Sunlight Foundation: Congress Discussing Possible Reprieve To Funding Cuts For Transparency/Data Sites

From a Sunlight Foundation Blog Post Titled, “Have we saved the data? Maybe” by Daniel Schuman at the Sunlight Foundation:

Online transparency programs will enjoy a reprieve from the chopping block if the short term budget resolution posted late last night by House Republicans were to become law. The latest proposal appears to continue funding the sites at the same levelat half the level as last year instead of cutting them to virtually nothing as was originally proposed. In short: our response is working. But we’re not out the woods yet.

Under the short term resolution, the Electronic Government Fund, which pays for USASpending.gov, Data.gov, the IT Dashboard, and other tech transparency programs, would be funded at $17m for the remainder of the time the continuing resolution is in effect, i.e., until April 15the year, which is the equivalent of the $34m annual appropriation it received last year. (I am reading the budget resolution quickly, so I believe the money is for the remainder of the year. But these things are tricky.) The Sunlight Foundation, joined by a coalition of organization and more than 2,000 citizens, have called for these transparency programs to be saved.

Schuman has much more on what has to happen to at least get some of the funding back. Make sure to read the entire blog post.

He adds these important words:

All that is clear is that your speaking out is making a difference. Please keep calling and emailing and blogging and writing. Together we can save the data.

Note: Edits Are Included On Schuman’s Blog Post

See Also: Save the Data: Thousands Sign Open Letter

This morning Sunlight is sending an open letter to Congress on behalf of 13 organizations and more than 2,000 signatories that calls on legislators to save online transparency programs from budget cuts.

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Dashboards, Data Files, Funding, News