Surprise! PATRIOT Act Extension Fails House Vote

In a surprise move, a vote to extend expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act fell short in the House yesterday. Three controversial provisions of the intelligence law are set to expire Feb. 28.

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Building the Next Generation of Open Government Tools

When the Defense Department began funding research on computer networks in the 1960s and '70s, there was little inkling that it might revolutionize government transparency. Yet today, Internet technologies descended from that research are at the heart of open government efforts.

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Administration Looks to Build New Participation Website

A government proposal would develop a new public participation website, with the working title "ExpertNet." OMB Watch filed comments responding to a request for information on the proposal from the General Services Administration, the White House Open Government Initiative and the Office of Management and Budget.

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Get Ready for a Lot More Information on Government Performance

The Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act, now awaiting President Obama's signature, will significantly expand the amount of information available to the public about government performance.

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Science Package Addresses Access to Federally-Funded Research, Scientific Collections

The House today approved the Senate's amendments to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116). The bill now heads to President Obama for his signature. Among a variety of science-related topics, the COMPETES reauthorization contains two provisions about public access to federal science.

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Government Launches New Tool to Improve Transparency of Foreign Aid Spending

Today, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Foreign Assistance Dashboard, a new tool to shed light on U.S. foreign aid spending.

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Whistleblower Protections Pass Senate; Advocates Call for Swift House Passage

On Dec. 10, the Senate approved the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, S. 372. A diverse coalition of groups, including OMB Watch, has called for the House to move quickly to pass the bill as well.

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Public Database of Product Safety Complaints Coming Next Year

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted today to create a public database of product safety complaints. The database, which will be located at SaferProducts.gov, is scheduled to launch in March 2011.

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Three Months Later, Missing "Oil Budget" Methodology Released

The government responders to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill today released its report on the "oil budget" tool used to calculate what happened to the spilled oil. Unlike the version of the report released on Aug. 4, this one comes peer-reviewed and with methodology.

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Another Assessment Finds U.S. Among Least Transparent of Foreign Aid Donors

A new international study ranks the U.S. 25th out of 30 donors in the transparency of its foreign aid spending.

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