn O’Connell (Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, HHS).

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration conducted an audit to assess the IRS’s efforts to implement the CARES Act provisions providing economic relief to Americans, including economic relief opportunities for taxpayers with retirement plans. TIGTA aimed to assess the IRS’s efforts to oversee the relief from taxes associated with early retirement distributions and Required Minimum Distributions pursuant to the CARES Act. TIGTA concluded that the Section 2022 Compliance Plan, developed to assess the impact of examination activities and outline steps necessary to enforce taxpayer compliance, could be improved.

The DHS Inspector General sent a memorandum to Troy Miller (Senior Official Performing the Duties of the CBP Commissioner) detailing recommendations for improving CBP’s medical attention and procedures for migrants at the southwest border. The DHS IG noted that CBP needed better oversight and policies to adequately safeguard migrants experiencing medical emergencies or illnesses along the southwest border, both in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and more generally. DHS OIG found that CBP staff did not ensure that staff conducted required medical screenings, nor did they consistently conduct welfare checks. CBP also did not adequately train agents and officers to identify when migrants’ needed medical attention, and also failed to include procedures to guide agents and officers on recognizing “at-risk” individuals.

The Government Accountability Office published its seventh report on how federal agencies can improve their Covid-19 pandemic response and their preparedness for future public health crises. Since the GAO began reporting on the federal response to the pandemic in June 2020, the agency has issued 72 recommendations; this most recent report detailed 15 new recommendations. The GAO urged the CDC to improve collaboration and communication with stakeholders regarding testing; expressed concerns about the restructuring of the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise, a group of experts that advises the HHS Secretary on the Strategic National Stockpile; asked HHS to update its policies and procedures for the SNS, including related control and monitoring activities; asked HHS to develop a process for engaging with key nonfederal stakeholders and Congress to develop a supply chain strategy for pandemic preparedness; urged the Education Department to design and implement procedures for regularly conducting quality assurance reviews of obligated amounts for higher education grants, including the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund; and recommended that IRS update its website and add alerts that clearly and prominently explain the nature and extent of tax refund delays for taxpayers during the pandemic, among other recommendations.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed the U.S. Coast Guard’s efforts to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. The GAO examined: actions taken by Coast Guard to reduce the risk of Covid-19 exposure for its personnel; challenges Coast Guard faced in operating in a pandemic environment, and how it addressed them; and the extent to which Coast Guard has collected and maintained valid and current telework documentation, as well as accurate and completed Covid-19 data on its personnel. The GAO found that Coast Guard lacks controls over telework documentation, and its personnel data are not reliable. Coast Guard expanded its telework program during the pandemic, but lacks controls to ensure that teleworking personnel have valid and current teleworking agreements in place. Coast Guard also modified its personnel system to allow personnel to self-report and update their Covid-19 and telework statuses; GAO analyzed these data from April 2020 through April 2021, and found that they were not reliable (data were missing and there were concerns about accuracy). In particular, Coast Guard could not provide assurance or evidence that weekly audits purposefully designed to verify the accurateness and completeness of these data were being conducted.

The Defense Department Inspector General published a brief report detailing the OIG’s ongoing oversight projects and audits and reports issued as part of their Covid-19 oversight work.

The Government Accountability Office examined: changes in revenues and expenditures for the state and local government sector since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic; changes in revenues and expenditures for selected states; actions selected states took to address changes in revenues and expenditures; and factors that affected the selected states’ capacity to implement federal programs. Among the eight states GAO studied, those highly reliant on tax revenues from the energy and tourism and leisure sectors were particularly vulnerable to the economic impacts of the pandemic. Other states saw varying levels of revenue declines based on factors like the duration of business shutdowns. Most states increased public health and safety expenditures and cut spending in other areas.

The Department of Education Inspector General published a guide summarizing the fraud reporting requirements most relevant to entities receiving federal education pandemic relief funds, as well as to the auditors of those entities.

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on July 14, 2021 titled, “Principles for Outbreak Investigation: Covid-19 and Future Infectious Diseases.” Witnesses included: Dr. David Relman (Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine); Dr. Stanley Perlman (Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Iowa); Dr. Connie Price (Chief Medical Officer, Denver Health; Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado School of Medicine); and Dr. Suzan Murray (Program Director, Smithsonian Global Health Program, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute).

The SBA Inspector General identified issues with SBA’s May 2020 Covid-19 Reconstitution Plan that needed to addressed so that agency employees are safeguarded from contracting and spreading Covid-19 in the workplace. The OIG found that SBA did not: follow occupancy procedures for advancing or reverting phases at its headquarters; implement exposure tracking protocols to consistently trace Covid-19 cases; consistently notify staff of presumed or confirmed Covid-19 cases; or consistently contact potentially exposed personnel and ensure employees completed 14-day quarantines. SBA replaced the reconstitution plan with a new Covid-19 Workplace Safety Plan in Feb. 2021.

The Government Accountability Office examined: the extent to which mortgage forbearance may have contributed to housing instability during the Covid-19 pandemic; federal efforts to promote awareness of forbearance among delinquent borrowers; and federal efforts to limit mortgage default and foreclosure risks after federal mortgage forbearance and foreclosure protections expire. According to the GAO’s analysis of the National Mortgage Database, about two percent of borrowers who were in forbearance or were delinquent in Feb. 2021 did not have home equity after accounting for home price appreciation. By comparison, during the peak of foreclosures in 2011 after the financial crisis, about 17 percent of all borrowers and 44 percent of delinquent borrowers had no home equity.

The VA Inspector General published an evaluation of Veterans Integrated Service Network 19 facilities’ Covid-19 pandemic readiness and response. Critical care staff at VISN 19 facilities largely indicated sufficient staffing to support the respiratory care of Covid-19 patients. However, staffing issues were reported by facility leaders and community living center personnel at Eastern Oklahoma, Montana, and Oklahoma City VA healthcare system sites. The pandemic was found to be disruptive to many VHA operations, particularly those requiring hands-on or face-to-face interactions, including surgical procedures and outpatient clinic visits. Elective procedures were also cancelled. At the time of OIG’s inspection, nearly all VISN 19 facilities reported resuming elective surgeries at varying capacities. Despite ongoing efforts, a significant volume of cancelled appointments still required follow-up as of March 31, 2021.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on July 1, 2021 titled, “Building Trust and Battling Barriers: The Urgent Need to Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy.” Witnesses included: Jerome Adams, MD, MPH (Former U.S. Surgeon General); Georges Benjamin, MD (Executive Director, American Public Health Association); Sophia Bush (Actress, activist, and entrepreneur); Joshua Garza (Coronavirus survivor); and Katy Milkman, PhD (Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions, The Wharton School; Professor, Division of Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine).

The VA Inspector General evaluated the leadership performance and oversight by Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 10: VA Healthcare System serving Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. The virtual site visit and inspection focused on Covid-19 pandemic readiness and response, the care environment, medication management, and comprehensive care, among other issues. The OIG proposed various recommendations, unrelated to Covid-19, concerning VISN 10 management.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on June 30, 2021 titled, “Catalyst for Change: State and Local IT After the Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Doug Robinson (Executive Director, National Association of State Chief Information Officers); Amanda Renteria (CEO, Code for America); Teri Takai (Vice President, Center for Digital Government); and Alan Shark (Executive Director, Public Technology Institute).

The Government Accountability Office examined: ICE’s policies for responding to Covid-19 in immigration detention facilities and how they were implemented at select facilities; ICE’s mechanisms for conducting oversight of coronavirus-related health and safety measures; and ICE’s data on Covid-19 cases and identification of high-risk health factors among detainees. To guide immigration detention facilities’ response to Covid-19, ICE developed the “Covid-19 Pandemic Response Requirements,” protocols that address intake processing, screening and testing, and social distancing, among other requirements. Some facilities reported that quarantining detainees was difficult at times due to infrastructure limitations, and detainee compliance with mask wearing was an ongoing challenge.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed the Veterans Health Administration’s efforts to prepare for Covid-19, including how selected Veterans Affairs Medical Centers implemented VHA’s Covid-19 preparedness strategies, and the steps VHA took to oversee these centers’ implementation of preparedness strategies.

The Congressional Oversight Commission published its 14th report summarizing its oversight of the implementation of Treasury and Federal Reserve’s pandemic relief programs and lending facilities. The report discussed recent developments concerning these programs. As of Jan. 8, 2021, all emergency lending programs created by the Treasury and the Fed Reserve under Section 4003 of the CARES Act have ceased operations. On Dec. 21, 2020, Congress passed new Covid-relief legislation in the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021; in that legislation, Congress prohibited these lending facilities from being restarted or replicated without congressional approval, and rescinded the remaining unobligated balance of the $500 billion previously made available through the CARES Act for emergency lending programs.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed the VA’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as it relates to the agency’s Veterans Community Care Program and challenges selected VA medical facilities experienced scheduling VCCP appointments. In July 2019, VA implemented the VCCP, a new community care program, under which eligible veterans can receive care from community providers. During the pandemic, the VA recommended that VA medical facility staff schedule telehealth appointments whenever possible to reduce patients’ risk of Covid-19 exposure. Despite these efforts, the GAO found that about 172,000 referrals created between January 2020 and January 2021 remained unscheduled as of March 24, 2021.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on June 24, 2021 titled, “Empowered by Data: Legislation to Advance Equity and Public Health.” Witnesses included: Romilla Batra, MD, MBA (Chief Medical Officer, SCAN Health Plan); Beth Blauer (Executive Director, Johns Hopkins University Centers for Civic Impact); Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc (Chief Health Officer, Google Health); Faisel Syed, MD (National Director of Primary Care, ChenMed); and Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS (EVP and Chief Population Health Officer, Nemours Children’s Health System).

The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on June 23, 2021 titled, “Covid-19 in the MENA Region: Addressing the Impacts of the Pandemic and the Road to Recovery.” Witnesses included: Carla Humud (Analyst, Middle Eastern Affairs, Congressional Research Service); Eman Moankar (Advocacy and Communications Director, CARE International); and Hallam Ferguson (Public Policy Fellow, The Wilson Center).

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing on June 23, 2021 titled, “The Role of Child Care in an Equitable Post-Pandemic Economy.” Witnesses included: Fatima Goss Graves (President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center); Dr. Betsey Stevenson (Professor of Public Policy and Economics, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan); Bernadette Ngoh (Founder, Trusted Care Family Child Care); Rachel Greszler (Research Fellow in Economics, Budget and Entitlements, The Heritage Foundation); and Abby McCloskey (Founder and Principal, McCloskey Policy LLC).

The Government Accountability Office examined how many air marshals have been diagnosed with Covid-19, and the steps the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service took to protect air marshals’ health. To protect air marshals from the virus, the GAO found that FAMS provided supplies like N95 masks and implemented new telework and leave policies. FAMS also created protocols for responding to employees with Covid-19, but had not consistently documented their implementation and did not routinely facilitate employee Covid-19 testing. As of Jan. 31, 2020, FAMS had reported 345 cases of Covid-19 among employees.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on June 22, 2021 titled, “Vaccines: America’s Shot at Ending the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Susan Bailey, MD (Immediate Past President, American Medical Association); Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D (SVP for U.S. Social Impact, Sesame Workshop); Curtis Chang (Consulting Professor, Duke Divinity School); and Michelle Nichols, MD, MS (Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, Morehouse School of Medicine).

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on June 22, 2021 titled, “Lessons Learned: The Federal Reserve’s Response To The Coronavirus Pandemic.” Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell testified.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed the estimated costs associated with events related to the 2020 Fourth of July celebration in Washington, D.C. and at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The GAO’s report described: the total estimated costs that federal agencies and state and local jurisdictions incurred for federal 2020 Fourth of July events; the appropriations used to pay the federal costs; the extent to which the federal government reimbursed costs incurred by state and local jurisdictions; and the protective measures that federal and state jurisdictions took to help ensure the health and safety of the public, federal employees, and other essential workers at the events. About $14.5 million in costs incurred were associated with contracts, equipment, and federal personnel (i.e., for overtime pay).

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on June 17, 2021 titled, “Covid-19 Response and Recovery: Supporting the Needs of Students in Higher Education & Lessons on Safely Returning to Campus on Safely Returning to Campus.” Witnesses included: Youlonda Copeland-Morgan (Vice Provost of Enrollment Management, UCLA); Dr. Reynold Verret (President, Xavier University of Louisiana); Madeline Pumariega (President, Miami Dade College); and Anthony Harris (Student, Baldwin Wallace University).

The Majority Staff of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis circulated a memorandum detailing new findings from its investigation into $38.7 million in fraudulent contracts for N95 masks and other supplies. The memo discussed how Robert Stewart, Jr., CEO and owner of Federal Government Experts, LLC lied to the VA and FEMA in order to obtain multi-million dollar contracts for N95 masks, and how federal officials failed to detect these lies despite red flags. Stewart made more than 30 false statements to contracting officials to fraudulently obtain federal contracts, and secured contracts to supply VA and FEMA with N95 masks at inflated prices. VA and FEMA officials also failed to perform sufficient due diligence prior to awarding the contracts. In addition to the memo, the subcommittee also circulated new documents obtained during the investigation, including relevant VA and FEMA contracts: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/VAs_35.4_million_contract_awarded_on_April_10_2020.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/FEMAs_3-5_million_contract_awarded_on_April_15_2020.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/VA%E2%80%99s%20%24249%2C900%20contract%20awarded%20on%20May%2015%2C%202020.pdf.

The Government Accountability Office sent a management report to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh informing him about potential racial and ethnic disparities in the receipt of Unemployment Insurance benefits. The CARES Act supplemented the regular UI program by creating three federally-funded temporary UI programs, including the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which expanded benefit-eligibility and enhanced benefits.

The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on June 17, 2021 titled, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra testified.

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on June 16, 2021 titled, “Veteran Homelessness in the Wake of Covid-19.” Witnesses included: Kathryn Monet (CEO, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans); Akilah Templeton (President and CEO, Veterans Village of San Diego); Lula Skowronek (Director, Priority Veteran); Dr. Keith Harris (National Director of Clinical Operations, Homeless Programs Office, VA); Anthony Love (Interim Executive Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness); and Richard Cho (Senior Advisor for Housing Services, HUD).

The USPS Inspector General assessed the agency’s management of its employees’ use of Covid-19 leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and later, the American Rescue Plan Act. The OIG found that while USPS provided its facility managers with updated Covid-19 timekeeping guidance, they did not always maintain completed Postal Service Form 3971, Requests for Notification of Absence, or additional supporting documentation required to support emergency paid sick leave and FMLA. 185 of 192 (96 percent) randomly sampled employees were either missing documentation or had documentation that was not properly completed. USPS also faced challenges when tracking Covid-19 related administrative leave for rural mail carriers.

The Government Accountability Office assessed the VA’s acquisition management during its Covid-19 pandemic response, examining the agency’s efforts to obtain and track coronavirus-related products and services amid its long-standing struggle to improve its inventory and supply chain management. The GAO found that after some vendors were unable to deliver PPE, the VA terminated some contracts early in the pandemic. Since then, the VA has acted modernize its supply chain, screen vendors, and prepare for future public health emergencies, but these changes face delays and are in their early stages.

The Department of Interior Inspector General reviewed the actions taken by the Bureau of Land Management to protect its employees, volunteers, and the visiting public during the Covid-19 pandemic. BLM State and field offices reported problems with receiving timely and complete guidance and communication from BLM headquarters. Moreover, BLM officials stated that public messaging regarding Covid-19, such as new releases and safety information, was not always timely because of delayed approvals from BLM headquarters.

The Government Accountability Office examined the steps the TSA has taken to reduce the spread of Covid-19 at passenger screening checkpoints, and how the TSA is monitoring the Transportation Security Officers’ implementation of amended safety and screening procedures. The GAO recommended that TSA take steps to ensure more complete monitoring of TSO’s implementation of measures to reduce the spread of infectious diseases at screening checkpoints. The GAO also recommended that TSA analyze available data related to the implementation of its Covid-19 measures to identify patterns of successes and failures across all airports, and to use its findings to share lessons learned and to remediate any deficiencies.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed how CBP managed its field operations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The report described available data on the number of CBP employees diagnosed with Covid-19 and unable to work; actions taken by CBP to protect its workforce and the public from the virus; and the extent to which CBP adjusted operations in response to the pandemic. According to data from CBP, over 7,000 Office of Field Operations and CBP employees reported Covid-19 infections, and 24 died due to coronavirus-related illnesses as of Feb. 2021. Over 20,000 OFO and CBP employees were unable to work at some point due to Covid-19.

The VA Inspector General reviewed how the Veterans Health Administration ensured the Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor-Next Generation (MSPV-NG) program and its prime vendors met contract requirements. The OIG also assessed whether VA medical facilities took advantage of no-cost options offered by VHA, and advance-order supply lists, to obtain PPE during the pandemic. The OIG found that all four MSPV-NG prime vendors developed contingency plans and three out of the four vendors were also offered options to purchase and store medical supplies in advance. However, the OIG found that none of the 16 medical facilities assessed took advantage of these emergency strategies before the pandemic. Most of the facilities reported maintaining their own contingency stocks, which were at risk of quickly depleting. By not asking prime vendors to provide services established in contingency plans, medical facilities missed opportunities to attain certain needed medical supplies.

The Government Accountability Office examined the extent to which the VA has data on Covid-19 cases and deaths among VA community living centers staff. While the VA has facility-specific data on Covid-19 cases and deaths among CLC residents, the agency does not have such data for CLC staff. The GAO noted that until the VA has facility-specific data on CLC staff, compiled and reviewed on a regular basis and reported to leadership as needed, the VA will not have complete information on the extent of the Covid-19 pandemic in its CLCs.

The VA Inspector General reviewed the Veterans Health Administration’s tracking and reporting of supplemental funding from Covid relief legislation. While the OIG found that the VA met monthly reporting requirements to OMB and Congress on supplemental fund obligations and expenditures, the OIG noted three areas of concerns where the VA’s reporting was not complete or accurate: First, obligations were at risk of not being included in VA reports; second, the VA initially delayed the reporting of reimbursable obligated amounts for two months; and third, that VA’s reports contained negative dollar amounts in data fields that should have only positive amounts, which misstated VA’s overall reported obligations. The OIG concluded that these errors indicated weaknesses in how VA and VHA internal controls are structured to meet reporting requirements.

The VA Inspector General conducted a review to determine how effectively VA managed its emergency caches during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The OIG found that use and oversight of the emergency caches were limited during the first wave of the pandemic. Medical facility directors, who were usually authorized to mobilize their caches, were not allowed to do so during that time; instead, requests to mobilize the caches needed to go through the Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Management Coordination Cell. The change was not clearly communicated to medical facility directors and oversight of the emergency cache program was limited.

The Government Accountability Office released a report discussing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the construction of various National Science Foundation facilities.

The Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program sent a memorandum to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, noting that while Treasury has been effective in shifting the Hardest Hit Fund to help homeowners suffering from unemployment or other hardships related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the agency could enhance its effectiveness in helping people stay in their homes. The inspector general found that existing deadlines pressure state agencies. In addition, state agencies faced obstacles, including that receipt of CARES Act unemployment or other stimulus funding could make homeowners ineligible for HHF. Moreover, backlogs in state unemployment benefits sometimes led to several months’ worth of state unemployment benefits to be delivered at once, which could cause homeowners to be ineligible for HHF.

The EPA Inspector General examined EPA’s activities to oversee mobile source compliance with clean air laws and regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The OIG evaluated how Covid-19 has impacted laboratory operations and testing at the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Government Accountability Office was asked to examine the military health system response to Covid-19. The report examines the Defense Department’s strategy for protecting military servicemember health, oversight of its strategy, and research and development projects for vaccines, therapeutics, and testing. The GAO reviewed guidance and plans for health protection and pandemic response that comprised DOD’s strategy, and evaluated alignment of the strategy with key considerations from prior GAO work on pandemic preparedness. To identify oversight efforts, the GAO reviewed DOD briefings on the progress of health protection measures, and analyzed 2020 DOD data on Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and testing.

The Government Accountability Office released a brief “spotlight” featuring potential opportunities and disadvantages associated with digital vaccine credentials or “vaccine passports.”

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration conducted an audit to assess the IRS’s efforts to ensure the validity and accuracy of tentative refund applications reporting a carryback loss. The CARES Act requires a taxpayer with a net operating loss arising in a taxable year beginning on 2018, 2019, or 2020 to carry that loss back to each of the five preceding years, unless the taxpayer elects to waive or reduce the carryback.

The Government Accountability Office published a report on the Small Business Administration’s use of supplemental appropriations provided in FY 2020 for administrative expenses. In FY 2020, Congress provided SBA about $3.4 billion in supplemental appropriations to administer small business assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic, including loan programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The report discussed the amount of supplemental appropriations SBA received in FY 2020 for administrative expenses and SBA’s planned uses for these funds, and the extent to which SBA has obligated and expended these funds as of Jan. 31, 2021, and for what purposes.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on May 28, 2021, titled “Small Business Administration Oversight Hearing.” SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman testified.

The State Department Inspector General conducted a review to assess how the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs responded from March 2020 through January 2021 to the risk management challenges associated with the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on its exchange programs. The OIG reviewed ECA’s immediate crisis response, including the repatriation of thousands of exchange program participants; the effects of the crisis on ECA’s budget and grants administration; and the effects of the crisis on exchange program operations.

The Congressional Oversight Commission released a report focused on the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). The TALF enabled the Federal Reserve to make loans, through a special purpose vehicle, to U.S. companies secured by asset-backed securities backed by student loans, auto loans, credit card loans, commercial mortgages, leveraged loans, loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, and certain other assets. The report also noted that on May 1, 2021, COC Commissioner Donna Shalala resigned from her position.

The DOL Inspector General conducted an audit focusing on the Labor Department and state’s implementation of the three key new Unemployment Insurance programs that posed the greatest risk for fraud, waste, or abuse: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. The OIG found that DOL and states struggled to implement the three programs; DOL’s guidance and oversight did not ensure that states implemented the programs and paid benefits promptly, performed required payment detection and recovery activities, and reported accurate and complete program activities.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission Inspector General published the results of an OIG survey of CPSC staff on returning to the workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey covered vaccinations, desired safety measures upon return, experiences of employees who have already returned to their regular duty stations, communications from management during the return process, and preferred work arrangements. OIG found that a majority of employees at the agency intended to get the Covid-19 vaccine. OIG also found that employees’ expressed a need for effective ventilation systems, notifications about potential Covid-19 exposure, and policies protecting employees reporting safety concerns. Over a third of all employees said they were unsure if they would feel comfortable returning to their duty stations.

The Government Accountability Office published a report examining how the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) within the Labor Department manages its enforcement process, EBSA’s strategies to improve investigative processes and ensure enforcement quality, and the immediate and long-term challenges of Covid-19 on EBSA and private-sector retirement and health plans. The pandemic created a number of challenges for EBSA and benefit plans. GAO found, for example, that court closures temporarily slowed criminal cases (though the increase in virtual hearings helped resume litigation). Stakeholders and EBSA officials also noted difficulties in locating the many plan participants who may have left a job due to the pandemic, but were unaware they left behind retirement funds.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on May 26, 2021, titled “The State of the National Park System.” The hearing examined the current state of the National Park System, including the impacts of Covid-19 on National Park Service operations, staff, visitation and facilities. Witnesses included Shawn Benge (deputy director of operations, National Park Service); Ken Burns (filmmaker); David MacDonald (president and CEO, Friends of Acadia); and Scott Socha (chairman, National Park Hospitality Association).

The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on May 26, 2021, titled “An Examination of the SBA’s Covid-19 Programs.” SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman testified.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on May 26, 2021, titled “A Shot at Normalcy: Building Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence.” Witnesses included: Nick Offerman (actor); Saad Omer (director, Yale Institute for Global Health); J. Nadine Gracia (executive vice president and COO, Trust for America’s Health); Amy Pisani (executive director, Vaccinate Your Family); and Karen Shelton (director, Mount Rogers Health District, Virginia Department of Health).

The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on May 26, 2021, titled “The Future of SNAP: Moving Past the Pandemic.” Witnesses included Dr. Lauren Bauer (fellow, economic studies, Brookings Institution); Odessa Davis (Share Our Strength); James Whitford (executive director, Watered Gardens); Rachel Wilson (Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida); and Renée Boynton Jarret (associate professor of pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, and director, Vital Village Networks).

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 26, 2021, titled “Veteran Employment Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included Chris Thorne (Chris Thorne Consulting); Jeremy Villanueva (assistant national legislative director, Disabled Veterans of America); Thomas Winkel (director, Arizona Coalition for Military Families); and Eric Eversole (executive director, Hiring Our Heroes).

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 26, 2021, titled “Examining the Covid-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Languages One Year Later.” Witnesses included Michelle Sauve (acting commissioner, Administration for Native Americans, HHS); Chuck Hoskin Jr. (principal chief, Cherokee Nation); Leslie Harper (president, National Coalition of Native American Language Schools and Programs); Kaʻiulani Laehā (CEO, Aha Punana Leo); and Bernadette “Yaayuk” Alvanna-Stimpfle (Ddirector, Kawerak Eskimo Heritage, and chair, Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council).

The NSF Inspector General engaged Cotton & Company LLP to conduct a performance audit of the implementation of OMB Covid-19 flexibilities at Caltech for the period of March 1 to Sept. 30, 2020. The audit sought to determine whether Caltech used the administrative flexibilities authorized by OMB and, if so, whether Caltech complied with associated guidelines. The auditors questioned $16,769 of unallowable salary charged after OMB M-20-17 expired, and expressed concerns about Caltech’s compliance with certain federal and NSF regulations unrelated to Covid-19 flexibilities.

The NSF Inspector General engaged Cotton & Company LLP to conduct a performance audit of the implementation of OMB Covid-19 flexibilities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the period of March 1 to Sept. 30, 2020. The objective of the audit was to determine if UW-Madison used the administrative Covid-19 flexibilities authorized by OMB and, if so, whether UW-Madison complied with the associated guidelines. The auditors did not identify any exceptions related to UW-Madison’s use of the Covid-19 flexibilities, but identified concerns about UW-Madison’s compliance with certain federal and NSF regulations, NSF award terms and conditions, and organizational policies no related to Covid-19 flexibilities.

The NSF Inspector General engaged Cotton & Company LLP to conduct an audit of the implementation of OMB Covid-19 flexibilities at Florida State University for the period of March 1 to Sept. 20, 2020. The objective of the audit was to determine if FSU used the administrative Covid-19 flexibilities authorized by OMB and, if so, whether FSU complied with the associated guidelines. Although auditors did not identify any exceptions related to FSU’s use of the Covid-19 flexibilities, they identified concerns about FSU’s compliance with certain federal and NSF regulations, NSF award terms and conditions, and organizational policies not related to the Covid-19 flexibilities.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) conducted an audit to assess IRS’s Economic Impact Payment (EIP) outreach and assistance to individuals, accuracy of computations, and adequacy of controls to prevent ineligible individuals from receiving EIPs. TIGTA found that as of July 16, 2020, IRS had issued more than 4.4 million EIPs totaling nearly $5.5 billion to potentially ineligible individuals. These included payments made to deceased individuals, individuals in U.S. territories who have also received payments from the territories, and individuals with filing status changes. As of Oct. 1, 2020, individuals voluntarily returned 65,477 payments totaling more than $80 million.

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on May 20, 2021, titled “A Dire Shortage and Getting Worse: Solving the Crisis in the Health Care Workforce.” Witnesses included David J. Skorton (president and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges); Leon McDouble (president, National Medical Association); Shelley Spires (CEO, Albany Area Primary Health Care); and James D. Herbert (president, University of New England).

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) interviewed VA officials and analyzed documents related to VA’s civilian health care response to Covid-19, including mission assignments from March 2020 through February 2021. GAO also interviewed FEMA and HHS officials, seeking information on interagency coordination efforts; FEMA had tasked the VA with providing emergency resources to support states, territories, tribes, and other federal agencies through mission assignments. GAO’s report described how the VA determines its capacity to accept mission assignments, the number and types of mission assignments the VA conducted during the study period, and the VA’s efforts to review the mission assignments it conducted.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, and Tina Smith, and Reps. Katherine Clark, Rosa DeLauro, Sara Jacobs, and Mondaire Jones, released a report detailing the need to expand and invest in America’s child care system, and called for $700 billion in investments in child care as the U.S. emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. The report noted that a quarter of women who became unemployed during the pandemic attributed their unemployment to a lack of child care and a need to leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to take care of their children.

The USPS Inspector General assessed the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s response to mail fraud and mail theft during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, USPS OIG found that the Postal Inspection Service took appropriate action to respond to mail fraud and theft during the pandemic. For example, Mail Fraud Program employees participated in federal task forces to investigate and disrupt coronavirus-related scams. Postal inspectors also coordinated with law enforcement agencies to prevent theft of Economic Impact Payment checks. However, OIG also found that the Postal Inspection Service’s actions were not guided by an existing plan for how to maintain and provide law enforcement services during the public health crisis. The Postal Inspection Service stated that they will conduct an interim review to determine “lessons learned” and develop a response plan for future crises.

The DOD Inspector General conducted an audit to determine whether the agency awarded CARES Act funding to sustain or increase the Defense Industrial Base in accordance with federal regulations and Defense Production Act authorities.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on May 19, 2021, titled “Examining Emergent BioSolutions’ Failure to Protect Public Health and Public Funds.” Witnesses included: Robert G. Kramer (president and CEO, Emergent BioSolutions Inc.) and Fuad El-Hibri (executive chairman, Emergent BioSolutions Inc.).

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 19, 2021, titled “Covid-19 Part II: Evaluating the Medical Supply Chain and Pandemic Response Gaps.” Witnesses included Shereef Elnahal (president and CEO, University Hospital); Robert Handfield (professor, Poole College of Management, North Carolina State University); Stephen Schondelmeyer (professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota); and Kimberly Glas (president and CEO, National Council of Textile Organizations).

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on May 19, 2021, titled “Covid-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned.” Witnesses included Jessica Farb (director of health care, GAO); Kisha Davis (Commission on Federal and State Policy, American Academy of Family Physicians); Linda V. DeCherrie (clinical director, Mount Sinai At Home; professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai); Narayana Murali (executive director and board member, America’s Physician Groups); and Robert A. Berenson (fellow, Urban Institute).

The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on May 19, 2021, titled “The Small Business Administration’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: An Update and Next Steps with SBA’s Resource Partners.” Witnesses included: Charles Rowe (president and CEO, America’s Small Business Development Centers); Bridget Weston (CEO, Service Corps of Retire Executives); Corinne Hodges (CEO, Association of Women’s Business Centers); and Patrick Montgomery (founder and CEO, Kansas City Cattle Company).

The Government Accountability Office reviewed CMS oversight of nursing homes in light of Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on these facilities. GAO analyzed CDC Covid-19 data reported by nursing homes each week of the review period (May 2020 – January 2021), and discussed the frequency and duration of Covid-19 outbreaks. GAO categorized the nursing homes in its review into two groups: nursing homes with outbreaks lasting less than five weeks, and those with outbreaks lasting at least five weeks. In its study of 13,380 (out of the roughly 15,000) nursing homes in the U.S., GAO found that 94 percent of nursing homes in the country had more than one Covid-19 outbreak.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before a Senate Finance Committee hearing summarizing GAO’s reports related to Medicare and Medicaid flexibilities during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as preliminary observations related to telehealth waivers in both programs.

The Majority Staffs of the House Oversight Committee and the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a memorandum identifying initial findings and new documents obtained during the committees’ ongoing investigation into Emergent BioSolutions. The memo noted that Emergent’s executives received millions in raises and bonuses in February 2021, despite the company having ruined millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines earlier and having failed to address long-standing deficiencies at the facility that contaminated those doses.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on May 18, 2021, titled “The Need for Universal Broadband: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included Joi Chaney (National Urban League); Matt Dunne (Center on Rural Innovation); Max Stier (Partnership for Public Service); and Lang Zimmerman (Yelcot Communications).

The Treasury Assistant Inspector General for Audit sent a memorandum to Chief Recovery Officer Jacob Leibenluft detailing “lessons learned” from OIG’s monitoring and oversight of Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) monies.

The House Transportation Committee held a hearing on May 13, 2021, titled “Federal Real Estate Post-Covid-19 Part One: A View from The Private Sector.” Witnesses included: Kay Sargent (senior principal, director of workplace, HOK; testified on behalf of the International Facility Management Association); Genevieve Hanson (principal, Ernst & Young LLP); Kelly Bacon (principal, AECOM); Marcy Owens Test (senior vice president, CBRE Federal Lessor Advisory Group); and Norman Dong (managing director, FD Stonewater).

The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 13, 2021, titled “A Race Against Time: Deploying Vaccines and Addressing the Disproportionate Impacts of Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Witnesses included: Arachu Castro (Samuel Z. Stone Endowed Chair of Public Health in Latin America, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine); Tatiana Bertolucci (regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, CARE International); and R. Evan Ellis (Latin America research professor, U.S. Army War College).

The National Science Foundation OIG engaged Cotton & Company LLP to conduct a performance audit of the implementation of OMB Covid-19 flexibilities at the University of New Mexico from the period of March 1 to Sept. 30, 2020. The audit was conducted to determine if UNM used the administrative Covid-19 flexibilities authorized by OMB and, if so, whether UNM complied with the associated guidelines. The auditors identified concerns with UNM’s compliance with certain federal and NSF regulations, NSF award terms and conditions, and organizational policies not related to the Covid-19 flexibilities.

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on May 12, 2021, titled “Covid-19 Variants and Emerging Research Needs.” Witnesses included: Dr. Salim Abdool Karim (director, CAPRISA); Dr. Nathan Grubaugh (assistant professor of epidemiology, Yale University); and Dr. Caitlin Rivers (senior scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security).

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 12, 2021, titled “Military Transition During the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Jennifer Dane (executive director, Modern Military Association of America); Matt Stevens (CEO, The Honor Foundation); Carolyn Lee (executive director, the Manufacturing Institute); Patrick Murray (legislative director, Veterans of Foreign Wars); William Mansell (director, Defense Support Services, Defense Department); James Rodriguez (acting assistant secretary, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, Labor Department); and Cheryl Rawls (executive director, Outreach, Transition and Economic Development Service, Veterans Benefits Administration).

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 12, 2021, titled “Supporting Disabled Veterans: The State of Claims Processing During and After Covid-19.” Witnesses included: Thomas J. Murphy (acting undersecretary for benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, VA); Elizabeth Curda (director of education, workforce, and income security, GAO); Ryan Gallucci (director, National Veterans Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars); Shane Liermann (deputy national legislative director, Disabled American Veterans); and Carmen McGinnis (national service officer, Disabled American Veterans).

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on May 12, 2021, titled “Covid-19 Pandemic and the International Response.” Witnesses included: Gayle E. Smith (coordinator, global Covid response and health security, Department of State) and Jeremy Konyndyk (executive director, Covid-19 Task Force, USAID).

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on May 12, 2021, titled “The Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Improving Mental Health and Addiction Services in Our Communities.” Witnesses included: Victor R. Armstrong (director, North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services); Stephanie Woodard (senior adviser on behavioral health, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services); Lenette Kosovich (CEO, Rimrock Foundation); and Malkia Newman (team supervisor, CNS Healthcare Anti-Stigma Program).

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on May 12, 2021, titled “Examining the Covid-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Tourism Economies One Year Later.” Witnesses included: Dennis Alvord (acting assistant secretary for economic development, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Commerce Department); Anthony Rodman (acting director, Office of Indian Economic Development, Interior); John De Fries (president and CEO, Hawai’i Tourism Authority); Sherry Rupert (CEO, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association); and Russell Dick (president and CEO, Huna Totem Corporation).

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee published a report summarizing oversight work from inspector general offices related to the steps federal agencies have taken to prevent the spread and mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on individuals housed in federal correctional and detention facilities. PRAC noted that these facilities were not designed for social distancing, quarantine, or medical isolation. They also noted that the pandemic has exacerbated longstanding staffing shortages, making it difficult for some Bureau of Prisons institutions to fully implement strategies to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 while providing routine medical care for incarcerated individuals. The PRAC also highlighted the risk of spreading Covid-19 through the transporting of detainees to other facilities, and that Covid-19 guidance and oversight varied by facility type (i.e., whether they were operated by tribal governments, private contractors, or state or local entities).

The SBA Inspector General contracted accounting firm KPMG to conduct a performance audit on SBA’s compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019. While KPMG reported that SBA is compliant with four of the six reporting requirements in PIIA, they also found that SBA needed to improve the completeness and accuracy of improper payment reporting, and further, SBA needed to improve its internal controls to prevent improper payments. Specifically, KPMG found that SBA’s Disaster Direct Loan Program disbursements was not compliant with PIIA.

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on May 11, 2021, titled “An Update from Federal Officials on Efforts to Combat Covid-19.” Witnesses included: Anthony Fauci, MD (director, NIAID, NIH); David Kessler, MD (chief science officer, Covid response, HHS); Peter Marks, MD, PhD (director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA); and Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (director, CDC).

The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on May 6, 2021, titled “Addressing the Impact of Covid-19 on Students with Disabilities.” Witnesses included: Ronald Hager (Managing Attorney, National Disability Rights Network); Kanika Littleton (Project Director, Michigan Alliance for Families); Reade Bush; and Danielle M. Kovach, EdD (Special Education Teacher, Tulsa Trail Elementary School; Hopatcong Board of Education (New Jersey)).

The Small Business Administration Inspector General issued an evaluation report regarding SBA’s handling of identity theft complaints in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. At the time of OIG’s review, SBA had not provided status updates to those reporting EIDL identity theft; in fact, some complainants had contacted SBA multiple times. The OIG reported that many of the complainants found out about the fraudulent loans after they received SBA loan statements.

The Treasury Inspector for Tax Administration evaluated whether the IRS timely and accurately processed individual paper and electronically filed tax returns during the 2021 filing season, including backlogged returns received during calendar year 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the request of the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on Government Operations, the OPM Inspector General examined OPM’s plans and procedures for returning employees to federal offices during the Covid-19 pandemic. OPM OIG’s evaluation sought to determine whether OPM’s plan for returning employees followed existing guidance and best practices to reduce the risk of employees to Covid-19 exposure. OPM OIG identified several problems, including that OPM management did not require workers to wear face coverings, and that OPM needed additional signage for entering, social distancing, and routine cleaning and disinfecting of the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building. Moreover, OIG determined that improvements needed to be made in the processing of Covid-19 incidents.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on May 5, 2021, titled “TSA: Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Implications for Budget and Operations.” Darby LaJoye, the senior official performing the duties of TSA administrator, testified.

The Government Accountability Office published a report examining the Department of Veterans Affairs’ obligations and expenditures of Covid-19 supplemental funding and its plans to obligate remaining funds. The GAO also examined how the VA oversees the use of Covid-19 supplemental funds.

The EPA Inspector General documented and assessed the internal controls that EPA implemented to mitigate risks of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement over CARES Act appropriations. EPA OIG’s evaluation of the agency’s CARES Act appropriations determined that EPA did not fully comply with federal laws, OMB Circular A-123, and the GAO Green Book. Specifically, the EPA Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) did not conduct an agency-wide risk assessment of CARES Act funding to identify risks that could impact the success of CARES Act objectives, increasing the risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of relief funds. Moreover, OCFO did not comply with CARES Act reporting requirements.

The DHS Inspector General conducted an unannounced, remote inspection of Pulaski County Jail in Illinois, and identified violations of ICE detention standards that threatened the health, safety, and rights of detainees. With regard to Covid-19, the OIG found that Pulaski did not consistently enforce precautions like masks and social distancing, which may have contributed to repeated Covid-19 transmissions in the facility. The inspector general also found that routine dental services at Pulaski were backlogged due to the pandemic, and that the facility’s medical unit did not have emergency dental services. As a result, five detainees requiring annual dental services had to wait to receive dental screenings.

The Senate Finance Committee asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the demand for behavioral health services (including mental health services and services for substance use disorders), as well as coverage and payment for these services, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Evidence collected by the GAO during the pandemic suggests that the prevalence of behavioral health conditions has increased, while access to in-person behavioral health services has decreased.

The Congressional Oversight Commission published its 12th report, which examined in depth a national security loan to Yellow Corporation, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., which accounted for 95 percent of total outstanding pandemic national security loans. The report also provided updates regarding recent key actions taken by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve regarding lending programs and facilities under Subtitle A, as well as updates regarding the commission’s oversight activities.

The Office of the Special Inspector General for
Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR), in its quarterly report to Congress, stated that its efforts to conduct oversight of Covid-19 relief funds have been “met with resistance” from the Treasury Department and the Treasury Department Inspector General “due to their skepticism that SIGPR had jurisdiction to oversee the Coronavirus Relief Fund and Payroll Support Program.” SIGPR noted that while they had worked cooperatively with Treasury to understand Payroll Support Program functions and to obtain data relating to program participants, Treasury’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) stated that SIGPR lacked jurisdiction over that program. When SIGPR tried to gain access to Treasury’s Payroll Support Program database, OGC informed SIGPR that their access to that database had not been approved despite earlier conversations about what their access could look like. SIGPR argued that Treasury OIG’s decision to ask Treasury OGC to determine SIGPR’s jurisdiction “compromised inspector general independence.”

The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) published its semiannual report to Congress, detailing criminal and civil investigations, and audits, of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA)’s long-term economic stability programs (Home Affordable Modification Program and the Hardest Hit Fund). While SIGTARP was created in 2009 in response to the financial crisis, more recently, it has been conducting investigations and audits of the above ESSA programs amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on April 29, 2021, titled “Social Security During Covid: How the Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service Delivery.” Witnesses included: Grace Kim (deputy commissioner of operations, Social Security Administration); Kascadare Causeya (program manager, Central City Concern); Peggy Murphy (immediate past president, National Council of Social Security Management Associations); and Tara Dawson McGuinness (founder and senior adviser, New Practice Lab, New America).

The Government Accountability Office released a report detailing changes in USPS’s mail volume during the Covid-19 pandemic, on-time performance, and revenue and expenses from January through December 2020. During the study period, the GAO found that USPS experienced a 9 percent drop in total mail volume when compared with 2019, though a surge in election-related mail caused a temporary spike in total mail volume in September and October 2020. The GAO found that, overall, USPS’s nationwide on-time performance fell in 2020.

The Senate Aging Committee held a hearing on April 29, 2021, titled “A Changing Workforce: Supporting Older Workers Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond.” Witnesses included: Elizabeth White (aging solutions advocate and author); Dr. Elise Gould (senior economist, Economic Policy Institute); Ramsey Alwin (president and CEO, National Council on Aging); and David Poston (president, Palmetto Synthetics).

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee published its second Semiannual Report to Congress, covering the period from Oct. 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021. The report included new PRAC developments over the past year, including a Fraud Task Force serving as a coordination tool to assist inspector general offices in their investigations of pandemic-related fraud, and the use of data analytics to identify fraudulent relief payments.

Public Citizen released a “progress report” summarizing key changes and accomplishments of the Biden administration’s first 100 days in office. The report discussed Biden’s vaccine rollout, the American Rescue Plan, the ACA special enrollment period, and worker health and safety during the pandemic. The report included “calls to action” and recommendations for next steps.

The Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on April 28, 2021, titled “Addressing Health Disparities in Indian Country: Review of the Indian Health Service’s Covid Response and Future Needs.” Witnesses included: Elizabeth Fowler (acting director, Indian Health Service) and Jillian E. Curtis (CFO, Indian Health Service).

The Government Accountability Office testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, discussing the extent to which the Bureau of Indian Education provided schools with guidance to develop and implement distance learning programs during the pandemic, and the extent to which students have had the technology they need to participate in such programs. The GAO testified that BIE has not provided BIE-funded schools with comprehensive guidance on distance learning during the pandemic. The GAO also noted that when BIE issued a school reopening guide for the 2020-2021 school year, the guidance focused primarily on preparations for in-person instruction, despite the fact that nearly all schools provided distance learning during fall 2020.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on April 28, 2020, titled “The Long Haul: Forging a Path through the Lingering Effects of COVID-19.” Witnesses included: Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD (director, NIH); John T. Brooks, MD (chief medical officer, CDC Covid-19 Response); Steven Deeks, MD (professor of medicine, UCSF); Jennifer Possick, MD (associate professor, Yale School of Medicine); Natalie Hakal (patient, Eugene, Ore.); Lisa McCorkell (patient, Oakland, Calif.); and Chimere Smith (patient, Baltimore, Md.).

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on April 28, 2021, titled “Examining Our Covid-19 Response: Using Lessons Learned to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.” Witnesses included: Jonathan Muther, PhD (vice president of medical services – behavioral health, Salud Family Health Centers); Tami D. Benton, MD (psychiatrist in chief and executive director, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia); Sara Goldsby, MSW, MPH (director, South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services); and Andy Keller, PhD (president and CEO, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute).

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on April 28, 2021, titled “Examining the Covid-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Education Systems One Year Later.” Witnesses included: Melissa Emrey-Arras (director, education-workforce-income security issues, GAO); Tony Derman (director, Bureau of Indian Education); Lance West (principal, Schurz Elementary; vice chairman, BIE Pyramid Lake School Board); Dr. Kauanoe Kamana (principal, Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u Demonstration Laboratory School); and Dr. Michelle Thomas (superintendent, Belcourt School District).

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on April 27, 2021, titled “Supporting Children, Workers and Families by Strengthening America’s Child Care Sector.” Witnesses included: Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor (chief policy officer, Zero to Three); Susan Gayle Perry (chief deputy secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services); Dasja Reed (parent from New Orleans); and Khadija Lewis Khan (executive director, Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center).

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on April 27, 2021, “Curbing Covid Cons: Warning Consumers about Pandemic Frauds, Scams, and Swindles.” Witnesses included: Daniel Kaufman (acting director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC); William Kovacic (professor of law and policy, George Washington University Law School); Bonnie Patten (CEO, Truth in Advertising); Kevin Rhodes (senior vice president and deputy general counsel, 3M); and Cynthia Alexander (assistant attorney general, Consumer Protection Division, Washington Attorney General’s Office).

The State Department Inspector General inspected the Office of Safety, Health, and Environmental Management (SHEM), which is located under the Directorate of Operations’ Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO). In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, SHEM was a member of OBO’s Covid-19 working group and was the State Department’s principal adviser on the disinfection of overseas facilities. SHEM provided overseas posts with up-to-date Covid-19 information (in accordance with CDC guidelines), procedures for responding to a suspected or confirmed case of Covid-19, and safety training.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) released a report exploring the ways in which immigrants are vital to the U.S. economy, despite being among the hardest hit by the health and economic effects of Covid-19. JEC and CHC argued that immigrant labor will be vital to the country’s post-Covid economic recovery.

The HUD Inspector General assessed HUD’s use, accounting, and reporting of CARES Act funding. HUD received $12.4 billion in CARES Act funds; as of March 31, 2021, HUD had disbursed $3.4 billion and obligated $7.4 billion of those funds ($1.6 billion in funds had not yet been obligated).

The VA Inspector General evaluated the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center and multiple outpatient clinics in Michigan and Ohio. The inspection covered clinical and administrative processes, and focused on: leadership and organizational risks; Covid-19 pandemic readiness and response; quality, safety, and value; medical staff privileging; medication management, including long-term opioid therapy for pain; mental health, including the suicide prevention program; care coordination; women’s health; and high-risk processes, including reusable medical equipment.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration conducted an audit to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the IRS’s Customer Service operations and to evaluate the development of the IRS’s comprehensive customer service strategy.

The DOJ Inspector General initiated a limited-scope review of the Executive Office of Immigration Review’s (EOIR) handling of certain challenges presented in conducting operations during the Covid-19 pandemic. OIG assessed: EOIR’s communication to staff, parties to proceedings, and the public about immigration court operations; its ability to mitigate health risks while maintaining operations during the pandemic; its use of worksite flexibilities; and its use of PPE. OIG found that EOIR took some actions to help mitigate the risk of Covid-19 for staff and parties to immigration proceedings, but various factors limited the efficacy of those efforts. For example, procedural decisions, such as waiving in-person appearances, fell to each immigration judge; OIG found that decisions on in-person appearances were inconsistent, not always successfully communicated, and sometimes contributed to exposure risk to staff and parties to immigration proceedings. Additionally, EOIR had limited electronic filing capability, relying primarily on in-person, paper filings; electronic filing was an option in only 14 of 69 immigration courts in March 2020. OIG also found that while EOIR created a team to address Covid-19 concerns, its initial communication related to the pandemic was sometimes unclear, inconsistent, and untimely, which resulted in confusion and anxiety.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on April 21, 2021, titled “Oversight of the Economic Development Administration’s Role in Pandemic Response.” Dennis Alvord, acting assistant secretary of commerce for economic development, testified.

The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on April 20, 2021, titled “Update on SBA’s Pandemic Response Programs.” The hearing gave members the opportunity to discuss numerous reports from the SBA Inspector General and the GAO related to the lack of internal controls and the potential for fraud within the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs. Witnesses included William Shear (director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, GAO) and Hannibal “Mike” Ware (SBA Inspector General).

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing titled “Covid-19 Recovery: Supporting Workers and Modernizing the Workforce Through Quality Education, Training, and Employment Opportunities.” Witnesses included: Maria Flynn (president and CEO, Jobs for the Future); Deneice Thomas (deputy commissioner of workforce learning and development, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development); Dr. Scott Ralls (president, Wake Technical Community College); and Alejandro Mendoza (human resources director, Optimax Systems, Inc.).

The Government Accountability Office reviewed how Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF), which allocated $12.6 billion in grants for schools to prevent, prepare for, and respond to Covid-19, were provided to schools. The GAO analyzed the Department of Education’s data (as of Nov. 20, 2020) on HEERF student aid obligations, as well as the extent to which schools accessed these funds. As of November 2020, the agency had awarded $6.19 billion to 4,778 schools that applied for emergency student aid funds. The GAO conducted its audit of the HEERF from June 2020 through April 2021, and found that by fall 2020, schools had distributed about 85 percent of these funds to students and that the majority of student aid funds went to public schools.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has previously made recommendations to SBA to address internal control and fraud risk management deficiencies in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. GAO added both programs to its High-Risk List in March 2021, but reported that SBA has begun taking steps to address oversight deficiencies associated with these programs by: developing a loan review process and adding up-front verifications before it approves new loans; developing a plan for the testing needed to estimate improper payments; agreeing to implement a comprehensive oversight plan for the EIDL; and agreeing to conduct a formal assessment and development a strategy to manage fraud risks for each program, among other changes. However, GAO noted that SBA has not yet announced plans to conduct a portfolio-level analysis to detect potentially ineligible PPP and EIDL applications (as recommended by GAO in January 2021), nor could SBA provide adequate documentation to support a significant number of transactions and account balances related to the programs.

The Defense Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its initial Covid-19 Pandemic Oversight Plan in May 2020. OIG’s Q2 update contained information about the office’s ongoing oversight projects, reports issued, and desired impact.

In the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. government repatriated about 1,100 U.S. citizens living abroad and, upon arrival back home, quarantined them domestically to prevent the spread of the virus. The HHS component agencies tasked with repatriation — the Administration for Children and Families, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the CDC — experienced coordination and safety issues that put repatriates, HHS personnel, and nearby communities at risk. The Government Accountability Office recommended that HHS revise or develop repatriation response plans and clarify agency roles. In assessing HHS’s role in the repatriation of U.S. citizens in the early stages of the pandemic, the GAO identified several problems including: lack of clarity as to which agency was in charge when the first repatriation flight from Wuhan arrived at the quarantine facility, causing confusion among the HHS component agencies; coordination issues among HHS component agencies; HHS’s delay in issuing its federal quarantine order, during which time a repatriate attempted to leave the quarantine facility; and HHS’s inconsistent use of PPE and HHS officials’ disagreement over which agency was responsible for managing infection prevention and control. Notably, an HHS official directed personnel to remove their PPE to avoid “bad optics.”

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis’ hearing on April 15, 2021, titled “Reaching the Light at the End of the Tunnel: A Science-Driven Approach to Swiftly and Safely Ending the Pandemic,” includes the following witnesses: Dr. Rochelle Walensky (director, CDC), Dr. Anthony Fauci (director, NIAID), and Dr. David Kessler (chief science officer, Covid response, HHS).

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on April 15, 2021, titled “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons,” includes BOP Director Michael Carvajal as a witness.

The Joint Economic Committee’s hearing on April 14, 2021, titled “Vaccinations and the Economic Recovery,” includes the following witnesses: Dr. Paul Romer (professor of economics, NYU; Nobel Prize winner in economics); Dr. Celine Gounder (clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases, NYU School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital; CEO, Just Human Productions); and Dr. Alexander Tabarrok (Bartley J. Madden Chair in Economics, Mercatus Center, and professor of economics, George Mason University).

The Senate Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on April 14, 2021, titled “Preparedness for COVID-19: The Initial Pandemic Response and Lessons Learned.” Witnesses included: Nicole Lurie, MD (Former Assistant Secretary or Preparedness and Response, HHS); Julie Gerberding, MD (Former Director, CDC); Joseph Nimmich (Former Deputy Administrator, FEMA); and Elizabeth Zimmerman (Former Associate Administrator, Office of Response and Recovery, FEMA).

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s hearing on April 14, 2021, titled “An Epidemic within a Pandemic: Understanding Substance Use and Misuse in America,” focused on the increase in drug overdoses and fatalities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Witnesses included: Regina LaBelle (Acting Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy); Geoffrey Laredo (Principal, Santa Cruz Strategies, LLC); Patricia Richman (National Sentencing and Resource Counsel, Federal Public and Community Defenders); Mark Vargo (Pennington County State’s Attorney; Legislative Committee Chairman, National District Attorneys Association); Dr. Timothy Westlake (Emergency Department Medical Director, Pro Health Care Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital); and Dr. J. Deanna Wilson (Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine).

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on April 14, 2021 titled, “Examining the COVID-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Health Systems One Year Later.” Witnesses included: Rear Adm. Michael Toedt (Chief Medical Officer, Indian Health Service); William Smith (Chairperson, National Indian Health Board); Walter Murillo (Board President, National Council of Urban Indian Health); Dr. Sheri-Ann Daniels (Executive Director, Papa Ola Lōkahi); and Dr. Robert Onders (Alaska Native Medical Center Administrator).

Public Citizen found that the federal government awarded more than $36 billion in contracts in 2020 to more than 6,300 companies to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. While only 6 percent of these companies (around 400 total) reported that they lobbied the federal government that year, these companies were awarded more than half ($19.4 billion) of the Covid contract money disbursed. While the federal lobbying industry’s revenue declined slightly in 2020, contract recipients who lobbied the White House or an awarding federal agency increased the number of lobbyists at their disposal in 2020.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed Covid-19 vaccine availability and initial vaccine administration. Stakeholders interviewed by the GAO identified challenges with initial vaccine implementation, including that states did not always have information critical to local-level distribution, such as how many doses would be received and when. In addition, the report detailed other actions the federal government has taken to make more doses available, including by adding new vaccine sites and by helping vaccine companies expand manufacturing capacity.

The VA Inspector General reviewed the Veterans Health Administration’s plans to document receipt and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. The OIG determined that VHA facilities did not consistently document the Covid-19 vaccination status of veterans living in the VA’s Community Living Centers. OIG determined that VHA could not know at a national level whether the vaccine was offered to some VHA residents, and if so, what their vaccination status was. OIG urged clear guidance and consistent oversight to ensure CLCs are properly tracking veterans who fall in the 23 percent of residents missing information needed to determine their vaccination status.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s hearing on April 13, 2021, titled “The State of Travel and Tourism During Covid,” includes the following witnesses: Steve Hill (president and CEO, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority); Jorge Perez (regional portfolio president, MGM Resorts International); Carol Dover (president and CEO, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association); and Tori Emerson Barnes (executive vice president, public affairs and policy, U.S. Travel Association).

The USPS Inspector General conducted a nationally representative survey to understand the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic may have altered customer perceptions of USPS, as well as their mail habits and other postal-related activities. While OIG found that Americans continued to hold favorable views of USPS, they also found that respondents sent mail and personal packages less frequently compared to the previous year, and that the timeliness of their mail delivery had declined.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released documents obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the Trump administration’s political interference with Covid-19 response and haphazard efforts to obtain critical medical supplies. The documents included communications illustrating Trump administration officials bragging about influencing the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), attacking CDC’s guidance for schools and universities, and pushing a “herd immunity” strategy to combat the virus. The documents also showed that Trump administration officials often used personal email accounts for government work. The acquisition and release of these documents prompted the Select Subcommittee to send letters to Paul Alexander (former HHS senior adviser), Scott Atlas (former special adviser to the president), and Steven Hatfill (former adviser to Assistant to the President Peter Navarro) requesting documents and transcribed interviews regarding their roles in the Trump administration’s pandemic response.

The Defense Department Inspector General conducted an audit to determine whether U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officials properly managed undefinitized contract actions (UCAs) for Alternative Care Sites (ACS) constructed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by definitizing actions within required time limits, conducting analyses of fair and reasonable price determinations, and ensuring profit was adjusted for costs incurred.

In response to a request from the House Ways and Means Committee, the SSA Inspector General reviewed SSA’s telephone services during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report covers performance and customer service information for SSA’s national 800 number as well as field office telephone services for June 2020. SSA altered operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and continued to serve the public through its phone operations.

The SBA Inspector General published a report detailing problems with the control environment and tracking of performance results in the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program. OIG recommended that SBA take immediate action to reduce or eliminate risks by strengthening existing controls and implementing internal controls to address the potential misuse of federal funds. OIG noted that strong controls would ensure that the SVOG program helps small business owners and entities that have suffered economically because of the Covid-19 pandemic. OIG recommended that SBA reassess the audit risk plan to identify vulnerabilities commensurate with the expected volume of applications and average award amount; clearly establish criteria to ensure compliance during implementation and oversight phases; implement required performance measures to determine the impact of the program; and ensure sufficient resources are available to implement and oversee the SVOG program.

The VA Inspector General conducted a review of community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) closures due to Covid-19 to evaluate the impact on the provision of patient care related to the pandemic. Based on survey responses and interviews with facility leaders, OIG concluded that, generally, patient care needs were not interrupted.

GAO assessed the effects of Covid-19 on Worker Capital Funds (WCF) and depot operations. The resulting report describes how Covid-19 has impacted Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force depot productivity, and examines the extent to which depot actions in response to Covid-19 addressed key practices to support the workforce, continue operations, and improve crisis response. The report also examines the extent to which WCF cash management policy ensured financial solvency and reflected current guidance. GAO found that at half of the eight depots reviewed, productivity was lower than planned every month during FY 2020. Additionally, all eight depots reported that any challenges experienced before the pandemic, such as personnel shortages, were worsened by Covid-19. GAO noted that while Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force management supported their workforce during the pandemic, they experienced challenges maintaining operations and improving crisis response. Moreover, depot officials stated the adapting existing natural-disaster contingency plans for Covid-19 created confusion among personnel early in the pandemic. Depots did not consistently document “lessons learned,” a practice which could help protect the workforce and maintain productivity during future crises.

GAO released a report about remdesivir, the first drug approved by the FDA to treat Covid-19, and examined federal contributions to the development of the drug and related agency patent rights. The House Oversight Committee requested the report to learn more about how taxpayer-funded research is being used to develop drugs and vaccines. As of December 2020, federal funding for preclinical studies and clinical trials involving remdesivir totaled about $162 million. Despite these contributions, the federal government did not receive patent rights because, according to agency officials, federal contributions to the research “did not generate new inventions.” Remdesivir costs $3,120 for a five-day course of treatment; the House Oversight Committee responded to this finding, calling the price “unconscionable for a drug developed with millions in taxpayer-funded research” (https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/new-gao-report-requested-by-stabenow-and-maloney-finds-government-provided-162).

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), in its sixth comprehensive report on the federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic, identified multiple ways federal agencies can improve pandemic response efforts. For example, to make Covid-19 data more easily accessible, GAO recommended that HHS make its different sources of publicly available data accessible from a centralized location on the internet. GAO also recommended that HHS work to ensure the complete reporting of race and ethnicity information for recipients of Covid-19 vaccinations.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that in March and April 2020, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identified 15 exceptions (“flexibilities”) to government-wide grants management requirements that agencies could make available to grantees and grant applicants. OMB’s memorandums on the issue stated that they were intended to help grantees respond to and address organizational challenges stemming from Covid-19 by reducing administrative burdens without compromising accountability. OMB rescinded most flexibilities by June 2020, and all flexibilities expired at the end of 2020. GAO recommended that OMB collect and share lessons learned from the use of grant flexibilities.

The Treasury Assistant Inspector General for Audit sent a memorandum to Acting Assistant Secretary John Norris detailing findings from an audit of “Air Carrier Worker Support” certifications under Title IV, Subtitle B of the CARES Act. The audit was conducted to assess the accuracy, completeness, and sufficiency of air carriers’ and contractors’ (applicants/recipients) “sworn” financial statements or other data used to certify the wages, salaries, benefits, and other compensation amounts submitted to and approved by the Treasury. The audit identified pervasive issues with the calculation of payroll amounts reported to the Treasury by non-241 passenger air carriers and contractors; these payroll amounts impacted the accuracy of recipient award amounts.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released documents obtained during its ongoing investigation into the Trump administration’s efforts to procure and distribute PPE and other supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The documents provided evidence that: President Trump failed to heed an urgent warning from then-Assistant to the President Peter Navarro about the virus; White House officials pursued an ineffective and ad hoc approach to supply contracts; and the administration relied on outside advisers rather than career professionals to arrange contracts. In addition to releasing the documents it obtained, the Select Subcommittee also sent letters to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Acting FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton. The new documents released included a memo from Peter Navarro to Trump, documents from Phlow Corporation, documents from Eastman Kodak Company, and documents from AirBoss Defense Group: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/PHLOW_SSCC_0017388_Redacted.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/FINAL%20PHLOW%20COMPILED.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/documents/FINAL_KODAK_COMPILED.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/FINAL%20AirBoss%20Compiled%202.pdf

The NASA Inspector General published a memorandum summarizing Covid-19 pandemic-related impacts on 30 of NASA’s major programs and projects by the end of FY 2020. These major programs and projects accounted for approximately $1.6 billion of the estimated $3 billion total Covid-related impacts reported by the agency.

The Defense Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit to determine whether military installation commanders implemented measures to prepare for public health emergencies, and respond to and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, on Defense Department installations. OIG concluded that due to the measures that commanders implemented to prepare for public health emergencies and respond to and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, installation personnel protected lives and sustained mission-critical operations.

The Defense Department Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit to determine whether the department established, and Military Services implemented, the procedures to prevent and reduce the spread of Covid-19 at basic training centers. OIG determined that Military Services did not fully implement the procedures at six basic training centers. Specifically, the training personnel at the six locations reported that they had challenges with: implementing Defense and Military Service-specific guidance to prevent and reduce the spread of Covid-19; the screening and testing of training personnel; practicing preventative measures, such as wearing face masks, washing hands, cleaning common room areas, and enforcing social distancing; and maintaining the quality of recruit training due to basic training modifications. Information about the number of recruits and training personnel testing positive for Covid-19 was redacted in the publicly released report, but OIG noted that the potential for positive Covid-19 cases among recruits and training personnel “may increase.”

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Inspector General engaged Cotton & Company LLP to conduct a performance audit of the implementation of Office of Management and Budget Covid-19 flexibilities at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for the period of March 1 to Sept. 30, 2020. The audit was conducted to determine whether UAF used the administrative Covid-19 flexibilities authorized by OMB and if so, whether UAF complied with associated guidelines. The audit identified concerns regarding UAF’s compliance with certain federal and NSF regulations and NSF award terms and conditions.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Inspector General engaged Cotton & Company LLP to conduct a performance audit of the implementation of Office of Management and Budget Covid-19 flexibilities at the University of Kentucky Research Foundation (UKRF) for the period of March 1 to Sept. 30, 2020. The objective of the audit was to determine if UKRF used the administrative Covid-19 flexibilities authorized by OMB and if so, whether UKRF complied with the associated guidelines. The audit identified concerns regarding UKRF’s compliance with certain federal and NSF regulations, including questionable costs claimed by UKRF during the audit period. Specifically, the auditors identified $33,151 in unallowable materials and supplies expenses.

The Congressional Oversight Commission’s 11th report explored the Treasury Department’s airline industry loan program. The COC recommended that the Treasury publish periodic monitoring updates for the airline industry loans that include an estimate for expected loan losses for the program, an approach that would be consistent with what the Federal Reserve did with the Main Street Lending Program (MSLP). The COC also recommended that if Congress were to authorize the Treasury to operate any new airline industry loan programs in the future, that it should explicitly prohibit insolvent borrowers from being eligible for loans. The report also provided updates regarding recent actions taken by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve regarding the lending programs and facilities under Subtitle A, as well as updates regarding the COC’s oversight activities more broadly.

The SBA Inspector General evaluated SBA’s handling of economic relief funding used to educate, train, and advise small business owners and entrepreneurs on practices necessary to reduce the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. OIG found that SBA awarded the CARES Act entrepreneurial development cooperative agreements and grants in accordance with applicable federal laws, regulations, and guidance. OIG also found that program officials established performance goals and identified performance indicators. However, in order to more effectively ensure performance goals are achieved as intended, OIG recommended that SBA clearly define those goals and targets. OIG also recommended that SBA collect and analyze recipients’ performance results to establish a framework for setting goals for future disasters.

The Interior Department Inspector General sent a management advisory memo to Andrea Brandon (Interior deputy assistant secretary for budget, finance, performance and acquisition) alerting her of potential misuse of the DOI Purchase Card Program. During OIG’s ongoing review of the agency’s use of CARES Act funds, OIG identified a “significant number of transactions that appear to be impermissible split purchases,” reflecting possible misuse of purchase cards.

The DHS Inspector General performed an unannounced inspection of La Palma Correctional Center (LPCC) in Eloy, Ariz., and identified numerous violations of ICE detention standards that threatened the health, safety, and rights of detainees. Detainee reports and grievances allege an environment of mistreatment and verbal abuse, including in response to detainees’ peaceful protests of the facility’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. LPCC did not enforce Covid-19 precautions required by ICE, including face coverings and social distancing, which may have contributed to the widespread outbreak at the facility. In addition, LPCC did not meet standards for medical care, segregation of detainees, grievances, or detainee communication; OIG found that the medical unit was critically understaffed, took an average of 3.35 days to respond to detainees’ sick call requests, and neglected to refill some prescription medications. Moreover, LPCC did not keep records of detainee requests, and ICE did not provide a deportation officer visit or call schedule for detainees, among other violations.

The Postal Service Inspector General assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on USPS finances. From March through September 2020, USPS separated pandemic-related expenses from daily operating expenses to determine Covid-19’s impact. USPS OIG found that while the pandemic impacted USPS’s finances, the impacts were not entirely negative. Although expenses increased, near-term liquidity improved, as package volume and revenue increased during the second half of FY 2020. USPS OIG also concluded that while management made considerable efforts to isolate expenses specific to the pandemic, the agency did not capture all pandemic-related expenses in a timely or consistent manner.

The Defense Inspector General conducted an audit to determine whether Defense components maintained network protections during the Covid-19 pandemic while the agency’s workforce maximized the use of telework. DOD OIG found that components that were assessed did not consistently implement required cybersecurity controls to protect the agency’s networks during telework.

The Interior Department Inspector General released a “flash report” briefly detailing the department’s usage of CARES Act funds as of Jan. 31, 2021. To date, the CARES Act has provided the department with $909.7 million.

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on March 25, 2021, titled “Examining Our Covid-19 Response: Improving Health Equity and Outcomes by Addressing Health Disparities.” Witnesses included: Consuelo Wilkins, MD, MSCI (vice president for health equity, Vanderbilt University Medical Center); Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee, executive vice president, Seattle Indian Health Board); Taryn Mackenzie Williams (managing director, Poverty to Prosperity, Center for American Progress); and Gene Woods (president and CEO, Atrium Health).

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on March 25, 2021, titled “The Effects of Covid-19 on Arts and Humanities Organizations.” Witnesses included: Caleb Cage (Board of Trustees, Nevada Humanities); Deborah Lenk (museum director, Museum of Glass); Kathleen Mundell (director, Cultural Resources); and Ulysses Slaughter (project manager, Chester Made).

The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on March 25, 2021, titled “Lessons Learned: Charting the Path to Educational Equity Post-Covid-19.” Witnesses included: Mark Morial, JD (president and CEO, National Urban League); Jennifer Dale (parent, Lake Oswego, Ore.); Selene Almazan, Esq. (legal director, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates Inc.); and Alberto Carvalho (superintendent of schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools).

The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on March 25, 2021, titled “American Rescue Plan: Shots in Arms and Money in Pockets.” Witnesses included: Amy Matsui (director, income and security, and senior counsel, National Women’s Law Center); Sharon Parrott (president, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities); Rory Cooper (public school parent; Fairfax County, Va.); Dr. Angela Rachidi (Rowe Scholar, American Enterprise Institute).

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on March 25, 2021, titled “Rooting Out Fraud In Small Business Relief Programs.” Witnesses included: Hannibal “Mike” Ware (inspector general, Small Business Administration); Michael Horowitz (chair, PRAC; inspector general, Department of Justice); and William Shear (director of financial markets and community investment, GAO).

In advance of its March 25, 2021, hearing on addressing fraud in the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a memorandum detailing new evidence obtained regarding the scope of fraud in these Covid-19 relief programs.

William Shear, director of financial markets and community investment at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis about fraud in SBA’s Covid-19 relief programs. GAO noted that SBA placed limited internal controls on its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, leaving those programs susceptible to fraud.

The House Veteran’s Affairs Committee held a hearing on March 24, 2021, titled “The Pandemic and VA’s Medical Supply Chain: Evaluating the Year-Long Response and Modernization.” Witnesses included: Deborah Kramer (acting assistant undersecretary for health for support services, Veterans Health Administration); Andrew Centineo (executive director, Procurement and Logistics Office, VHA); Phillip Christy (deputy executive director for acquisitions, logistics, and constructions, Department of Veterans Affairs); Michael Missal (inspector general, VA); and Shelby Oakley (director of contracting and national security acquisitions, Government Accountability Office).

The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on March 24, 2021, titled,”The Quarterly CARES Act Report to Congress.” Witnesses included Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on March 24, 2021, titled “Coping During Covid: Veterans’ Mental Health and Implementation of the Hannon Act.” Witnesses included representatives from the VA and veterans groups.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on March 24, 2021, titled “Management Performance Challenges and Covid Response at the Department of Justice.” DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz will testify.

Public Citizen released a report about two lending companies — Meadowwood Financial Services and Wellshire Financial Services — that received $35 million in Covid-19 relief loans in potential violation of the Main Street Lending Program’s loan terms for affiliated businesses. MSLP rules limit how much money affiliated businesses can receive by requiring them to apply for loans through the same MSLP facility; details of the two businesses’ structures suggest they are affiliated entities, and thus should have applied for their loans within the same MSLP facility. The companies are owned by Rob Aycox, who previously received MSLP loans despite rules barring lenders from the program.

The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on March 23, 2021, titled “The Interaction Between the Paycheck Protection Program and Federal Acquisition Rules: What it Means for Government Contractors.” Witnesses included: Greg Bingham (partner, HKA); Susan Moser (partner, Cherry Bekaert); Robin Greenleaf, PE (CEO, Architectural Engineers; testifying on behalf of the American Council of Engineering Companies); and Carlos Penin, PE (president, CAP Engineering).

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on March 23, 2021 titled, “VA Compensation and Pension Exams During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Path Forward.” Witnesses included: David McLenachen (executive director, Medical Disability Examination Office, Veterans Benefit Administration); Toby Mathew (chief officer, Office of Disability and Medical Health, Veterans Health Administration); Elizabeth Curda (director of education, workforce, and income security, GAO); Brent Arronte (deputy assistant inspector general for audits, VA); Samantha Kubek (coordinating attorney, Veterans Initiative, Legal Health Division, New York Legal Assistance Group); Shane Liermann (deputy national legislative director, Disabled American Veterans); and Ryan Gallucci (director, National Veterans Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars).

The DOJ Inspector General conducted a remote inspection of Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago (MCC Chicago) between April 23 and May 1, 2020, to assess the steps MCC Chicago officials took to prepare for, prevent, and manage Covid-19 transmission within its facilities. The OIG found that as of May 8, 2020, 18 percent of MCC Chicago inmates (110 out of 608) tested positive for Covid-19. The OIG also found that the institution’s “high-rise architecture, with a combination of open dormitory units and surrounding units of cells for housing two to four inmates” created challenges for social distancing and isolating inmates with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. Moreover, because MCC Chicago houses predominantly arrestees and pretrial detainees, there is a constant introduction of new inmates from the community, or transferred from other detention centers, creating challenges for controlling Covid-19 transmission within the facility.

GAO’s report discussed the need for Congress and the Biden administration to quickly pivot to putting the government on a sustainable, long-term fiscal path after the economy recovers from Covid-19. The GAO acknowledged that the challenges presented by Covid-19 compelled a major federal response, but projected that federal debt will reach its highest point in history in 2028 and will continue to grow faster than GDP. The GAO also projected that in the long term, spending on health care programs and social security will drive most of the increase in federal non-interest spending as a share of GDP.

The Government Accountability Office testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about the status of the 2020 census, ongoing challenges the Census Bureau faces in completing the count (including those related to the Covid-19 pandemic), and lessons learned to inform planning for the next census. The GAO noted that the Census Bureau has yet to assess concerns about data quality or finalize plans to protect data. In particular, the bureau’s original plans and schedules to protect the privacy of respondent data were impacted by Covid-19, but as of March 2021, the bureau had not yet finalized plans related to the protection of respondent data in products expected to be issued after redistricting.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released an interim report detailing how IRS employees leveraged the agency’s telework program to continue operations during the Covid-19 pandemic. TIGTA conducted its evaluation of IRS operations to determine whether IRS effectively used its telework program to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on IRS operations.

Open the Government published a report detailing challenges to government transparency during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly with respect to FOIA requests. The report detailed instances of federal agencies failing to meet their requirements to produce records in a timely manner in response to public records requests, secrecy from the Trump administration surrounding its pandemic response, and abuses of agencies’ administrative rights (i.e., inappropriately rejecting standard FOIA requests by claiming that requests were too vague or broad). Open the Government noted that while suing agencies became one of the few ways to obtain records, litigation is generally time-consuming and often prohibitively expensive, especially for members of the public.

The Treasury Inspector General (OIG) evaluated whether the IRS timely and accurately processed tax returns during the 2020 filing season, and provided information to the agency on the impact of Covid-19 on its operations. The OIG noted that much of the work performed at the IRS’s Tax Processing Centers is not conducive to a telework environment, including the sorting and distributing of mail and the processing of paper tax returns. As of Nov. 14, 2020, IRS had more than 2.9 million pieces of unopened mail and 4.7 million individual paper tax returns to process. When IRS closed its offices nationwide, it stopped answering 81 of its 87 toll-free taxpayer assistance telephone lines, and closed all 358 Taxpayer Assistance Centers.

Buzzfeed News reporter Jason Leopold obtained nearly 1,100 pages worth of records responsive to his April 6, 2020, FOIA request: “All daily and/or weekly internal situation reports relating to or referring to Coronavirus/Covid-19. The timeframe for this request is January 1, 2020, through the date the search for responsive records is conducted.”

OMB Acting Director Robert Fairweather sent a memo to the heads of federal agencies instructing them to cooperate with the Pandemic Response and Accountability Committee (PRAC) and agency inspectors general to mitigate the risk of waste, abuse, and fraud of American Rescue Plan (ARP) agency spending.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on March 18, 2021, titled “A Year Out: Addressing International Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Ashish Jha, MD (dean, Brown University School of Public Health); Tjada D’Oyen McKenna (CEO, Mercy Corps); and Tom Bollyky (senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations).

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on March 23, 2021, titled “Oversight of the Treasury Department’s and Federal Reserve’s Pandemic Response.”

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on March 24, 2021, titled “Preserving a Lifeline: Examining Public Housing in a Pandemic.”

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on March 17, 2021, titled “Leading the Way Forward: Biden Administration Actions to Increase Covid-19 Vaccinations.” Witnesses included: Anthony Fauci, MD (director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases); Peter Marks, MD, PhD (director, Center for Biologics Evaluations and Research, FDA); and Rochelle Walensky (director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on March 17, 2021, titled “Rising to the Challenge: The Future of Higher Education Post Covid-19.”

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing on March 17, 2021, titled “From Rescue to Recovery: Building a Thriving and Inclusive Post-Pandemic Economy.” Witnesses included: Joseph Stiglitz (university professor, Columbia University; Nobel Laureate in Economics) and William Spriggs (chief economist, AFL-CIO; professor, Department of Economics, Howard University).

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on March 17, 2021, titled “A National Tragedy: Covid-19 in the Nation’s Nursing Homes.” Witnesses included: John Dicken (director, Health Care, GAO); R. Tamara Konetzka, PhD (Louis Block Professor of Public Health Sciences, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago); and David Gifford, MD, MPH (chief medical officer, American Health Care Association).

The Senate Small Business Committee held a hearing on March 17, 2021, titled “The Paycheck Protection Program: Performance, Impact, and Next Steps.”

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on March 18, 2021, titled “Examining Our Covid-19 Response: An Update from Federal Officials.” Witnesses included: Anthony Fauci, MD (director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases); David Kessler, MD (chief science officer, Covid response, Department of Health and Human Services); Peter Marks, MD, PhD (director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA); and Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on March 18, 2021, titled, “Covid Outbreaks and Management Challenges: Evaluating the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Pandemic Response and the Way Forward.” BOP Director Michael Carvajal testified.

The Senate Aging Committee held a hearing on March 18, 2021, titled “Covid-19 One Year Later: Addressing Health Care Needs for At-Risk Americans.”

Bargaining for the Common Good, the Institute for Policy Studies, and Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund released a report revealing that the CEOs of the nation’s largest real estate, investment, and private equity firms have seen their wealth increase by $24.4 billion since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (mid-March 2020). Despite the growing fortunes of these “corporate landlords” during the pandemic, nearly 18 percent of renters in America were behind on the rent payments (as of the beginning of January 2021); these households owed an estimated $57.3 billion in overdue rent, with the average tenant behind nearly $5,600 worth of monthly payments. The report detailed the ways in which federal efforts have failed to protect vulnerable tenants; for example, many large, corporate landlords received relief monies while still continuing to file eviction notices against their tenants. The report noted that Black and Brown families were the most at-risk of eviction, and detailed the health risks of being evicted during the pandemic.

GAO Health Care Director John Dicken testified before the Senate Finance Committee on March 17, 2021, sharing findings from the GAO’s review of CDC data from winter 2020 concerning Covid-19 cases and deaths in nursing homes. While the GAO found that as of February 2021, cases and deaths have declined in nursing homes by more than 80 percent since their peaks in December, the emergence of more highly transmissible Covid-19 variants warranted continued vigilance. Dicken testified that HHS has not implemented several past GAO recommendations, including a recommendation to fill gaps in Covid-19 data.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on March 16, 2021, titled “Hearing: The Role of FEMA and Emergency Management in Covid-19 Response.” Witnesses included: Curtis Brown (state coordinator and co-founder, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management); Bob Fenton (senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator); Mark Ghilarducci (director, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services); Kevin McGowan (director, Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management); and Curtis Brown (state coordinator and co-founder, Virginia Department of Emergency Management and Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management).

The VA Inspector General released a Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program (CHIP) report, the first in a series, detailing a descriptive evaluation of VA medical facilities’ responses to Covid-19 within the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 10 and 20. VA OIG conducted virtual health care inspections from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2020, as well as as interviews and surveys to better understand the agency’s Covid-19 preparedness and response. OIG found that the pandemic has been disruptive to many Veterans Health Administration (VHA) operations, particularly those requiring hands-on or face-to face interactions, including surgical procedures and outpatient clinic visits.

The State Department Inspector General reviewed the State Department’s plans and procedures for returning personnel to offices during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the methods outlined in those plans and procedures to ensure that suitable safety and welfare considerations and precautions have been undertaken on behalf of personnel. OIG initiated this review in response to a June 15, 2020, request by the House Oversight Committee.

Public Citizen released a report detailing the ways in which the U.S.’s for-profit health care system left the country unprepared for covid-19, including by hindering access to care and revealing gaps in health insurance coverage when individuals lost their jobs during the pandemic. Public Citizen also discussed the disastrous consequences of overwhelmed and understaffed nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The report concluded by arguing that Medicare for All would help close gaps in health care coverage, mitigate existing health disparities, and ensure essential public health funding, which would help the U.S. respond to future pandemics.

GAO found that while eviction moratoriums at the federal, state, and local levels reduced eviction filings during the Covid-19 pandemic, some eligible renters may not have benefited from a moratorium ordered by the CDC in September 2020. GAO analyzed 63 jurisdictions and found that the median rate of eviction filings was about 74 percent lower in the last week of July 2020 (when a moratorium included in the CARES Act expired) than in the same week in 2019. While eviction rates remained lower throughout 2020 relative to 2019, they gradually increased during a separate moratorium the CDC ordered in September and extended through March 31, 2021, suggesting that some renters may not have fully understood how to use the CDC moratorium. GAO stated that without a communication and outreach plan, the CDC may be failing to ensure that renters avoid eviction during the pandemic.

The SBA Inspector General found that SBA, as of Aug. 31, 2020, did not always have sufficient controls in place to detect and prevent duplicate Paycheck Protection Program loans. SBA OIG analyzed PPP loan data to identify whether lenders disbursed more than one PPP loan to the same borrower. OIG found that lenders gave more than one PPP disbursement to 4,260 borrowers, totaling $692 million. OIG recommended that SBA: review the identified potential duplicate disbursements for eligibility and recover any improper payments; review controls related to all PPP loan reviews to ensure that duplicate loans are not forgiven and not subject to an SBA guaranty, as appropriation; strengthen E-Tran controls for future PPP-type programs to ensure the controls align with program requirements and are active at all times; and strengthen controls and guidance for lenders to ensure lenders meet program requirements for future PPP-type programs.

The HUD Inspector General sent a memorandum to Acting HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single Family Housing Julie Shaffer to provide the agency with information about issues identified from prior audits of the HUD Single Family Default Monitoring System (SFDMS) and the partial claim loss mitigation option. HUD OIG identified a lack of effective controls to ensure that lenders reported default information accurately and in a timely manner, promptly filed and reported partial claims, and that partial claims fully reinstated delinquent loans. OIG stated that HUD should address these issues and other problems to ensure program integrity and minimize the risk of financial loss during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on March 11, 2021, titled “Slipping Through the Cracks: Policy Options to Help America’s Consumer During the Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Ashley Harrington (federal advocacy director and senior council, Center for Responsible Lending); Robert James II (president, Carver Development CDE and Chairman, National Bankers Association); Carla Sanchez-Adams (attorney and team
manager, Survivor-Centered Economic Advocacy Team, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid); Valarie Shultz-Wilson (managing partner, Schultz & Co. Non-Profit Management Consultants); and Joel Griffith (research fellow, Financial Regulations, the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, Heritage Foundation).

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on March 11, 2021, titled “Covid-19 and the Mental Health and Substance Use Crises.” Witnesses included: Lisa Amaya-Jackson (co-director, UCLA-Duke University National Center for Traumatic Stress); Arthur Evans Jr. (CEO and EVP, American Psychological Association); Verna Foust (CEO, Red Rock Behavioral Health Services); and Mark Stringer (director, Missouri Department of Mental Health).

The Veterans Affairs Inspector General published a management advisory memorandum identifying risks associated with the Veterans Health Administration’s efforts to expedite hiring new staff due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the OIG recognized the pressure to quickly bring on new staff to address the public health crisis, the OIG identified potential risks involved with modifying or deferring tasks such as fingerprinting, background investigations, drug testing, credentialing, and pre-placement physicals, including risks that may threaten VHA’s ability to safeguard veterans’ sensitive information.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on March 11, 2021, titled “Kids Online During Covid: Child Safety in an Increasingly Digital Age.” Witnesses included: Ariel Fox Johnson (senior counsel, Global Policy, Common Sense Media); Nusheen Ameenuddin, MD (chair, Council on Communications and Media, American Academy of Pediatrics); and Corey DeAngelis (director of school choice, Reason Foundation).

The Veterans Affairs Inspector General reviewed the Veterans Health Administration’s virtual primary care response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the use of virtual care by primary care providers and their views of VA Video Connect, between Feb. 7 and June 16, 2020. The OIG found that while face-to-face primary care appointments decreased by 75 percent during the pandemic; virtual care increased, with contact by telephone representing 81 percent of all primary care encounters during the review period. Primary care providers reported that navigating VVC presented challenges for many of their patients due to a lack of training and support, Some also lacked technology equipment or internet connectivity, and providers reported challenges involved in scheduling virtual appointments.

The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on March 10, 2021, titled “The Next Steps for the Paycheck Protection Program.” Witnesses included: Hilda Kennedy (founder and president, AmPac Tri-State CDC, dba AmPac Business Capital; testifying on behalf of the National Association of Development Companies); Lisa Bombín (president and CEO, Unico Communications, Inc.); and Lisa Simpson, CPA, CGMA (vice president of firm services, American Institute of CPAs).

The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on March 10, 2021, titled “A Year into the Pandemic: The State of International Development.” Witnesses included: Rajiv Shah (president, Rockefeller Foundation; former USAID Administrator) and Bonnie Glick (senior adviser, CSIS; Former Deputy Administrator and COO, USAID).

Public Citizen analyzed the Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program and found that the program facilitated over $1.8 billion in loans to companies that laid off workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and extended support to wealthy companies that also received many of the first Paycheck Protection Program loans.

The CDC released a summary of an agency guidance review conducted by CDC Principal Director Ann Schuchat. The review found that multiple Covid-19 guidance documents issued during the Trump administration were not primarily authored by CDC staff, and were not necessarily supported by the latest scientific evidence, among other findings.

The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on March 9, 2021, titled “Examining Our Covid-19 Response: An Update From the Frontlines.” Witnesses included: Jerry Abraham, MD, MPH, CMQ (director, Kedren Health Vaccines); Umair Shah, MD, MPH (secretary of health, state of Washington); Ashish Jha, MD, MPH (dean, Brown University School of Public Health); and Mary Ann Fuchs, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN (vice president of patient care, chief nurse executive, Duke University Health System).

GAO discussed its longstanding concerns with the FDA’s ability to oversee an increasingly global pharmaceutical supply chain, as well as concerns surrounding FDA’s inspection activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDA paused most drug inspections in March 2020 to safeguard employee safety, and has since used alternative inspection methods such as relying on foreign regulators and sampling and testing drugs. GAO noted that these methods should not be considered long-term or comprehensive substitutes for inspections.

Americans for Financial Reform, Good Jobs First, Main Street Alliance, and the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center released a report detailing how Giti Tire USA received nearly $8 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans despite being a subsidiary of a global tire company with 33,000 workers and revenues of over $3 billion. The PPP provided funding for businesses to keep workers employed. However, Giti furloughed over 600 workers without pay for a month, brought back only about half the workers when it reopened, and ultimately laid off many of these workers permanently.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Financial Sector Oversight Working Group released a recording of a stakeholder listening forum titled “Pandemic Response: Perspectives on Housing.” The listening forum included input from subject-matter experts on housing issues, who discussed whether CARES Act funding and HUD programs have effectively reached their intended communities. The video of the forum can be found here: https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/news/pandemic-response-housing-insights

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on March 2, 2021, titled “The Future of Telehealth: How Covid-19 is Changing the Delivery of Virtual Care.” Witnesses included: Megan Mahoney, MD (chief of staff, Stanford Health Care); Ateev Mehrota, MD, MPH (associate professor of health care policy, Harvard Medical School); Elizabeth Mitchell (president and CEO, Purchaser Business Group on Health); Jack Resneck Jr., MD (board of trustees, American Medical Association); and Frederic Riccardi (president, Medicare Rights Center).

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on March 2, 2021, titled “Covid-19’s Effects on U.S. Aviation and the Flight Path to Recovery.” Witnesses included: Heather Krause (director, physical infrastructure, GAO); Peter Bunce (president and CEO, General Aviation Manufacturers Association); Nicholas Calio (president and CEO, Airlines for America); Lance Lyttle (managing director, Aviation Division, Port of Seattle; testifying on behalf of the American Association of Airport Executives); Capt. Joe DePete (president and CEO, Airline Pilots Association); and Edward Bolen (president and CEO, National Business Aviation Association).

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on March 2, 2021, titled “Health and Safety Protections for Meatpacking, Poultry, and Agricultural Workers.” Witnesses included: Deborah Berkowitz (worker safety and health program director, National Employment Law Project); Dulce Castañeda (founding member, Children of Smithfield); Iris Figueroa (director of economic and environmental justice, Farmworker Justice); and Carmen Rottenberg (managing director, Groundswell Group).

GAO provided testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the committee’s March 2, 2021, hearing on Covid-19’s impact on the aviation industry. GAO’s testimony included a discussion of federal assistance provided to airlines and aviation industry contractors, factors within and beyond the industry’s control affecting its recovery from the pandemic, and recommendations for Congress to support the industry’s recovery.

The GAO released its biennial report detailing its list of “high-risk” issue areas for the federal government. Many of the challenges discussed involved, or were impacted by, the Covid-19 pandemic. The GAO added addressing substance use disorder to its high-risk list and discussed the problems Covid-19 posed to SUD treatment and prevention. The GAO also added oversight over Covid-19 relief loans, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, to its high-risk list.

GAO released a report detailing challenges faced by the IRS during the 2020 tax filing season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. GAO found that IRS’s overall performance was significantly impacted by its reliance on manual processes, such as for paper returns, and its limited ability to process returns remotely while processing centers were closed. Consequently, GAO found that IRS had a significant backlog of unprocessed returns. GAO made several recommendations, including that IRS revise its estimates for addressing its returns backlog; identify and address barriers to e-filing for businesses; and identify and assess risks for the 2021 filing season.

The Congressional Oversight Commission published a report providing an in-depth examination of the Main Street Lending Program. The report provided information on actions taken by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve regarding the MSLP and other lending programs and facilities under Subtitle A.

The House Small Business Committee released a report detailing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Black-owned businesses in the U.S. The report noted that Black-owned businesses were less equipped to handle pandemic-related closures, and were more likely to be located in areas with high numbers of Covid-19 cases and less access to relief.

The Education Department Inspector General reviewed the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund’s reporting requirements. ED OIG assessed the reported usage of the Institutional Portion of HEERF by selected institutions, and whether selected institutions receiving funds under the Institutional Portion of HEERF met public reporting requirements. The OIG determined that 81 of the 100 selected institutions included in their study sample complied with Institutional Portion reporting requirements.

The House Science Committee held a hearing on Feb. 25, 2021 titled, “Building Back the U.S. Research Enterprise: Covid Impacts and Recovery.” Witnesses included: Dr. Sudip Parikh (CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science); Dr. Christopher Keane (vice president for research, Washington State University); Dr. Felice Levine (executive director, American Educational Research Association); and Thomas Quaadman (executive vice president, Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, U.S. Chamber of Commerce).

The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on Feb. 25, 2021, titled “The Coronavirus Crisis: Next Steps for Rebuilding Main Street.” Witnesses included: Watchen Harris Bruce (president and CEO, Baltimore Community Lending Inc.); Joe DeLoss (CEO, Hot Chicken Takeover); Jessica Milano (board member, Small Business Majority); Joel Griffith (research fellow, Heritage Foundation); and Dani Ritchie (owner and stylist, Studio Alchemy).

The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on Feb. 25, 2021, titled “Department of Defense Support to the Covid-19 Response.” Witnesses included: Stacy Cummings (performing the duties of secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment); Robert Salesses (performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security); and Gen. Gustave Perna (COO, Operation Warp Speed).

The House Appropriations Committee held an oversight hearing on Feb. 25, 2021. The hearing included discussion of USDA OIG’s Covid-19 oversight. Witnesses included: Phyllis K. Fong (inspector general, USDA OIG); Ann Coffey (deputy inspector general, USDA OIG); Gil H. Harden (assistant inspector general for audit, USDA OIG); and Jenny Rone (assistant inspector general for analytics and innovation, USDA OIG).

The Department of Labor Inspector General conducted an audit to better understand what plans and guidance OSHA has developed to address challenges created by Covid-19, and the extent to which these challenges have affected OSHA’s ability to protect the safety of workers. Since the start of the pandemic, OSHA has received an influx of workplace safety complaints; in an effort to reduce person-to-person contact during the pandemic, however, the agency has reduced the number of workplace inspections, particularly on-site inspections, it performs. Decreased inspections, and inspections done remotely, increase concerns that workplace hazards may go unidentified or unabated longer than usual. The OIG noted that while OSHA has issued guidance documents to enhance safety provisions during the pandemic, such guidance is not enforceable like rules or standards. Moreover, OSHA has not issued an emergency temporary standard during the pandemic, which may better protect employees’ health and safety at worksites.

The House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on Feb. 24, 2021, titled “Confronting the Coronavirus: Perspectives on the Covid-19 Pandemic One Year Later.” Witnesses included: A. Nicole Clowers (managing director, Health Care Team, GAO); Crystal Watson, DrPH (senior scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; assistant professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health); Ngozi Ezkie, MD (director, Illinois Department of Public Health); and J. Ryan McMahon II (county executive, Onondaga County, N.Y.).

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on Feb. 24, 2021, titled “Ready or Not: U.S. Public Health Infrastructure.” Witnesses included: Dr. Marilyn Bibbs-Freeman (deputy director, Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, Office of the Secretary of Administration, Virginia); Jennifer Kertanis (director of health, Farmington Valley Health District, Connecticut); Dr. Umair Shah (secretary of health for Washington); and Dr. Kathryn Turner (deputy state epidemiologist for Idaho).

The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing on Feb. 24, 2021, titled “Vaccines for Vets: Our Best Shot at Ending the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Richard Stone, MD (acting undersecretary for health, Veterans Health Administration); Jane Kim, MD, MPH (chief consultant for preventative medicine); Ralph Gigliotti, FACHE (national director, VISN 19: VA Rocky Mountain Network); and William Patterson, MD (network director, VISN 15: VA Heartland Network).

GAO delivered testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee summarizing insights gained from its oversight of the federal government’s pandemic response. From June 2020 to January 2021, GAO asked various federal agencies to: improve the federal government’s efforts surrounding Covid-19 testing and develop a comprehensive national testing strategy; improve transparency, communication, and coordination around the government’s vaccine development, manufacturing, and distribution efforts; respond to vulnerabilities in the nation’s medical supply chain, including addressing PPE shortages; improve Covid-19 data by considering health disparities across race and ethnicity; and improve the collection of health data to respond to Covid-19 and prepare for future pandemics.

The Veterans Affairs Inspector General responded to allegations from its hotline that Veterans Health Administration medical facilities could not acquire and maintain adequate PPE supplies to keep pace with escalating need during the Covid-19 crisis. OIG assessed how VHA reported and monitored its PPE supply levels during the pandemic, and solicited information about whether VHA facilities ran out of PPE or experienced significant shortages. In assessing how VHA reported and monitored PPE supplies, OIG found that VHA developed processes and tools to gather data that would help the agency navigate fluctuating demand from its facilities throughout the course of the pandemic. However, OIG also identified problems with how expired supplies were recorded, the double counting of the use of some supplies redistributed among facilities, complications involved in leveraging data from a preexisting inventory management system, and inconsistent methods to verify facilities’ self-reported inventory data.

GAO released a brief report discussing Covid-19 vaccine safety and challenges around ensuring public confidence in the vaccine, addressing misinformation, and identifying rare side effects. GAO concluded that the protection provided by the vaccines currently licensed and available in the U.S. outweigh their potential risks.

The USAID OIG audited USAID’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, specifically focusing on the role of the agency’s ventilator donation program. The provision of ventilators to more than 40 countries, at an obligated amount of around $204 million, has been one of the most publicized and controversial aspects of USAID’s Covid-19 response. OIG found that the ventilator program differed significantly from USAID’s customary practices for responding to public health emergencies; the decision to donate ventilators abroad (including National Security Council decisions for determining recipient countries, how many ventilators to send, and which suppliers and models to use) did not align with USAID’s initial Covid-19 response plan. Additionally, while most of the countries USAID had proposed to support were categorized as low- or lower-middle income, well over half of all ventilator donations were made to upper-middle- or high-income countries, as directed by the NSC.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Feb. 23, 2021 titled, “Pathway to Protection: Expanding Availability of Covid-19 Vaccines.” Witnesses included: John Young (group president, chief business officer, Pfizer); Dr. Stephen Hoge (president, Moderna); Dr. Richard Nettles (vice president of medical affairs, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, Johnson & Johnson); Dr. Ruud Dobber (EVP and president, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, AstraZeneca); and John Trizzino (EVP, chief commercial officer, and chief business officer, Novavax).

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on Feb. 23, 2021, titled “Oversight of the Internal Revenue Service.” IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig will testify.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on Feb. 19, 2021, titled “Department of Veterans Affairs Covid-19 Response.” Dr. Richard Stone, acting undersecretary for health (Veterans Health Administration), testified.

The House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on Feb. 19, 2021, titled “Covid-19 and the Child Care Crisis.” Witnesses included: Melissa Boteach (vice president of income security and child care/early learning, National Women’s Law Center) and Georgia Goldburn (director, Hope Child Development Center).

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a member briefing on Feb. 19, 2021, titled “Ensuring Equity In Coronavirus Vaccinations.” Witnesses included: Dr. Helene Gayle (president and CEO, Chicago Community Trust); Abigail Echo-Hawk (chief research officer, Seattle Indian Health Board; director, Urban Indian Health Institute); Frankie Miranda (president and CEO, Hispanic Federation); and Lathran Woodard (CEO, South Carolina Primary Health Care Association).

The House Science Committee held a hearing on Feb. 19, 2021, titled “The Science of Covid-19 Vaccines and Encouraging Vaccine Uptake.” Witnesses included: Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH (professor of vaccinology and director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine); Philip Huang, MD, MPH (director and health authority, Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services); Keith Reed, MPH, CPH (deputy commissioner, Oklahoma State Department of Health); and Allison Buttenheim, PhD, MBA (scientific director, Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and Associate Professor of Nursing and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing).

The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on Feb. 18, 2021, titled “The Coronavirus Crisis: Paving the Way to an Equitable Recovery.” Witnesses included: Jamael Tito Brown (mayor, Youngstown, Ohio); John Costa (international president, Amalgamated Transit Union); Jyoshu Tsushima (staff attorney, Legal Aid Society of Columbus); Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin (president, American Action Forum); and Gianni Cracchiolo (manager, Sal & Jerry’s Bakery).

GAO briefed the Senate HELP Committee and the House Committee on Education and Labor about the Child Care and Development Fund, which provides subsidies to low-income families to pay for child care while parents work or attend school. The report included information on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on child care subsidy eligibility and receipt.

The Department of the Interior Inspector General released a “flash report” detailing how DOI spent CARES Act funds allocated to the agency.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Feb. 17, 2021, titled “Connecting America: Broadband Solutions to Pandemic Problems.” Witnesses included: Matthew Wood (vice president of policy and general counsel, Free Press Action); Dr. Tiffany Anderson (superintendent, Topeka Public Schools); Christopher Shelton (president, Communications Workers of America); and Jonathan Adelstein (president and CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Association).

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on Feb. 17, 2021, titled “Update on the Department of Defense’s Evolving Roles and Mission in Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.” The committee heard testimony from Defense Department witnesses on the agency’s support of the government-wide Covid-19 response, as well as force protection efforts. Witnesses included: Robert Salesses (DOD official performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for homeland security and global security); Maj. Gen. Jeff Taliaferro, USAF (vice director of operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff); and Maj. Gen. Steven Nordhaus, USAF (director of operations, National Guard Bureau).

GAO released a health care “capsule” report summarizing information from a number of GAO reports that examined how the federal government and states have used Medicaid in times of crises, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee hosted a panel discussion on how the financial industry has been serving the public during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on the experience of Black and minority borrowers.

GAO introduced a vaccine tracker on its Operation Warp Speed Dashboard, displaying information about the six vaccines supported by OWS. The tracker includes information like the vaccine candidate’s review phase and whether it has been subject to large-scale manufacturing.

The Department of Defense Inspector General conducted an audit to determine whether agency components, in accordance with the CARES Act and other federal and agency requirements, procured information technology products and services to support operations in response to Covid-19 and paid fair and reasonable prices for those products and services.

The Defense Department Inspector General conducted an evaluation to determine whether Armed Forces Retirement Home officials protected residents, staff, and health care personnel from Covid-19 exposure, in accordance with federal health guidance.

The Government Accountability Office published a review of Operation Warp Speed’s vaccine development efforts. GAO’s report examined: the characteristics and status of the OWS vaccines; how developmental processes have been adapted to meet OWS timelines; the challenges that companies have faced with scaling up vaccine manufacturing; and the steps companies are taking to address those challenges.

The IBM Center for the Business of Government compiled seven essays from academics and practitioners describing how federal and local government can best transform the way they work, operate, and deliver services to the public in light of the impact of Covid-19.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on Feb. 9, 2021, titled, “State of the U.S. Maritime Industry: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Lauren Brand (president, National Association of Waterfront Employees); Ben Bordelon (chairman, Shipbuilders Council of America); Mario Cordero (chairman, Board of Directors, American Association of Port Authorities); C. James Patti (president, Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development); Michael Roberts (senior vice president, Crowley Maritime); and Del Wilkins (president, Illinois Marine Towing).

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released documents it obtained detailing evidence of the Trump administration’s political meddling in Covid-19 guidance, testing, and treatments. Communications obtained by the subcommittee from White House officials, HHS, CDC, and others showed that the Trump administration: weakened CDC testing guidance to hide evidence of positive tests while promoting reopening the country; manipulated public health information by changing scientific reports that were considered politically damaging to President Trump; and pressed FDA to approve treatments like hydroxychloroquine, despite objections from career scientists. The release of the documents was accompanied by letters sent to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-08.Clyburn%20to%20Klain%20re%20WH%20Failures%20on%20Pandemic%20.pdf; https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/2021-02-08.Clyburn%20to%20Cochran%20re%20WH%20Failures%20on%20Pandemic%20.pdf

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), in response to inquiries from Sens. Ed Markey, Jon Tester, and Elizabeth Warren, released a report describing the prevalence of deficiencies related to community living centers’ (CLCs) infection prevention and control practices prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Future GAO reports on this topic will examine the quality of care at CLCs and VA’s response to Covid-19 in the nursing homes for which the VA provides or pays for care.

The Defense Inspector General conducted an audit to determine whether Defense components nominated, certified, and appointed Dual-Status Commanders (DSCs) in accordance with legal authorities and policies for use in Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) missions, in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. A DSC is a commissioned officer authorized to exercise command on behalf of, and receive orders separate from, a federal or state chain of command, with the consent of the governor of a state or territory.

The Defense Inspector General investigated whether the Navy had policies, plans, and procedures in place to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 and infectious diseases. OIG found that DOD and Navy did have these in place; moreover, Navy issued additional policies, plans, and procedures, and disseminated lessons learned to prevent and combat Covid-19. However, OIG also found that Navy had not fully implemented measures intended to reduce the risk of the spread of infectious diseases. Prior to the pandemic, four out of five Navy Component Commands did not conduct a biennial Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Disease exercise in accordance with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) requirements. As of Aug. 1, 2020, two Navy ships have had Covid-19 outbreaks while at sea on operational deployments. OIG assessed Navy’s response to these outbreaks, and found that on one of the ships, leadership did not effectively implement mitigation measures for the majority of their crew and that social gathering areas remained open.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on Feb. 4, 2021, titled “Protecting Transportation Workers and Passengers from Covid: Gaps in Safety, Lessons Learned, and Next Steps.” Witnesses included: Dr. David Michaels (Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University); Sara Nelson (Association of Flight Attendants-CWA); Lewie Pugh (executive vice president, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association); Ismael Rivera (bus operator, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1596); Dr. William Bahnfleth (Penn State University; chair, ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force); and Joe Buscaino (councilman, Los Angeles City Council).

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Feb. 4, 2021, titled “Safeguarding American Consumers: Fighting Fraud and Scams During the Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Bonnie Patten (executive director, TruthInAdvertising.org); Jessica Rich (distinguished fellow, Institute for Technology Law & Policy, Georgetown Law School); William Kovacic (global competition professor of law and policy, George Washington University Law School); and Traci Ponto (crime victim advocate, Spokane Community Oriented Policy Services).

The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on Feb. 4, 2021, titled “State of the Small Business Economy in the Era of Covid-19.” Witnesses included: Dr. Robert Fairlie (professor, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz); Sharon Pinder (president and CEO, Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council); Stephen Schoaps (owner, Strother Cinema); and Karen Kerrigan (president and CEO, SBE Council).

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on Feb. 4, 2021, titled “Supporting Small and Minority-Owned Businesses Through the Pandemic.” Witnesses included: Nneka Brown-Massey (founder and creative director, Innovative Supplies Worldwide, Inc.); Gary Cunningham (president and CEO, Prosperity Now); Cliff Kellogg (executive director, C-PACE Alliance); Everett Sands (CEO, Lendistry); and Holly Wade (executive director of research and policy analysis, National Federation of Independent Business).

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on Feb. 4, 2021, titled “More than a Shot in the Arm: The Need for Additional COVID-19 Stimulus.” Witnesses included: Clarence Anthony (CEO and executive director, National League of Cities); Derrick Johnson (president and CEO, NAACP); Janet Murguia (president and CEO, UnidosUS); Dr. William Spriggs (chief economist, AFL-CIO); and Dr. Michael Strain (economist, AEI).

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Feb. 3, 2021, titled “Road to Recovery: Ramping Up Covid-19 Vaccines, Testing, and Medical Supply Chain.” Witnesses included: Dr. Luciana Borio (vice president, In-Q-Tel; former acting chief scientist, FDA); Greg Burel (president and principal consultant, Hamilton Grace; former director, U.S. Strategic National Stockpile); Michael Leavitt (founder and chair, Leavitt Partners; former HHS secretary); and Dr. Julia Morita (executive vice president, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation).

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) released an updated report about the top challenges facing the federal government when responding to Covid-19. The report discussed several new challenges facing the federal government, including: preventing and detecting fraud in government programs; informing and protecting the public from coronavirus-related fraud; data transparency and completeness; and federal workforce safety.

The DOJ Inspector General reviewed the U.S. Marshals Service’s (USMS) response to the Covid-19 pandemic from April through August 2020. OIG assessed the USMS’s implementation of guidance and best practices for preventing, managing, and containing potential outbreaks among the approximately 61,000 people in its custody. Notably, OIG stated that the USMS’s oversight plan for detention facilities is inconsistent and does not ensure that all facilities will be assessed for implementation of the latest CDC guidance.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on Feb. 2, 2021, titled “No Time to Lose: Solutions to Increase Covid-19 Vaccinations in the States.” The hearing featured state health officials from across the U.S. discussing the challenges they face in getting vaccines. Witnesses included: Dr. Ngozie Ezike (director, Illinois Department of Health); Dr. Joneigh Khaldun (chief medical executive and chief deputy director, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services); Dr. Clay Marsh (Covid-19 czar, West Virginia); Dr. Courtney Phillips (secretary, Louisiana Department of Health); and Dr. Jill Ryan (executive director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment).

The Office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) released its quarterly report to Congress detailing its most recent findings from its CARES Act oversight activities. In addition, SIGPR transferred three formal requests for information to Treasury officials in the Trump administration prior to the submission of the report. First, SIGPR requested a briefing and asked specific questions relating to Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s request that the Federal Reserve return unused Treasury funds appropriated by the CARES Act for Fed facilities. Second, SIGPR sent a follow-up letter to the first request, asking the Treasury to identify the specific CARES Act provisions and any related legal analysis underlying Mnuchin’s request to the Fed. Third, SIGPR sent a letter to the Treasury’s Office of General Counsel, requesting information about changes to the rules governing the Main Street Lending Program.

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) released a report discussing a wide range of challenges and areas of concerns for agencies across the federal government, including those related to addressing Covid-19.

The Defense Department Inspector General released a report discussing its ongoing Covid-19 oversight projects, including: an evaluation of the Armed Forces Retirement Home response to the pandemic; an audit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ quality assurance controls for Alternate Care Sites, constructed in response to the pandemic; an audit of military installations’ public health emergency readiness; and an audit of cybersecurity measures taken as employees telework during the pandemic, among other oversight activities. The report also summarized completed Covid-19 oversight projects.

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency released a report detailing the IG Community’s joint efforts to protect Covid-19 federal grants from fraud, waste, and abuse.

GAO released its fifth comprehensive report since June 2020 about the implementation of the CARES Act. GAO emphasized the need for federal agencies to coordinate, establish, and define roles and responsibilities among those offices responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. GAO made 13 recommendations to federal agencies to improve the ongoing federal response, and reiterated the need to address 27 of its 31 prior recommendations from its June, September, and November 2020 CARES Act reports, and November 2020 vaccines and therapeutics report, that had not yet been implemented. The agency reiterated its concern, for example, about the absence of a clear and comprehensive vaccine distribution plan.

The VA Inspector General conducted a health care inspection to assess allegations of delayed medication delivery from the VA Manila Outpatient Clinic pharmacy in Pasay City, Philippines, prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Congressional Oversight Commission (COC) published its ninth report, which summarized COC’s first eight reports and provided updates on recent actions taken by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve regarding lending programs and facilities under Subtitle A of the CARES Act. The report also discussed the state of the COC, noting that Commissioner Bharat Ramamurti had stepped down from his role to join President Biden’s administration; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has yet to announce a replacement for Ramamurti.

The Biden administration created a website to compile and share previously unreleased Covid-19 State Profile Reports to the public. During the Trump administration, these reports were made available to state governors, but were not shared with the public.

The Partnership for Public Service commissioned a survey of 300 federal leaders and identified lessons learned over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report discusses the study’s findings, and provides recommendations for federal operations, service delivery, and policymaking going forward.

Accountable.US published analysis showing that residential real estate companies owned by Jared Kushner, including Westminster Management, plan to evict at least 56 New Jersey tenants when the federal eviction moratorium expires.

The Defense Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit to determine whether the Defense Department paid “fair and reasonable” prices for laboratory equipment and medical supplies, including PPE, procured in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Items purchased included: reagents, viral transport tubes, thermometers, hand sanitizer, nitrile gloves, gowns, coveralls, and N95 masks. OIG found that Defense paid fair and reasonable prices on 19 of 23 contracts, valued at $4.1 million, for the eight items reviewed; using commercially available and historical pricing, OIG found that Defense did not pay fair and reasonable prices for N95 masks, hand sanitizer, viral transport tubes, and isolation gowns because the pandemic caused an increase in demand for medical supplies that were not always available for purchase at the time contracting personnel made their determinations. For example, Defense paid $13.75 per N95 mask, while the price published by the manufacturer for the same model was between $1.02 and $1.31 per mask. Defense also paid $20 per viral transport tube, while comparable prices for other contracts OIG reviewed priced tubes between $0.88 and $3.68 per tube.

The GSA Inspector General sent an “Alert Memorandum” to GSA Acting Administrator Allison Brigati to notify her of agency actions that have impeded OIG’s oversight of GSA’s Covid-19 activities. In performing oversight of GSA’s activities, OIG initiated two projects, one monitoring GSA’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and another auditing the Public Building Service’s Covid-19 communication and cleaning procedures. In response to these oversight initiatives, GSA established a centralized review and approval process for responses to all audit team inquiries. OIG argued that this new process compromised the integrity of the information provided by GSA personnel, and delayed and limited the audit team’s access to requested information.

The Joint Economic Committee released a report detailing the impact of Covid-19 on the restaurant industry and explaining why more relief for restaurants and restaurant workers is needed. Since the beginning of the pandemic, one in four (2.5 million) of the 10 million jobs lost across the U.S. have been restaurant jobs.

The PRAC Health Care Subgroup published a report detailing the Covid-19 testing efforts of six federal health care programs within seven months (Feb. 1 to Aug. 31, 2020) after the U.S. declared Covid-19 a public health emergency. The programs covered in the report included: Defense Department’s Medical Treatment Facilities; HHS’s Medicare Part B; DOJ’s Bureau of Prisons; Labor Department’s Workers’ Compensation; the Veterans Health Administration; and OPM’s Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. PRAC found that 10.7 million tests were administered or paid for by the six federal health care programs in this report, representing 12.7 percent of tests performed in the U.S. within the study period.

The Department of the Interior Inspector General released a CARES Act “Flash Report” detailing the department’s use of CARES Act funds as of Nov. 30, 2020. To date, the CARES Act had provided the department with $909.7 million.

The DOJ Inspector General released findings from a remote inspection of FCI Terminal Island. From May 6 to June 25, 2020, DOJ OIG conducted a remote inspection of Terminal Island to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the institution and to assess the steps it took to prepare for, prevent, and manage transmission within the facility. In April, Terminal Island tested its entire inmate population for Covid-19, but by the time testing was completed, nearly half of the inmate population was already infected. OIG’s analysis showed that 107 inmates who tested negative in two housing units remained housed with 129 positive inmates in those units for between four and five days after the institution received their test results. As of Jan. 4, 2021, 557 Terminal Island inmates and 35 staff members had tested positive for Covid-19; 10 inmates had died. While Terminal Island complied with BOP guidance on inmate testing, five of the ten inmates who died of Covid-19 did not receive a test until after staff sent them to the hospital. Additionally, Terminal Island staff did not comply with BOP policy in notifying the families of inmates with serious illnesses; in one instance, an inmate who ultimately died of Covid-19 was on a ventilator for six days; institution staff told OIG that they never informed that inmate’s family that the inmate had Covid-19 because they did not deem it relevant.

The DOJ Inspector General released findings from its remote inspection of FCC Coleman. Coleman had very few Covid-19 cases until a surge beginning at the end of June 2020. Between May 5 and May 30, 2020, DOJ OIG conducted a remote inspection of Coleman to understand how the pandemic affected the complex and to assess the steps officials took to prepare for, prevent, and manage Covid-19 transmission within the facility. As of Jan. 3, 2021, Coleman had a total of 833 inmates test positive for Covid-19, with five dying of the virus. Additionally, Coleman has had a total of 175 staff test positive, with one staff member dying of the virus.

Accountable Pharma released a report outlining the more than $250 million in insider stock sales by executives and directors at five major drug companies producing vaccines with taxpayer support, including $105 million in new profits from insider sales between September and mid-November 2020. Accountable Pharma’s findings build upon their previous report compiling executive trading data from the launch of Operation Warp Speed from May 15 through Aug. 31, 2020.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a memorandum to incoming Covid-19 Coordinator Jeff Zients and the Biden-Harris Transition Team’s Covid-19 Advisory Board co-chairs (Drs. Vivek Murthy, Marcella Nunez-Smith, and David Kessler) describing findings from her oversight of the Trump administration’s failures in dealing with Covid-19, and identifying key priorities for Joe Biden to address as soon as he takes office.

The SBA Inspector General sent a “Management Alert” to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza to bring to her attention potential Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud. SBA OIG collaborated with Treasury’s Do Not Pay (DNP) Business Center, which identified high-risk transactions related to financial assistance to small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. OIG’s review of Treasury’s analysis showed that approximately $3.6 billion in PPP loans were sent to potentially ineligible beneficiaries.

The House Ways and Means Committee’s Majority Staff released a report on the roles that racism, ableism, and other social, structural, and political determinants play in perpetuating health and economic inequity in the U.S. The report provided context for Committee Democrats’ legislative framework, “A Bold Vision for a Legislative Path Toward Health and Economic Equity,” which put forward health and economic equity policy pillars and priorities. The report and framework were released in response to the Covid-19 pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, low-income communities, and other historically marginalized groups. The legislative framework can be found here: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/documents/FINAL%20WMD%20Health%20and%20Economic%20Equity%20Vision%20Policy_FRAMEWORK.pdf

American Oversight (AO) received a final response from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) from a May 11, 2020, request asking for information regarding 31 whistleblower complaints received by OSC related to the Covid-19 pandemic and/or the federal government’s response to the pandemic from Jan. 1 to May 5, 2020. In response, OSC submitted to AO nine pages of spreadsheets containing information about the relevant agencies, case synopses, the dates cases were opened and closed, details of the allegations, and closing dispositions. The spreadsheets included 142 complaints from March to November 2020 submitted to a wide range of federal agencies, with complaints categorized as “mismanagement,” “abuse of authority,” “public safety,” “public health,” “law,” “rule,” and “waste.” However, much of the content in the allegations, including the dates in which the cases were opened, were redacted by OSC. Notably, the number of complaints at the time of AO’s FOIA request (31) was a markedly lower than the number of complaints that OSC ended up receiving by November 2020 (142).

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship published a guide to help small businesses access loan and grant programs included in the recently enacted $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill. The document includes answers to potential questions about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), as well as other forms of assistance.

The eighth report of the Congressional Oversight Commission (COC), like its seventh report, focused on the Treasury Department and the Defense Department’s $700 million loan to YRC Worldwide Inc., which was made under a coronavirus relief loan program for businesses critical to maintaining national security. The eighth report also analyzed part of the ten additional, smaller loans executed as part of this program. COC recommended that Treasury and Defense use a more robust criteria and process for recommending and certifying a business as being critical to maintaining national security.

The Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) conducted an audit to review the effectiveness of IRS systems security and operations related to processing CARES Act Economic Impact Payments. While TIGTA found that the 16 IRS tax systems involved in delivering Economic Impact Payments performed well overall, TIGTA identified a few problems during its audit. Namely, there was a coding issue in the software developed to process the payments, which affected the Individual Master File’s performance. TIGTA also identified the agency’s failure to implement a handful of key baseline security controls. TIGTA concluded by offering recommendations to Treasury’s Chief Information Officer.

The Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General released a CARES Act “Flash Report” detailing how the department allocated CARES Act funds to its offices, and how those offices spent the funds.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) released its analysis of industry sectors producing coronavirus-related medical products and supplies, pursuant to a request made by the House Ways and Means Committee in August 2020. The report analyzed U.S. industries producing these products, and conducted case studies of specific products within critical sectors and their supply chains. The report highlighted sectors where supply and demand has stabilized, and others where supply chain challenges persist. The report’s findings underlined the importance of addressing supply shortages and bottlenecks and decreasing the country’s reliance on importing certain medical products and components. Ways and Means made the request after USITC released a report in the spring which identified import data on medical supplies relevant to addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.

The DHS IG published a report containing recommendations aimed at improving oversight of PPE and pandemic planning. Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, OIG found that DHS did not: ensure the office it designated to manage and account for PPE provided adequate management oversight; ensure components’ compliance with the Integrated Logistics Support plan; or designate an office to ensure continued oversight, review, and approval of the agency’s pandemic response plans. Consequently, OIG argued that DHS did not have sufficient department-wide oversight of PPE or planning for Covid-19 as the virus began to spread globally. However, OIG acknowledged that DHS had taken steps by March 2020 to remedy this lack of oversight, noting that DHS implemented a centralized process to manage agency-wide pandemic funding and PPE supplies, and to ensure greater oversight and control. OIG recommended continuing this work, and noted that these efforts would help DHS better protect its workforce and persons under its care and custody during the Covid-19 pandemic and future pandemics.

Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Democrats released a response to Presiswnr Trump’s 2020 Economic Report, published by the Council of Economic Advisers. The response covered Trump’s economic record (pre- and post-pandemic); how Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ response to Covid-19 has undermined America’s ability to recover from the recession; how Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ response to Covid-19 disproportionately hurt the working poor, immigrants, African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans; and how Trump and congressional Republicans missed opportunities to support workers and families during the pandemic.

The Defense Department inspector general released findings from an audit it conducted to determine whether the department and contractor personnel disinfected areas that were occupied by individuals who tested positive for Covid-19, in accordance with CDC guidance.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) sent a memo to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in response to two questions posted by the subcommittee: First, does the Treasury secretary have the authority to extend the CARES Act supported Federal Reserve lending facilities consistent with Section 4029? And second, if the Treasury secretary agreed to extend the CARES Act supported Fed lending facilities, would the Fed be able to continue making loans under these programs consistent with Section 4029? CRS found that Secretary Steven Mnuchin was incorrect in claiming that he was legally required to terminate potential CARES Act funds by the end of the year. CRS also stated that the Biden administration could restart CARES Act lending programs next year; Section 4029 of the CARES Act permits the Treasury secretary to extend the Fed lending facilities, which would enable the Fed to continue making loans into 2021.

The Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general (OIG) conducted a review of the Veterans Health Administration’s response to anticipated demand and use of emergency department and urgent care services in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. OIG found that 23 emergency department and urgent care center directors lost staff due to providers testing positive for the virus, in addition to staff transfers, resignations, or retirements. While Covid-19 testing was generally available at the facilities surveyed, OIG found that some directors reported the need to ration PPE. Among other findings, OIG reported that facility directors noted the need to preserve the capability to provide emergency or urgent care services for non-coronavirus patients while attending to the special care needs of patients with Covid-19.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent a memorandum to the subcommittee’s majority staff detailing new documents obtained during the subcommittee’s investigation of political interference by senior Trump administration appointees in the work of career officials at CDC. The documents obtained by the subcommittee showed that appointees at HHS, including HHS Senior Adviser Paul Alexander, repeatedly called for pursuing a “herd immunity” strategy and were aware that the administration’s policies were causing an increase in Covid-19 cases. The documents can be read here: https://coronavirus.house.gov/sites/democrats.coronavirus.house.gov/files/12-16-2020-Release-All-Files.pdf

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) updated a report from May 2020 concerning coronavirus-related crimes, including money laundering and financing for terrorist groups. In its update to that report, FATF provided further details on how criminals continue to exploit the public health crisis, including by counterfeiting medical supplies, abusing economic stimulus measures, and committing cybercrime, investment fraud, and charity fraud. The original report from May is linked here: http://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/COVID-19-AML-CFT.pdf

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on Dec. 15, 2020, titled “Examining the Impact of Covid-19 on the Live Event Entertainment Industry.” The hearing examined the impact of the pandemic on the live event entertainment industry and the challenges faced by artists and venues, as well as supporting industries such as lighting and transportation. The hearing also examined proposals for legislative relief, unemployment compensation, and health care subsidies. Witnesses included: David Fay (president and CEO, the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts); Adam Hartke (owner, Cotillion and WAVE); Ron Lafitte (president, Patriot Management); Pete Pantuso (president and CEO, American Bus Association); and Michael Strickland (owner, Bandit Lines).

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed changes in spending and revenue needed to reach the six potential debt-to-GDP targets the end of a 30-year period (2020-2049). The report noted that the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated major federal spending to respond to the twin challenges of the public health crisis and the economic downturn; this response, combined with severe economic contraction from the pandemic, has generated a substantial increase in the federal debt. GAO stated that once the crisis abates, policymakers will need to cut spending, increase revenue, or both.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren released findings from a May 2019 investigation she opened on the American Correctional Association (ACA), the nation’s largest accreditor of prisons and immigrant detention facilities, and its relationship with the three largest private prison companies that receive ACA accreditation: CoreCivic, GeoGroup (GEO), and Management and Training Corporation (MTC). Her investigation found that ACA’s dual role as an advocate for the private prison industry and the organization responsible for overseeing conditions at facilities run by private prison companies created an irreconcilable conflict of interest. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, her investigation found that ACA failed to adapt to the pandemic; rather than shifting its oversight of prisons to address health and safety concerns during the crisis, she found that the ACA greatly reduced its auditing of these facilities.

The Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General released a report detailing its assessments of the department’s plans and procedures for returning employees to the federal office in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. OIG assessed existing guidance the agency considered when developing its plans and procedures. OIG found that the department generally incorporated available guidance in its Workplace Reconstitution Transition Plan, but found that the plan did not address anti-retaliation, as recommended by OSHA guidance. OIG also found that the Education Department did not periodically reassess and update self-screening questions as necessary in its plan, as recommended by the Office of Management and Budget.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on Dec. 10, 2020, titled “The Logistics of Transporting a Covid-19 Vaccine.” The hearing examined transportation and logistics plans for ensuring vaccines are delivered across the U.S. Witnesses included: Dr. Rachel Levine (secretary of health for Pennsylvania and president, Association of State and Territorial Health Officers); Richard Smith (regional president of the Americas and EVP, FedEx Express); and Wesley Wheeler (president of global health care, UPS). An unofficial transcript of the hearing can be found here: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/senate-commerce-hearing-on-covid-19-vaccine-transportation-transcript-december-10

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing on Dec. 10, 2020, titled “Small Business in Crisis: The 2020 Paycheck Protection Program and its Future.” Witnesses included: Douglas Holtz-Eakin (president, American Action Forum); Dafina Williams (senior vice president of public policy, Opportunity Finance Network); Thomas Zernick (president of SBA Lending, First Home Bank); and Imam McFarland (COO and Co-Owner, 21st Century Expo Group, Inc.).

The Congressional Oversight Commission held its third public hearing on Dec. 10, 2020. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin testified. The hearing examined funds authorized by the CARES Act that provides up to $17 billion in loans and loan guarantees to businesses critical to maintaining national security.

Good Jobs First conducted a national analysis of Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices. The WARN Act requires certain employers to provide advance notice of layoffs to workers and the state. Based on that analysis, Good Jobs First released a report revealing that more than 190,000 American workers have been laid off since March 2020 across 1,900 companies that received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Further, about one in eight of those workers lost their jobs permanently. Among the affected workers in 41 states and the District of Columbia, virtually none received 60 days’ advance notice of their layoffs, and more than two-thirds received no advance notice at all. Based on their observations of the PPP, Good Job First concluded with recommended modifications to the program.

Detention Watch Network published a report detailing ICE’s failed Covid-19 pandemic response. Between May and August 2020, ICE detention facilities were responsible not only for thousands of Covid-19 cases in detention centers, but also contributed to more than 245,000 additional cases in communities across the U.S. Additionally, counties with ICE detention centers were more likely to report Covid-19 cases earlier in the pandemic than counties without a detention center, and were more likely to confront a serious outbreak (at least 15 cases), a major outbreak (more than 250 cases), and a health care emergency (more than 2,500 cases). Counties in economic areas with the largest immigrant detention centers added an estimated 150 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents to baseline estimates. California, Texas, and Arizona had the most net Covid-19 cases due to the large presence of ICE detention facilities.

The Senate Special Committee on Aging published a report showing that rates of death and Covid-19 infection are rising in nursing homes. To date, more than 104,000 residents and workers in long-term care facilities have died from Covid-19; in November, more than 15 nursing home residents died from Covid-19 per hour, with 19 residents dying each hour during the week of Nov. 22, 2020, the most recent week reported. Moreover, due to the pandemic, workforce shortages in nursing homes have increased since Labor Day; in November, one in six nursing homes nationwide reported that they did not have a sufficient workforce.

The CARES Act authorized the Treasury Department to provide up to $46 billion in loans to airlines and other aviation businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The loan program had 267 applications and provided 35 loans worth $21.9 billion. As part of its CARES Act oversight responsibilities, GAO reviewed the loans provided, and found that Treasury prioritized applications from the largest passenger air carriers and executed loans with seven of them for nearly $20.8 billion. For other applicants, including smaller passenger air carriers and ticket agents, the amount of time the Treasury took to evaluate their applications and other challenges affected the number of loans executed. GAO concluded its report with a number of recommendations and “lessons learned” for designing and implementing programs of this type in the future.

GAO released findings from a study showing that the use of CARES Act-supported lending facilities had been relatively limited. As of Nov. 15, 2020, GAO found that CARES Act facilities had used about $24 billion, or a little more than 1 percent, of the $1.95 trillion the Federal Reserve can back in transition volume for these facilities. According to GAO’s study, representatives from small business associations, banks, and state and local governments may be deterred from accessing these facilities due to the terms and conditions attached. Additionally, some businesses may not have wanted to take on more debt.

The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing on Dec. 9, 2020, titled “VA’s Response to Covid-19 across the VA Enterprise.” Witnesses included: Dr. Paul Lawrence (undersecretary for benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs) and Dr. Richard Stone (executive in charge, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs).

The Defense Department Inspector General assessed the agency’s implementation of Section 3610 of the CARES Act, including whether contracting officers properly authorized and reimbursed contractor costs. The IG’s office found that, in general, Defense contracting officers complied with OMB and Defense guidance on implementing Section 3610 of the CARES Act. However, OIG identified challenges that Defense faced, including that contracting officers had to rely on contractors to self-certify their use of Covid-19 relief programs. They also found that the use of Section 3610 authority was limited within the department when compared to the total number of contractors affected by Covid-19 closures and restrictions. Defense OIG conducted their audit from May through November 2020.

The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing on Dec. 8, 2020, titled “Identifying Congressional and Administration Priorities for the Next Congress: How We Can Support Our Veterans Through and After Covid-19.” Witnesses included: Pat Murray (director, National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars); John Kamin (assistant director, Veterans Employment and Education Division, the American Legion); Maureen Elias (associate legislative director, Paralyzed Veterans of America); Ashlynne Haycock (deputy director of policy, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors); Victor LaGroon (director, Black Veteran Empowerment Council); Lauren Augustine (vice president of government affairs, Student Veterans of America); and Tanya Ang (vice president, Veterans Education Success).

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on Dec. 8, 2020, titled “Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 Solution, Part II.” Witnesses included: Jane Orient, MD (executive director, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons); Pierre Kory, MD (associate professor of medicine, St. Luke’s Aurora Medical Center); Jean-Jacques Rajter, MD (pulmonologist, Broward Health Medical Center); and Ramin Oskoui, MD (vice president of medical staff, Sibley Memorial Hospital; CEO, Foxhall Cardiology).

The House Committee on Education and Labor unveiled a report on the “future of work,” which explored how new technologies and business models are reshaping the American workforce. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, the report also detailed how the pandemic upended the U.S. labor market and the economy. The committee noted that the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic exposed how low wages, tenuous work arrangements, and a lack of savings left tens of millions of workers without a buffer, and that an unprecedented number of workers will need some form of retraining to help them stay in the workforce.

GAO released a report reviewing changes made to the design of the census in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. After multiple timeline changes, the Census Bureau ultimately shortened the period for door-to-door follow-up work by two weeks, and reduced its response processing time from 153 days to 77 days. GAO indicated that these changes raised concerns about the quality fo the data collected by the bureau. They suggested that shorter follow-up periods could affect population counts, and shorter processing times could affect the data. GAO had previously noted that late design changes to the Census risked decreasing the quality of the census. GAO recommended that the commerce secretary and bureau director should update and implement assessments, evaluations, and coverage measurement efforts to address the effects of the Census Bureau’s response to Covid-19, including the impacts of their response on data quality.

GAO Managing Director of Strategic Issues, J. Christopher Mihm, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Dec. 3, 2020, about GAO’s review of late-stage changes made to the design of the census by the Census Bureau. The changes, made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, introduced risks to the quality of data that the bureau provides for apportioning congressional representation among the states. Mihm testified that GAO believes it is important, both for transparency and to ensure public confidence in the census, that the bureau share information about the quality of census data in “near real-time” as the data is released. Mihm’s testimony came as GAO released a report (https://www.gao.gov/assets/720/711004.pdf) articulating concerns with the census’s data quality in light of the late-stage changes made to the count.

The House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing on Dec. 2, 2020 titled “Oversight of the Treasury Department’s and Federal Reserve’s Pandemic Response.” Witnesses included Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. An unofficial transcript of the hearing can be found here: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/jerome-powell-steven-mnuchin-testimony-house-oversight-hearing-transcript-december-2

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing Dec. 2, 2020 titled, “Covid-19: Vaccine Safety and Distribution.”

SIGPR published its first strategic plan, setting forth its mission, vision, and goals for the next three years and how it intends to fulfill them. The plan detailed a three-year roadmap for SIGPR to fulfill its statutory responsibility to conduct independent, objective, and fact-based oversight of certain CARES Act funds and programs, while developing SIGPR’s team and processes.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a hearing on Dec. 1, 2020, titled “The Quarterly CARES Act Report to Congress.” Witnesses included Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. An unofficial transcript of the hearing can be found here: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/steve-mnuchin-jerome-powell-testimony-about-cares-act-transcript-december-1

SBA recently released its remaining data on businesses and individuals receiving loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Accountable.US compiled the latest tranche of data into a searchable database at searchPPP.com; users can search by industry, loan amount, location, name, and congressional district, among other categories. The temporary database follows Accountable.US’s previous searchable databases, including those for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, Payroll Support Program, and previously released PPP data, which are all available in the Accountable.US Covid Bailout Tracker. Accountable.US noted that data from searchPPP.com will eventually be merged into their Covid Bailout Tracker.

The SBA Inspector General examined SBA’s implementation of debt relief for borrowers in the 7(a) Program, SBA’s flagship loan guarantee program. Section 1112 of the CARES Act provided $17 billion in debt relief to borrowers in the 7(a), 504, and microloan programs. SBA OIG conducted the review to determine whether SBA exercised effective internal controls to provide debt relief to 7(a) borrowers in accordance with CARES Act Section 1112 and internal policies and procedures. OIG found that SBA effectively ensured that more than 224,000 borrowers of 7(a) loans received $2.6 billion in debt relief within the first three months of the CARES Act. By June 2020, SBA had verified that nearly all reported eligible 7(a) borrowers had received subsidy payments. While OIG found that SBA accurately made payments on behalf of borrowers, opportunities existed to improve payment controls to ensure that only eligible borrowers received subsidy payments; OIG found that $43 million in subsidy payments went to borrowers that may have been ineligible. Moreover, because subsidy payments were issued quickly due to the urgency and severity of economic hardship facing borrowers, OIG recommended SBA strengthen internal controls and oversight of subsidy payments, rather than relying too heavily on lenders self-certifying loan statuses and payment amounts.

GAO submitted a report to congressional committees detailing its continued oversight of the federal government’s Covid-19 response. Among its highlighted findings, GAO found that states and territories were concerned about ongoing shortages of testing-related supplies and medical supplies (e.g., nitrile gloves). GAO also noted that as vaccines and therapeutics were being approved for use, more transparency around FDA’s scientific reviews of safety and effectiveness was needed to strengthen public confidence in them. Additionally, GAO stated that HHS and CDC provided little scientific explanation for changing key testing guidelines during the pandemic. The report included 11 recommendations and one suggestion for Congress to consider.

The EPA Inspector General published a report reviewing initial reopening procedures for the agency’s 13 primary offices across the U.S., including its headquarters. In their review, EPA OIG noted that while location-specific reopening plans incorporated elements of CDC’s interim guidance, specific health and safety measures outlined in the plans often varied. EPA OIG identified differences with respect to cleaning/disinfection procedures, masking, social distancing, interactions with visitors and non-EPA employees, public transportation, and ventilation systems, among other issues.

The Congressional Oversight Commission (COC) released its seventh report, which focused on the Treasury and Defense’s $700 million loan to YRC Worldwide (YRC). The loan was made under a loan program for businesses critical to maintaining national security. COC noted that Defense had not yet provided a satisfactory explanation for how YRC is critical to national security. COC also expressed concerns about the Treasury’s decisions regarding the terms and conditions of loan; YRC had been operating at a loss and had poor credit ratings before and during the pandemic, yet the Treasury provided the company a loan at a significantly lower interest rate than the rates currently being offered to borrowers with the same poor credit rating as YRC.

The House Oversight Committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Katie Porter released a report detailing findings from a comprehensive survey of Covid-19 outbreaks in behavioral health and addiction treatment programs. The lawmakers’ investigation, the first national survey of Covid-19 in residential behavioral health and addiction treatment facilities, revealed that more than half of residential behavioral health facilities covered by the survey had at least one Covid-19 case, while one in seven had larger outbreaks. The investigation also found that limited testing capacity prevented residential behavioral health programs from conducting routine testing of their patients and staff; that facilities’ paid sick leave policies did not provide sufficient coverage for all workers; and that fewer patients have been able to receive inpatient care during the pandemic despite an increased need for services.

PRAC unveiled a tool on its website that allows users to find details about projects funded by Covid-19 relief funds. The Treasury made $150 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) available to states, eligible local governments, Tribal governments, D.C., and the U.S. territories. These prime recipients are spending CRF money on expenses resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. PRAC’s CRF tracker is searchable and allows users to “follow” how CRF money flowed from prime recipients to sub-recipients.

The HUD Inspector General published a report detailing HUD’s top management and performance challenges for FY 2021, including responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenges surrounding Covid-19 include: ensuring that the public receives accurate information; ensuring timely and appropriate use of CARES Act grant funding; implementing forbearance requirements in HUD’s management programs; and performing HUD’s mission operations through the pandemic.

BailoutWatch, Public Citizen, and Friends of the Earth released a report revealing that the fossil fuel industry received between $10.4 billion and $15.2 billion in direct economic relief from the federal government. These direct relief funds were magnified by “indirect lifelines,” most notably when the Federal Reserve bought $432 million in oil and gas bonds from private investors on the secondary market. The move by the Fed fueled a lending boom of more than $93 billion in new bond issuances by oil and gas companies, the fastest rate of energy bond issuance since at least 2010. BailoutWatch, Public Citizen, and Friends of the Earth found that more than 26,000 coal, oil, and gas companies directly benefited from government stimulus efforts, with the bulk of these companies having received SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

The U.S. Postal Service OIG released a report detailing their assessment of the Postal Service’s response to Covid-19 as it pertains to the safety of its employees. To lead its pandemic response, USPS created the Covid-19 Command Response Team to ensure the agency followed directives and guidance from thhe CDC. In their assessment of the agency’s efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19, OIG identified three areas where USPS could better protect its employees: face-covering policy, contact tracing, and its employee health-screening program. First, USPS employees did not always wear face coverings when social distancing could not be achieved. Facility management voiced confusion with the face-covering policy and interpreted it to mean that state and local directives determined whether employees were required to wear face coverings. Second, the agency’s Close Contact Tracing Program did not include an overarching program goal with associated metrics, and did not have adequate staffing. Management indicated that they did not establish goals for the program. Lastly, although CDC recommended temperature-taking for employees in April 2020, USPS did not deploy temperature taking within its facilities nationwide.

The Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance (House Committee on Financial Services) will planned a hearing for Nov. 19, 2020, titled, “Insuring Against a Pandemic: Challenges and Solutions for Policyholders and Insurers.” Witnesses to be announced.

The Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance (House Committee on Financial Services) held a hearing on Nov. 19, 2020 titled, “Insuring Against a Pandemic: Challenges and Solutions for Policyholders and Insurers.” Witnesses included: Ann Cantrell (Owner, Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store; speaking on behalf of the National Retail Foundation); John Doyle (President and CEO, Marsh); Brian Kuhlmann (Chief Corporate Counsel, Shelter Insurance; speaking on behalf of APCIA and NAMIC); Michelle Melendez McLaughlin (Chief Underwriting Officer, Chubb North America); and R.J. Lehmann (Executive Editor and Senior Fellow, International Center for Law and Economics).

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on Nov. 19, 2020, titled “Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 Solution.” Witnesses included: Peter McCollough, MD, MPH (vice chief of Internal Medicine, Baylor University Medical Center); Harvey Risch, MD, PhD (professor of epidemiology, Yale University); George Fareed, MD (medical director and family medicine specialist, Pioneers Medical Center); and Ashish Jha, MD, MPH (dean, School of Public Health, Brown University).

The DOJ Office of the Inspector General released its second interim report reviewing the Office of Justice Programs’ administration of CARES Act funding. As of Aug. 22, 2020, OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance had awarded 99.7 percent of the $850 million received under the CARES Act. OJP received 84 percent of DOJ’s total allocation of CARES Act funds. The next round of financial reporting was due on Nov. 30, 2020.

The Justice Department’s inspector general released a report detailing findings from its remote inspection of Brooklyn House Residential Reentry Center (RRC), conducted between May 4 and June 22, 2020. The inspection was conducted to better understand how the Covid-19 pandemic affected this facility and to assess the steps its management officials took to prepare for, prevent, and manage Covid-19 transmission. The inspection was also conducted to evaluate whether the policies and practices of CORE Services Group and Brooklyn House RRC complied with Bureau of Prisons directives intended to control the spread of Covid-19, as well as with general CDC guidance. While Brooklyn House RRC staff whom the inspector general interviewed stated that they believed the facility did its best to address the virus and its effects, the report noted several systemic factors that potentially heightened the risk of Covid-19 spread within the institution and surrounding communities. For example, BOP did not require RRCs like Brooklyn House to quarantine asymptomatic inmates, either upon entry into custody or upon departure to long-term home placements.

The Justice Department’s inspector general published a report detailing findings from its remote inspection of Toler House Residential Reentry Center (RRC), which provides reentry services in Newark, N.J., conducted between May 1 and June 9, 2020, in order to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected this facility and to assess the steps management officials took to prepare for, prevent, and manage Covid-19 transmission. The inspection evaluated whether the policies and practices of GEO Group and Toler House RRC complied with Bureau of Prisons directives intended to control the transmission of Covid-19, as well as general guidance from CDC. Among other findings, the report found that Toler House RRC did not distribute face masks to all of its residents until nearly three weeks after the CDC recommended on April 3 that all individuals wear cloth face coverings in public settings and in areas where social distancing measures could not be maintained.

GAO released a report examining the federal government’s use of the Defense Production Act and similar actions to address Covid-19 medical supply chain issues, including: the extent to which federal agencies have used DPA and similar actions; the federal approach for using DPA and similar actions for medical supplies; and federal agencies’ efforts to identify lessons learned. The report recommended that HHS identify how DPA and similar actions will be used to increase domestic production of essential medical supplies as part of efforts to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers. GAO noted that this report is the first in a series of reports they plan to issue on the use of DPA and similar actions for Covid-19.

GAO reviewed distance learning plans from a non-generalizable group of 15 school districts selected for their high proportion of either English language learners or students with disabilities. GAO found that some English learners and their families had difficulty fully participating in distance learning during spring 2020 due to a lack of necessary technology, language barriers, and the demands of meeting basic family needs. For those with special education needs, a variety of factors complicated the delivery of special education services during distance learning, including: the wide range of needs of students with disabilities; difficulty providing services specified in their individualized education programs; and the capacity of parents and caregivers to assist teachers and service providers in delivering general education, specialized instruction, and related services to their children. Moreover, delivering related services like occupational, physical, or speech therapy for students with complex needs was particularly difficult to do so remotely.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is responsible for providing the public with a transparent accounting of how pandemic response funds are spent. To evaluate their ability to provide a comprehensive look at CARES Act spending, PRAC investigated whether there were gaps in data currently available to them, and whether those gaps would affect the level of transparency they could provide to the public. PRAC commissioned a study to examine this question, reviewing data from USASpending.gov, SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Treasury’s OIG Coronavirus Relief Fund. While PRAC found that existing publicly available data met a substantial portion of the CARES Act’s transparency requirements, their study found 16 key gaps in the data sources themselves that could impair their ability to provide the public with timely data and information on federal spending on Covid-19. The report identified 13 corrective actions that Congress, OMB, agencies, and other stakeholders could take to close or decrease these gaps.

The Levin Center at Wayne State University Law School published a report underlining the need for strong state oversight in Covid-19 contracting. The report presented three case studies that examined oversight inquiries by state legislatures into problems with emergency state contracts issued to combat Covid-19. The case studies in the report examined coronavirus-related emergency spending in 10 states related to the procurement of testing services, masks for first responders, and consulting services to facilitate the payment of unemployment insurance benefits or the reopening of communities. The ten states examined were California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) published a toolkit to aid inspectors general, states, and local agencies conducting quick reviews as part of duties to provide expeditious oversight of federal funds. The guidelines laid out in the toolkit pertain to reviews related to Covid-19’s impact on federal operations, as well as reviews of other emergent or ongoing challenges external to Covid-19. PRAC developed the toolkit specifically for senior management and congressional stakeholders responsible for the oversight of taxpayer funds, and included a set of guidelines, best practices, and lessons learned to help conduct, complete, and issue reports or other products rapidly.

The Century Foundation (TCF) released a report illustrating that approximately 12 million workers will lose Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), or Extended Benefits (EB) when funding for these programs expires on Dec. 26, 2020. TCF noted that unless these programs are extended, only 18 states will provide any type of additional benefits to millions of the long-term unemployed.

The Project on Government Oversight and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective found that large political donations flowed from over a hundred businesses after they received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The donations suggested that many of these recipients might not have needed the relief funds meant for struggling small businesses.

The DOJ Inspector General published a report detailing findings from its remote inspection of FCC Oakdale and FCC Pollock between May 7 and June 16, 2020. The inspection was conducted to better understand how the Covid-19 pandemic affected these prisons and to assess the steps officials took to prepare for, precent, and manage Covid-19 transmission. The IG found that despite their geographic proximity, FCC Oakdale and FCC Pollock experienced disparate outcomes in terms of transmission. At FCC Oakdale by June 16, 225 inmates and 29 staff members had tested positive for Covid-19, and eight of those inmates had died. As of Nov. 8, an additional 31 inmates and 22 staff members had tested positive, though no additional staff members or inmates had died. At FCC Pollock, by June 16, zero inmates and three staff members had tested positive for, but no one had died. As of Nov. 8, 52 inmates and an additional 39 staff members tested positive, but no staff members or inmates had died due to Covid-19.

GAO released a report discussing the need for FDA to identify ways to uniformly disclose to the public information from its scientific review of safety and effectiveness data when issuing emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for Covid-19 therapeutics and vaccines. GAO found that FDA does not uniformly disclose its scientific review of safety and effectiveness data for EUAs, as it would normally do for approvals of new drugs and biologics.

The Office of Management and Budget released its second quarterly report on the economic impact of Covid-19 response funds, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, among others. The report discussed how these funds have impacted employment, economic growth, and other key economic indicators. The results in the report were categorized as preliminary and current as of mid-October 2020.

The House Committee on Financial Services planned a hearing for Nov. 12, 2020, titled, “Oversight of Prudential Regulators: Ensuring the Safety, Soundness, Diversity, and Accountability of Depository Institutions during the Pandemic.” Witnesses include: Brian Brooks (acting comptroller of the currency, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency); Rodney Hood (chairman, National Credit Union Administration); Jelena McWilliams (chairwoman, FDIC); Randal Quarles (vice chairman of supervision, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System).

The DOJ Inspector General released a report detailing findings from a remote inspection of Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn. The inspection, conducted between April 30 and June 10, 2020, sought to better understand how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the institution and to assess steps MDC Brooklyn officials took to prepare for, prevent, and manage Covid-19 transmission. The IG found that while MDC Brooklyn followed BOP directives regarding testing symptomatic inmates, limited testing supplies inhibited the institution’s ability to test other inmates to measure the true number of cases in April and May. The IG also found that some health services providers were unable to obtain the necessary PPE, including N95 respirators and gowns, to evaluate inmates with Covid-19 symptoms and treat them in medical isolation. However, MDC Brooklyn’s housing arrangement, which uses self-contained, tiered units with closed cells on separate floors, likely limited contact and potential cross-contamination among inmates in different units. Further, the institution’s implementation of BOP social distancing directives further limited interpersonal contact among inmates.

In response to the Trump administration’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic, Accountable.US launched the 50 States Open Records Project, a nationwide public records investigation into all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C., American Samoa, and Guam, seeking information on how the Trump administration’s hindered the ability of states to adequately respond to Covid-19, while encouraging many states to reopen prematurely against overwhelming expert advice.

The ICT Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force’s Covid-19 Impact Study Working Group released a report examining how the pandemic impacted the logistical supply chains of information and communication (ICT) companies. The report also provided recommendations on how organizations can increase their supply chain resilience from future risks.

Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund published a report detailing some of the ways in which the largest banks have benefited from regulatory forbearance and the Federal Reserve’s financial market interventions. The report’s findings were based on analyses of regulations and bank financial reports conducted by AFR Education Fund and Risky Finance.

The House Committee on Education and Labor released a report highlighting its oversight of the Trump administration. Of relevance to the Covid-19 pandemic, the report discussed the ways in which the Department of Education mishandled the education relief funds secured for students through the CARES Act; how the administration pressured the CDC to water down Covid-19 safety recommendations for Smithfield meatpacking plant; and HHS’s refusal to establish a Special Enrollment Period during the pandemic, among other actions.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis published an interim staff report outlining some of the subcommittee’s key findings during its first six months. The report discussed the ways in which President Trump’s failure to respond appropriately to the Covid-19 outbreak led to a public health catastrophe. In particular, the report discussed the ways in which the administration failed to take responsibility and implement a national plan to combat Covid-19. The Committee detailed the ways in which Trump downplayed the crisis repeatedly and contradicted internal White House reports; instances in which political appointees improperly interfered (more than 60 times) in the government’s public health response; how the administration directed funding for critical supplies to companies with political connections to the administration; how it failed to address conflicts of interest in vaccine development; and how it and some state governments have failed to help people vote safely during the pandemic. So far, the subcommittee has launched 30 investigations — many of them ongoing — sent more than 120 letters, and reviewed hundreds of thousands of pages of documents. The select subcommittee held 15 public hearings and briefings with senior administration officials, experts in public health and economics, and Americans personally impacted by the pandemic. The subcommittee has also published seven staff reports detailing its initial findings.

The Congressional Oversight Commission published its sixth report detailing updates about recent key actions taken by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve regarding lending programs and facilities under Subtitle A of the CARES Act, as well as updates regarding the commission’s oversight activities.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) published its first semi-annual report, which covers April 1 to Sept. 30, 2020. The report summarized PRAC’s structure and responsibilities; investigations and indictments/complaints launched; and reports published so far.

The Treasury Department Inspector General (OIG) sent an information memorandum to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin detailing OIG’s perspective on the most serious management and performance challenges facing the Treasury. The memorandum discussed six main challenges facing the agency: Covid-19 pandemic relief; operating in an uncertain environment; cyber threats; anti-money laundering/terrorist financing and Bank Secrecy Act enforcement; efforts to promote spending transparency and to prevent and detect improper payments; and information technology acquisition and project management. The first challenge listed is new, while the other five are ongoing from last year.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released a brief illustrating the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on global domestic product. Rep. Don Beyer, JEC vice chair, warned that record GDP growth this quarter did not mean much because it followed a record decline the previous quarter. The pandemic led to a historic loss in economic output, but President Trump has tried to mislead the public by claiming that GDP growth this quarter means that the economy is recovering well.

The SBA Inspector General released a report detailing concerns about the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and warned that billions might have been fraudulently obtained or directed to ineligible businesses. The IG stated that SBA “lowered the guardrails” or “relaxed internal controls” as it tried to expedite aid to businesses. The report noted that based on the IG’s analysis of SBA’s EIDL data (as of July 31, 2020), SBA approved $14.3 billion (of which $13.4 billion had been disbursed) in EIDL monies to accounts that differed from the original bank accounts listed on the loan applications. The IG also found $62.7 billion (of which $58 billion had been disbursed) in multiple Covid-19 EIDLs were doled out to applicants using the same IP addresses, email addresses, bank accounts, or businesses listed at the same addresses. Lastly, approximately $1.1 billion in EIDLs and emergency advance grants were given to potentially ineligible businesses.

Accountable.US published a timeline highlighting instances in which President Trump placed political pressure on health officials’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General reviewed Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) operations, ranging from contingency planning to quality metrics and lessons learned, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The IG’s review process included completing remote interviews, document reviews, and surveying VCL employees and VHA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention staff. According to the IG’s report, VCL continued to meet performance targets for key indicators including speed in answering calls, rate of call abandonment, and levels of silent monitoring and caller satisfaction during and after VCL staffs’ transition to telework. VCL leaders reported that, in the future, VCL could benefit from a broader technology and equipment plan, and having its own information technology staff and managing its own contracts. They also reported that they could have developed better succession planning with overlap for key positions, and maintained an inventory of items such as headsets, keyboards, and cell phones. Ultimately, the IG’s office made no recommendations.

The Department of the Interior’s Inspector General published a “flash report” detailing how the departmnet has spent CARES Act funds, as of Sept. 30, 2020. The CARES Act has provided the department with $909.7 million, which includes direct apportionments of $756 million to support the needs of Interior programs, bureaus, Indian Country, and the Insular Areas, and a $153.7 million transfer from the Department of Education to the Bureau of Indian Education.

The Veterans Health Administration released a report detailing its efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic from early January 2020 to June 30, 2020. The Covid-19 Response Report provided details about the VA’s planning and preparation ahead of the pandemic, initial crisis response, key policies and directives, interactions and interdependencies with federal and state agencies, and adaptations to health care operations. The report also detailed the challenges the VA needed to address in order to respond to the pandemic, including challenges surrounding PPE and deploying health care personnel to meet critical needs in certain areas. As of Nov. 6, 2020, VA had tested 879,457 veterans and employees for Covid-19 and diagnosed 67,905 veterans with the disease, of which 14,168 were admitted to a VA medical center for care.

The Project on Government Oversight and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective published an investigation detailing ties between pharmaceutical companies and HHS officials (particularly HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan) and those involved in Operation Warp Speed. The report discussed how those industry ties impacted the administration’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Additionally, the report discussed the ways in which one of Hargan’s medical industry clients, Alvogen, was able to secure a $470 million contract with HHS for oseltamivir, an antiviral drug used to treat the flu.

The Interior Department Inspector General released a report detailing findings from its investigation of Interior officials’ disclosure of sensitive and confidential tribal information to entities outside the U.S. government. The IG’s office found that the Treasury Department emailed Interior a spreadsheet of CARES Act tribal registration data the Treasury had requested and collected from the tribes; the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) asked for this information from the Treasury to confirm whether the tribes had registered to receive CARES Act funding. The IG noted that the Treasury, in its email, had failed to mark tribal financial data related to applications for CARES Act funding as confidential, which contributed to inappropriate widespread dissemination of that data. BIA employees forwarded a spreadsheet containing the data to officers of tribes outside the federal government. Such a practice is inconsistent with Interior Department guidance on properly using and protecting agency data.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Minority Staff published a report identifying gaps in the Trump administration’s Covid-19 vaccine preparedness measures. The report noted that while President Trump learned of the severity and lethality of the Covid-19 pandemic nine months before, the U.S. continued to lack a comprehensive, national plan to combat the virus. The U.S. also continued struggling to secure N95 respirators and testing reagents. The report called for a swift and equitable distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine once it becomes available. In the meantime, the minority staff urged the administration to implement an inclusive and comprehensive vaccine strategy rooted in science and transparency. Additionally, given that the pharmaceutical companies developing and manufacturing vaccine candidates received billions in taxpayer dollars, the committee noted that it would be important that any vaccine is made safe, free, and widely available to every American.

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program published a tracker documenting the number of coronavirus-related whistleblower complaints filed, pending, screened, administratively closed, docketed for investigation, and docketed and completed. The tracker is regularly updated.

After queries by Project on Government Oversight, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency released video of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s keynote remarks on Oct. 20, 2020, at an inspectors general awards ceremony. His remarks were interpreted as a thinly veiled criticism of Trump’s management of the Covid-19 crisis.

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) released a report detailing conflicts of interest of several members of the FDA’s Covid-19 vaccine advisory committee. POGO found that the FDA advisers’ ties to the drug companies included consulting fees and compensation for travel and lodging. In some cases, companies paid the advisers directly. In other cases, records showed that companies paid these advisers’ organizations for medical studies in which they played a principal role.

A report by Columbia University Earth Institute’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness compared the U.S. death toll and policy response to Covid-19 to six similarly high-income countries (South Korea, Japan, Germany, Australia, France, and Canada). Notably, the report suggested that if the U.S. had followed similar policies and protocols as the other six countries, including building sufficient testing capabilities, enacting earlier lockdowns, issuing a nationwide mask mandate, and providing federal guidance on social distancing, between 130,000 and 210,000 Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. could have been avoided.

Accountable.US released a report highlighting nine months of politicization, misinformation, pressure, and intimidation by President Trump and his political appointees of career scientists working on the government’s Covid-19 response.

Accountable.US found that weapons manufacturers secured between $70 million and $164 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds, despite a spike in gun sales during the pandemic. Major gun manufacturers Brownells and Kimber received more than $5 million each. Following an aggressive lobbying effort from the industry, these gun companies received CARES Act relief monies intended for struggling small businesses.

The Justice Department’s inspector general released a report identifying nine challenges it believed represent the most pressing concerns for the agency, many of which involve the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the challenges discussed included: protecting the health and safety of BOP and U.S. Marshals Service staff and inmates; returning employees to the workplace safely; overseeing and administering CARES Act funds; combatting coronavirus-related fraud; and minimizing Covid-19 health risks for those in immigration court proceedings.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a staff report providing preliminary findings from the subcommittee’s ongoing investigation of the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The report discussed how the Treasury and SBA encouraged big banks to provide loans to wealthy, existing clients, often excluding minority- and women-owned businesses in the process. Further, SBA and Treasury failed to issue guidance prioritizing underserved markets. The investigation also revealed that several lenders processed bigger PPP loans for wealthy customers at more than twice the speed of smaller loans for the neediest small businesses.

The SBA Inspector General published a report detailing the top challenges facing the SBA in FY2021, including possible fraud involving its Covid-19 economic relief programs. In particular, the report highlighted challenges with SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released a report on how the U.S.’s failure to contain Covid-19 has taken a toll on Americans’ mental health. The report notes that although young people aged 18 to 29 are less likely to be hospitalized or die from Covid-19, almost half report having depressive symptoms and/or generalized anxiety disorder, the highest rate of mental illness of any age group. The report also notes that Black and Latinx populations have reported some of the highest rates of mental illness during the pandemic, likely because they are bearing the brunt of its health and economic impacts. Additionally, Congress’s response to the pandemic has included little funding for the prevention and treatment of mental illness.

The fifth report of the Congressional Oversight Commission focused on the implementation of the Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF) by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury. The report noted that the MLF calmed the municipal markets and provided an emergency backstop, while making clear that the MLF was not an economic stimulus, and that macroeconomic conditions remained relatively strained compared to the beginning of 2020. The report detailed potential changes that could be made to the MLF, including expanding it, extending it into 2021, lengthening the repayment term, lowering rates, expanding the number of eligible borrowers, offering more flexibility on loan use, and creating a secondary market facility. The report also summarized a Sept. 17, 2020, commission hearing exploring the MLF, its impact on the municipal bond market, the status of state and local budgets, and potential changes to the MLF. Three out of the four witnesses at the hearing backed the recommended changes listed in the report.

The Brennan Center for Justice (NYU Law) developed a repository of reports, resources, and policy plans discussing how the Trump administration has used the Covid-19 crisis to undermine democracy in a variety of ways, while offering recommendations on how to address some of these crises. In particular, the Brennan Center has published plans and resources for advocates looking to support election safety during the pandemic.

The Government Accountability Office reviewed how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected schools recovering from recent natural disasters, the support the Department of Education has provided to help schools recover from disasters, and how the pandemic has affected schools’ use of Education Department resources.