A bipartisan bill designed to expose tens of billions of dollars in previously unreported federal spending is heading to the President’s desk for final signature after passing Congress. The measure, titled the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, targets a specific funding mechanism known as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs). Under current practices, agencies use OTAs to bypass traditional procurement channels, allowing billions in federal payouts to remain unlisted on public tracking platforms.

Increased Transparency

Under the new law, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 will be amended to mandate that OTAs are disclosed on USAspending.gov alongside traditional grants, contracts, and loans. Supporters point to significant gaps in official record-keeping as the primary driver behind the legislation. Government Accountability Office figures show that agencies routed more than $40 billion through OTAs between fiscal years 2020 and 2022 without public entry.

Sen. Ashley Moody, a cosponsor of the bill, argued the oversight is long overdue. “Washington has no business hiding how it spends your tax dollars,” Moody said in a statement. “The Stop Secret Spending Act brings much-needed transparency to a system that has allowed billions of dollars in spending to fly under the radar. Our bosses, the American people, deserve to know how their money is being spent. This legislation is a great step toward restoring accountability, and I look forward to seeing it reach President Trump’s desk.”

Implementation Timeline

The law sets a strict timeline for executive branch implementation. Within three years of enactment, the Treasury Department must fully automate data feeds to USAspending.gov and provide a centralized view of all active OTAs. To bridge the gap during the rollout, the bill establishes interim benchmarks, including a comprehensive report detailing all OTAs issued in the preceding fiscal year and an annual report detailing any federal money excluded from the site.

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