Letter Urging Whistleblower Protection

1

CcLober 30, 2014

1he Ponorable Carl Levln
1he Ponorable !ames lnhofe
Chalrman and 8anklng Member
SenaLe CommlLLee on Armed Servlces
228 8ussell SenaLe Cfflce 8ulldlng
WashlngLon, uC 20310

1he Ponorable Poward º8uck" Mckeon
1he Ponorable Adam SmlLh
Chalrman and 8anklng Member
Pouse CommlLLee on Armed Servlces
2120 8ayburn Pouse Cfflce 8ulldlng
WashlngLon, uC 20313



1he Ponorable ulanne lelnsLeln
1he Ponorable Saxby Chambllss
Chalrman and 8anklng Member
SenaLe SelecL CommlLLee on lnLelllgence
211 ParL SenaLe Cfflce 8ulldlng
WashlngLon, uC 20310

1he Ponorable Mlke 8ogers
1he Ponorable C.A. ºuuLch" 8uppersberger
Chalrman and 8anklng Member
Pouse ÞermanenL SelecL Comm. on lnLelllgence
PvC-304 u.S. CaplLol 8ulldlng
WashlngLon, uC 20313



uear Chalrmen and 8anklng Members:

1he underslgned organlzaLlons wrlLe Lo urge you Lo swlfLly resLore besL pracLlce whlsLleblower
proLecLlons for lnLelllgence CommunlLy (lC) conLracLors by supporLlng SenaLe AmendmenL (SA) 3711,
lnLroduced by SenaLor Clalre McCasklll (u-MC) for lncluslon ln Lhe naLlonal uefense AuLhorlzaLlon AcL
for llscal ?ear 2013 (l?2013 nuAA). lC conLracLors are currenLly defenseless agalnsL reLallaLlon when
Lhey dlsclose governmenL wasLe, fraud, abuse, gross mlsmanagemenL or a vlolaLlon of law. ln Lhe
absence of adequaLe proLecLlons, Lhey have only Lwo alLernaLlves Lo almosL cerLaln reLallaLlon: 1)
remaln sllenL observers of wrongdolng, or 2) make anonymous leaks. WhlsLleblowers musL be free Lo
reporL abuses of power LhaL beLray Lhe publlc LrusL wlLhouL fear. lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL Congress qulckly
flll Lhls accounLablllLy loophole.

ln 2007 whlsLleblower rlghLs were enacLed for all ueparLmenL of uefense (uou) conLracLors,
lncludlng Lhe uefense lnLelllgence Agency and Lhe naLlonal SecurlLy Agency (nSA), Lhrough Lhe l?2008
nuAA. ln 2009, whlsLleblower rlghLs were enacLed for all conLracLed employees pald wlLh sLlmulus
funds, lncludlng oLher lC agencles llke Lhe CenLral lnLelllgence Agency. 1he whlsLleblower proLecLlons
were successful ln deLerrlng Laxpayer wasLe and conLracLor abuse, and Lhe Councll of lnspecLors Ceneral
for lnLegrlLy and Lfflclency proposed !"#$%&"&' ")!%&*+,& -,# %.. /,0"#&$"&' 1,&'#%1',#*. SenaLor
McCasklll lnLroduced a whlsLleblower proLecLlon amendmenL for all governmenL conLracLors, and won
blparLlsan SenaLe approval ln Lhe l?2013 nuAA.

Powever, durlng Lhe closlng conference commlLLee negoLlaLlons of Lhe l?2013 nuAA, besL
pracLlce rlghLs were enacLed for all employees ")1"!' Lhose ln Lhe lC. ÞreexlsLlng rlghLs for lC conLracLors
were removed, desplLe a proven Lrack record LhaL Lhe law was worklng as lnLended and dld noL produce
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any adverse lmpacLs on naLlonal securlLy durlng lLs flve-year llfespan. 8ased on Lhe Lrack record, Lhere ls
no subsLanLlve pollcy argumenL for rolllng back Lhose exlsLlng rlghLs. ConLrary Lo concerns LhaL courL
access would cause naLlonal securlLy leaks, none even has been alleged. ConLrary Lo predlcLlons LhaL
lnLelllgence whlsLleblowers would flood Lhe courLs, 23 cases were flled from 2008 Lhrough 2012 under
Lhe uou conLracLor provlslon, lncludlng from Lhe lnLelllgence CommunlLy.

1he experlence wlLh Lhe nuAA ls noL unlque. Slnce 1986 lC employees have had Lhe rlghL Lo flle
lalse Clalms AcL lawsulLs challenglng fraud ln governmenL conLracLs, and Lo defend Lhemselves ln courL
agalnsL reLallaLlon. 1haL LesL has been passed wlLhouL any allegaLlons of negaLlve slde effecLs.
AccounLablllLy should be exLended beyond fraud, Lo cover wasLe and abuse as well. Slmllarly, 12 Llmes
slnce 2002, Congress has lncluded besL pracLlce whlsLleblower proLecLlons as enforcemenL cornersLones
of ma[or remedlal laws coverlng vlrLually Lhe enLlre prlvaLe secLor, wheLher or noL Lhere ls a governmenL
conLracL.
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none has loopholes for acLlvlLles lnvolvlng Lhe lnLelllgence CommunlLy. Agaln, Lhere ls no
record of any naLlonal securlLy concerns resulLlng from Lhese longsLandlng precedenLs.

CorrecLlng Lhls obvlous vold ls essenLlal for preservlng our democracy, because Lhe sLakes could
noL be hlgher for our naLlon when deallng wlLh lnLelllgence agency mlsconducL. 1he counLry cannoL
afford for lC conLracLors Lo remaln sllenL ln Lhe face of evldence of wrongdolng, wheLher Lhe abuse
breaches securlLy, LhreaLens freedom, spreads corrupLlon, or all of Lhe above. Congress musL be able Lo
hear from lnslders who have crlLlcal lnformaLlon regardlng problems wlLh lnLelllgence operaLlons.
Lqually lmporLanL, whlsLleblowers should have Lhe legal rlghL Lo safely bear wlLness Lo law enforcemenL
offlcers and Lo work wlLhln lnsLlLuLlonal checks and balances. 1hey reporL mlsconducL Lo make a
dlfference, and Lhose are Lhe channels LhaL dellver resulLs.
Accordlng Lo an lnvesLlgaLlon by 1op SecreL Amerlca, close Lo 30 percenL of Lhe lC workforce ls
conLracLors.
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1he lnvesLlgaLlon was parLlally based on lnLervlews wlLh offlclals from Lhe lC conLracLor
communlLy. Powever, Lhe WashlngLon ÞosL reporLed LhaL º[m]osL requesLed anonymlLy elLher because
Lhey are prohlblLed from speaklng publlcly or because, Lhey sald, Lhey feared reLallaLlon aL work for
descrlblng Lhelr concerns."
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Slx monLhs afLer lC conLracLor rlghLs were rolled back, nSA conLracLor
Ldward Snowden dlsclosed Lo [ournallsLs Lhe u.S. governmenL's sweeplng domesLlc survelllance
programs. When asked why he dldn'L work wlLhln Lhe sysLem Lo blow Lhe whlsLle, he clLed Lhe severe
reLallaLlon LhaL prevlous lC whlsLleblowers experlenced when Lhey worked Lhrough lnsLlLuLlonal
channels wlLhouL rlghLs. 1he chllllng effecL on Lhose who are ln a poslLlon Lo dlsclose mlsconducL ls
poLenL, and lL lnhlblLs Congress' ablllLy Lo conducL meanlngful overslghL.

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lncludlng Lhe: Sarbanes-Cxley AcL, Lnergy Þollcy AcL, l?2007 naLlonal uefense AuLhorlzaLlon AcL (ueparLmenL of uefense
conLracLors, lncludlng conLracLor whlsLleblowers aL Lhe naLlonal SecurlLy Agency and uefense lnLelllgence Agency), 9-11
Commlsslon AcL amendlng sLaLuLes for rall safeLy, Lrucklng safeLy, and mass LranslL safeLy, Amerlcan 8ecovery and
8elnvesLmenL AcL (for all sLaLes and conLracLors recelvlng sLlmulus funds, lncludlng all Lhose ln Lhe lnLelllgence
CommunlLy), Consumer ÞroducL SafeLy lmprovemenL AcL, luA lood SafeLy and ModernlzaLlon AcL, Affordable Care AcL, and,
uodd-lrank Wall SLreeL 8eform and Consumer ÞroLecLlon AcL.

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hLLp://pro[ecLs.washlngLonposL.com/Lop-secreL-amerlca/arLlcles/a-hldden-world-growlng-beyond-conLrol/

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hLLp://pro[ecLs.washlngLonposL.com/Lop-secreL-amerlca/arLlcles/a-hldden-world-growlng-beyond-conLrol/
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1he resLoraLlon of lC conLracLor whlsLleblower proLecLlons would help Lo safeguard bllllons of
Laxpayer dollars ln governmenL conLracLs, granLs and relmbursemenLs annually, and lL would lncenLlvlze
lC conLracLor whlsLleblowers Lo work wlLhln Lhe sysLem Lhrough legally proLecLed publlc dlsclosures.
1here cannoL be any doubL abouL Lhe consequences of congresslonal acLlon, or lnacLlon, on
whlsLleblower rlghLs. ln order Lo beLLer proLecL Laxpayer dollars, our counLry, and Amerlcans' prlvacy,
Congress musL resLore whlsLleblower proLecLlons for lC conLracLors Lhrough passage of SA 3711.
Slncerely,

Amerlcan Clvll LlberLles unlon
8arry Commoner CenLer for PealLh and Lhe LnvlronmenL
8lll of 8lghLs uefense CommlLLee
8rennan CenLer for !usLlce
CenLer for ulglLal uemocracy
CenLer for llnanclal Þrlvacy and Puman 8lghLs
CenLer for Medla and uemocracy
ClLlzens for 8esponslblllLy and LLhlcs ln WashlngLon (C8LW)
ClLlzens' LnvlronmenLal CoallLlon
ConnecLlCCSP
ConsLlLuLlonal Alllance
Consumer AcLlon
Consumer WaLchdog
uefendlng ulssenL loundaLlon
uownslzeuC.org
urum Ma[ors for 1ruLh
Lqual !usLlce Alllance
LssenLlal lnformaLlon
llredoglake.com
lreedom of Lhe Þress loundaLlon
lund for ConsLlLuLlonal CovernmenL
Colden 8adge
CovernmenL AccounLablllLy Þro[ecL
Cun Cwners of Amerlca
Puman 8lghLs WaLch
lnLernaLlonal AssoclaLlon of WhlsLleblowers
kaLz, Marshall & 8anks, LLÞ
LlberLy CoallLlon
naLlonal lorum Cn !udlclal AccounLablllLy
naLlonal Councll for CccupaLlonal SafeLy and PealLh
naLlonal LmploymenL Lawyers AssoclaLlon
naLlonal 1axpayers unlon
nL1WC8k (A naLlonal CaLhollc Soclal !usLlce Lobby)
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new !ersey Work LnvlronmenL Councll
Cpen1heCovernmenL.org
CrganlzaLlons AssoclaLlng for Lhe klnd of Change Amerlca 8eally needs (CAk)
ÞaLlenL Þrlvacy 8lghLs
ÞLn Amerlcan CenLer
Þower Cver ÞoverLy under Laws of Amerlca 8esLored (ÞCÞuLA8)
Þrlvacy 1lmes
Þro[ecL Cn CovernmenL CverslghL
Þubllc ClLlzen
1he 8uLherford lnsLlLuLe
Sclencecorps
SLaLe CommunlLy Counclls
SunllghL loundaLlon
1axpayers ÞroLecLlon Alllance
unlLed SupporL and Memorlal for Workplace laLallLles (uSMlW)
WhlsLleblower SupporL lund


CC: 1he Ponorable 1homas 8. Carper, Chalrman
SenaLe Pomeland SecurlLy and CovernmenLal Affalrs CommlLLee

1he Ponorable 1homas A. Coburn, 8anklng Member
SenaLe Pomeland SecurlLy and CovernmenLal Affalrs CommlLLee

1he Ponorable uarrell L. lssa, Chalrman
Pouse CverslghL and CovernmenL 8eform CommlLLee

1he Ponorable Lll[ah L. Cummlngs, 8anklng Member
Pouse CverslghL and CovernmenL 8eform CommlLLee

1he Ponorable Charles L. Crassley, Chalrman
SenaLe CommlLLee on Lhe !udlclary