Just before the passage of the 2009 stimulus package, OMB Watch kicked into high gear to make sure the implementation of the Recovery Act is fully transparent, responsive to those most in need, and accountable to the American people.

One of the first things we did, working with Good Jobs First and others, was to establish the Coalition for an Accountable Recovery (CAR), which has been promoting accountability policies for both government agencies and companies that contract with or benefit from Recovery Act spending. OMB Watch has also been involved in the creation of another coalition, the States for a Transparent and Accountable Recovery, which focuses on how states are implementing the Recovery Act. We have also been quoted by many media outlets and have consulted with Congress through testimony and other means.

OMB Watch believes that taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability in all new recovery efforts, not simply to ensure that money isn’t wasted (although this is important), but also to make sure money is reaching the locations, programs, and people who are most in need. In that context, OMB Watch continues to actively encourage the federal government to require detailed reporting from all entities receiving Recovery Act funds – even those who are subrecipients and get the money indirectly. They should be reporting how they are using stimulus money and what they are achieving with it. The reporting should be done directly to a centralized online location and be fully accessible to the public in searchable formats.

Learn more about our Recovery Act accountability efforts on our Fiscal Stewardship page. Additional information is available on CAR's website.