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S 874 119th Congress Senate Government Operations and Politics Administrative remedies Department of Defense Employment discrimination and employee rights National Aeronautics and Space Administration Public contracts and procurement

Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025

Introduced: July 15, 2025 Introduced by: Peters, Gary C. Democratic · Michigan See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 10 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 4, 2026
Held at the desk.
May 4, 2026
Received in the House.
May 1, 2026
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Apr 29, 2026
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2100-2102; text: CR S2100-2101)
Apr 29, 2026
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Dec 9, 2025
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 289.
Dec 9, 2025
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Jul 30, 2025
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Mar 5, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Mar 5, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025

This 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. 

What's happening now May 4, 2026

Held at the desk.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Related & companion bills 2
  • S 4631 Related bill Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2026
  • HR 5578 Related bill Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025
 Bill text 3 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 9

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

See all 9 filings →
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Republican 1
R
Grassley, Chuck
Iowa · Jul 15, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 874: Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-874/
MLA
"S. 874: Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-874/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 874, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-874/.
Markdown link
[S. 874: Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-874/)
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