The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Transportation has initiated an audit into the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) oversight of CARES Act funding.
In March 2020, Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to address the public health and economic threats posed by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19). Of the $2.2 trillion appropriated by the CARES Act, the FAA received $10 billion in emergency funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. As of September 2021, the Agency had obligated approximately $9.7 billion of those funds, with about $163 million going to airport development projects.
OIG has previously identified weaknesses in FAA’s oversight of airport development projects. This, along with the oversight challenges associated with the large amounts and rapid disbursements of CARES Act funds, has led to the audit. Its objectives will be to evaluate FAA’s processes for awarding and administering CARES Act–funded airport development grants; and for overseeing associated recipient contracts to ensure compliance with Federal and Agency grant and procurement requirements.
