I am disheartened, continuing the practices of previous Presidents, Republican or Democrat, that we do not have the openness that we should.

What type of input do political appointees under the Obama administration give to career employees regarding response to Freedom of Information Act requests?

But it also tells me--the point I tried to make in my opening comment--that the President set a very high benchmark.

It would seem obvious that the political vetting policy at the Department of Homeland Security that was uncovered by AP violates both the President's and the Attorney General's orders set forth in their memos.

Your help is crucial and has been crucial to saving jobs and careers.

FOIA is based on the belief that citizens have a right to know what their Government is doing and that the burden is on the Government to prove otherwise.

The lack of a response from so many agencies sends a disturbing message.

Our Government, for better or for worse, depending on your point of view, is doing more than ever, and FOIA has not caught up with it.

There is a disturbing contradiction between President Obama's words and the actions of his political appointees.

Open government is not a Republican or Democrat issue.

Open government and transparency are more than just pleasant-sounding words. They are essential to maintain our democratic form of Government.

All individuals have equal right of access to information, as Senator Grassley has noted.

Transparency is not negotiable, even in a Republican administration, as far as I am concerned.

We asked for the documents related to Ted Kennedy's FBI file, and we had to push and push and push.

Promises, Promises: Little transparency progress.

Soon we will be voting on another nominee for district court. We continue our rapid pace in which the Senate has been confirming President Obama's judicial nominees. This vote will mark the 11th judicial nominee to be confirmed this…

I rise today to introduce important civil justice legislation. This legislation is desperately needed for several reasons--the most important of which is to cut down on the costs and expenses that are preventing private businesses from…

I sent a letter on Friday asking for a copy of the use of force policy. Would you be able to provide that to us very soon?

I believe we have an ongoing moral obligation to ensure our young people have every opportunity to grow up without being accosted by drug pushers at every turn, whether on TV, in the movies, or on the way to school. This bipartisan…

I would like to ask you how you feel about the fact that another agency's decision to put hundreds of guns into the hands of criminals on both sides of the border may have contributed to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Did you ever discuss with anyone anything similar to the strategy described by whistleblowers in this case, that of allowing guns to walk to make a bigger case against the cartels?

Part of the reason I ask that question is because the family is not very satisfied with the information that they are getting, and I do not blame you for that, but I want you to know that there is that dissatisfaction.

Over the past month, I have been investigating serious allegations regarding Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the allegations that thousands of guns were intentionally allowed to flow through known straw purchasers near the…

Congress was not acting, we need to do something to make a massive amount of people that came here illegally to make them legal.

it makes it practically impossible for Congress to do its oversight work