Pentagon Staff Now Need Prior Approval Before Communicating With Congress: Hegseth

Pentagon called the policy ‘a pragmatic step’ aimed at improving communications with Congress.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on June 22, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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 legislative affairs.