Whistleblowers and whistleblower attorneys may consider Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa as the “patron saint” of protecting taxpayer money from fraud against the government. Sen. Grassley continues his great work as he testifies today before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Iraq contractor profiteering and fraud.
The Senator already claimed another recent victory by spearheading passage of the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program. Sen. Grassley saw how cost-effective the False Claims Act has been in recovering more than $20 billion for the government–largely because of the improved qui tam whistleblower enhancements enacted in 1986. (Sen. Grassley and Rep. Howard Berman were sponsors of the landmark 1986 amendments to the False Claims Act.)
Sen. Grassley was to testify that the False Claims Act whistleblower statute should be strengthened to deal with contractors such as Halliburton. He mentioned trying to recover $60 billion for meals not provided to the military by the defense contractor.
We find it refreshing to see someone like Sen. Grassley who is a true public servant–again and again. Congress and the American people should follow his lead in recognizing the value of effective whistleblower programs that encourage whistleblowers to report fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.
Otherwise, crime does pay for those who cheat the government–and thus other taxpayers.