The Freedom of Information Act Is Failing Due to Government Bloat
In FY 2024, over 200,000 Freedom of Information Act requests were backlogged, according to the Government Accountability Office.
By Sophia Mandt, Reason, July 29, 2025
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a landmark law to increase government accountability, is falling short in its aim to improve transparency with American citizens, according to a recent report from Open the Books. FOIA gives the public the freedom to request government records from federal agencies, with the exception of certain information involving the White House, congressional records, confidential financial information, national security matters, and law enforcement records. In recent years, government-caused inefficiency has increased wait times for FOIA requests, which "have become so long they undercut the accountability FOIA is meant to provide," per Open the Books.
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N.B. The Department of Justice published government-wide FOIA metrics for FY 2024 in mid-March.