Is Obama Keeping his Promise to Whistleblowers?

Whistleblowers have been encouraged by the actions President Obama has taken so far to protect whistleblowers, but are waiting to see if his administration fully lives up to its promises, according to an ABC News article. Good actions so far include his recent appointments to the Merit Systems Protection Board, both of whom are federal employees advocates, and the hard work his administration has put into the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009, which recently crossed an important Senate hurtle.

The article says: “And during his 2008 election campaign, Obama promised to protect whistleblowers, saying their ‘acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled.’”

One true test will be whether the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 gets passed with strong language that supports federal whistleblowers for all employees, including those involved in homeland security.