White House wants employees to sign agreement against leaks to the press

In the United States, the Trump administration is preparing a confidentiality agreement to restrict federal public servants from sharing "sensitive government information."

The White House measure aims to prevent internal leaks to press outlets.

A government document on the proposal states that the so-called "NDA" ("Non-Disclosure Agreement" or "Non-Disclosure Agreement" in literal translation) aims to monitor the commitment of federal employees to "protect non-public, confidential or proprietary information, created or obtained in the exercise of their official functions".

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Under the draft proposal, U.S. federal agencies will have the option to use the confidentiality agreement, which will be subject to a 30-day comment period after publication.

The controversial move is the latest step in the Trump administration's efforts to suppress the release of its internal planning and data.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office last year began requiring Pentagon employees to sign confidentiality agreements before being briefed on projects, initiatives and other working documents, as reported by CNN.

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President Donald Trump is also overhauling the federal civil service, which he considers an obstacle to implementing his agenda.

The proposal in question cites federal officials who provided the New York Times and Washington Post with "unauthorized disclosures" before the US military operation in Venezuela earlier this year.

The outlets delayed publishing the information "to avoid putting American troops at risk", the proposal points out.

The executive editor of The New York Times stated that the newspaper did not have verified details about the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, nor did it fail to publish the article at the request of the Trump administration.

A Washington Post spokesperson declined to comment, saying the paper does not discuss its newsgathering practices.

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In addition, according to the draft, a federal employee this year disclosed personal information - including names, addresses, emails, telephone numbers and job titles - of around 4,500 employees of ICE, the US immigration police, putting their security at risk.

The proposal takes a broad view of confidential information, defining it as "internal agency operations, personnel matters, acquisition processes, or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently available to the public and that is not required to be disclosed under applicable law."

Such disclosures "disrupt agency operations and erode public trust," he adds.

According to the preliminary proposal, the measure would not create "substantial new restrictions" on workers and would preserve the rights of whistleblowers.

But the largest federal employee union, AFGE (American Federation of Public Employees), criticized the proposal as an attempt to silence employees, noting that it "covers an extraordinarily broad category of information."

US President Donald Trump on June 16, 2025 - Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
The union said it believes the government will pressure agencies to require their employees to sign the confidentiality agreement and then fire those who refuse.

"Federal employees do not waive their First Amendment rights by accepting a federal job, and the public has a right to know about this government's abuses."

The federal government already has laws and regulations regarding the release of information to the public, and employees receive training on the standards, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group that focuses on improving the federal government.

The proposed confidentiality agreement is yet another form of intimidation, Max Stier, the organization's executive director, told CNN. He fears the measure will prevent federal employees from reporting legal and ethical violations they see.

"This administration has created an employee base that is already too scared to do the right thing, and this is another nail in the coffin of correct information reaching the American public," he said.

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Source: CNN