WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that whistleblowers who expose waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government will have added protection. Grassley cosponsored the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act of 2007 that cleared the Senate and will now go to conference with a similar bill from the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Whistleblowers often risk their careers to expose fraud, waste, and abuse in an effort to protect not only the health and safety of the American people, but the federal treasury and taxpayer dollars,” Grassley said. “For more than two decades, I’ve learned from, appreciated and honored whistleblowers. It’s important that we recognize the role whistleblowers play in helping us fulfill our Constitutional duty of conducting oversight of the Executive Branch.”
Grassley also cosponsored the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. The legislation that passed earlier this week will strengthen the original Whistleblower Protection Act by defining and clarifying that disclosures of classified information to appropriate Committees of Congress are protected, by codifying federal government employees’ ability to come forward with evidence of illegality, and by allowing whistleblower cases to be heard by the Circuit Court of Appeals.
“You can’t rely on documents alone to conduct oversight,” Grassley said. “Only whistleblowers can explain why something is wrong and provide the best evidence to prove it. They are the best people to help Congress truly understand problems with the culture at government agencies.”
Grassley has a long history of working with whistleblowers. He has demanded investigations of the unjust treatment of many whistleblowers throughout his tenure in Congress. He has championed whistleblowers at the FBI, FDA, IRS and many other federal agencies.
-30-