The Department of Justice celebrated the FOIA by blaming slow responses on a "small group of prolific requestors and litigants" instead of DOGE gutting FOIA offices

[Alexander Howard]

Hello all -- sorry for any cross-posting.

For the first time in over a decade, the US Department of Justice celebrated Sunshine Week with a blog post, instead of a public event. https://www.justice.gov/oip/blog/justice-department-recognizes-foia-professionals-during-sunshine-week

In past years, a high-ranking DOJ official -- often the DOJ Chief FOIA Officer – would make a speech, followed by the Director of the Office of Information Policy. The OIP director would make a presentation about the state of FOIA compliance across the executive branch, backed by data they'd collected from the annual reports agencies were required to submit. And then the OIP Director would give out awards to the FOIA professionals across the executive branch, offering important public recognition for their service. (I know, because I have attended most of these events since 2016 at "Main Justice" in downtown DC.)

In 2026, there was no public ceremony or speeches, nor has OIP published and socialized open data that shows the state of compliance with the statutory obligation to respond to FOIA requests within 20 days that Congress has repeatedly mandated. 

Instead, OIP has published a short statement by Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Chief FOIA Officer of the  Department of Justice, atop a short blog post by  Office of Information Policy Director Sean Glendening, below. 

I agree with the AAG that "our FOIA professionals are the unsung heroes of democracy" and welcome DoJ honoring their service, but has also made several false assertions in his short statement to the American people.

1) This is not "the most transparent Department of Justice in our nation’s history," by any objective measure. Any subjective assessment that ignores the contempt the USAG has shown towards Congress and the free press or the stonewalling around the Epstein Files isn't honest.
 

2) Prior administrations made real progress in "improving FOIA processes and prioritizing citizens’ access to information about their government" by proactively disclosing data online. This administration has not. 

They've gutted FOIA offices, taken down public data, and stonewalled requestors, leading to more litigation and wasted taxpayer funds. It is downright Orwellian to state the inverse is true on a Department of Justice website during Sunshine Week. Doing so may even run afoul of the Information Quality Act, which requires officials to ensure "the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by Federal agencies."

3) The "ever-increasing burden" placed on FOIA professionals is the result of multiple administrations failing to invest far more in modernization, increase state capacity, carve out dedicated alternatives for first-party access to veterans and people seeking immigration records, and proactively disclose records corporations are buying under the FOIA or other frequently requested records. 

The need for systemic investment in improving the systemic problems that have made FOIA broken for people unwilling or unable to file lawsuits for access to information has been abundantly clear for decades, which the American people can see in the breadth and depth of recommendations made by the U.S. Freedom of Information Act Advisory Committee: https://www.archives.gov/ogis/foia-advisory-committee/dashboard

As Nate Jones reported for the Washington Post, this administration cut FOIA staff, which has predictably affected the ability of agencies to respond to requestors quickly, & much less provide records responsive under the FOIA in a timely manner.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/03/15/foia-trump-job-cuts-doge/

In his first public post about FOIA, the new OIP director did not recognize that fact, nor offer any thanks to the FOIA staff dismissed and honor their service -- including his predecessor. Instead, he and the AAG chose to try to create an "alternative fact" during a national celebration of public access to information. 

Namely, that "a small group of frequent requesters accounts for an increasing volume of both total and complex FOIA requests" – without showing any data to back up this claim – and that this  "forces agencies to divert a disproportionate share of limited resources away from the timely processing of simpler requests submitted by individual members of the public."

Got it? Increased secrecy, censorship of open data, legacy systems, diminished state capacity, lax oversight, and underfunding aren't at fault for increasingly poor performance by FOIA offices: it's a "small group of requestors" that's "forcing" agencies to divert "limited resources."

OIP once again quoted James Madison, who famously stated “[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”  

That's more true than ever in 2026. 

Thank you to the dedicated FOIA professionals and everyone else in and outside of government who continues to arm the American with the self-knowledge required for self-governance – including about the true state of the administration of the Freedom of Information Act and public access to the public records we all pay for with our taxpayer dollars. 

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The Justice Department Recognizes FOIA Professionals During Sunshine Week

Friday, March 20, 2026

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Courtesy of Office of Information Policy Director Sean Glendening

Statements from Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward and Office of Information Policy Director Sean Glendening:

“This is the most transparent Department of Justice in our nation’s history.  Unlike prior administrations, we are dedicated to improving FOIA processes and prioritizing citizens’ access to information about their government. This Sunshine Week, I want to recognize the efforts of each and every FOIA professional across the government. Despite the ever-increasing burden placed on these professionals by a small group of prolific requestors and litigants, they remain steadfast and diligent. Our FOIA professionals are the unsung heroes of democracy, and we honor them today.”

Stanley E. Woodward
Associate Attorney General
Chief FOIA Officer
Department of Justice

 

The primary mission of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is to keep the American people apprised and knowledgeable of the activities of their government.  James Madison famously stated “[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”  The dedicated FOIA professionals across the government work tirelessly every day to accomplish this important mission, and today we recognize and celebrate their efforts.

On July 4, 1966, the 190th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the FOIA.  This year, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, the government’s commitment to the FOIA’s twin values of government transparency and the protection of sensitive governmental and private interests remain as strong as ever. The FOIA encapsulates the democratic ideal that transparency should be the general rule in government except where disclosure would foreseeably harm a legitimate interest.   

Much has changed in the world of FOIA since 1966.  The dedicated FOIA professionals honored today know that well.  Today’s document requests yield a far greater volume of information than in President Johnson’s day, when a response consisted of little more than photocopying a few typewritten memoranda.  

The level of public engagement with the FOIA, as demonstrated by the number of requests received and processed by federal agencies, is higher than at any time in history.  In a span of only three years between fiscal year 2021 and 2024, the number of FOIA requests received and processed by agencies nearly doubled.  Clearly, the public sees the FOIA as an effective means of learning more about the operations of their government.  

However, a small group of frequent requesters accounts for an increasing volume of both total and complex FOIA requests.  This concentration forces agencies to divert a disproportionate share of limited resources away from the timely processing of simpler requests submitted by individual members of the public.  It is important to recognize this fact, particularly as we celebrate the work of those professionals whose workload continues to increase because of it. Those who work in the FOIA space know there is a constant struggle between keeping citizens informed and managing ever growing litigation and complex requests from a small group of requestors.

I applaud the work of all of our FOIA professionals and especially congratulate this year’s awardees.  Your efforts to keep all citizens informed despite ever growing demands are admirable.  Thank you for the work you do and congratulations on your awards.

Sean Glendening
Director, Office of Information Policy
Department of Justice

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OIP is pleased to present the following 2026 Sunshine Week Awards:

Exceptional Service by a FOIA Professional or a Team of FOIA Professionals

This award recognizes exemplary performance by a FOIA professional or team of FOIA professionals in carrying out the agency’s administration of the FOIA.  This award recognizes those individuals or teams whose exceptional contributions have significantly benefited FOIA administration.  These benefits include increased efficiency, greater use of technology, reduced backlogs, improved timeliness, and increased proactive disclosures.  Exceptional Service awards are presented to:

1. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau FOIA Team
2. The Environmental Protection Agency’s FOIA Administrative Appeals Team

Exceptional Advancements in IT to Improve the Agency's FOIA Administration

This award recognizes exceptional achievements in making greater use of technology to make information more accessible.  These efforts include the implementation of new and advanced technologies to increase efficiencies as well as to improve proactive disclosures and the online availability of information.  Exceptional Advancements awards are presented to:

1. The Department of Homeland Security’s Privacy Office’s FOIA Division
2. The Department of State, Center for Analytics

Lifetime Service Award

This award recognizes an agency FOIA professional with at least 20 years of work in FOIA administration who has demonstrated high standards of excellence and dedication in the administration of the FOIA throughout their career.  Lifetime Service awards are presented to:

1. Tink Cooper, Deputy Chief, FOIA/PA, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice
2. Cawana Pearson, Government Information Specialist, Office of Privacy, Transparency, and Records, Department of the Treasury
3. Tonya R. Fuentes, Chief, Freedom of Information Division, Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency Directorate, Office of the Director of Administration and Management

Updated March 20, 2026