{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-colleagues-investigate-reports-that-dod-failed-to-provide-sufficient-care-for-service-members-injured-in-iran-strike/", "Gillibrand, Colleagues Investigate Reports That DoD Failed To Provide Sufficient Care For Service Members Injured In Iran Strike", "2026-07-31", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Survivors of Iranian Attack on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait Say Pentagon Ignored Requests for Advanced Medical Aid, Failed to Provide Protection from Strikes, Misclassified Injuries\n\n\u201c[S]oldiers Wounded in the Attack Concluded \u2018the Military\u2019s Medical System Failed Them.\u2019\u201d\n\nU.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined 12 members of Congress 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\u2019s investigation into the Port Shuaiba strike.\n\n\u201cSecretary Hegseth\u2019s reckless behavior and poor judgment put U.S. service members in danger and jeopardized our national security,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cHis incompetent leadership left troops without the support and preparation they needed and hindered their access to care after they were injured. He must be held accountable for his blatant carelessness and callous approach to our service members\u2019 safety.\u201d\n\nIn April, Gillibrand and her Senate colleagues launched an investigation into reports that Secretary Hegseth failed to take basic steps to protect troops during President Trump\u2019s war in Iran, including during a strike that killed six service members and injured dozens in Kuwait.\n\nFollowing 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.\n\n\u201cAs 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,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nSurvivors reported facing delays and challenges in getting necessary medical care, including that injured service members who were flown to Germany for care were then told that they could only get limited treatment and had to wait in barracks as the hospital was unable to admit them. Other service members with symptoms of traumatic brain injuries were reportedly unable to get proper care for nearly a month after the strike, even after they were flown from Germany to Fort Hood in Texas.\n\nThe reports also raise serious concerns about DoD\u2019s lack of preparation for a strike against Port Shuaiba. A soldier reportedly filed a complaint with the Inspector General stating that the lack of safety measures at Port Shuaiba were so significant that the unit\u2019s force-protection assessments \u201crecommended against positioning any personnel at Shuaiba Port.\u201d Survivors of the strike reported that they believed that at least one victim of the attack could have survived if they had had proper access to care.\n\nThe Army reportedly downplayed injuries sustained during the strike, including by telling families that their loved ones were not seriously injured despite suffering extensive injuries.\n\n\u201cThese reports are also emblematic of a broader pattern of the Trump administration\u2019s blatant dismissal and disregard for the injuries and deaths of service members in this war,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nGillibrand also continued to call out DoD\u2019s revision of official casualty counts from the war in Iran, writing with her colleagues that DoD\u2019s apparent attempt to hide the growing casualty count of U.S. service members from President Trump\u2019s war against Iran shows a \u201ccomplete and utter disrespect to these service members, their loved ones, and those who served alongside them\u2026It dishonors their ultimate sacrifice to attempt to hide the real costs of this war from the American people.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs 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,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nThe 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.\n\nIn addition to Gillibrand, the letter was signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Representatives Pat Ryan (D-NY-18), Gil Cisneros (D-CA-31), Jason Crow (D-CO-06), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Derek Tran (D-CA-45), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), and Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-02).\n\nThe full text of the letter is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-01T07:27:26Z", "2026-08-01T07:28:22Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-colleagues-investigate-reports-that-dod-failed-to-provide-sufficient-care-for-service-members-injured-in-iran-strike/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4843940734863281, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}