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Federal Agencies Fall Short on COVID-19 Preparedness Recommendations

Federal agencies are lagging in addressing nearly half of the 428 recommendations put forth by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) aimed at enhancing preparedness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed approximately 1.2 million lives in the United States.

In a report released on August 1, the GAO examined its oversight activities concerning COVID-19 as well as the substantial $4.65 trillion allocated by Congress in response to the crisis. The findings revealed that 220 recommendations remain unaddressed by various federal agencies.

GAO officials noted, “Reflecting on federal agencies’ emergency response actions and our recommendations can reveal lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for federal agencies. These lessons can help federal agencies identify actions that successfully facilitated the implementation of the federal response and should be incorporated into future emergency response plans. Other lessons can help federal agencies identify weaknesses in their response to the pandemic and identify areas for improvement.”

Many of the outstanding recommendations pertain to issues highlighted on the GAO’s high-risk list, which identifies federal programs and operations susceptible to waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, or in need of significant transformation. Key areas of concern include leadership and coordination of public health emergencies by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the unemployment insurance system managed by the Department of Labor (DOL), and emergency loan provisions for small businesses by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

In 2022, GAO classified HHS’ public health management as high risk, indicating that its COVID-19 response exacerbated pre-existing concerns regarding the department’s capability to lead during national emergencies and severe weather events. The unemployment insurance system was also labeled high risk due to its vulnerabilities to fraud.

In 2023, the oversight agency estimated that unemployment fraud related to the pandemic may have cost the federal government between $100 billion and $135 billion. Although the DOL has suggested that this estimate might be inflated, it acknowledged the existence of substantial fraudulent activity within the program.

Some of the key recommendations that have yet to be implemented include:

• HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response should define specific goals and performance metrics for its new workforce initiatives.
• DOL must create and execute a comprehensive anti-fraud strategy for its unemployment insurance programs.
• SBA is encouraged to devise a communication strategy for applicants seeking disaster assistance, outlining when information should be relayed during disasters.

The GAO also introduced a new recommendation in its August 1 report, advising the Treasury Department to incorporate lessons learned from the emergency financial assistance provided to the aviation sector into ongoing preparations for future financial crises. The Treasury Department has expressed agreement with this recommendation.

Additionally, a report from May indicated that HHS has not yet addressed systemic challenges faced by states in acquiring supplies from the strategic national stockpile during the COVID-19 pandemic and the mpox public health emergencies.

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