Editing Elaine Chao (section)

====Government Accountability Office reports====
After analyzing 70,000 closed case files from 2005 to 2007, the [[Government Accountability Office]] reported that the Department's [[Wage and Hour Division]] (WHD) inadequately investigated complaints from low- and [[Minimum wage in the United States|minimum-wage]] workers alleging that employers failed to pay the [[Minimum wage in the United States|federal minimum wage]], required overtime, and failed to issue a last paycheck.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08973t.pdf |title= GAO Case Studies from Ongoing Work Show Examples in Which Wage and Hour Division Did Not Adequately Pursue Labor Violations – Statement of Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director Forensic Audits and Special Investigations |date= July 15, 2008 |access-date= August 12, 2009 |archive-date= August 27, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090827130640/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08973t.pdf |url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Shields|first1=Todd|last2=Jacobs|first2=Jennifer|last3=Dlouhy|first3=Jennifer|title=Transport Pick Chao Gets Conservatives' Praise, Labor Criticism|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-29/former-labor-secretary-chao-said-to-lead-transportation-agency|access-date=January 26, 2017|publisher=Bloomberg Politics|date=November 29, 2016|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202021415/https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-29/former-labor-secretary-chao-said-to-lead-transportation-agency|url-status=live}}</ref> The Department of Labor responded that the GAO investigation focused on individual complaints while the department remained focused on resolving complex and multi-employee complaints; from 1997 to 2007 the annual number of employees receiving back wages as a result of DOL action almost doubled and the dollar amount of back wages paid more than doubled.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Greenhouse |first=Steven |date=July 15, 2008 |title=Department Is Criticized on Disputes Over Wages |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/washington/15labor.html |access-date=July 24, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724141122/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/washington/15labor.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' echoed that Chao's department was criticized by some for "walking away from its regulatory function" but also praised by others for providing "compliance assistance" and "helping companies abide by the law" rather than "punitive enforcement that … stifles economic growth."<ref name="Fletcher" />

A 2008 [[Government Accountability Office]] report noted that the Labor Department gave Congress inaccurate numbers which understated the expense of contracting out its employees' work to private firms during Chao's tenure, which may have affected 22 employees at the department.<ref name="WashP">{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/24/AR2008112402796.html |author= Carol D. Leonnig |title= GAO Report Says Labor Department Misled Congress on Cost of Outsourcing Jobs |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= November 25, 2008 |access-date= February 4, 2012 |archive-date= November 7, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121107132732/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/24/AR2008112402796.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0914.pdf | title = Better Cost Assessments and Departmentwide Performance Tracking Are Needed to Effectively Manage Competitive Sourcing Program | date = November 2008 | access-date = February 4, 2012 | archive-date = May 26, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120526075630/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0914.pdf | url-status = dead}}</ref>