Author:

The Republican from Arizona was unmasked following an ultimately successful campaign by the Society of Professional Journalists to publicly identify the senator who placed a secret hold on the OPEN Government Act. The OGA would improve the government's response to public requests for information under the federal Freedom of Information Act, and is supported by AAN and dozens of other groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the conservative Heritage Foundation. The bill has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 308-117 and was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Kyl tells the Associated Press that he'll continue to block a vote of the full Senate until the Justice Department's "uncharacteristically strong" objections to the bill are assuaged. His Republican colleague on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), disagrees: "This is an important, bipartisan issue that deserves the consideration of the full Senate," Cornyn says. AAN encourages its members to call their senators to let them know that you support the OPEN Government Act and oppose Sen. Kyl's obstructionist tactics.