Gillibrand calls for more details after reports of Hegseth withholding promotions

Source: NBC News

April 6, 2026, 2:43 PM EDT


WASHINGTON – A prominent Democratic senator on the committee that oversees the Pentagon is requesting additional information from the Defense Department following reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is withholding the promotions of several Black and female senior officers.

NBC News reported last week that Hegseth had blocked or delayed promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across all four branches of the military. Some of those efforts are seen as having been targeted because of their race or gender, or their perceived affiliation with the Biden administration's policies or officials, according to NBC news reporting that cited nine U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

Hegseth's actions have raised concern inside the White House, the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, according to U.S and congressional officials. Some lawmakers, including both Republicans and Democrats, see the decisions as Hegseth taking too far his efforts to scrub the Pentagon of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to the officials.

“Public reports allege that these holds may have been motivated by political ideology, inappropriate bias, or immutable and constitutionally protected characteristics rather than merit,” wrote Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a letter to the panel’s chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. “Military advancement must remain strictly meritocratic and based on performance,” the letter, dated April 3, reads. Wicker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/gilibrand-calls-information-reports-hegseth-withholding-promotions-rcna266955