Reports

We have completed a review of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI’s) progress in implementing our past audit recommendations addressing internal controls over Government charge cards, and we have reported our results to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget as required. We reviewed the DOI’s implementation of 15 recommendations made in 3 audit reports in fiscal years (FYs) 2019 and 2020. Of these recommendations, 14 have been resolved and implemented. One recommendation from 2020 remains unresolved.

Progress Made by the U.S. Department of the Interior in Implementing Government Charge Card Recommendations, Fiscal Year 2020

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was enacted. It included $8 billion for direct payments to Indian Tribes and $522 million of direct appropriations to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for COVID-19 response.

The OIG investigated allegations that a tribal wildland fire employee submitted false overtime claims in 2018. We found insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation. The wildland fire employee denied the allegations and said any overtime claimed was fire related, and we did not find any evidence to refute this statement. The wildland fire employee’s supervisor signed and approved all the employee’s timesheets.

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). To date the CARES Act has provided the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) with $909.7 million, which includes direct apportionments of $756 million to support the needs of DOI programs, bureaus, Indian Country, and the Insular Areas, and a $153.7 million transfer from the U.S. Department of Education to the BIE. This report presents the DOI’s progress as of November 30, 2020, in spending CARES Act appropriations.