Duckworth, Ryan Urge Passage Of Bill After Report Says Pentagon Hid Additional Iran War Deaths
The lawmakers’ call comes after the Washington Post reported that 22 servicemembers have been killed in the Iran War, not 18 servicemembers as the Pentagon previously disclosed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following new reports that the Pentagon has covered up 4 additional American servicemember deaths in President Donald Trump’s Iran War, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Pat Ryan (D-NY-18)—both Iraq War combat Veterans—are calling on Congress to pass their legislation that would prevent the Trump Administration from continuing to do this. The lawmakers’ Honoring the Sacrifice of Troops in War Act would ban Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth from manipulating casualty records and jeopardizing the benefits of our military families.
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“Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are proving once again they will stop at nothing to hide the true cost of this war from the American people. Reports now indicate as many as 22 of our servicemembers have laid down their lives fighting in a conflict we never should’ve been in. And instead of honoring their sacrifice and telling the truth, this Administration is trying to cover it up in attempt to cover up what a failure they are ahead of an election,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth. “We’ve been here before. Trump tried to hide the deaths of four of our heroes nearly 2 months ago, which is why I wrote the Honoring the Sacrifice of Troops in War Act and called for its passage then. Now that it’s clear they’ll keep this up, Congressional Republicans must join us and help immediately pass our legislation to put a stop to this dishonorable playbook for good. Our fallen heroes deserve better than a five-time draft dodger who manipulates their sacrifices this way.”
“Pete Hegseth is engaged in a coverup to downplay his failed leadership when it comes to the war in Iran. We now know that 22 servicemembers made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and fellow soldiers. Instead of honoring their heroism and Patriotism, Trump and Hegseth are trying to sweep it under the rug. They’d rather dishonor our fallen heroes than tell the truth,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “It’s a complete and total betrayal of our servicemembers by the very people that swore to protect and do right by them. This is exactly why I introduced bicameral legislation to force the Pentagon to be honest with the American people about the enormous human cost of this war. Congress must pass our bill and fully honor each and every one of the Patriots who lost their lives in Trump’s war because it’s infuriatingly clear we can’t trust Hegseth to do the right thing.”
To ban the Secretary of Defense from hiding the true cost of war, the Honoring the Sacrifices of Our Troops in War Act would:
- Ensure Accurate Public Statistics on Casualties by requiring for the first time ever that DoD publish and update frequently casualties in war.
- Ban Arbitrary, Unjustified Recategorizing of Designated Contingency Operations by prohibiting redesignating an ongoing conflict if the Administration continues to mobilize forces against the same enemy;
- Prevent Manipulation of Casualty Records by prohibiting manipulation of casualty records by falsely redesignating a contingency operation;
- Restore Casualty Records of Our Fallen and Wounded Heroes in the Iran Warby requiring restoration of casualty records for Iran-related operations since February 28, 2026, and notify next-of-kin about the correction;
- Ban Cutting Hard-Earned Benefits for Troops and Civilian Personnelby prohibiting the modification of eligibility for deployment-related personnel benefits on the basis of falsely redesignating a contingency operation; and
- Restore Benefits to Personnel Supporting Iran War by retroactively restoring all covered benefits entitled to members of the Armed Services and civilian employees who have supported Iran-related operations since February 28, 2026.
The original bill introduction in the Senate came after the Pentagon unprecedentedly recategorized recent casualties suffered in Trump’s Iran war—including four killed and over 200 wounded servicemembers—under a separate category outside Operation Epic Fury in a shameless attempt to downplay the damage done and evade accountability to the American people.
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