[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.
____________________