The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that would prevent federal workers from sharing “confidential government information” with journalists, according to a new draft notice posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

As The Washington Post first reported, the new rule would aim to crack down on federal employees leaking information to news organizations.

“OPM believes that a standard NDA form will promote consistency across Government, better protect confidential information, and better inform Federal employees of their rights and obligations regarding confidential information,” the form states. “OPM expects that the proposed NDA will be an Optional Form, meaning that Federal agencies would have discretion whether to use the NDA.”

The controversial form stands in stark contrast to the way confidential information has been handled within the Trump administration, from contractors to cabinet officials.

Last year, cabinet officials accidentally texted the top editor of The Atlantic about active military strike plans on an app the Pentagon had just warned was being targeted by Russia.

Federal investigations and court filings earlier this year also revealed that operatives of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency improperly accessed, shared, and stored sensitive personal data while working inside federal agencies.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union in the U.S., representing over 750,000 workers, urged the OPM to withdraw the draft on Tuesday, calling it an effort to silence 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,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.

“Federal 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,” he added.

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