Ayotte Backs Legislation to Increase Oversight, Transparency of Federal Dollars

Press Release

Continuing her efforts to identify and eliminate wasteful and duplicative federal spending, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, is cosponsoring legislation that would require federal agencies to provide an "annual report card" on all federal programs, how they perform, and their cost-effectiveness. The Taxpayers Right to Know Act, which was introduced Wednesday by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), would also require agencies to identify other federal programs with redundant or overlapping missions or services.

"It is unacceptable that Washington continues to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on wasteful and duplicative programs," said Senator Ayotte. "This common sense measure would encourage performance-based reviews of federal programs and aid in eliminating duplicative and underperforming programs, providing increased accountability and making the federal government more efficient."

There is currently no accurate database of the total number of all federal government programs. In a report released in March 2011, the Government Accountability Office identified more than $100 billion in wasteful federal spending and duplicative programs.

SUMMARY:

The Taxpayers Right to Know Act would require every federal agency to provide an annual report identifying and describing all of its programs, including:

Administrative costs;
Expenditures for services;
Number of clients served and beneficiaries who receive services;
Number of staff who administer the program;
A listing of other federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions or services;
The most recent performance reviews for the program;
The most recent improper payment rate, including fraudulent payments; and
The total amount of unspent and unobligated program funds held by the agency and grant recipients.
The reports would be updated annually and posted online for public review.

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