Senator: Let all view spending

WASHINGTON -- Exasperated by his party's failure to cut government spending, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is seeking cyberhelp.

Coburn wants to create a public database, searchable over the Internet, that would list most government contracts and grants -- exposing hundreds of billions in annual spending to instant desktop view.

Type in "Halliburton," the military contractor, or "Sierra Club," the environmental group, for example, and a search engine would show all the federal money they receive. A search for the words "Alaska" and "bridges" would expose a certain $223 million span to Gravina Island (population 50) that critics call the Bridge to Nowhere.

While advocating for openness, Coburn is also placing a philosophical bet that the more the public learns about federal spending, the less it will want.

"Sunshine's the best thing we've got to control waste, fraud and abuse," he said. "It's also the best thing we've got to control stupidity. It'll be a force for the government we need."

But Coburn's plan, hailed by conservatives, is also sponsored by a Democrat, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, and applauded by liberal groups that support activist government. The result is a showcase of clashing assumptions and the oddest of coalitions, uniting Phyllis Schlafly, a prominent critic of gay rights, with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Liberal groups, while also praising openness, are hoping for a new appreciation of what government does, such as provide clean water and feed the hungry. "We need to remind people where Uncle Sam helps us each day," said Gary Bass, director of OMB Watch, a liberal group that got its start monitoring the Office of Management and Budget.

The House unanimously passed a version of the proposal in late June, though in a form that had drawn outside criticism. The House bill creates a database that would omit contracts, which typically go to businesses, but would include $300 billion in grants, which usually go to nonprofit groups.

"Contracts are awarded in a much more competitive environment," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Va., who was also sponsor of the bill. That makes them more self-policing, he said. Davis, whose district includes many government contractors, said grants "are more susceptible to abuse."