House Democrat presses for training on handling of classified material after war plan

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), a moderate Democrat and former Air Force officer, pressed for all government personnel to receive training on how to handle classified material, following a news report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inadvertently texted key details of U.S. war plans to a prominent journalist.

In a letter addressed to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and the top Democrat and Republican on the House Administration Committee, Houlahan said the recent reporting in The Atlantic makes clear the importance of the training.

“Given the recent events involving executive branch officials’ spillage of national security information, it is imperative that all government personnel receive adequate training on the proper handling and management of classified material,” Houlahan wrote in the letter, linking to The Atlantic story published Monday.

The letter is following up on an earlier request for the same training, stressing the importance that members of Congress know how to handle sensitive information—in particular those serving on committees that handle classified material regularly.

“Members of Congress are no exception. Members should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle classified information appropriately to effectively carry out their duties and safeguard our country. In particular, Members serving on committees that regularly manage classified information,” she wrote.

Houlahan noted there have been incidents in the past, “involving the unintentional or imprudent release of critical intelligence—during open hearings, conferences, press interactions, or offhand comments,” which, she said, “demonstrate the critical need for such training.”

“Such lapses not only compromise national security but can also undermine our intelligence community and endanger the safety of our citizens both at home and abroad,” she added.

The letter comes after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief gave a first-hand account of his experience getting looped into U.S. war plans, which included details of weapons used, targets, and timing hours ahead of the attacks.

Goldberg said he was included on a text chain on the encrypted messaging application Signal that also appeared to be used by such senior Trump administration officials as Vice President Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Hegseth.

Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the National Security Council, confirmed the message chain was authentic.

“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” wrote Hughes. “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security.”

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