Markup Wrap Up: Oversight Committee Advances Legislation to Protect American Taxpayers and Strengthen Government Transparency

WASHINGTON—Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a markup and advanced nine bills aimed at protecting hardworking American taxpayers and ensuring federal funds are being used by the government efficiently and effectively.

“I have always said sunlight is the best disinfectant. The American people deserve to know what the federal government is doing with their money. Today, the House Oversight Committee is taking decisive action to deliver that transparency. Republicans remain committed to safeguarding hardworking taxpayers and holding the federal government to the highest standard,” said Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.).The following bills were reported favorably by the House Oversight Committee:

H.R. 6916, Federal Program Integrity and Fraud Prevention Act of 2025: Introduced by Representative Keith Self (R-Texas) and Representative Emily Randall (D-Wash.), the bill amends title 31 of the U.S. Code with a new section prohibiting those convicted of felonies, specifically related to fraud against the government, from participating in federal contracts or receiving grants and federal financial assistance. It requires the Attorney General to identify such convicted individuals  and to notify the Administrator of the General Services Administration who shall list them as an ‘excluded source’ in the System for Award Management for a 3-year prohibition period. An agency head may exempt an individual with a written waiver to Congress.

“The Federal government pays a significant amount to contractors for services needed to help agencies fulfill their missions. Receiving a contract, grant, loan or other form of federal financial assistance is a privilege. However, there are individuals who use it as an opportunity to defraud the government. Under H.R. 6916. fraudsters will no longer be allowed to get rich from taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars,” said Chairman Comer.

H.R. 428, Bonuses for Cost-Cutters and Fraud Preventers Act: Introduced by Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), the bill expands the cash awards program to include identifications of certain operational expenses that are wasteful and that an agency determines are not required for the purposes for which the amounts were made available as well as improper payments resulting in financial loss to the federal government (as determined by the agency Chief Financial Officer). The bill also doubles the maximum cash award that may be made under the program from $10,000 to $20,000 and requires an agency to submit any identified wasteful expenses or improper payments to the Office of Management and Budget or the U.S. Treasury. 

“Federal employees are the best positioned to catch wasteful spending but without incentives to disclose such spending, they may not speak up. That is why Congress created cash awards in 1981 to encourage employees to take action. And now Congress can do more to expand the cost-saving potential of these authorities. H.R. 428, as amended, increases incentives for federal employees by allowing cash awards for reporting wasteful spending and improper payments before funds go out the door,” said Chairman Comer.

H.R. 1722, Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025: Introduced by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), the bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance requiring federal agencies to submit information annually to OMB regarding certain federally-funded projects that are more than five years behind schedule or have expenditures that are at least one billion dollars more than the original cost estimate for the project. OMB will submit an annual report to Congress containing this information and post the report to the OMB website.

“Congress must ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently. Each year, the Government Accountability Office reports government projects that are above cost projections or behind schedule. Congress has a duty to oversee the federal government for inefficiency and waste. This bill informs policymakers and allows Congress to address failing government projects before further taxpayer dollars are misused,” said Chairman Comer.

H.R. 4642, Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act: Introduced by Representative Ben Cline (R-Va.) and Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine), the bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Director of OMB, to complete and report to Congress annual assessments of the government’s fiscal strength if faced with potential fiscal shocks resulting from various emergencies at home or abroad. The Government Accountability Office would then perform its own review of Treasury and OMB’s analysis and publish this review on its website for the public and transmit it to Congress.

“The United States is $38 trillion in debt. And that debt is growing. For all we know, another major crisis is around the corner. And we cannot afford to respond with the same lack of fiscal irresponsibility. Harder choices than ever may have to be made. This bill will help us be better prepared. For the first time, it will require that the Department of the Treasury, in its annual fiscal report to Congress, examine and inform Congress of the fiscal risks and impacts of a federal response to a wide range of potential national and international crises,” said Chairman Comer.

H.R. 2069, Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025: Introduced by Representative Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Representative Jimmy Pannetta (D-Calif.), the bill strengthens reporting under the Federal Funding and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA) (P.L. 109-282; 31 U.S.C. 6101 note)—as amended by the DATA Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-101)—by creating a new reporting requirement for agency Federal spending information reported on USAspending.gov to include other transaction agreements, which are contract mechanisms not covered by the Federal Acquisition Regulation framework. The bill also requires annual reporting on previously unreported funds, including for national security-related spending or legislative or judicial branch spending, which includes the total amount of unreported funds and the reasons for not reporting. The bill also reforms FFATA to ensure that all information posted on USAspending.gov is complete and accurate.

“Transparency helps build trust in government. Unfortunately, over the years, we have found that there are gaps in what gets reported to USAspending.gov. The Stop Secret Spending Act corrects this issue by requiring OTA spending be reported to USAspending.gov. The bill also requires agencies to report annually on types of funding that previously were unreported for a variety of exemptions,” said Chairman Comer.   

H.R. 7934, Settlement Agreement Information Database Act of 2026: Introduced by Representative Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), the bill requires federal agencies to publish information regarding settlement agreements and consent decrees to public, electronic databases in conformity with guidance issued by the Director of OMB and the Attorney General. These public resources will include dates, payments, attorney fees awards, and lists of state and local government entities identified in the settlements and decrees. If an agency believes that certain information should remain confidential then the agency head must annually submit to Congress, and make available to the public, a report stating the bases upon which confidentiality should be maintained for such decrees and settlements.

“H.R. 7934, the Settlement Agreement Information Database Act, is a common-sense measure that increases transparency and enhances public participation in government policymaking. Transparency and public participation are vital to ensure the public’s continued trust in our government. This will increase the transparency of the federal government and shine a much-needed light on settlement agreements and consent decrees into which government agencies enter,” said Chairman Comer.

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The federal government’s duty to serve the public interest relies on transparency and accountability to all its citizens. Due to poor record keeping, it is impossible for Congress and the public to determine the comprehensive impact of federal settlement agreements and consent decrees. States, municipalities, industry stakeholders, and taxpayers are often directly affected by the terms of these agreements but are prevented from accessing the details of these settlements and decrees. I personally encountered this problem as far back as 2008. This bill provides long overdue transparency and accountability standards to federal settlement agreements and consent decrees,” said Rep. Palmer.

H.R. 2766, Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act: Introduced by Representative Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), the bill establishes a definition in law for special districts which are independent political subdivisions of a State created for the purpose of performing limited and specific governmental functions, but are not cities, counties, or other units of local government. The bill requires OMB  issue guidance to federal agencies requiring special districts be recognized as a unit of local government and clarifying how special districts are eligible to receive federal financial assistance including grants. The bill also requires OMB to report to Congress on agency conformity to the guidance.

“We have an opportunity to address an issue affecting Americans across the country. Many Americans receive essential services through special districts which are units of local government authorized under state law to deliver specific services to communities. OMB already recognizes special districts as units of local government, similar to townships or villages, yet special districts often struggle to compete for or have access to federal funding. The Special District Fairness and Accessibility Act works to solve this problem by ensuring that special districts are on equal footing with other units of local government,” said Chairman Comer.   

H.R. 5525, Stop DC Capital Authoritarian Motorvehicle Enforcement and Restoration of Autonomy (CAMERA) Act: Introduced by Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the bill repeals three provisions of D.C. Code relating to automated traffic enforcement and right turns on red. Specifically, the bill repeals Title IX of the FY 1997 Budget Support Act of 1996 (sec. 50–2209.01 et seq., D.C. Official Code) along with the required expansion plan in the Safety-Based Traffic Enforcement Amendment Act of 2012 (sec. 50–2209.11, D.C. Official Code), thereby striking the mayor’s authorization to use automated traffic enforcement systems and striking the requirement for an owner of a vehicle to pay fines associated with a traffic infraction from an automated traffic enforcement system. The bill also repeals section 9e of the District of Columbia Traffic Act, 1925, approved March 3, 1925 (sec. 50–2201.04e, D.C. Official Code) which provides D.C.’s ability to erect signage prohibiting right turns on red, prohibits right turns on red, and requires an education campaign on the law.

“For too long, the District, under the guise of safety, has used these restrictive measures to expand punitive and regressive revenue generation. According to the D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the District collected $267 million from automated traffic enforcement cameras in fiscal year 2025 alone. This creates a financial incentive to continue issuing violations instead of addressing the underlying safety and traffic issues. Public safety should be the guiding principle behind traffic regulations, rather than policies that primarily generate revenue or create confusion for drivers. These predatory traffic enforcement measures enacted by the D.C. Council do little to improve public safety and discourage local law enforcement from performing their job. These are bad policies, plain and simple—and our Committee needs to act to repeal them,” said Chairman Comer.

“AAA deemed the city’s enforcement of moving violation and parking tickets as predatory and to this day city data showing how these cameras have made drivers safe is quite frankly nonexistent. D.C. does not provide any data. My goal is to bring driving autonomy back to the District not just for visitors but for residents. These cameras are a blatant money grab and simply aim to defraud taxpayers with millions in fines,” said Rep. Perry.

H.R. 6399, To direct the United States Postal Service to designate a single, unique ZIP Code for Highland City, Utah: Introduced by Representative Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), the bill requires the U.S. Postal Service to designate a unique ZIP Code for Highland City, Utah.