The American Governance Institute signed onto a letter to several congressional committees calling for them to reject a proposal by the Defense Department that would exempt controlled unclassified information from Freedom of Information Act requests.

The letter, signed by dozens of free speech, government accountability, and environmental organizations, notes the proposal would allow the Secretary of Defense unilateral discretion over what records are kept secret and would create a blanket exemption from FOIA requests pulling enormous quantities of unclassified records from public view.

Controlled unclassified information includes matters relevant to military personnel and civil society, including housing safety reports, health evaluations, and contractor performance reviews. “Giving the Pentagon the power to hide these documents guts
public accountability, limits congressional oversight, and hampers investigative reporting,” the signatories explain. “Congress has rejected similar proposals before, and we urge you to reject this one as well.”

The letter can be viewed below: