‘Under review’: Defense Secretary refuses to release full military strike videos, lawmakers are now contemplate taking a drastic step to force his hand

Lawmakers in the United States are threatening to slash a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless he turns over unedited footage of recent military strikes on boats operating near Venezuela. The demand marks the latest escalation in Congress’s push for greater transparency surrounding President Donald Trump’s military activities in the region.

According to Reuters, the requirement was written into the newly released National Defense Authorization Act – the sweeping annual defense policy bill unveiled by the Senate and House Armed Services committees on Sunday night. Under the provision, Hegseth would face the budget cut if he fails to provide Congress with the raw video material documenting the strikes.

The bill, which shapes U.S. defence priorities and funding for the coming year, is expected to pass and become law before the end of the year. For weeks, members of Congress, including several Republicans who have grown increasingly uneasy with the administration’s opaque approach, have been pressing the White House and Pentagon for more clarity on the strategy toward Venezuela.

The strikes have raised serious questions about military authorization

Since early September, the U.S. has gathered naval forces near Venezuela and carried out at least 22 strikes against boats in the southern Caribbean and Pacific. The Trump administration says this is a fight against “narcoterrorists” and will stop illegal drugs from entering the United States.

The strikes have killed 87 people and sparked concerns that Trump is running a long military operation without approval from Congress. The U.S. Constitution says only Congress can declare war, not the president.

Killing dozens of people without showing proof they were a threat may break international law. These concerns grew after news came out that the military’s controversial “kill everybody” order was followed during the strikes. The military fired multiple times on September 2 at the first boat hit in the campaign, killing survivors instead of rescuing them.

Hegseth defended that action in remarks on Saturday. He also said he hasn’t decided yet whether to release the full video of the incident, saying it was “under review”. His recent controversial social media posts have also drawn criticism from children’s advocacy groups.

The defense bill says only 75% of Hegseth’s travel budget can be used until the Pentagon sends overdue quarterly reports to congressional defense committees. It also requires the department to give unedited strike videos to the armed services committees.