The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act would effectively punish Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by curtailing his travel budget if he refuses to turn over "unedited" video of the strikes President Donald Trump has ordered on alleged drug boats.
Defense Bill To Limit Hegseth Travel Budget Unless He Turns Over Boat Strike Videos
Credit: Gage Skidmore
December 9, 2025

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act would effectively punish Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by curtailing his travel budget if he refuses to turn over "unedited" video of the strikes President Donald Trump has ordered on alleged drug boats.

According to the legislation, Hegseth would only be entitled to 75% of his travel budget unless he "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."

Later this week, Congress is scheduled to approve the defense spending bill without changes.

Over the weekend, Hegseth declined to say if he would release the controversial videos to Congress.

Can you help us out?

For over 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but social media is limiting our ability to attract new readers. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon