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In an Oct. 15 memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his
deputy, Steve Feinberg, ordered Pentagon officials — including
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — to obtain permission
from the department’s main legislative affairs office before
they have any communication with Capitol Hill.
The memo was issued the same day the vast majority of Pentagon
reporters exited the building rather than agree to the Defense
Department's new restrictions on their work, and it appears to
be part of a broader effort by Hegseth to exert tighter control
over what the department communicates to the outside world.
According to the memo, a copy of which was authenticated by a
Pentagon official, “unauthorized engagements with Congress by
(Pentagon) personnel acting in their official capacity, no
matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide
priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives.”
Sean Parnell, the top Pentagon spokesman, called the move a
“pragmatic step” that’s part of an effort “to improve accuracy
and responsiveness in communicating with the Congress to
facilitate increased transparency.”
Previously, individual agencies and military branches within the
Pentagon were able to manage their own communications with
Congress.
A second memo, issued Oct. 17, directed a “working group to
further define the guidance on legislative engagements.”
The memos were first reported by the website Breaking Defense.
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