A memo issued last week warned employees of the Food and Drug Administration about releasing information to Congress and the Inspector General. Citing federal whistleblower laws, Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has asked the Acting FDA Commissioner Frank Torti to issue clarification of the memo. Grassley said FDA employees deserve that much. He pointed out that attempts to silence whistleblowers are illegal.
"If the memo sent last week was intended to have a chilling effect on FDA employees who want to speak up about problems, then that memo is contrary to the President's call for open and transparent government," Grassley said. "And the Acting Commissioner needs to set the record straight."
Grassley is a longtime advocate for whistleblower protections for federal employees. He co-authored the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, and has co-sponsored legislation to update the law.
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