Representative Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) are introducing legislation to improve transparency in federal spending.
Named the Locating Every Disbursement in Government Expenditure Records (LEDGER) Act, Rep. Haridopolos's bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a standardized system of tracking all purchases and payments made by the federal government down to the date, amount, recipient, purpose, and authority authorizing the payment.
The bill responds to the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) reveal that over $4.7 trillion in taxpayer money paid out over the years lacked tracking information in February, sparking outrage and concern over how the government spends money.
Rep. Haridopolos was inspired by Florida's Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACTS), which he helped create during his tenure in the Florida Senate.
"The discovery that bureaucrats spent trillions of taxpayer dollars without basic tracking measures showed that Washington's spending problem is also an accountability problem," the Florida Congressman said in his press release, adding, "The LEDGER Act addresses this by ensuring that every federal payment is properly documented, bringing much-needed transparency to government spending."
Sen. Scott, who is introducing the bill in the Senate, said, "Like many Americans, I was outraged by DOGE's findings that the U.S. Treasury made $4.7 trillion in payments that were completely unmarked, unlabeled, and therefore, untraceable and unaccountable to the American people."
"I am glad to lead the LEDGER Act with my colleague, Congressman Haridopolos, to fix that by requiring the Treasury to track every payment made using Americans' tax dollars," Sen. Scott continued. "There's not a single family or business in America that operates this way—we look at our bank accounts and credit card statements to make sure we know where our money is going and stay on budget. I brought the same common sense of every American family and business as Governor of Florida to get spending under control and balance the budget, and we can do the same on the federal level to save the American dream and support the great work of President Trump, Secretary Bessent, and DOGE."
