“The False Claims Act is the most successful tool of the federal government in rooting out fraud against the Treasury and recovering taxpayer dollars lost to deceitful individuals and government contractors. We all owe a ‘thank you’ to the many whistleblowers who raised the alarm to correct fraud and save taxpayer dollars from being wasted,” Grassley said.
Grassley, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, authored reforms to the False Claims Act to encourage whistleblowers to come forward with information involving fraud against the government. Since the reforms were enacted, the government has recouped more than $48.2 billion. Many of the recoveries were initiated by whistleblowers who took advantage of Grassley’s provisions allowing them to bring their own case on the government’s behalf.
The False Claims Act was enacted to prosecute fraud against taxpayers by unscrupulous companies and government contractors. Grassley also led an effort in 2009 to pass the Fraud Enforcement Recovery Act, which bolstered existing tools and resources for government investigators and prosecutors to combat fraud.
Grassley recently received the “Honest Abe Integrity in Government” award from the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund for his work to shield taxpayers from fraud against the government. Inscribed on the award is, “Senator Chuck Grassley – the father of the modern False Claims Act, for his lifetime of public service, tireless commitment to protecting America’s tax dollars, and unwavering support for whistleblower programs.”
