For Immediate Release
September 26, 2006
Fact Sheet: Achieving Greater Transparency and Accountability in Government
President Bush Signs Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
In Focus: Budget Management
Today, President Bush Signed The Federal Funding Accountability And
Transparency Act Of 2006 To Improve The Quality And Accessibility Of
Information About Federal Spending. This legislation calls on the Office
of Management and Budget to oversee a new website through which the public
can readily access information about grants and contracts provided by
Federal government agencies, except for those classified for national
security reasons.
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The Act Is Part Of President Bush's Ongoing Commitment To Improve
Transparency, Accountability, And Management Across The Federal Government.
The Administration has implemented a number of initiatives allowing
American taxpayers to see how their tax dollars are spent and what they are
getting for their money. Greater transparency has made programs more
accountable for their performance and more responsive to the American
public. Two of these initiatives include:
- ExpectMore.gov: This website was established earlier this year to allow
the American people to see how well Federal programs are performing. To
date, the Administration has evaluated the effectiveness of nearly 800
Federal programs, representing over 80 percent of the Federal budget.
Agencies and OMB post these candid assessments of Federal programs in
jargon-free language on ExpectMore.gov, so taxpayers will know which
programs work, which ones do not, and what programs are doing to improve.
- Results.gov: Since 2002, this website has provided detailed information on
the President's agenda for improving Federal agency management. It also
tracks agencies' progress in meeting their goals. Federal agencies are
held accountable for developing and adopting better management disciplines
under the President's Management Agenda. The status of agencies'
management reform efforts is made public through scorecards updated on
Results.gov every quarter.
Transparency Produces Quantifiable Results
The President's Push To Publicly Provide Federal Program Performance
Information Has Helped Make Agencies Accountable For Producing Results.
Agency management improvement efforts are measured based on clear,
transparent, quantifiable goals. For example:
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With The Support Of Congress, And After Publicly Disclosing Clear
Justification, The President Was Successful In Reducing Or Ending Spending
On 89 Programs That Weren't Getting Results Or Serving Essential
Priorities. This year, the President proposes to end or reduce 141
programs that are not achieving results or serving essential priorities,
saving nearly $15 billion.
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By Making Agencies Verify Payment Eligibility And Publicly Measure
Accuracy, Improper Payments Have Been Reduced By $7.8 Billion, Lowering The
Government-Wide Improper Payment Rate By 17 Percent.
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By Subjecting Federal Government Activities To Competition From The Private
Sector, The Federal Government Is Now Operating More Efficiently And Saving
Taxpayers $900 Million Per Year.
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By Creating An Inventory Of Property Held By The Federal Government, The
President Has Been Able To Dispose Of More Than $3.5 Billion In Unneeded
Federal Assets.
Transparency And Accountability For Spending Taxpayer Dollars - The Line
Item Veto
In Order To Turn Information About Wasteful Spending Into Concrete Action,
The President Needs The Line Item Veto. The House of Representatives
approved Line Item Veto legislation earlier this year by a strong
bipartisan majority, and the President calls on the Senate to do the same.
The Line Item Veto would be a tool to further improve government
transparency and accountability and ensure wise financial stewardship of
taxpayer resources.
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