Open The Government!

The Problem

Open, fair, and accountable government is something most Americans support. Unfortunately, things like secrecy, partisanship, and undue influence by the wealthy and well-connected have undermined transparency and accountability in government. Closed government stifles the media, increases public distrust, and jeopardizes public health and national security.

The Solution

The public has a right to know what their government is doing. To help protect that right, Open The Government harnessed the power of our coalition to advance policies and practices that

• created accountability by securing, preserving, and increasing public access to government information;
• protected national security by decreasing secrecy and by challenging overclassification of records that should be available to the public;
• empowered communities by increasing access to government information;

• secured checks and balances by addressing threats to access and openness; and
• promoted justice and equity in government decision making.

In 2022, Open The Government became a POGO initiative. Going forward, Open The Government will continue to support our more than 100 coalition members around the country to advance this work. Furthermore, OTG will prioritize advancing open government reforms that foster equity outcomes, with a focus on racial equity. This new work includes

• mitigating the policies and processes rooted in structural racism that undermine accountability of federal investments in water infrastructure projects;
• working with new and existing partners at federal, state, and local levels to advocate for open government reforms that advance equity outcomes; and

• supporting the capacity of coalition partners traditionally focused on open government to incorporate an equity lens into their work, as well as bringing in new coalition partners that prioritize equity outcomes.

What You Can Do

Join our coalition! If you are a not-for-profit organization that wants to collaborate with like-minded open government champions and advance open government reforms that promote racial, economic, gender, LGBTQ+, disability, or other equity goals, reach out to POGO at [email protected].