Reps. Moore and Panetta reintroduce Stop Secret Spending Act

March 12, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, which requires federal agencies to include other transaction agreements (OTAs) in the list of federal awards that must be reported on USAspending.gov. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) led the Senate companion to this legislation.

OTAs are legally binding agreements that are not standard contracts, cooperative agreements or grants that authorized government agencies may use, and thus they are not subject to certain federal acquisition laws and requirements. Analysis from the General Services Administration (GAO) has found that significant amounts of OTAs are not being reported.

"Federal agencies should be disclosing every taxpayer dollar they spend, especially as we close in on $35 trillion in national debt. Unfortunately, the current OTA loophole allows these agencies to spend billions and leave Americans in the dark, " said Rep. Moore. "I thank my colleague, Rep. Panetta, for joining me on this bipartisan legislation to ensure that all federal agency expenditures are easily accessible to the American people on USAspending.gov."

"Right now, billions in federal spending go unreported due to a loophole in the disclosure of other transaction agreements," said Rep. Panetta. "Our bipartisan, bicameral legislation would close that gap by ensuring these expenditures are accounted for on USAspending.gov. This is a commonsense step toward strengthening public trust, improving fiscal accountability, and ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars."