Trump administration proposes broad nondisclosure rules for federal employees amid leak concerns

The Trump administration is advancing a new policy that would require federal employees across the United States government to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), significantly expanding restrictions on what workers can share publicly. According to a draft notice from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the proposed rule would prohibit employees from disclosing a wide range of non-public information, including confidential, proprietary, sensitive, and pre-decisional or deliberative materials. This would extend far beyond existing rules that typically cover classified information, potentially affecting millions of federal workers. The administration justified the proposal by citing recent high-profile leaks, including alleged unauthorized disclosures to major news outlets about a U.S. military raid involving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Officials argued that such leaks could endanger U.S. service members and disrupt operational security. The draft rule would expand NDA-style restrictions already used in agencies like the Pentagon to the entire federal workforce. Critics argue the move could have far-reaching consequences for transparency and accountability in government. Legal experts and commentators warn that broad NDAs applied to federal employees may violate constitutional protections and could be used to discourage whistleblowers from exposing misconduct or inefficiency within federal agencies. Similar NDA practices used during Trump’s first term have previously faced legal scrutiny, including disputes involving former White House staff. The proposed rule will be published for a 30-day public comment period before any final decision is made, allowing the public and stakeholders to weigh in on its implications for government transparency and free speech within the federal workforce.