Watchdog pushes Power to get key USAID food program on track

The U.S. Agency for International Development has failed to implement recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office to improve the agency’s ability to assess progress on the U.S. government’s flagship food security initiative, the congressional watchdog said. GAO wrote to USAID Administrator Samantha Power last week asking for her “personal attention” to recommendations it originally made in August 2021. These include measurable performance goals so the agency can assess its progress on achieving Feed the Future’s objectives, along with program-wide targets for performance indicators. “USAID didn't implement any recommendations we identified as a priority last year,” GAO wrote on its website, noting that it first identified them to USAID as priorities in May 2022. GAO defines priority recommendations as “the most important” which “help the federal government save money and improve operations.” When the recommendations were originally made, a GAO report found that “only three of 40 performance indicators both (1) were clearly linked to the initiative's overarching goal and (2) had measurable targets.” Feed the Future fails to properly use data to monitor how projects promote agriculture, resilience, and nutrition and that it needs to improve reporting processes, it said. Feed the Future, which is led by USAID, operates in 20 countries. It helps people improve their agricultural production and access to markets, strengthen resilience to shocks, and access proper nutrition. While GAO acknowledged that the agency had “taken some steps” toward implementing the recommendations, it said they won’t be considered resolved until USAID, among other things, establishes performance goals that allow it to assess progress, and completes data collection and analysis to help quantify and set targets. A USAID spokesperson said that the agency has “thoroughly reviewed” GAO’s findings, and the recommendations were used in the recently updated Global Food Security Strategy. “Accountability for results is the hallmark of Feed the Future. USAID is committed to responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” the spokesperson said. “We are on target to complete the remaining recommendations by the GAO deadlines, including those related to performance targets.” According to GAO, a law passed in December 2022 directs the watchdog to identify ways Congress can provide more oversight of government agencies’ implementation of priority recommendations, and help them complete that process. Some possible steps lawmakers could take include withholding funds from USAID, holding hearings focused on the agency’s progress, and requesting updates on progress. As of April 2023, USAID had 31 open recommendations with GAO. Implementing them “could significantly improve agency operations,” the watchdog said.