House Armed Services Chair Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) and ranking Republican Mac Thornberry (R-TX) are pushing back hard against Pentagon secrecy. The top Democrat and Republican of the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday they will act against acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan’s new restrictions on how the Pentagon tells Congress about international military operations.
Smith and Thornberry said in statement they will use the nascent 2020 defense policy bill to address the restrictions, which would "dramatically limit Congress’ ability to execute our constitutional prerogative.” News of the policy was first reported by The Washington Post on Wednesday.