WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT OF 2025

On 2026-09-14, Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA-32) delivered a floor speech titled "WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT OF 2025" in the House.

WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT OF 2025

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 144 (Monday, September 14, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5608-H5609] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT OF 2025 Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4646) to clarify that whistleblower protections described in section 4712 of title 41, United States Code, apply to any contract funded from amounts appropriated to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4646 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Whistleblower Protection Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS. Section 4712 of title 41, United States Code, shall apply with respect to any contract, subcontract, grant, subgrant, or personal services contract funded using amounts appropriated to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, regardless of when the contract, subcontract, grant, subgrant, or personal services contract was executed. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas. General Leave Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Texas? There was no objection. Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4646, the Whistleblower Protection Act, which passed with bipartisan support out of the Financial Services Committee. Texas families are stretching every dollar right now while scammers are cashing in on taxpayer-funded programs. While Texas families play by the rules, scammers and corrupt leaders shouldn't get rewarded. That is why I am working to stop the abuse and bring accountability back to Washington, and this bill brings us closer to that goal by strengthening whistleblower protections for those wanting to rightfully blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse in our government. Whistleblower protections are one of the most effective tools that we have to combat waste, fraud, and abuse throughout our government. This bipartisan legislation is simple. It clarifies that whistleblower protections apply to every HUD contractor, a vital step that is necessary due to the bureaucratic implementation of congressionally enacted enhanced whistleblower protections originally passed in 2013. When Congress initially passed these enhanced whistleblower protections in 2013, known as section 4712, it intended them to apply to both contracts awarded before these protections became law and to contracts that predated section 4712 becoming law but have since been modified. Unfortunately, many HUD programs have contracts that are often decades long, meaning that there are still active HUD contracts that predate 2013 and do not include key protections from section 4712, leaving thousands of HUD contractors with uncertainty. This legislation fixes that by providing much-needed clarity to HUD and ensuring that whistleblower protections apply to every HUD contractor, regardless of when a contract was signed. This is something HUD has even asked for, most recently in their fiscal year 2027 budget request to Congress. We must never allow retaliation against people who are simply trying to act in the taxpayers' best interests, and I will never stop rooting out corruption and cutting government waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting my bill, the bipartisan Whistleblower Protection Act, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, preventing waste, fraud, and abuse is one thing we agree on. We have to do everything possible to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in government. The two best tools for dealing with waste, fraud, and abuse are inspectors [[Page H5609]] general, full-time independent investigators there to stop waste, fraud, and abuse, and whistleblowers, ordinary government workers who come forward to tell us what is going on. This bill strengthens the whistleblower part of that equation, but we have to reflect on the fact that this President has gutted the first part, the inspectors general. The whistleblower part of oversight only works when people can speak up without fear of retaliation, and that is why whistleblower protections are so important. At HUD, the administration rolled back fair housing enforcement, stonewalled Congress from receiving critical information, and gutted tenant protections. Whistleblowers are now the last line of defense against these harmful decisions made behind closed doors, and Congress needs to send a clear message: If you expose wrongdoing, you will be protected. You will not be punished. Whistleblowers are how we catch waste, fraud, and abuse before they spiral. They are how we make sure that Federal housing programs actually do what Congress intended. For that reason, I support H.R. 4646. It strengthens whistleblower protections and makes them consistent across HUD contractors without gaps and without guesswork. Mr. Speaker, we perhaps need this bill more than ever because Republicans in the White House have fired inspectors general across Federal agencies, especially at HUD. {time} 2010 Mr. Trump has fired the HUD inspector general and the FHFA inspector general, including right after they said that they planned to investigate how Trump's administration was engaging in lawlessness. That is not oversight. That is obstruction of justice. You cannot claim to protect the effort to deal with waste, fraud, and abuse if you support gutting and firing inspectors general. Of course, when you fire inspectors general and either don't have them or install people carefully selected to turn a blind eye, you increase the likelihood of waste, fraud, and abuse. This bill, at least, deals with that second part of the effort. We need inspectors general. We also need whistleblower protection. This bill will provide additional protection for whistleblowers. This bill is an important step, perhaps made more necessary by the President's outrageous firing of inspectors general. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4646. Protecting whistleblowers is not a partisan issue. Doing all we can to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse is not a partisan issue. When employees can safely report waste, fraud, and abuse, government programs work better for everyone. H.R. 4646 strengthens those protections consistently across HUD and its contractors, and it deserves our support. We also need to turn our attention to the need for truly independent inspectors general. HUD may not have confirmed leadership in place, but that progress means little while this administration continues to sideline accountability elsewhere, leaving key agencies understaffed and underresourced. Let us pass this bill today, and let us then focus our efforts on the need for truly independent inspectors general, particularly at HUD and FHFA. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4646, as amended. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Ms. DE LA CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________

Referenced legislation: HR4646, HR4646