May 1, 2023
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden:
The undersigned members of the Make It Safe Coalition urge you to hold a Rose Garden ceremony for whistleblowers on Whistleblower Appreciation Day, July 30th, 2023. This date recognizes the Revolutionary War sailors who spoke out against abuse of power and the Continental Congress that acted to protect them.
Whistleblowers are our best line of defense against contamination, trafficking, discrimination, sabotage, unsafe products, fraud, wrongful deaths, and other misconduct. They often face retaliation, and risk their livelihoods, careers, and reputations to bring to light information that may otherwise have remained hidden from the public.
Senator Grassley’s recent letter recognizes the importance of whistleblowers and their contributions to the public good. As Senator Grassley pointed out, whistleblowers have exposed waste, fraud, and abuse in nearly all industries, and according to the Justice Department, have helped government agencies recover billions of dollars in taxpayer money. A Rose Garden ceremony would send a strong message to whistleblowers and the broader public that your Administration values and appreciates the sacrifices whistleblowers make for the greater good, and condemns whistleblower retaliation. As we first requested after the 2020 election, we hope you will be the first President who will honor whistleblowers on their day with a Rose Garden ceremony. Whistleblowers deserve the honor of public appreciation.
Such a ceremony would also inspire other potential whistleblowers to come forward and report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation, which is essential for maintaining a healthy democracy.
We urge you to heed Senator Grassley’s call and hold a Rose Garden ceremony for whistleblowers on Whistleblower Appreciation Day. This would not only be a well-deserved recognition of whistleblowers’ contributions but also a crucial step in promoting a culture of transparency and accountability in our government and society.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Acorn 8 Affiliation of Christian Engineers
Black Females for Justice II as Social Security Administration
Black U.S. Marshals Class [Matthew Fogg, et al., v Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General]
Bogdan Dzakovic
Dr. Yolanda Whyte
Edgar Dion Lee
Elaine Mittleman
Elissa Rumsey
Empower Oversight
Gabe Bruno FAA Whistleblower
Government Accountability Project
International Association of Whistleblowers
James Madison Project
Justice Integrity Project
Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto
Mehri & Skalet PLLC
Nancy Key
National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association
National Security Counselors
National Taxpayers Union
Project On Government Oversight
Robert MacLean, U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Transportation Security Administration whistleblower
The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C)
The Conservative Caucus
T.M. Guyer and Ayers & Friends, PC
Transparency International U.S.
Whistleblower Aid
Whistleblower Network News
Whistleblowers of America
Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival
Woodymatters