WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today celebrated the 10th annual National Whistleblower Appreciation Day at an event where he delivered remarks recognizing whistleblowers’ patriotism and contributions to good government operation. Immediately following, Grassley answered questions ranging from how he handles whistleblower inquiries, to why he’s asked every president since Ronald Reagan to hold a whistleblower ceremony at the Rose Garden.
Background:
Through his dogged efforts to improve government oversight, transparency and accountability, Grassley has relied on whistleblowers to help shine light on instances of waste, fraud and abuse. Some have even referred to Grassley as the “patron saint of whistleblowers.”
Grassley co-founded the Whistleblower Protection Caucus and has advanced the establishment of whistleblower programs throughout the executive branch. Over the years – made possible by courageous whistleblowers and their disclosures – Grassley has brought sunshine to dim corners of agencies including the Veterans Affairs and Justice Department, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS, among others.
As the original author of legislation to fortify the?False Claims Act, a law to assist whistleblowers, Grassley helped save taxpayers?$72 billion. Most recently, he introduced bills to expand and strengthen whistleblower protections at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission.
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