Senate Unanimously Passes Ernst’s Bipartisan Stop Secret Spending Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) bipartisan bill requiring public disclosure of tens of billions of secret government spending was approved by the Senate today and is headed to the president to become law.

Watch Senator Ernst's full speech here.

Current law requires most federal spending to be publicly reported on USAspending.gov, allowing taxpayers to see who receives federal funds and details about how, where, and why the money is spent. However, a loophole has allowed agencies to withhold thousands of spending arrangements known as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) from public disclosure.

The Stop Secret Spending Act closes that loophole by requiring OTAs to be reported in the same manner as grants, contracts, loans, and other federal expenditures, helping ensure taxpayer dollars are fully accounted for. The bill also requires the federal government to publish a summary of any spending that remains exempt from public disclosure, including the total amount withheld and the justification for doing so, increasing transparency within Washington.

"When Iowans send their hard-earned tax dollars to Washington, they deserve to know exactly where every cent goes and why," said Senator Ernst. "Bureaucrats have been playing hide and seek with tax dollars for far too long. I'm forcing them to open the books, stop the secret spending, and give taxpayers the transparency they deserve."

Background:

Senator Ernst has been a longtime advocate for ending secret federal spending and increasing transparency for taxpayers. She first introduced the bipartisan Stop Secret Spending Act after raising concerns about billions of dollars in undisclosed federal spending through Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) and has repeatedly pushed the legislation. Ernst has continued working across the aisle to advance the bill, which previously passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support, and has consistently fought to get the legislation across the finish line to ensure taxpayers have greater visibility into how their hard-earned dollars are spent.

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