Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is seeking information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding recent layoffs that eliminated staff responsible for handling public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
Connolly, a ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a letter to acting CDC Director Susan Monarez on Thursday expressing concern about the impact of the layoffs on the agency's ability to comply with federal law.
The personnel handling FOIA requests at the CDC were among thousands of federal health agency workers laid off or put on administrative leave starting April 1, with their jobs set to end on June 2.
The congressman noted that as a result of these cuts, the CDC currently has zero personnel available to process public information requests from the press and the public.
Connolly's letter stated that eliminating staff responsible for facilitating FOIA implies an effort by the administration to prevent the public from obtaining information they are entitled to request.
The Freedom of Information Act, enacted in the 1960s, requires federal agencies to provide public access to government records upon request, typically within a 20-day timeframe.
The move to reduce public records staff occurred across several agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, according to previous reports.
Connolly requested detailed information on how the CDC plans to continue complying with FOIA requirements, the current staffing levels and employment status of the FOIA office, and the office's performance since President Trump began his second term. He also asked for correspondence between the agency and the Trump administration regarding the staffing decisions.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated he intends to restore the FOIA offices across the department, promising increased transparency and efforts to proactively post requested documents online.
Connolly's letter referenced ongoing infectious disease outbreaks and argued that maintaining transparency about the operations of HHS and the CDC is crucial for understanding the government's capacity to respond to such crises.
