Our nation’s watchdog organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Government Employees, National Whistleblower Center and Project on Government Oversight, sent a letter to President Obama on April 1, 2009 urging that the government fulfill his campaign and transition policy commitments to strengthen whistleblower rights.

In the letter, the coalition asks the president to strongly endorse legislation that would protect from retaliation of federal employees who expose waste, fraud, abuse, suppression of federal research, and threats to public health and safety, and give them access to jury trials. The legislation would also direct federal government agency heads to institute “no-retaliation” policies for employees.

The groups are concerned that a signing statement issued by the president on March 11, attached to H.R. 1105, the omnibus spending bill, contradicts those earlier steps and could have a chilling affect on lawful whistleblowing disclosures, according to a press release about the letter on Project on Government Oversight’s website.

To read the letter, click here. For a copy of the POGO press release, go to http://www.pogo.org/pogo-files/alerts/whistleblower-issues/wi-wp-20090401.html.

For more information about qui tam law, whisleblowers and health care fraud, contact Nolan and Auerbach, PA.