John,

We’re approaching six months of Donald Trump’s presidency. And look, I know that a lot of the news lately has been bleak. With Congress and the Supreme Court largely unwilling to check Trump’s growing assertions of power or hold him accountable, our democracy is facing a crisis unlike anything we’ve seen in my memory.

So in this email, I want to focus on something different — something more hopeful.

I want to take a moment to tell you about five actions that CREW has taken to hold the Trump administration accountable:

1. We sued DOGE after they repeatedly argued that it is not an agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act or the Federal Records Act.

2. We demanded answers under the FOIA after President Trump deployed the California National Guard and other federal troops to Los Angeles, marking the first time that the National Guard has been deployed without a governor’s permission since 1965.

3. We filed an FEC complaint over the Trump campaign’s coordination with outside groups in the 2024 election.

4. We sued to block the administration’s closure of the Center for Disease Control’s FOIA office, a clear violation of the FOIA and the Administrative Procedure Act.

5. We sued the Office of Management and Budget and its Director Russell Vought for taking down a public website with information that shows how OMB directs agencies to spend taxpayer money—information that OMB is required by law to post.

I’ll go into the details below, but if you want to stand up against the Trump administration’s lawlessness, now is the perfect time to make a contribution. A generous donor is MATCHING all gifts this month, so your donation today will be doubled. So please, donate any amount you can today to help us continue fighting for accountability →

Here’s the latest on some of these actions:

In April, a United States District Court judge ruled that we were entitled to expedited discovery in our lawsuit against DOGE brought under the FOIA and the Federal Records Act. DOGE has repeatedly argued that it is not an agency subject to those laws and, to determine whether that is in fact the case, the Court ordered DOGE to respond to our requests for documents, provide sworn answers to our written questions, and make certain DOGE workers available for depositions.

That case has even gone to the Supreme Court, which recently allowed us to get discovery, though it extended a temporary pause and narrowed the scope of the records we can access in the case.

DOGE cannot control and destroy major government functions without oversight or meaningful transparency into its operations. Only if Americans know what DOGE is doing can they evaluate that work and push back where needed.

In May, we filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on behalf of two Wisconsin voters because in the 2024 presidential election, the Trump campaign apparently relied on an illegitimate loophole that conflicts with federal campaign finance law and FEC regulations to withhold donor information from Wisconsin voters.

Voters deserve to know who’s funding or supporting campaign outreach so that they can make a fully informed decision. If the FEC does not—or cannot—address this loophole and enforce the law, we may need to step in and take further action to press for accountability.

We also filed a lawsuit against the CDC to challenge RFK Jr.’s decision to close their FOIA office. Given the ongoing outbreaks of measles and other infectious diseases. We believe Americans must have transparency into the CDC’s operations and DOGE’s apparent interference in public health agencies.

On June 4, a judge denied CREW’s motion for a preliminary injunction (a fast track for the lawsuit), but noted that CREW has “raised serious questions about whether Defendants have acted unlawfully with how they have suddenly revamped the FOIA process for HHS and its component agencies.” We’re now waiting for the Court to set a briefing schedule in the case.

Finally, we have our lawsuit against the Office of Management and Budget. We sued the OMB after they took down the website where the apportionment of federal money is publicly disclosed. This is in the weeds, but it’s important. Here’s why: apportionment is the process of the government sending the money that Congress has said they have to spend to the agencies that will carry out that spending.

Given the Trump administration’s history with apparently illegal withholding of funds, we’re committed to continuing the fight for this information to be once again made public.

John, all of this is just a glimpse into the mountain of work CREW is taking on to defend transparency, accountability, and the rule of law. These legal fights are complex, resource-intensive, and often slow—but they’re absolutely necessary.

We’ve seen some early wins, like expedited discovery against DOGE, acknowledgments from courts that our arguments raise serious legal questions, and citations of our amicus briefs in other important cases challenging Trump executive orders.

We’re filing complaints and briefs, pushing for answers and exposing abuses of power wherever they arise. If you believe in holding those in power accountable and shining a light where others would rather keep things hidden, then we need your help. Please, make a MATCHED donation to CREW today to help us continue our work →

Thanks,

Noah Bookbinder
President
CREW