Sen. Carper Voices Concern Over ARRA Spending Accountability

WASHINGTON (Dec. 15, 2009) – Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), co-author of landmark government transparency legislation, issued the following statement in response to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board’s announcement today that as many as five percent of companies who received money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have failed to report how and where the money was spent.

Sen. Carper, who worked closely with then-Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) to author the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (S. 2590),  said: “The release of today’s list of ‘Non-Reported Awards’ is a troubling development, but an important step in making sure ARRA monies are being spent wisely.

“I am disappointed that more than 4,300 companies who received assistance have not reported back to the American people how they were spending the money.

“But while today’s list is of great concern, I applaud the Recovery Board and the Office of Management and Budget, for bringing these names to light. The American people have never before had this level of transparency for how their money is being spent.

“I look forward to working with the Recovery Board and the White House to better enforce accountability among ARRA recipients.”

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, along with the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008, were designed to expand and improve government transparency and accountability by creating the USASpending.gov website, a precursor to Recovery.gov.