Protections for Federal Scientists
Within the next month, Congress is expected to pass legislation that will strengthen protections for all federal workers who blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse of authority at their federal agencies, ensuring their right to sue if their whistleblowing results in termination or harassment.

But current whistleblower protections do not cover the problems that federal scientists encounter. At federal agency after federal agency, surveys and investigations have revealed political interference in the work of scientists. Scientists report that they are being asked to change research data or having their research suppressed. They are afraid to publicize this breach of public trust and harm to public health and safety for fear that their jobs and careers will be jeopardized. Of the nearly 3,400 federal scientists across nine agencies who have responded to questionnaires about this issue, more than 1,100 scientists report that they fear retaliation for openly expressing concerns about their agency's mission-driven work.

These fears are understandable. Many federal scientists who have spoken out have been ostracized, demoted, threatened, or intimidated by supervisors:

• In February 2006, Dr. Rosemary Johann-Liang, deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) division of Drug Risk Evaluation, recommended that the label for the diabetes drug Avandia include a strong warning about possible heart problems related to the drug. She was reprimanded by FDA managers and her FDA superiors not only failed to act on her recommendation, they shifted the supervision of the safety review of Avandia to her boss. Dr. Johann-Liang was vindicated in May 2007, when the New England Journal of Medicine raised similar concerns about Avandia, and the FDA finally asked for the warning label.
  
  
• When Robin Ingle, a hazards statistician at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, finished her report on the increasing dangers of All Terrain Vehicles, a political appointee at the agency tried to intimidate her into changing her conclusions. When that didn’t work, he sat on the report for three months. It wasn't until after Ingle left the agency, and retained a lawyer to help her navigate the non-disclosure agreement that all departing staffers are required to sign, that she felt she could discuss her experience in public.

Congress Can Make A Difference
The whistleblower bill passed by the House of Representatives last year, H.R. 985, includes protections for scientists. But the Senate version of the bill which was also passed last year, S. 274, does not. This month, House and Senate negotiators are trying to resolve the differences between the two bills to arrive at final bill that Congress can send to the president. It is crucial that the House bill's specific protections for scientists be included in that final bill.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is urging Congress to pass a final bill that would provide protection from retaliation for exposing:

• attempts to compromise the validity or accuracy of federally funded research or analysis;
• attempts to censor, distort or suppress any scientific and/or technical research or analysis, opinion or recommendation; and
• actions that prevent an employee or any person performing federally funded research or analysis from publishing his or her scientific or technical research or analysis in peer-reviewed journals or other scientific publications or making presentations at professional society meetings.

Please contact your senator today to let them know protections for scientists are crucial to protect the health and safety of all Americans.

Contact

Senator	State	Phone Number
Joseph Lieberman	Connecticut	(202) 224-4041
Daniel Akaka	Hawaii	(202) 224-6361
Richard Durbin	Illinois	(202) 224-2152
Susan Collins	Maine	(202) 224-2523
Harry Reid	Nevada	(202) 224-3542