The ability to solicit information from government officials — particularly when it comes to material showing them in a less-than-favorable light — is a fundamental way of keeping tabs on those in power.
So it was disheartening to see Congress fail to pass a bill during the lame-duck session that would strengthen the federal Freedom of Information Act.
That the bill had bipartisan support and was endorsed by 70 organizations that advocate for accountability and transparency in government only makes that failure worse.
The bill would have curtailed some exemptions that now allow the withholding of information, and would have required agencies subject to the act to make records available electronically.
These would have been desirable updates to the law.
As it stands, there were more freedom of information lawsuits filed this year than in any year since at least 2001, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
In our minds, that speaks to an unmet desire — much of it legitimate — for information.
The incoming Congress would be wise to revisit and pass the FOIA measure so citizens have the right tools to ensure fair access to government records. Republicans who now control both houses like to say they are committed to government accountability. Here is their chance to prove it.
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