On February 14, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a longtime Congressional advocate for whistleblowers, wrote a letter to President Trump outlining the importance of whistleblowers and requesting a Rose Garden ceremony to celebrate National Whistleblower Day.
“Whistleblowers are patriots who help identify violations of law, rule, regulation, gross mismanagement, abuses of authority, and threats to public health and safety,” Grassley writes. “Whistleblowers have exposed waste, fraud, and abuse in just about every industry and agency in this country. The issues they report have saved billions of taxpayer dollars and countless more through their deterrent effect.”
“The President of the United States honoring whistleblowers with a Rose Garden ceremony on Whistleblower Appreciation Day for their courage and sacrifice would send a loud, clear message that our government leaders appreciate the importance of whistleblowers and retaliation will not be tolerated,” Grassley continues. “It would inspire confidence in those who witness wrongdoing to stand up and do something to fix it. It would help build a culture of integrity where employees are not afraid to raise legitimate concerns because they know retaliators will be punished, not the whistleblower.”
For the past ten years, the U.S. Senate has unanimously passed an annual resolution designating July 30 as National Whistleblower Day. The resolution encourages federal agencies to celebrate by informing employees of their whistleblower rights and “acknowledging the contributions of whistleblowers to combating waste, fraud, abuse, and violations of laws and regulations of the United States.”
For years, National Whistleblower Center has hosted celebrations on Capitol Hill celebrating National Whistleblower Day and honoring whistleblowers. Senator Grassley, however, has unsuccessfully lobbied every president since President Reagan to host a Rose Garden ceremony for whistleblowers.
Whistleblowers and advocates are also calling on President Trump to pass an Executive Order permanently recognizing National Whistleblower Day.
Chair of the Whistleblower Leadership Council and member of the Board of Directors at the National Whistleblower Center, Jane Turner, explained, “The world needs to know the United States government stands behind whistleblowers, provides recognition, and honors their sacrifices.”
Join NWC in Taking Action:
Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
Further Reading:
Grassley to Trump: Whistleblowers Are Key to Promoting Government Efficiency, Combatting Waste
