Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025

Bill Number: S. 872
Origin Chamber: Senate
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 2
Policy Area: Government Operations and Politics
Status: Passed Senate
Latest Action: 2026-06-15: Held at the desk.
Last Updated: 2026-06-16T14:55:21Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose The legislation amends the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to increase public access to information on certain federal spending by requiring reporting of other transaction agreements to USAspending.gov and improving overall data quality and completeness.

Key Provisions

Defines other transaction agreements as a category of federal awards that must be reported.
Requires automatic transmission of data on these agreements to USAspending.gov within three years and the creation of a centralized view of the data.
Mandates an annual report on the total amount and reasons for any unreported federal spending, including national security, legislative or judicial branch awards, or subawards.
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish data quality requirements, display standards, and a process for determining which agencies must post spending information.
Updates inspector general reporting requirements to cover major agencies and sets deadlines for reports every two years for up to ten years.
Requires the Comptroller General to recommend updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation regarding transparency requirements.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Expands the scope of the 2006 Act by explicitly including other transaction agreements in the definition of reportable federal awards.
Adds new requirements for automatic data transmission and quality controls that were not previously mandated.
Introduces an annual unreported funding report and a periodic agency determination process for posting obligations.
Narrows the initial inspector general reporting focus to agencies listed in 31 U.S.C. § 901(b) and extends reporting frequency.

Potential Impacts

Government agencies will face new data collection, transmission, and verification responsibilities, particularly those authorized to use other transaction agreements.
Citizens and the public may gain greater visibility into previously unreported spending categories.
International relations are not directly addressed, though increased transparency could indirectly affect perceptions of U.S. government accountability.
Implementation may require coordination among the Treasury Department, Office of Management and Budget, and relevant agencies over a three-year period.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Federal agencies with authority to enter other transaction agreements.
Inspectors general of major executive branch agencies.
The Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The Comptroller General of the United States.
Recipients and subrecipients of federal awards subject to reporting.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

The Act strengthens statutory transparency obligations without creating new constitutional questions, as it builds on existing reporting frameworks.
It addresses gaps in current law by closing exemptions for certain spending types through mandated annual disclosures.
Political implications center on reducing "secret spending" by legislative and administrative means rather than through judicial enforcement.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Cosponsors (5)

Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI], Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK], Sen. Moreno, Bernie [R-OH], Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL], Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]

Recent Actions

2026-06-15: Held at the desk.
2026-06-15: Received in the House.
2026-06-12: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
2026-06-10: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2721-2723; text: CR S2722-2723)
2026-06-10: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
2026-03-18: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held.
2025-11-07: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 265.
2025-11-07: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul with amendments. Without written report.
2025-11-07: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul with amendments. Without written report.
2025-07-30: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
2025-03-05: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
2025-03-05: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 — issued 2026-06-10 — PDF (12 pages)
Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 — issued 2025-03-05 — PDF (10 pages)
Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 — issued 2025-11-07 — PDF (12 pages)