GAO

As of February 2026, no comprehensive GAO report on FY2025 improper payments has emerged, but recent HHS-OIG audits reveal continued waste, including $45.6 million in improper Maine Medicaid payments for autism services reported January 21, 2026. Late 2025 OIG findings on NIH oversight gaps and CMS $11.2 billion at-risk contracts reaffirm systemic vulnerabilities in grant and contract management. While some programs show improvement, the pattern of poor oversight across federal agencies persists, validating prior concerns.

GAO's FY2024 improper payments report estimates $162 billion in errors across federal programs, a persistent high-risk area per the 2025 High-Risk List, confirming weak controls enable waste and fraud. HHS OIG's February 2026 audit exposes ACF's $529 million sole-source contract for unaccompanied alien children services as noncompliant, based on an unsolicited proposal double the cost estimate with procurement violations. Additional cases include SBA 8(a) no-bid bribery conviction, GSA invalid $13.7M sole-source, and Medicare improper payments of $22.7M, underscoring continued vulnerabilities in grants and contracts despite prior warnings.