The DATA Act – Working Towards Federal Spending Transparency
(Excerpted from GAO-18-138)
And while some agencies were clear and concise in how they described awards issued, others used shorthand descriptions, acronyms, or terminology that would be difficult for the general public to understand.(Excerpted from GAO-18-138)
This lack of accuracy and consistency in how agencies report their spending data may make it difficult for Congress and the public to understand what’s being reported, and limits the ability to meaningfully aggregate or compare spending data across the federal government. Presentation problems We also noted limitations with how agency spending data is presented on Treasury’s website—currently still in development, but open to the public. Among other things, we identified inconsistencies with the site’s search function that could leave users with an incomplete or inaccurate picture about federal spending. For example, on October 25, 2017, a person interested in knowing how much federal money was spent in New York City was presented with the option to select four different New York Cities—each of which returned very different information. And although still in development, the site could also better disclose known data quality limitations. Such disclosure will become essential when the site becomes the only available source of this data; scheduled for some time in the fall of this year. Among other things, we recommended that OMB clarify its guidance to help ensure agencies submit more consistent data, and that Treasury better disclose known data quality issues on its website. OMB and Treasury generally agreed with our recommendations. For more information about our review, check out our full report.- Questions on the content of this post? Contact J. Christopher Mihm at MihmJ@gao.gov or Paula Rascona at rasconap@gao.gov.
- Comments on GAO’s WatchBlog? Contact blog@gao.gov.
GAO's mission is to provide Congress with fact-based, nonpartisan information that can help improve federal government performance and ensure accountability for the benefit of the American people. GAO launched its WatchBlog in January, 2014, as part of its continuing effort to reach its audiences—Congress and the American people—where they are currently looking for information.
The blog format allows GAO to provide a little more context about its work than it can offer on its other social media platforms. Posts will tie GAO work to current events and the news; show how GAO’s work is affecting agencies or legislation; highlight reports, testimonies, and issue areas where GAO does work; and provide information about GAO itself, among other things.
Please send any feedback on GAO's WatchBlog to blog@gao.gov.