Feb 272015

Senators Grassley and Wyden Announce Launch of the Whistleblower Protection Caucus

Jaime L.M. Jones and Emily Van Wyck

Posted by Jaime L.M. Jones and Emily Van Wyck

Earlier this week, Senators Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Ron Wyden (Oregon) hosted a press conference to announce the launch of the Whistleblower Protection Caucus—a bipartisan group of Senators focused on raising awareness of the need for adequate protection from retaliation for whistleblowers.

In his remarks, Grassley stated that “Americans deserve a federal government that is free from fraud, waste, and abuse and whistleblowers play a very important role in keeping government accountable.” He expressed concern that “these patriots” often face retaliation and declared that “[m]uch can be done to improve the environment for whistleblowers and actually encourage more people to step forward when they encounter wrongdoing.” The Caucus will foster bipartisan discussion on the treatment of whistleblowers and will serve as a clearinghouse for the Senate for current information on whistleblower developments.

Other founding members of the Caucus include Senators Ron Johnson (Wisconsin), Mark Kirk (Illinois), Deb Fischer (Nebraska), Thom Tillis (North Carolina), Barbara Boxer (California), Claire McCaskill (Missouri), Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin), and Ed Markey (Massachusetts).

A copy of Senator Grassley’s related press release can be found here.

Jaime L.M. Jones

Chicago

jaimejones@sidley.com

Emily Van Wyck

EmilyVanWyck@sidley.com

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