[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 133 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5172-S5173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWER APPRECIATION DAY

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
attached speech, which I delivered in honor of National Whistleblower 
Appreciation Day, be printed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                National Whistleblower Appreciation Day


                             july 29, 2021

       Each year on July 30th, we take time to celebrate 
     whistleblowers and the important role they play in keeping 
     our government transparent and accountable.
       But as you folks know, the task of supporting 
     whistleblowers doesn't start and stop on July 30th.

[[Page S5173]]

       It's a year round job.
       And here in the Congress, it's something we've been working 
     at for decades.
       When I first came to Washington in the 1970s, many of the 
     whistleblower laws we take for granted today didn't exist at 
     all.
       Anybody who dared to blow the whistle back then was about 
     as welcome as a skunk at a picnic.
       Of course the real skunks were usually there among the 
     crowd trying to build a scare, chase the whistleblower away, 
     and destroy their reputation.
       That's still true today.
       But now it's a lot harder for those people to get off the 
     hook.
       That's because whistleblowers today have a lot more 
     protections than they did years ago, and they have important 
     advocates in their corner, such as the IG community, who are 
     there to support them.
       And when they don't, I call them out for it.
       You may have heard that I recently recommended that 
     President Biden fire FHFA IG Laura Wertheimer.
       Last month, the IG decided to resign effective July 31st.
       It's unusual for me to ask the President to fire an IG. In 
     fact, you may recall that in past years, I've written letters 
     to Presidents Obama and Trump when they fired IGs without 
     providing reasons to Congress as required by law.
       But this was a clear cut case.
       I started investigating IG Wertheimer years ago.
       Whistleblowers were the ones who first brought concerns 
     about the IG to my attention.
       They said she was abusing her staff, making fun of them for 
     things like their weight and medical disabilities.
       She was even retaliating against some of the whistleblowers 
     who spoke to my office.
       After I saw just how bad things were, I asked the Inspector 
     General Community's Integrity Committee to conduct their own 
     investigation.
       They validated many of the whistleblowers' claims and 
     called for her to be removed.
       Earlier this month, there was concern that the IG's Chief 
     Counsel, who was found to have obstructed the Integrity 
     Committee's investigation and was recommended for 
     disciplinary action, could become the new Acting IG.
       So I wrote to President Biden, urging him to appoint a 
     qualified individual for the Acting IG position and swiftly 
     nominate a permanent replacement who will respect their staff 
     and protect whistleblowers the way they are supposed to as an 
     IG, instead of retaliating against them.
       My ongoing work to support whistleblowers also involves new 
     legislation.
       One bill that we passed recently involves the Commodity 
     Futures Trading Commission Whistleblower Program.
       Since that program was created, whistleblowers in the 
     commodities industry have been coming forward in 
     unprecedented numbers to report fraud and abuse.
       We reached a point within the last year where the upcoming 
     awards were so large, the fund was in danger of not having 
     enough cash on-hand to pay whistleblower office staff.
       My CFTC Fund Management Act, which passed the Congress in 
     June, now allows the Commission to set aside money in a 
     separate account to ensure that staff are paid and this 
     highly successful whistleblower office can remain open.
       I also have several other bipartisan whistleblower bills I 
     intend to pass this congress.
       I'm working on legislation that will strengthen incentives 
     and protections for whistleblowers who report potential money 
     laundering, as well as whistleblower protections for FBI 
     employees.
       And I have bills to further strengthen the False Claims Act 
     and Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act.
       So, as much as we've accomplished together, there's still 
     more to be done.
       In closing, I want to thank you all for the role you play 
     in bringing attention to whistleblower issues and advocating 
     on behalf of whistleblowers.
       Your service in support of whistleblower issues is a 
     service to our country and all the ideals of good government 
     that I've spent my career working to promote.
       So please go forward and continue doing the good work that 
     you've been doing all along.
       Together, let's make sure the whistleblower laws and 
     protections we have in place next year and the year after are 
     even stronger than the ones we have in place today.
       Thank you.

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