[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 29745]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       THE CASE OF LINDA SHENWICK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, there are times when Congress must act to 
protect the interests of individuals, in particular Federal civil 
servants who have been unfairly harmed by the actions of the Federal 
Government.
  Recently, Congress acted to protect Billy Dale and the other 
employees of the White House Travel Office who were unfairly removed 
from their jobs and who were illegally targeted for investigation and 
prosecution. This Congress acted to protect those workers and to pay 
for their legal expenses.
  Another case has presented itself that behooves Congressional action 
also. The case I speak of is the case of Linda Shenwick. Linda Shenwick 
has been an exemplary public servant since she started working at the 
State Department in 1979. The Weekly Standard reported that Ms. 
Shenwick was driven by a sense of public service and an interest in 
foreign affairs.
  In 1984, Ms. Shenwick was transferred to the U.S. mission to the 
United Nations where she first was assigned to handle personnel and 
budget issues. She quickly carved out a reputation for diligence and 
hard work, which won her three consecutive outstanding ratings, the 
highest given, between 1987 and July of 1989. Her performance also won 
her regular promotions and in 1988 she was admitted to the Senior 
Executive Service, an elite corps of Federal civil servants.
  In August 1991 and again in November 1993, representatives of the 
other U.N. member states elected Shenwick to serve on the influential 
Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, which 
recommends how U.N. money and personnel should be allocated. These 
votes of confidence reflected the respect accorded to her by U.N. 
officials and her service on the committee helped her acquire a 
detailed knowledge of the Byzantine U.N. budget process.
  In her position, Ms. Shenwick repeatedly found evidence of deliberate 
waste, fraud and mismanagement in the United Nations. When she began 
reporting such evidence to her superiors at the start of the Clinton 
administration, her reports were ignored.
  For instance, Ms. Shenwick reported in February 1993 that she had 
seen pictures of large amounts of U.S. currency stored openly on tables 
in Somalia. Without any recourse to prevent such budgetary abuse, she 
began notifying key Members of Congress about what she knew.
  It later became public in April of 1994 that $3.9 million of U.N. 
cash was reported stolen in Somalia. Ms. Shenwick's work helped 
Congress force the U.N. to create an Office of Inspector General to end 
such fraud and mismanagement that occurred in Somalia.
  Mr. Speaker, how has the Clinton administration and the State 
Department rewarded the stellar career of one of the most valuable 
civil servants this Nation has known? They began to sabotage her career 
by threatening her directly with removal from her position, with 
threats to destroy her financially and by beginning a process of false 
accusations and unsatisfactory reviews to harm her personnel files.
  What they deliberately did to Ms. Shenwick was to set her up so that 
they could claim a cause for her removal. However, the evidence is 
abundantly clear that Ms. Shenwick was a remarkable civil servant 
dedicated to her job.
  She has proven to be an invaluable asset for our Nation in 
confronting U.N. waste, fraud and abuse and mismanagement. She has been 
unfairly and illegally removed from her Federal position in 
contradiction to Federal law to protect civil servants, in 
contradiction to Federal laws to protect whistleblowers.
  She should be reinstated to her former position, reimbursed for her 
personal expenses and have her personal files expunged of any 
unsatisfactory reviews or other false evidence to justify those 
reviews.
  In fact, I offered an amendment to the State Department 
reauthorization bill that provided State Department employees such as 
she who, ``in the performance of their duties inform the Congress of 
pertinent facts concerning their responsibilities should not, as a 
result, be demoted or removed from their current position or from 
Federal employment.''
  That amendment passed handily by a vote of 287-to-136, with 72 
Democrat Members' support.
  I believe we need to send a strong message by reiterating our belief 
that such injustices cannot be allowed to continue.
  Recently, 52 of my colleagues joined me in sending a letter to 
Secretary Albright requesting that the Ms. Shenwick matter be resolved.
  Mr. Speaker, we must take a stand against the abuse of a Federal 
civil servant who has done nothing but protect the interests of U.S. 
taxpayers and our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to let the State Department know 
that they cannot continue to punish employees who are whistleblowers.

                          ____________________