All levels of government, whether federal, state, or local, need watchguards. It takes people who work in government to protect the public good and assure it is serving the public honestly. It also takes people outside of government to speak up when they see their government doing something not in the public good. The name for that function is "whistleblower."

Federal. Last week, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer created what he calls a "Whistleblower Portal." He invites people to expose abuses of power, threats to public safety, and corruption as the White House and agencies make cuts and employees are terminated.

Sen. Schumer has said, "We all agree that accountability is vital," and he has pointed to needing to hold government accountable in serving the public. That's especially important since several inspector generals, officials who are watchdogs over government agencies, were among the first fired.

In a speech to the Senate, he said, "The whistleblower portal will give civil servants and people of good will the chance to report on potential wrongdoing in government, abuse of power, and threats to public safety." Anyone who sees wrongdoing is invited to use the portal so that transparency can be assured: Whistleblowers | The Senate Democratic Caucus

Schumer also said, "Whistleblowers are crucial for ensuring government transparency and accountability. The Whistleblower Protection Act protects federal employees who come forward with evidence of wrongdoing, ensuring they cannot...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiuwFBVV95cUxORmFjdERCT1JpTUkzU2ZlRHFa...