Hegseth criticized for locking Democrats out of closed-door defense budget talks

The Guardian World Thursday 13 August 2026, 15:06 UTC By Joseph Gedeon in Washington 1 min read

Key Points

Republican lawmakers express concern after US defense secretary repeatedly excluded Democrats from briefingsUS politics live – latest updatesRepublican senators have criticized the Pentagon for locking Democrats out of classified briefings on defense spending, warning that Pete Hegseth’s approach could jeopardize passage of Donald Trump’s record $1.5tn military budget increase. The US defense secretary has made at least two trips to Capitol Hill in recent weeks to pitch the budget, but has...

Republican lawmakers express concern after US defense secretary repeatedly excluded Democrats from briefings

US politics live – latest updates

Republican senators have criticized the Pentagon for locking Democrats out of classified briefings on defense spending, warning that Pete Hegseth’s approach could jeopardize passage of Donald Trump’s record $1.5tn military budget increase.

The US defense secretary has made at least two trips to Capitol Hill in recent weeks to pitch the budget, but has repeatedly excluded Democrats from the closed-door sessions, according to lawmakers from both parties.

Hegseth (PERSON) Democrats (ORG) Republican (ORG) US (LOCATION) Pentagon (ORG) Pete Hegseth’s (PERSON) Donald Trump’s (PERSON) Capitol Hill (ORG)

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Hegseth criticized for locking Democrats out of closed-door defense budget talks

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