Congressional Support

BYRON LESLIE DORGAN – United States Senator from North Dakota – A most staunch, dedicated, and vocal bridge of Congressional support.  Senator Dorgan believed my “Truth was Staggering.”  He saw my testimony as unbelievable and shameful that folks in the government (both military and civilian) would be allowed to participate in such waste and fraud and not be held accountable and even punished for their actions.  Senator Dorgan has been a model for Congressional oversight, accountability, and has helped actively portray the nonpartisan “fire in the belly” and fervor that all members of Congress must embrace to protect the Public Trust.  He trusted the whistleblowers to enlighten our nation and ensure that our funds for Defense are spent in the best interest of the public and our warfighters – with preferential treatment toward none in contracting.

HENRY WAXMAN – United States Representative of the House of Representatives from California – As a result of the June 27, 2005 Testimonies from me and others during the Democratic Policy Committee Hearing on Contract Abuses in Iraq, Representative Waxman not only authored a Bill which passed the Congress to protect the taxpayers, but also supported the whistleblowers’ testimonies, by stating the following: “Time and time again, the Administration told us that everything was fine.  The system was working.  No one was fleecing the taxpayer.  Meanwhile, the unreasonable charges were mounting.  They’re still mounting after two years.  Whether the explanation is gross incompetence or deliberate malfeasance, the result is the same: taxpayers are being bilked.  Perhaps the biggest myth of all is that Halliburton has received no special treatment.”

DEBBIE STABENOW – United States Senator from Michigan – In a Press Release, September 27, 2005, Senator Stabenow spearheaded a News Conference, highlighting that I as a Federal Whistleblower and Army Corps contracting official, was demoted for my attempts “to ensure that taxpayers are protected from cronyism and corruption in awarding federal no-bid contracts.”  Senator Debbie Stabenow, joined in collaboration with Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), a. Mark Dayton (D-MN), to hold a news conference in the New Senate Swamp on September 28, 2005, to focus attention on the need for accountability in federal contracting.  Senator Stabenow and others were calling for my immediate reinstatement as the Procurement Executive and chief of civilian contracting for the Army Corps of Engineers.

FRANK LAUTENBERG – United States Senator from New Jersey, now deceased.  Senator Lautenberg made most memorable remarks in his opening statement at the June 27, 2005 Oversight Hearing on Waste, Fraud and Abuse in U.S. Government Contracting in Iraq.  The following remarks should raise the conscientiousness of every person in Congress for years to come as to why they were elected.  He stated, “I want to welcome our witnesses, and offer a special greeting to Ms. Greenhouse — currently the highest-ranking civilian contracting official in the Army Corps of Engineers.  Her courage and honesty have led her to speak out about irregularities in the awarding of contracts to Halliburton.  Mr. Chairman, I am motivated to get to the bottom of these allegations first as a veteran, and second as a grandfather of 10 children.  As a veteran, I know that every dollar of our Defense Budget that is wasted by a private contractor is a dollar we can’t spend on body armor or other things our troops need.  As a grandfather, I am concerned that our government is borrowing money hand over fist…and digging a hole for our grandchildren.  Every dollar wasted on a no-bid contract is a dollar that could have been applied toward reducing the deficit.  I think every Senator would want to examine serious charges involving the misuse and waste of the taxpayers’ money.  We will also hear about LOGCAP, which is a “cost-plus” contract.  That means Halliburton gets reimbursed for every dollar it spends, plus a predetermined percentage of profits.  This is a sweetheart gift to Halliburton but it’s a rip-off for taxpayers.”

PATRICK LEAHY – United States Senator from Vermont became a star for diplomacy among the proposers for legislation in the Campaign for America’s Future’s Report, entitled: “War Profiteers: Profits Over Patriotism In Iraq”, by proposing the “War Profiteering Act that would make overcharges a felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.  The Campaign for America’s Report highlighted the momentum that grew for contracting accountability in Congress.  Senator Leahy was a supporter of my efforts that accountability and integrity in government was not an option, but an obligation.  He cited my statement made in the June 27, 2005 Senate Hearing as part of the momentum for his proposal, when I stated: “I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded to KBR [Halliburton] represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career.”

CHARLES GRASSLEY – United States Senator from Iowa. When the National Whistleblower Center honored Senator Grassley for 25 years of standing up for people who try to expose waste, fraud, and abuse; as the highest-ranking DOD whistleblower, I was chosen to present the Lifetime Achievement Award at the presentation. I stated in part that “Over 25 years ago, Sen. Grassley had the vision to see the vital role whistleblowers must play in order to ensure that our government remains a government ‘of the people and for the people.’”  It was stated in one coverage of the event, that “The Award honored the Senator’s ‘leadership’ in obtaining Congress’ approval of “landmark whistleblower protections in the False Claims Act, Civil Rights Tax Fairness Act, Whistleblower Protection Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Grassley’s power of oversight”.  The coverage also stated that, “Grassley is someone to whom federal employees turn to when they feel they have no other redress. Early in his career, Grassley said, he realized that oversight was one area in which he could have influence, and he would not need the agreement of fifty other senators. To Senator Grassley, it only mattered that the public safety was protected; that the taxpayers were not robbed; and government was responsive to its citizenry.

RAHM EMANUEL – United States Representative of the House from Illinois. During the time in August 2005, when three Congressional Democrats sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, writing that my demotion “appears to be retaliation” for my June 27, 2005, testimony before Congress, Representative Rahm Emanuel acted on my and other abused government employees’ behalf. He sent out two phenomenal Press Releases (August 30, 2005, and September 15, 2005) regarding Whistleblowers. He was alarmed over the Bush Administration’s abuse of Whistleblowers’ rights by their tolerance of the removal actions. He characterized the Administration’s bold message to Whistleblowers as “The Truth Shall Set You Free: You’re Fired.”  In one of the Press Releases he issued in support of those government officials who had told the truth and risked their careers doing it, he stated: “We teach our children to tell the truth. We should expect the same thing from our public officials. But in this Administration, the only thing the truth will get you is fired.”  Congressman Emanuel made an enormous effort to highlight the fraud and abuse that was being allowed during the Iraq War and in the Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina; and he emphasized how patriotic federal workers suffered and had been banished for identifying wrongdoing in government.