Watchdog Blog

The Next President on Open Government

We’re all fed up with lengths to which the Bush Administration has gone to hide its business from public scrutiny.  But how open will our next president be?  Our coalition, the Sunshine Week alliance, asked all the presidential candidates to complete a survey in last October about their positions on open government and freedom of information issues. 

Of the remaining three candidates, only Sen. Hillary Clinton responded (read her answers here [pdf]).  To get the other candidates’ positions, a team of researchers poured over articles, speeches and debate transcripts, and any other records they could find.

Below are brief overviews -- read the complete findings here.

Joan Claybrook Speaks Out on Secrecy

What are the effects of so much unnecessary secrecy in our government?  Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen, explains why it is a threat to democracy and what Congress needs to do about it:

An open and accountable government is a cornerstone of our democracy. As Americans, it is our right and our duty to know how government operates; transparency is one of the great checks we have against corruption and tyranny. Yet, during the past seven years, President Bush has gone to extremes to keep the workings of his administration in the shadows, away from public scrutiny.

Get Your Sunglasses - It's Sunshine Week

Today marks the beginning of Sunshine Week 2008!

It's long been painfully clear that the Bush Administration does not believe in an open democratic government.  It has used one ruse after another to keep information from the public -- from “national security” to “executive privilege” to plain old stonewalling.  That's why this Sunshine Week we are joining print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, non-profits, schools and individuals interested in the public's right to know, to call on the federal government to end its campaign of secrecy.

Some events you should check out include:

• Tomorrow, March 18, Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley will address Freedom of Information and other open government issues during a Sunshine Week dinner event at The National Press Club.  Learn more.
• This Wednesday, March 19, OpenTheGovernment.org, Public Citizen and others sponsor a free webcast from 1:00 to 2:30 pm EDT on excessive government secrecy. You can register to watch it here, or if you have a Facebook account, click here.
• On Thursday, March 20, the Sunlight Foundation and Omidyar Network are hosting a webcast of Prof. Lawrence Lessig, who will introduce a plan called "Change Congress," designed to increase congressional transparency.

Check out other events happening in D.C. and states across the country.

Also, be sure to urge you members of Congress to support our agenda for a more open, transparent government.

A Historic Victory for Whistleblowers

Yesterday was a historic victory for whistleblowers and for the nation.  By an overwhelming margin, the House of Representatives voted 331 to 94 in favor of the "Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007."  This major reform honors the many brave federal employees who have dared to stand up to government waste, fraud and abuse.  As a result of enhanced protections for dedicated public servants who speak out, the government will operate more openly and honestly, and will better serve the public.

Blowing the whistle has been a very risky thing to do, as whistleblowers often suffer from serious retaliation, including being demoted or fired, for exposing wrongful conduct.  Such retaliation sends a chilling message to all employees to keep quiet, no matter what.  The Enhancement Act would change this by creating strong protections against retribution when federal servants report waste or corruption in the federal government.

Under this act, federal employees have the right to have their claims heard in federal court by a jury once administrative remedies are exhausted, affording them the same rights that federal employees have if they claim to have been discriminated against.

Furthermore, if federal employees disclose waste or abuse as part of their official duties, they would now be protected under the Enhancement Act.  In a similar 2006 case involving a local government employee, Garcetti v. Ceballos, argued by Public Citizen's Litigation Group before the Supreme Court  the Court ruled that when a Los Angeles County prosecutor blew the whistle as part of his official duties, the First Amendment did not protect the employee from being punished.         

We applaud all of those members of the House who voted in favor of H.R. 985.   Along with our allies in the "Make It Safe" coalition, we urge the Senate to act quickly to pass a similar bill.