Federal Government Policy and Business

Senate Panels Pressed to Open Up Nominees' Files Before Confirmation Hearings

Government Executive: As Senate committees gear up to consider incoming Trump administration nominees, a coalition of 16 transparency groups and three legal specialists are pressing chairmen to consistently require the release of the nominees’ personal background documents. In a Jan. 4 letter to the major Senate committees, the coalition led by Openthegovernment.org urged leaders to create new disclosure rules to allow public online access to machine-readable questionnaires completed by the nominees on their finances and steps taken to avoid ethical conflicts. “Presidential appointees act to implement the goals of the president, running programs and agencies critical to the health, security and well-being of the American public,” the letter noted. “In an era of historic distrust of government in general, and Congress in particular, it is essential for members of the Senate to take meaningful steps to improve public trust in the appointment and confirmation process.”

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