Starting on Wednesday, all but one media outlet that regularly covers the Department of Defense is set to lose access to the Pentagon.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded that reporters agree by 5 p.m. Tuesday to a new policy, under which they would need to pledge to not obtain or use any unauthorized material, even if the information is unclassified — or hand over their press badges in the next 24 hours. Media outlets say this is a violation of their First Amendment rights, and nearly every news outlet has refused to sign.

The rejections mean that for the first time since the Eisenhower administration, no major U.S. television network or publication will have a permanent presence in the Pentagon.

Reporters and editors, who have urged defense officials to reconsider the policy, say

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