politics
Hegseth criticized for locking Democrats out of closed-door defense budget talks
Republican lawmakers express concern after US defense secretary repeatedly excluded Democrats from briefings
TL;DR
- Republican senators are concerned that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is excluding Democrats from classified briefings on the defense budget.
- This approach could jeopardize the passage of Donald Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion military budget increase, as Democratic votes are still required.
- Senator Thom Tillis stated that Hegseth's exclusion undermines his own arguments for the budget.
- Senate Democrats have threatened to boycott funding bills if excluded, which could negatively impact the administration's spending priorities.
- A Pentagon spokesperson affirmed their commitment to working with Congress on the defense budget.
- Senator Mike Rounds and Senator Lisa Murkowski also called for bipartisan engagement in the briefings.
- The dispute follows Hegseth's previous comments identifying congressional Democrats as an "impediment" to stopping Iran's nuclear program.