- GAO has flagged three priority areas for DHS action - DHS carries 507 open recommendations, 39 of them priority - The 2026 Homeland Security Summit will examine AI, cyber defense and more The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Department of Homeland Security improve disaster preparedness and response, enhance IT and cybersecurity, and strengthen immigration and border security policies and data. As DHS works to modernize operations and address evolving security challenges, government and industry leaders will gather at the 2026 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 12 to examine artificial intelligence, cyber defense and operational capabilities at major DHS agencies. Sign up now to join the discussion. What Are GAO’s Recommendations to DHS? In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, GAO called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to address fragmentation across its disaster recovery programs by consolidating or simplifying overlapping requirements. The congressional watchdog pointed to ongoing complaints from state and local officials, who have described difficulty navigating a patchwork of federal recovery programs, each with its own rules, timelines and limited information-sharing between agencies. On the cybersecurity front, GAO flagged the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program, first launched in 2012, as an initiative that several agencies have not fully adopted, citing insufficient guidance from the agency. GAO recommended that CISA issue clearer direction to help agencies roll out network security and data protection tools, along with guidance on how agencies should work together to reduce cyber risks facing operational technology systems. On immigration and border security, GAO said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s public detention figures fall short of the actual count by tens of thousands of individuals. The watchdog also reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s rollout plans for non-intrusive inspection equipment at the southwest border leave out