U.S. withdrawal from Open Government Partnership — statement and context
Daniel Schuman
As you may have seen, the United States has formally withdrawn from the Open Government Partnership, the international initiative it helped found in 2011 to advance government transparency, participation, and accountability in partnership with civil society.
Please find below (and online) a statement along with background context on the withdrawal and the concerns raised by civil society.
United States Quits Open Government Partnership
Civil society groups had pressed U.S. to meet transparency commitments
January 28, 2026 — The United States has formally withdrawn from the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a voluntary international collaboration founded in 2011 by eight countries, including the United States, to advance government transparency, participation, and accountability in partnership with domestic civil society organizations.
In March 2025, eleven civil society organizations urged the Open Government Partnership to place the United States under review for "rolling back existing flagship commitments," and calling for U.S. suspension if the administration failed to work with civil society to advance meaningful transparency commitments. A July 2025 letter renewed the request, citing accelerating attacks on government transparency, across anti-corruption efforts, civic space, fiscal openness, justice, and the foundation of open government.
A December 2025 OGP report found that "the second Trump administration revoked or replaced several executive orders that supported key commitments, including those related to equity, data transparency, and law enforcement accountability. It also disbanded the federal advisory committee in February 2025. These actions have undermined or halted the continuity and durability of reforms initiated during the action plan cycle."
The U.S. government withdrawal statement, signed by General Services Administration Administrator Edward Forst, was replete with misstatements and omits the fact the first Trump administration participated in the Open Government Partnership. The statement takes no responsibility for its dismantling of the domestic Open Government Federal Advisory Committee. Nor does it note the administration's increasing attacks on the press, the removal of data from government websites, the failure to collect and share information about government activities.
The following statement may be attributed to Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute and former chair of the Open Government Federal Advisory Committee:
"The Trump administration is not only the least transparent government in American history; its policies are antithetical to democracy, of which transparency is an essential element. Today's withdrawal from the Open Government Partnership is yet another data point in a broader pattern of opacity by this administration."
The following statement may be attributed to Alex Howard, founder Civic Texts, co-founder Open Government Roundtable, co-director Advisory Committee on Transparency, former deputy director of the Sunlight Foundation:
"The withdrawal of the United States from the Open Government Partnership formalized what advocates, scholars, and watch dogs have been telling the American people from the last year: under Trump, the executive branch of the United States Government is no longer committed to government transparency, accountability, participation, and collaboration with the people it serves. Official lies, corruption, and maladministration are not policy, not a commitment to good governance."
In a statement, Open Government Partnership CEO Aidan Eyakuze said, "Anyone who has followed developments over the last year will not be surprised by this decision of the US government. We recognize the impressive efforts of reformers in government and civil society who have advanced openness and accountability over the years."
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Josh Wilson
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