WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats grappling with President Donald Trump’s sweeping actions targeting federal agencies on Monday launched an online portal for whistleblowers.
They wrote a public letter to civil service employees and other public servants informing them of the portal for reporting wrongdoing, abuses of power and threats to public safety.
The portal asks for name, organization, email and nature of complaint, including retaliation, wasteful spending, fraud and criminal activity.
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“Whistleblowers are essential in helping uncover fraud and abuse in the federal government. If you have information you want to share about wrongdoing, abuse of power, and threats to public safety, we stand ready to support you in your pursuit of truth and justice,” read the letter from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has initiated changes that critics say exceed his executive authority, seeking to restrict birthright citizenship, withholding funding appropriated by Congress and removing heads of independent federal agencies.
The moves have prompted dozens of lawsuits challenging actions including his hardline steps on immigration, federal workforce protections and the legal status of the Department of Government Efficiency, an entity created by Trump and led by billionaire Elon Musk, dedicated to slashing U.S. government spending.
With Trump’s fellow Republicans controlling both the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats in Congress have limited options available to challenge the new president.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
