POGO Calls for Congress to Protect Whistleblowers Despite White House Veto Threat

The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Wednesday applauded the House of Representatives' efforts to pass stronger whistleblower protection laws. The White House has vowed to veto the bill if it gains final approval.

In February, a national poll conducted by the firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for Democracy Corps, found that 79% of "likely voters" said they support increasing protections for whistleblowers. According to the poll, there is overwhelming public support for Congress to "institute a strong whistleblower law to protect government employees from retribution if they report waste or corruption."

However, in a Statement of Administration Policy issued Tuesday the White House said it opposes the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2007 (H.R. 985) and called the current weak protections "sufficient to promote and protect genuine disclosures of matters of public concern."

"The White House's claim is at best naïve," said POGO's Executive Director Danielle Brian. "Conscientious whistleblowers, who are aware of corruption, illegal activity, and incompetence, currently have no safe channels to expose wrongdoing. There are no more important voices than these insiders to make our nation safer and more secure."