The White House is doing everything it can to neuter the OPEN Government Act, which was supposed to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act.

From Think Progress:

Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) said yesterday that Bush’s FY2009 “funds for the Office of Government Information Services authorized under the newly enacted OPEN Government Act will be shifted to the Department of Justice” from the National Archives. Congress Daily reports:

“But by shifting the funding to the Justice Department, OMB would effectively eliminate the office, because it appears no similar operation would be created there,” according to an aide to Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT). […]

National Archives officials are relatively independent of political pressure, the staffer explained, “but DOJ is different.” Government transparency advocates consider the department hostile to efforts to improve FOIA responsiveness, in part because it represents agencies sued by FOIA requesters.

• Leahy And Cornyn: White House Trying To ‘Eliminate’ FOIA Office
• Most Government Sites Fall Short of FOIA Requirements
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
  

previously on wtg:

• rolling stone on hillary clinton
• al gore declares support for gay marriage
• the end of rudy giuliani (the candidate and the man)
• naomi wolf on the end of america
• greenwald on real reporting

Filed in: politics