The selective declassification of this memorandum -- but not the one drafted by Democrats on the committee – is an indicator of bad faith on open government, not a commitment to fully informing the public about how surveillance is used, abused or authorized in U.S. government.
Continue readingTurkish Airlines event at Trump Golf Course tees off emolumental problems
On September 18, 2017, The Trump National Golf Club in DC hosted the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup. If you... View Article
Continue readingDoes your city rely on federal data? We want to know about it.
Are you a city employee? Take a short survey to tell us what federal datasets you rely on most.
Continue readingTrump administration commits to participating in Open Government Partnership
The big idea behind the Open Government Partnership’s founding in 2011 was that it would provide a platform for the public to hold a national government accountable for meeting commitments that have been created in open consultation between the governed and a government of the people. When countries elect leaders like President Donald J. Trump who don’t value basic democratic norms for accountability, transparency and ethics, it poses a stern test: can a voluntary mechanism between community of democracies be used to protect and defend it?
Continue readingPutting sunshine on President Trump’s conflicts of interest
In November 2016, Sunlight began tracking President Donald J. Trump’s conflicts of interest. In May 2017, we relaunched our list... View Article
Continue readingWhat we’ve learned about the Trump administration’s changes to government websites won’t shock you
In 2017, there have been major reductions to public access to public information about the environment, energy, and climate change on federal websites, including EPA, DOE, DOT, Interior, State, USDA and the White House.
Continue readingNotes from a roundtable on open data at the White House
The White House hosted a roundtable on using open data for economic outcomes. Here's what we learned, and what we recommended.
Continue readingOn Trump, transparency and democracy
Corruption, conflicts and chaos: The shady reality of the Trump administration’s record on open government at six months.
Continue readingIf the White House does not publish visitor logs, Congress should mandate disclosure
While we continue to hope that this White House would adopt a democratic norm that had been established over the past decade, we strongly support Congress institutionalizing this transparency reform and hope that the Republican leadership will choose to sponsor the bills.
Continue readingSunlight joins C-SPAN to make sense of the state of open government
This morning, Sunlight's John Wonderlich joined Greta Wodele Brawner on C-SPAN's Washington Journal to discuss Sunshine Week, transparency and accountability in the United States.
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