WASHINGTON, D.C. | July 28, 2022 — National Whistleblower Center (“NWC”) has called on executives of federal agencies to observe National Whistleblower Day, celebrated on July 30th. Every year, NWC urges agencies to use this time of year to develop educational programs about the importance of whistleblowers. Last year, NWC received responses from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirming their commitment to educating agency employees about their rights as whistleblowers.
This year, NWC once again received a letter from the EPA expressing gratitude and explaining that whistleblowers are key to protecting the environment. In the letter, the EPA presented a panel discussion within the agency, entitled, An EPA OIG Panel Discussion — Commemorating National Whistleblower Appreciation Day 2021. The panel discussed the significant contributions made by whistleblowers, shared compelling whistleblower stories, and identified available resources for whistleblowers.
In the letter to NWC, the Director of the Office of Human Resources, Mara J. Kamen, explains how EPA workers can blow the whistle writing “The agency also has an intranet page with information on whistleblower protections, the different avenues an employee may make a whistleblower disclosure and scientific integrity.”
Despite failing to respond to NWC’s inquiries, agencies are still providing whistleblower resources in the form of virtual events and training modules. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has encouraged employees to attend the NWC’s event featuring prominent speakers and trains employees about whistleblower protections upon entering the workforce and annually. The U.S. Department of Labor wrote an article reviewing whistleblower protection statutes and hotlines for filing a complaint. Other government agencies that have commemorated National Whistleblower Appreciation Day include the Department of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, the Office of the Special Counsel, and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
NWC would like to see continued increases in recognition for National Whistleblower Day across all federal agencies. NWC offers support for developing programming and digital promotion of events and resources to federal agencies.
NWC Executive Director Siri Nelson is available for comment. For more information, contact NWC at info@whistleblowers.org.
