Protecting American Taxpayers Act

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, Iowans are fed up with their taxpayers' dollars being lost every year to waste, fraud, and abuse. As a watchdog for those taxpayers, I have helped lead the charge to stop brazen criminals from stealing Americans' hard-earned dollars. So that is why I am proud to be a cosponsor of my colleague from Iowa Senator Ernst's bill. That bill is entitled the ``Protecting American Taxpayers Act.'' I thank Senator Ernst so much for her hard work putting this piece of legislation together, and I also thank her for her hard work chairing the Small Business Committee of the Senate. Now to the purpose of this legislation: According to the Government Accountability Office--GAO for short--the Federal Government loses annually anywhere between $233 billion to $521 billion to fraud. This comprehensive legislation cracks down on the fraudsters, protects the taxpayers' dollars, and curbs wasteful spending. The bill includes 16 bipartisan initiatives. And I think when you talk about 16 bipartisan initiatives, that ought to tell some of our constituents that think Republicans never talk to Democrats and vice versa that that is the wrong information permeating our great country. So the 16 bipartisan initiatives, 1 of them is my bill that I entitled ``Expanding Whistleblower Protection for Contractors Act,'' which then expands whistleblower protections for government contractors and grantees--just like we give whistleblower protection to people that are employees of the Federal Government. It is obvious we need all eyes and ears within the Federal bureaucracy to stay wide open and remove the muzzle that Federal Agencies use to intimidate patriotic whistleblowers from reporting wrongdoing. The bill that I am sponsoring--1 of these 16 bipartisan initiatives-- is in there to solve that problem. The U.S. Treasury is not a piggy bank for fraudsters to exploit and drain public assistance programs for their own profit. This anti-fraud package will stop fraud and return money to the taxpayers. Thanks again to Senator Ernst. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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