Pete Hegseth 'backtracks' on 'repugnant' religious policy after GOP beatdown

[riversedge]

I missed this earlier this week.



Pete Hegseth 'backtracks' on 'repugnant' religious policy after GOP beatdown

https://www.rawstory.com/hegseth-religious-policy-mormons/?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=6a2742736b7e31000181c940&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

David June 8, 2026 1:57PM ET


Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reversed course Monday on a Pentagon religious classification policy that had enraged Republican allies — after Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) called it "repugnant," phoned President Donald Trump directly, and demanded an immediate fix.

The controversy stemmed from a May 20 memo, first reported by Military.com, signed by Under Secretary of Defense Anthony Tata, that slashed the military's religious affiliation codes from 211 to just 31. The overhaul was designed to help chaplains better track and serve troops' beliefs — but the initial redone list left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints out of the Christian category entirely, classifying it separately from every other faith that professes belief in Jesus Christ.

The backlash was swift and bipartisan. Lee, a Utah Republican and Latter-day Saint himself, posted a video Sunday calling the policy an affront to "tens of thousands" of LDS service members. "It's just repugnant to any sense of decency, any sense of our common heritage," he said. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) called it "unacceptable." Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) insisted Hegseth explain the exclusion to "hundreds of thousands of Latter-day Saints veterans."..........................







Ron Filipkowski‬
‪@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social‬
· 2d
Mike Lee has posted 37 times in the last 24 hours about Hegseth removing the Mormons from the Pentagon’s approved list of recognized Christian denominations.

Mike Lee has posted 37 times in the last 24 hours about Hegseth removing the Mormons from the Pentagon’s approved list of recognized Christian denominations.

— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) 2026-06-07T23:18:55.285Z