WASHINGTON — The leaders of the FBI and Department of Homeland Security declined to testify publicly at a Senate committee hearing scheduled for Thursday on global threats to national security, a break from standard protocol for open testimony before the panel.

“Their choice not to testify publicly about their departments’ efforts to address broad national security threats deprives the American people of crucial information and the opportunity to be publicly accountable for what the government is doing. federal government to keep Americans safe,” the senator said. Gary Peterschairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

The Michigan Democrat said it was the first time in more than 15 years that an FBI director and the Homeland Security secretary together refused to offer public testimony at the committee’s annual hearing focused on threats to the homeland, calling it a “shocking break” from tradition.

A separate hearing scheduled for Wednesday before the House Homeland Security Committee was also postponed.

The hearings were scheduled to take place at a time of significant political transition like Trump’s. interview candidates to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray and has named South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to succeed Secretary of Homeland Security Alexander Majorkas.

The threats hearings are an opportunity for members of Congress to hear from these agencies about what they consider to be the top threats facing the nation, ranging from weapons of mass destruction to natural disasters.

It is usually the head of the agency who appears, but not always. During the first Trump administration, when there was frequent turnover at the Department of Homeland Security, DHS Deputy Secretary David Glawe appeared in 2019. Acting Deputy Secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli appeared in 2020 during the pandemic, when some panel members appeared virtually.

The Senate committee typically begins planning its annual hearings months in advance, and previous hearings have always included a public component. The committee was informed Monday that Mayorkas and Wray would not appear.

In a statement released Thursday, the FBI said it had “repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people” and that it remained “committed to sharing information about the ever-changing threat environment facing our nation.”

“FBI leaders have testified extensively in public settings about the current threat environment and believe the Committee would benefit more from more substantive discussions and additional information that can only be provided in a classified setting” , indicates the press release.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that they and the FBI offered to speak to the committee in a classified setting and highlighted the amount of unclassified information they had already shared publicly.

“DHS and the FBI have already shared with the Committee and other committees, as well as the American public, extensive unclassified information about the current threat environment, including recently released information. Insider Threat Assessment. DHS takes seriously its obligation to respond to Congressional requests for testimony,” the department said.

The agency also noted that Mayorkas testified before Congress 30 times during the nearly four years he held his position.