[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 134 (Friday, July 30, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5201-S5202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, each year on July 30, we take time to 
celebrate whistleblowers and the very hard role that whistleblowers 
play in keeping our government transparent and accountable.
  But the task of supporting whistleblowers doesn't start and stop on 
July 30; it is a year-round job. And here in this Congress, it is 
something that we have been working on for decades.
  When I first came to Washington in the 1970s, most of the 
whistleblower laws we take for granted today didn't even exist then.
  I like to tell people, anyone who dared to blow the whistle back at 
that time was about as welcome as a skunk at a picnic.
  People in government would often retaliate by trying to run the 
whistleblower off and make them out to be the problem instead of the 
problem the whistleblower was trying to present.
  I still hear about that kind of retaliation going on this very day in 
far too many cases. But, today, we have better whistleblower 
protections in place than we did years ago, and whistleblowers have 
important advocates in their corner to support them.
  The Nation owes a special thanks for many of the key whistleblower 
protections that we have in place this very day to my former colleague 
and good friend, Senator Carl Levin, who died yesterday at the age of 
87.
  Carl was the original sponsor of the Whistleblower Protection Act 
back in 1989, and a cosponsor of the Whistleblower Protection 
Enhancement Act of 2012.
  I was proud to have worked with Carl on those foundational pieces of 
whistleblower legislation. I know that if Carl

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were still here in the Senate this very day, he would be continuing to 
lead on whistleblower issues.
  Carl understood that whistleblower protections are not just important 
to Members of Congress and a small network of interest groups in 
Washington, DC; they are important for the entire Nation because 
whistleblowers play a critical role in our government. They call 
attention to the problems of waste, fraud, abuse, and inefficiency.
  And if you have the sort of transparency that comes because 
whistleblowers are ready to stand up for what is right, that 
transparency brings accountability to our government, and you can't 
have a democratic government that is not accountable.
  These whistleblowers help those of us in Congress to identify 
problems in the government so we can fix them through oversight and, if 
necessary, passing legislation.
  And so whistleblowers help keep government transparent and 
accountable to the people, and they help us find ways of saving 
taxpayers' dollars.
  As much as Carl accomplished during his Senate career helping 
whistleblowers, and as much as we have accomplished together over the 
years, there is still more that needs to be done to ensure that 
whistleblowers remain protected.
  One important resource for whistleblowers is the Merit Systems 
Protection Board, where whistleblowers can go if they face retaliation 
for blowing the whistle.
  And let me tell you, too many whistleblowers face retaliation for 
doing just what is right. We ought to see them as partisans for good 
government.
  Now, this Merit Systems Protection Board has been without a quorum 
for more than 2 years, and it has developed a significant backlog of 
cases. I am not sure what is keeping President Biden from sending us 
nominations for that board. I certainly believe he needs to do that 
without delay.
  There is also still work to do to make whistleblower protections 
stronger and more robust. I am working on several pieces of 
whistleblower legislation in this Congress. One of my bills will 
strengthen incentives and protections for whistleblowers who report 
potential money laundering.
  And I also have legislation to further strengthen the False Claims 
Act and an act entitled Program Fraud Civil Remedies by giving Agencies 
more resources to directly take on people who defraud the government.
  In addition, I am working on legislation that will establish stronger 
whistleblower protections for our FBI employees. Wherever there are 
still gaps in our existing laws, I am working to fill those gaps.
  This year, on Whistleblower Appreciation Day, the Senate 
Whistleblower Protection Caucus welcomes two new Members: Senators 
Collins and Hassan.
  As chair of the caucus, I am pleased to welcome my colleagues. I look 
forward to working with these new colleagues and our caucus co-chair, 
Senator Wyden of Oregon, as we continue our joint effort to make sure 
the whistleblower laws and protections we have in place next year and 
the year after are even stronger than the ones that we have in place 
today.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.