Political Quotes

“today I offer an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, that would address an overbroad exemption to the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, contained in the bill. This amendment is supported by a broad coalition of open government groups from across the political spectrum. I hope that the Senate will adopt it. For 45 years, the Freedom of Information Act has been a cornerstone of open government and a hallmark of our democracy, ensuring that the American people have access to their government's records. My amendment will help ensure that FOIA remains a viable tool for access to information that impacts the health and safety of the American public. I am concerned that the exemption included in the NDAA would allow the Department of Defense to keep secret important information that Americans need to know to protect their own health and safety. For example, there have been alarming reports about the Department of Defense keeping citizens in the dark about health hazards, such as groundwater contamination on military facilities, by claiming that this information was a matter of national security. While I certainly understand the need for the government to keep certain sensitive information confidential, I believe this exemption goes too far. This amendment adds a public interest balancing test to the Secretary of Defense's determination about whether to withhold critical infrastructure information from the public.…”