Trump seeks NDAs for federal workers to curb leaks

Trump seeks – The Trump administration is pushing mandatory nondisclosure agreements for federal employees, aiming to stop “unauthorized” leaks to the press. A draft notice points to prior disclosures involving Nicolas Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, and warns that leaked in

For months, leaks have fed a familiar fight between the White House and the press. Now, the Trump administration is weighing a new tool aimed at breaking that cycle: mandatory nondisclosure agreements for federal employees.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the administration is seeking a requirement that all federal employees sign NDAs to stop the flow of information from multiple agencies to the public. The paper cited a draft notice that lays out the administration’s pitch—treat nondisclosure agreements as a way to halt “all non-public. confidential. or proprietary information” leaking from government bodies.

The draft notice. from the Office of Personnel Management. ties the push to specific disclosures. including “unauthorized disclosure” of information to The New York Times and Washington Post about Nicolas Maduro’s capture in Venezuela earlier this year. The notice also points to protecting the identities of agents and troops across the armed forces of several countries.

But one group stands out in the draft: ICE agents. The notice warns that hidden identities have been leaked to the public more as Trump used ICE to enforce his immigration policies in U.S. cities.

“These leaks put the lives of members of the armed forces at risk. leading news organizations to delay ‘publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops. ’” the draft read. It also cited a separate disclosure involving ICE personnel this year. saying the personal information of approximately 4. 500 ICE employees—including nearly 2. 000 employees working in frontline enforcement—was disclosed by a Federal employee. The draft lists what was exposed: names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and job titles. It adds that the leak jeopardized the safety of the agents.

Under the draft notice, agencies would have a 30-day review period to decide whether or not to adopt the NDA.

The NDA push lands as the administration continues its broader campaign against media scrutiny. Weeks ago, Trump urged the Department of War to subpoena journalists’ records tied to Iran war leaks. The Wall Street Journal reported that it received grand jury subpoenas dated March 4 for records belonging to its reporters. and that the request was linked to a Feb. 23 article titled “Pentagon Flags Risks of a Major Operation Against Iran.”.

Ashok Sinha. the chief communications officer of Dow Jones. which publishes the Wall Street Journal. said in a statement: “The government’s subpoenas to The Wall Street Journal and our reporters represent an attack on constitutionally protected newsgathering. ” adding. “We will vigorously oppose this effort to stifle and intimidate essential reporting.”.

Taken together. the administration’s proposal for NDAs and its pressure on news organizations follow the same question: who controls sensitive information once it leaves the government. In this draft. the answer is clear—federal employees would face a mandatory gag order to stop what the notice calls unauthorized disclosures. especially when leaked identities could put lives at risk.

Trump administration nondisclosure agreements NDAs Office of Personnel Management federal employees leaks to the press ICE agents Nicolas Maduro capture Washington Post The New York Times Wall Street Journal grand jury subpoenas