Page 1 GAO-25-108536 Interior CIO Recommendations
441 G St. NW
Washington, DC 20548
September 3, 2025
Mr. Paul McInerny
Chief Information Officer
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Chief Information Officer Open Recommendations: Department of the Interior
Dear Mr. Mclnerny:
I am writing to you with respect to your role as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the
Department of the Interior. As an independent, non-partisan agency that works for Congress,
GAO’s mission is to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and help
improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government. Our
work includes investigating matters related to the use of public funds and evaluating programs
and activities of the U.S. Government at the request of congressional committees and
subcommittees, on the initiative of the Comptroller General, and as required by public laws or
committee reports. Our duties include reporting our findings and recommending ways to
increase economy and efficiency in government spending. The purpose of this letter is to
provide an overview of the open, publicly available GAO recommendations to Interior that call
for the attention of the CIO.
We identified recommendations that relate to the CIO’s roles and responsibilities in effectively
managing IT. They include strategic planning, investment management, and information
security. We have previously reported on the significance of the CIO’s role in improving the
government’s performance in IT and related information management functions.
1
Your attention
to these recommendations will help ensure the secure and effective use of IT at the department.
Currently, Interior has 13 open recommendations that call for the attention of the CIO, including
two that are relevant to component-level CIOs. Each of these recommendations relates to a
GAO High-Risk area: (1) Ensuring the Cybersecurity of the Nation or (2) Improving IT
Acquisitions and Management.
2
In addition, GAO has designated one of the 13 as a priority
recommendation.
3
Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve
1
See for example, GAO, Federal Chief Information Officers: Critical Actions Needed to Address Shortcomings and
Challenges in Implementing Responsibilities, GAO-18-93 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 2, 2018).
2
GAO, High-Risk Series: Heightened Attention Could Save Billions More and Improve Government Efficiency and
Effectiveness, GAO-25-107743 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 25, 2025).
3
Priority recommendations are those that GAO believes warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or
agencies. They are highlighted because, upon implementation, they 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. Since 2015, GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to
highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations.
