Senate Republicans Squeeze Pete Hegseth With Travel Cuts Unless Pentagon Releases Strike Records

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing growing resistance from Senate Republicans who say the Pentagon has failed to provide records connected to several deadly military operations. Their latest move would slash a large portion of his travel budget until the requested material is delivered.

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee inserted language into the annual defense policy bill that would reduce Hegseth's travel funding by 75 percent. The restriction follows months of requests for reports, videos, and investigative findings tied to controversial military actions that remain unanswered.

Senators are seeking documentation connected to a February strike on a school in Minab, Iran, that reportedly killed more than 160 people, many of them children. As reported by the Associated Press, they are also demanding records tied to U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats near Venezuela that allegedly left more than 200 people dead.

The budget fight marks a significant escalation in Congress' effort to obtain information from the Pentagon. Rather than issuing another request, lawmakers attached financial consequences directly to the defense secretary's travel spending.

GOP senators want access to civilian-harm assessments, intelligence reviews, operational planning documents, and after-action findings connected to the incidents. Demands for documentation tied to those operations have persisted for months as members of Congress await complete records.

Accountability demands increasingly centered on the Iran strike because preliminary findings reportedly suggested the target may have been identified using outdated intelligence. If those findings are ultimately confirmed, the incident could rank among the deadliest civilian casualty events involving U.S. military action in recent memory.

Committee members are also examining maritime operations targeting suspected narcotics-trafficking vessels. Requests for unedited footage and investigative material sharpened after reports raised questions about follow-up attacks and compliance with military use-of-force standards.

Few congressional tools carry more leverage than a 75 percent reduction in travel funding. Congressional watchdogs argue that oversight becomes impossible when requested information remains unavailable.

For Hegseth, the dispute extends far beyond travel expenses. The confrontation now centers on whether Congress can compel the Pentagon to release records tied to military operations that continue to generate questions inside Washington.