"The public health institute's FOIA office had lost too many staff members to fulfill public record requests - falling victim to President Donald Trump's executive order to eliminate "waste, bloat, and insularity" in the federal government by significantly reducing its workforce."
"Attorneys for at least 13 agencies and departments have explicitly stated in 26 FOIA lawsuits that the downsizings were the reasons for failures to meet FOIA deadlines, according to a Washington Post review of 339 active FOIA lawsuits."
"The court records reviewed show that the personnel cuts delayed responses to a range of FOIAs, including requests for information about the death of a person in custody at a federal prison, alleged pro-Hamas activities on U.S. campuses, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and even an investigation of the 1955 death of Emmett Till."
The CDC's FOIA office was placed on administrative leave due to staff reductions from President Trump's workforce reduction initiative, exemplifying broader federal compliance failures. At least 13 agencies have explicitly cited personnel cuts as reasons for missing FOIA deadlines in 26 lawsuits, though the actual number of affected requests is likely much higher. The staffing reductions have delayed responses to diverse FOIA requests covering topics ranging from measles vaccination data to investigations into historical civil rights cases. Government agencies' fiscal year 2025 reports confirm that Cabinet-level departments have experienced significant employment reductions, directly impacting their capacity to fulfill public records obligations.
#foia-compliance #federal-workforce-reduction #government-transparency #administrative-delays #public-records-access
Read at The Washington Post
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