National Press Club statement on Trump proposal to require NDAs across the federal workforce

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. today issued the following statement on a reported proposal by President Trump to require nondisclosure agreements for all federal employees:

"The notion of imposing sweeping nondisclosure agreements across the federal workforce represents a profound threat to transparency, press freedom, and the public's right to know.

A functioning democracy depends on the free flow of information. At its core, this measure appears designed to deter federal employees from speaking with journalists by threatening their livelihoods — even about matters of public concern. Federal employees are often the first to identify waste, misconduct, or threats to public safety. When those individuals are effectively silenced from sharing information with reporters, the public loses a critical line of sight into its own government.

Efforts to impose sweeping secrecy obligations across the civil service do not strengthen the government. Instead, they shield it from scrutiny and weaken public trust by limiting the flow of information citizens rely on to make informed decisions.

Measures that chill speech, weaken transparency, and limit the public's right to know must be rejected. Instead, reforms should strengthen whistleblower protections, uphold First Amendment principles, and reaffirm the essential role of a free press in holding power to account.

The government has a legitimate responsibility to safeguard classified information, but the First Amendment does not stop at the doors of public service. Policies that broadly restrict communication with the press raise serious constitutional concerns and weaken long-standing norms that protect both free expression and independent journalism. The First Amendment protects not only the right to publish, but the right to speak and share information of public concern."

About the National Press Club

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists and a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

Contact: Beth Francesco, Executive Director of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club