Trump Administration Considering NDAs for Federal Workers to Curb Leaks
The Trump administration is proposing a new government-wide nondisclosure agreement for all federal workers to prevent leaks to journalists. The Office of Personnel Management said in a Federal Register notice that it is seeking public comment on a draft NDA that federal agencies could use for both new and current employees.
The form is designed to document that workers acknowledge their duty to protect “confidential government information” obtained through their jobs, according to the notice. The proposal would not automatically require every agency to adopt the form. Agencies would have discretion over whether to use it, but the template would give them a standardized tool to require employees to sign confidentiality pledges.
The notice says that the “form is intended to document Federal employees’ acknowledgment of, and agreement to comply with, current legal obligations to safeguard non-public, confidential, or proprietary information, created or obtained through their official duties, while expressly preserving the right to make disclosures authorized by law.
The draft comes as the Trump administration has intensified efforts to control unauthorized disclosures across the federal government. The proposal says it follows “several recent” leaks from agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
The agreement could expose workers to civil or criminal penalties for violations. The draft also says former employees may need written permission before discussing confidential information obtained through government work and could be forced to forfeit royalties connected to unauthorized disclosures.
The OPM says the NDA would not override lawful whistleblower protections. The draft notice states that the agreement is intended to protect government information while preserving rights for disclosures protected by federal law.
Federal workers are already bound by laws governing classified information, privacy records, and sensitive agency material. Earlier in Trump’s second term, the administration moved to limit collective bargaining rights at several agencies tied to national security, a policy that unions challenged in court. A federal judge later blocked parts of that effort.
The Pentagon has already pursued its own leak crackdown. The Washington Post reported last year that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s department planned mandatory NDAs and random polygraphs for thousands of Pentagon personnel as part of an effort to stop internal disclosures.
The new OPM proposal would broaden that approach beyond national security offices, potentially affecting civilian agencies. The OPM notice also cited media reports about draft regulations and interagency discussions as examples of the disclosures the administration wants to prevent.
