Q: What is Whistleblower Appreciation Day?
A: Throughout my work on behalf of Iowans in Congress, I take seriously my constitutional oversight responsibilities to ensure the government works for the American people, not the other way around. Whistleblowers play a crucial role by shining light on wrongdoing. As co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, I reintroduced a bipartisan resolution to designate July 30th as “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day” for the tenth consecutive year. This resolution celebrates the courageous contributions of unsung heroes in civic life who blow the whistle to combat corruption and wrongdoing that violate the law, waste taxpayer dollars and put the American people in harm’s way. Whistleblowers put their reputations on the line to tell the truth and deserve recognition, not retribution. The Continental Congress unanimously adopted the first whistleblower law 245 years ago on July 30, 1778, calling upon “all persons in the service of the United States…to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, fraud or misdemeanors…which may come to their knowledge.” Our Senate resolution reaffirms the intent of the nation’s founders and calls upon federal agencies to encourage and support whistleblowers when they disclose misconduct.
However, support for whistleblowers doesn’t start and stop on July 30th. It’s a year-round job. I keep my nose to the grindstone in Washington to protect taxpayer dollars and weed out corruption and wrongdoing at all levels of government. That includes working to increase whistleblower protections for patriots on the frontlines in the federal bureaucracy and to hold those accountable who unlawfully retaliate against whistleblowers. It takes guts to rock the boat in any organization, especially when there’s an institutional culture to go along to get along.
My longstanding oversight of the FBI reflects the essential need for the Justice Department to embrace transparency to restore the American people’s confidence in the justice system and not be poisoned by partisan bias. With the help of whistleblowers, I have held the Justice Department accountable for its botched investigation of convicted sex offender Larry Nassar, its reckless pursuit of parents speaking out at school board meetings, its targeting and infiltration of Catholic churches, and its orchestrated efforts to taint congressional oversight. Most recently, Justice Department whistleblowers have helped me publicly expose the FD-1023 form that alleges a bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden.
Whistleblowers also brought to light the Biden administration’s nominee for a top job at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) failed to protect veterans’ private information as well as the identity of whistleblowers. Veterans and individuals who blow the whistle on wrongdoing deserve better. From reining in cozy relationships with government contractors at the Pentagon to restoring accountability in the federal prison system and rooting out wrongdoing at the Department of Veterans Affairs, I rely on courageous reports from whistleblowers who stick out their necks to tell the truth.
Q: What are some of your legislative efforts to support whistleblowers?
A: In 1986 I successfully led a bipartisan effort to update the False Claims Act, known as “Lincoln’s Law,” to allow the government to recover taxpayer dollars from wrongdoers who defrauded federal agencies. A key provision in that update, known as qui tam, allows whistleblowers to bring suit against alleged fraudsters on behalf of the government and share in any recoveries. Since my amendments were enacted, they’re credited with helping to recover more than $72 billion to the federal treasury and deterring untold billions more from fraud. The U.S. Supreme Court recently delivered a major victory for American taxpayers with its unanimous ruling to restore the original intent of the False Claims Act.
Since the Reagan administration, I’ve called upon the White House to hold a Rose Garden ceremony in honor of whistleblowers. Instead of being treated like skunks at a picnic, the administration should welcome whistleblowers to bask in the limelight of appreciation of a nation well-served by their courage and sacrifice. It’s time for every federal agency to wake up and smell the roses. I recently led efforts to demand the Justice Department and FBI commit to protecting agency whistleblowers who disclosed the existence of FBI records alleging a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national. As Iowa’s senior U.S. Senator, I’ll continue to champion whistleblowers and strengthen laws to protect them from retaliation. This Congress, I’ve introduced legislation to strengthen the IRS whistleblower program, extend protections for corporate whistleblowers, and provide whistleblower protections to Department of Energy civil servants.
National Whistleblower Appreciation Day is July 30th. Senator Grassley welcomes individuals to report wrongdoing to his Senate office to help protect taxpayer dollars, hold wrongdoers accountable and make government operate more effectively and efficiently on behalf of the American people.
