4 big ways the U.S. got coronavirus relief wrong, according to top government watchdog

The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report Thursday criticizing how the federal government distributed coronavirus relief checks and maintained medical supplies. Here are the four main problems it found.

1. Testing data errors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "has not maintained complete or consistent data on the amount of COVID-19 testing," the GAO writes. With some states conflating virus and antibody testing, it's been hard to "track infections, mitigate effects, and make decisions on when to reopen communities," it continues.

2. Medical supply shortages. "The need for critical equipment and supplies to respond to COVID-19 across the nation quickly exceeded availability in the Strategic National Stockpile," the GAO notes. And while the government tried to increase that supply, state and local government still reported issues with accessing it.

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3. Economic impact payment distribution. The IRS and Treasury Department's processes for distributing coronavirus relief checks was very susceptible to fraud, the GAO found. That took root in the fact that as of April 30, the GAO found "almost 1.1 million payments totaling nearly $1.4 billion had gone to deceased people." States also lacked the infrastructure to distribute additional unemployment insurance to millions more people than usual.

4. Paycheck Protection Program inadequacies. The Small Business Administration "processed more than $512 billion in 4.6 million guaranteed loans through private lenders" to help businesses stay afloat during COVID-19 shutdowns, the GAO writes. But the SBA didn't explain how or when those loans would be paid back — and didn't provide much information to the GAO either, it says.

Find the whole GAO report here.