The year is winding down and for Congress that means it is time to pass the final versions of bills... View Article
Continue readingAppropriators Want to Hog Transportation Spending Documents
Call it the Opaqueness in Government Act. A provision slipped into H.R. 3074 of the Transportation/Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill would bar the Department of Transportation from "using any funds from this Act to provide a congressional budget spending any delay public access to the budget justifications--which provide specific descriptions of and reasons to spend taxpayer money on specific projects--for several months after they're released. Members of the Appropriations Committee, by contrast, would get the documents right away. In other words, congressional appropriators are saying, "Now we see it, now you don't." Well, it's not as if average citizens across the country have much of an interest in finding out if adequate funds will be available to maintain the roads and bridges, airports and so on in their own districts... Some more background on the provision is available here.
Continue reading