Trump administration proposes NDAs for all federal workers
Source: Washington Post
May 26, 2026 at 10:54 a.m. EDT
The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that bars federal workers from sharing a wide array of confidential government information, according to a draft notice posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
The draft notice, which will be published Wednesday and be open for a 30-day public comment period, uses an expansive definition of privileged information, beyond typical classified and unclassified designations.
The draft blocks employees from sharing non-public, confidential, or proprietary information or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law.. Agencies can decide whether to adopt the NDA, according to the draft.
In the draft notice, OPM cited a number of high-profile leaks, including unauthorized disclosures to the New York Times and The Washington Post about the U.S. raid on Venezuela in January that captured President Nicolás Maduro. It said the leaks put the lives of members of the armed forces at risk, leading news organizations to delay publishing what they knew to avoid endangering U.S. troops.. OPM did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/26/trump-administration-proposes-expansive-ndas-all-federal-workers/
No paywall (gift)
This is one of the most idiotic and unnecessary moves that they have made so far. This is because they refuse to learn about and follow the processes that feds already go through as part of their background checks and security classifications for their positions. I.e., there are already a variety of levels of civilian non-"Top Secret" security classifications that cover what can and cannot be disclosed. I.e., if the info is "confidential" it cannot be disclosed (with the threats of penalties like fines, removal from the position, jail time, etc., that is drilled into feds during annual security training that the 45 people never took).
IOW it's redundant business jargon gobbledygook.
For example this - § 1400.201 Sensitivity level designations and investigative requirements.
pat_k
(13,925 posts)Every criminal enterprise needs a nice motto.
travelingthrulife
(5,625 posts)Jerry2144
(3,325 posts)Is not disclosing info. You sign an NDA when you accept the clearance. And if youre uncleared, you dont get access to classified info.
This is yet another example of their not understanding anything or obfuscating their real intention or both.
bucolic_frolic
(55,927 posts)This is a stone cold NO. Makes a mockery of government for the people. NDA is corporate law, not freedom.
AZLD4Candidate
(6,979 posts)Historic NY
(40,144 posts)RedWhiteBlueIsRacist
(2,283 posts)WTF
UpInArms
(55,428 posts)Hell Fucking NO
this is not a trump parlor game
this is our government and NDAs are not only inappropriate, they should not be legal
BumRushDaShow
(172,599 posts)and employees are already restricted regarding what info they have access to and are exposed to.
I know when I was a federal supervisor, I had access to certain PII for my direct reports that obviously the lower level employees didn't have access to and I was obviously not authorized to disclose any of that to them.
relogic
(274 posts)Their concern for leaks, vetting, security clearances and all the rest is insincere. They appoint a son-in-law to negotiate Middle East policy who is on the take for 2 billion (that we know of). We have in place a NSA and FBI that are infiltrated to the extent that this fascist regime has no credibility or intent to guard against anything undemocratic. Their opposition is predictably an agenda of blatant leaking, unsecured personnel and hyperbolic threats of insecurity-a self-own.
TygrBright
(21,397 posts)Aviation Pro
(15,789 posts)You gormless child fucker.
ToxMarz
(3,082 posts)Maybe even livestream.
FakeNoose
(42,518 posts)They are working for Uncle Sam - the federal government - and not for the Chump family criminal enterprise.
Our taxes pay for their labor, as well as for Chump's labor, so the NDA's are off limits as far as we're concerned.
Blue Full Moon
(3,659 posts)mahina
(20,740 posts)Justice matters.
(10,100 posts)The evidence of that truth is that he never paid of his crimes in 80 years minus 20 days.
YodaMom2
(216 posts)Hes preemptively gagging them.
Wiz Imp
(10,489 posts)Thus this is completely unnecessary. As a former Federal employee and a long-time state government employee who worked on a Federal program with access to millions of confidential state AND federal confidential information, it was drilled into my head that sharing any confidential information could result in my going to jail. It was necessary to sign agreements and go through training every single year.
This is either just a scare tactic or an attempt to define clearly nonconfidential data as confidential.
dlk
(13,354 posts)What else can you expect?
Ford_Prefect
(8,672 posts)Figarosmom
(13,609 posts)The ear guy himself? Something about snapchat?
Scalded Nun
(1,734 posts)COL Mustard
(8,410 posts)We also do an annual NDA that allows us to participate in budget development. I also signed several others when I got high level security indoctrinations.
This is a "rules for thee but none for me" type of scenario.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(137,661 posts)Johonny
(26,657 posts)Or to put it another way, it is to protect non- protected information. IE thr corruption. Government already has classifications and their employees probably understand it better than Trump, who hid top secret information in a motel 6 bathroom.