Search Documents and Resources

    • Mission and Vision
    • Board & Staff
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Donor Privacy Policy
    • Explore our work
    • Center for Defense Information
    • The Constitution Project
    • Congressional Oversight Initiative
    • Policy Letters
    • Reports
    • Testimony
    • For Oversight Staff
    • Whistleblower Resources
    • Report Corruption
    • Act Now
    • Stay Informed
  • Sign Up
  • Donate
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
    • Mission and Vision
    • Board & Staff
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Donor Privacy Policy
    • Explore our work
    • Center for Defense Information
    • The Constitution Project
    • Congressional Oversight Initiative
    • Policy Letters
    • Reports
    • Testimony
    • For Oversight Staff
    • Whistleblower Resources
    • Report Corruption
Project On Government Oversight
    • Act Now
    • Stay Informed
  • Sign Up
  • Donate
  • Afghanistan
  • More Topics
  • About
  • Mission & History
  • Board & Staff
  • Financials
  • Take Action
  • For Federal Employees
  • COVID-19: Tips
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
Project On Government Oversight
    • Mission and Vision
    • Board & Staff
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Donor Privacy Policy
    • Explore our work
    • Center for Defense Information
    • The Constitution Project
    • Congressional Oversight Initiative
    • Policy Letters
    • Reports
    • Testimony
    • For Oversight Staff
    • Whistleblower Resources
    • Report Corruption
    • Act Now
    • Stay Informed
  • Sign Up
  • Donate
Transparency

POGO joins letter to Committee on Homeland Security on over-classification

By POGO Staff | Filed under letter | February 23, 2010

The Honorable Jane Harman

Chair, Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment

Committee on Homeland Security

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C 20515

Dear Chairwoman Harman:

We are writing to convey our support of your amendment to require the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to prepare a report on over-classification.

In its Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, the 9/11 Commission cited the necessity of preventing over-classification by the federal government. Over-classification hinders information sharing, causes information to be inappropriately removed from public access, and causes the government to needlessly spend billions of taxpayer dollars protecting information that should never have been classified. Over-classification also leads to disrespect of the system and leaks to the press, and public suspicion.

It is crucial for the federal government to ensure that information bearing on our national security is shared with the public, to the greatest extent possible. In addition to hindering this goal, over-classification of information impedes the effort to make sure intelligence information gets into the hands of those in the federal government, and state, regional, tribal, and local governments, who need it on a timely basis.

Your amendment takes an important first step toward curbing unnecessary and unwarranted secrecy and we urge its passage.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Center for Democracy and Technology

Federation of American Scientists

OpenTheGovernment.org

National Security Archive

The Constitution Project

Society of Professional Journalists

American Association of Law Libraries

Project on Government Oversight

OMB Watch

The James Madison Project

Open Society Policy Center

American Civil Liberties Union

Liberty Coalition

Special Libraries Association

Center for National Security Studies

Center for Constitutional Rights

Author

  • Author

    POGO Staff

Related Tags

    Transparency Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspectors General Overclassification

Related Content

Site Footer

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • Press Center
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Briefing
  • Newsletters
  • Publications
  • Report Corruption
Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity CharityWatch Top Rated Charity Great Nonprofits 2021 Top-Rated Charity Navigator Four-Star Charity

©2022 POGO | Privacy Policy

Project On Government Oversight logo

Project On Government Oversight