Every two years the Government Accountability Office (GAO) creates a high-risk list of programs where at least $1 billion is at stake and the possibility of mismanagement or fraud exists.

Pressing issues include the need for programs to prevent and respond to illegal drug use, management of financial risks related to environmental cleanup and climate change, and better cybersecurity overall.

Cybersecurity is an example of an area where risk never will be eliminated, explains Chris Mihm, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs. Mihm ran the high-risk program at the GAO from 2000-2021.

“The issue is if it’s being effectively managed by the agency, by the government,” he says. “In that case, you can envision some of these being taken off the list. The idea is that they should be able to come off through effective management of the risk.”

Read more in the Washington Post article, “How the federal government can save money by following a to-do list.”