The Office of Personnel Management, the federal agency that maintains records on hundreds of thousands of government workers, is grappling with a massive backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests after losing more than half its information specialist staff since the start of President Trump's second administration.

According to data from OPM obtained by ProPublica, over 1,600 FOIA requests sat in the agency's backlog at the end of fiscal year 2025 — seven times more than at the end of the previous fiscal year. The average processing time for a simple request at the agency climbed to over 84 days, roughly double the wait time from the prior year.

The delays come as OPM's FOIA and Privacy Act staff has been decimated by workforce reductions tied to the Department of Government Efficiency. More than 600 government information specialists who administer FOIA requests across federal agencies have resigned or been fired since the start of the second Trump administration, according to OPM data. At OPM specifically, 12 information specialists left the agency — seven through layoffs — while only one new hire was brought on.

Journalists and transparency advocates report that navigating the federal records system has become increasingly difficult. ProPublica's requests to OPM in early July bounced between three abandoned email inboxes and two non-functional web portals before eventually being acknowledged.

What the Right Is Saying

Supporters of the DOGE workforce reductions argue that bloated bureaucracy was already slowing FOIA responses long before recent changes. Congressional Republicans have noted that average processing times at many agencies consistently exceeded statutory targets even under previous administrations, suggesting structural inefficiencies predating current staffing levels.

The White House has framed efficiency efforts as necessary to reduce government waste and improve service delivery. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing that the administration is 'committed to transparency while also ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on functions that actually serve the public.'

Some conservative commentators have argued that many FOIA requests come from politically motivated actors seeking to burden agencies with paperwork rather than legitimate information needs. Senator John Cornyn of Texas has introduced legislation that would allow agencies to charge fees for certain categories of requests, arguing this would reduce abuse while still preserving access.

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic lawmakers and government accountability groups say the staffing cuts represent a deliberate weakening of democratic oversight mechanisms. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat, has repeatedly warned that shrinking FOIA capacity undermines the public's right to know how their government operates.

Transparency advocates argue that delayed access to federal records affects ordinary citizens seeking information about benefits, employment decisions and agency operations — not just journalists covering Washington. The American Library Association and several good-government groups sent a letter to OPM in early 2026 calling for restoration of FOIA staffing to meet legal response deadlines.

The nonprofit Open the Government called the backlog numbers 'alarming' in a statement, noting that federal law requires agencies to respond to simple requests within 20 business days. 'When you cut the people who process these requests by more than half, you're not making government smaller — you're just making it less accountable,' the group said.

What the Numbers Show

According to OPM data cited in reporting by ProPublica:

- 600+ government information specialists have resigned or been fired across federal agencies since January 2025

- At OPM specifically, 12 information specialists departed — 7 through layoffs — with only 1 new hire during that period

- FOIA backlog at OPM reached 1,600 requests by end of FY2025, a 700% increase from FY2024's ending total

- Average processing time for simple requests at OPM: over 84 days, compared to roughly 40 days the prior year

- Federal law sets a 20-business-day target for responding to simple FOIA requests

Opexus (formerly AINS), the private contractor that manages FOIA portals for approximately 80% of federal agencies under a contract valued at more than $50 million according to Bloomberg reporting, has faced scrutiny after two of its employees were indicted for allegedly deleting and compromising government data. One employee pleaded guilty in April; another was convicted in May.

The Bottom Line

The slowdown in federal records requests comes as Congress prepares to debate reauthorization of the Freedom of Information Act, which is set for review in 2026. Both chambers have held hearings on government transparency, though partisan disagreements over staffing levels and contractor oversight remain unresolved.

Journalists, researchers and members of the public who rely on FOIA to monitor federal operations will need to plan for longer wait times when seeking records from OPM and other agencies affected by staffing changes. Watch for any administrative actions that could further alter how requesters interact with federal record systems — particularly whether agencies move toward centralized portal systems that consolidate processing through private contractors.