[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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