Senator Hassan Statement on National Whistleblower Appreciation Day

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight, issued the following statement for National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. Senator Hassan also helped introduce a bipartisan resolution that the Senate passed designating today, July 30th, as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day.

“Whistleblowers bravely come forward, often at their own expense, to expose wrongdoing at federal agencies. Their bravery helps reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement at federal agencies, which helps to save taxpayer dollars and improve how the government serves the American people. I am committed to preserving the protections that allow whistleblowers to speak out without fear of reprisal.”

Senator Hassan, a member of the Whistleblower Protection Caucus, is working across the aisle to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and strengthen whistleblower protections. This month, Senator Hassan introduced the bipartisan VA OIG Training Act of 2021 to strengthen care for veterans by requiring mandatory whistleblower training for VA employees. Earlier this year, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan CFTC Fund Management Act, that Senator Hassan helped introduce, which protects a whistleblower reward program. The government funding bill that was passed into law last year included bipartisan bills that Senator Hassan helped lead to strengthen government accountability by expanding whistleblower protections and permanently authorizing the Oversight.gov website. Senator Hassan also recently questioned Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) officials, where she pressed a VA official on how he would work to change how the VA handles whistleblower claims following whistleblower allegations at the White River Junction VA Medical Center.

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