Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) and a diverse coalition of groups today encouraged the Senate to pass the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (S. 2590).

The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), requires the Office of Management and Budget to run a single public website listing the names and locations of all individuals and groups receiving federal grants and contracts.  Many of the groups participating in today’s press conference were part of the grassroots Internet campaign that helped to unmask Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) as the lawmaker who placed an anonymous legislative “hold” on the bill.  Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) also admitted to placing a hold on the legislation, but announced he was lifting it after examining the bill.

CCAGW President Tom Schatz delivered the following statement:

A public database of government spending would be an invaluable resource for watchdog groups, the media, and bloggers to expose wasteful spending, conflicts of interest, and other shenanigans.  The bill has the potential to turn every taxpayer into a watchdog. 

S. 2590 should get to the floor for a vote as soon as possible; and we appreciate Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s support of this legislation.  The American people have made their support quite clear.  But we understand the reluctance of some senators to having this legislation enacted, because who in Washington would really want 300 million pairs of eyes watching how every single dollar is spent on grants and contracts?   That is why we will continue to work together to make sure the Senate passes S. 2590 and that the House agrees that contracts should be included in the final conference agreement.  There is little time left in this session to act.  Congress should be aware that this bill is a top priority for taxpayers.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.