WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor demanding answers about the Trump Administration’s proposal to implement a government-wide nondisclosure agreement (NDA) for federal employees, warning that the policy could silence whistleblowers, chill lawful disclosures, and weaken government accountability.
In the letter, Krishnamoorthi warned that the proposal, “as currently drafted, threatens constitutional rights, undermines whistleblower protections, and weakens the public accountability that Americans deserve from their government.”
Krishnamoorthi raised concerns that the proposal’s broad restrictions on vaguely defined “confidential” information could leave federal employees uncertain whether lawful communications with Congress, Inspectors General, law enforcement, or other oversight entities could expose them to discipline or retaliation. While OPM has stated that the NDA would not supersede existing whistleblower protections, Krishnamoorthi noted that “rights guaranteed on paper can be rendered ineffective if employees reasonably fear discipline, civil liability, or criminal penalties for exercising them.”
“Federal employees should not be forced to guess which communications are permissible and which could expose them to punishment,” Krishnamoorthi wrote. “This kind of ambiguity risks encouraging employees to remain silent rather than exercising their lawful rights, thereby chilling speech...
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