New website provides insight on federal spending
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WASHINGTON — A new, online tool is now available that provides insight on how taxes are spent on many programs of the federal government.
The Federal Program Inventory (FPI) was created through legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., a news release from Walberg's office said. The bipartisan Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act that became law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish an online inventory of each agency's federal programs and provide a description of the program as well as identify information about the program's performance and costs.
On the site, users can find graphs that show how much is spent in different categories or search by keywords, agencies, assistance type or eligible applicants. For example, a graph shows that the category Income Security and Social Services had the most obligations in fiscal year 2022 at $2.95 trillion for 214 programs. A keyword search for "veterans" pulled up 51 programs and the spending for each but did not give a total spending amount.
Looking at "assistance types" and choosing "Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use" showed the top three programs in terms of spending were Social Security's retirement, disability and survivors insurance programs. Those three programs accounted for $1.2 trillion of the $1.36 trillion allocated in fiscal year 2022 to 66 programs in that category.
Walberg's bill required OMB to establish the inventory within four years. The OMB established a pilot program before launching the FPI that went live earlier this month. It provides information about all federal programs that provide grants, loans or direct payments to individuals, governments, firms or other organizations.
“I am pleased to see the implementation of my legislation through the public launch of the Federal Program Inventory,” Walberg said in a news release. “The American people deserve full transparency and accountability when it comes to how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent. Through the creation of this tool, we will be able to better identify and streamline duplicative programs and eliminate funding for outdated or ineffective programs. By doing so, the federal government can prevent wasteful spending and be better stewards of tax dollars.”
"The FPI allows members of the public, oversight bodies, Congressional stakeholders, and other interested parties to explore Federal programs — including their objectives, applicant eligibility, and both estimated and actual program spending," a blog post from the White House said. "Users will also be able to explore programs via search, allowing them to filter across categories, agencies, types of assistance, and types of eligible applicant to build a custom list of programs. Users will be able to explore related programs across over 100 granular sub-categories."
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The blog post states the "FPI demonstrates how the Biden-Harris Administration is delivering for the American people by making it easier for potential beneficiaries to find the programs they need and ensuring the effective stewardship of taxpayer funds."
Walberg had pursued similar legislation since 2015.
"Although much of the information required by H.R. 3830 is already available to the public, including in documents such as Congressional budget justifications, they are not collected on a comprehensive website," the Congressional Budget Office said in its analysis of the legislation in January 2020.
"The FPI relies on publicly available, agency-provided data in two authoritative systems: SAM.gov and USASpending.gov," the FPI's "about" page says. SAM.gov is the website for the System for Award Management within the General Services Administration. USASpending.gov is part of the Treasury Department.
— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: New website provides insight on federal spending
