Key lawmakers are pushing to strip a much criticized whistleblower office of its primary powers just a few years after it was heralded as a transformational reform in enforcing civil service laws.
A panel of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Thursday floated taking away investigatory responsibilities from the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection within the Veterans Affairs Department. Panel members faulted the new office—created by executive order From President Trump in 2017 and later codified when Trump signed the 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act into law— for failing to live up to its promise.
Government Executive in 2019 first revealed allegations of the office engaging in retaliation against those seeking its protection, which a subsequent inspector general report corroborated. Congress has held multiple hearings blasting the office for failing to prevent whistleblower reprisal and for taking almost no action to discipline top executives engaged in retaliation. The charges led to new leadership, though the allegations of reprisal within the office continued.
Maryanne Donaghy, VA’s latest assistant secretary for accountability and whistleblower protection who has served after President Biden’s appointment and the Senate’s confirmation last year, said on Thursday the initial years at the accountability and whistleblower office were “unfortunate” but she has made great strides in improving the culture there. Lawmakers and...
FERNDALE, Wash. — On March 30, 2026, Merissa G. Saenz, 27, was sentenced in Whatcom County Superior Court after pleading guilty to malicious prosecution and entering an Alford plea to making a fal...