Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

FOIA provides that any person has a right to obtain access to agency records, except to the extent that such records, or portions of them, are protected from disclosure.

Getting Started -- Information for OGE FOIA Requesters

To see OGE’s requirements for making a request, please review OGE’s FOIA Regulation at 5 CFR part 2604.

Before submitting a FOIA request, please review OGE’s website. OGE routinely posts records so what you are looking may already be publicly available.
1. Financial disclosure reports and certain other publicly available documents are not released under FOIA, so be sure to check out the information on Frequently Requested Information Available Without a FOIA Request.
2. Previously processed FOIA records and frequently requested items are available in our  FOIA reading rooms.
The FOIA does not require agencies to do research, answer written questions, or create agency records in order to respond to a request. Accordingly, please make sure your request is framed in a way to direct a search for specific agency records.
OGE is a micro agency with a very small FOIA staff. To receive your response as quickly as possible, please scope your requests as narrowly as possible.
FOIA requests should be in writing and include your name and contact information, preferably an email address and telephone number. The request should reasonably describe the records being sought.
Send your FOIA request to USOGE@oge.gov. If you do not have access to email, you may mail your request to OGE FOIA Officer, Office of Government Ethics, Suite 750, 250 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20024-3249.
You may track the status of your FOIA requests online. Refer to your FOIA request acknowledgment for the individualized tracking number assigned to the request.
Please ensure any follow-up communication regarding your request includes the assigned internal tracking number. Doing so will help us to quickly retrieve the details of your request.

Public Financial Disclosure Reports

Copies of public financial disclosure reports (OGE Form 278e), including periodic transaction reports (OGE Form 278-T), are not available under FOIA, pursuant to FOIA Exemption 3, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(3), as material specifically exempted from disclosure by another statute. Instead, the Ethics in Government Act (5 U.S.C. § 13107) and OGE regulations provide for a special access provision for public financial disclosure reports.

Please note that OGE does not have public financial disclosure reports for all filers. Only the following public financial disclosure reports are available from OGE:

Presidential appointees subject to Senate confirmation (PAS officials).

Designated agency ethics officials and certain White House officials. For access to other public financial disclosure reports, please contact the filer’s agency directly.

Generally, public financial disclosure reports must be destroyed after six years. Older reports are not available.

You can see what reports are available from OGE by visiting this page. For all other public financial disclosure reports, you must submit a Form 201 request to the agency where the filer was/is employed.

Conflict of Interest Waivers

Copies of conflict of interest waivers pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(1) and (b)(3) are not available under FOIA, pursuant to FOIA Exemption 3, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(3), as material specifically exempted from disclosure by another statute. The statute, 18 U.S.C. § 208, provides for a special access provision for conflict of interest waivers. You may use the fill and print PDF version of the Form 201 to request copies of 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(1) and § 208(b)(3) waivers from the agency where the person who received the waiver was/is employed. Although OGE does not release conflict of interest waivers issued to officials employed by other agencies, as of July 18, 2024, we have enhanced our website to provide a searchable list of 208(b)(1)waiver recipients.

Other Publicly Available Documents

OGE provides other important Government ethics information online on its website. OGE's published advisories, Congressional correspondence regulatory issuances, and educational materials are all available without charge for viewing and downloading. These materials are accessible electronically without the need to file a FOIA request. Links to many of these publicly available records are below.