Interior Department won’t accept FOIA requests during shutdown

Miranda Green, The Hill, Jan. 4, 2019

The Interior Department is not accepting public requests for information during the partial government shutdown, which is now in its 14th day with no end in sight.

The agency’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request website--an automated site that typically accepts requests through drop-down menus--is no longer receiving new submissions.

Members of the press, advocacy groups and individuals looking to request public information are now greeted with a message that reads: “No FOIA requests can be accepted or processed at this time.”

Interior spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort said the lapse in funding is why the agency cannot accept new submissions.

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