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Cross-Agency Priority Goal

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

CROSS-AGENCY PRIORITY GOAL

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

GOAL STATEMENT:

Promote greater openness and timeliness throughout the Federal Government by improving FOIA processes and enhancing the requester experience.

Themes:

General Government Management

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Overview
Progress Update
Supporting Information

Goal Leader(s):

William Baer, Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, United States Department of Justice
Lisa Danzig, Associate Director for Performance and Personnel Management, Office of Management and Budget
Debra Wall, Deputy Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Administration

Overview

On his first full day in office, the President issued a memorandum directing that agencies should adopt a presumption of openness when implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). As the President said, “In the face of doubt, openness prevails.” Over the past seven and a half years, the Administration has made good on this promise, processing more than 4.6 million FOIA requests, releasing unparalleled numbers of datasets to the public, and making it easier for citizens to access information from their government.

On June 30, 2016, the President signed into law the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 – nearly 50 years after President Johnson signed the original FOIA into law. This critical legislation reflects the progress made by the Administration, codifies a number of openness and transparency principles, and ensures that the Administration’s track record of openness is institutionalized throughout government and carries forward for years to come. Concurrent with the signing of the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, the White House released a Fact Sheet committing the Administration to:

Utilizing the Chief FOIA Officers Council and FOIA Advisory Committee to address FOIA’s greatest challenges;
Promoting broader release of records through a “release to one is a release to all” presumption;
Launching a centralized FOIA request portal; and
Issuing new guidance on open government principles and actions.

The Administration also announced the creation of a FOIA Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal as a framework for tracking progress on the Administration’s commitments and key requirements of the Act. Under the cross-agency leadership of the Department of Justice, National Archives and Records Administration, and Office of Management and Budget, the Administration remains committed to assisting agencies in their efforts to improve implementation of the FOIA and leveraging technology to achieve a new era of open government.

Progress Update

Supporting Information

Department of Justice Office of Information Policy
FOIA Improvement Act of 2016
NARA OGIS Website
White House Fact Sheet: “Fact Sheet: New Steps Toward Ensuring Openness and Transparency in Government”

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