Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 8510, the Strengthening Whistleblower Protections at the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. It is a bill that improves policies and procedures to better protect VA whistleblowers. It also promotes independence and removes conflicts of interest at VA's Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. Whistleblowers play a critical role in holding the Federal Government and its agencies accountable for waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. When employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs witness issues that put the health, safety, and well-being of veterans at risk, VA staff should feel encouraged to speak out without fear of retaliation. This would encourage corrective action to be taken and no harm to the whistleblower. In reality, however, too often the messenger is punished. The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that I chair has done years of work on this issue. Alongside Ranking Member Tracey Mann, we have conducted multiple hearings looking into this problem. Our efforts have highlighted the individual stories of whistleblowers who have lost their jobs or faced other retaliatory actions as a result of their disclosures. Further, whistleblowers often wait years to be made whole after experiencing retaliation under current Department policies and procedures.…”