How Trump's Minions Are Gutting The Freedom Of Information Act

The article highlights a concerning proposal by the Department of Energy to require re-submission of all existing Freedom of Information Act requests, effectively aiming to dismiss outstanding inquiries. This move is characterized as a strategic effort to reduce transparency and limit public accountability, contradicting the administration’s promises of openness. Legal experts argue that such a blanket rule is unlawful and disproportionately burdens citizens and journalists, who lack the resources of corporate entities to easily renew their submissions. The piece suggests this initiative is part of a broader pattern of creating an opaque government environment through evasion and obfuscation. By framing the rule as a measure to save resources from "vexatious" requests, the administration employs a broad brush that ignores the vital role FOIA plays in democratic oversight. The author emphasizes that this approach undermines the foundational purpose of the 1969 law, which allows the public to access government documents and hold officials accountable. This issue is critically relevant to open data because it threatens the accessibility of government datasets and records that form the basis of informed public discourse. Reducing access to these materials hinders transparency, innovation, and civic engagement. The article urges immediate public comment to oppose the rule, demonstrating how active citizen participation is essential to protecting the open data ecosystem and ensuring the government remains answerable to the people it serves.

Source: nationalmemo.com
Published on 2025-08-19

How Trump's Minions Are Gutting The Freedom Of Information Act

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