Senate threatens to freeze Hegseth's travel in bid for boat strike videos, Iran school strike probe [View all]
Source: Politico
06/17/2026 10:29 AM EDT
Senate lawmakers are threatening to freeze Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget if the Pentagon doesn’t turn over more details about the deadly bombing of an Iranian girls school in February and full videos of lethal strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in the waters off Latin America.
The provisions, tucked into the Senate Armed Services Committee’s defense policy bill, would withhold 75 percent of the Pentagon chief’s travel budget until lawmakers receive the documentation.
The move is an escalation from late last year, when lawmakers passed and President Donald Trump signed defense legislation that restricted a quarter of Hegseth’s travel budget in an effort to force the department to turn over the videos and fulfill other lingering requests. The renewed provisions suggest lawmakers still haven’t gotten the information they want.
It also signals continued bipartisan dissatisfaction with the Pentagon ignoring or slow-walking responses to congressional inquiries. The provisions are part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act approved last week by the Republican-led panel. Senate Armed Services leaders filed the bill on Tuesday.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/17/senate-threatens-to-freeze-hegseths-travel-in-bid-for-boat-strike-videos-iran-school-strike-probe-00964789
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