--- title: Republicans Criticize White House Over Bergdahl Deal description: Ted Cruz, John McCain, Mike Rogers and others are worried the terms of Bergdahl's release could put the U.S. in a dangerous position. canonical: https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-01T18:00:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:01:16.792Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republicans Criticize White House Over Bergdahl Deal og:description: Ted Cruz, John McCain, Mike Rogers and others are worried the terms of Bergdahl's release could put the U.S. in a dangerous position. og:url: https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte15acb866fcc0604/698695bcf983e7465904e35c/time-a-ted-cruz-140601.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Ted Cruz og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republicans Criticize White House Over Bergdahl Deal twitter:description: Ted Cruz, John McCain, Mike Rogers and others are worried the terms of Bergdahl's release could put the U.S. in a dangerous position. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte15acb866fcc0604/698695bcf983e7465904e35c/time-a-ted-cruz-140601.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republicans Criticize White House Over Bergdahl Exchange > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=81fbc45c-ad28-4d85-bc9d-36a97682d752&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=81fbc45c-ad28-4d85-bc9d-36a97682d752&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=81fbc45c-ad28-4d85-bc9d-36a97682d752&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Returning Soldier's Parents Speak At White House [Watch (HLS stream): Returning Soldier's Parents Speak At White House](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kCRSYkUc.m3u8) (1:48)  _Published 2014-06-01. Returning Soldier's Parents Speak At White House_  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Jun 1, 2014 6:00 PM UTC  U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during the final day of the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on May 31, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during the final day of the 2014 Republican Leadership Conference on May 31, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Jun 1, 2014 6:00 PM UTC A day after the country celebrated U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s return to American custody [after nearly five years in captivity](http://time.com/2804869/hagel-soldiers-health-required-urgent-action/), the White House found itself playing defense Sunday for failing to notify lawmakers in advance before transferring [five Guantanamo Bay detainees](http://time.com/2803988/guantanamo-detainees-bergdahl/) in exchange for Bergdahl’s freedom. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) accused President Barack Obama in a [statement](http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord%5Fid=5376A321-8AAB-427E-A146-160470F8FC2E) Saturday of breaking the law by failing to give Congress proper notice of the transfers. The law requires the White House to tell lawmakers about Guantanamo transfers 30 days in advance. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, however, told Congress about the five Bergdahl transfers Saturday morning, just hours before the prisoners were on a plane and headed to Qatar. “In executing this transfer,” McKeon and Inhofe said, “the President … clearly violated laws which require him to notify Congress thirty days before any transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay and to explain how the threat posed by such terrorists has been substantially mitigated. Our joy at Sgt. Berghdal’s release is tempered by the fact that President Obama chose to ignore the law, not to mention sound policy, to achieve it.” Obama himself signed the 30 days rule into law last year. He also wrote a controversial signing statement along with that law in which he said he believes the President is allowed to “act swiftly in conducting negotiations with foreign countries regarding the circumstances of detainee transfers.” The Bergdahl deal is the first in which he’s put this belief into practice. (It’s also worth noting Obama campaigned in 2008 [against the use of signing statements](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/04/18/obama%5F2008%5Fbush%5Fused%5Fsigning%5Fstatements%5Fto%5Faccumulate%5Fmore%5Fpower.html) to enhance the executive branch’s power). Hagel, along with White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice, were out playing defense for the White House on Sunday. Hagel [said](http://time.com/2804869/hagel-soldiers-health-required-urgent-action/) while en route to Afghanistan Sunday that Bergdahl’s worsening health meant the White House needed to move quickly to make the exchange. And Rice, making the Sunday show rounds, told CNN’s Candy Crowley that the administration had previously told Congress a Bergdahl-style scenario was a possibility. ” … this opportunity is one that has been briefed to Congress when we had past potential to have this kind of arrangement,” said Rice on CNN’s _State of the Union._ “So it wasn’t unknown to Congress,” Rice continued. “The Department of Defense consulted with the Department of Justice. And given the acute urgency of the — the health condition of Sgt. — Sgt. Bergdahl and given the president’s constitutional responsibilities, it was determined that it was necessary and appropriate not to adhere to the 30 day notification requirement, because it would have potentially meant that the opportunity to get Sgt. Bergdahl would have been lost.” Other Republicans, meanwhile, knocked the White House over what they said was a move that will put U.S. troops at risk in the future. Republican Texas Senator and potential 2016 presidential candidate Ted Cruz pounded home that point Sunday on _This Week_, saying the administration paid a “dangerous price” to retrieve Bergdahl. “How many soldiers lost their lives to capture those five Taliban terrorists that we just released?” Cruz asked ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “Ambassador \[Susan\] Rice basically said to you, yes, U.S. policy has changed. Now we make deals with terrorists. And the question going forward is, have we just put a price on other U.S. soldiers? What does this tell terrorists, that if you capture a U.S. soldier, you can trade that soldier for five terrorists we’ve gone after?” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), meanwhile, said during Sunday _State of the Union_ that “if you negotiate here, you’ve sent a message to every al-Qaeda group in the world — by the way, some who are holding U.S. hostages today — that there is some value now in that hostage in a way that they didn’t have before.” And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a former P.O.W. himself, was also skeptical of the exchange. “I am eager to learn what precise steps are being taken to ensure that these vicious and violent Taliban extremists never return to the fight against the United States and our partners or engage in any activities that can threaten the prospects for peace and security in Afghanistan,” said McCain in a statement. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/"},"headline":"Republicans Criticize White House Over Bergdahl Exchange","datePublished":"2014-06-01T18:00:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:01:16.792Z","description":"Ted Cruz, Mike Rogers and others say the terms of Bergdahl's release could put the U.S. in a dangerous position","url":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/","keywords":["White House","Afghanistan","Terrorism"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte15acb866fcc0604/698695bcf983e7465904e35c/time-a-ted-cruz-140601.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte15acb866fcc0604/698695bcf983e7465904e35c/time-a-ted-cruz-140601.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ted Cruz","caption":"Leading Conservatives Gather For Republican Leadership Conference In New Orleans","creditText":"Justin Sullivan—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/","name":"Republicans Criticize White House Over Bergdahl Exchange"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban Prisoner Swap Under Fire","description":"Some lawmakers are questioning the negotiations that led to Bowe Bergdahl’s release and criticizing the White House for failing to notify Congress prior to the agreement.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1QtQIZ7U/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-01T17:15:57.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1QtQIZ7U.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/","duration":"PT1M52S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Returning Soldier's Parents Speak At White House","description":"Returning Soldier's Parents Speak At White House","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kCRSYkUc/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-01T01:10:55.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kCRSYkUc.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/","duration":"PT1M48S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/2805139/bowe-bergdahl-republicans-constitution/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```