Trump administration proposes NDAs for federal employees to stop media
leaks
[May 27, 2026]
By GARY FIELDS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration wants all current and future
federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, part of a
continuing crackdown on leaks to the media.
A proposed notice, announced Tuesday on the Office of Personnel
Management website, is expected to be officially published in the
Federal Register on Wednesday, seeking comment on a draft NDA to be used
by federal agencies for “both new and existing employees."
"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 notice said.
The proposed notice seeks comment on several questions, including
whether the NDA should cover only unclassified information and what
appropriate actions, if any, agencies should consider for new or current
employees who choose not to sign the agreement.
The OPM noted “several recent instances” where internal agency
communications related to rulemaking and policy development were
disclosed without authorization. It also discussed specific instances in
which federal employees at the FBI and the Department of Homeland
Security disclosed information about planned immigration enforcement
actions without authorization.
In one case, The New York Times and The Washington Post received
unauthorized information on the U.S. raid on Venezuela this past January
and delayed “publishing what they knew to avoid endangering U.S.
troops,” the OPM request for comment said.
A Washington Post spokesperson declined to comment.
Charles Stadtlander, executive director of Media Relations and
Communications for the Times, said in an email that the paper had
extensive reporting on operations targeting Venezuela and preparations
for land-based military operations. “Contrary to some claims, however,
The Times did not have verified details about the pending operation to
capture Maduro or a story prepared, nor did we withhold publication at
the request of the Trump administration.”
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President Donald Trump, left, and Kevin Warsh arrive at a
swearing-in ceremony for Warsh as Chairman of the Federal Reserve in
the East Room of the White House, Friday, May 22, 2026, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Ferreting out leaks that the administration deems harmful to its
messaging has been a priority across multiple agencies since
President Donald Trump returned to the White House. As part of that
crackdown, the FBI in January seized the electronic devices of a
Washington Post reporter, a move that alarmed media organizations
and advocates of press freedom.
One other notable incident occurred last year when dozens of
reporters turned in their access badges at the Pentagon, rejecting
new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would leave
journalists vulnerable to expulsion if they sought to report on
information — classified or otherwise — that had not been approved
by Hegseth for release.
Michael L. Vogelsang Jr., an attorney at the Employment Law Group,
said he has questions, among them: “What gap is an NDA supposed to
fill that doesn’t already exist?”
He noted that statutes already exist regarding the leaking of
classified and sensitive information. There’s also a law passed by
Congress, he noted, that prohibits employers from implementing or
enforcing an NDA.
He said: "So Congress has already said NDAs are a no-go. So how can
OPM make a regulation that violates the law?”
The American Federation of Government Employees National President
Everett Kelley said in a statement that OPM’s proposed rule is part
of a continuing effort to silence federal employees.
“This proposed NDA is another attempt by the administration to purge
the civil service of nonpartisan career employees and replace them
with loyalists who won’t speak out against waste, fraud, and abuse,"
Kelley said.
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