S. 874 – Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 30, 2026 at 4:51 AM UTC

The Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025 broadens federal whistleblower safeguards to include contractors, subcontractors, grantees and subgrantees working for the Department of Defense, NASA, and all other federal agencies. It makes it illegal for any executive‑branch official to order or request retaliation against these individuals for reporting wrongdoing, and it allows disciplinary action against officials who do so. The law also clarifies that the protections and remedies cannot be waived by any contract or employment agreement.

Key Provisions

Creates a new definition of “protected individual” covering contractors, subcontractors, grantees, subgrantees, their employees (current and former), and personal‑services providers for federal contracts.
Prohibits retaliation (e.g., discharge, demotion) against protected individuals who refuse illegal orders or disclose evidence of gross mismanagement, waste, abuse of authority, or a substantial danger to public health and safety.
Bars executive‑branch officials from requesting any reprisal against contractors or grantees and permits the Office of the Inspector General to propose disciplinary action against officials who violate this rule.
Specifies that the rights, forums, and remedies provided under the whistleblower statutes cannot be waived by any contract, arbitration agreement, or other employment condition.
Amends existing whistleblower statutes (10 U.S.C. § 4701 and 41 U.S.C. § 4712) to replace references to “employees” with “protected individuals” and to extend the protections to non‑defense federal contracts.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

8 earlier actions

HouseFloor Latest Action

Held at the desk.

May 4, 2026 • 10:33 AM

View full timeline

SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

March 5, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

March 5, 2025

SenateCommittee

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

July 30, 2025

SenateCommittee

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

December 9, 2025

SenateCalendars

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 289.

December 9, 2025

SenateFloor

Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2100-2102; text: CR S2100-2101)

April 29, 2026

SenateFloor

Message on Senate action sent to the House.

May 1, 2026

HouseFloor

Received in the House.

May 4, 2026 • 10:32 AM

HouseFloor

Held at the desk.

May 4, 2026 • 10:33 AM

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about S. 874 on the floor

1 Democrat

Sen. Gary C. PetersD-MI · Apr 29, 2026

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 289, S. 874. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 289, S. 874.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, my bipartisan Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act, which just passed in the Senate, basically closes loopholes in the law to ensure that Federal contractors are protected when they disclose information about fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer money.

Each year, whistleblowers help the government save money and fight fraud when they make disclosures to Congress, inspectors general, and other oversight bodies.

Currently, the law that protects contractor whistleblowers is weaker than the laws that protect both Federal and private sector employees. In some instances, loopholes have allowed Federal officials to retaliate against whistleblowers with absolutely no accountability.

My bill would make it perfectly clear that Federal officials cannot direct retaliation against contractors any more than they can direct retaliation against Federal employees.

If they violate the law, the bill will allow Agencies to take disciplinary action. The bill would also clarify that employers cannot evade whistleblower laws through nondisclosure agreements and other employment contracts and ensure that contractor employees are not retaliated against for refusing to perform an action that they believe is illegal.

I would like to thank Senator Grassley for joining me in introducing this legislation and Representatives Garcia and Comer for introducing the House companion, which was unanimously approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

I urge my colleagues to continue to join me in passing this bill through the House and certainly appreciate the support that I received on the floor here today.

Bill Text

3 versions available

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Engrossed in SenateIssued April 29, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 874

AN ACT

To ensure that whistleblowers, including contractors, are protected from retaliation when a Federal employee orders a reprisal, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025.

2.

Defense contractor employees: protection from reprisal for disclosure of certain information

Section 4701 of title 10, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

in subsection (a)—

(A)

in paragraph (1)—

(i)

in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)—

(I)

by striking An employee and all that follows through services contractor and inserting A protected individual; and

(II)

by striking disclosing and all that follows through evidence of; and

(ii)

by striking subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and inserting the following subparagraphs:

(A)

Refusing to obey an order that would require the protected individual to violate a law, rule, or regulation related to any contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant.

(B)

Disclosing to a person or body described in paragraph (2) information that the protected individual reasonably believes is evidence of the following:

(i)

Gross mismanagement of any Department of Defense contract or grant, any gross waste of Department funds, any abuse of authority relating to any Department contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Department contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant.

(ii)

Gross mismanagement of any National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract or grant, any gross waste of Administration funds, any abuse of authority relating to an Administration contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Administration contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant.

(iii)

A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.

; and

(B)

in paragraph (3)—

(i)

in subparagraph (A), by striking an employee and inserting a protected individual; and

(ii)

by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following subparagraph:

(B)

it shall not be within the authority of an executive branch official to request that a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee engage in a reprisal prohibited by paragraph (1).

;

(2)

in subsection (c)—

(A)

in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following subparagraph:

(E)

Propose appropriate disciplinary action against any executive branch official for any request made of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee that subjected the complainant to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a).

; and

(B)

by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following paragraph:

(7)

Clarification for scope of waiver restrictions

The rights, forum, and remedies provided for in this section may not be waived by any public or private agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment, including by any predispute arbitration agreement.

;

(3)

by striking subsection (e) and redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections (e) and (f), respectively;

(4)

in subsection (e), as so redesignated—

(A)

by striking an employee and inserting a protected individual; and

(B)

by striking the employee and inserting the protected individual; and

(5)

in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

(8)

The term protected individual means—

(A)

a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, including—

(i)

the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States;

(ii)

the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and

(iii)

an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense;

(B)

an employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or a former employee of such contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee whose protected disclosure or engagement in any activity protected against reprisal under this section occurred prior to termination, including an employee of—

(i)

the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States;

(ii)

the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and

(iii)

an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense; or

(C)

a person performing personal services for the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration pursuant to a contractual agreement for the performance of personal services, including a personal services contract or personal services agreement, and who engages in an activity for which any reprisal is prohibited under subsection (a), including a person performing personal services pursuant such a contractual agreement for—

(i)

the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States;

(ii)

the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and

(iii)

an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense.

.

3.

Enhancement of non-defense contractor protection from reprisal for disclosure of certain information

Section 4712 of title 41, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

in subsection (a)—

(A)

by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following paragraph:

(1)

In general

A protected individual may not be discharged, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against as a reprisal for the following:

(A)

Refusing to obey an order that would require the protected individual to violate a law, rule, or regulation related to any contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant.

(B)

Disclosing to a person or body described in paragraph (2) information that the protected individual reasonably believes is evidence of the following:

(i)

Gross mismanagement of any Federal contract or grant, any gross waste of Federal funds, any abuse of authority relating to any Federal contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Federal contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant.

(ii)

A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.

; and

(B)

in paragraph (3)—

(i)

in subparagraph (A), by striking an employee and inserting a protected individual; and

(ii)

by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following subparagraph:

(B)

it shall not be within the authority of an executive branch official to request that a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee engage in a reprisal prohibited by paragraph (1).

;

(2)

in subsection (c)—

(A)

in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

(E)

Propose appropriate disciplinary action against any executive branch official for any request made of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee that subjected the complainant to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a).

; and

(B)

by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following paragraph:

(7)

Rights, forum, and remedies not waivable

The rights, forum, and remedies provided for in this section may not be waived by any public or private agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment, including by any predispute arbitration agreement.

;

(3)

in subsection (e)—

(A)

by striking an employee and inserting a protected individual; and

(B)

by striking the employee and inserting the protected individual;

(4)

by striking subsection (f) and redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and

(5)

in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph:

(3)

The term protected individual means—

(A)

a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Federal Government, including—

(i)

the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States;

(ii)

the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and

(iii)

an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003));

(B)

an employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Federal Government or a former employee of such contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee whose protected disclosure or engagement in any activity protected against reprisal under this section occurred prior to termination, including an employee of—

(i)

the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States;

(ii)

the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and

(iii)

an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)); or

(C)

a person performing personal services for the Federal Government pursuant to a contractual agreement for the performance of personal services, including a personal services contract or personal services agreement, including a person performing personal services pursuant to such a contractual agreement for—

(i)

the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States;

(ii)

the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and

(iii)

an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)).

.

Passed the Senate April 29, 2026.

Secretary