Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025
Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 - Plain Language Summary **What the bill would do:** This bill would require federal agencies to publicly disclose spending information about "other transaction agreements" (OTAs) on USAspending.gov, a government website where federal spending is tracked. Currently, most federal spending on contracts and grants must be reported there, but OTAs—special types of agreements that bypass many standard federal procurement rules—are not included. The bill would expand reporting requirements to include these agreements and ensure the Treasury Department automatically uploads this data to the website. **Who it affects and why it matters:** This bill would primarily affect federal agencies that use OTAs and the public seeking transparency in government spending.
OTAs are often used by the Department of Defense and research agencies because they're faster and more flexible than traditional contracts, but their spending has remained largely hidden from public view. The bill aims to bring these expenditures into the open so Congress and citizens can see how taxpayer money is being spent. **Current status:** The bill is currently in committee (HR 2069, sponsored by Representative Barry Moore of Alabama). It has not yet been voted on by the full House.
CRS Official Summary
Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025This bill expands a requirement for federal agencies to report expenditures on the USAspending.gov website to include other transaction agreement expenditures. (Other transaction agreements, or OTAs, are contractual instruments other than standard procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements; they are exempt from many federal procurement laws and regulations).Under current law, federal agencies must report expenditures on federal awards to USAspending.gov with the term federal award defined as federal grants, loans, cooperative agreements, contracts, and certain other types of expenditures. This bill expands the definition of federal award to include expenditures under OTAs, and therefore such expenditures must be included on the USAspending.gov website.The Department of the Treasury must ensure that data relating to OTAs are automatically transmitted to the website and a centralized view of this data is available on the website. Treasury must also annually post on the USAspending.gov website a report that includes (1) the total amount of federal spending on federal awards for which data has not been posted on the website, and (2) the reason why such spending data was not posted.For 10 years after enactment, the Office of Inspector General of specified federal agencies must periodically submit to Congress and make publicly available a report assessing the agency's spending data and use of data standards.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.