WASHINGTON — President Bush used a bill-signing ceremony Tuesday on legislation by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to promote his administration's efforts in providing the public with greater access to information on how tax dollars are spent.

The White House also issued a fact sheet after the ceremony that called Coburn's bill part of Bush's commitment to improving government accountability and management.

Bush said before he signed the bill, "You know, we spend a lot of time and a lot of effort collecting your money, and we should show the same amount of effort in reporting how we spent it.

"Taxpayers have a right to know where that money is going, and you have a right to know whether or not you're getting value for your money."

Under the Coburn legislation, a database will be created to track federal grants and contracts.

That database will be online and accessible to the public.

Bush cited the more than $400 billion in grants and $300 billion in contracts the federal government issues each year.

"By allowing Americans to Google their tax dollars, this new law will help taxpayers demand greater fiscal discipline," he said.

"In other words, we're arming our fellow citizens with the information that will enable them to demand we do a better job, a better job in the executive branch and better job in the legislative branch."

Coburn and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a co-sponsor of the bill, also issued a statement following the ceremony.

They called the measure a small but important step in the effort to change the culture in Washington by making it easier for taxpayers to hold elected officials accountable.

They also credited an army of bloggers, editorialists and concerned citizens for helping to win approval of the bill whose fate at one time did not appear guaranteed.

Supporters of the Coburn legislation say the key to the success of the new program will be the quality of the information put on the Web site.