House and Senate Democrats are demanding answers from War Secretary Pete Hegseth after MS NOW’s reporting described military families stranded in Bahrain when the Iran war began. They also accuse department leaders of failing to adequately support the families as they left the region in the following months.

In a joint letter obtained first by MS NOW, lawmakers called the War Department’s handling of the situation “unacceptable.” Their criticism focused on department leadership’s refusal to extend financial assistance known internally as safe haven entitlements.

The letter was signed by 30 Democratic lawmakers from both chambers, including Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. They gave Hegseth a Nov. 13 deadline for answers about decisions involving that assistance.

The lawmakers also asked how “the incapacitation” of Naval Support Activity Bahrain after Iranian strikes in late February “has impacted U.S. operations in the Iran War and the broader Middle East.” The installation was severely damaged in a series of attacks at the start of the war.

Naval Support Activity Bahrain has served as the headquarters for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet for more than three decades. The Navy said more than 1,250 people were evacuated from the base after retaliatory Iranian strikes began, including military families.

Spouses of service members described the evacuation as disorganized and “utterly chaotic.” Some families were not evacuated from Bahrain until two weeks into the conflict.

During the following months, families moved between multiple continents, drained their financial savings and tried to comfort children traumatized by explosions that struck their homes. Many of their belongings remain stuck in Bahrain for the foreseeable future.

Safe haven entitlements are now approaching their end, leaving families responsible for the costs of moving themselves. Payments are set to stop as soon as a family signs a permanent lease, which families were told to do by Dec. 1.

Because their possessions remain in Bahrain, families will have to furnish their new residences with their own money. Democratic lawmakers called the decision to add to their financial burdens “bad policy.”

“The families evacuated from NSA Bahrain have been put through hell. Parents shielding their kids from bomb blasts, homes abandoned in a panic, cherished memories lost forever and now facing huge personal financial burdens,” Rep. Patrick Ryan of New York told MS NOW in a statement.

Ryan, who is also a military veteran, sharply criticized the department’s refusal to continue the assistance. “It is unbelievable the DoW leadership denied the Navy’s request to extend safe haven entitlements. The Pentagon has a TRILLION dollar budget, and it’s unconscionable that Pete Hegseth is choosing to leave these families in the lurch. We’re demanding answers and accountability,” Ryan said.

The lawmakers were equally blunt about forcing service members to absorb expenses resulting from the evacuation. “Requiring servicemembers to pay out of pocket for expenses that were forced upon them by your mismanagement of the Iran War is wrong,” the lawmakers wrote. “You must fix this.”

They also asked what processes exist for evacuees seeking reimbursement for costs they have already incurred. In addition, lawmakers want the Pentagon to disclose how many potential reimbursement cases are currently pending.

Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, a former Navy officer, blamed Donald Trump and Hegseth for the burdens facing the families. “This is yet another way that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are failing our troops, military families, and War Department civilians. It is unacceptable to make servicemembers and their families to pay out of pocket for expenses that happened because of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s foolish, reckless war and their poor planning,” Deluzio said.

Deluzio also called for Hegseth’s removal and congressional intervention if he refuses to leave. “The Department of War needs to fix this. Hegseth should be fired — it’s way overdue. If he doesn’t resign, the Congress should take action. I will keep fighting in the House Armed Services Committee to support our servicemembers and their families,” Deluzio said.