Free Republic

Tonight I’m proud to report that the Senate unanimously passed S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. The passage of this legislation is a triumph for transparency in government, for fiscal discipline, and for the bipartisan citizen journalism of the blogosphere. Without the efforts of ordinary Americans empowered by the Internet, including many hardworking members of the iFrist Volunteers, this legislation might easily have been successfully obstructed. Instead, the unprecedented synergy between online grassroots activists and Senate leadership provides a new model for participatory democracy in action. I look forward to reconciling S. 2590 with its...

On April 17, 2002, Senators Grassley and Wyden submitted a Senate Resolution to eliminate the practice of placing secret holds. Note that the resolution did not eliminate holds but rather exposed them to the light of day. Without surprise, the resolution died in committee. 107TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 244 Eliminating secret Senate holds. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 17, 2002 Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the followingresolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration RESOLUTIONEliminating secret Senate holds.Resolved, SECTION 1. ELIMINATING SECRET SENATE HOLDS. Rule VII of the Standing...

WASHINGTON — In a new twist in this week's Capitol Hill whodunnit, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., acknowledged Thursday that he also placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would open up the hidden world of government contracts to public scrutiny. Byrd and Alaska Republican Ted Stevens, two of the most skilled purveyors of federal funds, used the parliamentary maneuver to stop legislation that would create a searchable database of some $2.5 trillion in federal spending.

We reported on Monday about a secret Senator that was blocking bi-partisan legislation to shed more light on government contracts, like the $9 billion given in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with little oversight. Think Progress has found out who it is: Last week, an “unidentified senator” placed a hold on legislation introduced by Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would create a easily-accessible Google-like database of all federal spending, which totaled $2.5 trillion last year. The bill appeared to be headed for passage after being approved unanimously in committee. However, the anonymous senator’s hold on the...