GAO-20-625, Accessible Version, COVID-19: Opportunities to Improve ...

June 2020

United States Government Accountability Office

Report to the Congress

COVID19

Opportunities to Improve Federal Response and Recovery Efforts

Accessible Version

GAO-20-625

Letter

Contents

1

Highlights

1

Recommendations

7

Recommendations for Executive Action

7

Introduction

8

Background

14

Major Findings

23

Key Indicators to Facilitate Monitoring of Recovery Following the

Federal Pandemic Response

72

Evolving Lessons Learned from Initial COVID-19 Response and

Past Crises and Emergencies Highlight Areas for Continued

Attention

84

Conclusions

96

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

99

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GAO-20-625 COVID-19

Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

107

Appendix II: Structures to Lead and Coordinate the Federal Pandemic Response

114

Appendix III: Report Enclosures

123

Appendix IV: GAO Indicators for Monitoring Areas of the Economy and Health Care System Supported by the

Federal Pandemic Response

381

Appendix V: Internal Control Standards and Fraud Risk Management

395

Appendix VI: List of Ongoing GAO Work Related to COVID-19, as of June 17, 2020

407

Appendix VII: Comments from the Department of Labor

410

Appendix VIII: Comments from the Internal Revenue Service

412

Appendix IX: Comments from the Department of the Treasury

415

Appendix X: Comments from the Small Business Administration

419

Appendix XI: Comments from the U.S. Agency for International Development

422

Appendix XII: Comments from the Department of Homeland Security

425

Appendix XIII: Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs

429

Appendix XIV: Comments from the Department of Education

434

Appendix XV: Comments from the Department of Housing and Urban Development

450

Appendix XVI: Accessible Data

453

Data Tables

453

Agency Comment Letters

510

Tables

Table 1: Areas in Which the Federal Government Has Taken

Action in the Public Health Response to COVID-19

36

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GAO-20-625 COVID-19

Table 2: Areas in Which the Federal Government Has Taken

Action to Assist Individuals in Response to COVID-19

47

Table 3: Federal Reserve Lending Facilities with CARES Act

Funding, as of June 8, 2020

55

Table 4: Areas in Which the Federal Government Has Taken

Action to Support Industry and the Economy in Response

to COVID-19

56

Table 5: Appropriations and Expenditures for Selected Federal

Programs Providing COVID-19 Related Aid to States,

Localities, Territories, and Tribes

59

Table 6: Areas in Which the Federal Government Has Taken

Action to Assist States, Localities, Territories, and Tribes

in Response to COVID-19

61

Table 7: Areas in Which the Federal Government Has Taken

Action on the International Response to COVID-19

72

Table 8: Indicators for Monitoring Areas of the Economy

Supported by the Federal Pandemic Response

80

Table 9: Key Areas for Congressional Consideration in

Overseeing the Federal Response to the COVID-19

Pandemic

93

Table 10: Key Provisions of the Federal Response to the

Pandemic Intended to Support the Economy and Potential

Economic Effects

111

Table 11: Emergency Support Functions (ESF)

115

Table 12: Description of Operational Task Forces and Examples

of Actions

118

Table 13: Selected Examples of Mission Assignments for the

COVID-19 Pandemic Response as of May 13, 2020

121

Summary of Allocations from the Provider Relief Fund, as of May

31, 2020

126

Summary of Supplemental Funding Distributed to Health

Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Grantees, as of May 31, 2020

127

Federal Medicaid COVID-19 and Total Expenditures, by State and

Territory

163

Common Types of State Flexibilities Approved by Centers for

Medicare & Medicaid Services, March 16, 2020, to May

31, 2020

165

Allocation of Supplemental Funding Provided to the Indian Health

Service (IHS) to Address COVID-19

173

Number of COVID-19 Cases Reported by the Department of

Defense, as of June 1, 2020

184

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GAO-20-625 COVID-19

Health Protection Guidance and Supplements Issued by the

Department of Defense in Response to the COVID-19

Pandemic, as of June 11, 2020

185

Supplemental Appropriations to HHS for COVID-19 Response and

HHS's Reported Obligations and Expenditures, by Law,

as of May 31, 2020

200

HHS Reported Appropriations, Obligations, and Expenditures for

COVID-19 Response, by Agency, as of May 31, 2020

200

HHS's Reported Appropriations, Obligations, and Expenditures for

COVID-19 Response, by Selected Key Response Activity,

as of May 31, 2020

202

Additional Funding and Examples of Program Flexibilities

Provided for Nutrition Assistance Programs Due to

COVID-19

205

Foreclosure, Eviction, and Mortgage Forbearance Protections in

the CARES Act

268

Number, Dollar Amount, and Distribution of Paycheck Protection

Program Loans, as of June 12, 2020

281

Federal Reserve Lending Facilities with CARES Act Funding, as

of June 8, 2020

292

Federal Reserve Lending Facilities without CARES Act Funding,

as of June 8, 2020

293

CARES Act Net Operating Loss (NOL) and Alternative Minimum

Tax (AMT) Tentative Refund Cases, as of June 1, 2020

297

CARES Act Airport Grants

301

Approximate Number of Applications Received and Amounts

Awarded for the Department of the Treasury's Payroll

Support Program, as of June 1, 2020a

302

Department of Commerce Bureaus Providing CARES Act

Assistance by Appropriation and Purpose

324

Components of the Education Stabilization Fund that Provide

Funds to States and Territories

335

Allocations, Obligations, and Expenditures for the Education

Stabilization Fund

337

FTA Allocations, Obligations and Expenditures for CARES Act

Transit Industry Fundinga

343

Examples of Supplemental Appropriations for Programs Serving

Tribes and Their Members

354

Table 14: Examples of Fraud Risk Management Activities in the

Context of Emergency Response

403

Accessible Data for Figure 7: Contract Obligations in Response to

COVID-19 by Agency, as of May 31, 2020

468

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GAO-20-625 COVID-19

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