FAA watchdog finds gaps in Buy America oversight of infrastructure contracts

The Federal Aviation Administration did not adequately monitor or enforce Buy America requirements for contracts funded partly or fully by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to a Transportation Department inspector general audit published April 20, 2026.

The audit identified incomplete and inaccurate Buy America-related information in the FAA’s Federal Procurement Data System. Those data problems limited the Transportation Department’s ability to provide the Office of Management and Budget with accurate information about compliance with domestic-sourcing requirements.

The finding applies to FAA-administered federal contracts and IIJA-funded projects across the United States. The official federal oversight record identifies it as an agency-wide FAA matter.

What the audit found

The inspector general’s conclusion concerns the FAA’s management of Buy America requirements attached to infrastructure contracts. The audit found that the agency’s monitoring and enforcement practices were not adequate to determine reliably how those requirements were being applied.

The problem also involved the information used to track compliance. Contract records in the Federal Procurement Data System were incomplete and inaccurate for Buy America-related information, according to the audit. That left the FAA and the Transportation Department without a dependable picture of the relevant contract activity for federal reporting.

Accurate contract information is important because it connects the requirements in federally supported work with the agency’s oversight of those requirements. If records are incomplete or inaccurate, officials have less reliable information for identifying covered contracts and reporting on compliance to other federal offices.

The audit’s finding is about monitoring, enforcement and data practices. It does not establish that every FAA infrastructure contract violated Buy America requirements, and it does not allege that FAA officials intentionally evaded them. The report also does not establish financial loss, fraud or disallowed spending.

Six recommendations remain open

The inspector general listed six open recommendations. The proposed corrective actions call for clearer written procedures, better practices for including contract clauses and improvements to the collection and maintenance of Buy America-related contract data.

Those recommendations address the systems used to manage compliance rather than announcing a change to one particular contract. Written procedures could provide FAA personnel with clearer direction for applying the requirements. Improved contract-clause practices could help ensure that applicable provisions are included in covered agreements, while stronger data practices could improve the accuracy and completeness of federal reporting.

The recommendations therefore link the audit’s two central findings: the FAA needed stronger oversight practices, and the information used to document those practices was not consistently reliable.

Why the finding matters

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides the funding context for the audit. Buy America requirements are part of the federal framework governing domestic sourcing in covered infrastructure work. The inspector general’s findings put the FAA’s contract-management practices within the broader federal responsibility to track infrastructure spending and oversee compliance with applicable requirements.

For the public, the immediate issue is accountability for federally supported infrastructure contracts. The audit identifies a management failure in how the FAA monitored and enforced requirements and maintained the related contract information. It does not announce a cancellation of FAA projects, a repayment order or a new restriction on infrastructure work.

The matter also affects federal reporting. Because the contract data were incomplete and inaccurate, the Transportation Department’s ability to report accurate Buy America information to the Office of Management and Budget was impaired, the inspector general said.

What happens next

The next known step is corrective work tied to the six recommendations: developing clearer written procedures, improving the use of required contract clauses and strengthening the accuracy and completeness of contract data.

The inspector general’s audit does not provide a deadline for completing those actions. It also does not establish whether the FAA has closed any of the six recommendations since the report was published. Until those recommendations are resolved, the audit leaves a documented oversight gap involving federal contract monitoring, enforcement and reporting.

The report’s conclusion is narrower than a finding that infrastructure contracts broadly failed to meet domestic-sourcing rules. It says the FAA’s systems and practices were not adequate to support reliable oversight of Buy America compliance in IIJA-funded contracts.

Sources

• FAA Did Not Adequately Monitor and Enforce IIJA-Funded Contracts' Compliance With Buy American Requirements, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General
• Federal Reports, Oversight.gov

Look for updates to this story

Related News

• FAA continues summer 2026 operating limits at New York-area airports
• FAA Proposes Regulatory Pathway for Supersonic Flights Over U.S. Land
• DOE emergency orders temporarily expand generation options across 17 states during summer heat
• U.S. 30-Year Mortgage Rate Rises to 6.69%, Highest Since 2025