In a time of deficits and prioritizing, Mercatus Center Scorecard a vital tool to evaluate the effectiveness of government spending and administration.
WASHINGTON – The Federal Government will spend $2.1 trillion this year, but does anyone really know where that money goes? Thanks to George Mason University\’s Mercatus Center and its Government Accountability Project, Congress and the public will have a better idea of just where the money is spent.
The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GRPA) required agencies to develop strategic plans, performance plans, and performance reports, in an effort to improve transparency and to force accountability on government bureaucracies. But for the accountability to work, the reports must be understandable and reliable. The Mercatus Center\’s Government Accountability Project aims to encourage useful reporting by ranking the reports coming from federal agencies.
"The Government Accountability Project is yet another useful innovative idea to come out of George Mason\’s Mercatus Center," said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "The Center\’s rating of GRPA safeguards taxpayer dollars by forcing agencies to document every expenditure and accomplishment."
This year, the highest-rated reports came from the Department of Labor, the Department of Transportation, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is the first year at the top of the list for the Small Business Administration; the other three agencies received similar high scores last year.
"Any action that shines the light of day on government finances and government activity is a win for taxpayers," Norquist continued. "Once again, the Mercatus Center is leading the way."