Accountability and Transparency
"We cannot overstate the importance of this effort. We are asking the American people to trust their government with an unprecedented level of funding to address the economic emergency. In return, we must prove to them that their dollars are being invested in initiatives and strategies that make a difference in their communities and across the country."
Memorandum to Head of Departments and Agencies, February 9, 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has made it clear that every taxpayer dollar spent on our economic recovery must be subject to unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability. Five crucial objectives for Federal agencies, have been indentified to ensure that:
- Recovery funds are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner;
- The recipients and uses of all recovery funds are transparent to the public, and that the public benefits of these funds are reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner;
- Recovery funds are used for authorized purposes and every step is taken to prevent instances of fraud, waste, error, and abuse;
- Projects funded under the recovery legislation avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns; and,
- Programs meet specific goals and targets, and contribute to improved performance on broad economic indicators.
At the Act’s direction, Federal agencies receiving Recovery Act Funds are taking critical steps to establish rigorous internal controls, oversight mechanisms, and other approaches to meet the accountability objectives of the Act. Read the White House's April 3, 2009 memorandum, which updates the memoranda issued on February 18 and February 9. And, to learn more about what specific actions the Federal agencies are taking, click on Agency Sites and Information at far right.
