October 24, 2025

The Honorable Rand Paul
Chairman, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
295 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Gary Peters
Ranking Member, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Paul and Ranking Member Peters:

The undersigned organizations in the nonpartisan Make it Safe Coalition write to express appreciation for the Committee’s leadership defending the merit system in the withdrawn nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. Mr. Ingrassia’s confirmation would have forced our groups to warn whistleblowers against seeking help from OSC because of his opposition to their rights. However, we are concerned that the next nominee will be a more camouflaged, sophisticated opponent of whistleblowers. We pledge to work with the Committee to ensure that whatever nominee is confirmed will be a champion of the merit system, rather than an adversary.

Even more significant, Mr. Ingrassia’s nomination should be a wake-up call. It was only the tip of an iceberg for a systematic breakdown of the merit system generally, and the Whistleblower Protection Act in particular. To illustrate, under the proposed Schedule Policy/Career, agencies that currently are the defendants will be the judges and jury of their own alleged whistleblower retaliation. This will deprive many public servants of any independent due process. Federal workers are the only major sector of the labor force who cannot fight whistleblower retaliation in court before a jury. Currently, the Special Counsel and Merit Systems Protection Board members are being treated as at will employees, meaning that administrative due process is increasingly vulnerable to political pressure. Suitability investigations grounded in political loyalty checks now are being imposed on incumbent employees. Sweeping Nondisclosure Agreements enforced by polygraph leaks investigations threaten Senator Grassley’s anti-gag ban in appropriations law or the WPA since FY 1988.

If government downsizes, it is essential that those left behind have the freedom to do their jobs without threats of coercion or retaliation, or further undermining their protections that still exist. However, the merit system breakdown creates the opening for a spoils system that serves politics rather than the public. This administration’s stated goal for policies across the board has been fighting fraud, waste and abuse. There can be no credible doubt that whistleblowers are the best resource in this fight.  As a result, there is no public policy justification to dismantle government whistleblower rights that already are weaker than the private sector.

Aggressive oversight is badly needed and overdue. This Committee has not held an oversight hearing on the Whistleblower Protection Act since 2018. We request that the Committee schedule oversight hearings to examine the credibility and ongoing health of the merit system generally, as well as the Whistleblower Protection Act in particular, with testimony from whistleblowers and stakeholders. Thank you for considering this request.

Respectfully submitted,

Government Accountability Project
Project on Government Oversight (POGO)
National Security Counselors
National Whistleblower Center
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
Whistleblowers of America (WOA)