WASHINGTON - September 14 - Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman released a comprehensive report on secrecy and the Bush Administration. The 81-page report systematically examines how the Administration has implemented the major laws that govern access to government records. It finds a consistent pattern: laws designed to promote public access to information have been undermined while laws that authorize the government to withhold information or operate in secret have repeatedly been expanded.

"The Bush Administration has an obsession with secrecy," said Rep. Waxman. "It has repeatedly rewritten laws and changed practices to reduce public and congressional scrutiny of its activities. The cumulative effect is an unprecedented assault on the laws that make our government open and accountable."

The report:

• Details how the Bush Administration has narrowed the scope and application of the nation's landmark laws promoting open government, including the Freedom of Information Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the Presidential Records Act.
  
• Analyzes how the Administration has expanded laws that restrict public access to government information, including the laws relating to classification of information and secret government operations.
  
• Examines how the Administration has limited congressional access to federal records.

Rep. Waxman and other members of the Government Reform Committee also announced their intention to introduce the "Restore Open Government Act of 2004" to reverse Bush Administration policies limiting public access to government information.

The complete report and the legislation are available online at http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov

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