Sunshine in Government Initiative Report on FOIA Backlogs

“Despite reforms enacted by Congress and an order from the last administration to do a better job, federal agencies continue to give those seeking information a frustrating and oftentimes unsatisfying experience, an analysis of federal agency FOIA reports shows. Backlogs persist despite fewer FOIA requests, agencies continue to miss the statutory response deadline in a majority of cases, and agencies said they rejected a highest percentage of requests since performance reporting began, according a quantitative review by the Sunshine in Government Initiative of federal agency FOIA reports.”

  • Fewer Requests, Fewer Responses, More Denials – An analysis of federal agencies performance in responding to Freedom of Information Act requests in 2008, April 2009. This report was prepared by Pete Weitzel for the Sunshine in Government Initiative.
  • Download the charts
  • See also FOIA Facts on LLRX.com by Scott A. Hodes
  • Posted in: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research