Political Quotes

“Madam President, I often come to the floor to honor whistleblowers but more importantly to talk about their very important role in making government function. On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress passed the very first whistleblower law in the United States. It read: [I]t is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States . . . to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed by any officers or persons in the service of these states, which may come to their knowledge. Probably for the last 6, 7 years, I have been referring to this around the time of July 30. Going back to 1778, we have had recognition of the important role whistleblowers can play in making sure government is responsible. Whistleblowers have always been crucial in helping Congress and the Federal Government root out fraud and misconduct. It is simple common sense to reward and protect whistleblowers who report waste of taxpayers' money, fraudulent use of taxpayers' money, and outright simple abuse. The False Claims Act does that. In fiscal year 2014 alone, the Federal Government recovered nearly $6 billion under the False Claims Act. That makes more than $22 billion since January 2009 and more than $42 billion since I got the legislation passed in 1986. These recoveries represent victories across a wide array of industries and government programs.…”