Congress is holding federal agencies accountable in an attempt to regain public trust
MELODY STAINBROOK: In recent months, federal blunders and increased national division have invigorated concerns regarding governmental transparency. As an increasing number of Americans question the ethical behavior of government leaders, Congress is searching for ways to regain public trust. Lawmakers are demanding reports of federal agencies’ spendings and operations in an attempt to appear more open and honest with Americans. One of these demands is from Republican Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama, who is sponsoring H.R. 27: Settlement Agreement Information Database Act of 2021 (SAID Act). The SAID Act’s goal is to increase transparency among federal agencies by requiring them to report legal actions, such as settlement agreements, to a public database.
The SAID Act aims to, “amend chapter 3 of title 5, United States Code, to require the publication of settlement agreements, and for other purposes.” If the bill passes, federal agencies will be required to report basic information about settlement agreements and consent decrees into a public database. If the agreement must remain confidential, the SAID Act would require federal agencies to issue a public statement that justifies the nondisclosure.
The SAID Act was introduced by Rep. Palmer on January 4, 2021, and was quickly passed in the House with bipartisan support on January 5, 2021. The bill is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate and has an 87% chance of being passed, according to Skopos Lab.
In a statement regarding the SAID Act, Rep. Palmer stated that the goal of the bill is to provide, “overdue transparency,” to lawmakers and the public who are often, “left in the dark about costs and outcomes.” Rep. Palmer also added that there is currently no uniform standard for recordkeeping and reporting among federal agencies.
The SAID act is the most-recent legislation proposed and passed by Congress aimed at increasing the openness of federal agencies. Late last year, Congress added a mandate to the COVID-19 relief and federal spending bill ordering federal intelligence agencies to release a report detailing what they know about UFOs.
Although this request may seem strange, lawmakers explain that the order is not a result of concern regarding extraterrestrial life, rather a measure to spur transparency regarding confidential security information. Seth Shostak, an astronomer at SETI Institute, explained that Congress’s mandate arose from concern that their being kept in the dark about threats from foreign enemies and that some UFOs are “some sort of military technology being deployed by potential enemies.”
Legislation scrutinizing the honesty of federal agencies comes at a time when the public’s trust in the federal government is alarmingly low. According to 2018 Pew Research data, only 30 percent of Americans polled believe the government does “very well” or “somewhat well” in providing openness and transparency. Furthermore, 96 percent of Americans polled feel that openness and transparency in government are “very important” or “somewhat important.”
Recent federal blunders have added to this mistrust. It was recently revealed that the Trump administration was dishonest about the number of vaccines the federal government had available. Colorado Governor Jared Polis stated that the Trump administration told him that they had a supply of 200,000 vaccines but the next week, this assertion was revealed to be a lie. Lies, such as this one, lead the American public to distrust their own government.
Congress is not immune to the public’s mounting distrust. A 2019 Pew Poll found that 81% of Americans think Congress is unethical most or some of the time. The recent insurrection at the Capitol proves that many Americans believe Congress is engaged in massive cover-ups. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were so convinced of Congress’s dishonesty, convinced that Congress democrats rigged an election, that they stormed the Capitol building.
Distrust of Congress is not unique to the far-right; Americans on both sides of the political aisle believe Congress to be unethical. The left has become outraged at Republican lawmakers who stoked conspiracy theories of election wide-spread fraud to former President Trump’s claims that the election was rigged. The recent controversy regarding Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the plethora of false and outrageous comments she has made, and Republican lawmakers’ consequent silence has added to the left’s distrust of Congressional lawmakers.
The public doesn’t feel as if they can trust the government to make choices that are in their best interest. Congress is at the center of this lack of trust. Are Congress’s new demands for government transparency an attempt to actually be more honest and open in the eyes of the American public? Or, could this legislation, aimed at federal agencies, be an attempt to shift public scrutiny from Congress to U.S. agencies?
Regardless of Congress’s intentions with these new demands, the legislation itself is important. Accountability is an essential part of our republic; our government was designed with elaborate checks and balances to ensure the government is held responsible for its actions. Without transparency and honesty, federal agencies can not be held accountable and we can not ensure that they are serving at the interests of the people. Additionally, we need information from federal agencies regarding issues so we can search for their solutions.
Transparency is also essential to security. Without proper information from federal agencies regarding internal and external threats to our nation, we cannot ensure that it is properly defended.
Take Action
To show support for or voice your concern of the SAID Act, you can call your area’s Representative and Senator by clicking on the respective links. You can also call the office of Rep. Palmer, sponsor of the SAID Act, by calling (202) 225-4921, or emailing at this link. To learn more about the importance of government transparency and the steps that must be taken to ensure transparency, you can visit this guide.