SIGNED INTO LAW: Hassan-Backed Bill to Increase Transparency of Government Spending

WASHINGTON – Bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan to increase transparency in Washington and protect taxpayer dollars was recently signed into law. Currently, billions of dollars in spending are hidden from public disclosure through “Other Transactions Agreements,” or OTAs. The Stop Secret Spending Act requires OTAs to be disclosed in the same manner as grants, contracts, loans, and other government expenditures on the public website USAspending.gov, so Americans can view who is receiving their tax dollars and for what purpose. “Americans deserve to know how their hard-earned tax dollars are being used. Right now, federal agencies are able to hide billions of dollars in spending from public view through agreements that are not subject to normal government spending disclosure requirements,” said Senator Hassan. “I’m pleased to see this bipartisan bill to bring more transparency to government spending become law.” Over the past five fiscal years (October 1, 2021, through September 14, 2026), OTAs have been used across several federal agencies. Some examples include: The Department of Defense has obligated $85 billion through more than 30,000 hard-to-track OTA contracts, of which 1,898 are unclassified contracts of $10-million-or-more; The Department of Homeland Security has obligated $52.2 million through more than 700 OTAs; and The Department of the Interior has obligated $858.8 million through more than 220 OTAs, with many of these actually paid out for the Department of Health and Human Services’ ARPA-H biomedical research contracts. The Stop Secret Spending Act requires the federal government to publish a summary of any spending that remains exempt from public disclosure, including the total amount withheld and the justification for doing so. In addition, Inspectors General of government agencies and departments are required to conduct regular reviews to ensure spending information is being provided to taxpayers in a timely, complete, and accurate manner. This legislation is part of Senator Hassan’s ongoing efforts to save taxpayer dollars and cut waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. Her bipartisan bill, the Billion-Dollar Boondoggle Act , which requires federal agencies to publicly report on projects that are more than five years behind schedule or cost more than $1 billion over their original estimate, was recently passed by the House and is on its way to being signed into law. In her role as Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, Senator Hassan has led several bipartisan hearings focused on ways to improve government efficiency. Earlier this year, Senator Hassan helped pass into law a bipartisan bill that helps prevent payments from being unintentionally sent to individuals who have died. Last year, the Senator’s Government Service Delivery Improvement Act – which improves the ways in which federal agencies deliver services, including health benefits and student loan programs, to the public – passed into law. Senator Hassan also helped pass into law the Grant Transparency Act to bring more transparency into federal agencies' competitive grant selection process. ###