The Trump administration has torn an estimated 2,500 children from their asylum-seeking parents – and the damage to America’s reputation across the globe cannot be undone. Some are now terrified that children might disappear into the system and never see their families again.
Today, a nonpartisan coalition of government openness, accountability, and human rights groups called for comprehensive disclosure of documents relating to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the coalition raised concerns that records currently under review exclude information that would shed light on Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications to be a Supreme Court Justice.
Open the Government, together with a non-partisan coalition of transparency, government accountability, civil liberties and press freedom organizations, sent a letter condemning the White House for punishing journalists who ask tough questions, and demanding it welcomes all credentialed reporters to events where the press are admitted.
Congress must demand full transparency and accountability to protect children from disappearing
WASHINGTON – Open the Government Executive Director, Lisa Rosenberg, criticized the latest case of excessive secrecy at the Environmental Protection Agency, in response to reports that Director Scott Pruitt hid meetings with industry representatives and others from the public.
Open the Government issued the following statement in response to the shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland:
Open the Government is devastated by the shooting at the Capital Gazette.
Journalists are our partners and kindred spirits in our mission to provide the public with access to information. They are the antithesis of “the enemy of the people” and we will continue undeterred to support their work and will seek and support efforts to deescalate the hostility towards them.
The public outcry that resulted from the Department of Homeland Security’s implementation of the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy led to a rollback of the policy and a court-imposed timeframe for reuniting children with their parents. But the fight for full accountability is far from over. DHS has requested $25.5 billion in taxpayers’ dollars for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), agencies that already receive as much funding as all other law enforcement agencies combined.
Lawsuits Caused by Lack of FOIA Compliance Waste Taxpayer’s Money and Infringe on the Public’s Right to Know