Overview
- An Oct. 15 memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg requires nearly all Defense Department personnel to obtain approval before communicating with members of Congress or state officials, exempting only the inspector general.
- Senior leaders including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, service secretaries and chiefs, combatant commanders, and agency heads must coordinate all legislative activities, with correspondence, reports, technical assistance, and base visits routed through the legislative affairs office.
- The directive reverses prior practice in which services and commands managed their own Hill engagements, though a senior official told CNN that some interactions may still be cleared by service legislative offices.
- A follow-on Oct. 17 memo launched a department-wide review led by Legislative Affairs, authorized working groups, and directed components to provide organizational charts, contact lists, and tracking tools, with a report due in 90 days.
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell called the change a pragmatic step to improve accuracy and transparency, as lawmakers and staff warn it could slow urgent information for oversight and legislation and as reporters protest separate new press-access restrictions.