Leahy, McCain Urge Senate
To Open Taxpayer-Funded
Congressional Reports To The Public

WASHINGTON (Tues., Feb. 11) – Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) held a news conference Tuesday to announce their resolution making Congressional Research Service (CRS) products available over the Internet to the public.  The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) also participated in the news conference announcing its report “Congressional Research Service Products: Taxpayers Should Have Easy Access.”

The resolution would allow the public the same access to CRS information that Members of Congress and their staffs have now.  It would also allow the CRS director to protect confidential or copyrighted products, as well as withhold the names of authors of CRS reports.

POGO’s report noted that CRS had a budget of $81 million last year, all of which came from taxes paid to the federal government.  The report also said, “Congress has dictated since 1952 that it has control and custody of CRS products and that those products may be released only by Congress.” 

“All of these reports are ‘public’ for only those who can afford to hire a lawyer or lobbyists, or who can afford to physically travel to Washington to visit the Office of Public Records,” said Leahy, ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  “That is not very ‘public,’ and does almost nothing for the average citizen in Vermont or the rest of this country who does not have easy access to Washington.”

“This resolution will ensure more wide-spread dissemination of information, and encourage Americans to find out more about their government,” said McCain, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee.  “Interested and educated voters are vital to a flourishing democracy.”

The CRS is a department within the Library of Congress and acts as an arm of the U.S. Congress, researching and reporting on topics of interest to Congress.  Its products and information are not readily and easily available to the public, online or otherwise.    

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