And with that, they hope it will also address the backlog at the department, one that goes as far back as 7 years. She told us that she hopes that they will come up to date by 2028, but that deadline in itself is not possible unless the legislation is changed:
Maria Rodriguez, Auditor-General - Office of the Auditor-General
"It's not the auditing; it is the accounting. So, first of all, before an audit can come in, accounting has to happen, so the accounting has not been happening timely, so that has been the delay. It is a duty according to the FARA Section 15 that the Accountant General should submit annual statements to the Auditor-General. That has not been forthcoming."
Maria Rodriguez
"We did create a timeline between the Accountant General and myself, and we had expected to be up to date by 2029. I am not sure I am going to meet that deadline because I depend on her submission."
