Rep. Holt Adds Funds for IC Whistleblower Support

Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) devised an amendment to the 2015 Defense Appropriations bill that would earmark $2 million for investigation of intelligence community whistleblower complaints.  The amendment was approved by the House of Representatives on June 18.

The money was taken from the intelligence community management account and allocated to the IC whistleblowing and source protection directorate within the IC Office of the Inspector General.

“Currently, this directorate is literally a one-man operation,” Rep. Holt explained on the House floor.

“Given the fact that there are tens of thousands of Federal employees and contractor who work for the intelligence community elements, it is not realistic to expect the IC inspector general to be able to receive and investigate effectively any and all valid complaints from conscientious internal whistleblowers through a single investigator, no matter how talented that investigator may be.”

“This $2 million reallocation of funds will help the community whistleblowing and source protection directorate hire more needed additional investigators and support staff and will fund outreach and education efforts across the intelligence community,” Rep. Holt said. “This amendment will ensure that they have resources to respond to legitimate concerns.”

The amendment was approved on a voice vote.

Rep. Holt stressed the need for improved protections for intelligence agency whistleblowers in a May 30 op-ed we co-authored on MSNBC.com.