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 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 ha...

By Joseph Gedeon in Washington