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 It Does** This bill would require federal agencies to publicly report spending on "other transaction agreements" (OTAs) on USAspending.gov, a government website where federal spending is tracked. Currently, OTAs—which are special contractual arrangements used mainly by defense and research agencies—are exempt from standard reporting requirements. The bill would close this gap by making OTA spending transparent and visible alongside regular federal contracts and grants. **Who It Affects & Key Provisions** The bill primarily affects federal agencies that use OTAs (particularly the Department of Defense and research institutions) and the Treasury Department, which would oversee the reporting system.
It would require automatic transmission of OTA data to USAspending.gov and create a centralized view of this spending. In practical terms, this gives Congress, auditors, and the public better visibility into how billions of dollars in federal spending are allocated, addressing concerns that OTA spending has remained largely hidden from public scrutiny. **Current Status** The bill (S. 872) was introduced in the 119th Congress by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been voted on by the full Senate.
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
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 265.