Hawkeye Reporter

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has introduced the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening protections for FBI employees who report wrongdoing. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) is cosponsoring the legislation.

Grassley stated, “The Biden-Harris administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI, as well as its egregious retaliation against whistleblowers, caused great damage to our nation's federal institutions. Multiple agents who bravely blew the whistle had their security clearances suspended and were placed under investigation with no end in sight, leaving them in professional limbo and causing serious financial harm. While the Trump administration has taken significant steps to undo the damage, Congress must offer a solution to ensure future FBI whistleblowers aren’t subjected to a similar retaliatory playbook. My legislation will ensure these patriotic whistleblowers receive the protections they deserve, rather than being treated like skunks at a picnic.”

The proposed legislation would extend whistleblower protections first established by the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 and subsequent amendments to FBI employees. Key provisions include safeguarding those who appeal adverse personnel decisions or cooperate in investigations, requiring anti-gag provisions in nondisclosure agreements, prohibiting political coercion within the FBI, clarifying protected disclosures, and mandating that the Attorney General inform employees about their rights regarding security clearance suspensions.

Additionally, the bill seeks to implement recommendations from a 2024 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report by clarifying how FBI whistleblowers can seek corrective action from the Merit Systems Protection Board. It also eliminates a one-year waiting period before challenging certain security clearance actions and requires conflict-of-interest safeguards during agency investigations.

The measure has received backing from several advocacy groups such as Empower Oversight and the Government Accountability Project. Tom Devine, Legal Director of the Government Accountability Project, said: “Senator Grassley’s bill represents the culmination of more than four decades of fighting to ensure that those who protect America's security have the security to speak truth to power. We urge Congress to pass this legislation swiftly and finally deliver justice that's been delayed far too long.”

Grassley has worked on related issues since leading passage of the original Whistleblower Protection Act during the 101st Congress. Despite laws passed in 2012 and 2016 intended to modernize regulations for FBI whistleblowers, reports by both GAO in 2015 and again in 2024 identified ongoing shortcomings in implementation by both DOJ and FBI. According to Grassley’s office, these gaps persisted until just before release of GAO’s latest evaluation.

Grassley argues that legislative action is necessary due to what he describes as decades-long failures by DOJ and FBI leadership as well as recent high-profile cases involving alleged retaliation against agency whistleblowers.