A lot of reporters use the Freedom of Information Act — FOIA — to request documents from the government.

Last year, I asked the State Department for copies of some correspondence related to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. And it took me a while to hear back.

I received a response last week. 

Evidently, there’s a huge backlog at the State Department in the office that handles requests like mine, and we now know why.

An inspector general looked into the matter and provided an explanation: “The office lacks copy machines that can handle the volume required.”

There aren’t enough copy machines. At the State Department. In 2015.