The 15th annual Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Conference held this week in Washington, D.C. did not disappoint. It had timely topics; informative panel discussions by whistleblowers, law enforcement and agency personnel, and whistleblower and government attorneys; inspiring speeches by Ralph Nader and Senator Charles Grassley; humbling stories of the many sacrifices made by whistleblowers; updates on the success of the False Claims Act in returning billions of dollars to the U.S. Treasury (also known as the taxpayers); sober reminders of the work still to be done to defend and strengthen whistleblower laws and protections; and a chance to mingle with our colleagues from around the country.
The bipartisan support for our work is demonstrated by the appearance at the conference of Ralph Nader on the one hand, and Senator Grassley (R-IA), on the other. Nader, the father of the term “whistleblowing,” and Grassley, the father of the modern False Claims Act, both recognize that the private citizen as whistleblower and as whistleblower attorney is key to protecting the public fisc, holding fraudsters accountable, and protecting public health and safety.
We came away from the Taxpayers Against Fraud conference energized to continue to fight the good fight and hope you are too!
