WASHINGTON – Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) has introduced the "Tax Dollar Accountability Act" to protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars by requiring local and state governments to open their financial books to federal auditors or face a total freeze of their federal funds.

Introduced as the 26th piece of legislation by Congressman Donalds in the 119th Congress, this measure furthers the Trump administration’s commitment to rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.

Any government entity that accepts federal funding must grant the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency complete access to its internal financial records that pertain to federal dollars. This includes detailed budgets, expenditure reports, vendor contracts, and grant distributions. Local and state officials will be legally required to hand over these documents at the conclusion of every fiscal year to verify that federal taxpayer dollars are being managed properly.

"The rampant fraud and abuse of federal taxpayers that has been allowed to take place is not just unacceptable but is a direct insult to hardworking Americans across the country. The precious dollars that our citizens are compelled to send to Washington must be guarded with the utmost care and used for the betterment of our country, not to line the pockets of corrupt individuals and organizations," said Congressman Byron Donalds. "Americans everywhere deserve to know where their money is being sent and what it is being used for, and that is why I’m proud to introduce the Tax Dollar Accountability Act to audit all federal dollars sent to every level of government."

BACKGROUND:

• This bill seeks to increase the transparency and accountability of federal taxpayer dollars by allowing the Office of Management and Budget to halt federal funding to local and state governments if they refuse to show federal auditors how they spend hard-earned taxpayer money.

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