Fifteen Conservative Groups Tell Congress: Enact Federal Whistleblower Protections Now!
(Alexandria, VA) – “Whistleblower protection is taxpayer protection” –
that’s the message headlining an open letter to Congress released this week,
which is signed by 15 organizations from the conservative and free market
movement. The coalition, spearheaded by the 362,000-member National Taxpayers
Union (NTU), calls for passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.
The legislation (S. 743) has backing from a bipartisan group of 14 Senators led
by Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
“Whistleblowers
have historically made valuable contributions to the cause of overburdened
taxpayers, from uncovering improper subsidy payments, to identifying abuses of
power at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to reporting government agency
malfeasance,” the signatories noted. “Unfortunately, at a time when America
most urgently needs the best value for every dollar Washington spends, these
victories for taxpayers are likely to be rarer.” The signatories expressed this
concern because Congress has adopted protections shielding federal
whistleblowers from retaliation several times in the past, only to have them
undone by hostile court rulings.
S. 743 would not
only reaffirm previously enacted provisions, but would also establish new
rights such as limited jury trial access and expanded coverage of whistleblower
status to national security employees who work within proper channels. The
letter makes the case for passing S. 743 from a limited-government perspective
while addressing points raised from some right-of-center lawmakers over the
effect such legislation would have on national security, judicial workloads,
and federal human resources procedures.
“Many Members of
the 112th Congress, especially in the freshman class, have staked their
political reputations upon changing the culture of tax-borrow-and-spend in
Washington,” the letter concluded. “This entails not only fiscal discipline
mechanisms to bring reform from without, but also an environment that
encourages reform from within. The credibility of this Congress depends upon
its willingness to do both, and strengthening federal whistleblower protections
ought to be an expeditious and non-controversial way of doing so.”
In addition to
NTU, groups signing the letter are: the American Policy Center, the Center for
Fiscal Accountability at Americans for Tax Reform, the Center for Freedom and
Prosperity, the Center for Individual Freedom, the Council for Citizens Against
Government Waste, Family Research Council Action, the Hispanic Leadership Fund,
Let Freedom Ring, the Liberty Coalition, The National Center for Public Policy
Research, Our Generation, The Rutherford Institute, Take Back Washington, and
the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.
NTU Executive
Vice President Pete Sepp observed that the highly-successful Washington
Whistleblower Assembly this week, along with President Obama’s announcement of
a new initiative for whistleblower rights, are further signs that all points of
the political spectrum may soon be able to reach a consensus on reform
legislation. “Whatever future direction fiscal policy may take, everyone in
Washington ought to agree that the law should stand in solidarity with those who
stand up for taxpayers,” he said. “That process begins by enacting S. 743.”
The full text of the coalition letter can be found here.
The
362,000-member NTU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working for lower
taxes, smaller government, and economic freedom at all levels.
Press Release
