WASHINGTON — Federal workers across the country could soon be required to sign non-disclosure agreements under a new proposal from the Trump administration aimed at preventing unauthorized information from reaching the press.
The Office of Personnel Management published a request for public feedback Tuesday in the Federal Register regarding a draft agreement that would apply to both current federal workers and new hires.
According to the notice, the agreement would serve 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.”
Officials cited multiple recent cases where internal government communications about policy decisions and rule development were shared without permission. The agency specifically mentioned unauthorized disclosures by workers at the FBI and Department of Homeland Security regarding planned immigration operations.
The request highlighted one incident where the New York Times and Washington Post obtained advance knowledge of a U.S. operation in Venezuela last January and chose to postpone “publishing what they knew to avoid endangering U.S. troops.”
Neither newspaper responded immediately to requests for comment.
Stopping unauthorized disclosures that the administration considers damaging to its communications strategy has become a key focus across government agencies since President Donald Trump’s return to office. As part of these efforts, federal investigators in January confiscated electronic equipment belonging to a Washington Post journalist, drawing criticism from news organizations and press freedom advocates.
Another significant confrontation happened last year when numerous reporters surrendered their Pentagon press credentials rather than accept new restrictions from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that could result in their removal for attempting to report on any information — whether classified or not — that Hegseth had not personally authorized for publication.
The American Federation of Government Employees has not yet provided a response to the proposal.
