eReminder

Dear OMB Watcher:

On Oct. 10, OMB Watch will open a window through which any American can see just how our federal government spends. With generous support from the Sunlight Foundation, we have created a new searchable website, FedSpending.org, that will let the public see who is getting federal contracts and other financial assistance, and how much is being spent on government programs and in specific states and congressional districts. FedSpending.org is unprecedented - and long overdue.

At OMB Watch, we've always believed that transparency and disclosure, in regard to both government information and government decision-making, are essential to a functional democracy. An engaged and informed citizenry is the most important ingredient of a healthy democracy. For citizens to participate in the political and policy process, they need accurate and timely information about the government they are asked to judge. Elected officials, political appointees, and others who are operating the levers of power also need to know that their actions and decisions are tracked and evaluated. Such a record of accountability can create greater efficiency and effectiveness in our government's operations as it pursues our national priorities.

We believe FedSpending.org, by helping shed light on federal spending, will also contribute to a more vibrant democracy. You will be able to access information about federal contracts, grants, insurance, loans, and direct payments. You will be able to search by recipient name or by congressional district, for example. You will be able to obtain information about the size of specific contracts and grants, when they started, and where the service they provide was to be performed. You will be able to see whether or not a contract was competitively awarded and which contractors get the largest share of our nation's contract dollars. And this is just the tip of iceberg.

Because the data is so easy to access and because of its sheer volume and breadth, this database will be an invaluable resource to anyone interested in knowing how the federal government allocates funds and to whom those funds are awarded. It is a powerful tool for journalists and nonprofit leaders, for students and community groups, for conservatives and liberals and everyone in between.

In fact, the service that FedSpending.org provides is so important that Congress has passed, with overwhelming bipartisan support, a bill that will create a similar database to be administered by the federal government. And today President Bush signed that bill, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590), into law. The law mandates that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) create and maintain a searchable database, not unlike FedSpending.org. The OMB-managed database will not be available, however, until Jan. 1, 2008. FedSpending.org, on the other hand, will be online in about two weeks and, we hope, will serve as a baseline for OMB's version.

We invite you to visit FedSpending.org on Oct. 10 and thereafter to explore our newest effort to expand government transparency and strengthen accountability. We rushed to get this site online before the upcoming national elections because we believe citizens have the right to take stock of their representatives' spending priorities before casting their vote.

FedSpending.org is a work in progress. Visit the site, look around, and let us know how to improve it. There is much to be improved upon, we know. Some of our challenges have been the result of our tight timetable and others come from limitations in the data. Our hope is, with increased public use of the data, our government will feel a sense of urgency to improve the quality of its information on spending.

Nonetheless, we are committed to refining and improving this important tool. For example, in 2007 we will explore linking this data with other information about the role of money in politics. We also plan to add an interactive map that displays where federal funding goes overlaid with U.S Census data to help to further put spending in perspective.

When you or I buy something at the store, we get a receipt. FedSpending.org is the first time you and I will get a receipt on government spending. Let's all take a look at that receipt and see just what kind of deal we're getting.

Yours truly,