FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sibel Edmonds, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, sedmonds@nswbc.org , Tel- (703) 519-3640, or, Mike German, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, mgerman@nswbc.org

MEDIA ADVISORY

National Security Whistleblowers Demand Protections

Chairman Davis Mounts Sneak Attack on Whistleblowers

WHAT: Prior to a markup on whistleblower protection legislation (H.R. 1317), national security whistleblowers will protest House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis’ refusal to support legislation to assist them.

WHO: Members of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, a new organization dedicated to stronger government accountability through improved whistleblower protections

WHERE: House Government Reform Committee, 2157 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

WHEN: 10:00 a.m., Thursday, June 16, 2005

BACKGROUND: Tomorrow the Government Reform Committee is scheduled to markup H.R. 1317, the Federal Employees Disclosure Act. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee recently passed S. 494, a much stronger version of the House bill.

Chairman Davis took nine provisions off the House bill, many of which directly affect national security whistleblowers, claiming that the bill will not pass on the floor with the provisions. Davis’ deletions include protection for whistleblowers who have their security clearances taken away in retaliation and protections for whistleblowers who bring evidence of abuse that is protected as secret by the Executive Branch. Committee Democrats will offer amendments to restore the provisions and make other improvements.

Mysteriously inserted on the bill was a provision in Section 6, which would have exempted all employees working on homeland security issues from whistleblower protections. The provision was only discovered yesterday, two days before the bill’s markup. It appears that Chairman Tom Davis’ staff was responsible for this sneak attack, which would have taken away protections from hundreds of thousands of employees in the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy, among other agencies.