The Secret Hold
Currently Porkbusters, along with sites like TPM's Muckraker, are trying to find out who in the Senate put the secret hold on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 which would create a publicly searchable database available on the internet of all federal grants and contracts.
Obviously, such free public disclosure of government spending would be helpful in combatting overzealous government spending.
To help narrow down the suspect list I called my Senator, Byron Dorgan, at his Washington D.C. office asked about the bill. His office told me that Senator Dorgan and the members of his staff who could answer my question are currently traveling in North Dakota. I was able to leave a voice mail with Gabriele Adler, the member of Dorgan's staff I was directed to, so hopefully he'll be calling me back about this soon.
Brett Narloch of TakingBackND called North Dakota's other Senator, Kent Conrad, and was told by the lady who answered that she couldn't speak for Senator Conrad and that we should keep checking the Senator's website to find out more.
That's a pretty lame response from Conrad, if you ask me. I'll update this post if we get any more info.
Update:
According to Dale Wetzel (North Dakota's Associated Press guy) in the comments both Conrad and Dorgan have denied being responsible for the secret hold.
Obviously, such free public disclosure of government spending would be helpful in combatting overzealous government spending.
To help narrow down the suspect list I called my Senator, Byron Dorgan, at his Washington D.C. office asked about the bill. His office told me that Senator Dorgan and the members of his staff who could answer my question are currently traveling in North Dakota. I was able to leave a voice mail with Gabriele Adler, the member of Dorgan's staff I was directed to, so hopefully he'll be calling me back about this soon.
Brett Narloch of TakingBackND called North Dakota's other Senator, Kent Conrad, and was told by the lady who answered that she couldn't speak for Senator Conrad and that we should keep checking the Senator's website to find out more.
That's a pretty lame response from Conrad, if you ask me. I'll update this post if we get any more info.
Update:
According to Dale Wetzel (North Dakota's Associated Press guy) in the comments both Conrad and Dorgan have denied being responsible for the secret hold.
