Pursuit's Take
Operation Stonegarden (Stonegarden) is a grant used to help cities and states address the threat of terrorist attacks. Stonegarden grants specifically fund overtime and other related expenses. This audit was initiated due to federal officials and the public’s concern that the funds for overtime payments may have been misused, overused, or not managed correctly.
According to the report, “FEMA is not meeting its monitoring responsibilities…Also, FEMA has included just 4 of 79 Operation Stonegarden awards made during fiscal years 2011–14 in its financial monitoring reviews.”
Further, FEMA and CBP did not meet their oversight objectives because the agencies approved $14.6 million in overtime costs and $390,500 in equipment costs without checking to see if the federal government was responsible for the cost of the transactions. Finally, the agencies have not collected any program performance data to evaluate if Stonegarden is working. The program has cost taxpayers over $531 million since 2008.
Take Homes
"FEMA and CBP cannot demonstrate program performance resulting from the use of more than $531.5 million awarded under Stonegarden since FY 2008."