Look at the nonsense Lamar Smith is currently putting NOAA through. http://www.wired.com/2015/11/congress-chief-climate-denier-a...
Having Smith as the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee of the House (which oversees research funding for NASA, NOAA, EPA, NSF, etc.) is a travesty, and he individually deserves blame, but the whole GOP leadership is on board with his basic goals and tactics.
A funny change given how most of the USA's fighting happens away from its soil.
The goal with any Congress is to think what if the parties were reversed. Would the conversation be the same if Hank "[Guam] the island will tip over" Johnson asked for information on the collusion between an agency and outside agencies.
We have a government agency turning down a request by a voted in member representing the populace of the United States of America that elected him. There is no reason for a government agency to be doing this. They should be accorded the respect of the position, no matter how much someone disagrees with it.
We have a situation where the Republicans postulated that the IRS was coordinating against a group of individuals to prevent their recognition during an election, and were proven correct despite agency stonewalling. The agency head had a secret e-mail to avoid FOIA, so searching for a slip-up required going through thousands of e-mails.
Another agency had its Secretary running a private server as an end run around the FOIA. Where upon closer inspection reveals that the agency publicly deceived the populace on originations of a terrorist attack.
Additionally, the federal government has been on a bender with coordinating against individuals in the name of political purposes. Witness former Senator Stevens railroading, IRS' Lois Lerner, and EPA's Phillip North coordinating with EPA on Pebble Mine.