In Their Own Words… GAO’s Report On “Protections For Whistleblowers and Others: Selected Agency Actions Regarding Reports of Potential Wrongdoing”

Posted March 11, 2026

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team

On March 4, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report titled “Protections For Whistleblowers and Others: Selected Agency Actions Regarding Reports of Potential Wrongdoing.” The report touted whistleblower reward programs and described how federal agencies encourage and protect whistleblowers.[1] Here are some highlights from the report:

- “Enforcement work by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), using information from the public, has resulted in billions of dollars in collections returned to the U.S. Treasury since 2019.”

- “SEC officials told us that disclosures from company insiders can direct SEC to useful documents or explain how practices work. The time and resource savings allow SEC to more efficiently conduct investigations.”

- “IRS officials told us that whistleblower information is essential for promoting fairness, accountability, collecting funds from noncompliant taxpayers, and key in identifying fraud, as well as cross-border and emerging scams and schemes. They said that disclosures may reveal the existence of funds for collections that would be unknown to IRS otherwise. Similarly, disclosures provide information on schemes that were previously unknown to IRS, and which can extend beyond U.S. borders.”

- “Officials from both SEC and IRS told us that they believe the incentives and identity protections provided by award programs strengthen voluntary compliance and deterrence in the areas they regulate. For instance, IRS officials told us that these programs increase the voluntary compliance of taxpayers. They explained that compliance is taken more seriously when the possibility of a disclosure of noncompliance exists. Similarly, SEC officials told us they believe that cultural change toward increased compliance is created when businesses know someone may be willing to offer or provide information. This, in turn, creates accountability and serves as a check on the business.”[2]

Constantine Cannon partner Dan Vitelli commented: “These statements from agency officials aptly capture the many benefits of robust whistleblower programs, and they reiterate the government’s desire for whistleblowers to come forward and report information about fraud or other misconduct.”

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