This commentary was originally published in the Winter 2025 edition of PEEReview.
With Trump 2.0 promising to exact revenge on perceived enemies, weaken and politicize the civil service, and eviscerate important environmental protections, PEER anticipates a flood of requests for our legal services. We are gearing up to help conscientious federal employees address or report wrongdoing without losing their jobs.
Because many people have been asking for more information about how PEER works, we are providing this brief overview of our approach to anonymous activism and whistleblowing. We represent all our clients pro bono, meaning we do not charge for our services. We also request that all contacts with PEER be made through non-government email accounts or phones and on personal time.
Anonymous Activism
PEER is often most effective when we work anonymously with employees who come to us with environmental and public health problems. In PEER’s name, we do things like:
- File document requests to expose wrongdoing and sue if the agency tries to keep information hidden;
- File and litigate lawsuits;
- File scientific integrity complaints and Data Quality Act complaints;
- Request inspector general investigations;
- Propose rulemakings; and
- Conduct employee surveys
We choose a course of action with guidance from the public employees who contact us. We call this “anonymous activism.”
It is also important that government employees who are acting anonymously seek legal advice to avoid breaking the law.
Whistleblowing
An important part of PEER’s work is representing government whistleblowers in their efforts to protect the environment, natural resources, and public health.
Generally speaking, a government whistleblower is someone who discloses information, either internally or externally that he or she believes is evidence of:
- A violation of law, rule, or regulation;
- Gross mismanagement;
- A gross waste of funds;
- Abuse of authority; or
- A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety
Because numerous laws cover whistleblowing activities and provide certain protections to whistleblowers, government employees should consult an attorney before blowing the whistle to help them navigate these laws and to ensure they will have someone to represent them if they face retaliation.
When we counsel potential whistleblowers, our goal is to provide sound legal advice on all possible courses of action and to represent them in filing whistleblower disclosures if we decide together that is the proper course of action, or to help them address the problems they are seeing through anonymous activism (see above).
We will represent employees if they face retaliation.
We also discuss with our clients whether they wish to remain anonymous or if they would like to speak publicly about their disclosures. We offer our thoughts on the pros and cons of each approach.
Agency Employees We Work With
PEER works with public employees at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels. At the federal level, we have worked with employees in dozens of agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Office of Management and Budget, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Army Corps of Engineers, to name a few.
Client Stories
We cannot discuss many of the best things we do at PEER. Working behind the scenes, we have saved the careers of hundreds of conscientious public servants. However, many of our client stories are public, and we are proud to share some of their stories with you.
Visit peer.org/client-stories.
Colleen Teubner is a Litigation and Policy Attorney at PEER and a lover of backpacking, books, and board games.
Laura Dumais is PEER’s staff counsel.