Hawkeye Reporter

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who serves as Co-Chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, has announced his support for bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding whistleblower protections for federal contractors and grantees. He is joined by Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The proposed Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act is designed to address gaps in current laws that leave employees of federal contractors vulnerable if they report waste, fraud, or abuse within federal agencies. The bill specifies that whistleblower protections cannot be waived through nondisclosure agreements or other employment conditions.

“Whistleblowers working for federal contractors and subcontractors shouldn’t face retaliation for sounding the alarm on waste, fraud and abuse. These patriots are critical in safeguarding Americans’ tax dollars. As a long-time advocate for whistleblowers, I’m glad to sponsor this legislation to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and close the loopholes that have allowed retaliation,” Grassley said.

"Whistleblowers who expose government fraud deserve strong protection from retaliation," Peters said. "This bipartisan legislation closes dangerous loopholes in current law and ensures that contractor employees can report wrongdoing without fear of reprisal. By strengthening these safeguards, we're protecting both whistleblowers and taxpayer dollars."

The bill has received support from eight members of the Make It Safe Coalition. In a statement, coalition members noted: “As [a] longstanding whistleblower champion in the Senate and the Chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, we are proud to have worked with your staff over the decades to codify whistleblower protections into law. There can be no credible debate that whistleblowers are America’s best weapon against fraud, waste and abuse. This legislation is a true story of bipartisan Senate work.”

Senator Grassley has a history of advocacy related to whistleblower rights. He was responsible for updates to the False Claims Act in 1986, which enabled the federal government to recover $78 billion through provisions such as qui tam lawsuits brought by whistleblowers on behalf of the government. He also contributed to extending similar protections under laws like Sarbanes-Oxley, Anti-Money Laundering statutes, and criminal antitrust reforms.

In addition to this latest measure, Grassley introduced other bills this Congress—including the SEC Whistleblower Reform Act of 2025 and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Whistleblower Protection Act—intended to bolster corporate whistleblower protections.

A Supreme Court decision in 2014 extended some legal safeguards to federal contractors and subcontractors; however, proponents say further action is needed to address remaining gaps not covered by previous legislation.