WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee's Military Personnel Subcommittee, was one of 11 members of Congress to join U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, and Representative Pat Ryan (D-NY), a member of the House Armed Services Committee in opening a new investigation into reports that the Department of Defense (DoD) failed to provide adequate medical care to service members injured in a March drone strike on a U.S. military post at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait. In a new letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers asked him to provide clarity on the reports and DoD’s investigation into the Port Shuaiba strike.  

In addition to Houlahan, Warren, and Ryan, the letter was signed by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Representatives Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Derek Tran (D-CA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), all members of the House Armed Services Committee 

“As President Trump once again ramps up his reckless war in Iran, and new reports indicate that additional American bases have come under attack, it is critical that DoD provide answers about its capacity to provide care for injured service members,” wrote the lawmakers. 

In April, Senator Warren and Representative Ryan led investigations into reports that Secretary Hegseth failed to take basic steps to protect troops during President Trump's war in Iran, including during a strike that killed six service members and injured dozens in Kuwait. Following new reporting revealing that service members warned of safety issues ahead of the strike, the lawmakers pressed for answers on why troops injured in the attack have not received timely access to medical care and why the Trump administration failed to prepare for attacks on troops in the Middle East. 

Survivors reported facing delays and challenges in getting necessary medical care, including injured service members who were flown to Germany for care being told they could only get limited treatment and had to wait in barracks because the hospital was unable to admit them. Other service members with symptoms of traumatic brain injuries from the strike were reportedly unable to get proper care for nearly a month, even after they were flown from Germany to Fort Hood in Texas.  

The reports also raise serious concerns about DoD’s lack of preparation for a strike against Port Shuaiba. A soldier reportedly filed a complaint with the Inspector General stating the lack of safety measures at Port Shuaiba were so significant that the unit’s force-protection assessments “recommended against positioning any personnel at Shuaiba Port.” Survivors of the strike reported they believed that at least one victim of the attack could have survived if they had had proper access to care.  

The Army reportedly downplayed injuries sustained during the strike, including by telling families that their loved ones were not seriously wounded despite suffering extensive injuries. 

“These reports are also emblematic of a broader pattern of the Trump administration’s blatant dismissal and disregard for the injuries and deaths of service members in this war,” wrote the lawmakers.  

The lawmakers also called out DoD’s revision of official casualty counts from the war in Iran. Last week, the DoD lowered the number of U.S. service members who had been killed in the war from 18 to 14, categorizing their deaths under “Overseas Operations” instead of Operation Epic Fury in an apparent attempt to hide the growing American casualty count from President Trump’s war against Iran.   

“This is shameful and a complete and utter disrespect to these service members, their loved ones, and those who served alongside them…It dishonors their ultimate sacrifice to attempt to hide the real costs of this war from the American people,” said the lawmakers.  

“As you and President Trump continue to risk the lives of service members in this reckless war, the American people deserve answers on whether you were adequately prepared to protect service members from Iranian attacks and get them the care they needed, and whether you will be prepared to do so if the war continues and escalates even further,” wrote the lawmakers.  

The lawmakers asked Secretary Hegseth to provide answers related to the reports of insufficient medical care, injury classifications, and details of the Port Shuaiba attack and ensuing investigation by August 12, 2026. 

The full copy of the letter with the lawmakers’ questions can be found here. 

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