US EditionPentagon tightens control on staff communication with US Congress
- On Oct. 15, the Pentagon's memo orders Defense Department personnel to route all interactions with Congress and officials through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, requiring approval for engagements outside the national capital region.
- Seeking to control Pentagon messaging, the memo says `The Department of War relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals` and warns unauthorized talks may undermine priorities like re-establishing deterrence and rebuilding the military.
- Scope-Wise, the memo states the assistant secretary of legislative affairs will conduct a review with a report due in 90 days, while Pentagon component heads have 30 days to submit contact lists and organizational charts.
- A congressional aide warned the policy could potentially backfire as staff need Pentagon information quickly, while Capitol Hill staff and reporters faced restrictions leading dozens to quit last week.
- The directive reverses past practice by military services and combatant commands, centralizing control of reports, responses, and visits under the Pentagon's central legislative affairs office, while authorized working groups support compliance.
110 Articles
110 Articles
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cracks down on Pentagon staff speaking to Congress
(CNN, KYMA) - The Pentagon has barred nearly all Defense Department personnel, including military commanders, from talking to Congress or state lawmakers, according to a memo last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The memo states military officials must have received prior approval to interact with Congress, and said unauthorized engagements could undermine Defense Department priorities. The directive applies to the civilian leaders of eac…
Hegseth's 'extraordinary insecurity' is behind his new info restrictions: MSNBC's Lemire
A new policy related to sharing information instituted by the Pentagon's Pete Hegseth this week is an act of self-preservation by the embattled Secretary of Defense, claims MSNBC host Jonathan Lemire.Not content with banning journalists from the Pentagon unless the news organizations they represent sign a highly restrictive reporting policy that would amount to stenography, Hegseth is now instructing military officials they cannot speak with law…
The U.S. Department of Defense is taking another step to get absolute control over what information is coming to the outside world. From now on, the Department's employees need a permit to communicate with Congress. This can have serious consequences ... U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, with his new regulation, has considerably restricted the communication of his employees with Congress. Congress is responsible for federal legislation and…
Hegseth orders prior approval for ‘all interactions’ between military officials and Congress
The Pentagon is barring nearly all Defense Department personnel, including military commanders, from talking to Congress or state lawmakers unless they have received prior approval from the agency’s office of legislative affairs, according to a memo signed this month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and obtained by CNN.
Winnipeg Free Press
The Latest: Hegseth changes policy on how Pentagon officials communicate with Congress
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
New rules apply in the Pentagon: Employees are only allowed to speak to Congress with the consent of their superiors.
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