US legislators are leveraging budgetary authority to compel the Trump administration into releasing controversial footage of a military engagement. A provision embedded within the extensive National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would impose travel budget restrictions on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office until the Pentagon provides unedited video of a September 2nd incident involving consecutive strikes on a vessel in the Caribbean.
The legislative maneuver emerges amid bipartisan demands for transparency regarding the so-called ‘double-tap’ strike that resulted in eleven fatalities. According to Washington Post reporting, an initial attack killed nine individuals aboard a suspected drug-trafficking vessel, with a subsequent strike eliminating two survivors clinging to the wreckage.
President Trump has characterized the release decision as resting solely with Secretary Hegseth, despite contradicting his own previous on-camera statement that he would have ‘no problem’ with public disclosure. The administration maintains that these operations target designated terrorist organizations and fall within legal armed conflict parameters, though international law experts have raised concerns about the second strike’s compliance with protocols regarding wounded survivors.
The proposed budgetary restriction, first reported by Politico, would cap Hegseth’s office travel funding at 75% of allocated 2026 resources until compliance is achieved. The $901 billion defense bill has garnered unusual cross-aisle support, reflecting widespread congressional unease about the operation’s legal justification and the administration’s transparency.
Divergent reactions emerged from lawmakers who viewed the classified footage in briefings led by Navy Admiral Frank Bradley. House Intelligence Committee Democrat Jim Himes described the video as ‘deeply troubling,’ while Republican Senator Tom Cotton defended the strikes as ‘entirely lawful and needful.’
The White House continues to assert its adherence to armed conflict laws, emphasizing that operational decisions rest with military commanders rather than political appointees. Secretary Hegseth remains noncommittal regarding potential release, stating only that the matter remains ‘under review.’