{"id":2412474,"date":"2025-03-11T13:43:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T17:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-join-republicans-for-hide-and-seek-federal-spending-bill-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-11T13:45:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T17:45:30","slug":"dems-join-republicans-for-hide-and-seek-federal-spending-bill-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-join-republicans-for-hide-and-seek-federal-spending-bill-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Dems join Republicans for &#8216;hide and seek&#8217; federal spending bill &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdems-join-republicans-for-hide-and-seek-federal-spending-bill-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2412474&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A bipartisan group of Congress members\u200c has proposed the &#8220;Stop Secret\u200c Spending Act,&#8221; which\u2063 aims to enhance transparency\u200c in federal spending by requiring that funds spent under \u201cother transaction agreements\u201d (otas) \u2062be reported\u200c on USAspending.gov. Introduced by Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Gary Peters (D-MI), along wiht Representatives Barry Moore (R-AL) and Jimmy Panetta\u2063 (D-CA),\u2064 the bill responds to concerns over billions in \u2062federal spending that currently go untracked.Ernst highlighted the need\u200b to end secrecy surrounding taxpayer dollars, stating that almost\u2062 $18.2 billion \u2062was spent on OTAs in 2024 alone,\u200b predominantly\u200d by the\u200c military. The legislation seeks to amend the Federal Funding \u200bAccountability and Transparency Act of \u20632006 to \u200dinclude these unreported expenditures, aiming to \u2064reduce waste and promote accountability in government \u2063spending. The proposed bill has emerged \u200damidst \u200ddiscussions of government efficiency and aims to foster bipartisan cooperation\u2063 in addressing fiscal duty.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats join Republicans for bill targeting &lsquo;hide and seek&rsquo; federal spending<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1904511\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A bipartisan group of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Congressmen\">Congresspeople<\/a> is introducing a bill to increase transparency regarding federal spending.<\/p>\n<p>The Stop Secret Spending Act targets federal spending labeled &ldquo;other transaction agreements&rdquo; not included on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaspending.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">USAspending.gov<\/a>. The act would require billions of dollars in spending to be reported on the website. Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joni-ernst\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joni Ernst\">Joni Ernst<\/a> (R-IA) and Gary Peters (D-MI) and Reps. Barry Moore (R-AL) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the bill.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3343642\/tom-cotton-denies-false-tucker-carlson-claim-fighting-release-jfk-files\/\">Tom Cotton denies &#8216;false&#8217; Tucker Carlson claim that he&#8217;s fighting release of JFK files<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3343200\/democrats-weigh-shutdown-blame-government-funding\/\">Democrats weigh shutdown blame as Mike Johnson tees up funding vote<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3343182\/thune-touts-washington-examiner-report-senate-floor-democratic-filibusters\/\">Thune touts Washington Examiner report on Senate floor for Democratic filibusters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Bureaucrats have been playing hide and seek with tax dollars for far too long,&rdquo;&nbsp;Ernst said.&nbsp;&ldquo;I am ending&nbsp;the games and stopping the secret spending. The American people will now be able to see how Washington spends their money&nbsp;so we can identify and cut waste.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>OTAs are listed when the spending is ruled to &ldquo;not fall within the express definition of &lsquo;federal award.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to data analyzed by Ernst, shared with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, agencies spent over $18.2 billion on OTAs in 2024 alone. The top five biggest recipients were the Army ($6.3 billion), the Air Force ($5.4 billion), the Navy ($3.4 billion), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ($722 million), and the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Defense ($607 million).<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/government-accountability-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Government Accountability Office<\/a> found another $40 billion reported as OTAs from fiscal 2020-2022.<\/p>\n<p>The Stop Secret Spending Act would amend the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, which requires an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-to-leapfrog-u-s-as-worlds-biggest-economy-by-2028-think-tank\/\" title=\"China to leapfrog U.S. as world\u2019s biggest economy by 2028 \u2013 think tank\">annual report<\/a> on unreported funding.<\/p>\n<p>Peters portrayed the bill as &ldquo;common-sense legislation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Americans deserve to know how their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/for-america-to-grow-washingtons-swampy-spending-spree-has-to-shrink\/\" title=\"For America To Grow, Washington\u2019s Swampy ... Spree Has To Shrink\">hard-earned taxpayer dollars<\/a> are being spent,&rdquo; he told <em>Politico<\/em>. &ldquo;This common-sense legislation will increase transparency of how the federal government is using taxpayer resources and, in turn, cut down on waste, fraud, and abuse.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The bipartisan support comes amid controversy around the Department of Government Efficiency, which has taken a chainsaw approach to government waste. The mass firings and spending cuts have drawn near-unanimous outrage from Democrats and some skepticism from Republicans. Nevertheless, the new bill shows that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernie-sanders-stuns-by-declaring-elon-musk-is-right\/\" title=\"Bernie Sanders Stuns by Declaring &#039;Elon Musk Is Right&#039;\">cutting government waste<\/a> remains bipartisan.<\/p>\n<p>Ernst has made much of her stint in the Senate about cutting government waste, co-founding the Senate DOGE Caucus. She was a major force behind investigating waste from governmental remote work<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3296080\/joni-ernst-celebrates-trump-executive-order-federal-workers-end-telework\/\" target=\"_blank\">celebrated<\/a><\/span>  President Donald Trump&rsquo;s executive order on Day One to end telework for all federal employees.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3331968\/ernst-introduces-bill-requiring-disclosure-behind-schedule-over-budget-government-projects\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"ERNST AND MILLER-MEEKS INTRODUCE BILL DEMANDING DISCLOSURE OF DELAYED AND OVER-BUDGET GOVERNMENT PROJECTS\">ERNST AND MILLER-MEEKS INTRODUCE BILL DEMANDING DISCLOSURE OF DELAYED AND OVER-BUDGET GOVERNMENT PROJECTS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last month, Ernst and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) introduced the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, which would require an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ernst-introduces-bill-demanding-disclosure-of-delayed-and-over-budget-government-projects-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... introduces ... demanding disclosure of delayed and over... - ...\">annual report detailing taxpayer-funded government projects<\/a> that run either five years behind schedule or at least a billion dollars over budget.<\/p>\n<p>In January, Ernst introduced the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3298010\/ernst-introduces-bill-end-wasteful-spending-government-ads-mascots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government\">Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government<\/a> Act, which aims to stop spending on &ldquo;government propaganda, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">taxpayer-funded trinkets<\/a>, and mascots.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1904511\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1904511\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bipartisan bill aims to enhance transparency in federal spending<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2412475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP25014602704903-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34301,3933,51941,3756,32076],"class_list":["post-2412474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bipartisan-effort","tag-dems","tag-federal-spending-bill","tag-republicans","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP25014602704903-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2412474"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2412478,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2412474\/revisions\/2412478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2412475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2412474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2412474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2412474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}