In 1778, the Continental Congress unanimously sided with a group of sailors aboard the USS Warren who reported the gross misconduct of the Continental Navy's commander in chief. After removing the commander from power, in part to shield the sailors from retaliation, legislators enacted what many scholars believe to be the first whistleblower protections in the world. When the ousted commander struck back — suing the men and getting two of them jailed — Congress stood with the whistleblowers, paid for their defense, and they won.
At nearly 250 years old, whistleblower protections in America are as old as the country itself.
As Americans, we protect people who come forward with the truth. Because when truth-tellers are intimidated into silence, acts of corruption, waste, and abuse remain government secrets.
Since our very founding, POGO has been working to build on early American legislators’ original commitment to whistleblowers by making sure people who come forward with the truth are heard. In the past year, our work has taken on a new urgency.
The Trump administration has openly retaliated against whistleblowers across the federal government. It has pursued lawsuits against public officials who criticized its actions. It has passed rules that make it easier to fire federal employees who refuse to fall in line.
The White House is intimidating people into silence because it doesn’t want you to know what it is doing.
But you deserve to know, friend.
Protecting truthtellers has always been about more than symbolic commitment. We need legislative action. Congress must uphold its predecessors’ original pledge to whistleblowers: We’ve outlined eight urgent reforms they can act on right now.
POGO is here to help you know the truth of the matter. This fight needs you. A gift today supports the people who risk everything to tell the truth — ensuring many of their stories are heard and protections from retaliation become law. |
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Thank you for being with us. — POGO |
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