Published: December 2017

An open letter to Donald Trump supporting whistleblowers

Whistleblower protections are important to hold the government accountable while protecting the rights of those who expose waste, wrongdoing, corruption and more. A coalition of advocates wrote encouraging the administration to strengthen the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.

A coalition of nonprofit public interest groups and corporations signed a letter to President Trump in support of federal government whistleblower protections, in order to promote government transparency and accountability. The letter specifically called on the administration to honor the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which was created in 2012 to restore credible whistleblower rights for government employees. As it stands, however, the Act lacks “teeth.” Following its creation, many desirable whistleblower protections were put on hold pending further study. Among other failings, the law currently lacks the power to grant whistleblowers the right to a jury trial and fails to address retaliation against those who report government misconduct. The groups are asking that these protections be written into the law in order to ensure that those who defend the public have a fair chance to defend themselves.

Lead Organization

Government Accountability Project

Other Organizations

Alliance for Whistleblowers, Inc. | American Civil Liberties Union | Californians Aware | Center for a Livable Future | Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists | Citizens’ Environmental Coalition | Consumer Action | Defending Rights and Dissent | Demand Progress | Dept. of Veteran Affairs | Disaster Accountability Project | Economists for Peace and Security | Environmental Integrity Project | Federal Ethics Center | International Association of Whistleblowers | Katz, Marshall, & Banks LLP | Liberty Coalition | National Coalition Against Censorship | National Employment Law Project | National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association | National Taxpayers Union | National Whistleblower Center | National Workrights Institute | OpenTheGovernment | Patient Privacy Rights | Project on Government Oversight | Privacy Times | Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility | Public Citizen | Pyramid Scheme Alert | Restore the Fourth | RootsAction.org | Sustainable Energy and Economy Project | Taxpayers for Common Sense | The Rutherford Institute | Workplace Fairness | World Beyond War | (For a full list, including state organizations, please click link below for more information)

More Information

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