Defense Secretary Hegseth Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Budget Briefings

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing criticism from both Democratic and Republican senators for excluding Democrats from classified briefings regarding a proposed $1.5 trillion military budget increase. Pentagon officials reportedly excluded the lawmakers due to fears that including Democrats would lead to leaks of classified material.

Republican senators, including Thom Tillis, Mike Rounds, and Lisa Murkowski, warned that the lack of bipartisanship could jeopardize the passage of the budget, as Democratic votes are required for much of the package. Senate Democrats have threatened to boycott the funding bills in response to their exclusion. The tension follows comments made by Hegseth in April, in which he described congressional Democrats as a major impediment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the department's actions, stating that leadership regularly engages with lawmakers to discuss national security priorities and the defense budget. He maintained that the Department of Defense remains committed to ensuring warfighters have necessary resources.