Help Protect Federal Whistleblowers

Right now potential federal whistleblowers are discouraged from coming forward because of a lack of badly needed protections. 

We need stronger whistleblower protections so they can help us keep government accountable.

OUR OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS

Congress has unanimously voted four times in the past to reform our whistleblower system and we need them to step up again.

We’re calling on you once again to come together to strengthen federal whistleblower protections.

The absence of some badly needed protections is almost certainly discouraging federal whistleblowers from coming forward. For example, whistleblowers do not have a guarantee for due process to protect their free speech rights. They are limited to administrative hearings at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which, among other issues, lacks a sufficient quorum to even issue a ruling.

We can make our system more effective by:

• Granting employees the right to a jury trial in federal court;
• Giving whistleblowers the right to challenge retaliatory investigations;
• Extending employment anti-retaliation rights to shield against all criminal and civil liability;
• Extending temporary relief to whistleblowers whenever they prove a prima facie case of retaliation;
• Ensuring whistleblowers have access to appeals courts to challenge MSPB decisions;
• Ensuring that each Office of Inspector General has a whistleblower ombudsman;
• Requiring accountability through discipline to prevent unjust retaliation on whistleblowers; and
• Shielding employees by allowing them to refuse to violate illegal regulations.

Each month that these protections aren’t in place has real consequences for uncovering threats to public safety, taxpayer rip-offs and more. Please pass an updated version of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act without delay.