Priority Open Recommendations: Department of the Interior

Summary

What GAO Found In May 2025, GAO identified 14 priority recommendations for the Department of the Interior. Since then, Interior has implemented one of those recommendations. In May 2026, GAO identified an additional 2 priority recommendations and removed the priority status from one recommendation, bringing the total to 14. GAO is highlighting the following two areas that warrant timely and focused attention: Improving oversight of oil and gas activities, and Conducting strategic workforce planning and oversight. Addressing GAO's recommendations in these areas would enhance Interior's ability to oversee oil and gas development—which provides billions of dollars of revenue—and help Interior develop strategies to close skill gaps and better understand the resources it needs to improve its overall capacity and fulfill its trust responsibility. Taking action to implement all of GAO's open priority recommendations would help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of operations across Interior. Why GAO Did This Study 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, please contact Allison Bawden at BawdenA@gao.gov.