Federal Spending Database + Tom Davis = Smoke Screen

Some of you might have been following the recent developments towards the creation of a Searchable Government Spending Database. It will be "google" like and be an incredible tool to find pork and corruption in government. As of now, there is no central database of all government spending. The Senate version would include all contracts and grants over $25,000.

However, take a look at this little nugget from the uber-conservative Heritage Foundation.

The House passed a different version of the legislation last June. H.R. 5090, sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis, excluded government contracts from the database, which is a mistake given the nature of earmarks. Normally, when the two chambers pass significantly different legislation, they form a conference committee to reconcile the two bills and resubmit the modified bill to both houses for approval. This process takes quite a bit of time, however, and the session has precious little of that left.

And from the Washington Post

Barring outright opposition to the bill's passage, the best hope for contractors is to promote a weak substitute. Remarkably, Representative Tom Davis (R-Va.), whose district includes such contractors among his most affluent constituents, has given them just the vehicle. Davis introduced a House version of the Coburn Bill, minus the transparency requirement for contractors, leaving only grant-recipient NGOs like Doctors Without Borders in the crosshairs. Representative Davis told the New York Times that "contracts are awarded in a much more competitive environment" and grants "are more susceptible to abuse."

hmmmm, I wonder why Mr. Davis would like to exclude government contracts? We know he just intimidated the Governor of Virginia by Threatening to cut off Federal Funds for a Metro expansion project so one of his campaign donors could keep a no bid contract.

If you want to know what else Tom Davis is hiding, or why he is excluding Government Contracts, e-mail his campaign info@tomdavis.org or you can e-mail his campaign manager Nick Mead at nick@tomdavis.org

Nate de la Piedra is the Online Outreach Coordinator for the Andrew Hurst for Congress 2006 Campaign. The ideas expressed herein belong to Nate de la Piedra and do not necessarily represent those of Andrew Hurst, his advisors, staff, or "The Campaign".