Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025
Latest Action
Received in the Senate.
Official Summary
Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 This bill expands a requirement for federal agencies to report expenditures on the USAspending.gov website to include other transaction agreement expenditures. (Other transaction agreements, or OTAs, are contractual instruments other than standard procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements; they are exempt from many federal procurement laws and regulations). Under current law, federal agencies must report expenditures on federal awards to USAspending.gov with the term federal award defined as federal grants, loans, cooperative agreements, contracts, and certain other types of expenditures. This bill expands the definition of federal award to include expenditures under OTAs, and therefore such expenditures must be included on the USAspending.gov website. The Department of the Treasury must ensure that data relating to OTAs are automatically transmitted to the website and a centralized view of this data is available on the website. Treasury must also annually post on the USAspending.gov website a report that includes (1) the total amount of federal spending on federal awards for which data has not been posted on the website, and (2) the reason why such spending data was not posted. For 10 years after enactment, the Office of Inspector General of specified federal agencies must periodically submit to Congress and make publicly available a report assessing the agency's spending data and use of data standards.
GovScope Watchdog™
AI Government Intelligence™The Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025 requires federal agencies to report expenditures made through other transaction agreements (OTAs) on the USAspending.gov website. OTAs are contractual instruments that differ from standard procurement contracts and are currently exempt from many federal procurement laws and reporting requirements. This bill expands the definition of federal awards to include OTAs, mandating their inclusion in public federal spending data. The Department of the Treasury is tasked with ensuring automatic data transmission and centralized access to OTA spending information. Additionally, Treasury must annually report on any federal spending not posted on USAspending.gov and explain the reasons for such omissions. For ten years following enactment, Inspectors General of specified agencies must periodically report to Congress and the public on the quality and standards compliance of spending data.
This bill aims to increase transparency in federal spending by requiring public reporting of expenditures under other transaction agreements, which are currently less regulated and less visible in federal spending data.
- Expands the definition of federal awards to include expenditures under other transaction agreements (OTAs).
- Requires federal agencies to report OTA spending data on USAspending.gov, ensuring greater transparency.
- Mandates the Department of the Treasury to automate data transmission and provide annual reports on unreported federal spending.
- Requires Inspectors General to submit periodic public reports assessing agency spending data and data standards compliance for ten years.
['General public and taxpayers seeking transparency in federal spending.', 'Government oversight bodies and Congress for improved monitoring of federal expenditures.', 'Department of the Treasury for centralized data management responsibilities.', 'Inspectors General tasked with auditing and reporting on spending data quality.']
['Implementation challenges related to integrating OTA expenditure data into existing reporting systems.', 'Potential increased administrative costs for federal agencies and the Department of the Treasury to comply with expanded reporting requirements.', 'Oversight and enforcement complexities in ensuring accurate and timely reporting of OTA expenditures.', 'The bill text does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms for noncompliance.']
The bill addresses a gap in federal spending transparency by including OTAs, which are currently exempt from many procurement laws and reporting requirements. It reflects ongoing congressional efforts to enhance public access to federal spending data and improve accountability. The bill has passed the House and was received in the Senate as of July 2026, indicating it is under consideration but not yet enacted.
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['Improved public access to OTA spending data may lead to increased scrutiny of federal contracting practices.', 'Enhanced data availability could support more informed policymaking and research on federal procurement and spending.', 'Federal agencies may need to allocate additional resources to data management and compliance functions.']
This bill enhances transparency by closing a reporting gap for other transaction agreements, which have historically been exempt from many procurement laws and public spending disclosures. The requirement for Treasury to automate data transmission and for Inspectors General to conduct periodic assessments supports ongoing oversight. However, the bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms for noncompliance, which may affect the consistency and completeness of reported data. Monitoring implementation progress and data quality will be important for realizing the bill's transparency goals.
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