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The longest government shutdown in U.S. history began October 1, 2025, lasting 43 days – but federal government agency whistleblower programs, whistleblower reporting and accountability oversight controls continue to feel the impact.
Several crucial elements collectively contribute to the operations of a well-run and effective whistleblower program, including:
- Funding
- Staffing and resources
- Whistleblowers
- Trust and transparency in the system
- Consistent and fair accountability
When any one of those elements is missing or unbalanced, disruptions to whistleblower programs result, no matter whether that whistleblower program is run by a private-sector organization or a public-sector federal government agency.
How shutdowns disrupt whistleblower programs
When a government shutdown occurs, the tangible impact for whistleblowers is longer wait times to have their reports addressed or investigated. If proper oversight and accountability controls are not in place – or are lacking – compromised whistleblower protections are another potential result.
A government shutdown does not just have bureaucratic consequences. In worst-case scenarios, a shutdown could significantly increase health and safety risks. For example, during a shutdown, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is forced to triage whistleblower reports, addressing only matters that pose an "imminent threat" to human life or the protection of property. Non-emergency investigations are suspended during a government shutdown, according to the Department of Labor's contingency plan.
Compromised accountability and checks-and-balances
When the necessary funding, staffing, or resources of critical whistleblower oversight agencies are intentionally withheld, the impact can be further reaching and longer lasting. For example, in October 2025, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defunded the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) by withholding appropriated funds. In November 2025, the OMB reversed its decision, apportioning approximately $4.3 million to CIGIE so that it can operate through January 30, 2026.
Since 2008, CIGIE has served as the umbrella organization for all 72 federal Offices of Inspector General (OIG). CIGIE's Oversight.gov website serves as a central clearinghouse for the independently managed websites of 28 of these OIGs, each of which maintain whistleblower hotlines and other resources for the public to report suspected government misconduct. Oversight.gov is where OIG hotlines and reports are housed.
Among the OIGs that CIGIE's Oversight.gov platform hosts include the Department of Justice, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Interior, the Department of Energy, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and many more. Without access to funding, the whistleblower portals of these OIGs become shuttered, preventing whistleblowers from reporting potential allegations of suspected government waste, fraud, or abuse.
Delayed reporting and investigations
Aside from funding, a well-functioning whistleblower program requires proper staffing and resources. The Inspector General Act of 1978, whose purpose is to prevent corruption at the Executive Branch level and instill a system of checks-and-balances, authorizes inspectors general (IGs) to investigate and report on a wide variety of matters, including:
- Allegations of whistleblower retaliation;
- Waste, fraud, and abuse, including abuse of authority;
- Violations of laws, rules, regulations, and other forms of misconduct; or
- Matters that pose a danger to public health and safety.
According to CIGIE's 2024 annual report, in fiscal year 2024, IGs issued 2,042 audit, inspection and evaluation reports and conducted investigations that resulted in 3,675 criminal prosecutions and 1,015 civil actions. These findings highlight the critical oversight role IGs play to maintain a fair system of checks-and-balances and ensure accountability at the Executive Branch level.
Since January 2025, President Donald Trump has terminated 19 IGs. Many of these openings remain vacant. Because of the critical government watchdog role that IGs play, the potential results of these vacancies on whistleblower programs and whistleblower reporting are reduced independent oversight, weakened checks-and-balances in the audit and investigation process of whistleblower reports, and a higher risk of whistleblower retaliation allegations.
Increased risk of retaliation
In February 2025, the head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) was terminated. As an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency, the primary mission of the OSC is to "safeguard the merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), especially reprisal for whistleblowing."
The OSC also investigates and prosecutes violations relating to 14 PPPs, including whistleblower retaliation and cases where non-disclosure agreements prohibit whistleblowing.
The agency has authority "to seek corrective action to make a whistleblower whole and to initiate disciplinary action against civilian government officials who commit PPPs," according to an OSC report describing its whistleblower protection role.
Additionally, the OSC operates a secure channel where current or former federal employees, and applicants for federal employment, may disclose wrongdoing. These reports are handled within the federal government's executive branch.
The OSC's Disclosure Unit is tasked with investigating six types of disclosures:
- Violations of a law, rule, or regulation
- Gross mismanagement
- Gross waste of funds
- Abuse of authority
- A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, and/or
- Censorship related to research, analysis, or technical information
The OSC also enforces the Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, whose purpose is to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion; to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace; and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit, not political affiliation.
As with IGs, the head of the OSC plays a critical government oversight role. When this position is left vacant, the potential results on whistleblower reporting include compromised independent oversight, weakened checks-and-balances in the audit and investigation process, and whistleblower protections and retaliation allegations not receiving the oversight and attention they deserve.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
