Trump administration weighs NDAs for federal employees to prevent press leaks

• Leaks could bring legal, financial penalties.
• Former staff face lifelong media restrictions.
• Whistleblower protections remain in place.
• Move seen as part of broader media crackdown.

In its latest effort to exert tighter control over US government workers and the flow of public information, the Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a mandate asking federal employees to sign strict non-disclosure agreements designed to halt the sharing of confidential information with journalists.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which serves as the human resources department for the federal government, released the draft NDA for agencies to implement with both new and existing personnel.

While the OPM did not immediately provide a detailed explanation of the roll-out, the draft outlines sweeping authority to legally pursue current and former workers.

Clamping down on leaks

According to the administration, the proposal is aimed at preserving internal administrative integrity and stopping unauthorized disclosures from undermining federal departments.

"This move is rooted in concerns that unauthorized disclosures of sensitive government information are disrupting agency operations and eroding trust across government." said OPM Spokesperson McLaurine Pinover, in an email to Reuters.

Under the terms of the draft agreement, the administration reserves the right to pursue both civil and criminal penalties against any employee who violates the contract.

Furthermore, the text specifies a strict financial clawback mechanism: the US government would be legally entitled to all "royalties" that an employee receives as a result of disclosing information in violation of the NDA.

The restrictions also extend indefinitely past an employee's tenure.

Former government workers would be required to secure explicit "written permission from an authorized agency official" before speaking to journalists about any information the Trump administration deems "confidential," leaving them subject to the same civil and criminal liabilities if they fail to do so.

Whistleblower exemptions

The draft agreement does carve out specific exemptions to comply with standing federal law, which strictly prohibits the government from retaliating against federal workers who report internal wrongdoing.

The OPM draft notes that the NDA will not apply to protected disclosures regarding fraud, abuse, or misconduct when reported to Congress and internal government watchdogs.

Escalation of media tensions

The proposal lands amid an aggressive, multi-front campaign waged by US President Trump against news outlets and media figures since taking office for his second term.

Trump has frequently dismissed critical coverage as "fake news," launched personal attacks against journalists, and filed high-profile lawsuits against media organizations.

The proposed employee NDAs follow previous restrictive press actions taken by the current administration, which include barring the Associated Press from the White House press pool and tightening restrictions on reporters covering the Pentagon.