WASHINGTON DC (August 1, 2019) — Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley sent a letter to US Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Mark Esper urging him to take action on DoD Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommendations regarding cases of whistleblower retaliation.
“On June 12, I received a concerning letter from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General informing my office of three independent and verified cases of whistleblower retaliation spanning multiple Secretaries and Administrations. Alarmingly, the Department thus far has failed to act on the IG’s recommendations concerning these cases,” Sen Grassley wrote.
“Verified instances of whistleblower retaliation must meet expeditious, appropriate action. Failure to do so will cause a chilling effect, deterring potential whistleblowers from coming forward in the future. As the new leader of the Department, you have an opportunity to right the ship.”
In the letter, Sen Grassley asks for specific information regarding the following:
- When does DOD expect to implement DOD OIG’s recommendations in these cases?
- Allowing retaliation like this to continue will result in a chilling effect. What actions will DOD take to deter future retaliation and discipline individuals who the DOD OIG found to have retaliated against whistleblowers in these cases?
- When will these whistleblowers be reinstated? Will they be receiving back pay or other compensations?
- In two of these cases (the mechanic and the second-tier subcontractor), abusive and/or sexual remarks were made by individuals in positions of authority. This is a historical and ongoing problem with the DOD. How does DOD plan to address such hostile work environments?
Sen Grassley is a longtime advocate for whistleblowers. He is co-chairman and co-founder of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the need for adequate protections against retaliation for private-sector and government employees who call attention to wrongdoing. The caucus works to foster bipartisan discussion on legislative issues affecting the treatment of whistleblowers and serves as a clearinghouse for current information on whistleblower developments of interest in the Senate.
Text of the letter is available HERE.
