Why it matters:

Billions of dollars in federal spending flow through contracting mechanisms that aren't captured by public tracking systems. This Sunshine Week, an annual national push for open government, gives Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) a platform to press the case for her Stop Secret Spending Act while the broader debate over government accountability transparency dominates Capitol Hill.

The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee is set to hold a hearing on government spending transparency on March 18, 2026, timed to coincide with Sunshine Week. The hearing, titled "Bringing Secret Government Spending to Light," arrives as committee Chair Sen Ernt looks to build momentum behind her stalled legislation to close loopholes in federal spending disclosure, and as members on both sides of the aisle have spent recent weeks loudly flagging waste, fraud, and opacity across the federal government.

Broader Context

No bills are formally listed in the hearing record, but the connection to one piece of legislation is hard to miss.

Ernst is the lead sponsor of S. 872, the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, which would require federal agencies to report "other transaction agreements" — a flexible contracting tool used heavily by the Department of Defense — on USAspending.gov. The bill also mandates annual reports on unreported federal spending and strengthens Inspector General oversight of data quality.

S. 872 cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in November 2025, reported out by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) — who also sits on the Small Business Committee — with amendments. It now sits on the Senate Calendar awaiting floor action.

A companion bill, H.R. 2069, was introduced in the House by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) with bipartisan cosponsors but has not advanced beyond introduction.

The hearing appears designed to keep the spotlight on the transparency gap the legislation targets and potentially generate the political energy needed to push S. 872 to a floor vote.

What Committee Members Have Been Saying About Secret Government Spending

In the 30 days leading up to the hearing, at least seven committee members have been publicly messaging on themes directly aligned with the session's focus — spanning government waste, oversight failures, fiscal discipline, and impacts on small businesses.

Republicans Hammering Fraud and Oversight

Ernst herself set the tone on February 25, flagging SBA COVID relief programs that she said "provided a critical lifeline to small businesses" but where "weak oversight opened the door" to abuse. That framing — government programs with good intentions undermined by poor transparency — is the core argument behind her Stop Secret Spending Act.

Sen. Rand Paul went further on March 9, highlighting what he described as billions in welfare fraud, with "stolen funds routed through" opaque channels. Paul's role in advancing S. 872 through committee gives his rhetoric added weight heading into the hearing.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has been among the most active members on transparency-adjacent issues, introducing bicameral legislation to modernize federal credit programs and promoting her Federal Loan Systems Modernization Act as a way to make government financial systems work "smarter, not harder." She also introduced the Migrant Crime Reporting Act, focused on increasing government reporting requirements — a different policy area, but the same underlying theme of forcing disclosure.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) invoked fiscal responsibility on February 24, noting that "Idahoans know how to live within their means, and the federal government should do the same."

Democrats Pushing Their Own Transparency Arguments

Ranking Member Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) has been active on two fronts. On February 20, he drew a line between tariff policy and small business vulnerability, arguing that "Trump's tariff taxes are hurting Main Street, allowing small businesses to become victims of predatory lenders." On March 2, he highlighted a federal court ruling requiring that lawmakers be allowed to conduct congressional oversight of ICE detention facilities — framing congressional oversight spending and access as a fundamental right.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) took a more combative tone on February 25, claiming she had "found the waste, fraud, and abuse Republicans are always talking about. It's coming straight out of the White House."

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) argued on February 26 that "if the Trump administration won't push corporations to be honest about their environmental impacts, then Congress must" step in — extending the transparency debate to corporate disclosure.

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) focused on the small business angle, describing how "the chaos of cost-raising tariffs is making it harder for Nevada small business owners like Vania to plan for the future."

The bipartisan nature of the pre-hearing messaging suggests the hearing itself could feature unusual agreement on the need for greater spending visibility — even if members disagree sharply on where the worst abuses lie.

The Lobbying Landscape Around This Lobbying Disclosure Hearing

Nine organizations with lobbying activity touching on government transparency, spending oversight, and small business issues were identified in filings from the Second Quarter of 2025 through the First Quarter of 2026. The activity suggests sustained interest from a range of stakeholders in the policy space this hearing occupies.

Top Spenders

Reform Government Surveillance reported $120,000 per quarter in the Second, Third, and Fourth Quarters of 2025, lobbying on government reform and transparency issues — making it the highest-spending entity among those identified.

RELX Inc., which lobbied on open government, FOIA, and federal spending disclosure topics, reported $70,000 per quarter across multiple filings from the First through Fourth Quarters of 2025.

CohnReznick LLP lobbied on budget transparency, appropriations oversight, and government accountability, with spending ramping from $30,000 per quarter early in 2025 to $50,000 per quarter by the second half of the year.

Directly Aligned Organizations

The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition — whose name alone signals alignment with the hearing's themes — reported spending between $20,000 and $60,000 per quarter throughout 2025.

The Small Business Majority Foundation Inc. filed lobbying disclosures in the Second, Third, and Fourth Quarters of 2025 on small business and government transparency issues, though it reported $0 in spending across all three filings.

Valid8 Financial Inc. lobbied on government accountability and spending oversight, reporting approximately $56,500 across three filings in 2025. RKT Holdings LLC lobbied on federal spending oversight, the DATA Act, and GAO-related transparency topics at $50,000 per quarter.

The American Values Law Center Inc. registered as a new lobbying client in 2025 and reported $50,000 per quarter in the Second and Third Quarters on government transparency and disclosure issues.

What to Watch

Key dynamics to monitor:

• Whether Ernst explicitly ties the hearing to S. 872 and uses it to pressure Senate leadership for floor time
• How Democrats engage — Markey and his caucus have been vocal on oversight and small business harm, but their framing differs sharply from Republicans on where the accountability failures originate
• Whether any new legislative proposals emerge, particularly around SBA oversight or OTA reporting requirements
• The partisan temperature — pre-hearing communications suggest both sides want to talk about government waste, but they may disagree on the target

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