On September 23, Politico reported that Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) moved to fast-track the AI Whistleblower Protection Act (AIWPA) in the Senate. The AIWPA would give employees at AI companies protection against retaliation for reporting threats and legal violations posed by AI development internally or directly to the government. Senator Grassley originally introduced the bipartisan AIWPA in May of 2025, together with cosponsors Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Brian Schatz (D-HI).
Grassley is moving to pass the bill by unanimous consent. Through this method, non-controversial bills can pass the branch without ever reaching the Senate floor, but only with the consent of all 100 Senators. If a senator indicates opposition privately, Grassley may still go to the Senate floor and try to pass the bill, forcing the opposed senator to publicly defend their position and their reason for blocking the measure.
Senator Grassley’s effort comes after current and former employees at AI companies have spoken out about the dangers of unchecked AI tools and the accelerated development and deployment of AI models. Adding to the urgency is the approaching November midterm elections which will have senators returning to their home states to campaign, making it critical to secure Senate passage of the bill now.
The nonprofit National Whistleblower Center has voiced strong support for the bill. Last week, NWC launched a campaign last week, to mobilize signatures on a petition urging Congress to pass the bill immediately.
“Senator Grassley has been a leader on whistleblower issues for decades,” said Stephen M. Kohn, Chairman of the Board of the National Whistleblower Center. “We’re glad to see momentum on a current, critical whistleblower issue: ensuring AI employees can safely warn the public of threats that would be invisible otherwise.”
