Dear Member of Congress:
Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) Action, a non-profit budget watchdog, applauds the Senate passage of S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Coburn (R-OK) and Obama (D-IL). We urge both chambers to quickly resolves their differences on this bill and send the Senate’s version to the President’s desk for his signature.
S. 2590 directs the Office of Management and Budget to create a publicly-available website listing every entity receiving federal financial assistance, such as grants or contracts, and the amount awarded for each fiscal year. In contrast, the House bill would include grants but not contracts, the primary reason TCS Action supports the more expansive Senate bill. The website would provide taxpayers “one-stop shopping” for budget information. In addition, the website would be relatively inexpensive and greatly increase budget transparency in the distribution of government funding.
In the information age, citizens should not have to wade through Byzantine federal spending bureaucracy. The broad and strong support S. 2590 has received from across the political spectrum is a testament to the need for this simple system for fiscal transparency and accountability.
Again, TCS Action urges the House and Senate to quickly resolve any differences and pass a final version of this legislation that closely resembles the Senate’s recently-passed bill. Thanks for your consideration and support of this important tool and for granting to citizens another way to hold its government accountable. If you have further questions, please contact me at 202-546-8500 x126 or steve@taxpayer.net.
Sincerely,
Steve Ellis
Vice President for Programs
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