"On October 15, Hegseth and deputy Steve Feinberg sent a memo to Pentagon officials announcing a new policy mandating that any communications they have with Congress or state elected officials must first be approved by the Defense Department's legislative affairs office. That office is currently led by Donald Trump appointee Dane Hughes. Information such as mandated congressional reports, requests for information by lawmakers, drafting and technical assistance, and legislative correspondence must be approved by the office, the memo says."
"Hegseth and Feinberg also ordered the legislative affairs office to compile a report of the Pentagon's interactions with Congress to address "issues, inefficiencies or misalignments" within 90 days. It instructs the office to present proposals to "enhance compliance." The memo was issued on the same day that the vast majority of journalists covering the Pentagon walked out last week, after Hegseth implemented new, restrictive rules that put a major gag on the information journalists are allowed to access."
On October 15, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and deputy Steve Feinberg issued a memo requiring that any communications Pentagon officials have with Congress or state elected officials receive prior approval from the Defense Department's legislative affairs office, currently led by Dane Hughes. The directive mandates approval for mandated congressional reports, lawmakers' requests for information, drafting and technical assistance, and legislative correspondence, tasks previously managed by individual Pentagon offices. Hegseth and Feinberg ordered the legislative affairs office to compile a 90-day report on the department's interactions with Congress to identify "issues, inefficiencies or misalignments" and to present proposals to "enhance compliance." The memo coincided with the mass walkout of journalists covering the Pentagon after new restrictive access rules were implemented that severely limited information available to the press.
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