Did something happen this morning i did not know about . All is well. I am here. You became our 70th secretary of state in april 2018. You are happy with the job . Everyday. What are the most significant Foreign Policy issues of concern to you . What do you think are the Biggest Challenges we have in our country right now . I asked this question about rank ordering the challenges. That is not an original question . It is an important question. It is about priorities and resources and how you allocate time and think about the problems for me, the first task when i came in after having been the cia director was to make sure the state department was ready in a moment of crisis. I spent a lot of time for making sure my team was prepared for the day when something really bad happens. Is your team capable . Thatu have the resources you can respond to in that moment . Every morning, the first thing i do is read about china. I take time and talk about the broad array of issues that present rea
Patterns. These witnesses willing to blow the whistle even when it risked their livelihood and their careers. Unfortunately we learn the v. A. Continues to struggle with the culture of retaliation against whistleblowers. In in two instances the leadersp and supervisors have turned a blind eye to those in vas workforce that upon investors problems are tempted to expose that actors who abuse their positions or broken laws. And even worse the whistleblowers are often the target of active retaliation. One striking example came from doctor catherine mitchells testimony. In 2014 she was one of a group of people working at the phoenix v. A. Medical center that expose the existence of a secret waiting list of veterans in need of medical care. Instead of addressing this issue the phoenix the english actively worked to hide exorbitant wait times. It turned up such practices were occurring at feasts facilities nationwide. It was deliberate and health and well being of veterans was put at risk. Co
Members of the armed forces for their service. That thinks is almost always genuine. Not everybody decides to either commit themselves to protecting the country or to putting their lives on hold for several years to protect the country. So we think that in many cases, that for a person has spent 2025, even 30 years in the military, they decide to start 2nd careers and Public Service and often in the service of other members of the military. Im not talking just about the pentagon of course, but also about the department of Veterans Affairs. So many of our active duty Service Members and retired veterans need help and they often go to veterans hospitals for that help. But what happens when you decide to dedicate your life to helping your fellow veterans . And you see evidence of waste, fraud, abuse, or illegality. What happens when you see that the entire system is broken, that its set up not to help people, but simply to check a bureaucratic box. Im just and curiosity. Welcome to the we
Experts testify before a House Oversight and government reform subcommittee on whistleblower protections. Witnesses discuss the benefits and shortcomings of a 2012 whistleblower law. This is about an hour and a half. The subcommittee on Government Operations will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess at any time. I will defer at this time to the Ranking Member of the subcommittee for an Opening Statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I know mr. Meadows will be here shortly. Federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse are in the front lines in the effort to ensure that our government functions efficiently and effectively. This committee has a long history of strong bipartisan support for those whistleblowers and i want to thank the chairman, mr. Immediameadows fo holding todays hearing. Whistleblower protection is rooted in Civil Service protections. Due process and meritbased hiring and promotion free of discrimination, retaliati
Experts testify before a House Oversight and government reform subcommittee on whistleblower protections. Witnesses discuss the benefits and shortcomings of a 2012 whistleblower law. This is about an hour and a half. The subcommittee on Government Operations will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess at any time. I will defer at this time to the Ranking Member of the subcommittee for an Opening Statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I know mr. Meadows will be here shortly. Federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud and abuse are in the front lines in the effort to ensure that our government functions efficiently and effectively. This committee has a long history of strong bipartisan support for those whistleblowers and i want to thank the chairman, mr. Immediameadows fo holding todays hearing. Whistleblower protection is rooted in Civil Service protections. Due process and meritbased hiring and promotion free of discrimination, retaliati