GAO’s Oversight of the Pandemic Response.  In March 2020, Congress passed the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, a multi-trillion dollar stimulus bill, to respond to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. The CARES Act also includes a provision for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to regularly report on the pandemic response by the federal government. To date, GAO has released 10 oversight reports as a part of this provision.

Their latest report, COVID-19: Current and Future Federal Preparedness Requires Fixes to Improve Health Data and Address Improper Payments, details 15 new recommendations to federal agencies as GAO continues “to monitor and oversee the federal government’s efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”