“One wants to be sure that terrorism is not used as a pretext for withholding information that the public needs to assess government policy and performance. … It looks to me like the government is overreaching in some cases.”
~ Steve Aftergood
Steve Aftergood is our hero this week for the work he did during his long career with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) from which he retired at the end of 2021. Steve directed the FAS Project on Government Secrecy from 1991 to 2021, which aimed to reduce the scope of national security secrecy. His efforts to bring more transparency and accountability within the government, especially around federal finances, have been invaluable. Steve is the person who put us on to FASAB-56.
The Federation of American Scientists is a nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization founded in 1945 to meet national security challenges with evidence-based, scientifically-driven, and nonpartisan policy, analysis, and research.
Related Reading
Comment on FASAB 56 in January 2019
FASAB Statement 56: Understanding New Government Financial Accounting Loopholes
