A bipartisan bill led by U.S. Senator James Lankford to increase transparency in federal spending has unanimously passed the Senate.
The Stop Secret Spending Act would require the federal government to publicly disclose Other Transactions Agreements, known as OTAs, which are spending arrangements that currently are not required to be listed on USAspending.gov.
“You can’t cut waste you can’t see,” Lankford said.
“The Stop Secret Spending Act shines a light on billions of dollars in government spending that has been deliberately kept from taxpayers. Transparency is the first step toward accountability, and accountability is how we stop Washington from wasting the money Americans work hard to earn.”
According to Lankford’s office, the Pentagon awarded $25.5 billion through OTAs over the past two years and has committed another $44 billion through the agreements.
The legislation, co-authored by U.S. Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa and Gary Peters of Michigan, would require OTAs to be disclosed in the same manner as grants, contracts, loans and other government expenditures. It also would require agencies to report the amount of spending that remains undisclosed and provide a justification for withholding that information.
Lankford said the measure builds on his long-running efforts to improve federal spending transparency. His Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act requires the Office of Management and Budget to maintain a public inventory of federal programs, including information on costs and performance.
The bill now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
