This is an all-porkbusters hero/hack, as last week focused on immigration.


Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL) are my heroes this week. Both in their first term, have introduced a "show us the money" bill in the Senate, called The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590).

The federal government awards roughly $300 billion in grants annually to 30,000 different organizations across the United States, according to the General Services Administration. This bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to establish and maintain a single public Web site that lists all entities receiving federal funds, including the name of each entity, the amount of federal funds the entity has received annually by program, and the location of the entity. All federal assistance must be posted within 30 days of such funding being awarded to an organization.

“This public database will provide transparency to federal spending and will provide an important weapon taxpayers can use to hold the government accountable. The database also would help to reduce fraud, abuse and misallocation of federal funds by requiring greater accounting of federal expenditures,” Dr. Coburn said. “Every citizen in this country, after all, should have the right to know what organizations and activities are being funded with their hard-earned tax dollars."

“At the very least, taxpayers deserve to know where their money is being spent,” Senator Obama said. “This common-sense legislation would shine a bright light on all federal spending to help prevent tax dollars from being wasted. If government spending can’t withstand public scrutiny, then the money shouldn’t be spent.”

My hack this week is Senator Trent Lott (R-MI). Direct quote:

"I'll just say this about the so-called porkbusters. I'm getting damn tired of hearing from them. They have been nothing but trouble ever since Katrina. We in Mississippi have not asked for more than we deserve. We've been very reasonable."

He's getting tired of hearing from the taxpayers. How sad. This sums it up:

Posted by Ryan S. on Friday, April 07, 2006 at 2:45 PM | Permalink |