Blog Posts and Analysis / Open, Accountable Government

Five Years Since 9/11: More Secrecy, Less Security

Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, yet the government's efforts to secure the nation against another terrorist attack have been minimal, leaving the country's chemical plants, ports, and other installations dangerously unsecured while increasing secrecy and intrusion into civil liberties.

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DHS Fails to Protect Critical Infrastructure

On Sept. 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule for procedures for handling information about critical infrastructure. The rule amends the interim rule issued in February 2004, for which OMB Watch submitted comments. Unfortunately, DHS ignored OMB Watch's suggested modifications, and the final rule opens the door to misuse by the private sector, allowing companies to restrict public access to information that is vital to protecting public health and safety.

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Getting Congress to Punch the Clock

Following Congress's failure to pass meaningful lobby reform, the Sunlight Network has launched a two-month grassroots campaign to increase transparency about the actions and activities of our elected representatives. The Punch Clock Campaign offers rewards to the public for persuading lawmakers to post their daily schedules on the internet.

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Open Government Rising Issue for 2006 Elections

With November--and its many state, local and midterm Congressional elections--just around the corner, candidates are promising citizens a more open government in exchange for their vote. Access advocates believe that recent revelations about government secrecy (such the National Security Administration's covert warrantless spying program) and Washington corruption scandals have boosted public support for more democratic and less secretive government at the national, state and local levels, and campaigns are picking up on it.

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Federal Court Finds NSA Eavesdropping Program Unconstitutional

In a ruling last week, the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Michigan found the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless domestic spying program to be in violation of the First and Fourth Amendments and the separation of powers. The decision came on a case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenging the legality of the NSA program by arguing that the rights of several journalists and academics had been violated.

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New Official Secrets Law?: Case Threatens Open Government and Freedom of Press

On Aug. 9, a federal district court ruled that use of the Espionage Act to prosecute private citizens for receiving and transmitting national security information is constitutional. The decision to extend the Espionage Act to non-governmental employees has sweeping implications for open government and freedom of speech and the press, and raises the prospect of the U.S. adopting an Official Secrets Act similar to that of the UK.

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Contracts and Grants Disclosure Bill Fast-Tracked

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590) on Aug. 8. The bill would create a searchable website that provides information about all federal spending, including government contracts and grants. Following the quick committee action, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), the committee's chair and ranking member respectively, jointly requested that the bill be fast-tracked and brought to the Senate floor for a unanimous consent vote.

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