We are just days away from National Whistleblower Day 2026! Join us on July 30th in the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building to commemorate the day the United States’ Founding Fathers first recognized the need to protect those who risk their lives and livelihoods to report corruption.
The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has finalized its agenda and speaker roster, featuring prominent politicians, whistleblowers, and media professionals from across the modern U.S. anti-corruption landscape. Remarks will be delivered by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and James Lankford (R-OK), Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Kevin G. Hall, and a senior representative of the U.K.’s Revenue & Customs office, as well as the directors of multiple U.S. government agencies’ whistleblower offices.
In this Sunday Read, we dive into the history of National Whistleblower Day, stretching from the American Revolution to today’s fights against corruption, waste, and abuse. We also introduce a few of our NWD speakers, detailing how their essential work in government, media, and across corporate America reinforces the necessity of whistleblower programs and enforcement.
Why Observe National Whistleblower Day?
On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress declared it the duty of “all persons of the United States” to report misconduct in public service, marking the passage of the U.S.’s first whistleblower law. This landmark act grew out of a case in which 10 sailors and marines who reported serious abuses by the Commodore Esek Hopkins, the highest officer of the U.S. Navy. Beginning the U.S. governmental tradition of supporting whistleblowers, Congress responded not by retaliating against these men, but by suspending the commodore and later paying the jailed whistleblowers’ legal expenses.
Even before the United States recognized a Constitutional right to free speech, the U.S. treated whistleblowing as a civic responsibility necessary for safeguarding our republican form of government. AfterNWC Chairman of the Board Stephen M. Kohn rediscovered records of the Continental Congress’ proclamation, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) led a successful effort for the U.S. Senate to unanimously recognize July 30 as National Whistleblower Appreciation Day and to call on every federal agency to educate employees and honor whistleblowers each year.
“Celebrating National Whistleblower Day is about more than ceremony,” said Kohn. “It is about reaffirming a founding principle that people who bravely expose corruption and criminal activity are indispensable to democracy. They help build a culture where they can safely come forward in government, finance, technology, and beyond.”
Why Stronger Protections Are Urgent Now
Despite this proud history, the rules governing whistleblowing in the U.S. today are still contested and fragile. In the past several months, NWC has warned that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN’s) proposed rules for the Anti-Money Laundering Whistleblower (AML) program could undercut Congressional intent by narrowing award eligibility and creating ambiguity around reporting channels. These gaps are especially dangerous for international whistleblowers, whose disclosures are essential for exposing cross‑border money laundering.
Also this year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed the establishment confidential non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for federal employees which would bar disclosure of any non‑public information, directly clashing with the federal Whistleblower Protection Act and creating a chilling effect on federal whistleblowers hoping to make disclosures to the press or other external sources. NWC’s comment to the Office of Personnel Management in June 2026 stressed that, in cases where agencies and inspectors general fail to act, major actions can only take place if federal whistleblowers are able to disclose to media.
There are also worrying signs of degradation in award and enforcement regimes. As previously reported, Deutsche Bank whistleblower Desiree Fixler was denied a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)award despite helping expose serious misconduct, raising concerns that opaque standards and delays can discourage future insiders from coming forward.
Together, these ongoing developments in AML rules, NDAs, and awards regimes underscore why National Whistleblower Day is more than a commemoration: it is a critical venue for demanding robust laws, transparent processes, and expanded protections against retaliation.
Featured Speakers: Bipartisan Politicians, Reporters, and Agency Officials
This year’s National Whistleblower Day features senior politicians, government administrators, and media figures whose tireless public advocacy has shaped and strengthened key whistleblower frameworks.
Sen. Grassley, founding chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, has been central to modern whistleblower laws, from strengthening the False Claims Act to backing programs at the IRS, SEC, and beyond. “Whistleblowers ought to be recognized for what they are — patriots and the government’s most powerful tool to root out waste fraud and abuse,” said Grassley during National Whistleblower Day 2025.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is a founding co‑chair of the Senate Whistleblower Caucus and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. He has likewise championed stronger protections and stricter oversight across sectors from tax enforcement to intelligence.
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) is also a member of the Senate Whistleblower Caucus and the Senate Finance Committee, as well as the Chair of the Senate’s Select Committee on Ethics. He is committed to advocating for fiscal responsibility in government, including through support of whistleblowers. He spoke at National Whistleblower Day in 2019.
Director Raagnee Beri of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission will make her first National Whistleblower Day appearance. Beri serves as Director of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Whistleblower Office, which administers the CFTC’s program for individuals who report possible violations of the Commodity Exchange Act.
IRS Whistleblower Office Director Erick Martinez will also make his debut at the event to detail his agency’s commitment to the IRS Whistleblower Program.
Speaking on exciting new developments in international whistleblowing, Head of Source Management at the UK’s HM Revenue and Customs Risk & Intelligence Service David Finlay will discuss the United Kingdom’s new Strengthened Reward Scheme to aid whistleblowers exposing cases of serious tax avoidance and evasion.
Media Voices and Storytellers
National Whistleblower Day also elevates journalists and media‑adjacent advocates, whose work ensures that whistleblower disclosures reach the public. As previously reported, Deutsche Bank whistleblower Desiree Fixler will make her first appearance, discussing her collaboration with the news media and the government and her recent award denial. NPR’s National Supreme Court and Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, who covers the U.S. DOJ and federal law enforcement, will also deliver remarks with other journalists on a “Whistleblowers and the Media” panel. Bringing national attention to issues of prosecutorial power, civil rights, and accountability, Johnson has previously broken stories featuring whistleblowers exposing improper DOJ hiring, Customs & Border Protection overtime policies, and a culture of bulling and abuse in the federal court system.
By bringing together reporters, advocates, and scholars, National Whistleblower Day underscores that whistleblowing only fulfills its democratic purpose when stories are investigated, published, and defended in the public square.
Prominent Whistleblowers Sharing Their Stories
NWD also amplifies the voices of those who have personally borne the risks and costs of speaking up. FBI whistleblower Jane Turner, NWC Director & Chair of the Whistleblower Leadership Council and host of the “Whistleblower of the Week” podcast, exposed failures in the FBI’s child‑crime program and misconduct at the 9/11 crime scene, winning rare court victories under the FBI Whistleblower Protection Act after years of retaliation.
Dr. Tommie “Toni” Savage, an Army Corps of Engineers contracting officer, revealed millions in fraudulent contracts in the “Ranges Program” and secured a precedent‑setting ruling that federal whistleblowers can raise hostile work environment claims.
And Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith, former paralegals for the Social Security Administration (SSA), unearthed a $550 million scheme to defraud the SSA. They testified before Congress in 2013 and received the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Sentinel Award in 2024.
These are only a few of the many whistleblowers who will speak at this year’s event.
“It’s an honor to be in a room filled with so many whistleblowers who have risked their livelihoods to report fraud and misconduct,” said NWC Program Manager Jeana Lee, who will deliver opening remarks at this year’s event. “National Whistleblower Day is a time for whistleblowers and their supporters to be in community with each other. We hope guests at this year’s luncheon will leave feeling inspired by the stories they hear and committed to advocating for whistleblowers in the weeks, months, and years to come.”
The full roster is available. Anyone interested in attending National Whistleblower Day 2026 can join the waitlist here.
