H.R. 5578 · 119th Congress · Government operations and politics
Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2026
How the House voted
Yea from the left, nay from the right, each side by party
House · Jul 20, 2026
Passed by voice vote.
Passed the House on July 20, 2026.
Latest action: Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 465
- IntroducedSep 26, 2025
- CommitteeSep 26, 2025
- Passed HouseJul 20, 2026
- Passed Senate
- Became law
On the record
- Cosponsors
- 1
- all Republican
- House committees
- Oversight and Government ReformArmed Services
- Lobbying
- None read
- No filing read so far names H.R. 5578
What it does
This bill broadens the two federal laws that shield contractor whistleblowers from retaliation, one covering Defense Department and NASA contracts and one covering other federal contracts.
This bill broadens the two federal laws that shield contractor whistleblowers from retaliation, one covering Defense Department and NASA contracts and one covering other federal contracts. It replaces the protected class of "employee" with a wider "protected individual" that covers contractors, subcontractors, grantees, subgrantees, their current and former employees, personal services contractors, and state, tribal, and territorial governments holding such contracts. It adds a new protected act, refusing to obey an order that would require violating a law, rule, or regulation tied to a contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant. It bars these rights, remedies, and forum from being waived by any agreement, including a predispute arbitration agreement. It also states that executive branch officials have no authority to request a reprisal and authorizes proposing disciplinary action against an official who makes such a request.
Each stop is a step the bill’s own record states, with the date it happened. A ring is a step not yet taken. A bill becomes law when the President signs it or Congress overrides a veto.
No organization named this measure in a lobbying filing we could read with confidence. That is not a finding that nobody lobbied it. The disclosure form takes a free text description of the issue, and a reference that could not be pinned to exactly one measure is refused rather than guessed.
From the LD-2 quarterly lobbying filings published at lda.gov by the Senate Office of Public Records. Read for 2025 Q1, 2025 Q2, 2025 Q3, 2025 Q4, 2026 Q1, 2026 Q2 and 2026 Q3. Our copy holds 24 fewer filings for 2025 Q1, 39 fewer filings for 2025 Q2, 42 fewer filings for 2025 Q3, 33 fewer filings for 2025 Q4, 28 fewer filings for 2026 Q1, 48 fewer filings for 2026 Q2 and 218 fewer filings for 2026 Q3 than the Senate's register counts, so those quarters are the filings we could read rather than every one filed. 2026 Q4 is still inside its filing window, so that quarter is only the filings posted so far.
Congress.gov bill status and cosponsor records; the House Clerk and Senate roll calls; lobbying reports filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (lda.gov); the plain summary and provisions are read from the bill text, each with its section.