On March 26, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act of 2025, which increases protections for federal employee whistleblowers who provide information to Congress. The Act is endorsed by major U.S. whistleblower organizations, who believe that the reforms contained in the bill are long overdue.
“This law is a significant step forward for federal employees,” said Stephen M. Kohn, whistleblower attorney and Chairman of the National Whistleblower Center. “Retaliation against whistleblowers who testify before Congress is unacceptable and unconstitutional. This law is highly significant and should be passed quickly. It is absolutely necessary if Congress is serious about engaging in meaningful oversight.”
The bill expands the remedies available to federal employees who face retaliation for blowing the whistle to Congress and broadens the scope of protections to cover former employees, contractors, and job applicants.
Notably, the bill allows for federal employees to seek relief in federal court, a right long-denied to federal employees which whistleblower advocates have been calling for for decades.
Under the law, covered individuals who face retaliation (such as termination) for disclosing or attempting to disclose information to Congress, are able to file an administrative complaint seeking relief. If, after 180 days of filing an administrative claim no final decision has been granted, the whistleblower may then pursue the case in federal court.
In many cases, administrative proceedings in whistleblower retaliation cases can stretch on for years, compounding harm to whistleblowers who face retaliation.
The Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act is cosponsored by Senators Mazi Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The passage of the Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act is one of the major campaigns of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC).
