FOIA backlogs are growing, but FOIA in the DOGE era is a new challenge. Taylor Coutroulis from Casepoint discusses how to adapt and respond.

In her blog post titled (wait for it!) FOIA in the DOGE Era: How Professionals Can Adapt and Respond, available here), Taylor discusses how the size and complexity of FOIA requests continue to surge. Combine that with recent staffing cuts and the push to streamline operations led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and you can start to see why Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) teams are on edge.

Here’s how much the volume is growing:

According to the 2024 Annual FOIA Report Summary, the total number of FOIA requests received reached 1.5 million in fiscal year 2024 (FY 2024), a 25.15% increase from FY 2023. Plus, 43% of agencies received more than double the requests in FY 2024 than they received in FY 2023.

And, the backlog is growing. At the end of FY 2024, the total number of backlogged requests was 267,056, which is a 33% increase from those at the end of FY 2023. That was before staffing attrition and cuts associated with DOGE. That’s a textbook case of being asked to do more with less.

So, how can eDiscovery technology help address the problem? And how can FOIA professionals move forward? Check out Taylor’s article here to find out. No need to submit a FOIA request! 😉

So, what do you think? Is your organization addressing any challenges of having to do more with less? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

Image created using Microsoft Designer, using the term “one robot working at a computer in a room full of other computers that no one is working at”.

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