Opinion ID: 755736
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Responses to United States Senators

Text: 56 Major Gowan's final complaints about improper communications concern the Air Force's responses to the letters sent by United States Senators Nunn and Bingaman. Although this issue was raised below, the district court did not resolve it. 57 The senators' inquiries resulted directly from Major Gowan's soliciting their assistance. Unlike in Swenson v. United States Postal Serv., 890 F.2d 1075, 1077-78 (9th Cir.1989), where the disclosure of information to congressmen violated the Privacy Act because the information had nothing to do with the subject the plaintiff had asked her legislators to investigate, Major Gowan requested the senators to inquire about the matters he now complains the Air Force discussed with them. Under these circumstances, Major Gowan's request for the senators' assistance estops him from complaining that the Air Force responded to the senators' inquiries on his behalf. See Pellerin v. Veterans Admin., 790 F.2d 1553, 1556 (11th Cir.1986) (Pellerin clearly solicited his congressmen's support in his battle with the VA. He cannot state a claim against the VA for releasing information to the congressmen when he requested their assistance in gathering such information.). 58 In addition, § 552a(b)(3) establishes a routine use exception to the general prohibition on disclosure. See 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b)(3). Disclosure of information regarding an individual to members of Congress in response to an inquiry from the congressional office made at the request of that individual  has been established as a routine use of Privacy Act information. See Department of Defense Privacy Act Program, 51 Fed.Reg. 2364, 2389 (1986) (emphasis added). We do not believe that the dissemination of this information in response to the senators' inquiries is incompatible with the purpose for which the information was collected, see 5 U.S.C. § 552a(a)(7), and thus the disclosures would likely be protected under the routine use exception.