NASHVILLE, TN — Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) along with Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-7) announced their bipartisan Taxpayers-Right-to-Know Act is part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference agreement that will be heading to the President for his approval.
Earlier this year, the House passed the Taxpayers-Right-to-Know-Act and it has been introduced by Cooper for several Congresses. The House has passed the bill in four straight Congresses, but it will pass the Senate for the first time once the Senate officially passes the final defense agreement, which is expected. President Trump has threatened to veto the NDAA, so it is still uncertain if the Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act will finally become law.
“This is a commonsense bill that both the House and Senate should have agreed to years ago. But hope springs eternal and I’m glad the fifth time is the charm,” Rep. Cooper said. “We’ve got to take steps to spend money where it’s needed most. In a pandemic, with record unemployment, we need to know where funds are going – and what should be redirected.”
“The amount of wasteful spending black holes across the federal government are endless. That’s why we need to shine a light on and streamline these duplicative programs,” said Rep. Walberg. “Our bipartisan bill establishes a transparent accounting system so federal agencies can be a better steward of taxpayer dollars. Rep. Cooper and I have collaborated on this bipartisan effort for several years, and I’m pleased it has passed the House as part of this defense legislation.”
The Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act requires federal agencies to report on their federal program activities and provide that information to the Office of Management and Budget to be published online as a complete inventory of the federal government’s programs.
This information would be updated regularly and posted online in a searchable format. The Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act will allow policy makers to identify areas of duplication and overlap to eliminate waste and inefficiency and provide transparency to taxpayers about how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent.