Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has largely banned military officials – including the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force – from speaking with Congress unless they coordinate with a centralized office that reports to him.
Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg, announced the move in an Oct. 15 internal memo obtained by USA TODAY. (Breaking Defense first reported the memorandum.)
"Unauthorized engagements with Congress ... may undermine Department-wide priorities," said the pair in the memo. Their goal is to control the Pentagon's messaging to Congress "to ensure consistency and support for the Department's priorities."
The office that oversees communication with Congress is the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. The memorandum referenced this office using Hegseth's preferred War Department titles. The Senate-confirmed position is currently filled on an interim basis.
The crackdown could impact the military's transparency to the legislative branch.
