Congress is using its marquee defense bill to force the Pentagon into turning over videos of strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats off the coast of Latin America.
Lawmakers plan to withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon provides them with the videos. The demand, quietly tucked into the final draft of the annual defense policy bill, calls for “unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command” to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
Congressional leaders released their final draft of the defense bill Sunday, which is expected to be approved — without changes — by the House later this week and then the Senate.
The provision appeared as lawmakers look into a controversial follow-up strike on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors of an initial attack, an action some experts warn amounts to a war crime.
Hegseth on Saturday wouldn’t say whether he would release the video, citing potential safety concerns for troops. But President Donald Trump has said he would have “no problem” doing so. The Pentagon chief has publicly backed the decision to kill the survivors, although said that Adm. Frank Bradley — head of U.S. Special Operations Command — made the final call on the second strike.
Bradley and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine last week briefed top lawmakers on national security committees and showed the unedited footage of the operation. But lawmakers disagreed about what the video revealed. Some top Republicans who viewed the unedited footage contend it vindicates the administration’s position. Democrats have called on the Pentagon to release it more broadly.
