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Open Government

Restoring Openness in the White House

In August 2007, the Bush administration broke from historical precedent in declaring that the White House's Office of Administration (OA) is not a government agency subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Public Citizen and other organizations have written a letter to the White House requesting that they restore treatment of OA as an agency subject to FOIA. READ the letter.

Audit the Fed

The Federal Reserve has operated without sufficient transparency or accountability to the American people. Americans across the nation, regardless of their opinion on the bailouts, want to know where that money has gone and exactly how much has been spent.  Public Citizen and others have sent a letter to Congress encouraging support for H.R. 1207, "The Federal Reserve Transparency Act" which would eliminate the restrictions on U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits of the Federal Reserve. READ the letter.

 Whistleblower Protections

Whistleblowers are the best defense against waste, fraud and abuse.  Federal workers shouldn't have to risk their careers to make our government more honest and accountable.  It's time to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and our tax dollars. Get the latest news  and take action!

Presidential Records Act

In 2001, Bush signed  Executive Order 13233 which allows presidents to withhold documents and records without explanation INDEFINITELY.  What’s more, the order extends the authority to control the records to presidential family members and vice presidents.  Public Citizen took it to court and  won a partial victory. Now Congress must pass  the Presidential Records Act Amendments to fully nullify the Bush Order and return the presidential records to the people.  Read our letter to Senator Joseph Lieberman and get the latest updates on our  Watchdog Blog.

More Freedom of Information Still Needed

We helped improve the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the first legislative update in more than a decade. But new legislation would go even further to ensure that exemptions to the law cannot be passed without notice and public debate. Read our group letter in support of the OPEN FOIA Act. Also, get the latest updates on the Watchdog Blog.

Transparency in Government Contracts

U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) have introduced the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008, which would expand the information available on USASpending.gov and make the data more accessible and readable. Read the summary of the bill and our letter of support.

Ending the Lockdown on Open Government

The Bush administration has continually shown it doesn’t believe in an open, democratic environment. Delaying FOIA requests, blocking government workers from testifying before Congress, withholding presidential records and deleting White House e-mails are just some of the ways it has kept information from the public. Had enough? Watch a Webcast of a dual-panel discussion on what the government is hiding, the public’s right to know, and what you can do about it.  In addition, Public Citizen and 33 other groups urged the White House to let the public review and comment the rules governing the designation of Sensitive But Unclassified (or Controlled Unclassified Information -- CUI).

To genuinely challenge corruption, contractor employees must know they will be protected for defending the integrity of their operations.

Because Public Citizen does not accept funds from corporations, professional associations or government agencies, we can remain independent and follow the truth wherever it may lead. But that means we depend on the generosity of concerned citizens like you for the resources to fight on behalf of the public interest. If you would like to help us in our fight, click here.