On July 29th, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced the CFTC Whistleblower Protection and Program Improvement Act of 2026. The legislation provides long-term stability to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission whistleblower program by strengthening whistleblower protections and expediting award processing.
The CFTC Whistleblower Program and Customer Protection Fund (CPF), created in 2010 with the assistance of Sen. Grassley, rewards whistleblowers for reporting wrongdoing to the CFTC through fines collected from their disclosures. The CPF also funds the operating expenses and educational initiatives associated with the Whistleblower Program. Since making its first award in 2014, the CFTC has awarded over $430 million to whistleblowers and issued more than $3.7 billion in monetary sanctions.
Under current law, however, the CPF is capped at $100 million. Any additional fines collected are directed to the Treasury Department’s general fund. As sanctions from whistleblower disclosures have increased in recent years, reward disbursements have also risen. As such, the CPF is being depleted faster than it can be replenished due to the collection limit. This has left the CTFC whistleblower office without the resources needed to award whistleblowers or to fund its operations.
The CFTC Whistleblower Protection and Program Improvement Act of 2026 would:
- Raise the CPF cap from $100 million to $300 million.
- Enhance protections for CFTC whistleblowers.
- Ensure whistleblower claims are processed in a timely manner.
- Make permanent the separate account that funds the CFTC Whistleblower Office.
- Eliminate a court-created loophole prohibiting whistleblowers from receiving an award because a company declared bankruptcy.
- Ensure CFTC-regulated entities inform their employees of their whistleblower rights.
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry for consideration.
“No one should be punished for speaking out when they see something wrong,” says Senator Warnock. “This legislation will benefit every American taxpayer, and I’m grateful to work with my colleagues across the aisle to strengthen this vital program.”
