Trump Administration Proposes Voluntary NDA Template For Federal Agencies To Address Leaks
On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the Office of Personnel Management proposed a voluntary non-disclosure agreement template federal agencies could use to curb leaks.[1]
The Federal Register notice said the template could be used for both new and existing employees and would be limited to nonpublic, confidential or proprietary information obtained through official duties.[2] The notice said the NDA "does not create new substantive restrictions" on employee speech and that it preserves rights to make legally authorized and whistleblower disclosures.[2]
The OPM notice cited specific unauthorized disclosures tied to rulemaking and DHS and FBI immigration-enforcement plans and referenced New York Times and Washington Post reporting on a January 2026 U.S. raid in Venezuela.[2] The notice also said the Times and Post delayed publishing details of the Venezuela raid to avoid endangering U.S. troops, a characterization New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn has disputed.[2]
The proposal comes amid a wider leak crackdown that included the January 2026 FBI seizure of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's devices and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pentagon press rules that prompted dozens of reporters to surrender credentials.[2] OPM has asked for public comment in the Federal Register as it weighs whether agencies will adopt the voluntary form.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, OPM’s Federal Register notice proposed a voluntary NDA template agencies may use for both new and existing employees and said it is expressly limited to nonpublic, confidential or proprietary information obtained through official duties.
- The notice says the NDA "does not create new substantive restrictions" on employee speech and explicitly preserves rights to make legally authorized and whistleblower disclosures.
- OPM’s request for comment cited specific unauthorized disclosures related to rulemaking and DHS/FBI immigration-enforcement plans and referenced reporting by the New York Times and Washington Post about a January 2026 U.S. raid in Venezuela.
- The OPM notice claimed the Times and Post delayed publishing information about the Venezuela raid to avoid endangering U.S. troops, and the article includes a prior statement by New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn disputing that account.
- The article places the NDA proposal within a broader leak crackdown, citing the January 2026 FBI seizure of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s devices and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon press rules that prompted dozens of reporters to surrender credentials.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, OPM’s Federal Register notice specified that the NDA form is a template agencies may use for both new and existing employees and that it is expressly limited to nonpublic, confidential or proprietary information obtained through official duties.
- The notice states the NDA "does not create new substantive restrictions" on employee speech and explicitly preserves rights to make legally authorized and whistleblower disclosures.
- OPM’s request for comment cited specific unauthorized disclosures about rulemaking and DHS/FBI immigration enforcement plans, and referenced New York Times and Washington Post reporting on a January 2026 U.S. raid in Venezuela.
- The article details that the OPM notice claimed the Times and Post delayed publishing information about the Venezuela raid to avoid endangering U.S. troops, and includes a prior statement by New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn disputing that account.
- The piece situates the NDA proposal within a broader leak crackdown, citing the January 2026 FBI seizure of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s devices and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon press rules that prompted dozens of reporters to surrender credentials.