Demand Congress protects the False Claims Act

The False Claims Act (FCA) is the government’s most powerful tool to protect taxpayers from fraud, patients from unsafe drugs, and reduce fraud in massive Medicaid and Medicare programs. Since 1986, the FCA has won back more than $60 billion taken from the public thanks to its qui tam provision.

However, now, Big Pharma and corporate interests threaten the success of the False Claims Act. Lobbyists spreading misinformation have attempted to kill the FCA by opposing crucial amendments, introduced by Senator Charles Grassley, which would protect whistleblowers from retaliation and blacklisting and prevent anti-whistleblower judges from creating higher burdens of proof for whistleblowers. The same corporate interests successfully blocked the addition of these amendments to the 2021 Infrastructure Bill in a major loss for whistleblowers and whistleblower advocates. 

By making false claims about the False Claims Act, these lobbyists have secured an anti-whistleblower victory – which could open the floodgates for future attacks on these highly successful whistleblower protections and weaken crucial healthcare programs.

With massive amounts of fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs totaling an estimated $68 billion annually, a weakened FCA will only empower and encourage fraudsters. We need whistleblowers as checks on accountability and transparency that these programs will succeed, and the False Claims Act has proven to be one of the best ways to do so. This is why the inclusion of the FCA amendments are essential to show fraudsters they will not be able to steal taxpayer dollars and get away with it.

Congress must stand with whistleblowers and pass these amendments. Lobbyists have scored their first victory, let's make it their last.

Please, write to the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Demand that Congress recognizes the importance of whistleblowers and swiftly passes the amendments to the False Claims Act.