President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is mandating that Pentagon personnel can no longer directly engage with lawmakers or their staffs about most major issues without prior approval.
[Note: Prohibited conversation topics include, but are not limited to, Trump’s “Golden Dome” shield, budget and reconciliation spending plans, foreign military sales, and lethal military attacks on alleged drug boats in international waters.]
Retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General and current U.S. Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) called Hegseth’s mandate an “amateur move.”
I was a five-time commander & our leadership WANTED us to engage members of Congress. We wanted to share what our great airmen were doing. We were proud of our service. The new rules have put a large barrier between the military & Congress. Pentagon says the change is very small.…
— Rep. Don Bacon
(@RepDonBacon) November 1, 2025
Bacon wrote: “I was a five-time commander & our leadership WANTED us to engage members of Congress.”
The Republican added: “We wanted to share what our great airmen were doing. We were proud of our service. The new rules have put a large barrier between the military & Congress. Pentagon says the change is very small. But I already see the impact with military members being afraid to communicate. This is another amateur move.”
Retired U.S. Marines Corp combat pilot Amy McGrath, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, also replied to the ABC News report: “Wrong. Illegal. Go back to reading the Constitution. Our military is required to speak with and report to, not only its chain of command within the Exec branch, but also Congress.”
Wrong. Illegal. Go back to reading the Constitution. Our military is required to speak with and report to, not only its chain of command within the Exec branch, but also Congress. https://t.co/3B6j1XYQxn
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) November 4, 2025