Senate Democrats introduce bill to roll back press restrictions at Pentagon

Defense & National Security Newsletter Senate Democrats introduce bill to roll back press restrictions at Pentagon Comments: by Filip Timotija - 08/06/26 6:15 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Filip Timotija - 08/06/26 6:15 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Senate Democrats introduce bill to roll back press restrictions at Pentagon

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.

Natasha Kaiser

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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