On July 27th, 2017, Senator Grassley gave a stirring speech on the heroism of whistleblowers as a Keynote Speaker at the NWC’s National Whistleblower Day celebration on Capitol Hill. The Senator thanked whistleblowers for their service to the American people, emphasizing, “… Whistleblowers are patriots and heroes … We owe a great debt to you—the whistleblowers. We have a responsibility to follow your example and keep fighting for responsible business and accountable government.” Watch the video of his speech.
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has been a stalwart champion for whistleblowers since he joined the Senate in the early 1980s. Grassley initiated and supported many of the incredible advances we have seen in whistleblower law over the past three decades and, along with cosponsors from both parties, introduced important resolutions celebrating National Whistleblower Day for the past four years.
At the 2017 celebration, Senator Grassley issued a call to action to his fellow members of Congress: “Congress needs to reauthorize the Office of Special Counsel and the Ombudsman programs at the offices of the Inspectors General. We need to improve whistleblower protections for FBI employees and IRS whistleblowers. Congress also has to do its constitutional duty to conduct robust oversight of the Executive Branch. That includes oversight of matters whistleblowers report, and how agencies treat the whistleblowers.” You can watch his entire speech below.
Additional Resources:
- Watch the video of Senator Grassley’s speech below.
- The 2017 Celebration of National Whistleblower Day.
- Watch NWC Executive Director, Stephen Kohn’s TEDX Talk on the History of Whistleblower Day.
https://youtu.be/niVLmI5IXAw