The right-to-know community has raised several concerns in recent weeks about President Obama’s commitment to openness.  While I would agree that some criticism is warranted, I feel that we need to be cautious not to over-react to early missteps.

Reportedly, after being stalled for years, the Senate is likely to soon consider a bill that would require senators to file their campaign finance reports electronically.

OMB Watch has joined more than 30 other groups from across the political spectrum in a new coalition demanding stronger transparency requirements in any stimulus efforts conducted by the government. The Coalition for an Accountable Recovery was formed to promote accountability policies for both government agencies and companies that contract with or benefit from recovery spending.

In June 2008 Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and then Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) introduced legislation to expand the information available on USASpending.gov, the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008. The bill was a follow up to the 2006 Transparency Act, which the two senators also worked together on. It would have required USASpending to include information on contractor and grantee performance.