H.R. 6388 Seeks to Strengthen GAO Access to Executive Branch Documents

Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently introduced H.R. 6388, the Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2008, [Thomas Resources | OpenCongress Resources] to increase the GAO’s ability to obtain executive branch documents. One key provision of H.R. 6388 repudiates the district court decision in Walker v. Cheney and reaffirms GAO's authority to go to court when agencies or the White House refuse to provide access to records. In that 2002 case the court ruled that then-GAO chief David M. Walker lacked the authority to demand information about Vice President Dick Cheney ’s energy task force.

H.R. 6388 also contains provisions that provide GAO access to proprietary information on Medicare drug prices, FDA "trade secrets” and FTC pre-merger reviews. [JH]