What GAO Found The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential 24/7 support for anyone experiencing mental health distress, suicidal thoughts, or substance use crises. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential emotional support, resources, and referrals to pregnant and postpartum women experiencing mental health challenges. Both of these hotlines, within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are operated by nonfederal entities—primarily by local crisis contact centers and a contractor, respectively—while the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are responsible for oversight. In addition, the Veterans Crisis Line offers specialized, confidential support to veterans, service members, and their families. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the Veterans Crisis Line and employs its crisis responders. Contact volume for the three hotlines generally increased throughout fiscal year 2025, based on available monthly agency data GAO reviewed. For example, for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, volume increased for each contact method in FY 2025, with an overall increase of 23 percent compared to FY 2024 (see figure). In addition, trends and fluctuations in volume and performance metrics for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Veterans Crisis Line during fiscal year 2025 were generally similar to prior years, based on previous GAO reporting on these hotlines. Agency data also show that the federal agencies responsible for the three hotlines experienced some reductions of staff who oversee or operate the hotlines during fiscal year 2025. At the same time, selected stakeholders representing users of all three hotlines said that they experienced consistent services during the fiscal year. 988 Lifeline Contact Volume by Method, July 2022 Through September 2025 Why GAO Did This Study In early 2025, HHS and VA announced plans to implement the President’s February 2025 executive order to reduce the size of the federal workforce. GAO was asked for information on the operations and workforce of these three national crisis and support hotlines. This report describes what available monthly data covering fiscal year 2025 show for the hotlines, including data on staffing, contact metrics, and quality metrics. GAO obtained and reviewed available fiscal year 2025 data from SAMHSA, HRSA, and VA, and compared these data to similar data from previous GAO reports, when available. GAO also interviewed agency officials and representatives of nine external stakeholders, selected for their experience with the hotlines. For more information, contact Alyssa M. Hundrup at hundrupa@gao.gov.

Why GAO Did This Study In August 2024, GAO identified 37 priority recommendations for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Since then, OMB has implemented 11 of those recommendations. In August 2026, GAO identified an additional seven priority recommendations, removed the priority designation from five, and closed eight others as no longer valid, bringing the total number to 20. GAO is highlighting the following three areas that warrant timely and focused attention:  Combatting federal fraud,  Reducing improper payments, and  Fully developing a federal program inventory. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would provide OMB with tools to better understand and monitor government spending, reduce governmentwide fraud and waste, and track federal programs. Taking action to implement all of GAO's open priority recommendations would help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of OMB's operations. What GAO Found Priority open recommendations are the GAO recommendations that warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money; improve congressional and/or executive branch decision-making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or make progress toward addressing a high risk or duplication issue, among other benefits. Since 2015, GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations. For more information, contact: Cardell Johnson at JohnsonCD1@gao.gov.

What GAO Found Fixed base operators (FBO) offer services at airports—such as fueling, parking, and maintenance—for general aviation pilots and other users. These users often seek information about fuel prices and fees for FBO services before taking a trip. Stakeholders that GAO interviewed said pilots obtain information from multiple sources, including websites and calls to FBOs, depending on the purpose of their trip. GAO compared information about fuel prices and fees that it obtained through covert phone calls to 45 FBOs with information that it obtained through online sources. GAO found that fuel prices were readily available online and generally matched the information obtained through phone calls. In instances where prices differed, the difference was usually less than $0.50 per gallon. GAO also found that, for those FBOs that said they have required fees for services over the phone, the information about those fees was limited online. Illustration of Fixed Base Operator Services at Airports Representatives of selected FBOs that GAO interviewed said they have taken steps to improve the availability of information online about fuel prices and fees for their services. These steps included, for larger FBOs with multiple locations, setting and updating fuel prices and fees centrally at the corporate level. The representatives cited factors that affect FBOs’ ability to put information on fuel prices and fees online and keep it up to date. For example, some FBOs charge fees for special events, and they said it can be challenging to provide information online about those fees because they vary based on supply and demand. Pilots’ groups that GAO interviewed said they were generally satisfied with the availability of information on fuel prices and fees for FBO services. However, selected stakeholders cited a few concerns about the availability of information on certain fees, such as for special events. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said they were not aware of any formal complaints, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officials said they were not aware of any administrative actions or enforcement decisions related to the transparency of FBOs’ fuel prices or fees. Why GAO Did This Study The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 includes a provision for GAO to review the efforts of FBOs to improve the online transparency of prices and fees for aviation users. This report provides information on the extent to which FBOs offer information about fuel prices and fees for their services, steps selected FBOs have taken to improve the availability of information online and factors affecting their ability to do so, and selected stakeholders’ views on the availability of this information. GAO reviewed relevant laws and regulations. GAO also obtained information about fuel prices and fees for services by posing as recreational pilots in covert phone calls to 45 FBOs at 40 airports that were selected to reflect a range of sizes and geographic diversity. GAO compared that information with information available online. Finally, GAO interviewed FAA and FTC officials, as well as representatives of FBOs and selected stakeholders, including pilot groups and aviation industry organizations. For more information, contact Danielle Giese at GieseD@gao.gov.

What GAO Found The Anniston and Red River Army Depots, among other things, perform maintenance and repairs on ground vehicles, including vehicles such as tanks, personnel carriers, and self-propelled artillery systems; trucks for hauling fuel and supplies; and light armored vehicles for transporting personnel and cargo. The maintenance and repairs performed at both depots include overhauls, major repairs, repairable parts, and other depot work. The annual total workload at Anniston Army Depot varied and slightly declined overall when comparing FY 2021 to FY 2025. The depot workload at Red River Army Depot generally trended up when comparing FY 2021 to FY 2025. The largest share of the workload at both depots involved repairing parts to be reused on ground vehicles. Total Workload in Dollars Spent Per Year, FY 2021-2025 Note: This figure includes work for Army customers, foreign militaries, and other Department of Defense and federal entities. Overall, the size of both depots’ workforce decreased when comparing FY 2021 to FY 2025. The permanent and term-limited workforce at both depots decreased while the contractor workforce at both depots increased. The increases in contractor personnel tempered the losses in permanent and term-limited staff. Maintenance challenges faced by depot maintainers at both depots included the condition of vehicles upon arrival at the depot, the availability of parts and current technical data, workload planning, and old maintenance equipment. Why GAO Did This Study The Army spent more than $7.1 billion operating its Anniston and Red River Depots from fiscal year (FY) 2021 through FY 2025. The Army spent most spent of this money maintaining and repairing ground vehicles. House Report 119-231 (2025) accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 includes a provision for GAO to review the work performed at Army depots that primarily maintain and repair ground vehicles. This report provides information for Anniston and Red River Army Depots on how the ground vehicle-related workload and workforce has changed from FY 2021 through FY 2025, how the type of work has changed during this period, and challenges these depots face performing maintenance and repairs on ground vehicles. We collected and analyzed Anniston and Red River Depots’ workload data in terms of the numbers of overhauls, major repair work, repairable parts, and other work performed at the depots for FY 2021 through FY 2025. We also collected and analyzed cost data and type and amounts of work to examine trends in depot workload. We also collected and analyzed the depots’ personnel rosters for FY 2021 through FY 2025 including data about total employees and their occupations. GAO interviewed officials from Army Materiel Command; Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command Organic Industrial Base and Integrated Logistics Support Center; and both depots. GAO also visited both depots and met with division, branch, and line supervisors about challenges the depots face performing maintenance and repairs on ground vehicles. For more information, contact Diana Maurer at maurerd@gao.gov.

What GAO Found The Department of State last updated its standards for overseas housing space in 1991, according to State officials. Those standards may no longer align with State’s goal of providing Foreign Service personnel living abroad with housing comparable to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In the last 35 years, housing in the Washington, D.C., area has been increasing in cost and decreasing in square footage. In addition, State’s method for measuring overseas housing does not align with the domestic industry standards typically followed by housing appraisers in the U.S., which may prevent State from comparing its overseas housing to housing in the Washington D.C. area. Without reviewing and updating, as applicable, its overseas housing policy, State may be paying for larger residential units than necessary for its Foreign Service personnel. State’s posts largely adhered to overseas housing cost and space standards, with 87 percent and 81 percent of units meeting those standards, respectively. Posts must request waivers to exceed these standards. Rental cost waivers resulted in overages of under 2 percent of annual lease costs in 2025, representing $8.8 million of the total $497 million in lease costs. GAO found the use of cost and space waivers varied by rank, family size, and locality. For example, executive officers and smaller families most frequently used cost and space waivers. Additionally, posts designated with more difficult living conditions used space waivers more frequently and exceeded standards by the largest margin. Examples of Residences Provided to Foreign Service Personnel Living Overseas State officials from the three posts that GAO selected for illustrative purposes, in Côte d’Ivoire, France, and Thailand, identified various challenges that limited their ability to provide and manage overseas housing for Foreign Service personnel. The challenges included resource constraints, limited suitable housing, and disparate systems tracking housing data. State’s Staff Housing Opportunity Purchase program aims to address some of these challenges by enabling eligible posts to acquire residential properties using proceeds from the global sales of excess properties. This initiative supports the provision of high-quality housing while generating long-term savings for the U.S. government through reduced lease costs, according to State officials. Why GAO Did This Study Around the world, State employees play critical roles in achieving U.S. foreign policy. State seeks to provide Foreign Service personnel serving abroad with safe and secure housing at a cost most advantageous to the U.S. government. GAO was asked to review the housing benefit for Foreign Service personnel serving abroad. This report examines (1) the extent to which State updates its overseas housing standards to ensure they align with its goal of providing adequate housing, (2) the extent to which State adheres to its overseas housing standards at posts, and (3) the challenges State faces in adhering to its overseas housing standards at selected posts. GAO reviewed relevant laws, policies, and guidance documents, and collected State data on overseas housing for fiscal year 2025 to analyze housing availability, size, costs, and waivers. GAO analyzed changes to housing affordability and Foreign Service personnel salaries in the Washington, D.C., area from 1993 to 2023—the latest available data. GAO also interviewed State officials at headquarters and at three overseas posts. GAO selected these posts to illustrate conditions for different regions, a range of embassy sizes, a mix of both owned and leased properties, and a mix of space and cost waivers.

What GAO Found The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) overall processing performance during the 2026 filing season was similar to 2025. IRS processed about 98 percent of the 177 million individual and business returns that it received during the 2026 filing season—the same percentage as last year. However, according to IRS, unavailable processing systems and reduced staffing delayed paper return processing. IRS said the systems were not available due in part to recent staff losses that delayed programming updates. IRS sent about half of paper returns to outside vendors to scan and submit to IRS electronically, but paper return processing took longer than prior years. For example, on average, it took IRS a month to process an individual paper return—about twice as long as last year. In addition to paper return processing delays, refund issuance was delayed for some taxpayers. In response to a 2025 executive order, IRS began phasing out paper check refunds. As a result, IRS delayed millions of refunds for taxpayers who did not provide direct deposit information. IRS officials told GAO that, as of early May 2026, they sent about 4.2 million notices to taxpayers requesting banking information to issue their refunds via direct deposit. Taxpayers who did not respond within 30 days would receive a refund by paper check after 6 weeks. Volumes and Timeliness to Issue Refunds via Paper Check and Direct Deposit, as of Early April, 2024–2026 Note: See figure 3 in GAO-26-109074 for information on comparing data across years. More taxpayers used self-service options during the 2026 filing season compared to prior years. For example, IRS received about 3 million fewer calls than last year (about 28 million), but more calls were answered by automation (41 percent) compared to last year (34 percent). Also, with fewer staff during the 2026 filing season and IRS’s efforts to balance workload on phones and correspondence, customer service representatives answered about 2 million fewer telephone calls compared to last year. Average call wait time increased to 8 minutes compared to 3 minutes in 2025. In addition, IRS served about 15 percent fewer taxpayers in person in 2026 than it did during the 2025 filing season (626,000 compared to 740,000). IRS officials attributed this decline to fewer open locations and less demand for in-person service. Why GAO Did This Study IRS entered the 2026 filing season with fewer staff and new tax provisions to implement. GAO was asked to provide preliminary observations and data on IRS’s 2026 filing season performance. This report describes IRS’s performance during the 2026 filing season compared to prior years related to (1) processing tax returns and issuing refunds; and (2) providing customer service. GAO examined IRS's goals and performance data on processing individual and business returns and providing customer service (via online, telephone, correspondence, and in person) during the 2026 filing season, which occurred from January 26, 2026, to April 15, 2026. GAO compared these data to performance data for the 2021 to 2025 filing seasons and determined reasons for any differences. GAO also interviewed IRS officials for contextual factors related to IRS's performance. For more information, contact Jessica Lucas-Judy at lucasjudyj@gao.gov.