Information Availability — Week of Jun 1, 2026

Two government actions this week raised questions about public access to important information. First, a member of Congress described a new executive branch policy that would require federal workers to sign non-disclosure agreements covering a broad range of government activities. Second, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed eliminating rules that required companies to disclose climate-related financial risks.

The NDA policy is the more significant concern. According to a floor speech by Rep. Subramanyam, the agreements would go beyond protecting classified information and cover "nearly everything going on inside the administration, even the illegal stuff." This might matter because broad NDAs for federal workers could weaken whistleblower protections — the legal safeguards that allow government employees to report waste, fraud, and illegal activity, which serve as a critical check on executive branch misconduct.

There are important reasons for caution. The description comes from a political opponent, and the actual NDA text was not reviewed — the agreements may be narrower than described. Administrations commonly use NDAs for legitimate purposes, and existing federal law protects whistleblower disclosures even when NDAs exist. That said, even NDAs that would not hold up in court can discourage employees from coming forward if they fear consequences.

The SEC's proposed rescission of climate disclosure rules would remove requirements for companies to report climate-related risks. This is most plausibly a policy disagreement about what companies should be required to tell investors, and the original rules were already blocked by courts before taking full effect.

Limitations: The NDA concern is based on one congressional speech, not the policy text itself. The SEC action is a proposal, not final. This is AI-generated analysis, not a finding of fact.