Overview
- A provision in the annual Pentagon policy bill would require the Defense Department to give Armed Services committees the unedited video, with a 25% cut to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until compliance.
- House leaders expect a floor vote this week, and the Senate faces a deadline to take up the bill by the end of the month.
- Officials have confirmed four strikes on September 2, with the first killing nine people, a second ordered about 40 minutes later killing two survivors, and two additional strikes used to sink the wreckage.
- Members who viewed the classified footage split on whether the last two men were a threat, as Rep. Jim Himes and Rep. Adam Smith say they appeared helpless and lacked radios, while Sen. Tom Cotton says they tried to flip the boat yet acknowledges he saw no evidence of radio use.
- Adm. Frank Bradley told lawmakers the vessel planned to link up with a ship bound for Suriname, and as broader operations continue with at least 22 strikes and about 86 deaths reported since September, President Trump says he is open to releasing the video while Hegseth cites source‑protection concerns.