{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vindman.house.gov/2026/09/04/vindman-introduces-legislation-to-strengthen-protections-for-federal-whistleblowers/", "Vindman\u00a0Introduces Legislation to\u00a0Strengthen Protections for Federal Whistleblowers", "2026-09-04", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Eugene Simon Vindman", "V000138", "vindman.house.gov", "vindman", "https://vindman.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressmen Eugene Vindman (Va.-07) and Suhas Subramanyam (Va.-10) introduced the Federal Worker Protection Act, legislation that would provide federal whistleblowers stronger and clearer protections against intimidation or retaliation related to protected disclosures.\n\nThe legislation is introduced in direct response to the Office of Personnel Management\u2019s (OPM) proposed nondisclosure agreement (NDA) for federal workers, which could have a serious chilling effect on lawful whistleblowing.\n\n\u201cFederal workers should never have to choose between doing their jobs and speaking up when they see something wrong. Last fall, I hosted a town hall for federal employees, where I heard directly from them about the fear and pressure they were facing,\u201d said Vindman. \u201cThese are people who have dedicated their careers to serving our country and our communities. This legislation makes clear that public servants who speak up will not face politically motivated retaliation. I will always take action to root out corruption and protect federal workers.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow more than ever, public servants\u2014like the recent USPS whistleblower\u2014must feel safe stepping forward to expose corruption, fraud, and abuse,\u201d said Subramanyam. \u201cThis administration\u2019s attempt for blanket NDAs creates a chilling effect, which is the last thing we need right now with this corrupt administration. This bill guarantees federal employees clearly understand their rights and gives them real legal recourse if an NDA is unlawfully used to silence them.\u201d\n\nThe Federal Worker Protection Act has been endorsed by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).\n\n\u201cIFPTE fully endorses the Federal Worker Protection Act and applauds Congressman Vindman for sponsoring this bill. This bill is urgently needed to counter the Trump Administration\u2019s proposed rulemaking to require federal employees to sign nondisclosure agreements, as well as other Administration efforts to undermine protected whistleblower channels that Congress has already established. Federal workers take an oath to defend our Constitution, faithfully uphold the duties of their office, and serve the American people, and this bill recognizes that safeguarding and enhancing federal worker whistleblower protections improves government accountability and protects the public,\u201d said IFPTE President and VA.-07 resident Matt Biggs.\n\n\u201cFederal employees take an oath to the Constitution, not to silence,\u201d said NARFE National President William Shackelford. \u201cWhen an agency hands a career civil servant a nondisclosure agreement with a vague scope and the implicit threat of removal behind it, the practical effect is that lawful disclosures are never made. The Federal Workers Protection Act puts the protections in writing, in plain language, and gives employees a real path to court when they are threatened for doing the right thing.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) supports the Federal Worker Protection Act, which aims to prevent abuse of NDA authority by government officials to threaten and coerce employees from reporting fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and political overreach and corruption. This administration plans to use NDAs to cover up its rampant corruption by threatening termination of career civil servants who report wrongdoing. There has never been a time in our country\u2019s history where we need this legislation more, and we thank Rep. Vindman for his leadership on an issue he knows all too well,\u201d said a spokesperson at National Federation of Federal Employees.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nOPM published its proposed NDA for public comment in May 2026. While the administration has asserted that the NDA is consistent with existing federal whistleblower protections, a nominally compliant NDA can still discourage employees from reporting waste, fraud, abuse, or violations of law through protected channels. Ambiguous language, fear of investigation, and the potential threat of enforcement can deter federal employees from making disclosures that are otherwise protected under federal law.\n\nIn a separate draft rule proposed last year, OPM also suggested that failure to sign an NDA could result in termination or debarment from future employment within the federal government.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-09T09:27:09Z", "2026-09-09T09:29:04Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vindman.house.gov/2026/09/04/vindman-introduces-legislation-to-strengthen-protections-for-federal-whistleblowers/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0803132317960262, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}