Several Republican senators have warned that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's practice of excluding Democratic lawmakers from classified Pentagon budget briefings could undermine passage of President Donald Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion military spending increase, according to lawmakers from both parties.
Republican senators warn Hegseth that excluding Democrats from defense briefings risks Trump's military budget
Several Republican senators have warned that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's practice of excluding Democratic lawmakers from classified Pentagon budget briefings could undermine passage of President Donald Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion military spending increase, according to lawmakers from both parties.
Hegseth has made at least two trips to Capitol Hill in recent weeks to pitch the defense budget, but has repeatedly barred Democrats from the closed-door sessions, according to lawmakers cited in the report.
Much of the defense budget still requires Democratic votes to pass, even if Republicans move part of the package through the party-line reconciliation process. Senate Democrats have threatened to boycott the funding bills altogether, which Republican critics say could compromise the administration's own spending priorities.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he had personally raised the issue of engaging Democrats with defense department officials, adding that Pentagon officials had cited concern that classified material would leak. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also called for a bipartisan approach to the briefings.
The dispute follows remarks Hegseth made in April before the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, in which he described congressional Democrats as among the 'biggest impediment' to stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, saying: 'The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans.'
- The source does not state the specific number of Democratic senators who have been excluded from briefings.
- The source does not specify which portions of the defense budget require Democratic votes as distinct from those passable through reconciliation.
- The source does not include any direct response from Democratic senators regarding the exclusion or their threatened boycott.
- The source does not state how many total briefings Hegseth has conducted on Capitol Hill or how many lawmakers attended them.
- The source does not detail what classified material Pentagon officials believe is at risk of leaking, or what evidence supports that concern.
Read the original at The Guardian US