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GAO-22-105601 1 (2022-06-16)

handle is hein.gao/gaongh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Comptroller General Washington, DC 20548 of the United States June 16, 2022 The Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250 Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Agriculture Dear Secretary Vilsack: The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) implementation of GAO's recommendations and to call your continued attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority.1 In November 2021, we reported that, on a government-wide basis, 76 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented.2 USDA's recommendation implementation rate was 75 percent. As of May, USDA had 135 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations. I appreciate your leadership and commitment since my July 2021 letter to strengthening USDA's efforts to implement our recommendations, including establishing a working group to address priority and other open recommendations. As a result, the department has increased its implementation rate by 29 percent from the prior year. USDA has implemented four of 11 open priority recommendations. Specifically, USDA revised certain policies and procedures for two recommendations related to ensuring effective oversight of the federal funds it has awarded to nonfederal entities;3 1Priority recommendations are those that GAO believes warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies. They are highlighted because, upon implementation, they may significantly improve government operation, for example, by realizing large dollar savings; eliminating mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or making progress toward addressing a high-risk or duplication issue. 2GAO, Performance and Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2021, GAO-22-4SP (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2021). GAO set a target goal of 80 percent for its 4-year recommendation implementation rate. 3GAO, Single Audits: Improvements Needed in Selected Agencies' Oversight of Federal Awards, GAO-17-1 59, (Washington, D.C.: February 16, 2017). GAO-22-105601 USDA Priority Open Recommendations Page 1

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