A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that private agencies involved in refugee resettlement receive substantial public funding for their work. Three months after resettlement the agencies have no further responsibility for the refugees who commonly sign up for public assistance programs. In the past, refugee sponsors had to pay resettlement costs out of their own pockets. The largest resettlement agency is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which conducts resettlement though its affiliate, Catholic Charities.