Not even your local congressman/senator can save you then from the harassment that the DOS thinks you deserve for being a third world citizen. No more no less and you probably have no right to demand transparency. God forbid if you get stuck for reasons other than PIMS, anything you can ever know from consulate/DOS after that is that your case is pending in "additional administrative processing" for security clearance.
These lawyers have just surrendered before the DOS/DHS.possibly avoiding burning bridges with the government rather than protecting human rights and civil liberties. Also, contrary to what most lawyers would have you believe that only those people get stuck who have done something wrong, I can assure you that there are very few cases (possibly less than a 5% of the total) who have been outright rejected even after significant delays for security clearances. Some guys have been given visas after 1.5 years.
People (more than a couple of thousand at any given time during these days) are stuck at the consulates in India for two months or more (these days waiting time exceeds 4 months in normal cases and I am one of them). However, if you get stuck because of other checks, only God can help you. You will possibly get a PIMS clearance within a month (usually 5 days). Contrary to popular belief PIMS is the simplest of all. Per the new rules all of us have to pass through many checks (such as PIMS, NAME CHECK, SECURITY CLEARANCE, ETC.). I would like to appeal to all the people who want to travel outside the country and would need a new visa stamp to come back to US. do not take this risk unless it is a family emergency (a life and death situation rather than a brother,sister getting married).