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Pentagon 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.
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Pentagon Staff Now Need Prior Approval Before Communicating With Congress: Hegseth
Staffers at the Department of War (DOW), including the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, will now need to get prior approval before sharing any information with Congress. In a memo dated Oct. 15 and seen by The Epoch Times, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg, directed Pentagon officials to coordinate all communications with Capitol Hill through the department’s office of legislativ…
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources169
Leaning Left42Leaning Right20Center69Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Center
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources are Center
53% Center
L 32%
C 53%
15%
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