Overview
- The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a provision in its draft FY2027 NDAA that would limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to no more than 25 percent of his travel budget until lawmakers get the requested materials in an 18-9 vote this week.
- Lawmakers demand unedited video of U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters and full, unredacted civilian-harm investigations and supporting documents for the Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, Iran.
- Pentagon probes of the Minab school strike and the maritime campaign remain ongoing, and U.S. officials have reported preliminary findings privately that point to a likely Tomahawk missile in the Minab incident without public confirmation of responsibility.
- The provision must survive negotiations with the House, which left the same travel restriction out of its NDAA, so the measure is not yet law and would require conference agreement to take effect.
- The move reflects bipartisan frustration over Pentagon transparency, raises the use of the power of the purse as oversight leverage, and could force public disclosures or further political fallout including calls for accountability from some senators.