May 29, 2026

ICYMI: New Responses to Warren Reveals Trump Admin Failed to Use All Tools to Safely Evacuate Americans from Middle East

DoD’s Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) confirms State Department did not task it with assisting in the evacuation of non-government Americans 

Trump admin evacuations were chaotic and dangerous, with thousands of civilians being forced to wait days before receiving any information about how to return home to safety

Text of TRANSCOM Response (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — In a new response to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s recent oversight, U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) revealed it was not tasked by the State Department (State) to assist in the evacuation of non-government Americans amidst President Trump’s illegal war in Iran. According to the response, TRANSCOM “did not receive a tasking to move American civilians (non-U.S. government personnel)” — indicating that the Trump administration failed to use all the tools at its disposal to get Americans home quickly.

The evacuation was chaotic and dangerous, with thousands of civilians forced to wait days before receiving any information about how to return home to safety — including residents of Massachusetts, who called Senator Warren’s office for help after receiving little information from the federal government. One American reported that it took the State Department over a week to contact her after enrolling in its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which is designed to provide Americans abroad information during an emergency.

“The Trump administration put Americans in harm’s way by starting an illegal war in the Middle East, then failed them by neglecting to use every single tool possible to evacuate them quickly and safely,” said Senator Warren. “Donald Trump’s Iran War has put American troops and civilians in danger overseas, jacked up costs for families at home, and destroyed our standing on the world stage — it must end now.”

On February 28, the Trump administration launched an attack on Iran. By the time the State Department issued an evacuation order days later, much of the region’s airspace was already fully or partially closed, significantly limiting options for U.S. citizens to evacuate.

On March 5, Senator Warren led the Massachusetts delegation in demanding answers from the State Department on the Trump administration’s “complete failure” to evacuate Massachusetts residents and other Americans from the Middle East. A separate, new response from State, in which State failed to answer the Members’ questions, underscores the Trump administration’s unwillingness to take accountability for the failed evacuation process, which left thousands of Americans stranded and in danger.

A week later, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 12, Senator Warren pressed TRANSCOM Commander General Randall Reed on the Trump Administration’s failures to get Americans quickly to safety

TRANSCOM has previously played a major role in evacuating Americans from war zones. After war broke out in Lebanon in 2006, the State Department requested support from the Department of Defense (DoD) in just two days. With TRANSCOM’s assistance, State and DoD successfully evacuated nearly 15,000 American citizens from a war zone in less than a month.

Senator Warren has fought to hold the Trump administration accountable for waging an illegal war in
Iran:

  • On April 22, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) pressed General Randall Reed, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), on the Trump administration’s failures in evacuating Americans from the Middle East at the start of President Trump’s illegal war in Iran.

  • On April 20, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Van Hollen (D-Md.) led nine senators in opening a new investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in weakening civilian harm prevention programs and the catastrophic civilian impacts of President Trump’s war in Iran.

  • On April 7, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) released a new video condemning President Trump’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran and called for Majority Leader Thune to bring the Senate back into session immediately to vote to stop Trump’s war.

  • On March 20, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent and other members of the Trump administration, raising concerns about the financial costs for American families from President Trump’s illegal and reckless war with Iran.

  • On March 20, 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) sounded the alarm about the Trump administration’s sidelining of the military’s Judge Advocate General Corps, who are responsible for providing independent legal advice to commanders. Senator Warren pressed the commanders of United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command about the impact the sidelining of JAGs has on civilian harm as the war against Iran continues.

  • On March 11, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kaine (D-Va.), Schatz (D-Hawaii), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 41 colleagues pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a full investigation on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran, and other civilian casualties in the Trump administration’s war on Iran.

  • On March 5, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass) led the entire Massachusetts delegation in pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain the Trump administration’s “complete failure” to evacuate U.S. citizens — including Massachusetts residents — from the Middle East following the administration’s starting a reckless war in Iran.

  • On March 3, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to call on Congress to end President Donald Trump’s reckless war in Iran and demand accountability.

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