FedStigate

Spent nuclear fuel is piling up at facilities around the country at a rate of 2,000 metric tons a year, according to an investigation by the Government Accountability Office.

New storage and containment facilities for the radioactive materials sometimes need 15 to 40 years before they are ready to start accepting spent fuel, the report said.

A national database that tracks government crackdowns on healthcare providers has not been updated regularly, leaving open the possibility the government has employed "potentially fraudulent or abusive providers," according to a report by the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Inspector General.

The Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank provides information on actions the government has taken against bad healthcare providers, and is designed to ensure those same providers are not employed by or receive contracts from the government.

The National Nuclear Security Administration needs better oversight of its contractors to ensure safety at sites around the country, said a report by the Government Accountability Office.

"As work carried out at NNSA’s sites involves dangerous nuclear materials such as plutonium and highly enriched uranium, stringent safety procedures and security requirements must be observed," the report said.

The Pentagon can do more to train its officers on the role contractors play in combat, a study by the Government Accountability Office found.

The Defense Department is increasingly becoming reliant on private contractors to help military efforts, but the report by Congress' investigative arm found military leaders sometime underestimate how much they rely on contractors. The agency also needs better tools to track information on contractors, the GAO said.