{"id":80068,"date":"2025-05-29T20:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T20:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/05\/29\/top-lawmaker-says-va-dod-leaders-continue-to-ignore-hill-requests\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:54:36","slug":"top-lawmaker-says-va-dod-leaders-continue-to-ignore-hill-requests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/05\/29\/top-lawmaker-says-va-dod-leaders-continue-to-ignore-hill-requests\/","title":{"rendered":"Top lawmaker says VA, DOD leaders continue to ignore Hill requests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sen. Richard Blumenthal<\/a> believes his relationship with Pentagon and Veterans Affairs leaders has never been as adversarial as it is right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in the United States Senate for almost 15 years, and throughout most of my career \u2026 my requests for information were answered, and the departments have been responsive,\u201d the Connecticut Democrat<\/a> said during a recent interview with Military Times. \u201cThey know our responsibility is to do oversight and accountability, and information is what the public deserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, it\u2019s stonewalling and stalling and often just refusing to answer at all requests for basic information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, insists that he wants open and productive communication with the Republican administrations at VA and in the Defense Department<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the last five months, he has become a key foil for the executive branch on a host of reform and reduction plans, especially in VA. <\/p>\n\n\n\t