Defense &
National Security
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Defense &
National Security
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Senate Democrats introduce bill to roll back press restrictions at Pentagon
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Senate Democrats introduced a new bill on Thursday to roll back Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s news media restrictions at the Pentagon, stating that those are suppressing independent reporting at the department.
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The legislation, called the Protecting Pentagon Press Access Act, was introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) that would restore journalists’ access within the Pentagon that was available before the new measures imposed by Hegseth, including the “Correspondents’ Corridor,” a decades-old workspace inside the building that national security reporters utilized.
The bill, which will have a hard time getting traction in the GOP-controlled Senate, would also restore unescorted access to reporters to areas of the department that were accessible without an escort before the late 2025 Trump administration restriction went into effect.
“At a time of war, transparency and independent, accurate reporting matter more than ever,” Schatz said in a statement. “Our bill will reverse the Pentagon's effort to shut out the free press and make sure the public gets the information it deserves.”
The Pentagon declined to comment, saying it does not weigh in on pending legislation.
Apart from Schatz, the bill was co-sponsored by Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).
At Hegseth’s direction, the Pentagon has imposed new restrictions on reporters covering the federal agency, including new credentialing rules and requiring escorts through a large part of the building, arguing it is necessary to quash unauthorized leaks of classified information and safeguard national security.
The New York Times sued the Pentagon twice since then, saying the restrictions are in violation of the First Amendment.
Last month, a federal appeals court ruled that the Pentagon could temporarily mandate escorts for all reporters who visit the department, reversing the ruling from June that paused the escort requirement.
The legislation would also require that the security review process for reporters be conducted by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Filip Timotija — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:
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President Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday after the two reportedly clashed last week at Camp David over the depletion of the U.S. military’s munition stockpiles during the war with Iran. “The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Everything has …
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A U.S. military investigation found that there was no white phosphorus leak at an American military base in South Korea late last month, an episode that prompted local authorities to briefly order civilians to evacuate the immediate area. Officials in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul, on July 28 said residents close to Osan Air Base should move to a safe location after a leak was detected. The evacuation order was lifted several …
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Five months after the U.S. entered its war with Iran, more Americans expect the conflict to destabilize the Middle East, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday. The survey found that 50 percent of Americans said they believe the war will decrease stability in the region over the next year, compared with just 17 percent who said they expect it to improve. An additional 16 percent predicted the conflict would have …
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President Trump was never in “harm’s way” when his Marine One helicopter came within a mile of a passenger jet on Tuesday, according to the White House. “Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the President in harm’s way,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. The military helicopter carrying Trump came less than a mile from the …
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
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Trump says he hasn’t made a determination on Pirro’s future
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President Trump said Tuesday he has not decided whether he will keep Jeanine Pirro in her position as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia following her move to drop charges against Olympian David Hearn for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool. “I haven’t made a determination,” Trump told …
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News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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President Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders again aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, an apparent attempt to circumvent a recent … Read more
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Internal squabbles erupted in the Senate Republican Conference on Wednesday as GOP senators battled each other and the White House over a variety of … Read more
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