Senate Democrats Open Second DOGE Whistleblower Portal
“The President is not a king, and we will make sure he is held accountable,” Sen. Jeff Merkley said in the announcement.
Pool/Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images
Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley has opened a whistleblower portal for government and non-government workers to report waste, fraud, and abuse.
The move, first reported by Axios on Friday, comes amid the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) widespread cuts to federal agencies and congressionally authorized departments, which have spurred many legal challenges.
Merkley is the ranking member of the Senate’s budget committee, whose chairman is Republican Lindsey Graham. In addition to the Senate, Republicans hold a majority in the House, so any investigations into DOGE and the Trump administration would require some GOP support, which is unlikely.
In a statement, Merkley noted that many of the Trump administration’s actions cutting the federal government weren’t approved by Congress and, he argued, were illegal.
“Since President Trump took office, the Administration has made several consequential decisions to radically change the federal government, including canceling programs, suspending grants, clawing back money, reorganizing departments, and firing federal employees,” the Oregon senator said.
“Many of these actions have occurred without Congress’s approval and in direct violation of the law and the Constitution,” Merkley continued. “The President is not a king, and we will make sure he is held accountable.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Gary Peters launched a similar whistleblower portal last month.
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“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,” they said then. “We are prepared to issue demand letters, preserve public records and pursue legal action where necessary.”
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