January 22, 1986 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE 219 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-Wednesday, January 22, 1986 The House met at 3 p.m. can be lowered further and the value As a result, Federal workers are in­ The Chaplain, Rev. James David of the dollar can decline to the point creasingly unwilling to report wrong­ Ford, D.D., offered the following where U.S. commodity exports regain doing. They are fearful that they will prayer: a measure of competitiveness. But be subject to reprisal, and all too often Grant to all who labor in this place, time is a commodity that many farm­ they are right. A Merit System Protec­ 0 God, the fullness of Your grace. ers have run out of. Only through full tion Board study in 1983 found a Give to each person wisdom needed implementation of the income protec­ sharp increase from 1980 in the for judgment, courage needed for tion provisions of the 1985 farm bill number of Federal employees who said action, understanding needed for can we provide our farmers with the that reporting official wrongdoing unity, and the dedication and commit­ time they need to recover. posed too great a personal risk. ment needed for justice. Bless us this Today, I, along with a bipartisan day and every day. Amen. WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION group of Senators and Representa­ ACT OF 1986 tives, am introducing the Whistleblow­ THE JOURNAL er Protection Act of 1986. This legisla­ <Mrs. SCHROEDER asked and was tion reaffirms congressional support The SPEAKER. The Chair has ex­ given permission to address the House for whistleblowers and provides in­ amined the Journal of the last day's for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) creased protection for the rights of proceedings and announces to the Federal employees who disclose Gov­ House his approval thereof. Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, American taxpayers want Government ernment waste, fraud, and mismanage­ Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the ment. Journal stands approved. whistleblowers protected. They want the plug pulled on cost overruns in de­ The bill emphasizes that the pri­ fense contracts; they want to put a mary duty of the special counsel is to SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE stop to misspent tax dollars. Whistle­ represent employees who claim to be URGED TO IMPLEMENT blowing conjures up images of heroes victims of prohibited personnel prac­ INCOME PROTECTION PROVI­ and villains, of Davids and Goliaths, of tices. SIONS OF FARM BILL lonely but loyal civil servants acting at It provides Federal employees with a (Mr. McCLOSKEY asked and was personal risk to protect the taxpayer. private right of action, allowing an in­ given permission to address the House Congress voted in 1978 to protect dividual to bypass the special counsel for 1 minute and to revise and extend whistleblowers. We established the and seek stays or corrective action his remarks.) Office of Special Counsel to receive from the Merit Systems Protection Mr. McCLOSKEY. Mr. Speaker, their allegations and to protect their Board [MSPBJ and, if necessary, from early next month notices may go out rights. court. In addition, the bill broadens to 2,200 farmers in the State of Indi­ These efforts have failed. Whistle­ the power of the MSPB to sanction ana giving them one last chance to re­ blowers are today no better protected Presidential appointees, military offi­ arrange loan repayment schedules to than they were before the passage of cers, and contractor officials for com­ avoid foreclosures or other adverse the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. mitting prohibited personnel practices, legal actions. Many will go to Eighth We still speak to the glory of whis­ including taking reprisals against District family farmers. However, the tleblowers, we hail them as the salva­ whistle blowers. tragedy of farm foreclosure will not be tion of our budget traumas, and we These changes should provide in­ confined to one farmer or one farm promise them their place in Heaven. creased protections to Federal employ­ family. If this Nation foresakes its But in fact, we have let them be eaten ees and should encourage other wit­ farmers we abandon entire communi­ alive. nesses of wrongdoing to step forward. ties and our future. I have urged the Last spring, the House Subcommit­ It is legislation that is made all the Secretary of Agriculture to implement tee on Civil Service held a series of more pressing by the intolerably large fully the income protection provisions hearings on the Office of Special Federal deficit. Federal whistleblowers of the farm bill approved last year. We Counsel and its protection of whistle­ can help us reach the deficit reduction eagerly await his reply. Unfortunately, blowers. All witnesses agreed: there is goals of Gramm-Rudman, if only we his initial decisions have been to im­ no protection for whistle blowers. The let them. plement the lowest possible loan rates litany of troubles that befall those for feed grains. This makes it especial­ who dare-as Ernie Fitzgerald says-to ly important for him to announce im­ commit the truth is appalling. CRAZY? plementation as soon as possible of So, despite our best intentions, Fed­ <Mr. MICHEL asked and was given the advanced deficiency payment pro­ eral employees risk it all when they permission to address the House for 1 gram provided in the farm bill for pro­ choose to expose the truth. minute and to revise and extend his ducers for the 1986 crop year. Many In its study of the Office of Special remarks.) farmers simply cannot make it with­ Counsel [OSCJ, the General Account­ Mr. MICHEL. Mr. Speaker, I under­ out showing creditors additional cash ing Office [GAOJ determined that stand the Speaker referred to Presi­ flow. And they will not make it in the only 8 percent of allegations made to dent Reagan's budget as-and I long term unless we can help reduce the OSC survive the initial screening quote-"crazy, nonsensical." operating loan interest rates. If the process to receive an indepth investi­ He also said: "The time for taking banks of this country can loan other gation, and only a tiny fraction of the hard knocks has come for Mr. countries money at interest rates of these cases have been actively pur­ Reagan." less than 10 percent, surely we can sued. The special counsel closes more The Washington Post said the strat­ treat our farmers no worse. Mr. Speak­ than 99 percent of whistleblower cases egy of the Democratic leadership is­ er, if we make progress toward a bal­ without initiating disciplinary or cor­ and I again quote-"to exploit the anced Federal budget, interest rates rective action. President's call for massive domestic 0 This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., 0 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by the Member on the floor. 220 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE January 22, 1986 spending cuts for maximum political have until 6 o'clock tonight to submit The last report from the Marcos­ advantage." amendments to H.R. 2443 to be print­ controlled election commission con­ Yes, the President's budget is fair ed in today's CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. tains an edict that says that no foreign game for disagreement-from either The SPEAKER. Is there objection observers will be allowed near the side of the aisle. to the request of the gentleman from polls. But when criticism is clearly moti­ Florida? Why should the United States care? vated by a desire to gain partisan po­ Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, reserv­ A question was asked: Is it any of our litical advantage, then we're wasting ing the right to object, I want to ask a business? The answer is "Yes." The our time and the exercise is a hoax. question here about that particular United States has substantial strategic I've called for the creation of a Joint procedure, because it strikes me that interests in the Philippines. The Budget Committee because we need to Members are being given very, very in­ United States cares about free elec­ work together-House and Senate, sufficient notice in this case. With the tions and respect for human rights. Democrat and Republican. rule being filed just now, we are being The U.S. taxpayer has poured billions The only thing crazy and nonsensi­ told that amendments have to be in of dollars into the Philippines. cal at this point would be to turn this the RECORD by the end of today for a Mr. Speaker, if there is going to be issue into a bitter, partisan affair. bill to come up tomorrow. I would genuine reform in the Philippines, Instead of playing the role of the hope that under this procedure that there must be military reform, there spoiler, it would better serve the we are not setting a precedent that must be an end to the corruption of Democratic leadership and the coun­ that is how we are going to bring such the Marcos regime. try, if they joined with us to work to­ rules to the floor in the future, be­ Mr. Speaker, as a Member of this gether for the people instead of trying cause Members do need sufficient time body, I support the efforts of Mr. to "exploit" anyone or anything. in order to prepare amendments. This SOLARZ, the chairman of the House is certaintly not giving anybody close Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommit­ to sufficient time to deal with the cru­ tee, who is probing into allegations of REPORT ON RESOLUTION PRO­ cial issues such as the one which we VIDING FOR CONSIDERATION corruption in the Marcos family and are going to be taking up tomorow.