Grassley Backs Ernst’s Protecting American Taxpayers Act

Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore “ Protecting American Taxpayers Act ” Thursday, July 23, 2026 VIDEO Iowans are fed up with their [tax] dollars being lost every year to waste, fraud and abuse. As a watchdog for those taxpayers, I’ve helped lead the charge to stop brazen criminals from stealing Americans’ hard-earned dollars. So, that’s why I’m proud to be a cosponsor of my colleague from Iowa, Senator Ernst’s, bill. That bill is entitled Protecting American Taxpayers Act. I thank Senator Ernst so much for her hard work, putting this piece of legislation together. And I also thank her for her hard work chairing the Small Business Committee of the Senate. Now to the purpose of this legislation. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal government loses annually anywhere between $233 billion to $521 [billion] to fraud. This comprehensive legislation cracks down on the fraudsters, protects the taxpayers’ dollars and curbs wasteful spending. The bill includes 16 bipartisan initiatives. And I think, when you talk about 16 bipartisan initiatives, that ought to tell some of our constituents that think Republicans never talk to Democrats and vice versa that that’s the wrong information permeating our great country. So, [of] these 16 bipartisan initiatives, one of them is my bill that I entitled Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act, which then expands whistleblower protections for government contractors and grantees, just like we give whistleblower protection to people that are employees of the federal government. It’s obvious we need all eyes and ears within the federal bureaucracy to stay wide open and remove the muzzle that federal agencies use to intimidate patriotic whistleblowers from reporting wrongdoing. The bill that I’m sponsoring, one of these 16 bipartisan initiatives, is in there to solve that problem. The U.S. Treasury is not a piggy bank for fraudsters to exploit and drain public assistance programs for their own profit. This anti-fraud package will stop fraud and return money to the taxpayers. Thanks again to Senator Ernst. -30-