A Florida congressman wants to cut off federal funding to state and local governments if they refuse to show federal auditors exactly how they spend taxpayer money. Rep. Byron Donalds introduced the “Tax Dollar Accountability Act” to crack down on government waste and force local officials to open their financial books.

Bill Aims to Increase Transparency

Under the new legislation, any local or state agency that accepts federal money must hand over its internal financial records at the end of every fiscal year. This includes detailed budgets, expenditure reports, vendor contracts, and grant distributions. If a government entity refuses to grant the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency full access to these records, the Office of Management and Budget would have the power to completely freeze their federal funding.

“The rampant fraud and abuse of federal taxpayers that has been allowed to take place is not just unacceptable but is a direct insult to hardworking Americans across the country,” Donalds said. “The precious dollars that our citizens are compelled to send to Washington must be guarded with the utmost care and used for the betterment of our country, not to line the pockets of corrupt individuals and organizations.”

The bill follows several high-profile fraud cases across the country. According to the Department of Justice, fraudulent Medicaid programs in Minnesota recently cost federal taxpayers $9 billion. In California, a single hospice center defrauded the government out of $267 million through false reports submitted to the state’s Medicaid program.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.