Sunflower State News

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. introduced the National Emergency Expenditure Reporting Transparency Act, legislation that tightens reporting requirements related to spending during national emergencies.

Senator Marshall’s legislation requires monthly spending updates be provided to Congress and the public. The National Emergency Expenditure Reporting Transparency Act requires the Administration by law to provide the most up to date spending figures and demands full transparency on the spending be provided to the American people and lawmakers.

“In the earliest days of the Biden Presidency, promises were made to ‘bring transparency and truth back to government.’ More than two years into his term, President Biden has failed miserably to follow through on this pledge,” Senator Marshall said. This could not be more evident than in his administration’s response to COVID, the unconstitutional mandates they tried to force on Americans, and their elusiveness when it comes to expenditure reporting related to the Covid-19 national emergency declaration. The law clearly states that all public money used under a national emergency declaration should be published in a timely manner for the American people and Congress to see. Despite our requests, this administration has stonewalled us at every turn when it comes to providing the required reports and that’s why we need the stricter guardrails contained in the National Emergency Expenditure Reporting Transparency Act. I’m pleased to work with Rep. Gosar on this effort to ensure President Biden and future Presidents cannot unilaterally spend taxpayer dollars without following the law.”

“Despite repeated bicameral demands, the Biden administration has failed to provide any spending report related to the COVID-19 national emergency, as required by law. Appallingly, 41 other national emergencies have also been extended with insufficient reporting. This legislation requires agencies to post detailed public reports related to emergency expenditures, guiding oversight efforts to rein in Biden’s unreported spending. The Constitution tasks Congress, not the President, with the power of the purse,” Congressman Paul Gosar said. 

Currently, the National Emergencies Act requires the President to report national emergency spending to Congress every six months and no later than ninety days after the termination of a national emergency. President Biden has ignored this requirement and hasn’t provided any spending reports, and the ninety-day period following the termination of Covid-19’s national emergency passed earlier this week.

The lack of transparency and general respect for the law from this administration surrounding Covid-19 spending spurred Senator Marshall to bring more visibility to this process and ensure the exploitation of taxpayer dollars under the emergency declaration powers can never happen again. 

Background:

• In March 2023, Senator Marshall’s resolution terminating the Covid-19 National Emergency Declaration was signed into law. This was the third time the resolution had passed the U.S. Senate, with the final vote being on March 29, 2023 with bipartisan support passage through the Senate, 68-23. 
• In April 2023, Sen. Marshall wrote a letter to President Biden requesting expenditure reports related to the Covid-19 national emergency declaration. No response was given to the letter. 
• In March 2020, President Donald Trump invoked the National Emergencies Act (NEA) in regard to Covid-19. In February 2021 and then again in February 2022, despite declaring on national tv that the pandemic was over in September 2022, President Joe Biden extended the national emergency again.

Original source can be found here