Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is calling on President Donald Trump to empower whistleblowers who bring attention to fraud, waste and misconduct in government.
In a letter to Trump, Grassley said that whistleblowers can be instrumental in helping to “drain the swamp” in Washington by shedding light on fraud, waste and abuse within the bureaucracy.
Grassley requested that Trump hold a White House Rose Garden ceremony to honor the work of whistleblowers, and send a clear message that misconduct in the bureaucracy and reprisal for those who seek to correct it will not be tolerated.
“Whistleblowers are brave, patriotic people who tell the truth about what is going on in our government,” Grassley said. “They help us identify waste, fraud, and abuse in the vast and unwieldy federal bureaucracy. A Rose Garden ceremony honoring whistleblowers, with the President of the United States praising the courage and sacrifice of individuals who have put so much on the line to make sure the taxpayers have a better, more responsible government, would epitomize your call for a new way of doing business in Washington. It would send a loud and clear signal from the very top of government through the very bowels of the unelected bureaucracy that your administration will not tolerate waste, fraud and abuse.”
For years, Grassley has been a fierce advocate for whistleblowers.
He has called on every president since Ronald Reagan to hold a ceremony honoring whistleblowers and encouraging others who may be privy to instances of government mismanagement.
Grassley is the author of nearly a dozen laws to empower whistleblowers and shield them from retaliation for speaking the truth.
Last week, Grassley encouraged the Trump Administration to protect whistleblowers from reprisal and to direct agency leaders to remind employees of their rights as whistleblowers.
Grassley is also the founder of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, which shares best practices with Senate offices, advocates and government stakeholders on how to protect and effectively interact with whistleblowers.