PLUM audit finds leadership data gaps

GAO’s February 26, 2026 audit found missing agencies, positions and inconsistent identifiers in the government’s PLUM leadership directory. Its review of 2025 data identified at least seven missing entities and 130 missing positions requiring Senate confirmation. OPM agreed with seven recommendations. The omissions concerned the data record; they did not establish that the underlying jobs were vacant. ^[1]

The concern preceded the website. A November 2021 House committee report argued that the four-year Plum Book could not reflect intervening changes. Its minority views warned of political targeting and privacy risks from expanded tracking. Those were competing arguments about a legislative proposal, distinct from the later audit’s findings about data quality. ^[2]

OPM’s data explanation shows how timing affects interpretation. Agencies must supply updates at least once each year, and the vacancy label refers to the date an agency last updated its record. Appointment type, incumbent and position are separate fields. A searchable directory therefore needs an as-of date before it can answer who held a role. ^[3]

The retained OPM page has conflicting labels: a legacy notice says data reported by December 18, 2023, while its main summary says June 15, 2026. Those labels do not establish the currency of every record or verify corrections to February’s audit findings. Researchers need record-specific dates and evidence of repairs. ^[4]

About this item: Retrospective report. No first-hand reporting or independent testing is claimed. Corrections policy.