USASpending.gov

[Guest Leland]

Have you ever wanted to find more information on government spending? Have you ever wondered where federal contracting dollars and grant awards go? Or perhaps you would just like to know, as a citizen, what the government is really doing with your money. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act) requires a single searchable website, accessible by the public for free that includes for each Federal award:

 

1. The name of the entity receiving the award;

2. The amount of the award;

3. Information on the award including transaction type, funding agency, etc;

4. The location of the entity receiving the award;

5. A unique identifier of the entity receiving the award.

 

www.USAspending.gov provides citizens with easy access to government contract, grant and other award data. This web site would not have been possible without the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2008, more affectionately known as the "Google for Government Bill."

 

 

S.2852

Title: A bill to provide increased accessibility to information on Federal spending, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen Cornyn, John [TX] (introduced 4/14/2008) Cosponsors (2)

Latest Major Action: 4/14/2008 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:S.2852:

 

U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), Barack Obama (D-IL), John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Carper (D-DE) today urged the full Senate to pass S. 2590, the "Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act," a bill that will create a Google-like search engine and database to track approximately $1 trillion in federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved S. 2590 unanimously today. The House has already passed similar legislation that is limited to grant disclosure only.

 

"Passing this bill will help end the culture of secrecy in Washington and restore some measure of the public's confidence in government. Technology has made it possible, like never before, to fulfill our founders' vision of enabling all citizens to understand our nation's finances, investigate abuses and hold elected officials accountable," Dr. Coburn said, adding that a hearing being held today in the House Government Reform Committee on abuses in homeland security contracting highlights the urgent need to include contracts in the database.

 

"All Americans deserve to know where their money is being spent. 'Googling' the government will not only help expose and eliminate waste, but dispel misconceptions about the scope of our commitments. Many Americans, for example, assume we are spending a large percentage of our budget on foreign assistance when we are not. Whether you're on the left or right, there is no worthy argument against transparency," Obama said.

 

"If we're going to hold the federal government accountable for its performance, then we need to empower the public with basic information about who's receiving federal dollars and what they're doing with them. This bill will shed some much-needed light on the activities of most federal agencies, allowing the public to decide for themselves whether their tax dollars are well spent," Carper said.

 

During a July 18 hearing on the bill in the Federal Financial Management Subcommittee, McCain called the plan "the tool necessary to put us on track to real accountability and reform."

 

Eighteen Senators have co-sponsored S. 2590 including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Tom Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), John McCain (R-AZ), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA) and George Allen (R-VA).

 

More than 100 organizations ranging from Focus on the Family and Taxpayers for Common Sense to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Greenpeace have endorsed S. 2590.

 

Dozens of editorials boards across the country including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and Daily Oklahoman have also endorsed the bill.

[Guest LAW_*]

I am familiar with Google's U.S. Government Search as well.

 

http://www.google.com/ig/usgov

 

At this point I use the U.S. Governments Official Portal

 

http://www.usa.gov/

[Guest Jesselee]

WOW. This is a very cool web site Leland. You should post more often. I just forwarded this to my co-workers.

 

I see that Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) is No. 6 on the list with over 4 Billion in contracts that amount to 1.257% of our federal budget. All their money is supporting the Department of Defense.

 

http://www.usaspending.gov/fpds/fpds.php?d...iscal_year=2008

 

KBR is a subsidiary of Cheney managed Halliburton. Halliburton's money ties to the White House dates back to the 1940s. In this decade the company has sucked billions from our government in Iraq. In 2007 the company moved to its headquarters to Dubai in the U.A.E., so they would not be taxed and regulated by our government.

 

I see International Oil Trading Company, LLC is No. 77 on the list with $456 million in contracts that amount to 0.143% of our federal budget. All their money is supporting the Department of Defense.

 

http://www.usaspending.gov/fpds/fpds.php?d...iscal_year=2008

 

International Oil Trading Co. The privately held company is owned by Harry Sargeant, who has raised at least $500,000 for McCain has $1 billion in contracts to ship fuel to the military in Iraq. Sargeant had also raised over $100,000 for competing GOP contender Rudy Giuliani -- and Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton.

 

On December 30, 2003, the Defense Department relieved KBR of its fuel importation responsibilities and assigned this duty to the Defense Energy Support Center within the Pentagon. In order to diversify the sources of fuel being imported into Iraq, DESC issued solicitations for fuel importation from three countries: Kuwait, Turkey, and Jordan. Ultimately, Mr. Sargeant's company, the International Oil Trading Company (lOTC), would receive four contracts from DESC to deliver fuel to Iraq through Jordan.

[Luke_Wilbur]

I think you will like this topic.

 

Halliburton Moves To Dubai to Avoid US Oversight and Taxes, Company focuses on helping Iran

 

http://www.dcmessageboards.com/index.php?showtopic=11603

 

How could Cheney allow Haliburton to work for Iran when Bush stated Iran was an axis of evil?

 

http://www.halliburton.com/default/main/ha...nws_040907.html

Edited October 30, 2008 by Luke_Wilbur