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President Donald Trump issued a memo on Tuesday aimed at increasing transparency and ending wasteful spending in federal agencies.
The memo, entitled “Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending,” focused on the leaders of federal agencies and other government groups.
“The United States Government spends too much money on programs, contracts, and grants that do not promote the interests of the American people. For too long, taxpayers have subsidized ideological projects overseas and domestic organizations engaged in actions that undermine the national interest,” the memo read.
“The American people have seen their tax dollars used to fund the passion projects of unelected bureaucrats rather than to advance the national interest. The American people have a right to see how the Federal Government has wasted their hard-earned wages,” it continued.
Trump’s memorandum spoke directly to agency leaders to act on behalf of the American people.
“I therefore direct the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to take all appropriate actions to make public, to the maximum extent permitted by law and as the heads of agencies deem appropriate to promote the policies of my Administration, the complete details of every terminated program, cancelled contract, terminated grant, or any other discontinued obligation of Federal funds,” Trump wrote.
“Agencies shall ensure that such publication occurs in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the underlying contract, grant, or other award,” the memo concluded.
Trump also signed an executive order related to increased accountability for federal agencies on Tuesday called “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies.”
The order warned that “These regulatory agencies currently exercise substantial executive authority without sufficient accountability to the President, and through him, to the American people. Moreover, these regulatory agencies have been permitted to promulgate significant regulations without review by the President.”
The order added, “These practices undermine such regulatory agencies’ accountability to the American people and prevent a unified and coherent execution of Federal law. For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield vast executive power must be supervised and controlled by the people’s elected President.”