Office of Science and Technology Policy
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2025). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 22 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2025 (Sept 30, 2025)
Agencies report days pending in working days, counted from the day the request was received; the years column converts to calendar years. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Working days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2019-11-05 | 1,457 | 5.9 |
| #2 | 2019-11-12 | 1,453 | 5.9 |
| #3 | 2019-12-11 | 1,434 | 5.8 |
| #4 | 2020-01-13 | 1,414 | 5.7 |
| #5 | 2020-01-22 | 1,410 | 5.7 |
| #6 | 2020-02-18 | 1,391 | 5.6 |
| #7 | 2020-02-18 | 1,391 | 5.6 |
| #8 | 2020-02-18 | 1,391 | 5.6 |
| #9 | 2020-02-25 | 1,386 | 5.6 |
| #10 | 2020-03-18 | 1,370 | 5.5 |
Exemption invocations, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 239 | 148 | 287 |
| FY2024 | 212 | 178 | 210 |
| FY2023 | 64 | 45 | 176 |
| FY2022 | 104 | 65 | 170 |
| FY2021 | 129 | 100 | 131 |
| FY2020 | 84 | 68 | 102 |
| FY2019 | 86 | 63 | 86 |
| FY2018 | 122 | 100 | 63 |
| FY2017 | 132 | 109 | 40 |
| FY2016 | 71 | 64 | 17 |
| FY2015 | 99 | 94 | 10 |
| FY2014 | 93 | 89 | 5 |
| FY2013 | 128 | 130 | 1 |
| FY2012 | 84 | 85 | 3 |
| FY2011 | 52 | 56 | 4 |
| FY2010 | 44 | 37 | 8 |
| FY2009 | 31 | 39 | 1 |
| FY2008 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
Every dataset behind this page is available as CSV. Filter by agency name in your spreadsheet of choice.