Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a report examining DOJ’s compliance with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, as amended by the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act). The DATA Act added new requirements for government-wide spending data standards, and mandated full publication of all spending data. The goal of the DATA Act is to provide Americans with the ability to explore, search, and better understand how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reviewed a statistically valid sample of spending data submitted by DOJ and found that DOJ submitted complete and timely data to the Department of the Treasury’s DATA Act broker system by May 9, 2017, as required by the DATA Act. We also concluded that DOJ successfully implemented and used the government-wide financial data standards. However, we identified a material weakness in internal controls that contributed to DOJ being materially noncompliant with standards for quality and accuracy of the data submitted.
Today’s report makes seven recommendations to DOJ to enhance its internal controls and improve the quality and accuracy of the data it submits to the DATA Act broker system. DOJ agreed with all of the recommendations.