Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2026
The House debated H.R. 5578, the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act, which extends whistleblower protections to employees of federal contractors and grant recipients, including protections for refusing to obey unlawful orders and for intelligence community and other government employees. Eric Burlison moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, saying federal contractors need protection from retaliation for reporting fraud, waste, abuse, and safety dangers. Suhas Subramanyam also spoke in support, saying contractors should have the same protections as federal employees and that whistleblowers are important for congressional oversight. Members of both parties spoke in favor of passage.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .
“I want the House to pass this bill. It protects government contractors from being punished when they report wrongdoing.”
“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5578) to ensure that whistleblowers, including contractors, are protected from retaliation when a Federal employee orders a reprisal, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5578) to ensure that whistleblowers, including contractors, are protected from retaliation when a Federal employee orders a reprisal, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:
“I want the House to pass this bill. It gives federal contractors better protections from being punished when they report waste, fraud, abuse, or safety dangers.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, every person employed by the Federal Government should have adequate protection from retaliation for speaking out against fraud, waste, or abuse of taxpayer dollars. However, contractors with the Federal Government have different whistleblower protections than typical government employees. The Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General found that a lack of whistleblower protections for contractors discouraged them from coming forward. This isn’t surprising. It is a difficult decision for someone to come forward and risk their job and their livelihood. The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act would address this by strengthening whistleblower protections for Federal contractors by prohibiting reprisals for certain actions. Such actions could include disclosure of information the protected individual believes is evidence of mismanagement, waste, abuse, or a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety related to a contract or grant. I thank House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Garcia for his work on this important bill with Chairman Comer and recognize Senators Gary Peters and Chuck Grassley for their steadfast leadership on these necessary reforms. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan and bicameral bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, every person employed by the Federal Government should have adequate protection from retaliation for speaking out against fraud, waste, or abuse of taxpayer dollars. However, contractors with the Federal Government have different whistleblower protections than typical government employees. The Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General found that a lack of whistleblower protections for contractors discouraged them from coming forward. This isn’t surprising. It is a difficult decision for someone to come forward and risk their job and their livelihood. The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act would address this by strengthening whistleblower protections for Federal contractors by prohibiting reprisals for certain actions. Such actions could include disclosure of information the protected individual believes is evidence of mismanagement, waste, abuse, or a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety related to a contract or grant. I thank House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Garcia for his work on this important bill with Chairman Comer and recognize Senators Gary Peters and Chuck Grassley for their steadfast leadership on these necessary reforms. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan and bicameral bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
