Des Moines Sun

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Co-Chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill with Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-Mich.) to enhance whistleblower protections for government contractors and grantees.

The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act aims to close gaps in existing laws that leave federal contractor employees who report waste, fraud, or abuse vulnerable to retaliation. The legislation also seeks to prevent retaliators from escaping accountability. It specifies that whistleblower protections cannot be waived by 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."

Eight members of the Make It Safe Coalition expressed their support for Grassley's sponsorship of the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Government Contractors Act.

“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.”

Grassley has been an advocate for whistleblowers throughout his career. He authored updates to the False Claims Act in 1986, which have enabled the recovery of $78 billion in taxpayer funds by allowing whistleblowers to sue alleged fraudsters on behalf of the government. He has also contributed to enacting various other legislative efforts aimed at protecting private sector employees who act as whistleblowers.

In 2014, Grassley supported a Supreme Court decision upholding laws extending protections to federal contractors and subcontractors. The new act addresses loopholes not covered by previous legislation.