During the recent lame duck session, Congress passed the Homeland Security bill that creates the cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, and President Bush signed it into law today. Unfortunately the bill contains several troubling provisions addressing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

OMB Watch released a statement, “All Aboard the Homeland Security Express: Bill Creates Dangerous New FOIA Exemption” describing the shortcomings of these provisions and expressing its disappointment in Congress' decision to include them in the bill. OMB Watch had worked with a broad coalition of organizations including libraries, environmentalists, and reporters to either remove or improve these provisions.