# The size of the federal grants system is well known, how well it’s set up to manage that scale is another question

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/the-size-of-the-federal-grants-system-is-well-known-how-well-it-s-set-up-to-manage-that-scale-is-another-question
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783/the-size-of-the-federal-grants-system-is-well-known-how-well-it-s-set-up-to-manage-that-scale-is-another-question.md
Podcast: [The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-federal-drive-with-terry-gerton-504783)
Published: 2026-05-13T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://mgln.ai/e/345/rss.art19.com/episodes/8a558189-938b-4079-a29b-0080b972a745.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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Duration seconds: 681

## Resource

As the federal government takes on more financial risk, a GAO review of government‑wide grants management points to staffing limits, data mismatches and unclear roles that complicate how funds are awarded and overseen. The findings suggest persistent operational challenges that accounting fixes alone haven’t solved. Jeff Arkin is director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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