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Hegseth Excludes Democrats From Defense Briefings, Faces Criticism

8/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth excluded congressional Democrats from briefings, prompting criticism and raising concerns about the $1.5 trillion defense budget.
Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) urged that briefings include Democrats.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) warned that the exclusion could hurt funding.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department remains committed to working with Congress while requesting $1.5 trillion.

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Story summary

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth excluded congressional Democrats from briefings, prompting criticism and raising concerns about the $1.5 trillion defense budget.
Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) urged that briefings include Democrats.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) warned that the exclusion could hurt funding.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department remains committed to working with Congress while requesting $1.5 trillion.