The notice requested comment on a draft confidentiality agreement used by federal agencies for “new and existing employees.”
Washington—— Trump administration All current and future federal employees are expected to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of an ongoing crackdown on leaks to the media.
The Office of Personnel Management’s notice, published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, requested comment on a draft confidentiality agreement used by federal agencies for “new and existing employees.”
“This form is intended to document that federal employees acknowledge and agree to comply with current legal obligations to protect nonpublic, confidential, or proprietary information created or obtained in connection with their official duties, while expressly reserving their legally authorized rights to disclosure,” the notice states.
The notice solicits comment on several issues, including whether confidentiality agreements should cover only nonconfidential information and what appropriate actions, if any, agencies should consider for new or current employees who choose not to sign the agreement.
OPM pointed to “several recent incidents” in which internal agency communications related to rulemaking and policy development were disclosed without authorization. It also discusses specific instances of unauthorized disclosures of information by federal employees at the FBI and Department of Homeland Security regarding planned immigration enforcement operations.
In one case, the New York Times and the Washington Post received unauthorized information about a U.S. attack on Venezuela in January and delayed “releasing the information they knew to avoid endangering U.S. troops,” OPM’s request for comment said.
A spokesman for The Washington Post declined to comment.
Charles Statlander, executive director of media relations and communications at The Times, said in an email that the newspaper has reported extensively on the operation against Venezuela and preparations for land-based military operations. “However, contrary to some claims, The Times has not verified details or prepared stories about the upcoming operation to capture Maduro, nor have we declined to publish them at the request of the Trump administration.”
Uncovering leaks that the government deems harmful to its information has been a top priority for multiple agencies since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. As part of the crackdown, the FBI in January seized the electronic devices of a Washington Post reporter, a move that alarmed media organizations and press freedom advocates.
Another noteworthy incident occurred Dozens of journalists turned in their passes at the Pentagon last year, rejecting new rules proposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would have made it easy for journalists to be expelled if they tried to report information, classified or otherwise, that had not been approved by Hegseth for release.
Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement that OPM’s proposed rule is part of an ongoing effort to silence federal employees.
“The proposed confidentiality agreement is another attempt by the administration to purge the civil service of non-partisan career employees and replace them with loyalists who will not speak out against waste, fraud and abuse of power,” Kelly said.
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