CREW, Protect Democracy request records on Heritage Foundation FOIA requests

In December, it was reported that The Heritage Foundation, one of the key groups behind Project 2025, the right-wing plan to overhaul the functioning and structure of the federal government, flooded federal agencies with thousands of Freedom of Information requests. The requests covered a variety of topics, ranging from DEI education to the personal communications of agency employees. Given Project 2025's plan to replace career government employees with party loyalists, the nature of these requests is especially noteworthy. It is estimated that the conservative think tank submitted over 50,000 requests.

CREW and Protect Democracy have requested records from January 1, 2023 to the present pertaining to the federal government's communications with Mike Howell, Colin Aamot, Roman Jankowski, or any other representative of the Heritage Foundation. CREW and Protect Democracy sent requests to several federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Interior, Department of State and Department of Justice.

The public deserves to know what information may have been provided to The Heritage Foundation and what contact federal employees may have had with Heritage employees. Releasing this information will provide CREW, Protect Democracy and the public insight into what officials or programs might be targeted in a second Trump administration.