NEWS: Blunt Rochester, Cantwell, Baldwin, & Wyden Tell DHS Secretary: No Promotion for Coast Guard Officer Who Committed Whistleblower Retaliation

“We urge you to chart a different course than your predecessor at DHS when it comes to protecting whistleblowers and upholding the law.” U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin urging him to stand by his nomination hearing testimony supporting whistleblower protections and demanding that the White House withdraw the promotion of Commander Jesse Millard to become a Captain in the U.S. Coast Guard. “We appreciate your commitment to uphold federal whistleblower protection laws during your nomination hearing to become the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” wrote the Senators . “An independent investigation by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed Commander Millard committed whistleblower retaliation in violation of the Military Whistleblower Protection Act. Given your testimony supporting whistleblower protection laws, we do not believe you would support advancing Commander Millard’s promotion now that you oversee the Coast Guard as the Secretary of DHS.” A 2018 DHS OIG investigation found that Commander Milliard had retaliated against a subordinate for filing a protected whistleblower complaint against him. The investigation’s finding against Millard was one of only 11 whistleblower retaliation complaints validated by DHS OIG out of more than 3,100 it received in six years. The Coast Guard is asking the Senate to promote Millard less than three years after “Operation Fouled Anchor,” which revealed significant failures of Coast Guard leadership to prevent harassment and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. The Coast Guard faced bipartisan, bicameral condemnation for their handling of Operation Fouled Anchor, and Coast Guard leadership has vowed to hold themselves to a higher standard. “Congress recently passed major structural reforms in a bipartisan Coast Guard Reauthorization Act—which you supported,” the Senators wrote to Secretary Mullin. “But there is more work to do to address these challenges and ensure the progress we have made is durable. As DHS Secretary, you must not tolerate backsliding on this important bipartisan work to improve the Coast Guard’s culture.” “We urge you to chart a different course than your predecessor at DHS when it comes to protecting whistleblowers and upholding the law,” they concluded. “Ensuring Commander Millard’s promotion is withdrawn would be a crucial step in that direction.” See the full letter: Secretary Mullin: We appreciate your commitment to uphold federal whistleblower protection laws during your nomination hearing to become the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Consistent with your testimony, we urge you to demand the White House withdraw the pending promotion of Commander Jesse Millard to become a Captain in the U.S. Coast Guard. An independent investigation by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed Commander Millard committed whistleblower retaliation in violation of the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.  Given your testimony supporting whistleblower protection laws, we do not believe you would support advancing Commander Millard’s promotion now that you oversee the Coast Guard as the Secretary of DHS. During your nomination hearing on March 18, 2026, you testified that there are “laws in place to protect whistleblowers and I have said multiple times I will work within the law.”  You also testified that, if faced with allegations of whistleblower retaliation under your leadership, “I’m going to work within the law and that’s [whistleblower retaliation] unlawful.”  We agree, which is why Commander Millard’s promotion is particularly concerning. In 2018, the DHS OIG published a detailed Whistleblower Retaliation Report of Investigation that found Commander Millard retaliated against his subordinate by giving her unusually low performance marks on her 2016 Officer Evaluation Report after she filed a protected whistleblower complaint against him and other Coast Guard leaders.  The DHS OIG specifically documented how Commander Millard knew about the subordinate’s complaint before he gave her low marks and reacted angrily in response. For example, Commander Millard sent himself an email that demanded his subordinate “resigns after apologizing” to him—simply for submitting a protected whistleblower complaint, as is her right under the law.  Between fiscal years 2019 and 2025, the DHS OIG validated only 11 out of more than 3,100 whistleblower retaliation complaints it received. One of those eleven is Commander Millard.  Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen accepted the DHS OIG’s findings and determined that corrective action was warranted. It has been less than three years since the “Operation Fouled Anchor” scandal came to light, which revealed rampant cultural failings, permissibility of harassment and retaliation, and widespread lack of leadership accountability throughout the Coast Guard.  Congress recently passed major structural reforms in a bipartisan Coast Guard Reauthorization Act—which you supported.  But there is more work to do to address these challenges and ensure the progress we have made is durable.  As DHS Secretary, you must not tolerate backsliding on this important bipartisan work to improve the Coast Guard’s culture. The whistleblower who was subjected to this retaliation submitted a letter to the Commerce Committee urging the Senate to reject Commander Millard’s promotion. In that letter, the whistleblower correctly underscored how Commander Millard’s promotion “would perpetuate a pattern of institutional failure that Congress has already rightfully and strongly condemned.”  As someone who voted in support of vital reforms to ensure Coast Guard accountability when you were in the Senate, you no doubt share these concerns. We urge you to chart a different course than your predecessor at DHS when it comes to protecting whistleblowers and upholding the law. Ensuring Commander Millard’s promotion is withdrawn would be a crucial step in that direction. Sincerely, Cc:       Senator John Thune, Majority Leader of the United States Senate Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard