Don’t look now, but Congress is on the verge of doing something useful.
The House is set to approve a bill already passed by the Senate that would make it easier for anyone with a computer to track federal spending.
Their bill directs the White House Office of Management and Budget to create a searchable online database, with information on all federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans of more than $ 25, 000.
Nobody should pretend that this measure alone will stop lawmakers from inserting into the budget costly “ earmarks’’ — expenditures targeted to hometown favorites that pass with little or no scrutiny and have become a way for an incumbent to use tax dollars to reward supporters.
The database would provide taxpayers with the information only after a contract or grant has been approved. Another flaw should be remedied by the House: The bill doesn’t require the sponsors of earmarks to be identified. The sunlight this database would bring can’t help but be useful. Still, Congress needs to take more steps than this to rein in its addiction.
The huge federal deficits of the past five years mean that tough policy choices lie ahead. This legislation could be one small tool to help to create the public trust and clarity that will be needed.
The House should pass it.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer
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