Chairwoman Johnson Seeks Information on Implementation of FACA Executive Order
(Washington, DC) – Following President Trump’s July 14, 2019, Executive Order on Evaluating and Improving the Utility of Federal Advisory Committees, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent letters to the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Science Foundation (NSF) requesting information on how this Order will be implemented and how it will impact their ability to solicit independent, transparent advice from experts.
“I am puzzled by the Order’s apparent presumption that one third of the FACA committees established at agencies’ discretion have exhausted their usefulness,” said Chairwoman Johnson in the letters. “While this Order is unlikely to reduce federal spending, it will certainly make the advisory process more opaque to the American public. As Chairwoman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, it is of utmost importance to me that science agencies continue to solicit expert advice in a manner accessible to the public. FACAs are a critical element to ensuring federal agencies operate in the best interest of the American people and an invaluable piece of the American science and technology enterprise.”
A copy of the letters can be found here.
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