Statement on House of Representatives Passage of Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Legislation

I applaud the House for today's passage of S. 2590, the "Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006," and look forward to final passage by the Senate soon. This legislation demonstrates Congress's commitment to giving the American people access to timely and accurate information about how their tax dollars are spent.

This bill builds on existing administration initiatives to help ensure Federal agencies clearly reflect how they spend the taxpayers' money. Expectmore.gov is one such resource, allowing Americans to see which Federal programs are successful and which ones fall short.

In addition to these reforms, I urge the Senate to follow the House in passing the line item veto, a critical tool that will help rein in wasteful spending and bring greater transparency to the budget process. I call on the Senate to pass this important legislation this month.