Experts say better spending data is the key to transparency

Improving the quality of publicly available federal spending data is vital to government transparency, according to experts at a House Oversight Committee hearing.

Witnesses argued publishing accurate government spending data online where it can be freely accessed and reused by members of the public is the true meaning of transparency in the digital age. "Information cannot be considered public if it is available only inside a government building, during limited hours or for a fee," said Sunlight Foundation executive director Ellen Miller in her prepared remarks.