- Federal agenciesIncreases public transparency about federal funding shares for programs and projects.
- Federal agenciesImproves accountability by enabling oversight comparisons of federal cost contributions.
- Federal agenciesMay deter misuse of Federal funds through clearer public disclosure and monitoring.
COST Act
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Requires agencies and recipients using federal funds to state publicly the federal share (percent and dollar) and nongovernmental share (percent and dollar) of program, project, or activity costs in most public communications. Requires recipient certification of compliance in performance reports, annual OMB sampling reviews with public findings, and an anonymous public noncompliance reporting mechanism within one year.
Debate over administrative burden versus transparency gains
Narrow, low-controversy transparency bill typically attracts bipartisan support and is relatively easy to consider in the House.
Requires agencies and recipients using federal funds to state publicly the federal share (percent and dollar) and nongovernmental share (percent and dollar) of program, project, or activity costs in most public communications.
Requires recipient certification of compliance in performance reports, annual OMB sampling reviews with public findings, and an anonymous public noncompliance reporting mechanism within one year.
Adds a new section to Title 31, United States Code.
Low-cost, narrow transparency reforms have reasonable prospects but may stall over implementation burdens and Senate approval hurdles.
How solid the drafting looks.
Debate over administrative burden versus transparency gains
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
- Federal agenciesAdds administrative and documentation burdens for federal agencies, grantees, and subrecipients.
- Local governmentsImposes compliance costs that may disproportionately affect small nonprofits and local governments.
- Potential burdenRisk of disclosing proprietary or sensitive funding details that complicate private partnerships.
Why the argument around this bill splits.
Debate over administrative burden versus transparency gains
Views the bill as a pro-transparency measure that can improve accountability for federal spending, especially grants and contracts.
Will support the clarity it brings, but worry about compliance burdens on nonprofits, privacy for vulnerable beneficiaries, and potential political targeting of disclosed projects.
Sees the bill as a reasonable, pragmatic transparency reform that needs careful implementation.
Likely supportive if administrative burden is minimized and OMB guidance clarifies definitions and enforcement procedures.
Likely to favor the bill as a common-sense transparency and accountability measure exposing federal spending shares.
May seek stronger enforcement, public databases, and broader application to reveal federal cost burdens.
The path through Congress.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Low-cost, narrow transparency reforms have reasonable prospects but may stall over implementation burdens and Senate approval hurdles.
- No formal cost estimate or appropriation for OMB implementation
- Undefined term 'nongovernmental sources' could create interpretive disputes
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Go deeper than the headline read.
Debate over administrative burden versus transparency gains
Low-cost, narrow transparency reforms have reasonable prospects but may stall over implementation burdens and Senate approval hurdles.
Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for COST Act.
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.