Federal unions battle Trump’s attempt to muzzle federal workers

President Donald Trump, left, and Kevin Warsh arrive at a swearing-in ceremony for Warsh as Chairman of the Federal Reserve in the East Room of the White House, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Washington. Trump wants all federal workers to sign agreements that would essentially muzzle them whenever they want to get out any complaints.| Alex Brandon/AP

WASHINGTON—Sit down and shut up.

That’s President Donald Trump’s message to the remaining two million federal employees who work for the government he has continued to shred since his election to a second term.

Not content with firing at least 317,000 federal workers and trashing more than 30 of their union contracts, Trump wants to shut the rest up by forcing each of them—and future workers, too—to sign non-disclosure agreements.

The reaction from three top federal worker unions—the Government Employees (AFGE), the Treasury Workers (NTEU), and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), a Machinists sector—is clear: It’s illegal under labor law governing federal workers and their boss-worker relations, and it’s unconstitutional, too.

Not only that, says AFGE President Everett Kelley, who heads the largest of the three unions: Trump’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will use any “leaks” as violations of the non-disclosure agreements, and fire even more workers.

The unions pledge to fight Trump’s insistence on non-disclosure agreements, but haven’t yet figured out which route to take.

Non-disclosure agreements are common in the upper echelons of the private sector as a way for corporate behemoths to protect proprietary information and profits. Firms typically force high-level workers to sign them as a condition of hiring. The agreements ban workers from taking the info with them if—or when—they leave. If the data is in the workers’ heads, they can’t use it.

But now non-disclosure agreements have reached as low as hair salon workers in the Twin Cities and even fast food workers who toil on military bases. The agreements not only shut workers up but also often prevent them from taking higher-paying jobs in the same field, forcing them to start over in another occupation at the bottom.

Trump’s OPM put out its proposed rule mandating the NDAs on May 27 and set a 30-day deadline for comments. Ironically, the comments, like the proposed rule, will be public in the Federal Register.

Kelley, NFFE President Randy Erwin, and NTEU President Doreen Greenwald were quick to respond with public denunciations.

Kelley demanded OPM scrap its NDA plan. Besides the firings, Trump’s OPM chief Scott Kupor’s announcement seeks recommendations on penalties for violators.

“OPM continues its efforts to silence federal employees. This proposed NDA is another attempt by the administration to purge the civil service of nonpartisan career employees and replace them with loyalists who won’t speak out against waste, fraud, and abuse,” the AFGE president said.

“Employees do not surrender their First Amendment rights when they accept federal employment, and the public has a right to know about this administration’s abuses.”

Kupor said there would be limited exceptions for disclosure of sensitive information: congressional testimony, whistleblowing, and communications with agency Inspectors General. AFGE’s Kelley doesn’t believe him.

The IGs are, by law, supposed to be independent investigators not beholden to agency bosses or any current administration. But when Trump entered the Oval Office in 2025, he fired virtually all of the IGs and appointed his political followers in their places.

Kelley explained that federal law gives great protection to classified or privileged information. “This proposed rule sweeps in an extraordinarily broad category of information, extending restrictions to the very material the public relies on to learn when an administration is causing harm,” AFGE’s criticism added.

“OPM claims the form will be ‘optional’ for agencies to use and merely restates existing law. We know that will not be true. OPM will pressure agencies to make the NDA mandatory and then fire employees who refuse to sign it,” Kelley predicted.

The Trump plan steamed NFFE’s President Erwin, too. He called it “yet another baseless threat to intimidate federal workers, designed to muzzle employees and further politicize the civil service.

“Federal workers should never feel discouraged to report fraud, waste, abuse of power, and other misconduct at federal agencies. Beyond undermining individual employee protections, this is another tactic to weaken federal employee unions, which play a critical role in holding government agencies accountable for misconduct and corruption.

“Non-disclosure agreements do not supersede federal law or the Constitution. Federal employees retain protected rights to communicate with Congress, Inspectors General, and, in many circumstances, the press regarding government misconduct and matters related to their employment.

“Federal employees have the right to speak with and engage with their union without fear of penalty or reprisal, yet this proposal would interfere with that right. Agreements that suppress lawful disclosures, shield wrongdoing, and violate employees’ statutory rights serve no legitimate governmental purpose and are legally suspect.”

Erwin said the other point of the Trump non-disclosure rule is “to instill fear in career public servants for speaking out about injustices.” The rule “would cast a chilling effect across the entire workforce. This is the latest move by the administration to remove career federal employees and replace them with political loyalists—who will remain silent when corruption occurs.

“NFFE opposes this proposed rule and will fight vigorously” to halt or overturn it, he promised.

Treasury Employees President Greenwald said there’s “no basis for forcing more than two million federal workers” into shutting up. “Non-disclosure agreements would preemptively chill First Amendment-protected speech and dissuade protected whistleblowing activity. NTEU will oppose this flawed proposed regulation.”

In his announcement, Trump’s OPM Director Kupor produced a broad definition of “confidential information” an NDA would cover: “All non-public, confidential, or proprietary information, to include, but not limited to, information relating to internal agency operations, personnel matters, procurement processes, or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law.”

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CONTRIBUTOR

Mark Gruenberg

Award-winning journalist Mark Gruenberg is head of the Washington, D.C., bureau of People's World. He is also the editor of the union news service Press Associates Inc. (PAI). Known for his reporting skills, sharp wit, and voluminous knowledge of history, Mark is a compassionate interviewer but tough when going after big corporations and their billionaire owners.