Whistleblowers

Special Counsel’s office cites whistleblower protections in immigration judge gag order

The Office of the Special Counsel highlighted its recent enforcement actions of Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act provisions to curb agency efforts to chill employee speech.

  • Carten Cordell
Updated

House committee leaders want Biden to oust the acting Commerce IG

Lawmakers on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee said the current acting inspector general is “entangled” in the allegations that led to his predecessor’s ouster, adding that they lack confidence in “any” senior staffers to lead the watchdog office.

  • Erich Wagner

Bill enhancing contractor whistleblower protections advances to the Senate

The bipartisan proposal would close loopholes that have left federal contractors vulnerable to retaliation.

  • Edward Graham

Key federal workforce agencies get confirmed leaders

Biden finally has confirmed heads at the primary civil service enforcement agencies.

  • Eric Katz

Senate finance chair calls for inspector general’s ouster

Sen. Ron Wyden on Thursday urged President Biden to remove Social Security Administration Inspector General Gail Ennis after a series of controversies and allegations of whistleblower retaliation.

  • Erich Wagner

Senate takes first steps to refill federal workforce watchdog roles

At the civil service appeals agency, parts of the workforce are voicing frustration with current leadership.

  • Eric Katz

Administration officials defend maligned whistleblower protection office, though lawmakers still want changes

A VA office meant to protect employees is fundamentally flawed, lawmakers and advocates say.

  • Eric Katz

Science group threatens lawsuit over OPM’s failure to implement limiting involuntary leave for feds accused of misconduct

Although Congress passed a law aimed at preventing federal workers accused of misconduct from being stuck in limbo in 2016, the federal government’s HR agency never issued regulations to implement the measure.

  • Erich Wagner

Whistleblower alleges government coverup of UFO sightings, recovery efforts

Former intelligence official turned whistleblower David Grusch told lawmakers that the federal government has conducted “a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program” that has collected “non-human” remains.

  • Edward Graham

FBI Whistleblower Protections May Finally Catch Up With Obama-era Policy Changes

The Justice Department also wants to know how it can further increase “fairness, effectiveness, efficiency and transparency” for whistleblowers.

  • Courtney Bublé

Federal Employee Appeals Board Still Has Years of Work Ahead to Cut Through Its Record Backlog

Board has made slow but steady progress in reducing its workload after Congress incapacitated it for five years.

  • Eric Katz

FDA 'Failed' the Public and a Whistleblower By Ignoring Science

The agency has tweaked its tobacco product review process and also pledges to better resolve scientific disputes after whistleblower alleges reprisal.

  • Eric Katz

GovExec Daily: Can the Federal Government Just Dismiss Whistleblower Cases?

Attorneys Richard Renner and Kate Krems joined the podcast to discuss the case of United States ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources Inc.

  • Adam Butler and Ross Gianfortune
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Legislation Increasing Whistleblower Protections for Federal Employees Gets House Approval

It is one of several bills House lawmakers took up this week to improve government transparency and accountability. 

  • Courtney Bublé

The House Plans to Take Up Whistleblower Protections Legislation

The bill would fill in gaps from previous whistleblower legislation, according to a coalition of advocacy groups.

  • Courtney Bublé

Lawmaker Pushes for Legislative Branch Employees to Have the Same Rights as Other Feds

Congress should hold itself to the same employer standards as the rest of government, House member says.

  • Eric Katz

White House Can't Just Retaliate Against and Discipline Its Employees Willy-Nilly, Panel Rules

Non-political appointees at the White House are now entitled to civil service protections.

  • Eric Katz

'There Needs to Be a Reckoning': Republicans Introduce a Bill to Make Feds At-Will Employees

The legislation, along with recent talk of a renewed effort to implement Schedule F, makes clear that a “major assault” on the federal civil service is coming, regardless of who the next Republican presidential nominee will be.

  • Erich Wagner

Being Left Out of Meetings or Yelled at Isn’t Always Enough to Claim Whistleblower Protections

Still, MSPB says it will broadly interpret civil service laws to cumulatively examine management’s actions.

  • Eric Katz

Lawmakers Look to Strip a Maligned Whistleblower Protection Office of Key Powers

Leaders insist the office is turning a corner, but lawmakers and advocates say its structure is fundamentally flawed and in need of reform.

  • Eric Katz

GovExec Daily: The Lawyer, the Whistleblowers and $550M in Social Security Fraud

Damian Paletta, Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez from "The Big Conn" join the podcast to discuss the story of the slow pace of government investigations, the people affected and the man at the center of a huge fraud case at SSA.

  • Adam Butler and Ross Gianfortune