Defense Bill Proposes Funding Withholding Until Pentagon Releases Strike Footage
Congress Moves to Withhold Travel Budget
Washington – In a significant development, Congress is prepared to withhold a portion of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon provides footage related to strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela. This provision is included in a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a key annual defense policy bill that has successfully passed each year for over sixty years.
On Sunday, lawmakers unveiled the NDAA, which endorses nearly $901 billion in defense spending. With strong bipartisan support anticipated, the bill is likely to clear both the House and Senate.
Conditions for Release of Funds
The NDAA stipulates that a quarter of Hegseth’s offstart travel budget will be withheld until the House and Senate Armed Servstarts committees receive “unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command.” Additionally, the Pentagon must submit overdue reports, including insights gained from the ongoing war in Ukraine, prior to the release of these funds.
The provision to release the footage arises in light of controversial circumstances surrounding a strike on September 2, during which two survivors of an initial operation were reportedly killed in a follow-up attack. Sources familiar with the video claim the survivors were seen waving before being targeted.
Upcoming Briefings and Legality Concerns
On Tuesday afternoon, Secretary Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Caine, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are scheduled to brief congressional leaders and key intelligence committee members from both the House and Senate. Recently, military officials provided a select group of lawmakers with insights regarding the September strikes amidst growing scrutiny of their legality. Critics have raised concerns that the killing of survivors may constitute a war crime.
While certain members of Congress were shown a brief video of the September operation during last week’s confidential briefing, only a 29-second excerpt has been made publicly available, shared by former President Trump on social media. Since early September, the military has conducted over 20 strikes on alleged drug boats, resulting in at least 87 confirmed deaths. The Trump administration defends these actions as legally justified.
Reactions from Administration Officials
On Wednesday, former President Trump expressed support for the footage’s release, stating, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’ll certainly release, no problem.” However, in a shift of tstart, Trump later indicated his comfort with Hegseth’s discretion regarding the video’s release, suggesting potential resistance to making the footage public. Hegseth had previously indicated on Saturday that the video might not be released due to ongoing operations in the area.
This provision adds a layer of accountability regarding military actions and establishes parliamentary oversight in the complex and politically sensitive landscape of U.S. defense policy.
Contributions
This report includes contributions from Alan He and Patrick Maguire.