Bipartisan endorsement bolstered for legislation safeguarding confidentiality of government contractor whistleblowers, bolstered by Senator Grassley's backing

The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025, a bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Jay Obernolte, has gained bipartisan support in an effort to strengthen protections for government contractor whistleblowers. The legislation, which has been endorsed by the whistleblower-focused Make It Safe Coalition, aims to protect employees from retaliation for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse.

The bill, which was submitted to Congress on August 29, 2025, seeks to extend protections to contractors who refuse to follow orders that would violate the law. It also aims to remove an exception that allows executive branch officials to order a reprisal against a whistleblower under certain circumstances.

The Make It Safe Coalition's letter, dated July 18, emphasizes the need to plug loopholes, bolster weak links, and act on lessons learned in accountability laws. The current government contractor whistleblower law has not been updated for almost a decade, and the coalition argues that this has created an accountability vacuum for government contractor whistleblowers, especially with unprecedented government spending.

Sen. Chuck Grassley made a statement on Tuesday in support of the bill, stating that the accountability vacuum for government contractor whistleblowers needs to be filled. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the sponsor of the bill and the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has also voiced his support for the legislation.

The bill has previously been advanced by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in a 11-0 vote. It aims to protect whistleblowers working for federal contractors and subcontractors from retaliation, and it would invalidate any predispute arbitration agreement that waives a contractor's whistleblower rights.

The Make It Safe Coalition's letter reiterates that strengthening safeguards for whistleblowers protects both whistleblowers and taxpayer dollars. The coalition, which includes nonprofits like the Government Accountability Project and Project on Government Oversight, believes that the taxpayers have been "getting fleeced" due to the outdated law.

In addition to the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025, Sen. Chuck Grassley has also introduced a separate bipartisan bill, the AI Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 1792), in May. This bill aims to prohibit companies from retaliating against employees who blow the whistle on an AI security vulnerability or violation of federal law.

The need to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and close loopholes that have allowed retaliation has been a driving force behind the introduction of these bills. The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025 and the AI Whistleblower Protection Act are significant steps towards ensuring that whistleblowers are protected and that taxpayer dollars are used effectively and efficiently.

Bipartisan endorsement bolstered for legislation safeguarding confidentiality of government contractor whistleblowers, bolstered by Senator Grassley's backing