Government Spending

Open and transparent data about how agencies allocate resources is a pillar that supports an accountable government. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) of 2014 enabled access to information about how government spends $4.1 trillion annually, modernizing the way government spending information is collected, reported, and published. The DATA Act requires public reporting about how funds are allocated for grants, contracts, and other programs, providing a more comprehensive picture of how taxpayers funds are used to achieve agency’s missions and, in turn, maintaining taxpayers’ trust in government.

The Data Coalition continues to work towards integrating data-driven processes into government management and connecting federal spending data to programmatic outcomes.

Key Laws 

GREAT Act

Pending Legislation 

Congressional Mandated Reports Act

Blogs

• GREAT Act Becomes Law: What’s Next for Grant Recipients, January 10, 2020

• Data Coalition Co-Hosts Public Forum on Federal Data Strategy, November 15, 2018

• Statement on OMB Guidance for COVID-19 Relief Spending, April 14, 2020
• Data Coalition Supports Bipartisan CFO Vision Act, February 14, 2020
•  President Signs Federal Grant Reporting Modernization Bill, December 31, 2019
• Congress Unanimously Passes Bipartisan Proposal to Improve Federal Grant Data, December 20, 2019
• Statement on GAO's Recent DATA Act Report, November 12, 2019
• Data Coalition Applauds Senate Committee Passage of GREAT Act, June 19, 2019
• Senate Committee Finds Standardizing Trillions of Dollars of Government Spending is "Easier Said Than Done", July 24, 2018
• Senate and House Make Moves to Modernize Grant Reporting, September 27, 2018
• Treasury Launches Data Lab on Revamped USAspending.gov, April 5, 2018

Resources

• Webinar: How the GREAT Act will Modernize Federal Grant Reporting, January 29, 2020

• Joint Support Letter for the Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2019, October 15, 2019
• A $662 Billion Challenge: Transforming US Grant Reporting, November 26, 2018, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
• Analyst’s Guide to Federal Spending Data, July 1, 2018, Bureau of the Fiscal Services’ Data Lab
• Transforming Federal Grant Reporting: Current Challenge, Future Vision, June 20, 2018, Prya Mharte and Matt Rumsey
• GREAT Act: Simplifying Federal Grant Reporting, April 27, 2018, Guest author: Frank Landefeld
• Transforming Federal Grant Reporting: Open the Data, Reduce Compliance Costs, and Deliver Transparency, December 19, 2017, Jenata Spencer and Hudson Hollister
• To Fix Federal Grant Reporting, Standardize the Data!, June 21, 2017, Jen Spencer
• One Year Later, “Vision & Value” Proves Powerfully Prescient, June 15, 2017, Guest Author: Frank Landefeld
• DATA Act 2022: Changing Technology, Changing Culture, May 3, 2017, Dave Mader, Tasha Austin, Christina Canavan, Dean Ritz, and Matt Rumsey
• Managing Grants in a Time of Transformation: Purpose-Built Solutions, or CRM?, May 31, 2017, Jenata Spencer