National Security

Congress Must Reassert Check on Executive Branch After Trump Airstrike Against Iran

Statement of Lisa Rosenberg, Executive Director, Open The Government. Note: The U.S. drone strike that recently killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Iraq stirred talk of war as Iran,   Read Full

January 9, 2020

Cut It Out: Broad Coalition Calls on Congress to Remove Provision Criminalizing Reasonable Disclosures from Intelligence Authorization Act

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New provision would allow prosecution of reporters (or anyone) who discloses identity of current or retired operatives Washington, D.C. — Pushing against a recent move by the Central Intelligence Agency   Read Full

July 9, 2019

CIA’s Expansion of “covert agent” definition would weaken oversight and accountability

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Section 305 (Division A) of S. 1589, the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2018, 2019, and 2020, would expand the definition of “covert agent” for purposes of prosecution under the   Read Full

June 27, 2019

47 Organizations Urge Congress to Support Amash-Lofgren Amendment and Rein in Warrantless Surveillance

More than 45 diverse organizations signed and sent a letter to members of Congress urging bipartisan support for the Amash-Lofgren amendment to H.R. 2740. The amendment would limit warrantless surveillance   Read Full

June 17, 2019

Defense Department’s Gag Rule Memo Spurs Letter Urging Office of the Special Counsel to Investigate

Open The Government and the Government Accountability Project sent a letter to the Office of the Special Counsel today urging the agency to investigate the Department of Defense’s new policy   Read Full

May 22, 2019