Raskin, Colleagues to Hegseth: Keep Stars and Stripes, Pentagon Press Corps Free and Independent

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and 38 of his colleagues demanded that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth protect the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes-a nonpartisan military news publication housed within the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)-and reverse unconstitutional restrictions on the Pentagon press corps.

"A free and independent press is indispensable to the functioning of our democracy," Raskin and his colleagues wrote. "From the Civil War through today's military conflicts, Stars and Stripes has served as a trusted, nonpartisan source of news for servicemembers and their families around the world."

"The Pentagon press corps plays a vital role in ensuring transparency and accountability within the Department of Defense," the lawmakers continued. "Limitations on press access, retaliation against journalists, and the imposition of viewpoint-based restrictions all undermine public trust and erode the principles of civilian oversight and democratic governance."

Stars and Stripes is a nonpartisan news organization that is operated by the Pentagon but has remained editorially independent from the Department throughout its history. The outlet has provided reliable reporting on defense and military news since the Civil War. In 1991, Congress created an ombudsman position which reports directly to the House and Senate, a measure designed to protect the publication's independent reporting.

Secretary Hegseth has targeted Stars and Stripes' editorial independence through policy changes disguised as "modernization" efforts and implemented draconian measures to restrict access to the Pentagon only to media outlets that sign onto a policy that prohibits them from collecting information unless DOD explicitly grants them access to it. This rule violates the First Amendment to the Constitution and has displaced many nonpartisan journalists in favor of right-wing propaganda outlets and content creators more willing to act as mouthpieces for the Trump Administration.

"The First Amendment does not stop at the doors of the Pentagon," the lawmakers wrote. "While operational security and the safety of our troops must always be safeguarded, these imperatives cannot be used as a pretext for suppressing lawful journalism or discouraging critical reporting, especially during a time of war."

On March 20 and again on April 9, a federal judge affirmed that the Department's restrictions on the Pentagon press corps were unlawful. In their letter, the lawmakers demanded Hegseth take immediate action to comply with this court order.

Read the full letter to Secretary Hegseth here and below.

Dear Secretary Hegseth,

We write to express our great alarm about recent reports of political interference with the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes and restrictions placed on members of the Pentagon press corps.

A free and independent press is primary and indispensable to the functioning of our democracy. From the Civil War through today's military conflicts, Stars and Stripes has served as a trusted, nonpartisan source of news for servicemembers and their families around the world. Its huge reservoir of credibility rests on its editorial independence, protected by statute and longstanding Department of Defense policy. Congress created the position of Stars and Stripes ombudsman in the National Defense Authorization Act of 1991. The ombudsman is charged with safeguarding the editorial independence of the newspaper and reports directly to Congress, specifically to prevent interference from the Department.

The current ombudsman has forcefully denounced your Department's plans for Stars and Stripes in multiple interviews, raising the alarm about your announced changes and their consequences for the news organization. Any effort to censor, influence, control, or suppress the paper's reporting raises profound constitutional and institutional problems.

Similarly, the Pentagon press corps plays a vital role in ensuring transparency and accountability within the Department of Defense. Limitations on press access, retaliation against journalists, and the imposition of viewpoint-based restrictions all undermine public trust and erode the principles of civilian oversight and democratic governance. These basic tenets of our democracy were reaffirmed by a federal judge who, on two separate occasions, found that your Department's draconian restrictions on the Pentagon press corps were unlawful. Your subsequent decision to defy the spirit of the court's rulings displays tremendous contempt for the rule of law and further raises doubts about this Administration's commitment to the basic Constitutional principles that Americans live by.

The First Amendment does not stop at the doors of the Pentagon. While operational security and the safety of our troops must always be safeguarded, these imperatives cannot be used as a pretext for suppressing lawful journalism or discouraging critical reporting, especially during a time of war.

Accordingly, we ask that you provide clear and complete responses to the following questions and requests:

1. What is the process by which specific articles are altered, suppressed, or delayed by Stars and Stripes? Please provide documentation for every instance where articles have been altered, suppressed, or delayed.

2. What measures is the Department taking to come into full compliance with the court rulings affecting the Pentagon press corps, if any?

3. Please provide Congress with a copy of the March 9 memo that was issued by the Department regarding editorial oversight and content restrictions for Stars and Stripes.

Congress has a solemn responsibility to conduct oversight of the Department of Defense, and a free press is an essential partner in that effort. We urge you to reaffirm your commitment to transparency, accountability, and the free speech and free press principles that guide our nation.

We request a written response to these questions no later than May 11, 2026, and we are prepared to pursue further oversight measures as is necessary.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

###