Rep. Farenthold (TX) introduces the Federal Agency Transparency Act

With input from the Tea Party Patriots, Congressman Blake Farenthold (TX-27) has introduced the Federal Agency Transparency Act....

I have introduced H.R. 1061, the Federal Agency Transparency Act, which would require federal agencies to publish receipts and expenditures every two weeks on their websites.  I truly appreciate the Republican Study Committee for their insight and assistance in drafting this piece of legislation which will provide greater transparency of federal spending.  Under this bill, Americans will be able to track every dollar of government agency spending, scrutinize the goals and performance of every federal program, and perform searches of millions of forms and filings in a similar cohesive manner.

This past November, the American people demanded that Congress cut spending, reduce the size of the federal government, and increase accountability and transparency.  As Members of Congress, we have a duty to be faithful stewards of taxpayer dollars and to use their money efficiently.  Leading by example, Congress took an important step towards increasing transparency in our own budget expenditures by publishing the Statement of Disbursements (SOD) online for the American people to review.

The government’s current practices and processes do not facilitate transparency and have not kept pace with private sector technologies.  Too often, federal agencies and Congress have failed to publish their information online.  At other times, information has been published in formats that are not easily searchable, sortable, and downloadable.  As a result, citizens often perceive federal policies and spending to be obscure, costly, and arbitrary.

Thanks,

Congressman Blake Farenthold (TX-27)