HRES 268119th CongressIn Committee

Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of Defense to transmit information to the House of Representatives relating to certain military activities against the Houthis and information referring or relating to certain laws and certain policies, guidance, instructions, standards, practices, and procedures of the Department of Defense applicable to the control, communication, transmission, or delivery of classified or sensitive information.

Introduced: Mar 27, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This is a House of Representatives resolution of inquiry that requests the President and directs the Secretary of Defense to provide to the House within 14 days a broad set of information. The requested material relates to (1) U.S. military activities against the Houthis (in Yemen) around March 15, 2025, and (2) policies, guidance, instructions, standards, practices, and procedures used by the Department of Defense for controlling, communicating, transmitting, or delivering classified or sensitive information since January 20, 2025. In short, it seeks detailed, potentially sensitive records and communications to inform congressional oversight of military actions against the Houthis and of DoD information-handling practices.

Key Points

1Type and purpose: H. Res. 268 is an “of inquiry” resolution directing the President and the Secretary of Defense to furnish information to the House to illuminate recent military activities against the Houthis and related information on DoD information-security practices.
2Scope of information requested: The resolution covers a wide array of materials, including documents, records, telephone records, recordings, memos, transcripts, maps, charts, logs, calendars, emails, texts, chats, electronic communications, and any other form of communication that references the March 15, 2025 activities or DoD policies/laws related to handling classified or sensitive information.
3Timeframe for disclosure: Information must be transmitted not later than 14 days after adoption of the resolution.
4Geopolitical focus: The request centers on U.S. military activities against the Houthis in Yemen.
5DoD information-handling policies: It also seeks materials related to laws, guidance, and procedures governing the control, communication, transmission, and delivery of classified or sensitive information since January 20, 2025, including any policy or practice applicable to such information.

Impact Areas

Primary: House of Representatives oversight and accountability, DoD, and the executive branch (President) regarding military actions against the Houthis and internal information-security practices.Secondary: National security and intelligence considerations due to potential disclosure of communications and methods; possible impact on ongoing or future operations if sensitive information is requested or disclosed.Additional impacts: Potential public and media scrutiny, and questions about executive privilege or disallowance of disclosure for classified or sensitive materials; potential policy debate on oversight vs. information security.This is a resolution of inquiry, not a funding or authorization bill, and it does not by itself change policy or authorize actions. It compels the executive branch to provide a documented accounting, subject to typical executive-privilege and national-security protections.The text does not specify a sponsor or provide additional legislative text beyond the information-request provision.

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