As the current H1N1 outbreak underscores, an influenza pandemic remains a real threat to our nation. Over the past 3 years, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a body of work, consisting of 12 reports and 4 testimonies, to help the nation better prepare for a possible pandemic. In February 2009, GAO synthesized the results of most of this work and, in June 2009, GAO issued an additional report on agency accountability for protecting the federal workforce in the event of a pandemic. GAO's work points out that while a number of actions have been taken to plan for a pandemic, including developing a national strategy and implementation plan, many gaps in pandemic planning and preparedness still remain. This statement covers six thematic areas: (1) leadership, authority, and coordination; (2) detecting threats and managing risks; (3) planning, training, and exercising; (4) capacity to respond and recover; (5) information sharing and communication; and (6) performance and accountability. This statement discusses the status of GAO's prior recommendations on the nation's planning and preparedness for a pandemic. Key open recommendations concern the need to exercise the shared federal leadership roles for a pandemic, address planning gaps at all levels of government and in the private sector, and monitor and report on agencies' plans to protect their workers. Attached herein are: (1) Open Recommendations from GAO's Work on an Influenza Pandemic; and (2) Related GAO Products. (Contains 1 figure and 36 footnotes.)