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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: April 2007

March 2007

• Statement of Administration Policy on the Rail Security Act, March 27. "The Administration strongly opposes the whistleblower protection provision contained in the bill."
• CLASSIFIED: Ensuring Congressional Access to National Security Information, a luncheon program sponsored by OpenTheGovernment.org and the Center for American Progress, March 30. "The Constitution gives Congress broad authority to oversee and investigate the activities of the executive branch. If Congress is to carry out that authority, it must have access to many kinds of government information, including classified or sensitive national security information which government agencies may be reluctant to reveal."
• Analysis: White House Likes Its Secrets by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press, March 21. "From the time he walked into the Oval Office, President Bush has tried to tighten the government's hold on information and restrict public scrutiny."
• Statement of Administration Policy in Opposition to Freedom of Information Act Amendments, March 14. "The Administration shares the goals of H.R. 1309 of increasing the timeliness of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses and ensuring a customer-oriented approach to FOIA processing... However, the Administration cannot support H.R. 1309."
• Statement of Administration Policy in Opposition to Presidential Records Act Amendments, March 13. "The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 1255 because it would be counterproductive and invite unnecessary litigation, is misguided, and would improperly impinge on the President’s constitutional authority, in violation of settled separation of powers principles."
• Statement of Administration Policy in Opposition to Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, March 13. "The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 985 because it could compromise national security, is unconstitutional, and is overly burdensome and unnecessary."
• Government Guards Papers From Public Eye by Frank Bass and Randy Herschaft, Associated Press, March 13. "More than 1 million pages of historical government documents -- a stack taller than the U.S. Capitol -- have been removed from public view since the September 2001 terror attacks, according to records obtained by The Associated Press. Some of the papers are more than a century old."
• Getting Your Government Files by David E. Kaplan, Bad Guys Blog, U.S. News and World Report, March 13. "Given that March 11 marked the start of America's third annual Sunshine Week– a national effort to cast light onto the growing recesses of government secrecy–U.S. News is again providing links so its readers can file requests for federal records under the FOIA and its sister statute, the Privacy Act."
• More light shines on government secrecy by Chuck Raasch, Gannett News Service, March 11. "In the sixth year after 9/11, the battle over government secrets is getting a peek at sunshine."
• Attention turns to CIA in Foggo case by William Finn Bennett, North County Times, March 11. "The recent indictment of the CIA's No. 3 man, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, for alleged acts of corruption has a CIA watchdog calling for tighter supervision of employees and contracts within the intelligence agency."
• Tom Ricks's Inbox, Washington Post, March 11. "Here, courtesy of Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists, is an excerpt from the Army's newly revised manual on how to inform family members that their soldier is dead, wounded or missing."
• Congress Exempt from Access Law by Evan Lehmann, Berkshire Eagle, March 11. "Congress exempted itself from the same Freedom of Information Act law it passed 41 years ago to keep the executive branch in check."
• Lawsuit: CIA censored whistleblower, United Press International, March 8. "A new lawsuit alleges the CIA blocked a former employee from releasing information about the relationship of the CIA with a suspect foreign national."
• NARA: Proposed Disposition of Chief Financial Officer Records, for public comment, March 1. "This schedule provides disposal authorization for certain temporary records created and maintained by Federal Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and their program offices."

Older News: February 2007

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