To shield companies and employers from public criticism, the Trump administration is failing to publish government data relating to such issues as workplace violations, energy efficiency and animal welfare abuses. In addition, it no longer publishes data concerning climate change or the ethics waivers for appointees who would otherwise be prevented from taking government jobs given recent lobbying activities. (The Washington Post, May 14, 2017, by Juliet Eilperin)
After only two weeks in power, the Trump administration removed thousands of documents from the Department of Agriculture website that included reports on commercial animal facilities including zoos, breeders, factory farms and labs. (National Geographic, February 13, 2017, by Natasha Daly)
In April the Western Environmental Law Center filed a FOIA request for information regarding the administration’s actions on climate policies, in particular information relating to the status the existing oil and gas methane waste rule, subject to attacks by the fossil fuel industry. (News Park Forest, April 25, 2017)