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A photo illustration of documents gathered during an AP investigation

AP Illustration

The Freedom of Information Act gives the public a right to access government records.

The Freedom of Information Act is supposed to shed light on government activity by giving journalists and the public access to government records. But the law is in shambles. From endless delays in response time and unjustified refusals to ridiculously overbroad redactions, FOIA is plagued with problems.

We must fight back against the government’s refusal to comply with FOIA and urge Congress to reform the law and end backlogs of requests, reduce the number of exemptions, and overturn damaging court decisions.

Write a letter to keep FOIA offices open

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Edit this message so that it is unique to you: Dear Senator/Representative, As your constituent, I am deeply concerned about closures and reductions in force at Freedom of Information Act offices across the government. I am asking that you PLEASE SPEAK OUT and inform the administration: It is critical that FOIA offices remain fully staffed and open. Records released through FOIA have informed my decision-making as a voter on issues including health, public safety, immigration, and national security. These cuts will both compromise my ability to make informed decisions about the policy issues that are most important to me and impact your office’s ability to conduct oversight. Not only does your office rely on records released through FOIA and reported in the news to inform your investigations but FOIA offices often play a key role in responding to congressional requests for information. When FOIA offices close, government secrecy gets worse and your job gets harder. This will further erode trust in government at a pivotal time. We cannot let this happen. Now is the time to use your considerable influence to support and safeguard FOIA. Your efforts in the coming months to keep our government transparent will have major implications for our country’s trajectory and the public’s faith in its institutions. Thank you. URLs are not allowed in this message.

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Thanks for helping us protect FOIA and the right of the press and public to know what the government is up to.

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Join me in encouraging Congress to stop the administration’s attacks on FOIA and our right to access government documents: https://freedom.press/the-classifieds/foia/#protect-foia

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