The Reason Foundation has been getting the presidential candidates to talk more about transparency on the campaign trail by asking them to sign a pledge to run a transparent administration and fully enforce the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, also known as Coburn-Obama. The FFATA requires the Office of Management and Budget to disclose all federal funding contracts, grants, and earmarks in a searchable database. The Sunlight Foundation was a part of a coalition of groups that worked to pass the bill, in particular working to out the Senator with a secret hold on the bill. So far, three candidates – Barack Obama, Ron Paul, and Sam Brownback – have signed the pledge. It’s great to see transparency taking a hold as an issue in the 2008 presidential election. Hopefully, we’ll hear from more candidates on the issue soon. For now, check out below for the statements made by the three pledge signees.

Sen. Barack Obama: "Every American has the right to know how the government spends their tax dollars, but for too long that information has been largely hidden from public view. This historic law will lift the veil of secrecy in Washington and ensure that our government is transparent and accountable to the American people. And I will be proud to fully implement and enforce this law as president."

Rep. Ron Paul: "Signing the Oath of Presidential Transparency was a no brainer for me. I will aggressively pursue full openness and accountability within my administration if elected president."

Sen. Sam Brownback: "Americans need to feel they can trust their government. As president I will continue my record of supporting policies that increase government transparency and boost confidence in our democratic system."