Key Takeaways:
> Given the constantly evolving threat landscape, DHS’s expansive missions, and its annual discretionary budget, oversight remains critically important to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
> DHS has hundreds of unresolved recommendations from GAO.
> The two highest-priority recommendations involve improvements to federal disaster assistance delivery, and to DHS’s IT and financial management functions.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report highlighting critical areas where the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires improvement. Despite thousands of recommendations over DHS’s history, many high-priority issues remain unaddressed. With an annual discretionary budget of approximately $60 billion plus additional disaster funding, effective oversight of DHS operations is essential.
As of March 2025, DHS has 459 open recommendations. Implementing GAO’s priority recommendations could lead to significant improvements in government operations, and would help DHS:
- Address increasing risks of catastrophic cyber incidents for U.S. critical infrastructure;
- Better allocate billions in procurement; and
- Build effective policies to address violent extremism.
Two Areas Designated “High Risk”
- Improving federal disaster assistance delivery
Natural disasters have become more frequent and costly, and GAO determined in February 2025 that it merited high-risk designation.
- Disaster assistance appropriations totaled at least $448 billion for fiscal years (FY) 2015 through 2024.
- An additional $110 billion in supplemental appropriations has been allocated to date for FY2025.
- Recent disasters (e.g., Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the California wildfires) demonstrate the need for:
- Reducing the fragmentation of disaster recovery – there are currently more than 30 federal entities involved – to improve how survivors navigate disaster assistance processes;
- Increasing investment in resilience measures to reduce costly recovery needs in the future; and
- Strengthening the disaster workforce and capacity.
- Strengthening IT and financial management
These have been long-standing, high-risk areas for DHS since 2003.
- DHS has made progress implementing some recommendations to improve IT security weaknesses, but improvements are still needed in:
- Information security programs; and
- Modernization of components’ financial management systems and business processes.
- These efforts are critical given DHS’s substantial budget and disaster funding responsibilities.
GAO Oversight Continues Given the Pivotal Role of DHS
DHS is a critical component in the nation’s security: from securing the border to strengthening cybersecurity to preventing violent acts of domestic extremism. Oversight remains critically important to ensure DHS’s effectiveness and efficiency. GAO will continue monitoring efforts to address the 459 open recommendations and determine whether implemented solutions fully address the identified challenges.
For the full GAO report, click here.
