Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that he will reverse recent FOIA restrictions and relaunch a full transparency push inside his department—marking a major step toward fulfilling his campaign promise of “radical openness.”
Speaking at a press conference, Kennedy said he will fully restore the HHS’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) offices and launch a new online database to house all publicly released documents. The goal, he said, is to give citizens broader, easier access to previously buried federal records.
“We are restoring all of the FOIA offices,” Kennedy told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We’re going to try to post as much as we can… We’re going to start a website with all former FOIA requests and the documents that were produced so people don’t have to do it again and again.”
The move comes after criticism that cost-cutting efforts under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had inadvertently hindered the public’s ability to request and receive information. DOGE’s restructuring merged several FOIA units into one, reportedly causing delays and backlogs.
Kennedy acknowledged the backlash and blamed past administrations for fostering a culture of secrecy.
“I spent a lot of years litigating under FOIA,” he said. “I experienced the frustration of going year after year and being stonewalled by the agencies. A lot of the people who are at HHS right now come from that background. So we all understand how important it is to have clear communication.”
He also reiterated a principle he says guides his department: “The papers we produce in this agency do not belong to us. They belong to the American people.”
The new website, which is already under development, will include a searchable archive of prior FOIA requests and responses—eliminating the need for repeated filings and accelerating transparency. Kennedy said he expects the platform to be ready “in the coming months.”
The secretary has earned a reputation for openness since joining the Trump administration, frequently breaking with legacy bureaucratic culture. His push for clean labeling in the food supply, opposition to toxic synthetic dyes, and effort to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable has won praise from both grassroots watchdogs and transparency advocates.
But critics recently raised concerns after it was discovered that some FOIA capacities had been limited due to DOGE reforms. Those critics pointed to Kennedy’s own background as a transparency activist and FOIA litigator, calling the cutbacks inconsistent with his message.
Tuesday’s announcement appeared to directly address those concerns—and reaffirm Kennedy’s commitment to public accountability.
The FOIA law, passed in 1967, allows members of the public to obtain government records—with certain exceptions for national security and proprietary information. HHS, which oversees everything from the NIH and FDA to Medicare and the CDC, has long been one of the most-requested agencies for FOIA filings.
In recent years, FOIA requests have played a critical role in uncovering questionable pandemic-era decisions, ethics conflicts involving senior scientists, and pharmaceutical lobbying inside federal agencies. Kennedy and his team have frequently cited these revelations as evidence that greater public oversight is needed.
During the Tuesday press conference, Kennedy also reiterated his broader vision for reforming the way HHS communicates with the public. That includes removing what he described as “industry influence” over science and ending the suppression of inconvenient medical findings.
“Americans don’t know what they’re eating. They don’t know the implications of what they’re being prescribed,” Kennedy said. “That ends here.”
The FOIA restoration initiative is expected to be part of a broader slate of HHS reforms rolling out over the summer. For Kennedy, it’s another chance to prove he’s serious about putting the American people—not the bureaucracy—back in control.
