Page 1 GAO-25-108166 OSTP Priority Recommendations
Comptroller General
of the United States
June 10, 2025
The Honorable Michael Kratsios
Director
Office of Science and Technology Policy
1650 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20504
Priority Open Recommendations: Office of Science and Technology Policy
Dear Director Kratsios:
Congratulations on your appointment. The purpose of this letter is to call your personal attention
to four areas based on GAO’s past work and six open priority recommendations, which are
enclosed.
1
Additionally, there are three other GAO open recommendations that we will continue
to work with your staff to address.
We are highlighting the following areas that warrant your timely and focused attention.
Specifically:
Strengthening advanced manufacturing. Strengthening U.S. manufacturing competitiveness
has been a priority across administrations. The Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) led the development of a national strategic plan for advanced manufacturing to help
organize agencies’ efforts, and the plan was most recently updated in October 2022.
2
However,
the plan does not include specific metrics or information to be collected to help determine
whether the plan’s goals are being achieved. Implementing our priority recommendation to
ensure that the strategic plan identifies specific, measurable information that OSTP will collect
from agencies would help the office assess progress toward the plan’s goals and objectives.
Ensuring access to critical materials, including minerals. Access to critical materials is
essential for advanced technologies across many sectors. Historically, the U.S. Geological
Survey has provided fairly robust data on the availability of key minerals in the supply chain.
However, in September 2016, we found that there may be data limitations for potentially critical
materials beyond minerals, such as neon gas. OSTP has provided examples of activities related
to data collection and assessments of critical minerals or materials but as of May 2025 has not
provided information on a plan or strategy to address data limitations.
1
GAO considers a recommendation to be a priority if when implemented, it may significantly improve government
operations, for example, by realizing large dollar savings; eliminating mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or making
progress toward addressing a high-risk or duplication issue.
2
The national strategic plan for advanced manufacturing is to be updated every 4 years as required by the America
COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, as amended. 42 U.S.C. § 6622(c)(4).
