WASHINGTON — In a rare moment of public intraparty frustration, Republican senators today blasted a top Defense Department official for not cooperating with congressional oversight.
Throughout a confirmation hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee for three different Pentagon nominees, senators from both parties aired their frustrations with what they described as Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby’s opaque decision-making, asserting that lawmakers were not kept abreast of key moves like the recent announcement of withdrawing US troops from Romania. But it was comments from Republicans, especially Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, that stood out.
“Throughout this year, the committee has had a relatively positive relationship with the Pentagon, especially Secretary [Pete] Hegseth and Deputy Secretary [Steve] Feinberg. I’ve been disappointed to find one exception to that cordiality: Members and staff of this committee have struggled to receive information from the policy office and have not been able to consult in a meaningful way with the shop, either on the National Defense Strategy or” a review of the US military’s global force posture, Wicker said in opening remarks during the hearing.
“This does not match our experience with the first Trump administration,” said Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who has largely avoided criticizing the Trump Pentagon until now. He then added, “the situation needs to improve if we are to craft the best defense policy.”
Colby serves as the undersecretary of defense for policy, sometimes described as the third-most important job in the Pentagon. A long-time think tanker, Colby emerged in the first Trump administration as a leading China hawk voice, a role he rode into his current position, which places him in charge of crafting the National Defense Strategy among other responsibilities.
However, Colby has also emerged as a lightning rod for criticism, reportedly driving decisions to pause aid to Ukraine and launching a review of the AUKUS trilateral security pact — moves that reportedly caught members of the administration by surprise. More recently, the expected focus of the NDS on homeland defense instead of conflict in the Pacific has led to grumblings among the China hawk community he previously championed.
Senators largely directed their displeasure at Austin Dahmer, the Trump administration’s nominee to serve as the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for strategy, plans and forces — a position whose title, lawmakers revealed, was changed without their awareness. Lawmakers’ discontent also comes amid a broader crackdown by the Pentagon on communications with Congress that was previously reported by Breaking Defense.
“The guy you’re going to go work for has been really bad on this, the worst in the administration,” Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, said to Dahmer when discussing how Colby was difficult to reach. Dahmer’s current role, performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense for policy, and the new post he has been nominated for both fall under Colby.
“But man, I can’t even get a response, and we’re on your team!” an exasperated Sullivan added, who along with Wicker stated that it appeared the Pentagon’s policy shop was actually undermining President Donald Trump’s goals.
Throughout the hearing, Dahmer fielded questions on a range of topics, including a pause on Ukraine aid and lethal strikes on small boats the Trump administration asserts are trafficking drugs. According to Dahmer, he was “not aware” of any halt in aid to Kyiv — despite a high-profile Oval Office blowup that temporarily stopped the flow of weapons and a separate, publicly confirmed stockpile review — and Romanian officials were informed of the withdrawal of a US brigade from the country in advance. (Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, asserted that Bucharest was blindsided by the brigade withdrawal based on conversations with Romanian officials.)
Lawmakers were briefed three times about the Romania decision as well, Dahmer said, though senators on the committee disputed that. After publication of this report, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement, “The Committees were pre-notified of the decision. Briefings were offered to the Committees this week.”
On Wednesday after publication of this report, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell added in a statement that the “forces being redeployed from Romania were sent to the region on a temporary basis in 2022 in order to create time and space for our allies to step up” and that the troops are now being “redeployed” to the US.
“This decision was tightly coordinated among relevant military and civilian leaders. It was also notified proactively to Congress, NATO, and our allies, and we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all key stakeholders,” Parnell said.
“You’re clearly avoiding answers to questions that you should have been acutely aware of in your position. That does not augur very well for your role and the future of the Department of Defense,” Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the committee’s ranking member, said after questioning Dahmer on the decisions to pause Ukraine aid and remove troops from Romania.
Reed also asserted that the Pentagon reshuffled the portfolios of deputy assistant secretaries who would report to Dahmer, if he is confirmed to his new role, without properly consulting Congress. Inside Defense reported that the Pentagon’s policy shop is being overhauled by merging roles, dissolving positions and renaming posts — changes that Wicker said were spelled out in a letter dated Oct. 8 but only delivered Sunday night.
“I understand that media reports can be wrong, believe me, but it just seems like there’s this Pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop that you don’t see from” other offices, said Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas. Cotton then asked Dahmer why he thinks that is.
“Senator, I would like to understand that myself,” Dahmer replied, blaming “fake news” and “inaccurate reporting.”
UPDATED 11/5/25 at 10:55 am ET with additional comment from the Pentagon on the withdrawal of US troops from Romania, following an original statement and clarification from Sen. Tom Cotton’s office about the Peanuts character Pigpen.