The Trump administration is taking yet another step to undermine government transparency
The Trump administration is taking yet another step to undermine government transparency
- Tue, Jul 21 2026 at 1:20 PM
Mark,
The Trump administration is taking yet another step to undermine government transparency: trying to force government workers to sign an NDA—which could chill important whistleblowing on waste, fraud and abuse.
CREW submitted a comment to the Office of Personnel Management, urging it to withdraw its proposed “Confidential Government Information Nondisclosure Agreement,” which would likely discourage federal employees from making lawful disclosures.
Since the start of his second term, President Trump has disrupted, weakened, or outright eliminated guardrails meant to protect against waste, fraud and abuse within the executive branch.
His administration has decimated the federal workforce, closed over 900 cases of federal program or procurement fraud and unlawfully fired 17 inspectors general.
This new proposed NDA is another step in the administration’s efforts to undermine transparency and accountability—and it should not be allowed to succeed.CREW is urging OPM to abandon all efforts that would interfere with Congress’s ability to conduct oversight or interfere with the press’s ability to perform First Amendment activities and report on matters of public interest.
Mark, it’s important to note that federal employees are already subject to laws, rules and restrictions regarding the disclosure of information that would be harmful to the federal government.
This proposed NDA, which is much broader, appears to be an attempt to intimidate and silence executive branch employees from making potentially lawful disclosures.
Not only does it fail to sufficiently define and limit what exactly constitutes “confidential government information,” but it also purports to bar former employees from speaking about or sharing government information if they do not have written authorization to do so.
This proposed NDA could have a chilling effect on whistleblowers, who have served an important function for our democracy since the Revolutionary War and the enactment of the first whistleblower protections by the Second Continental Congress in 1778.
Without lawful disclosures being made public by well-intentioned public servants, good government organizations like CREW will not have the information they need to bring litigation and recommend reforms that strengthen our institutions.
Mark, let’s call this what it is: An effort by the Trump administration to undermine transparency and accountability. It cannot be allowed to succeed.
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