According to a notice slated for publication in the Federal Register, the U.S. Agency for International Development (“USAID”) will be opening a global “still interested” inquiry for all FOIA requests submitted prior to January 20, 2025. Further details can be found in the notice. The notice indicated that, due to reorganization efforts, “[m]ost subject matter experts and record custodians are no longer available, which will particularly limits USAID’s ability to locate, review, and release records for prior year requests in a timely manner.”
The Department of Energy came under considerable fire last month when it announced it was undertaking the same type of global inquiry (see here and here) with an eye to administratively closing requests in the agency’s FOIA backlog. The agency’s efforts are now the subject of litigation brought by American Oversight.