Hegseth Criticized for Locking Democrats Out of Closed Door Defense Budget Talks Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, has found himself at odds with some of his Republican colleagues over his decision to exclude Democrats from classified briefings on defense spending.
This move is a symptom of a larger problem: the erosion of bipartisanship in Congress. Hegseth's approach to selling Trump's record $1.
5 trillion military budget increase has been criticized by some Republican senators, who argue that locking Democrats out of closed door sessions will undermine his case.