WASHINGTON, D.C., NOVEMBER 18, 2025 – In response to reporting that the Trump Administration is preparing to strip tens of thousands of senior career federal employees of long-standing whistleblower protections, Whistleblower Aid Chief Legal Counsel Andrew Bakaj released the following statement:

“This is not accountability, this is retaliation masquerading as reform. First President Trump attacked the Inspectors General, then he attacked the Office of Special Counsel and the U.S. Merit System Protections Board, and now, his final, lethal blow is to attack whistleblowers head on. This incoming Trump rule clears the path for government agencies to legally retaliate against employees who expose wrongdoing, shattering long-standing whistleblower protections. By gutting these vital protections, this administration is making good on its determination to silence dissent in all forms, creating a culture of fear, silence, and intimidation.

This is the shot across the bow at every American who believes in our democracy – but these flagrant violations of our rule of law will do nothing to deter us, or our clients, from holding the powerful to account. If anything, this is a clarion call for our country, and only makes our work all the more urgent.”