House Democrats are rejecting the Trump administration’s plan for a governmentwide nondisclosure agreement, claiming it will coerce federal employees against speaking out.
Members sent a letter dated Wednesday to the Office of Personnel Management to express “serious alarm” about the proposal. The agency proposed a rule last month to have all federal employees sign a nondisclosure agreement, which, if violated, could lead to them being fired.
The lawmakers said the rule was “another attempt to intimidate, silence, politicize and demolish the federal workforce” as employees are already subject to laws and regulations designed to safeguard sensitive information.
“Mandatory, government-wide NDAs will only block lawful whistleblowing and disclosures, undermine government transparency and accountability, and erode the independence and integrity of the nonpartisan civil service,” they said.
