Democratic oversight leader warns against staff cuts to agency FOIA offices

The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday requested agency leaders to submit information about any efforts to remove staff who handle Freedom of Information Act requests.

“This administration’s efforts to dismantle agencies, impound congressionally appropriated funds and unlawfully terminate civil servants have been rapid and capricious,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., wrote. “Now more than ever, maintaining transparency about the operations of government agencies and officials is crucial to enforcing accountability for ongoing abuses of power.” 

In particular, Connolly referenced CNN reporters who in February submitted a FOIA request to the Office of Personnel Management for records about the security clearances of Department of Government Efficiency personnel and received a response that said: “Good luck with that they just got rid of the entire privacy team.” 

OPM told CNN at the time that it didn’t lay off the entire privacy team, but the news outlet confirmed that members of that team and employees who handle FOIA requests were let go. FOIA requires agencies to disclose requested information with limited exceptions. 

Connolly requested that by April 3 agencies submit the number of full-time personnel they employed in their FOIA office on Jan. 20, Feb. 20 and March 20, as well as all correspondence between the agencies and Trump administration officials regarding FOIA staffing. 

Reuters reported earlier this month that the Trump administration fired Bobak Talebian, who headed the Justice Department office that handled FOIA requests. 

Chioma Chukwu — interim executive director of American Oversight, a nonpartisan open records nonprofit — argued that the removal represented an escalation in the Trump administration’s “war on government transparency.” 

“Its ongoing efforts to undermine FOIA isn’t just about evading oversight — it’s a deliberate effort to dismantle the very systems that uphold public accountability,” she said in a statement. 

A federal judge on March 10 ruled that the Elon Musk-backed DOGE must comply with a FOIA request from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The Trump administration has argued that DOGE records fall under the Presidential Records Act, which can restrict access to information for up to 12 years after a president leaves office. 

On Nov. 3, Musk posted on his social media platform X that “There should be no need for FOIA requests. All government data should be default public for maximum transparency.”