The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier on the Office of Personnel Management’s proposed governmentwide nondisclosure agreement (NDA) for federal employees:
“Federal employees already know what they can and cannot disclose to the public. Those obligations are written into law, spelled out in regulation and reinforced through mandatory ethics and disclosure trainings.
“We have laws that protect confidential information and protect the rights of public servants to report waste, fraud, abuse and threats to public health and safety. Whistleblower protections are one of the tools we have to keep the federal government honest and accountable to the American people.
“A blanket, governmentwide NDA does little to meet any pressing need. It seems more intended to make ethical employees think twice before coming forward and to chill the lawful disclosures that hold government accountable. When that happens, the public knows even less about how their government works and how their tax dollars are being spent.”
The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy.
Over the past 25 years and across five presidential administrations, we have offered government agencies and leaders crucial training and insights to better serve the public, championed legislation for effective government and shined a spotlight on the achievements of the federal workforce.
Now, building on our decades of experience, we engage the public about the value of government and how its erosion harms us all and advance reforms that seek to make our federal institutions more effective, responsive and accountable to the American people. We also strengthen leadership in federal, state and local government, help federal workers navigate an increasingly complex federal environment and provide former public servants with opportunities to shape efforts to transform government.
Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.
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