President Donald Trump’s administration is now reportedly preparing a broad new effort aimed at tightening control over internal government information, with federal agencies being urged to adopt sweeping nondisclosure agreements for employees in an effort to combat leaks from inside the bureaucracy.
According to a report published Tuesday by The Washington Post, the Office of Personnel Management is expected to formally release draft guidance that would require federal workers to protect what the administration describes as “Confidential Government Information,” or CGI.
The proposal reflects growing frustration within Washington over persistent leaks of internal government deliberations, personnel matters, and agency operations — a problem administrations from both parties have struggled to contain for years.
Under the proposed policy, federal employees could be prohibited from disclosing a wide range of information deemed sensitive or nonpublic. The administration’s draft definition of CGI reportedly includes “all non-public, confidential, or proprietary information” connected to internal agency functions.
That would include information related to personnel decisions, procurement procedures, and what the administration describes as “sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material” that is not publicly available and should not be disclosed under existing law.
Supporters of tighter controls have long argued that leaks from inside the federal government can undermine executive authority, disrupt policymaking, and erode trust within agencies. Critics, however, frequently warn that overly broad secrecy rules can create a chilling effect inside government and risk discouraging legitimate oversight or whistleblower activity.
The Washington Post noted that federal law places important limits on the use of nondisclosure agreements in government service. Existing whistleblower protections prohibit agencies from using NDAs to block civil servants from exposing waste, fraud, abuse, or unlawful conduct inside the government.
As a result, even if implemented broadly, the proposed agreements would still operate within those legal boundaries.
The administration’s move also arrives amid a long-running debate in Washington over who is actually responsible for some of the government’s most damaging leaks.
Interestingly, the proposal reportedly would not apply to federal contractors, despite the fact that contractors have been linked to several high-profile disclosures over the years.
Don Kettl, professor emeritus and former dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, pointed to that issue while discussing the proposal. According to The Washington Post, Kettl noted that contractors have played major roles in notable leaks, including the public release of tax records belonging to wealthy Americans — among them Trump himself.
The issue of leaks has become increasingly politically charged in recent years as battles inside Washington have intensified over national security, internal investigations, and executive branch authority.
Administrations often argue that unauthorized disclosures can compromise sensitive operations and weaken public confidence in government institutions, while opponents caution against expanding secrecy in ways that could shield misconduct from scrutiny.
The proposed guidance does not appear to eliminate existing legal protections for whistleblowers, but it nonetheless signals the administration’s desire to impose stricter discipline across the federal workforce at a time when distrust between political leadership and entrenched bureaucracies remains high.
At the same time, the proposal underscores a broader tension that has defined modern government: the balance between transparency and control.
As Washington becomes increasingly consumed by internal political warfare, administrations continue searching for ways to tighten their grip on information — even as critics warn that secrecy and bureaucratic conflict often deepen the very public mistrust leaders claim they are trying to solve.
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