Senate Panel Backs 75% Hegseth Travel Cut Over Iran Strike and Boat Attack Records
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 17
Senate Panel Backs 75% Hegseth Travel Cut Over Iran Strike and Boat Attack Records
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 17
Summary
An 18-9 Senate Armed Services Committee vote advanced a 2027 defense bill that would withhold 75% of Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon turns over material lawmakers have demanded.
The dispute centers on unedited footage from U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin American waters and answers about a Feb. 28 Tomahawk strike that apparently hit a girls’ school in Iran.
More than 200 people have been killed in the boat-strike campaign since early September, while Iranian officials say the school strike killed more than 170 people, mostly children; Trump said the investigation is still underway.
The Senate measure also ties the travel restriction to a previously ordered report on U.S. and allied support for Ukraine and seeks tighter limits on troop withdrawals from Europe without congressional notice.
The proposal still must pass the full Senate and be reconciled with the House version, which would withhold 25% of Hegseth’s travel budget, before final action later this year.
As Congress battles the Pentagon, are U.S. military priorities shifting away from traditional European alliances?
Why were civilian protection programs cut just before a dramatic rise in casualties from U.S. military operations?
Is the Pentagon's secrecy on deadly military strikes hiding operational failures or protecting national security?
Operation Southern Spear: Congressional Showdown Over Pentagon’s Refusal to Release Details on 35 Deadly Strikes in Latin America
Overview
In June 2026, a major standoff erupted between Congress and the Pentagon after lawmakers, frustrated by months of unanswered questions, threatened to cut 75 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget. This move was a direct response to the Pentagon’s refusal to provide critical information about controversial U.S. military actions, including a strike on a girls’ school in Iran and attacks on suspected drug boats in Latin America. Despite repeated bipartisan efforts, Congress could not obtain unedited videos and records needed for oversight, highlighting deep tensions over transparency and accountability in national security decisions.