In letter to President, Grassley seeks Rose Garden ceremony honoring whistleblowers
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is calling on President Donald Trump to empower and celebrate whistleblowers who pay a patriotic service to the country by helping eliminate government waste, fraud and abuse. In a letter to President Trump, Grassley requested the president hold a White House Rose Garden ceremony to honor whistleblowers and send a clear message that government misconduct and retaliation will not be tolerated.
“Whistleblowers have exposed waste, fraud and abuse in just about every industry and agency in this country. The issues they report have saved billions of taxpayer dollars and countless more through their deterrent effect,” Grassley wrote. “The President of the United States honoring whistleblowers with a Rose Garden ceremony on Whistleblower Appreciation Day for their courage and sacrifice would send a loud, clear message that our government leaders appreciate the importance of whistleblowers and retaliation will not be tolerated. It would inspire confidence in those who witness wrongdoing to stand up and do something to fix it.”
Grassley additionally noted that many whistleblowers risk their careers, reputation and even health to come forward with information.
“For example, the brave Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who made legally protected disclosures about misconduct in the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation have faced retaliation by the IRS and several attempts to discredit their reputations and ruin their careers. Many Justice Department and FBI whistleblowers have done the same, putting it all on the line to expose political bias, and the thanks they get is government retaliation,” Grassley continued.
Grassley has called on every president since Ronald Reagan to hold a Rose Garden ceremony honoring whistleblowers which would encourage others to come forward who may be aware of government mismanagement.
A fierce whistleblower advocate, Grassley is the author of numerous laws to empower whistleblowers and shield them from retaliation for speaking the truth. He is also the co-founder and co-chairman of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, which shares best practices with Senate offices, advocates and government stakeholders on how to protect and effectively interact with whistleblowers. During a Judiciary Committee executive business meeting yesterday, Grassley read several first-hand accounts from FBI whistleblowers detailing the abuse they’ve suffered at the hands of former and current FBI officials, and urged President Trump to reinstate those who’ve been retaliated against.
Text of Grassley’s letter to President Trump follows:
February 14, 2025
VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Trump:
You have said your administration is dedicated to eliminating waste and ensuring the government works efficiently and effectively for the American people. Whistleblowers play an integral role in accomplishing this mission and have been doing so since our nation’s founding.
Whistleblowers are patriots who help identify violations of law, rule, regulation, gross mismanagement, abuses of authority, and threats to public health and safety. In many circumstances, they do so at risk to their careers, reputation, and even health. For example, the brave Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who made legally protected disclosures about misconduct in the handling of the Hunter Biden investigation have faced retaliation by the IRS and several attempts to discredit their reputations and ruin their careers. Many Justice Department and FBI whistleblowers have done the same, putting it all on the line to expose political bias, and the thanks they get is government retaliation.
Whistleblowers have exposed waste, fraud, and abuse in just about every industry and agency in this country. The issues they report have saved billions of taxpayer dollars and countless more through their deterrent effect. In addition to the money they have saved the taxpayers, whistleblowers help the government work better for the American people by exposing wrongdoing and misconduct, to include government weaponization.
The President of the United States honoring whistleblowers with a Rose Garden ceremony on Whistleblower Appreciation Day for their courage and sacrifice would send a loud, clear message that our government leaders appreciate the importance of whistleblowers and retaliation will not be tolerated. It would inspire confidence in those who witness wrongdoing to stand up and do something to fix it. It would help build a culture of integrity where employees are not afraid to raise legitimate concerns because they know retaliators will be punished, not the whistleblower.
I have asked every president since President Ronald Reagan to hold a Rose Garden ceremony to honor whistleblowers. No president has done so. I hope you will be the first to set this historic precedent and hold such a ceremony on Whistleblower Appreciation Day on July 30 this year.
In the Senate, I have dedicated my career to protecting the rights of whistleblowers through bipartisan legislative efforts and have urged my colleagues to support whistleblowers who shine a light on wrongdoing. Instead of being treated like skunks at a picnic, let whistleblowers smell the roses at the White House and bask in the appreciation of a thankful nation well served by their efforts to shine a light on waste, fraud, and abuse. I hope we can work to ensure whistleblowers are protected and appreciated and our government remains transparent and accountable to the American people.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
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