Senate defense bill withholds travel funds until Pentagon releases strike reports

A Senate defense authorization bill would restrict spending on the defense secretary's travel funds until the Pentagon submits unredacted civilian-harm investigations, including one into a February 28, 2026, strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran.

The bill states that no more than 25 percent of the defense secretary's travel funds may be spent until the required reports and supporting documents are delivered to the House and Senate Armed Services committees. The Minab strike killed more than 165 people, many of them children, according to the source.

Requested investigations The legislation also seeks unedited video of U.S. strikes on boats near Venezuela that have killed at least 208 people since the campaign began. Lawmakers further request three additional investigations into April 2025 strikes in Yemen, including one on a port that left at least 70 dead and another on a house in Sanaa that killed at least four people.

The casualty figures for the Yemen strikes were provided by Houthi authorities. U.S. Central Command did not respond to questions about those incidents at the time.

Legislative process The provisions were added to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, a 1,500-page bipartisan measure that sets Pentagon policy for the coming year. The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the bill last week, and it now moves to the full Senate for consideration.