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 readingA Sunshine Week Call for Greater Transparency
As part of Sunshine week, I had the opportunity to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing to share a few of Sunlight's ideas about making the executive branch more transparent. Video and text of my opening statement are below. It almost goes without saying that we're very interested in the transparency bills the Oversight Committee will be marking up this Wednesday.
Transparency and the Obama presidency: Looking Back and Looking Forward – Video and Event Recap
How transparent has President Barack Obama's administration been? While the first term seemed to start with several bold initiatives, members of the transparency community have been disappointed with the apparent lack of initiative since then. Panelists gave the administration mixed reviews at the Dec. 3, 2012 Advisory Committee on Transparency event examining what's happened over the past four years and what in store for the next four. Participants in the panel discussion, moderated by Daniel Schuman, policy counsel at the Sunlight Foundation and director of the Advisory Committee on Transparency, had a hard time listing the Obama administration's accomplishments without mentioning caveats in the same breath. Anne Weismann, chief counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the administration's efforts may have been well intended but were not always well executed. The decision to release the White House visitor logs, for example, resulted in more transparency about who is trying to influence the executive branch, but also resulted in some staff taking meetings to coffee shops.
Continue readingSunlight’s Priorities for the Next Administration
Regardless of who wins the presidential election, the next administration will have enormous power to say how open our government will be. We have organized our priorities for the next administration below, to share where we think our work on executive branch issues will be focused, in advance of the election results. From money in politics to open data, spending, and freedom of information, we'll be working to open up the Executive Branch. We'd love to hear any suggestions you might have for Sunlight's Executive Branch work, please leave additional ideas in the comments below. (We'll also be sharing other recommendations soon, including a legislative agenda for the 113th Congress, and a suite of reform proposals for the House and Senate rules packages.) Sunlight Reform Agenda for the Next Administration:
Continue readingThe News Without Transparency: Obama Rewards Campaign Contributors
An in-depth analysis of Obama’s 2008 campaign contributors conducted by iWatch News in 2011 determined that in certain circumstances major bundlers... View Article
Continue readingVisitor Logs Hearing in Energy and Commerce Committee
I testified earlier today before the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It was a... View Article
Continue readingCarney Dodges Lobbying Questions
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked a series of questions today based on the Politico story I blogged... View Article
Continue readingPopping the White House Visitor Logs Bubble
In today’s Politico, Chris Frates reports on how some lobbyists now apparently feel like they’re being shuttled there instead of... View Article
Continue readingLobbyists and Republicans Huddle As Financial Reform Ball Moves Down Field
Roll Call reports that House Republican leadership met with approximately 100 lobbyists to hash out strategy to defeat financial regulatory... View Article
Continue readingHealth Care Visitors Not Big Obama Donors
In case anyone was wondering, the health care lobbyists and executives listed as having visited the White House to discuss... View Article
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