October 2020 newsletter: What does a new administration mean for whistleblowers?

October 2020 newsletter: What does a new administration mean for whistleblowers?

Hi Friend, The 2020 presidential election was historic in many ways: a record 168 million people, 64% of the eligible voting population, came out to vote despite the pandemic. A woman of color will soon occupy the office of Vice President for the first time. I wish President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris the very best of luck as they work to address the enormous challenges facing our country. So, what does the arrival of the Biden-Harris administration mean for whistleblowers?  Good news: this transitional moment creates significant new opportunities for advocates to strengthen whistleblower protections in a bipartisan manner. The Biden-Harris team got off to a strong start by appointing whistleblower Eric Bright to the Coronavirus Task Force, providing hope to all whistleblowers that their honesty and courage will ultimately be recognized and rewarded.  Now the incoming administration must turn its attention to ensuring that the gradual restart of the economy is performed with a close eye to:

• Protecting frontline workers
• Safeguarding public health and patient safety, and
• Preventing fraudulent diversion of Covid relief funds

In my most recent blog post, I explain how the incoming administration can increase its chances of success on each of these fronts by taking action, both on its own and working with both parties in Congress, to strengthen whistleblower protections. The National Whistleblower Center and the larger whistleblower community looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris team in combatting Covid-19 as well as climate change and the many other challenges facing this country. All of these challenges will require confronting facts that corrupt individuals and institutions would prefer to hide or distort.  As they have done throughout history, whistleblowers will be there to ensure that the truth is known and justice is done. Sincerely, John Kostyack Executive Director