Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025

Enumerated powers · passes

The bill operates within the federal government's authority over its own spending and procurement. Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 grants Congress the power to lay and collect taxes and provide for the common defense and general welfare, which includes the authority to appropriate and oversee federal funds. Additionally, the Necessary and Proper Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18) supports legislation that ensures transparency and accountability in the execution of federal spending. The bill does not regulate private conduct or state activities; it only imposes reporting requirements on federal agencies.

Bill of Rights · passes

The bill does not implicate any of the first ten amendments. It does not restrict speech, religion, assembly, press, or petition (First Amendment); it does not affect the right to keep and bear arms (Second Amendment); it does not involve quartering of soldiers (Third Amendment); it does not authorize searches or seizures (Fourth Amendment); it does not compel self-incrimination or deprive of life, liberty, or property without due process (Fifth Amendment); it does not affect criminal trials (Sixth Amendment); it does not involve civil juries (Seventh Amendment); it does not impose excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishment (Eighth Amendment); and it does not deny unenumerated rights (Ninth Amendment) or violate reserved powers (Tenth Amendment). The bill is purely administrative and informational.

Individual liberty · passes

The bill imposes no restrictions on individual conduct. It does not limit what a person can do with their person, property, speech, labor, or belief. It only requires federal agencies to report certain expenditure data, which is a governmental function. There is no burden on individual liberty, and no compelling justification is needed because no individual right is restricted.

Decentralization · passes

The bill concerns federal agency reporting to a federal website. It does not involve individuals, local communities, or states in a way that would raise decentralization concerns. The federal government is the actor and the subject of the reporting requirement, so there is no consolidation of decision-making from lower levels of government. The bill does not preempt state law or local authority. It passes all four questions: individuals and families are not involved; local communities are not involved; states are not involved; and the action does not consolidate power upward beyond the federal government's own operations.

Due process and takings · passes

The bill does not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property. It does not involve adjudication, enforcement, or seizure of property. It imposes no penalties or obligations on private parties. The reporting requirements are directed at federal agencies and do not affect due process rights. There is no taking of private property for public use without just compensation (Fifth Amendment).