U.S. senators are moving to restrict Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless the Pentagon provides additional information tied to multiple military operations, according to reports citing actions under the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Several lawmakers want the department to deliver overdue reports and documentation, including the Pentagon’s investigation into the U.S. strike on an Iranian girls’ or elementary school on Feb. 28 that killed more than 165 people, with Iranian and other reports describing the majority as children. As of the reporting, no one has been held accountable for the deaths, and the U.S. Central Command investigation is still ongoing.
Sources also say senators are asking for details related to U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean/Venezuela area, with requests including operational disclosures and, in one report, video footage. One account specifies that Congress would withhold 75% of Hegseth’s travel budget until lawmakers receive adequate documentation. The effort is described as the second time lawmakers have used similar budget leverage, after a prior partial travel cut in earlier defense legislation.
