Haridopolos, Scott Introduce LEDGER Act to Enhance Transparency in Federal Spending

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, Congressman Mike Haridopolos (FL-08) introduced H.R. 4091, the Locating Every Disbursement in Government Expenditure Records (LEDGER) Act in the House of Representatives to improve the transparency and accountability of payments made by the Department of the Treasury.  

Earlier this year, it was discovered that more than $4.7 trillion in past Treasury payments lacked basic tracking information. Following public outrage over wasteful and unaccountable spending, particularly on frivolous projects through agencies such as USAID, it has become clear that the federal government must adopt meaningful reforms to restore accountability in how taxpayer dollars are spent.

Every business in America keeps detailed records of its payments, documenting who was paid, how much was spent, and why the money was spent. This is a basic financial practice that prevents fraud, controls costs, and ensures accountability. For years, policymakers have discussed the need to make the federal government operate more like a business. With this legislation, we have a clear place to begin.

The LEDGER Act brings that same standard of financial accountability to the federal level by requiring the Department of the Treasury to establish a mandatory and standardized system for recording every payment made by the federal government. Just like a business, each payment must include information such as the date, amount, recipient, purpose, and the legal authority under which it is made.

"The discovery that bureaucrats spent trillions of taxpayer dollars without basic tracking measures showed that Washington’s spending problem is also an accountability problem," said Congressman Haridopolos. "The LEDGER Act addresses this by ensuring that every federal payment is properly documented, bringing much-needed transparency to government spending." 

The LEDGER Act draws inspiration from Florida’s Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACTS), a successful reform championed by Congressman Haridopolos during his tenure as President of the State Senate in Florida, and aims to bring that proven model of transparency to the federal level.

Companion legislation (S. 1160) has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), who signed Florida’s FACTS system into law during his tenure as governor.

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) said, “Like many Americans, I was outraged by DOGE’s findings that the U.S. Treasury made $4.7 trillion in payments that were completely unmarked, unlabeled and therefore, untraceable and unaccountable to the American people. I am glad to lead the LEDGER Act with my colleague, Congressman Haridopolos, to fix that by requiring Treasury to track every payment made using Americans’ tax dollars. There’s not a single family or business in America that operates this way—we look at our bank accounts and credit card statements to make sure we know where our money is going and stay on budget. I brought the same common sense of every American family and business as Governor of Florida to get spending under control and balance the budget, and we can do the same on the federal level to save the American dream and support the great work of President Trump, Secretary Bessent and DOGE.”

Congressman Jimmy Patronis (FL-01), who previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Florida and oversaw the FACTS program, said, “The American people deserve transparency in Washington, and that’s exactly what the LEDGER Act is designed to do. As Florida’s CFO, my office managed FACTS, which was originally passed by then-State Senator Haridopolos. FACTS served as an effective tool for ensuring that our state remained accountable and transparent to Florida taxpayers. Likewise, the LEDGER Act will instill greater accountability and transparency of American tax dollars and complement President Trump’s mission to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse. I’m proud to co-sponsor this bill with Rep. Haridopolos and bring some of Florida’s sunshine to Washington, D.C.”

"What government bureaucrats might call a bookkeeping oversight is a genuine crisis of accountability that sits at the heart of Washington’s spending problem. In Florida, implementing a comprehensive tracking system for state spending restored public confidence and ensured responsible use of taxpayer funds," Congressman Haridopolos added. "Let’s make Washington accountable again, one line item at a time."

The LEDGER Act aligns with recent efforts by the Treasury Department to enforce the mandatory use of Treasury Account Symbol codes, ensuring that such reforms are codified and sustained.

The full text of the LEDGER Act can be found here.