Strengthen the Freedom of Information Act

A photo illustration of documents gathered during an AP investigation - AP21166836655820

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

Help us tell Congress that Trump’s decimation of FOIA offices across the federal government is unacceptable. Americans deserve access to the records of the government they fund.

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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 recent 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, FOIA offices often play a key role in responding to congressional requests for information. If FOIA offices close, government secrecy will get worse and your job will get 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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After multiple spying scandals in 2013 involving the surveillance of journalists at the Associated Press and Fox News, the Justice Department announced it had updated its “media guidelines” to better protect journalists’ press freedom rights in leak investigations. This was portrayed as a big win for the press, however, the …

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