Date: May 26, 2026
The U.S. Office of Personal Management announced a proposed non-disclosure agreement for all federal employees, intending to halt future leaks of sensitive information. News outlets reported concerns that this is an attempt to silence federal employees. The Associated Press, ABC7 News, and other publications spoke with TELG principal Michael L. Vogelsang, Jr., who raised questions regarding the function and legality of the proposed NDA.
Quoteworthy:
"Congress has already said NDAs are a no-go. So, how can [Office of Personnel Management] make a regulation that violates the law?"
Michael L. Vogelsang, Jr.
[EXCERPT]
Trump administration proposes NDAs for federal employees to stop media leaks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration wants all current and future federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, part of a continuing crackdown on leaks to the media.
A proposed notice, announced Tuesday on the Office of Personnel Management website, is expected to be officially published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, seeking comment on a draft NDA to be used by federal agencies for “both new and existing employees.”
“The form is intended 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,” the notice said.
[…]
Michael L. Vogelsang Jr., an attorney at the Employment Law Group, said he has questions, among them: “What gap is an NDA supposed to fill that doesn’t already exist?”
He noted that statutes already exist regarding the leaking of classified and sensitive information. There’s also a law passed by Congress, he noted, that prohibits employers from implementing or enforcing an NDA.
He said: “So Congress has already said NDAs are a no-go. So how can OPM make a regulation that violates the law?”
» View full story on The Associated Press
[ADDITIONAL COVERAGE]
Trump administration pitches mandatory NDAs for Wyoming’s 5,900 federal workers
From WyoFile (May 27, 2026)
Nearly 6,000 federal workers living in Wyoming may soon be required to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep their jobs with the U.S. government.
That’s a proposal that the Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management released this week. The NDA, which would apply to new and existing employees, is open to public comment until June 26.
One employee who could be forced to sign the agreement if it moves forward told WyoFile on Wednesday that the NDA would “just be another layer” to Trump’s efforts to clamp down on the free flow of information about federal government activities.
Trump administration proposes NDAs for federal employees to stop media leaks
From ABC7 News (May 26, 2026)
The Trump administration wants all current and future federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, part of a continuing crackdown on leaks to the media.
A proposed notice, announced Tuesday on the Office of Personnel Management website, is expected to be officially published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, seeking comment on a draft NDA to be used by federal agencies for “both new and existing employees.”
[…]
Michael L. Vogelsang Jr., an attorney at the Employment Law Group, said he has questions, among them: “What gap is an NDA supposed to fill that doesn’t already exist?”
