With watchdogs purged and the GOP obediently falling in line with Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda during his first three weeks in office, Senate Democrats are turning to a different strategy: whistleblowers.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters launched a new online portal Monday for individuals to report wrongdoing, abuses of power, and threats to public safety.
Trump and his co-President Elon Musk’s bold and illegal plays for power inspired the move, according to the Democratic senators.
“In the first three weeks of his administration, President Trump has shown a blatant disregard for the rule of law and a callousness for the American people,” said Schumer and Peters in a joint statement. “From the DOGE takeover of the Treasury Department to the federal funding freezethis Administration has wreaked havoc on programs that American families, seniors, students, veterans, and others have come to depend upon.”
The senators also included a letter written to future whistleblowers and a list of resources, including a legal overview of the Whistleblowers Protection Actthe Office of the Whistleblowers Ombudsand the National Whistleblower Center.
The straightforward website gives whistleblowers one page to fill out. The form includes multiple options for the “nature of [the] complaint,” including “retaliation,” “wasteful spending,” “fraud,” “criminal activity,” or “other.”
The Democratic lawmakers also vowed to hold hearings and inquiries should any submitted complaints warrant them.
“Through oversight requests, hearings, and inquiries, our caucus is determined to hold accountable those who have engaged in lawless actions that undermine our democracy, and the courageous disclosures of whistleblowers will be invaluable to that mission,” Schumer and Peters said. “As Senate Republicans refuse to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide a check on the Executive Branch, Senate Democrats remain steadfast in our commitment to uncovering the truth. We are prepared to issue demand letters, preserve public records, conduct public hearings, and pursue legal action where necessary.”
According to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, this is part of a “three-pronged counteroffensive” strategy Democrats have laid out in the past month when describing how they’ll push back against the Trump administration. The plan, Jeffries says, includes “appropriations,” “litigation,” and “communications.” In a swift response to Trump’s chaotic federal funding freeze, Jeffries also proposed a 10-point plan detailing how Democrats will protect Americans’ social security privacy, defend Medicare and other essential government programs, and highlight how Republicans are raising the cost of living.
This comes as Trump and Musk have been gutting government watchdogs while shaping the federal government to their corrupt liking.
Trump fired 17 inspectors general on Jan. 27 who were tasked with holding government officials and agencies accountable by looking into waste, fraud, and corruption. This defied a law that requires presidents to provide Congress with a letter 30 days in advance with “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for the firings.
As Daily Kos reportedRepublicans helped set the stage for a president who plans to govern with little oversight and “unfettered authority.” Then-Attorney General Edwin Meese, who served under the Ronald Reagan administration, devised the “unitary executive theory.” This argues that the Constitution gives the president authority over the entire executive branch, including the power to fire federal employees. Many of the GOP’s White House cronies adhered to this under presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and during Trump’s first term.
But this move by Senate Democrats signals a tactical shift.
They are using transparency and public accountability to counterbalance the wrecking ball Trump and Musk are taking to the federal government, legality be damned. By encouraging whistleblowers to come forward and promising rigorous oversight, Schumer and Peters are, at least, laying the groundwork for a resistance rooted in exposure.
With the Republican-controlled Congress unwilling to check Trump’s power, Democrats are showing they trust that sunlight will be the best disinfectant.
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