Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says the Pentagon barred him from visiting a key U.S. military installation in Qatar during his recent Middle East trip, accusing the Trump administration of concealing the true costs of the ongoing war with Iran.
Murphy, who traveled to Doha and later Riyadh as part of a congressional delegation, said he sought to inspect Al Udeid Air Base—the largest U.S. facility in the region and a frequent target of Iranian attacks since the conflict escalated in late February. He wanted "to see firsthand the impact of the Iran War, the damage it's caused to our facilities in the region, and how it's harmed our relationships with partners in the region."
After being denied access, Murphy charged that "there is an active, unprecedented, unconstitutional effort underway to hide the costs of this war and the implications of this war from Congress and the American people," as reported by Reuters. He also said the Defense Department refused to arrange a war briefing for him while he was in the region.
"I've never encountered anything like this in my time in the Senate and it's part of a deliberate campaign of obfuscation that my Republican colleagues in Congress should demand an end to," Murphy added.
A senior Pentagon official told The Hill that Murphy's office was informed before the trip that he would not receive Defense Department support for visiting Al Udeid, citing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's March directive on travel restrictions in the region. "That decision was communicated in advance by the Office of the Secretary of War for Legislative Affairs. The Department applies the Secretary's guidance evenly," the official said.
Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the first Democratic lawmaker to visit the region since the war began, acknowledged that Secretary of State Marco Rubio helped facilitate the trip and arranged meetings with senior Gulf officials. However, the Connecticut senator has repeatedly criticized President Trump for lacking a clear strategy to end the conflict, which has already cost more than $45 billion.
The Pentagon continues to face scrutiny over its transparency regarding the war's mounting toll, which has now lasted over seven months. The military officially lists 19 service members killed in the Middle East since the conflict started, but The Washington Post reported last month that the actual number is at least 23.
"Pete Hegseth has been hiding the cost of the war, the extent of its damages, and the loss of American life from the public and from Congress," Murphy said before his trip. The dispute comes as Hegseth's leadership faces growing scrutiny from both parties, and as questions about the administration's Iran strategy intensify.
