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Tags: pentagon | pete hegseth | department of war | congress | legislative affairs

Pentagon Staffers Need Permission to Talk to Congress

By    |   Tuesday, 21 October 2025 08:35 PM EDT

Employees at the Department of War must now coordinate all interactions with Congress through the Pentagon's central legislative affairs office, Breaking Defense reported.

In a memo dated Oct. 15, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg said personnel must coordinate with the office of the assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs for all engagements and communication with Congress and state elected officials, according to Breaking Defense, which obtained the memo.

"The Department of War relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals," Hegseth and Feinberg wrote in the memo.

"This requires coordination and alignment of Department messaging when engaging with Congress to ensure consistency and support for the Department's priorities to re-establish deterrence, rebuild our military, and revive the warrior ethos," the memo continues.

"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."

The Pentagon's previous policy allowed the military services, combatant commands, and other War Department agencies to manage their own interactions with Congress, Breaking Defense reported.

A congressional aide told Breaking Defense that the policy could backfire, as Congress needs information from the Pentagon in minutes when putting together an appropriations bill.

The aide told the outlet that if they have to wait for clearance, it might not arrive in time to have an impact on the bill, adversely affecting the military.

The memo applies to senior department leaders, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Chiefs, combatant command heads, service secretaries and chiefs, directors of War Department agencies, and congressional affairs officials, among others.

Hegseth and Feinberg also demanded the Pentagon's assistant secretary of legislative affairs conduct a comprehensive review of the department's interactions with Congress, according to the memo.

Sam Barron

Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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Employees at the Department of War must now coordinate all interactions with Congress through the Pentagon's central legislative affairs office, Breaking Defense reported.
pentagon, pete hegseth, department of war, congress, legislative affairs
306
2025-35-21
Tuesday, 21 October 2025 08:35 PM
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