In 1999, Terry Everett, R-Alabama, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations told a congressional panel that “there is without question a good-old-boy network within the VA” that tolerates “favoritism, cronyism, harassment, and reprisal.” He indicated that retaliation against VA whistleblowers was common and goes unpunished.

Civil libertarians have cited concerns that REAL ID effectively creates a national ID system.

Hersh says the U.S. has been "pumping money, a great deal of money, without congressional authority, without any congressional oversight" for covert operations in the Middle East where it wants to "stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence." Hersh says these funds have ended up in the hands of "three Sunni jihadist groups" who are "connected to al Qaeda" but "want to take on Hezbollah."

This legislation will give Federal employees the Freedom to Tell the Truth when they bring concerns of waste, fraud, abuse, and other misconduct to the attention of their supervisors.

"The FBI has clearly abused its power and violated the constitutional rights of tens of thousands of Americans. These actions must not be tolerated in a free society," said Liberty Coalition national director Michael Ostrolenk. "While enhanced public scrutiny and Congressional oversight are a good first step, they are not enough to protect our Nation's liberty from abusive, unchecked power. Congress must act to stop the issuance of National Security Letters!"