Hegseth: Pentagon staff now needs approval to interact with Congress
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 18. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Pentagon staffers will now need to get prior approval before sharing any information with Congress, according to a new memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his deputy that Axios reviewed.
Why it matters: The new rules could further restrict oversight of the Defense Department amid a year filled with unprecedented leaks and staff turnover.
Context: The memo, first reported by industry news outlet Breaking Defense, was issued Oct. 15.
What they're saying: "This memo is a pragmatic step to internally review the Department's processes for communicating with Congress," Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement to Axios.
- "The Department intends to improve accuracy and responsiveness in communicating with the Congress to facilitate increased transparency. This review is for processes internal to the Department and does not change how or from whom Congress receives information," he said.
Zoom in: "The Department of War (DoW) relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals," Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote in the memo.
- "Unauthorized engagements with Congress by DoW personnel acting in their official capacity, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives," they wrote.
What's inside: The memo requires Pentagon staff to submit all correspondence to the office of the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs to coordinate a response.
- The office will also complete a comprehensive review of congressional interactions with DoD staff within 90 days, and submit a report identifying current issues and proposals to streamline interactions.
- Position descriptions and contact information for all personnel that directly or indirectly informs Congress is set to be sent to the office.
- The memo authorizes the office to take any additional steps necessary to review all congressional interactions, including establishing working groups, requesting materials, or arranging meetings with military personnel.
State of play: The department has implemented a string of measures to limit leaks to the public, particularly after Hegseth faced widespread condemnation for unintentionally sharing military plans with a journalist.
- The Pentagon shocked outside observers last week by confiscating the badges of defense reporters who refused to sign a restrictive pledge that newsrooms said limited their press freedom.
- Moreover, the Pentagon has held decisively fewer news briefings than in previous administrations, and replaced traditional mainstream media offices with Trump-friendly, conservative ones.
- The department also reportedly began forcing staff to take lie detector tests earlier this year to sniff out leaks, as did several other national security agencies.
Of note: The Pentagon inspector general and staff are exempt from the new guidelines. The directive applies to all other employees.
Go deeper: The Pentagon's bunker mentality
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response from the Pentagon and to include information from the memo written by Hegseth and Feinberg.
