New FOIAs Seek Answers on Tax Reform, Hurricane Relief, and Trump Appointees
Over the last few weeks, we’ve filed a series of FOIA requests looking into the conflicts of interest that keep cropping up in the Trump administration, targeting recent events in the news cycle like tax reform, questionable appointees, and hurricane relief efforts.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve filed a series of FOIA requests looking into the conflicts of interest that keep cropping up in the Trump administration, targeting recent events in the news cycle like tax reform, questionable appointees, and hurricane relief efforts.
See Our FOIAs Filed Below:
Uncovering the Economic Impact of Tax Reform
American Oversight submitted a FOIA to Treasury following reports indicating that Treasury had not conducted any analysis to support claims that the economic benefit of tax reform will outweigh the costs of the cuts themselves. A week after our FOIA, Treasury released a single page “analysis” of the tax plan, but we’re continuing to demand answers.
Dourson’s New Position At the EPA
President Trump nominated controversial scientist Michael Dourson to be Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. This is yet another problematic appointment under Trump as Dourson used to run an organization that performed and reviewed chemical safety studies on behalf of industry clients. With his confirmation pending in the Senate, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt hired Dourson as a senior advisor at the agency. American Oversight partnered with the Environmental Working Group to submit FOIAs to EPA to determine whether or not Dourson is using his new position to benefit his old clients in the chemical industry.
Information Requests to California, Texas, and Las Vegas Regarding Recent Shootings
American Oversight submitted FOIAs to Texas, Las Vegas, and California in response to recent mass shootings that occured in each state to shed light on what steps state governors have taken to address gun violence following these events.
DHS’s Hurricane Maria Relief Efforts
Despite the fact that DHS’s social media emphasizes the recovery work that’s being done, there have been many complaints about how DHS is handling these efforts. American Oversight submitted a set of FOIAs to find out more.