[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 115 (Friday, September 15, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S9657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FEDERAL FUNDING ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, today marks a victory for government 
transparency and a victory for democratic accountability. By passing 
the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, the 
House of Representatives and the Senate have brought a little much-
needed sunlight to the world of government spending.
  This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that 
a free, searchable Web site is available to Americans to access 
information about Federal grants, contracts, loans, and other financial 
assistance. The Web site will make public important oversight 
information including the name and location of an entity receiving an 
award, a description of the purpose of the funding, the amount of 
funding, the type of transaction, the primary location of performance 
under the award, the funding agency, and any other relevant information 
specified by the Office of Management and Budget. Existing Federal 
databases, such as the Federal Procurement Data System, FPDS, the 
Federal Assistance Award Data System, FAADS, and Grants.gov, contain 
other public information that may also be made available through the 
new Web site.
  Current law requires that certain information related to the use of 
competitive or noncompetitive procedures in procurements be included in 
FPDS. Executive agencies must provide competition information for each 
procurement transaction, including the extent to which the procurement 
was subject to competitive procedures, the type of solicitation 
procedure used, whether the procurement was awarded using a 
socioeconomic program set-aside, and, when applicable, the reason for a 
non-competitive procurement. This information is available to the 
public through FPDS.
  It is my expectation that the Office of Management and Budget will 
ensure that all relevant information on the use of competitive or 
noncompetitive procedures will be included in the information made 
available through the Web site. Since the collection of this 
information is already mandated and the information is made publicly 
available, its inclusion on the searchable, user-friendly Web site 
should not cause any additional burden or complexity.
  Mr. President, I would like to ask my friend from Oklahoma and the 
author of this legislation, who has tirelessly fought to improve 
government accountability, if he shares my expectation that the new Web 
site will include information on the use of competitive procedures.
  Mr. COBURN. I thank the Senator from Illinois. I share his 
understanding of this legislation and also his expectation that the Web 
site will include information about the use of competitive procedures.
  Mr. OBAMA. I thank the Senator from Oklahoma for his leadership on 
this issue. I am grateful for our partnership to improve the efficiency 
and effectiveness of government services. I am confident that our 
efforts to reduce the use of noncompetitive procedures will save 
taxpayer money and improve the quality of contracted goods and 
services.
  I would also like to inquire of the distinguished chair and ranking 
member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee who 
were instrumental in bringing this legislation through committee and 
ensuring its passage by the Senate.
  I would ask Madam Chairman, if it is her expectation that information 
on the use of competitive or noncompetitive procedures for the 
financial transactions reported on the Web site created through the 
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 will be 
available on the Web site, so that citizens will have straightforward 
access to comprehensive information on federal awards?
  Ms. COLLINS. I would assure the Senator from Illinois that that is 
indeed my expectation.
  Mr. OBAMA. I thank the distinguished chairman of the Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The American people are 
well served by her leadership and the diligence of her excellent staff. 
Let me further note that all of us are well served by the productive 
working relationship that the chairman shares with the ranking member. 
The bipartisan nature of this bill is a testament not only to the broad 
support for the idea itself but also to the cooperative manner in which 
the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee conducts its 
business.
  So let me ask the committee's ranking member and my good friend from 
the State of Connecticut, who has long been a champion of good 
government and transparency, whether he shares our understanding that 
this new Web site will include information on the competitive or 
noncompetitive procedures used in government contracting for goods and 
services.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I agree with the Senator from Illinois 
and do expect that publicly available information about the procurement 
procedures used in government contracting will be made available 
through the Web site.
  Mr. OBAMA. I thank the Senator from Connecticut. It has been my 
privilege to work with him on this issue. Transparency is the first 
step to holding government accountable. We can't reduce waste, fraud, 
and abuse or improve fairness and efficiency without knowing how, 
where, and why Federal money is being spent. And we cannot ensure that 
Americans are getting the best quality and the best prices on 
government contracts without being able to evaluate the types of 
procedures used to procure goods and services. Whether you believe the 
government ought to spend more money or spend less, we can all agree 
that the government ought to spend every penny efficiently and 
transparently. If the procedures by which the government spends money, 
or those expenditures themselves, can't withstand public scrutiny, then 
the taxpayers' money shouldn't be spent. The American people deserve no 
less.




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