September 14, 2026
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National Taxpayers Union urges all representatives to vote “YES” on H.R. 4646, the Whistleblower Protection Act authored by Rep. De La Cruz (R-TX), H.R. 10167, the Common Cents Act authored by Rep. McClain, and S. 766, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, authored by Sen. Ernst (R-IA). These bills represent commonsense steps toward greater accountability for taxpayer dollars. Whether uncovering waste through whistleblowers, finding efficiencies, or shining a light on costly and delayed federal projects, Congress should have the tools to identify government failures, demand answers, and protect taxpayers from waste, fraud, and abuse.
As our country’s debt grows at an unsustainable rate, Congress must work to identify and cut wasteful spending. With annual deficits approaching $2 trillion and the national debt topping $40 trillion, restoring fiscal sustainability should be a top priority for Congress.
Thankfully, Congresswoman De La Cruz’s Whistleblower Protection Act would strengthen accountability for taxpayer-funded programs by ensuring whistleblower protections apply to contracts, grants, and other agreements funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It closes a loophole in current law that failed to give protections to contract employees with contracts dating back to 2013, leaving them vulnerable to retaliation after reporting waste, fraud, or abuse within federal agencies. With billions of taxpayer dollars flowing through federal contracts, employees deserve clear, enforceable protections when they speak up to safeguard the integrity of public funds. Whistleblowers can serve as an important check against waste and abuse, helping Congress and federal agencies identify problems before they become even more costly to taxpayers.
Further, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act would require the Office of Management and Budget to identify and report annually on taxpayer-funded projects that are more than five years behind schedule or at least $1 billion over their original cost estimates. This kind of transparency and straightforward reporting is essential for both lawmakers and taxpayers to figure out what federal projects are working and what projects are not. This bill has previously been included on NTU’s “No-Brainers” list because it bridges the partisan divide for the betterment of taxpayers.
Finally, the Common Cents Act would reduce wasteful government spending by directing the Department of the Treasury to stop producing the penny and requiring that cash transactions be rounded up or down to the nearest five cents. By discontinuing a coin that costs more to manufacture than its face value, this legislation is an emphatic win for taxpayers.
Taxpayers deserve to have their hard-earned dollars spent efficiently and effectively. A project or federal policy that is billions of dollars over budget or years behind schedule should not disappear into the federal bureaucracy without scrutiny. These bills represent commonsense steps toward greater accountability for taxpayer dollars.
Roll call votes on H.R. 4646, H.R. 10167, and S. 766 will be included in NTU’s annual rating of Congress and “YES” votes will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU’s Vice President of Federal Affairs Thomas Aiello at Taiello@ntu.org
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