Multiple government agencies combined to present a program on National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. A joint statement from Carolyn Lerner, the Special Counsel at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and Michael Horowitz, Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Justice and Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, set the tone:
On Saturday, the U.S. Senate recognized “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.” Today’s Congress follows in the footsteps of our nation’s founders, who saw the wisdom of encouraging tips about wrongdoing in government. On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress unanimously adopted the first whistleblower legislation in the United States, declaring it was “the duty of all persons in the service of the United States” to report misconduct or fraud. Over the next 238 years, we have seen tremendous change, but one thing that has endured is the recognition that people who come forward with information about waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct perform an important service, and they should never be punished for doing the right thing.
As the leaders of federal offices that promote more accountable, effective, and efficient government, we heartily join in this celebration of whistleblowers. Our work with whistleblowers saves taxpayer dollars, uncovers wrongdoing, and makes the country safer. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, whistleblowers alerted the country to the widespread manipulation of scheduling data that masked true wait times for veterans seeking health care. At the Department of Homeland Security, employees came forward to put an end to unlawful overtime practices, saving taxpayers $100 million a year. A tipster complained about wasteful spending by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) aviation operations in Afghanistan. Inspector General auditors followed up and found that more than $86 million in taxpayer dollars was spent to purchase and modify an aircraft that, after more than 7 years, is inoperable and has yet to fly a single mission in Afghanistan. The Inspector General community, working with the Department of Justice and whistleblowers, annually recovers over $3 billion for the Treasury in cases of contractor fraud alone.
Courageous employees deserve our appreciation but all too often they face harassment, demotion or firing. Such retaliation is unlawful, and we are working together to make sure that it is stopped and that those who retaliate are held accountable. The good news is that, with recognition through events like National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, we continue to advance a culture within the federal government that thanks whistleblowers for their service rather than retaliates against them.
The event received good press coverage, including:
- Government Executive
- Government Matters (with a 2:25 clip from Director Comey’s remarks)
- Daily Globe (Guest Column from Sen. Chuck Grassley)
FBI Director Comey’s remarks struck a particularly receptive chord. He noted the importance of humility for managers dealing with whistleblowers:
Whistleblowers who see things that are wrong just want someone to listen. Great institutions are looking for leaders who are confident and humble—which seems an odd combination. To shut up and listen takes confidence. … We must understand that the path to getting better is humility.