Senate Democrats press Pentagon on Iran war casualty undercounts

Senate Armed Services Committee Democrats, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., pressed the Pentagon Friday over what they described as multiple inconsistencies between public statements and official casualty figures for Operation Epic Fury.

"The American people, Congress, service members, and their families are entitled to a full and accurate accounting of the human costs of war. The information currently available to the public suggests that the Department has not consistently provided timely and comprehensive public casualty reporting throughout the conflict," the senators wrote.

Gillibrand put the critique in sharper terms in her own statement: "Secretary Hegseth's time at DOD continues to be marred by blatant carelessness and a severe lack of the moral fitness his position demands. His incompetent leadership has endangered our troops, jeopardized our national security, and threatened civilian lives."

The senators requested data by July 30 on traumatic brain injuries, undisclosed attacks in Jordan, and an assessment of mass casualty response capabilities. The letter was addressed to Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, and Under Secretary for Personnel Anthony Tata.

Thirty-nine senators signed a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin calling for independent investigations, body-worn camera deployment, and a review of enforcement protocols following the deaths of two men during ICE operations in Maine and Texas.

"The tragic deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero occurred less than a week apart and carry startling similarities. In both incidents, the individuals were killed in enforcement actions in which they were not the intended targets. Furthermore, both individuals were shot by DHS officials while inside a vehicle," the senators wrote in language appearing identically across releases from Murray and Bennet.

"In each case, DHS quickly issued statements asserting that officers were acting in self-defense, even before evidence of the facts surrounding the incidents had been gathered. Compounding this failure, no DHS officials involved in these fatal shootings wore body-worn cameras that could be reviewed by investigators or members of the public," the senators continued.

"We remain supportive of removing dangerous convicted criminals from our communities, but this goal can and must be achieved without endangering these very communities in the process. By no stretch could either of the victims in Texas and Maine be characterized as 'the worst of the worst,' making these tragic deaths even more egregious," the letter concluded.

Democrats moved on two Social Security fronts Friday. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the Social Security 2100 Act, which would increase benefits, eliminate the payroll tax cap, and block DOGE and political appointees from accessing SSA data systems.

"Social Security is a lifeline for thousands of New Mexicans. The Trump administration's cuts and threats to the program are abandoning our seniors and people with disabilities," said Luján.

Separately, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sent a letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano demanding a detailed accounting of DOGE's activities at the agency — citing a Department of Justice court filing disclosing that DOGE staffers shared sensitive data on a third-party server without SSA officials' knowledge, and a Washington Post report of a DOGE employee copying a database of SSA data on a personal thumb drive.

"These admissions and whistleblower statements damage SSA's decades-long history of protecting Americans' sensitive information and discredit your past assurances to protect Americans' data. It is long overdue you provide the American people a straight answer," Whitehouse and Wyden wrote.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., joined Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and 11 Finance Committee members in calling on Treasury Department inspectors general to investigate whether White House officials violated federal laws prohibiting political influence over federal tax audits.

"We write to request an investigation into alarming reports about White House officials potentially violating a federal law prohibiting senior officials from influencing federal tax audits, including reports that a top official serving the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was forced out of the administration after raising concerns about those potential violations," the senators wrote.

"If recent reporting is accurate and Mr. Kies did in fact advise White House officials of such risks, it is gravely concerning that this administration chose not only to ignore the IRS' top legal advisor, but to fire him for attempting to follow the law and protect taxpayers," the letter continued.

The inquiry follows earlier Bennet-led letters pressing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano over a settlement addendum preventing the Justice Department from pursuing tax audits of President Trump, his family members, or affiliated companies.

Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., introduced the Digital Age Assurance Act on Friday — a bipartisan bill requiring operating system providers to collect users' ages and convert them into privacy-protective age brackets for use by app developers blocking age-inappropriate content.

"Like most parents, I have a lot of anxiety about keeping my two boys safe from dangers online as they grow up in a world full of ever-evolving technology. We owe it to parents and kids to put guardrails in place before more harm is done," said Kim.

"In Wyoming, we believe protecting our kids and protecting our freedoms go hand in hand, and this bill proves you don't have to sacrifice one for the other. By keeping government IDs and facial scans out of the equation, the Digital Age Assurance Act gives parents real protection for their children while giving platforms a trusted, privacy-protective way to know when those protections should apply," said Lummis.

The bill bans targeted advertising to children and prohibits their data from being sold or transferred. It builds on California state law and applies a device-level framework rather than requiring platform-by-platform age checks.

Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and John Curtis, R-Utah, publicized their Stop Transnational Repression Act Friday, legislation that would create the first federal definition for transnational repression crimes and impose enhanced criminal penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment and fines up to $100,000.

The bill also centralizes federal oversight of prosecutions in the Justice Department's National Security Division and concentrates investigations in the FBI, with annual reporting requirements to Congress.

"With transnational repression on the rise, it is critical that we take strong action to investigate and prosecute bad actors who would intimidate and attack dissidents and critics on U.S. soil. This is a bipartisan effort to counter a national threat that reports show is only expanding in scope, with new and brazen efforts by countries like China and India trying to expand its intimidation of those not in lock step with the regime," said Schiff.

"No foreign government should be able to threaten or silence people on American soil. Whether it's the Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian regime, or any other authoritarian government, transnational repression is an attack on both our sovereignty and our freedoms," said Curtis.

Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., introduced the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act on Friday, bicameral legislation targeting a Citizens United loophole that allows U.S.-registered corporations with majority foreign ownership to spend in American elections.

"American elections should be decided by the people, not by foreign interests. This bill closes a dangerous loophole that allows foreign-owned corporations to spend money in our elections. It will strengthen our democracy and protect our elections," said Kelly.

"Thanks to the disastrous Citizens United decision, foreign actors can exploit the same corrupting dark money channels that allow unlimited corporate spending. We should get rid of the damned stuff entirely, but this bill would at least safeguard our democracy from foreign adversaries influencing American elections from the shadows," said Whitehouse.

The bill is cosponsored by 11 Senate Democrats including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. The release cites data showing foreign ownership of American stocks rose from 4 percent in 1986 to 40 percent by 2020.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., joined Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Jared Huffman, and other California lawmakers in requesting a GAO investigation into the Trump Administration's use of up to $425 million in Defense Production Act Title III funds to support coal-fired power plants and construct the West Gateway Terminal Project in Oakland — a commercial export facility the lawmakers say serves primarily foreign markets in East Asia.

"The DPA was intended to scale up domestic industrial capabilities to meet urgent military or national emergency needs; therefore, its invocation to construct a commercial, civilian export facility intended primarily to serve foreign commercial markets raises profound statutory, legal, and fiscal questions," wrote the lawmakers.

"Congress has never appropriated funds to the DOE's DPA account with the intent of propping up a dying industry or financing a purely commercial project," they continued.

The letter to GAO Acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown also raised concerns that emergency DPA authorities may have been used to preempt local environmental regulations in Oakland.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., sent a second letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday demanding answers about the termination of the CDC's FoodNet surveillance of Cyclospora cayetanensis, as the outbreak climbs past 11,500 confirmed and suspected cases across 41 states.

"You have failed to address my questions regarding your inexplicable decision to terminate the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) required surveillance of Cyclospora cayetanensis, and the progress of federal efforts to investigate and contain it," Ossoff wrote.

"Your silence amidst an ongoing outbreak of diarrheal disease is indicative of the reckless arrogance with which you demolished America's public health defense," he continued.

Kennedy did not respond to Ossoff's initial inquiry. More than 300 people have been hospitalized in the current outbreak, which the release notes includes cases in Georgia.

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., took to the Senate floor Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Working Families Tax Cuts package, citing figures from the law's rollout: more than 7.5 million no-tax-on-tips claims, 29 million no-tax-on-overtime claims, and 35 million senior enhanced deduction claims.

"It is clear that Floridians are thrilled about the major wins we secured one year ago with the Working Families Tax Cuts. Families and small businesses know how to spend their money far better than bureaucrats in Washington ever will," said Moody.

In a floor statement, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also promoted the law's border security provisions, writing that southern border apprehensions are now "94 percent lower than they were under the Biden administration." Thune noted visiting the ICE facility in Rapid City with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Democrats offered a pointed counter. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-Va., released a congressional report showing Virginia families have spent more than $2,900 extra on housing, groceries, gas, electricity, and health care since Trump took office. "President Trump promised the American people lower costs, but instead, his reckless war of choice in Iran and his chaotic economic policies have driven up the price of filling up your car, buying groceries, keeping the lights on, and putting a roof over your head," the two senators wrote.

The Senate passed Sen. Tim Sheehy's, R-Mont., Lunar Landing Day Act unanimously this week, designating July 20 as a permanent patriotic observance under Title 36 of the U.S. Code — the 49th such observance, alongside Constitution Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day.

"As we continue to strengthen America's space superiority with further innovation and new missions, we remember this incredible moment as one of the greatest achievements of human discovery in history," said Sheehy.

The bill was co-led by Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Kelly tied the designation to NASA's Artemis program: "As NASA's Artemis program prepares to take us back to the Moon, there's no better time to make sure that legacy is never forgotten."

Moran, as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds NASA, noted his role in continued lunar investment: "I look forward to continuing to invest in America's space program as we work to return Americans to the surface of the Moon once again."

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee advanced the bipartisan Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act on Friday, a bill to streamline FAA type certification for Advanced Air Mobility aircraft including electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.

"This bill will streamline and update the FAA certification processes, accelerate innovation, support new technologies, and strengthen U.S. global leadership in aviation," said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., a co-sponsor.

"By ensuring that the FAA prioritizes the certification of novel aircraft like eVTOLs, we can quickly incorporate innovative technology into the National Airspace System," said Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., a co-lead on the bill.

The bill was co-led by Luján and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., with Budd. An amendment by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., requiring airline pilots to have a seat in the certification process was incorporated. The bill advances to the full Senate floor.

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., introduced the Tribal Access to Nutrition Assistance Act on Friday, legislation to allow individuals eligible for both SNAP and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations to use both programs in the same month — currently prohibited, though no similar restriction applies when combining SNAP with WIC or TEFAP.

"Since the Republican tax bill cut SNAP benefits for thousands of Nevadans, it is more important than ever to deliver this solution to our Tribes," said Cortez Masto.

"It is outrageous and unfair that they are being forced to pick between nutrition assistance programs that they plainly need and are clearly eligible for," said Murray. "As Democrats fight to repeal Trump's SNAP cuts, passing this legislation would be an important step in the right direction."

The bill is supported by the Intertribal Agriculture Council and the National Congress of American Indians.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., issued a statement Friday after the Trump Justice Department withdrew subpoenas it had issued to New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns involving a Qatari plane used by the president. A federal judge had rebuked administration attorneys for failing to comply with the law.

"It was clear from the beginning that the Trump administration's issuance of these subpoenas was hasty, intrusive, and meant to intimidate journalists just for doing their jobs. I am grateful that the court recognized these facts and held the administration accountable. The president cannot be allowed to exploit our legal system to try to stop reporting he doesn't like," said Gillibrand.

Gillibrand had questioned Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton — currently U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York — about his role in issuing the subpoenas, which she characterized as "rushed, aggressive, with an unnecessary urgency."

Signals

• coordinatedIdentical block quotes about the ICE shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero appeared word-for-word in releases from Sen. Murray and Sen. Bennet, indicating a coordinated 39-senator letter rollout.
• coordinatedIdentical quoted language about Iran war casualty discrepancies appeared in releases from Sen. Rosen and Sen. Gillibrand, both citing the same Armed Services Committee letter to Hegseth.
• volumeFriday's 33 releases ran 11.7% below the Friday rolling average of 37.4, with 17 days until the August state work period recess.
• coordinatedSen. Banks issued two separate Fox News appearance releases within 54 minutes of each other, covering Iran strikes and a Chinese-linked nonprofit network — an unusually dense Friday media rollout for a single senator.
• recessThe Senate is 17 days from the August state work period; no votes are scheduled today.