General Accounting Office Reviews of Department of Agriculture Activities

In the area of domestic food assistance programs, GAO has identified major problems and issues, including: abuses in the summer food service program for children, the food stamp program's accountability system, overissued food stamp benefits, and amounts of food and nutrients in the school lunch program. Matters of concern in the area of nutrition involve the availability of reliable nutrition information and documentation of the results of feeding programs. GAO activites in the area of conservation focused on technical and financial assistance programs, water pollution, and water resources. Questions were raised about the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture's field offices. Energy issues considered by GAO included development of solar energy technologies. The Food for Peace and related foreign aid programs were examined. In terms of funding practices for agriculture programs, GAO reviewed entitlement funding, unobligated balances of budget authority, no-year appropriations, and net borrowings. The Commodities Futures Trading Commission activities and personnel were also considered.