Politics have a profound influence on the design and administration of nearly all government laws and policies. And the executive branch, a highly political institution, is given significant latitude in shaping the primary mechanism for accessing government information, the Freedom of Information Act. This article explores the political nature of the FOIA by examining legislative history, party messaging, presidential actions and a quantitative analysis of FOIA use and implementation from 1975 until the present. The outcomes are both predictable — Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump having poor records — and surprising — President George W. Bush producing a relatively transparent record. The study’s findings suggest the failures of FOIA are likely less a consequence of presidencies and political parties than an indiscriminate symptom of contemporary U.S. governance.

政治对几乎所有政府法律和政策的设计和管理都具有深远的影响。行政部门是一个高度政治化的机构，在建立访问政府信息的主要机制《信息自由法》方面具有极大的自由度。本文通过考察1975年至今的FOIA使用和实施情况的立法历史，政党信息，总统行动以及对FOIA的使用和实施的定量分析，探索了FOIA的政治性质。结果都是可以预见的-罗纳德·里根总统和唐纳德·特朗普总统的记录很差-而且令人惊讶的是，乔治·W·布什总统的记录相对透明。