Kearney & Company, P.C. (referred to as ?we? hereafter), audited the financial statements of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) as of and for the year ended September 30, 2023, and issued our report thereon, dated November 15, 2023,¹ in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America; standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States; and Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 24-01, Audit Requirements for Federal Financial Statements. In planning and performing our audit of USAGM?s financial statements, we considered USAGM?s internal control over financial reporting and compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements. Our auditing procedures were designed for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the financial statements and not to provide assurance on internal control over financial reporting or compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of USAGM?s internal control over financial reporting or on USAGM?s compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements.

Our audit report on USAGM?s FY 2023 financial statements² did not include any material weaknesses related to internal control over financial reporting or any reportable instances of noncompliance. Although not considered to be material weaknesses, significant deficiencies, or reportable instances of noncompliance, we noted certain matters involving internal control over financial reporting, noncompliance, and operational matters. These findings are summarized in Appendix A and are intended to assist USAGM in strengthening internal controls and compliance and improving operating efficiencies.

We appreciate the courteous and professional assistance provided by USAGM personnel during our audit. These findings were discussed in detail with appropriate USAGM officials, and management?s response to the draft of this report is presented in its entirety in Appendix B.

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_{1 OIG, Independent Auditor?s Report on the U. S. Agency for Global Media FY 2023 and FY 2022 Financial Statements (AUD-FM-IB-24-08, November 2023).
2 Ibid.}