Headline Roundup • December 9th, 2025
Congress May Cut Hegseth's Travel Budget to Force Release of Boat Strikes Footage
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Congress may withhold up to 25% of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget in a new defense policy bill if he does not release videos of recent military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The Details: The annual defense policy bill included that it would cut funds to "not more than" 75% until Hegseth "provides to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command."
For Context: The US military has conducted over 20 strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific ocean, alleging that the boats were affiliated with narco-terrorists. The strikes have killed at least 80 people. President Donald Trump said, "Every boat we knock out of the water, every boat we save 25,000 American lives. That was a boat loaded up with drugs. I saw the video."
How the Media Covered It: NBC News (Lean Left) emphasized that the strikes on Sept. 2 are of "particular concern," as those strikes sparked concern in both the House and the Senate that the second strike "could amount to a war crime." Reuters (Center) noted that even "some of Trump's fellow Republicans" in Congress have concerns that Trump may be conducting a prolonged military operation without Congress's approval. Washington Examiner (Lean Right) included that Rep. Jim Himes (D-MA), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, called the video "one of the most troubling scenes" he's witnessed.
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REUTERS/Kevin Lamarqu
U.S. lawmakers may withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget if he does not provide unedited videos of military strikes on boats in the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific, the latest effort to obtain more information about President Donald Trump's campaign against Venezuela.
The Senate and House of Representatives Armed Services committees included the travel budget provision in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a massive defense policy bill released on Sunday night and likely to become law by the end of the year.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth must submit the unedited footage of all boat strikes conducted against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean Sea or else face travel budget cuts.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 added several provisions that require Hegseth's action to authorize three-quarters of his designated travel budget, including a report on the lessons learned by the military from the war in Ukraine.
A new version of the annual defense policy bill released Sunday could limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel plans next year if he doesn't release video of recent military strikes.
Congress is set this week to consider the bill, which includes a provision that would restrict Hegseth's travel budget for fiscal year 2026 until he provides the video of military strikes on boats in the Caribbean.
Language included in the revised bill text would cut those funds to "not more than" 75% until Hegseth "provides to the Committees on Armed...
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