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Is the requester required to give a reason for a request?

Lapse in Appropriations

For workplace safety and health, please call 800-321-6742; for mine safety and health, please call 800-746-1553; for Job Corps, please call 800-733-5627 and for Wage and Hour, please call 1-866-487-9243 (1 866-4-US-WAGE).  This website is currently not being updated due to the suspension of Federal government services. The last update to the site was 10/1/2025.  Updates to the site will start again when the Federal government resumes operations.

No. FOIA requests can be made for any reason whatsoever. Because the purpose for which records are sought has no bearing upon the merits of the request, FOIA requestors do not have to explain or justify their requests.

The requester's reason for making a FOIA request may, however, be considered in the context of certain procedural decisions made during the course of processing a request; this is the case, for example, when the agency is deciding whether to grant expedited processing, or to waive fees, or when a court is deciding whether to award attorney fees and costs to a successful FOIA plaintiff.