Written by GAP Legal Director Tom Devine

Effective congressional oversight requires safe channels for the flow of information. That means protecting whistleblowers, those who exercise freedom of speech when it counts, to challenge abuses of power that betray the public trust. They are the lifeblood for any credible anti-corruption campaign. Their rights will determine whether oversight uncovers the tip or the iceberg.

Last month, the House Government Reform Committee lived up to its name, unanimously approving legislation to replace the discredited Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) with a gold standard for federal employee free speech rights. House leaders have promised an imminent floor vote to deliver on their commitment for government ethics reform. There is no time for the Senate to delay catching up. Over the next two years, every crucial political battle could depend on learning the truth from whistleblowers, so there is no excuse for delay with this reform.

Active voters get it. A February Democracy Corps survey found 79 percent of regular voters more likely to support a Congress that passes “a strong whistleblower law to protect government employees from retribution if they report waste or corruption.” This was second in importance to them only to ensuring that the bureaucracy spends money on what it was approved for, instead of itself.

by GAP Food & Drug Safety Officer Jacqueline Ostfeld

The organic food industry is booming. In this country alone, sales have grown from $4 to $18 billion in just ten years. The sharp rise is largely due to increased public skepticism about the conventional food supply. Last year brimmed with food safety scares and scandals. Now with the impending market arrival of cloned animal products, consumer concerns about the wholesomeness of their food are commonplace.

The public is ripe for change – and big business is geared up for the challenge. Nothing could have better symbolized organic food’s entry into the lives of mainstream America than when, last summer, Wal-Mart announced it would introduce organic products at affordable prices. But is that really what consumers are getting?

As major retailers stock their shelves with “organic” products, underselling the existing industry, longtime organics advocates fear for the standards. Cutting costs invites cutting corners. While the vast majority of organic farmers, ranchers and retailers follow legal standards, violations by the few, combined with inadequate oversight, threaten the integrity of the entire sector.

This op-ed was coauthored by GAP Executive Director Mary Brumder, and Kathleen Rest, executive director of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The Bush administration's suppression and distortion of scientific research in federal agencies has been both widespread and remarkable - and it cannot be allowed to continue.

The new Congress has an opportunity to restore integrity and objectivity to federal science, and prevent its continued manipulation for political purposes.

To achieve this, Congress must protect the whistle-blower rights of federal government scientists. By continually weakening critical science agencies, this administration is threatening our nation's unparalleled legacy of scientific achievement.

This administration's political interference in science has occurred in agencies throughout the federal government. Climate-science agencies have been notable targets. There, the administration has regularly misrepresented the science, quashed reports, and hampered reporters' access to experts to support the president's desire to avoid regulating emissions that cause global warming. NASA's lead climate scientist, James Hansen, revealed last year that he had been pressured by a political appointee to stop speaking about the dangers of the earth's increasing temperatures. Even when Hansen spoke about global warming as a private citizen, NASA officials threatened him with "dire consequences" if he did not stop.

Written by GAP President Louis Clark. This op-ed also appeared in the Topeka Capital Journal and Radio Left.

As we all know, our nation's capital is blessed with magnificent structures. Many of these buildings are not only beautiful and historic; they also have come to represent the justice and democratic ideals that are practiced, sometimes, within their walls. The Capitol, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the congressional office buildings all reflect the noble principles upon which this nation was founded and later flourished.

But beneath this civilized veneer and symbolic celebration of fairness and democracy lies another reality. Miles of underground utility tunnels connect these and a few other federal buildings in a spidery web of pipes, spreading heat and cooled air, dispensing water, and removing sewage.

For the 10 maintenance workers who descend each workday into this labyrinth, life is hellish. They risk injury as chunks of concrete periodically cascade from crumbling ceilings. Temperatures are unbearable, frequently exceeding 150 degrees. Even worse, deadly asbestos permeates the atmosphere of the tunnels, along with poisonous levels of arsenic from welding fumes. The situation is so bad that the Capitol police refuse to patrol there - or even send dogs - despite the fact that the labyrinth is vulnerable to terrorist attacks.