[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 130 (Wednesday, July 31, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Whistleblower Appreciation Day

  Mr. BRAUN. Mr. President, whistleblowers play a key role in holding 
the Federal Government accountable for waste, fraud, abuse, 
mismanagement, and illegal activity. It is therefore appropriate that 
even though Whistleblower Appreciation Day was yesterday, we take a 
moment to pause and thank the brave men and women who have the courage 
to speak up when they see ways to better or improve our government. I 
want to thank them for their efforts to ensure that our government 
never loses sight of why we are here--to serve the American people and 
to be good stewards of their resources and trust.
  I was also proud to introduce legislation with Senator Maggie Hassan 
of New Hampshire. Our bill ensures adequate protections for 
subgrantees--the folks on the firing line who are most important to 
revealing when something is not right. That needs to be protected in a 
way that is ensured so that they always feel comfortable coming 
forward.
  In 1989, Congress approved the Whistleblower Protection Act, thereby 
expanding whistleblower protections for Federal employees and later 
expanding protections for individuals in certain private sector 
employment.
  From time to time, it has been necessary for Congress to refine 
Federal whistleblower laws. We always want them to be working. In one 
such instance, Congress enhanced whistleblower protections as part of 
the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 for Federal contractor, 
subcontractor, and grantee employees on a pilot program basis. The 
program worked well, and, in 2016, Congress saw fit to make the pilot 
permanent. It makes sense. This is how the process should work. 
Congress saw a problem, addressed it on a test basis, evaluated it to 
make sure it was working as it should, and moved to make the program 
permanent.
  However, the subsequent amendments in 2016, to make sure the program 
was working, failed to guarantee subgrantees were recognized in the 
legislative text, as necessary, to make sure it would work on a 
technical basis. While 2016 amendments explicitly included Federal 
subgrantee employees, coordinated changes were not made in the 
statute's related sections.
  I am proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Hassan to close 
this gap because it needs to work in all cases. S. 2315, the 
Whistleblower Act, clarifies the scope of the protection statute 
specifically as to employees of Federal subgrantees who provide 
protected disclosures. Subgrantees are often in the best position to 
provide information regarding wrongdoing as to Federal subgrant funds. 
I am, therefore, pleased to play a small role in cleaning up our laws 
so they operate as they were intended--to protect whistleblowers.
  Finally, we take whistleblowers seriously in my office. If anybody 
would like to assist, contact me through our whistleblower assistance 
line. One can email me at [email protected].
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.