Federal whistleblower protections for defense and other government contractors currently cover individual employees who report fraud, waste, or safety problems. This bill would broaden that protection to also cover the contractor and subcontractor businesses themselves, along with grantees, subgrantees, and people working under personal-services contracts for the Department of Defense, NASA, or other federal agencies. It would make clear that no executive branch official has the authority to order retaliation against a contractor for a protected disclosure, and would let agencies pursue discipline against officials who do. It also states that these whistleblower rights cannot be signed away through arbitration agreements or other contract terms. The changes apply to contractors and their employees working with the federal government and its agencies.
Transparency & Accountability
- Whistleblower protections — Extended to contractor and subcontractor businesses, not just employees
- Reprisal accountability — Agencies may discipline officials who ordered retaliation against contractors
- Arbitration waiver bar — Whistleblower rights cannot be waived by predispute arbitration agreements
Congressional Summary
Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025This bill expands whistleblower protections for employees of federal contractors and grant recipients to include the act of refusing to obey an unlawful order and to apply these protections to members of the intelligence community and other governmental employees.Current law protects employees of federal contractors or grant recipients from a reprisal (i.e., discharge, demotion, or discrimination) for disclosing evidence to Congress or another appropriate official of certain misconduct involving federal contracts, grants, or funds. The bill expands these protections to include an employee's refusal to obey an order that would require the employee to violate a law, rule, or regulation related to any contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant. The bill also specifies that these protections apply to employees of federal contractors or grant recipients who are current or former members of the intelligence community or employees of state, local, or tribal governments. Further, the bill specifies that these protections may not be waived in a predispute arbitration agreement and renders any such agreement unenforceable.The bill specifies that an executive branch official may not request a federal contractor or grant recipient to engage in a reprisal against a protected employee, and it authorizes federal agencies to propose disciplinary action against officials that do so.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-09-26
- Date Added
- 2026-07-16
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.