Obama, McCain agree on transparency: The Swamp

Both senators want the goverment to show how it spends money.

Posted June 3, 2008 6:40 PM

Barack Obama looks on as President Bush signs into law the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act in September 2006. (White House photo by Kimberlee Hewitt)

Katie Fretland

Barack Obama and John McCain disagree on a lot of things, but they came together today -- before the eve of the results of the Democratic primaries -- to co-sponsor a follow-up to a bill on government transparency.

The new legislation aims to strengthen the 2006 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. The original bill shed light on how the government spends its money with the creation of usaspending.gov, a Web site which shows government grants and contracts.

"Every year, the federal government issues more than $400 billion in grants, and more than $300 billion in contracts to corporations, associations, and state and local governments," President Bush said in signing the 2006 bill. "Taxpayers have a right to know where that money is going."

Obama and McCain joined Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) in sponsoring a follow-up to the bill. Obama and McCain were also co-sponsors of the 2006 bill.

For the full text of the new legislation, click here.