Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to restore federal record production at a press conference Tuesday.
These records, requested by the public, are said to be slowed down due to government efficiency (DOGE) cuts.
Kennedy also said he will create a new website for HHS documents.
Kennedy said he would try to release more documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This is a 1967 law that allows the public to obtain government records, with a few limited exceptions, such as national security and trade secret information. New landing pages can contain previously requested and released records, but are not available on the HHS website.
HHS currently hosts AN Online reading room For some records, however, it does not function as a repository for all documents released under the FOIA request.
Leading by DOGE, the department-wide restructuring launched by HHS on March 27th, several different FOIA offices were combined into one, narrowing down the department’s ability to handle requests. The elimination of the FOIA office appeared to oppose Kennedy’s pledge of “radical transparency” and his pre-government track record. FOIA Litigation Unearth records from HHS. (Related: Fauci’s wife, a NIH bioethicist who never investigated the ethics of Wuhan research, fired)
The capacity of the HHS FOIA will recover, Kennedy told the Daily Call News Foundation.
DCNF Investigation Reporter @emilyakapp: “When will the HHS FOIA office be restored?”
RFK: “We’re restoring all our FOIA offices… and trying to get as close as possible to transparency.” pic.twitter.com/fiqlvvlg4i
– Daily Caller (@dailycaller) April 22, 2025
“We’re restoring all our FOIA offices. We’re trying to make it much easier for people to get information. We’re trying to post as much as we can,” Kennedy said. “We’re starting a website that contains all previous FOIA requests and documents created. This means that people don’t have to do it again and again. We’ll try to get as close as possible to the full transparency of this agency.”
“I have filed lawsuits under the FOIA for years, and I have experienced the frustration of going every year, scattered across agents,” Kennedy added. “A lot of people at HHS are coming from that background right now, so we all understand how important it is to have clear communication.” (Related: Trump Administrator bans cancer-related artificial food dyes)
“The papers we produce at this institution are not ours. They belong to the American people,” Kennedy said.
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