    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [September 26, 2006]
    [Pages 1698-1700]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency
    Act of 2006
    September 26, 2006

        The President. Thank you, and sit down. Please be seated, except for
    you all. [Laughter] Welcome. Every April, Americans sit down and fill
    out their tax returns, and they find out how much of their hard-earned
    money is coming here to Washington. Once the tax dollars arrive here,
    most Americans have little idea of where the money goes, and today our
    Government is taking steps to change that. We believed that the more we
    inform our American citizens, the better our Government will be.
        And so in a few moments, I'll sign the Federal Funding
    Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. This bill is going to
    create a web site that will list the Federal Government's grants and
    contracts. It's going to be a web site that the average citizen can
    access and use. It will allow Americans to log onto the Internet just to
    see how your money is being spent. This bill will increase
    accountability and reduce incentives for wasteful spending. I am proud
    to sign it into law, and I am proud to be with members of both political
    parties who worked hard to get this bill to my desk.
        This has been a good effort by concerned Members of the House and
    the Senate to say to the American people, ``We want to earn your trust;
    when we spend your money, we want you to be able to watch us.''

    [[Page 1699]]

        I want to thank Rob Portman, who is
    in my Cabinet--he's the Director of the OMB--and my good friend
    Clay Johnson--is the Deputy Director--for
    insisting on accountability when it comes to taxpayers' money. I know
    this has been a particular project--a fond project of Clay, and I'm glad
    that Members of Congress got it here.
        I want to thank Susan Collins, who is
    the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
    Committee. I want to thank the bill sponsors, Tom Coburn from Oklahoma, Tom Carper
    from Delaware, and Barack Obama from Illinois.
        I appreciate Roy Blunt, who is the majority
    whip. He's a sponsor of the House companion bill. I also want to thank
    Tom Davis, who is the chairman of the
    Government Reform Committee, as well as cosponsors of the bill, Jeb
    Hensarling and Randy Kuhl.
        You know, we spend a lot of time and a lot of effort collecting your
    money, and we should show the same amount of effort in reporting how we
    spend it. Every year, the Federal Government issues more than $400
    billion in grants and more than $300 billion in contracts to
    corporations, associations, and State and local governments. Taxpayers
    have a right to know where that money is going, and you have a right to
    know whether or not you're getting value for your money.
        Under Clay's leadership, we launched a
    new system for measuring how Federal programs are doing. In other words,
    Federal programs say, ``We want to achieve this result,'' we're trying
    to figure out whether or not they're meeting the results. In other
    words, it makes sense for all of us in Washington, DC, to say, ``We're a
    results-oriented Government.'' I know Henry Waxman believes that. [Laughter] Thank you for coming. Proud
    you're here, sir. I was just praising the bipartisan support that this
    bill has received, and you're confirmation of that bipartisan support.
    [Laughter] Thank you, appreciate you coming.
        And so we've got--we're measuring, and we put a web site out called
    expectmore.gov. In other words, people can go onto that web site and
    determine whether or not the results are being met for programs.
        And now Congress has come forth with an additional sense of
    accountability here in Washington, additional way for taxpayers to
    figure out whether or not we're being wise with your money. And the
    Federal Funding Accountability Act--Accountability and Transparency Act
    will create a new web site that will list Government grants and
    contracts greater than $25,000. We'll list all grants except for those
    above 25,000--except for those that must remain classified for national
    security reasons.
        The web site will allow our citizens to go online, type in the name
    of any company, association, or State or locality, and find out exactly
    what grants and contracts they've been awarded. It will allow citizens
    to call up the name and location of entities receiving Federal funds and
    will provide them with the purpose of the funding, the amount of money
    provided, the agency providing the funding, and other relevant
    information.
        By allowing Americans to Google their tax dollars, this new law will
    help taxpayers demand greater fiscal discipline. In other words, we're
    arming our fellow citizens with information that will enable them to
    demand we do a better job--a better job in the executive branch and
    better job in the legislative branch.
        Information on earmarks will no longer be hidden deep in the pages
    of a Federal budget bill--will be but just a few clicks away. This
    legislation will give the American people a new tool to hold their
    Government accountable for spending decisions. When those decisions are
    made in broad daylight, they will be wiser and they will be more
    restrained. This is a good piece of legislation, and I congratulate the
    Members here.

    [[Page 1700]]

        Recently, the House made an important rule change that will also
    improve transparency in the legislative process. Under the rule change,
    the sponsor of each project will now be disclosed before the bills come
    to a vote. This is a wise change. It will shine the light on earmarks.
    It's going to help the American taxpayers know whether or not they're
    getting their money's worth here in Washington.
        Rule change, along with the bill I'll sign today, are important
    steps, but there's more to be done. This President needs a line-item
    veto. Here's the problem: I get a big bill, an important bill to my
    desk, and in that bill, there may be some bad spending items, some kind
    of last minute cram-ins, or items that may not have seen the full light
    of day during the legislative process. I then either have to accept
    those or veto a good bill. And there's a better way forward, at least
    the House thought there was a better way forward in the legislative
    process, and that's the line-item veto.
        Under the proposal, the President can approve spending that is
    necessary, redline spending that is not, and send the wasteful and
    unnecessary spending back to the Congress for an up-or-down vote. I
    think this is an important part of making sure we have accountability
    here in Washington, DC.
        I want to thank the House for passing the bill. I would hope the
    Senate would take it up. We can work together to inspire confidence in
    the appropriations process here in Washington. And it's in the interest
    of both political parties to do so, and it's in the interest of both
    branches of Government to do so.
        Right now, however, I have the honor of signing this new bill. It's
    a bill that empowers the American taxpayer, the American citizen. And we
    believe that the more transparency there is in the system, the better
    the system functions on behalf of the American people.
        Again, I thank the Members. It's my honor now to sign the Federal
    Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.

     [At this point, the President signed the bill.]

        The President. All right, dismissed.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:47 a.m. in Room 350 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. S. 2590, approved September 26,
    was assigned Public Law No. 109-282.