On the recordJune 17, 2010
The first section of this amendment would require public disclosure of the amount of any new borrowing or spending approved by the Senate. In other words, it is about transparency. It is about letting the American people hold us accountable. It means that on the Senate Web site, after we make new spending decisions and borrowing decisions, we have to publicize it so the American people can see it, rather than hide behind it. It is simple. There is no score for it on savings. I guarantee it will save money, because if we know the American people are going to know what the financial consequences are of what we do with every vote, it is going to change some votes around here. The other question we ought to be asking is why shouldn't they know what we are doing and the ramifications of it. It is pretty simple. It is pretty straightforward. I have told the Rules Committee that I would pay out of my personal office budget the cost of that program. In other words, I would turn back over $500,000 every year.
