PHS Whistleblowers Need Your Help NOW!

At stake is whether or not thousands of PHS employees who work at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be protected if they blow the whistle on waste, fraud or safety violations.

The House-Senate Conference debating the FDA Reform Act (S.3187 / H.R. 5651) will decide the fate of PHS whistleblowers over the next 24-48 hours.

Congress is deciding whether an outrageous loophole in federal law that permits government bureaucrats to fire PHS employee who blow the whistle will be closed. Currently, there is no protection for PHS whistleblowers. They can be fired with no recourse if they report the waste of taxpayer money or "bad science" being used to justify major public health decisions.

This weekend whistleblower advocates, with strong support among many Members of Congress, proposed a legislative fix for this unjustifiable and dangerous loophole. The fix simply provides PHS employees with the same protection as all other workers at HHS/FDA. It gives them the right to lawfully blow the whistle, have an independent investigation conducted by the Office of Special Counsel into any retaliation, and a hearing on the merits of their case. Simple due process.

However, there is strong resistance in the conference to approving this essential fix. The key decision maker is Congressman Fred Upton (R MI-6), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

TAKE ACTION NOW! The fate of PHS whistleblowers will decided over the next 24-48 hours!

After signing the alert, please call Representative Upton and ask him to ensure that PHS whistleblowers have the same rights as other HHS and FDA employees with whom they work side-by-side. His phone number is (202) 225-2927.