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  • MIL-OSI USA News: Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias

    Source: The White House

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

         Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order, to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.  The Founders established a Nation in which people were free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or retaliation by their government. 

         For that reason, the United States Constitution enshrines the fundamental right to religious liberty in the First Amendment.  Federal laws like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.), further prohibit government interference with Americans’ rights to exercise their religion.  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), prohibits religious discrimination in employment while Federal hate-crime laws prohibit offenses committed due to religious animus.

         Yet the previous Administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.  The Biden Department of Justice sought to squelch faith in the public square by bringing Federal criminal charges and obtaining in numerous cases multi-year prison sentences against nearly two dozen peaceful pro-life Christians for praying and demonstrating outside abortion facilities.  Those convicted included a Catholic priest and 75-year-old grandmother, as well as an 87-year-old woman and a father of 11 children who were arrested 18 months after praying and singing hymns outside an abortion facility in Tennessee as a part of a politically motivated prosecution campaign by the Biden Administration.  I rectified this injustice on January 23, 2025, by issuing pardons in these cases. 
     
         At the same time, Catholic churches, charities, and pro-life centers sought justice for violence, theft, and arson perpetrated against them, which the Biden Department of Justice largely ignored.  After more than 100 attacks, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning this violence and calling on the Biden Administration to enforce the law.
     
         Then, in 2023, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) memorandum asserted that “radical-traditionalist” Catholics were domestic-terrorism threats and suggested infiltrating Catholic churches as “threat mitigation.”  This later-retracted FBI memorandum cited as support evidence propaganda from highly partisan sources.
       
         The Biden Department of Education sought to repeal religious-liberty protections for faith-based organizations on college campuses.  The Biden Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sought to force Christians to affirm radical transgender ideology against their faith.  And the Biden Department of Health and Human Services sought to drive Christians who do not conform to certain beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity out of the foster-care system.  The Biden Administration declared March 31, 2024 — Easter Sunday — as “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
       
          In this atmosphere of anti-Christian government, hostility and vandalism against Christian churches and places of worship surged, with the number of such identified acts in 2023 exceeding by more than eight times the number from 2018.  Catholic churches and institutions have been aggressively targeted with hundreds of acts of hostility, violence, and vandalism.
         
         My Administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians.  The law protects the freedom of Americans and groups of Americans to practice their faith in peace, and my Administration will enforce the law and protect these freedoms.  My Administration will ensure that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified.

         Sec. 2.  Establishing a Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.  (a)  There is hereby established within the Department of Justice the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias (Task Force).
         (b)  The Attorney General shall serve as Chair of the Task Force.
         (c)  In addition to the Chair, the Task Force shall consist of the following other members:
              (i)     the Secretary of State;
              (ii)    the Secretary of the Treasury;
              (iii)   the Secretary of Defense;
              (iv)    the Secretary of Labor;
              (v)     the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
              (vi)    the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
              (vii)   the Secretary of Education;
              (viii)  the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
              (ix)    the Secretary of Homeland Security;
              (x)     the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
              (xi)    Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations;
              (xii)   the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;
              (xiii)  the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
              (xiv)   the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy;
              (xv)    the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
              (xvi)   the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and
              (xvii)  the heads of such other executive departments, agencies, and offices that the Chair may, from time to time, invite to participate.

         Sec. 3.  Task Force Functions.  (a)  The Task Force shall meet as required by the Chair and shall take appropriate action to:
              (i)    review the activities of all executive departments and agencies (agencies), including the Department of State, the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, over the previous Administration and identify any unlawful anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct by an agency contrary to the purpose and policy of this order;
              (ii)   recommend to the head of the relevant agency steps to revoke or terminate any violative policies, practices, or conduct identified under subsection (3)(a)(i) of this section and remedial actions to fulfill the purpose and policy of this order;
              (iii)  share information and develop strategies to protect the religious liberties of Americans and advance the purpose and policy of this order;
              (iv)   solicit information and ideas from a broad range of individuals and groups, including Americans affected by anti-Christian conduct, faith-based organizations, and State, local, and Tribal governments, in order to ensure that its work is informed by a broad spectrum of ideas and experiences;
              (v)    identify deficiencies in existing laws and enforcement and regulatory practices that have contributed to unlawful anti-Christian governmental or private conduct and recommend to the relevant agency head, or recommend to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, as applicable, appropriate actions that agencies may take to remedy failures to fully enforce the law against acts of anti-Christian hostility, vandalism, and violence; and
              (vi)     recommend to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, any additional Presidential or legislative action necessary to rectify past improper anti-Christian conduct, protect religious liberty, or otherwise fulfill the purpose and policy of this order.
         (b)  In order to advise the President regarding its work and assist the President in formulating future policy, the Task Force shall submit to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy:
              (i)    a report within 120 days from the date of this order regarding the Task Force’s initial work;  
              (ii)   a report within 1 year from the date of this order that summarizes the Task Force’s work; and
              (iii)  a final report upon the dissolution of the Task Force.

         Sec. 4.  Administration.  (a)  The heads of agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, upon the request of the Chair, provide the Task Force with any information required by the Task Force for the purpose of carrying out its functions.
         (b)  The Department of Justice shall provide such funding and administrative and technical support as the Task Force may require, to the extent permitted by law and as authorized by existing appropriations.

         Sec. 5.  Termination.  The Task Force shall terminate 2 years from the date of this order unless extended by the President.

         Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
              (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
              (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
         (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
         (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        February 6, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: USGS-led Study: Shoreline Seasonality of California’s Beaches

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Most of the world’s beaches have regular cycles of erosion and recovery, but new USGS research is showing that these cycles may be considerably different from common perceptions. We know that these cycles are related to ocean waves, and that larger waves cause movement of beach sand offshore, whereas smaller waves move this sand back to the beach. Winter generally brings larger waves, while summer…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI RGV, Federal partners investigation results in the sentencing of a South Texas man for a deadly human smuggling event

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A South Texas man was sentenced for conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens, resulting in multiple deaths, following an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in collaboration with U.S. Border Patrol; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations; police departments in Port Mansfield and South Padre Island; Texas Rangers; Texas Game Wardens; sheriff’s offices in Kenedy, Duval, and Willacy Counties; and the Willacy County District Attorney’s Office.

    Jose Refugio Torres, 28, from Roma, Texas, was sentenced on Feb. 5 by U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera to serve 36 months in prison, immediately followed by one year of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the severity of human smuggling involving death and admonished Torres that should he ever return to the smuggling business, he could be facing potential life in federal prison. Torres pleaded guilty on Sept. 27, 2023.

    “HSI is dedicated to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of citizens across all communities in the United States,” said HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “We will remain focused on investigating and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that jeopardize the well-being of individuals.”

    “As this case sadly demonstrates, human smuggling is a crime that takes lives and puts the public at risk,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Nicolas J. Ganjei. “Securing the border is the Southern District of Texas’ number one priority, and breaking up these smuggling rings is a key component of that. We will continue to use all available resources to aggressively pursue those who flout our immigration laws and put profit ahead of human lives.”

    According to court documents, Torres was involved in the attempted smuggling of illegal aliens in March 2019 by motor vehicle from the Rio Grande Valley to destinations within the United States. During this failed attempt in Duval County, a vehicle rolled over and caused the deaths of four people and serious injuries to six others.

    The victims included citizens of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador, as well as a 17-year-old boy from Ecuador.

    Torres was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons, the specific facility will be determined at a later date.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose E. Arreola Jr. and Jose Esquivel Jr. from the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Richmond felon convicted of illegally possessing firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Richmond man today on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 12, 2022, investigators with the Richmond Police (RPD) Youth and Family Crimes Unit were conducting an investigation at 3443 Walmsley Ave. During that investigation, investigators learned that Randel Douglas Hoggard, 39, and his significant other, K.B. had outstanding arrest warrants and requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals to complete the arrest at the couple’s Richmond apartment.

    Marshals arrested Hoggard and RPD procured a search warrant for items relevant to the investigation at the apartment. During the search, investigators observed multiple firearms and indicia of narcotics trafficking in the residence. Investigators obtained and executed a second search warrant and recovered four firearms, ammunition, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia. Hoggard was a convicted felon at the time and could not legally possess firearms or ammunition.

    On Jan. 16, 2024, the Chesterfield County Police Department Homicide Unit, assisted by RPD, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Virginia State Police, executed a search warrant at another apartment at 3447 Walmsley Ave. Hoggard was present during the execution of the search warrant. Investigators located a loaded .40 caliber handgun hidden within the void of his closet door. Investigators also located .40 caliber ammunition in the defendant’s bedroom and suspected drugs. Hoggard was arrested on and has been in custody since Jan. 16, 2024.

    Hoggard faces a up to 10 years in prison for the 2022 charge and up to 15 years in prison for the 2024 charge when sentenced on June 3. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Col. Edward F. Carpenter Jr., Chief of Chesterfield County Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young accepted the verdict.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and Janet Jin Ah Lee is prosecuting the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-66.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: IMF Press Briefing Transcript – Julie Kozack

    Source: International Monetary Fund

    February 6, 2025

    INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND PRESS BRIEFING

    Washington, D.C. Thursday, February 6, 2025

    P R O C E E D I N G S

    1. KOZACK: Good morning, everyone. It’s great to see you all, here in person and online. Welcome to the first IMF press briefing for 2025. I’m Julie Kozak, Director of the Communication Department. As usual, this briefing is embargoed until 11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. I’ll start with a few announcements and then I’ll move to take your questions in person, on WebEx, and via the Press Center.

       First, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will travel to Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The Managing Director will visit Ethiopia on February 8th and 9th to meet Prime Minister Abiy and his team, and this visit will take stock of the economic reforms and progress that is being made by the country. She will also meet with stakeholders, including representatives of the private sector.

    The Managing Director will also travel to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the Arab Fiscal Forum on February 10th and the World Government Summit on February 11th where she will deliver keynote remarks. On February 16th and 17th, the Managing Director will participate in a two-day conference in Saudi Arabia on building resilience of emerging market economies. The conference is co-organized by the IMF and the Saudi Finance Ministry.

    The First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath will travel to Japan to join the Article IV mission. She will participate in meetings with the authorities and hold a press conference on February 7th at 10:30 a.m. Tokyo time.

    Finally, Deputy Managing Director Okamura will travel to Japan to participate in a jointly organized IMF-JICA conference on Economic and Fiscal Policy Challenges and Prospects for Asia. And this is scheduled for February 12 and 13.

    And with that I will now open the floor for your questions. For those connecting virtually, please do turn on both your camera and the microphone when speaking. Let’s get started.

    QUESTIONER: Hi,I was just wondering, you mentioned Ethiopia. How concerned are you about sort of countries with large IMF programs which also receive a substantial amount of support from USAID, considering the recent executive order, countries like Ethiopia and Ukraine, for example. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Thanks very much. So with respect to your question, you know we are closely following the announcements and developments regarding USAID. At this stage it’s too early to gauge the precise impact on the countries that it supports. We’ll wait for clarity on the next steps, including any changes to the scope of the work of USAID.

    QUESTIONER: So, the IMF mission is going to start working in Ukraine this month. Could you specify please what main issues will the Fund plan to focus on during the Seventh Review of the EFF program. And the second question is about the pension reform in Ukraine. Ukrainian government committed to starting this reform this year. Could you elaborate on what key changes the IMF expects from Ukraine on this area? Thank you.

    KOZACK: Are there any other questions on Ukraine?

    QUESTIONER: So, according to latest information, the review of the EFF is scheduled to begin this month. When the decision on the disbursement is going to be made and what amount of funds are going to be provided with this fund? And the follow-up, how much money is left in the EFF according to the current situation? Are there any plans to expand this program? Thank you.

    QUESTIONER: Just to follow up on the question about Ethiopia. Obviously, the USAID cuts also affect Ukraine pretty significantly. And I wonder, you know, both in those cases and in all cases involving USAID funding, whether you are working with the US ED here and sort of sending a message about the impact. So, whether you’ve kind of figured it out across the enterprise and across all the countries that the IMF works with as well. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Anything else on Ukraine online? Okay. So, on Ukraine, just to remind everyone of the context. So, on December 20th, the IMF’s Executive Board approved the Sixth Review of the EFF program. That enabled the disbursement of $1.1 billion and that brought total disbursements under the program to $9.8 billion. And the total size of the program, I believe, was $15.6 billion. So, the difference between those two is what would be remaining. At that time, the Board assessed that program performance remained strong. The authorities had met all of the benchmarks and prior actions for the review.

    With respect to the next mission, the technical work for the upcoming review is underway. The mission dates are in the process of being finalized, and once we have them, we’ll be sure to communicate that. During this upcoming mission, the IMF staff will engage with the authorities on fiscal policy, including progress on revenue mobilization, monetary policies for 2025, and also progress in ensuring that debt sustainability and fiscal sustainability are restored. Staff will also be reviewing governance reforms, which remain a key pillar for the program. Based on the approved calendar of disbursements, subject to completion of the next review and, of course, subject to Board approval, Ukraine would have access to about $900 million for that next review.

    With respect to pension reform, the government has committed to launch pension reforms this year in 2025, and they would be spearheaded by the Ministry of Social Policy. And those reforms are supported by external partners, notably the World Bank. What I can also add is that the authorities are in the process of developing a comprehensive set of proposals for pension reforms, but it’s too early to tell exactly what will be included in those proposals and what the changes may be.

    And on the second question, I don’t really have much to add to what I already said, other than obviously we’re paying close attention and we’re awaiting further details.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, good morning. Thank you for taking my question. Just on Syria, can you give us an update if the IMF has made any contact with the new government and if there are any plans to provide a loan package to the country? Thank you.

    KOZACK: We’re closely monitoring, obviously, the situation in Syria, and we stand ready to support the international community’s efforts to assist Syria’s reconstruction as needed and when conditions allow. With respect to our engagement, we have not had a meaningful engagement with Syria since 2009, which was the time of the last Article IV Consultation, and this has been due to the difficult security situation in the country.

    QUESTIONER: I have two questions, and they’re Caribbean-related questions. Can you provide a breakdown of the growth projections for the Caribbean region, more specifically, focusing on St. Kitts and Nevis, and what factors are driving the projected growth or decline outlook for the region, more specifically, the Caribbean region?

    KOZACK: Okay. All right, let me step back and give a little bit of an overview of where we stand, what our view is on the Caribbean. So, following the rapid recovery after the Pandemic, real GDP growth in the region has normalized in recent years. Average GDP growth for the region, and this is excluding Guyana and Haiti, is estimated at 2.2 percent for 2023, 2.4 percent for 2024. And growth, our projection is for growth to remain relatively stable at 2.4 percent in 2025.

    Broadly speaking, there are sort of two groups of countries in the Caribbean. So, we look at tourism-dependent economies, and there we see that growth in tourism economies has slowed as tourism arrivals have returned to pre-Pandemic levels. And then for commodity-exporting countries, they have faced challenges in the energy sector but have overall benefited from robust performance in their non-energy sector, and that has been driven by supportive and economic policies.

    I can also add that inflation in most Caribbean countries has moderated significantly over the past few years, and the decline was due to lower global commodity prices and easing of supply chain disruptions. And we expect inflation to remain moderate in the years to come.

    QUESTIONER: My question is on the comment by Managing Director Georgieva in Davos. MD mentioned in Davos clearly that more cooperation in the regional levels might be needed in the future in such a fragmented world and IMF would support such a movement. And could you give me some more detailed plans?

    KOZACK: Thanks very much for the question. What the Managing Director noted in Davos is that we are seeing shifting patterns in global cooperation, in trade, and in other areas, including financial and capital flows. And of course, as a global institution, what will be important for us is as we engage with our membership, right, to take all of this into account to ensure that we can give our members the best policy advice within our mandate of economic and financial stability.

    QUESTIONER: Thanks so much, Julie. I wanted to ask you very broadly about the changes that are happening in the United States and the tariffs that President Trump has announced. Now the implementation of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico has been delayed to March 1st. And, you know, it’s not clear what will happen there exactly. But one of the, you know, the tariffs on China have stayed in place. China has now announced tariffs that will kick in on February 10th. The IMF has warned repeatedly against rising protectionism and also kind of cataloged the thousands of trade restrictions that have been put in place and growing over time since COVID. Can you just walk us through what your perception is right now? The markets have been really all over the place, you know, sort of up and down depending on the day’s mood. Do you see this period of trade uncertainty that you warned about in the WEO, kind of really affecting and dampening global growth prospects? Thanks.

    KOZACK: Thanks very much. Let me see if anyone else has questions on this broad topic.

    QUESTIONER: Thank you. Yeah, I was just wondering, just to follow on the previous question, how you sort of think about the unpredictability of of these tariffs or the discussions around the tariffs, the uncertainty that that kind of brings up, and potentially how that could affect monetary policy. We’ve seen a lot of analysts talking about how they no longer expect the Fed to cut, or they expect the Fed to cut maybe only once this year. I’m just sort of wondering how you’re kind of in real time or as close to real time as you can, sort of taking on board that unpredictability when you think about the U.S. economy and the impacts for global growth. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Great. And you also had a question.

    QUESTIONER: Yes. Just following up with my colleagues. What sort of study, if any, has the IMF undertaken to better understand the global ramifications of these tariffs? We know they’re on pause for another 30 days or so or less. And what sort of impact would small states that are heavily dependent on the United States feel going forward?

    KOZACK: And let me go online to see if anyone online has a question along these lines.

    QUESTIONER: It is very similar. Just wondering the fact that it’s not just tariffs that have imposed on China, but the threat of tariffs on countries across the EU, Canada, and Mexico, and what effect that has on the global outlook. Thank you.

    KOZACK: Okay. Thank you. Anyone else online want to come in on this topic? Okay. So, what I can say on this issue is we’re following the announcements by the U.S. with respect to tariffs on Chinese goods and potentially Canadian and Mexican goods. We’re following these announcements. We believe that it’s in the interest of all to find a constructive way forward to resolve this issue.

    With respect to the assessment, assessing the full impact of these measures of tariffs, it’s actually going to depend on several factors, and let me lay those out. One of those factors is going to be the responses of the countries concerned. Another factor will be how firms and consumers react. And finally, how the measures evolve over time will also have an impact.

    So, at this stage, that’s what I can share with you. We will, of course, have more information over time and in due course as the situation evolves.

    QUESTIONER: Julie, I’m sorry, I think the question is, like, can you say something about what uncertainty does to the global economy? I mean, you’ve talked about this in WEO’s before, but do you see this as a period of heightened uncertainty now that Trump has taken office? And, you know, what is the impact of that uncertainty on things like investment and all this, you know, the sort of categories of economic indicators that we look at?

    KOZACK: So, I think what I can say is, of course, I would refer you to the WEO for some of those analysis. And again, assessing the full impact of this will include all of the factors that I just laid out. And we would take into account issues related to uncertainty, market reactions, et cetera, in an assessment that we will ultimately undertake as the situation evolves and once we have more information.

    Let me now go online. I see a couple of hands up. So, if you’re online, please go ahead and jump in.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, good morning. Thank you for taking my question. Well, has the letter of intent between the IMF and Argentina been prepared? Or let me ask in a different way. Are the negotiations between Argentina and the IMF already in the final stage?

    KOZACK: Thanks. Other questions on Argentina?

    QUESTIONER: Could you give me any updates on the negotiations of the new agreement and what are the most challenging issues they are facing right now? And also yesterday, Minister Luis Caputo said a new agreement will not imply a devaluation of the peso or the exit of the exchange restrictions the next day. Does the IMF agree with this statement?

    KOZACK: Thanks. Others on Argentina?

    QUESTIONER: Hi, Julie. I was wondering also if you could give some input regarding the meetings that the mission in Buenos Aires had, if they have only been talking to government officials or if they are also contacting unions and other opposition representatives. And also, the new crawling peg of 1 percent has started this February. I was wondering if that was a matter of discussion between the staff and the government.

    KOZACK: Thanks, other questions?

    QUESTIONER: Yes, thank you, Julie. So, my question is also on the crawling peg. So, is the IMF concerned about the greater exchange rate delay generated by this reduction of the crawling peg from 2 percent to 1 percent started the 1st of February?

    KOZACK: Any other questions on Argentina? Okay, I hear two more. Please go ahead.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, Julie, I wanted to know if Argentina has already paid a debt due on February 1st or when is it expected to do so? And if there is a meeting plan between Argentina authorities and the IMF network staff in Washington.

    KOZACK: Thank you. Next.

    QUESTIONER: Good morning. The question is if Argentina and the IMF comes to a new agreement, should it be like we are talking here in Argentina about $5 million? It will be for anything special, for example, to leave what we call cepo, or it depends on the Argentine authorities.

    KOZACK: Any other questions on Argentina? Okay, I do not see anyone coming in.

    So, on Argentina, what I can share is first that, as the Managing Director highlighted after her meeting with President Milei last month, we recognize Argentina’s tremendous progress in reducing inflation, stabilizing the economy, returning to growth, and with poverty finally starting to decline. We continue to engage constructively with the Argentine authorities. And a staff mission did recently visit Buenos Aires to advance discussions on a new program. The new program will aim to build on the gains that have been achieved so far, while also addressing the remaining challenges that the country faces. Constructive and frequent discussions continue, and we will provide further details on next steps when we have them.

    I can also just add that to sustain early gains, there is a shared recognition between the Fund staff and the Argentine authorities about the need to continue to adopt a consistent set of fiscal, monetary, and foreign exchange policies while furthering growth-enhancing reforms. I also know that you have a lot of interest, and there were a lot of detailed questions here, but given that the discussions are continuing and there has been good progress so far, we do want to ensure that there is space for staff and the authorities to continue these constructive discussions. And of course, we will communicate more when we have further details.

    Okay, let us go online because I see a few hands up.

    QUESTIONER: My question is, when do we expect Board of Directors to discuss Egypt Fourth Review?

    KOZACK: Do we have other questions on Egypt?

    QUESTIONER: Hi, I’d like to ask, in addition to that, when the board does discuss Egypt’s Fourth Review, will it also be discussing an additional RSF for Egypt? There have been some reports that Egypt is in line to receive as much as $1 billion.

    KOZACK: Other questions?

    QUESTIONER:  I just wanted to ask, in terms of the assessment of Egypt, but also other countries in the region, to what extent you are calculating additional costs and spending needs that have to do with Gaza and with the potential absorption of Palestinian refugees that has been proposed.

    KOZACK: Okay, any other questions on Egypt? I see I have two questions that have come through the press center, which I will read aloud. So, the first is when will the IMF’s Executive Board complete the Fourth Review of the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility for Egypt?

    The second question is regarding the Executive Board’s approval of the Fourth Review of Egypt’s program, could it be this month? Does the IMF have updates on your projections for Egypt’s economy in light of regional updates?

    Let me share with you where we are on Egypt. On December 24, the IMF staff and the Egyptian authorities reached a staff-level agreement on the Fourth Review of the EFF. This review is subject to approval of our Executive Board and subject to that approval, Egypt would have access to about $1.2 billion. Preparations for Board consideration are underway, and the Board meeting is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

    In light of the difficult external conditions and challenging domestic environment, the IMF staff and the Egyptian authorities agreed to recalibrate the fiscal consolidation path, and this was agreed in December, I would highlight, to create fiscal space for critical social programs benefiting vulnerable groups and the middle class while ensuring debt sustainability.

    Looking forward, reform priorities comprise lowering inflation, sustaining exchange rate flexibility, and liberalized access to foreign exchange. In addition, the program aims to boost domestic revenues. It aims to improve the business environment. It aims to accelerate disinvestment or divestment rather and leveling [of] the playing field between state-owned enterprises and the private sector. And of course, it also aims to enhance governance and transparency.

    With respect to the question on the RSF, a policy package of reforms will be considered by the Fund’s Executive Board along with the Fourth Review of Egypt’s program.

    And lastly, there is no connection at the moment between some of the announcements in Gaza and the and the Egypt program.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, I wonder if I can just clarify. On the RSF, you say a policy package of reforms that also presumably comes with some additional funding. Can you confirm whether the amount of up to $1 billion is accurate?

    KOZACK: I can’t confirm now the precise amount of the RSF, but of course as we have more information, we will provide that.

    QUESTIONER: Thank you so much.

    KOZACK: Let us go online. I see another hand online and then we will come back. Just one follow up, a follow up. Go ahead.

    QUESTIONER: You cannot confirm the amount of the RSF. So just so we are clear, are you confirming that there are discussions around an RSF? Thanks.

    KOZACK: Yes, there’s discussions on an RSF and the intention is to present the RSF with its package of reforms to our Executive Board at the same time as we present the Fourth Review of the EFF.

    QUESTIONER: Question about Rwanda and Eastern Congo. I wanted to know, I know that the IMF has programs with both Rwanda and the DRC. And I wanted to know, you know, given the M23 incursion, the fall of Goma, how the programs can react to it, if there is anything you can say about that. And also, obviously, in El Salvador, they changed their cryptocurrency law, but it is also reported that they recently bought 50 bitcoins. So, some people are for the kind of national treasury. Some people are confused in terms of what the contours of the limitations put on. And I wonder if you could comment on that. Thanks a lot.

    KOZACK: Okay, thank you. Any other questions on these countries? DRC, Rwanda, El Salvador?

    Okay, let me start with DRC and I want to start by saying that, you know, we are deeply saddened by the loss of lives and the humanitarian crisis in the Eastern part of DRC. We are closely monitoring the situation, including its potential impact on neighboring countries and the region. And of course, we are also closely monitoring with respect to potential impact on our program.

    With respect to Rwanda, what I can say on Rwanda is simply that the country continues to demonstrate a robust commitment to advancing policy reforms. And In December of 2024, our Executive Board concluded the Fourth Review of Rwanda’s programs.

    With respect to El Salvador, just to step back and remind, IMF staff and the Salvadorian authorities reached a staff-level agreement on December 18th for a new arrangement, a new EFF arrangement. The arrangement would be for about $1.4 billion to support the government’s reform agenda, and this agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board.

    I can also add that as explained in the press release that we issued following the staff-level agreement, the new Fund supported program aims to reduce the potential risks of the bitcoin project. Once in place, purchases of bitcoin will be confined under the program as agreed.

    QUESTIONER: Thank you, Julie. Good morning, everyone. A few things. In Zimbabwe, when you expect a deal for the Staff Monitored Program? And on Lebanon, have you had any contact with the new government? Are there any signs that you are going to be able to work with them? Also on Senegal, can you give us any update on the resolution of the suspension of the financing program there? And lastly, are there any concerns of a drop in the commitment of funding from the U.S.? The 2025 project calls for the U.S. to stop putting money into the World Bank and the IMF. So, are you guys concerned about that?

    KOZACK: Okay, thanks. Starting with Zimbabwe, I do not have an update for you for today on Zimbabwe, but we will come back to you bilaterally.

    On Lebanon, what I can share is that, you know, we welcome the election of General Aoun as president of Lebanon, and we look forward to working with him and his new government to address the challenges facing the Lebanese economy. And just to remind, Lebanon continues to face profound economic challenges, and the conflict had exacerbated an already fragile macroeconomic and social situation. The election of the president, the formation of a new government, as well as the ceasefire, are critical to support policy actions and reforms that would allow the gradual return to the normalization of economic activity in Lebanon.

    And what I can share on Senegal is that we are actively engaged in discussions with the authorities on addressing the misreporting case. Senegal’s Court of Auditors is expected to issue its final report this month. In parallel, IMF staff are working closely with the authorities to identify their capacity development needs and to implement corrective measures needed to address the root causes of the misreporting. These efforts are aimed at enhancing transparency, strengthening accountability, and preventing a recurrence of similar misreporting in the future.

    And I think, on your final question, all I can say here is that the United States is the IMF’s largest shareholder, and it plays an extremely valuable role in helping ensure global financial stability. We have a long history of working with successive U.S. administrations, and we look forward to continuing to do so.

    QUESTIONER: Thanks, Julie. Thank you for taking my question. When do you think we can expect the Executive Board’s approval on the next tranche for the Island Nation? And if there is any delay, what sort of reason is there? Is there more for the government to do? And secondly, the budget for the country is expected in a few weeks. Has the IMF given any input on preparing this budget, given the fact that the country is still in the EFF program?

    KOZACK: Thanks. So, your question was on Sri Lanka? And yes, I see you nodding. So, if anyone else has questions on Sri Lanka, I can take them now. Okay. If not, let me go ahead with Sri Lanka.

    So, on Sri Lanka on November 23rd, IMF staff and the Sri Lankan authorities reached a staff-level agreement on the Third Review of Sri Lanka’s EFF program. Once approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, Sri Lanka will have access to about $333 million in financing. And we expect the Board meeting to take place in the coming weeks.

    Here, I would also just like to take the opportunity to emphasize that Sri Lanka’s ambitious reform agenda is delivering commendable outcomes. The economy expanded by 5.5 percent in the fourth — third quarter of 2024. Average headline and core inflation remain contained well below the target during the fourth quarter of 2024. And international reserves increased to $6.1 billion at the end of 2024.

    With respect to the specific question on the budget, what I can share is that the staff-level agreement that I mentioned, which was reached in November, will be presented to the Executive Board or is subject to Executive Board approval, but it’s also contingent upon, among other things, implementation by the authorities of prior actions, including submission of the 2025 budget that is consistent with parameters identified under the program.

    QUESTIONER: Most of the questions we had have been touched upon, and I would just reinforce as well what colleagues had said earlier about trying to get a sense of what all this uncertainty around tariffs will mean. I know there is a tendency to talk about the policies once they are implemented and the impact. But given the fact that policies get announced and withdrawn and swung around, it seems like the uncertainty has more of the impact than the actual policy. But all that seems to be covered. I will get to — actually, the only outstanding question we have now is if you could update us on the status of the Mozambique program and if there is a risk to that program’s existence right now, given what is going on. That is for our Africa colleagues. Everything else was covered. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

    1. KOZACK: Thank you very much. So, on Mozambique, what I can share is that the Article IV Consultation and the Fourth Review of the Extended Credit Facility, or ECF, were completed back in July of 2024. An IMF team will visit Maputo in the coming weeks to engage with the new government. We do remain engaged to support the country’s efforts toward remaining macroeconomic stability, accelerating growth and making growth more inclusive, in line with the arrangements. But given that there is a mission in the coming weeks, we will have more to report toward the end of that engagement.

    QUESTIONER: Julie, regarding Russia, are there any developments concerning the postponed mission to Russia to evaluate progress in economy that was stopped in September due to necessity to gather additional information and make additional analysis. Anything we should expect this year, probably? Thank you.

    KOZACK: Unfortunately, I don’t yet have an update for you or a timeline for the Article IV.

    QUESTIONER: One final question. Thank you. Sorry, Julie, I’m going to try again with a sort of a similar question. But, you know, we are seeing a fundamental shift in the global and potentially in the support that is available for developing countries. The United States has ended foreign assistance. It has frozen funding for the World Food Program. It is pulling out of and talking about pulling out of the World Health Organization. These are institutions that are part, writ large, of the Bretton Woods system in which the IMF is such a key player.

    So, I do not think it’s unfair of us to be asking for some guidance from you about how you at an institution like the IMF are approaching this period of time that is marked by uncertainty, not just for the markets or for global trade, but also for the institutions themselves. And, you know, we have seen some initial reports that Elon Musk’s DOGE employees or people who work with DOGE are starting to look at the World Bank and other institutions.

    And I, you know, so I guess we want to hear something from you that is a little bit broader about the time that we’re in and what it means, because it obviously has implications for other countries, too, if they’re going to fill the gap in the developing thing. And, you know, you have been warning for years that the developing economies face a kind of perfect storm of different difficult circumstances. This seems like it adds to, to it. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Thanks very much. Look, what I can say now is really what I’ve been saying. I really do not have much to add other than that we are a global institution. We have a clearly defined mandate to support economic and financial stability globally and just ultimately support growth and employment in the world economy. We are continuing as an institution to remain laser-focused, of course, on that mandate. And we, as a global institution, take our responsibility to serve our membership very, very seriously. And we will continue to do everything that we need to do to serve our membership in the best possible way. You know, we do, as I said, have a long history of working with successive U.S. administrations, and we look forward to continuing to do so as an institution for which the U.S. is our largest shareholder.

    And with this, I’m going to bring this press briefing to an end. Thank you all for your participation today. As a reminder, this briefing is embargoed until 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time today. A transcript will be made available later on IMF.org, and as usual, in case of clarifications, additional queries, or anything else, please reach out to my colleagues at media@mf.org.

    This does conclude our first press briefing of the year. I wish everyone a wonderful day and I do look forward to seeing you next time. Thank you all so much for joining, and please be safe given the weather outside here in D.C. Thank you, everyone.

    * * * * *

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER:

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Joins Legislation to Reinstate Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for Beef

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    02.06.25

    Senator Supporting Legislation to Improve Transparency for Consumers, Ensure Accurate Labeling to Benefit U.S. Ranchers

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week helped introduce the American Beef Labeling Act, legislation sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef:

    • The legislation would require the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to develop a World Trade Organization (WTO)-compliant means of reinstating MCOOL for beef within one year of enactment.
    • USTR would have six months to develop a reinstatement plan followed by a six-month window to implement it.
    • If USTR fails to reinstate MCOOL for beef within one year of enactment, it would automatically be reinstated.

    “U.S. ranchers produce the highest-quality beef in the world, and consumers deserve to know the source of the product they are purchasing,” said Hoeven. “By requiring the U.S. Trade Representative to reinstate mandatory country of origin labels for beef, with timelines to ensure compliance, our legislation will benefit both U.S. producers and consumers.”

    “South Dakota ranchers – who work tirelessly to produce some of the highest quality beef in the world – deserve a fair labeling system that provides consumers with basic information on the origin of their beef,” said Thune. “As a longtime supporter of MCOOL, I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation that would promote the viability of cattle ranching across our country and provide full transparency for American consumers.”

    “This bipartisan legislation will help Americans know exactly where their beef is coming from,” said Booker. “For too long, the big meatpackers have been misleading people with deceptive labeling. More transparency will enable consumers to support local family farmers and ranchers, and I look forward to working with Senator Thune to get this bill enacted into law as quickly as possible.”

    In addition to Hoeven, Thune and Booker, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Young Introduce Legislation to Fast Track Development of New Baseload Power Projects to Improve Grid Reliability

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    02.06.25

    WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) today introduced the Guaranteeing Reliability through the Interconnection of Dispatchable (GRID) Power Act, legislation to remove delays in the development of new baseload power generation projects that would improve the reliability of the electrical grid. Specifically, the Hoeven-Young bill would:

    • Following rulemaking from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), authorize regional grid operators to give priority consideration for baseload generation projects seeking an interconnection agreement.
      • The interconnection queue is where proposed projects wait before grid operators begin conducting their feasibility and system impact studies.
      • As of 2023, the median wait time was five years for an interconnection agreement, significantly delaying the construction of critical projects.
      • FERC would be required to initiate rulemaking to establish this process within 90 days of the bill’s enactment and finalize the rule within 180 days.
    • Establish a timeline of 60 days for FERC to act on baseload generation projects given priority consideration by grid operators.
      • Timely approval of projects would help address the gap in reliable power generation created by Biden-Harris administration rules like the Clean Power Plan 2.0, which have accelerated the retirement of American baseload power plants.

    “The reliability of the electric grid has been undermined for years by Green New Deal policies advanced under the Obama and Biden administrations, whose heavy-handed approach to regulation has forced the retirement of critically-needed baseload power plants. The result is an unstable grid, power shortages and more brownouts and blackouts,” said Senator Hoeven. “Our legislation seeks to reverse this trend by empowering grid operators to put baseload power generation projects at the front of the line for approval. Further, it sets deadlines for FERC, requiring the agency to promptly set up this priority approval process and to start acting on baseload power projects. Doing so will enhance our nation’s energy security and help ensure the power stays on when needed most.”

    “Bureaucratic delays are slowing critical power projects and threatening the reliability of our electric grid. We need to cut through red tape to get more power online faster. This bill will strengthen our grid to promote American energy independence and drive economic growth—especially in states like Indiana, where reliable energy is vital to jobs and Hoosier workers,” said Senator Todd Young.

    “Our interconnection queue is buckling under its own weight,” said Rep. Balderson. “Transmission providers are tasked with ensuring we have enough electricity to keep the lights on, but the growing backlog of projects is adding years to an already time-consuming process. This legislation would give grid operators the authority to identify and expedite the consideration of essential projects that will protect our grid’s reliability and provide the power needed to meet America’s growing demand.”

    “Ensuring grid reliability is paramount, and this bill recognizes the role that always-on dispatchable power must play in meeting that need. A reliable power grid requires generation sources that can be counted on to meet demand at any time. Rep. Balderson and Senators Hoeven and Young’s leadership on this issue, alongside their continued advocacy for baseload power, highlights the need for policies that recognize the value of dispatchable energy resources—including coal, natural gas, and nuclear power—so that American families and businesses can depend on affordable and secure electricity. The Lignite Energy Council appreciates their commitment to energy reliability and the future of dependable power generation,” said Jason Bohrer, President and CEO of the Lignite Energy Council (LEC).

    “AXPC applauds Congressman Balderson, Senator Hoeven and Senator Young’s efforts to prioritize projects that enhance grid reliability and capacity. As our nation’s power demand continues to rise, it is critical that we don’t delay consideration of power-generation projects, such as those that use natural gas, that can provide needed dispatchable power and enhance reliability,” said Anne Bradbury, CEO of American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC).

    “Significant increases in electricity demand are expected in every region of the country, driven by data centers powering advancements in AI, domestic manufacturing, and the electrification of various sectors of the economy. Grid operators should be given significant flexibility to address current or future reliability concerns, including the creation of an accelerated interconnection for resources identified as critical to maintaining reliability. The bill appropriately requires stakeholder feedback and FERC approval before any changes are made, ensuring that all viewpoints are heard. EPSA is grateful to Congressman Balderson and Senators Hoeven and Young for their leadership on this critical issue and his commitment to electric grid reliability,” said Todd Snitchler, President & CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), the national trade association for independent power producers.

    A companion to the bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Troy Balderson (R-Ohio).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Holds Senate Floor to Protest Project 2025 Architect Russell Vought’s Cabinet Nomination and Trump’s Illegal Power Grabs That Are Harming the Middle Class and Our National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    February 06, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senate Democrats’ 30-hour protest opposing Project 2025 architect Russell Vought’s nomination to serve as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President Donald Trump. Holding the floor, Duckworth delivered an impassioned speech slamming Trump and unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s ongoing illegal power grabs—including his unlawful federal grant freeze and his shuttering of USAID—that are inflicting pain on middle-class Americans and endangering our national security. Video of Duckworth’s opening remarks can be found on the Senator’s YouTube and her full speech can be found on the Senator’s Twitter/X and Facebook.

    Key quotes:

    • “Decades before I ever considered a career in politics, when I was just starting out in the Army, I raised my right hand and took an oath. I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I vowed to protect our nation against all enemies—foreign and domestic. And in this moment, at this precipice for our country, I need to make good on that promise. Because in the just 18 days since Donald Trump was inaugurated, we have witnessed an all-out assault on the system of checks and balances that our government was founded upon. We have seen the President both overreach and underdeliver: proving through executive orders and Twitter marching orders that he cares more about the billionaires who belong to Mar-a-Lago than the middle-class folks he pretended to care for on the campaign trail.”
    • “Last week, news broke that Trump had declared a blanket freeze on all federal grants. Ignoring the fact that Congress had already appropriated those funds. Ignoring that he point-blank did not have the authority to do so. Ignoring that his action would—and already has—hurt countless folks who rely on these grants for their most basic needs… He manufactured a crisis that has left that single mom working a double shift in a Southside nursing home unsure whether her Medicaid will be stripped away in the dark of the night. He’s created a crisis that has left Veterans wondering if they’ll be able to access the benefits they earned with the blood they were brave enough to shed for our country. He’s fabricated a nightmarish reality where homeless shelters might have to close their doors and turn back onto the streets the at-risk teenagers who rely on their care.”
    • “Elon Musk is unelected, unvetted and unqualified—he does not have the legal authority to dismantle entire agencies. Yet in Trump’s America, the size of his bank account and how far he is willing to bend the knee is enough for our President to bestow on him unchecked power. Musk is willing to bow down to Trump’s throne made of fool’s gold and false promises. So in return, Elon gets to run wild, run rampant. He for some reason gets to have full access to Americans’ social security numbers and Veterans’ personal information—for what reason, no one knows and all of us should fear. He gets to hijack our systems to enrich himself rather than the middle class. He gets to stomp on those in need, then fire anyone who dares stand up for what’s right—or what’s legal…They aren’t making America great. They’re making it authoritarian.”

    Duckworth’s opening remarks as prepared below:

    I take the verbal baton from Senator King after hours and hours of arguments from my Democratic colleagues, not because I woke up this morning with a strong desire to hear my own voice for as long as I could on the Senate floor, but because decades before I ever considered a career in politics—when I was just starting out in the Army—I raised my right hand and took an oath. I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I vowed to protect our nation against all enemies—foreign and domestic.

    And in this moment, at this precipice for our country, I need to make good on that promise.

    Because in the just 18 days since Donald Trump was inaugurated, we have witnessed an all-out assault on the system of checks and balances that our government was founded upon.

    We have seen the President both overreach and underdeliver—proving through executive orders and Twitter marching orders that he cares more about the billionaires who belong to Mar-a-Lago than the middle-class folks he pretended to care for on the campaign trail.

    Look, 250 years ago this April, a few brave patriots grabbed their muskets and risked their lives at Lexington and Concord, sacrificing for a country that was still more of an idea, more of an ideal, than reality.

    They did so because they could no longer stand living under a tyrannical leader. 

    They did so because they had dreamt up the notion of a government of, by and for the people—and they knew that a system based on checks and balances was the best way to keep this new nation’s leaders from turning into the kind of tyrant they’d fled England to escape.  A system of checks and balances.

    Well, two weeks into Trump’s America, the only checks I see are the ones going into the pockets of Trump’s rich friends. The only balance I see is Trump’s balancing act between ripping off the middle class and endangering our national security.

    Our system of government is being eroded before our eyes. It is being perverted to work for the few—the billionaires—rather than the many, the people.

    And it is sickening to see so many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle put their hands over their eyes and pretend they don’t see what’s happening, refusing to speak up as our President turns into more of a despot every day, as his power-grabs get more extreme, more insidious, more cruel. 

    Even if we took the full 30 hours of debate on this nomination, I don’t think we could get through all the ways that Trump’s absolute disregard for the rule of law over the past two weeks has already harmed America—and Americans. But let me use my time to try.

    Last week, news broke that Trump had declared a blanket freeze on all federal grants. Ignoring the fact that Congress had already appropriated those funds. Ignoring that he point-blank did not have the authority to do so. Ignoring that his action would—and already has—hurt countless folks who rely on these grants for their most basic needs.

    President Trump may think that he “owned the Libs” by causing havoc in our federal government. But what he’s really done is create a reality where his own voters who depend on groups like Meals on Wheels aren’t sure how they’re going to put food on the table next week.

    He may think he “destroyed woke culture” with this freeze. But no. No, he didn’t. Instead, he manufactured a crisis that has left that single mom working a double shift in a Southside nursing home unsure whether her Medicaid will be stripped away in the dark of the night.

    He’s created a crisis that has left Veterans wondering if they’ll be able to access the benefits they earned with the blood they were brave enough to shed for our country.

    He’s fabricated a nightmarish reality where homeless shelters might have to close their doors and turn back onto the streets the at-risk teenagers who rely on their care.

    Listen, when I was in high school, my family struggled. We had no money and some days had no food. I still remember going to the grocery store and counting out our last five one-dollar food stamps to buy as much bread and bologna as possible—then praying we’d have enough to last the week. I still remember the hours my dad spent walking from payphone to payphone, hoping to find just 50 cents so my brother and I could buy lunch at school the next afternoon. A lot of times, that hot lunch at school was the only meal I could count on.

    So as a former hungry kid, and now as a mom of two little girls, I cannot imagine the pain of parents who rely on school meals to feed their own kids and who are now terrified that Trump’s vanity project of a federal freeze will force their five-year-old to go hungry as the grants that fund cafeteria meal programs may now get gutted.

    Shame on Donald Trump. And shame on the Republicans who can’t seem to find the ounce of courage necessary to stand up and say what all of us in this Chamber so obviously know: That this is wrong. That this is outrageous. And that this is a wild, unlawful abuse of power.

    But Trump didn’t stop with the grant freeze. Last weekend, he gave Elon Musk—the world’s richest person—the power to cut off aid from the world’s most vulnerable people. He gave him the authority to dismantle an entire agency in one illegal, fell swoop. Together, they are now actively gutting USAID, completely undermining the United States’ national security and global standing—knowingly, intentionally—jeopardizing the safety of countless innocent people worldwide who rely on the organization for humanitarian assistance.

    Now, bad actors in the PRC and Russia will be able to step in to fill the leadership vacuum that Trump created—forcing folks in need across the world to turn to our adversaries, not us, for help.

    Let me be clear: USAID is an organization dedicated to doing good around the globe—but the good that it does also has a direct, tangible impact on the safety and economic security of families here at home.

    It is an organization that helps allies detect fentanyl—in part so we can stop it before it comes across our own borders.

    It’s an organization that help feeds starving families worldwide—but it does so using 2 billion dollars of food purchased from American farmers, with the paychecks going into their red, white and blue pockets so they can keep their family farms for another generation.

    It is an organization that helps stop global pandemics. And it’s an organization that works to make sure the poorest children in the poorest countries don’t die from drinking dirty water—a mission that also happens to be critical to our national strength, as when countries experience water insecurity, they’re more likely to undergo political instability as well, increasing the odds that their governments fail and power falls into the wrong hands—a sequence of events that often leads to the kind of immigration crisis we’re already facing at our border.

    I know there is waste, fraud and abuse in our government—and I am all for rooting that out. In fact, I’ve written and passed legislation to do just that.  But eliminating an entire agency with such a vital mission is not the way to go about this.

    USAID makes up just 1% of our federal budget. And these short-sighted cuts will end up costing the American taxpayer even more in the long term, as there will be more global instability, more migrations crises, more pandemics to contend with as a result of this frankly idiotic decision.

    It’s ironic. The guy charged with making our government more efficient is making it more costly and more chaotic. Case in point: He’s threatening to use American troops to bring home USAID workers if they don’t leave their overseas posts in the next 30 days—a move that in itself would cost Americans an estimated 100 million dollars.

    Elon Musk is unelected, unvetted and unqualified—he does not have the legal authority to dismantle entire agencies. Yet in Trump’s America, the size of his bank account and how far he is willing to bend the knee is enough for our President to bestow on him unchecked power.

    Musk is willing to bow down to Trump’s throne made of fool’s gold and false promises. So in return, Elon gets to run wild, run rampant.

    He for some reason gets to have full access to Americans’ social security numbers and Veterans’ personal information—for what reason, no one knows and all of us should fear.

    He gets to hijack our systems to enrich himself rather than the middle class.

    He gets to stomp on those in need, then fire anyone who dares stand up for what’s right—or what’s legal.

    Trump and Musk are not bringing back the good ole days of Ronald Reagan. Reagan believed in international aid. He is the one whose name is on the front of USAID’s building.

    They aren’t making America great. They’re making it authoritarian. And we should all be asking ourselves—if we let them gut USAID, then what’s next?

    The answer is the Department of Education. And then your Social Security. Your Medicaid. The things you and your families need to get by are right behind.

    Look, Trump ran his campaign on the idea of lowering costs for the middle class. He said he’d reverse inflation on day one. Well, day one has come and gone. So has day two, three, four.

    Here we are, weeks in, and all he’s done is take actions that have hurt everyday Americans to help his rich buddies afford another private jet. Under his wise stewardship, egg prices have skyrocketed. Inflation remains sky-high. A needless trade war seems to be getting closer every day, which could raise the price of gas and groceries even further. And all of us are in greater danger from bad actors the world-over.

    Enough is enough. Enough was enough a very long time ago. Donald Trump is unchecked. The scales of our government have become unbalanced. Every day those scales tip more and more away from serving the needs of the working class and toward feeding the greed of the billionaires who pal around with the President on the golf course.

    It was Ronald Reagan who once said, quote: “[T]he genius of our constitutional system is its recognition that no one branch of government alone could be relied on to preserve our freedoms… The great safeguard of our liberty is the totality of the constitutional system, with no one part getting the upper hand.”

    Reagan also described the Constitution as a “covenant” — a covenant that, quote: “[W]e have made not only with ourselves, but with all of mankind.”

    Today, I am asking my Republican colleagues to honor the covenant so cherished by their own conservative hero, Ronald Reagan. I am asking them to heed his words. To heed his warning. To heed his plea to us all.

    Under Donald Trump, our government is not of, by or for the people. It is of, by and for the people with the deepest pockets. “E pluribus unum,” “out of many one,” is supposed to signify the strength of our union—the solidarity of our nation.

    Do not let Donald Trump pervert it to mean that out of the many people, he is the only one who matters.

    To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: All I am asking of you today is to do the jobs you were elected to do. 

    All I am begging for is that you make good on the oath you took when you were first sworn into this chamber: To support and defend our Constitution.

    Trump is acting as if he believes that the Constitution is just an old, yellowing piece of paper that he can crumble up at his will. My colleagues, you know better. And you know your constituents deserve better. 

    Please, find the courage to stand up and say so. It’s the least each of us can do for the country that we are lucky enough to have been elected to protect.

    You can do that, today, by voting no on Trump’s latest unqualified, unfit cabinet nominee, Russell Vought:

    A man who doesn’t even care to hide that he will happily rubber-stamp Trump’s worst instincts. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Highlights Potential Impacts of Trump’s Trade War on New Mexico Businesses in Trade Representative Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Trade Representative Nominee Cannot Guarantee New Mexico Business Won’t Get Hurt From Trump’s Trade War

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, questioned U.S. Trade Representative nominee Jamieson Greer on the potential negative impacts President Trump’s trade war would have on New Mexico businesses and families. During the hearing, Mr. Greer could not guarantee that New Mexico businesses would not face negative impacts.

    Senator Luján secured Mr. Greer’s commitment that if New Mexico businesses were negatively impacted, Mr. Greer would work with Senator Luján to address the impacts. Additionally, Senator Luján secured commitment from Mr. Greer on labor protections that exist in the current United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement to protect workers.

    Watch Senator Luján’s exchange with Mr. Greer here.

    KEY MOMENTS:

    On language in USMCA regarding labor protections:

    Sen. Luján: Would you protect or change the language surrounding the clauses in the trade agreement to workers as it’s currently drafted?

    Mr. Greer, in part: We worked closely in the first Trump administration with labor.

    Sen. Luján: Mr. Greer, as my time is expiring, would you protect that language?

    Mr. Greer: I would certainly protect it and see if we can improve it.

    On Trump’s trade war:

    Sen. Luján: So, Mr. Greer, can I get your commitment that if these tariffs negatively impact the businesses in New Mexico, that I have your word to get that corrected?

    Mr. Greer, in part: Well, Senator, I want to hear from you on what those impacts are and what we can do to make sure they are able to benefit from the growth.

    Sen. Luján: I believe your word should be good, but do I have your word that I can count on you to make sure that New Mexico’s businesses don’t get hurt by these threatened tariffs?

    Mr. Greer, in part: Senator, I want to make sure that they don’t, I can’t guarantee economic outcomes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Tells Trade Nominee to Focus on Opening More Export Markets, Not a Tariff-First Approach

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    02.06.25

    Cantwell Tells Trade Nominee to Focus on Opening More Export Markets, Not a Tariff-First Approach

    “The biggest task at hand is to […] get U.S. products into more places,” Cantwell tells Trump’s pick for U.S. Trade Representative; In fallout of Trump’s tariff threats, Cantwell paints a clear path forward: Instead of imposing tariffs, we need to open new markets;

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, emphasized the importance of open markets for farmers and exporters in the State of Washington and across the country during a Finance Committee hearing to consider the nomination of Jamieson Greer for U.S. Trade Representative.

    “When you look at apples — and about [50%] of our market export is to Canada and Mexico,” said Sen. Cantwell, “and the U.S. Free Trade Agreement increased that capacity … why are we arguing with our closest neighbors, our biggest export markets for apples? And in the meantime, not going out and opening up more apple markets?

    “The tariffs that were put on cost us an unbelievable retaliatory tariff in India,” Sen. Cantwell added. “It basically decimated the market. It went from 120 million in India down to 1 million. …. I fought hard and did get the Biden administration to work with India and reverse that tariff on apples. And I have to say we are now back to recapturing that market. But I don’t understand why you think a tariff-first approach is the way to capitalize on the biggest task at hand.”

    As a front page article in today’s Yakima Herald-Republic warns: Potential trade war could hit Yakima Valley agriculture.

    Yesterday, Sen. Cantwell voted against advancing the nomination of Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s choice to be Secretary of the Department of Commerce, citing concerns with Lutnick’s support for Trump’s proposed tariffs.

    Tuesday, Sen. Cantwell delivered a major speech on the Senate floor, arguing that the President’s arbitrary tariffs threaten domestic job creation and economic growth in an Information Age. She outlined a strategy focused on building coalitions, growing exports, and establishing principles to support innovation in the Information Age.

    Sen. Cantwell has remained a steadfast supporter of free trade to grow the economy in the State of Washington and nationwide. Sen. Cantwell was the leading voice in negotiations to end India’s 20 percent retaliatory tariff on American apples, which devastated Washington state’s apple exports. India had once been the second-largest export market for American apples, but after then-President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in his first term, India imposed retaliatory tariffs in response and U.S. apple exports plummeted. The impact on Washington apple growers was severe:  apple exports from the state dropped from $120 million in 2017 to less than $1 million by 2023.  In September 2023, following several years of Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, India ended its retaliatory tariffs on apples and pulse crops which was welcome news to the state’s more than 1,400 apple growers and the 68,000-plus workers they support.

    In May 2023, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter urging the Biden Administration to help U.S. potato growers finally get approval to sell fresh potatoes in Japan. In June 2023, Sen. Cantwell hosted U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), then-chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, in Washington state for a forum with 30 local agricultural leaders in Wenatchee to discuss the Farm Bill.

    In 2022, Sen. Cantwell spearheaded passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, a law to crack down on skyrocketing international ocean shipping costs and ease supply chain backlogs that raise prices for consumers and make it harder for U.S. farmers and exporters to get their goods to the global market.

    In August 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to then-Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting aid funds be distributed to wheat growers. In December 2018, Sen. Cantwell celebrated the passage of the Farm Bill, which included $500 million of assistance for farmers, including those who grow wheat.

    In 2019, Sen. Cantwell helped secure a provision in the $16 billion USDA relief package, ensuring sweet cherry growers could access emergency funding to offset the impacts of tariffs and other market disruptions.

    In Washington state: Two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and related industries. In 2023, the state imported $19.9 billion of goods from Canada – primarily oil, gas, lumber, and electrical power — making our northern neighbors Washington state’s largest trade partner. Also in 2023, the state imported $1.7 billion in goods from Mexico, including motor vehicles, vehicle parts, and household appliances. More information about how President Trump’s proposed tariffs will impact businesses and consumers in the State of Washington is HERE.

    Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks during today’s hearing is available HERE, audio is available HERE, and a transcript is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Letter to Duffy: ‘You Must Make Sure That All Conflicts Of Interest Between The FAA & Elon Musk Are Removed’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    02.06.25

    Cantwell Letter to Duffy: ‘You Must Make Sure That All Conflicts Of Interest Between The FAA & Elon Musk Are Removed’

    In letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Cantwell urges admin to protect flying public from Elon Musk’s clear conflicts of interest; Cantwell: “We have ethics and recusal laws for a reason – to prevent corporate interference in protecting the public interest.”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy calling on him to ensure that Elon Musk stays out of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), citing Musk’s clear conflicts of interest.

    “FAA has the legal responsibility for safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licenses. Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launches share the airspace with commercial airplanes, and the FAA has the responsibility for keeping the entire airspace safe. SpaceX has been fined by the FAA for failing to comply with specific requirements in its launch license. Mr. Musk, in turn, called for the firing of Mike Whitaker, the FAA Administrator who the Senate confirmed 98-0 because the FAA issued a fine against SpaceX for not following the rules. We have ethics and recusal laws for a reason—to prevent corporate interference in protecting the public interest,” Sen. Cantwell wrote.

    “We are now without a permanent FAA Administrator to lead us through the biggest U.S. air crash we have had in years. Secretary Duffy, you must make sure that all conflicts of interest between the FAA and Elon Musk are removed.”

    Yesterday, Duffy wrote on the social media platform X that he plans to use The Department of Government Efficiency, of which Musk is a leader, “to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.” His post followed two weeks of DOGE employees disrupting operations across the federal government, including freezing the hiring of air traffic controllers and encouraging all FAA employees to take a buyout. This also included urging federal employees – including air traffic controllers and FAA safety inspectors – to end their employment through a new deferred resignation program in the midst of a shortage of about 3,000 certified controllers and need for more safety inspectors on aircraft production factory floors.

    Elon Musk is the owner and founder of SpaceX, an aerospace company that launched 134 rockets last year. In September, the FAA fined the company $633,009 for failing to follow license requirements for two launches.

    Earlier today, Sen. Cantwell told reporters in a press gaggle on Capitol Hill that Musk’s involvement in the FAA’s oversight of our air transportation system was “a clear conflict of interest.”

    Last year, when Sen. Cantwell served as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, she sounded the alarm about the staffing shortage of air traffic controllers, need for more FAA safety inspectors, a series of aviation incidents and near-misses on and around runways, and the midair blowout of a door plug in January 2024. She led the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act, signed into law in May 2024, which boosts controller staffing, ensuring a five-year commitment to maximum hiring and training to close the current staffing gap. The law requires upgraded safety technologies – giving controllers better visibility into runway traffic – to be installed at every large and medium airport nationwide. The law also includes stricter safety standards for aircraft operators and plane manufacturers, as well as provisions to boost staffing to put more FAA safety inspectors on factory floors.

    The full text of the letter is HERE and below:

    February 6, 2025

    The Honorable Sean Duffy

    Secretary

    U.S. Department of Transportation

    1200 New Jersey Avenue SE

    Washington DC, 20590

    Secretary Duffy:

    When you and I spoke the other day, you asked if we could work together to accelerate the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (Next Gen) —as we directed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to do in the FAA Reauthorization that became law in May 2024. I agree we need to work together to galvanize support to continue getting the best technology in place as soon as possible and make federal investments to make aviation safer.

    However, when we spoke, you did not discuss your intention to involve Elon Musk in the FAA’s safety systems or process. It is a conflict of interest for someone whose company is regulated by the federal government to be involved in anything that affects his personal financial interest, his company or his competitors.

    FAA has the legal responsibility for safety oversight of companies with commercial space transportation licenses. Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launches share the airspace with commercial airplanes, and the FAA has the responsibility for keeping the entire airspace safe. SpaceX has been fined by the FAA for failing to comply with specific requirements in its launch license. Mr. Musk, in turn, called for the firing of Mike Whitaker, the FAA Administrator who the Senate confirmed 98-0 because the FAA issued a fine against SpaceX for not following the rules. We have ethics and recusal laws for a reason—to prevent corporate interference in protecting the public interest.

    We are now without a permanent FAA Administrator to lead us through the biggest U.S. air crash we have had in years. Secretary Duffy, you must make sure that all conflicts of interest between the FAA and Elon Musk are removed.

    I look forward to working with you to invest in our aviation safety and appreciate your cooperation in ensuring all ethics laws and regulations are followed.

    Sincerely,

    Maria Cantwell

    Ranking Member

    Cc: David Huitema, Director, Office of Government Ethics

           Mitch Behm, Acting Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lee Introduces Bill Making Trump Ban on Central Bank Digital Currency Permanent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Utah Mike Lee

    WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) reintroduced the No CBDC Act to prevent the Federal Reserve from reshaping the U.S. financial sector and having the ability to monitor consumer transactions through a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). President Donald Trump recently banned federal agencies from creating a CBDC through an executive order; this legislation would enshrine the ban permanently in law. It is co-sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) in the Senate. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) is introducing the House companion bill. 

    “The United States doesn’t need to create a Central Bank Digital Currency to know it is a bad idea,” said Sen. Lee. “We’ve seen this play out in China with the digital Yuan. In early trials, China canceled its citizens’ money after a set period, forcing Chinese citizens to spend their savings at the compulsion of the government. My bill protects Americans from a similar intrusion by prohibiting the Federal Reserve or any federal government agency from minting or issuing a CBDC, whether through a direct-to-consumer or intermediated model.”

    “CBDCs are nothing more than a tool for tyrants to intimidate, control, and surveil the activities of American citizens, and it is my duty as a patriot to stop them.” said Rep. Ogles. “I am honored to co-lead this effort with Senator Lee.”

    BACKGROUND:

    During the Biden Administration, the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) began to develop a potential framework – known as Project Cedar – for a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), a digital asset issued and controlled by the Fed. A CBDC would alter the ability of financial institutions to function as lenders, while giving the federal government knowledge of every purchase that uses a CBDC. 

    Financial institutions would be significantly restricted in offering loans, instead being relegated to functioning merely as wallets. A CBDC,  in many ways, allows the Fed to replace the role of banks as financial intermediaries, thereby granting the government far more power over the economy, inflation, and investment decisions. In other words, free enterprise and financial privacy would be dealt a critical blow with the creation of a CBDC.

    Lastly, the Federal Reserve would have knowledge of every transaction involving a CBDC; if it maintains the technology to create and operate a CBDC, Big Brother will know Americans’ every purchase. 

    SUPPORT:

     “Americans demand financial protection and privacy after facing the threat of unelected federal bureaucrats creating an invasive, all-seeing central bank digital currency controlled by the government. With a new conservative trifecta government, now is the time for Congress to protect Americans’ individual liberties and prohibit the government from centralizing its control over the economy. Heritage Action commends Sen. Lee for introducing this necessary legislation to safeguard Americans’ rights and promote freedom from financial intimidation.”

    -Ryan Walker, Heritage Action Executive Vice President

     “A Central Bank Digital Currency creates a fully traceable and controllable digital money that has dastardly implications for civil liberties and economic freedom. Rather than offering separation of money and state as found in Satoshi’s innovation of Bitcoin, CBDCs merge the power of state and money in a programmable way that would be easily abused and prove harmful to individual liberty and financial freedom.

    Sen. Lee’s No CBDC Act would enshrine in law a prohibition against the Federal Reserve taking the United States down this path. On behalf of consumers who cherish their economic liberties, freedom of choice, and access to innovative technology, we applaud the Senator’s efforts with this bill, and hope many more legislators align on the issue to defend our rights to financial privacy”

    -Yaël Ossowski, deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center

    “Senator Lee is leading the way in this important fight to prevent the government from creating an entirely new tool of financial control and surveillance. A federally issued CBDC would be either entirely useless or, more likely, deeply dangerous. Thanks to Senator Lee’s leadership, Congress is stepping in to make clear that the executive branch has overstepped its authorities and must halt this deeply misguided debacle at once.”

    -David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. 

    For a one-pager, click HERE.

    For full bill text, click HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The First Minister’s open letter to care experienced people

    Source: Scottish National Party

    To: The care experienced community

    From: First Minister John Swinney

    It is five years since Scotland made its Promise, that we, as a nation, will do all that we can to improve how we support you and ensure you have access to all the opportunities you need to thrive.

    A lot has happened in those five years across Scotland and undoubtedly within your own lives. One thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to keep The Promise. I want to let you know that I stand by the promise made by me and by politicians across the Scottish Parliament, to ensure young people with care experience grow up loved, safe, and respected.

    As First Minister I am very aware that there is so much more we need to do to change the complex challenges that still exist in our care system. I also know that every person with care experience has a different journey and care can come in many different forms – from foster care to kinship care.

    That means keeping The Promise must touch on many different parts of our lives, from health to education, to justice and housing. The Minster for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don-Innes, as well as all the members of my Cabinet, are committed to playing our part in making sure the opportunities that are open to you in life are positive and allow you to reach your goals.

    Since becoming First Minister, and in my previous roles in the Scottish Government, I have met and spoken to so many wonderful people and I have had the opportunity to visit a wide range of programmes and projects supporting The Promise across Scotland. I feel privileged to continue to do this and I look forward to hearing more from you and sharing your ambitions for the future.

    In the last five years there has been a lot of work carried out, and we hope you agree and can feel that progress has been made. As a Government we are continuing to invest in helping families to stay together; and we have introduced a number of changes in justice, in education and in health to support you and the people across Scotland who work with you.

    However, there is a long way to go, and I know that in some areas we must work harder and faster to bring the changes required. You have my full commitment to continue to lead this work. I am determined to see the changes that are needed and to ensure we have a care system in Scotland that responds to you and your experiences.

    I am not alone of course and there is lots of work underway by corporate parents including councils, local services, health boards, the Police and by all organisations who care for and support you. Each of them have an important role to play in making the improvements that you have told us you need to see happen.

    Some of this requires changes to the law. To help with this I will introduce legislation that will help to do this. I know that many of you have been involved in consultation and engagement activity that has happened across Scotland to help inform this. Your voices were at the heart of the Independent Care Review and they continue to guide our way forward with The Promise. Thank you for your involvement, for sharing your experiences so honestly, and for being so open with your ideas.

    Together we can make the changes we need and I am honoured to be on this journey with you.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Press Briefing Transcript – Julie Kozack

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    February 6, 2025

    INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND PRESS BRIEFING

    Washington, D.C. Thursday, February 6, 2025

    P R O C E E D I N G S

    1. KOZACK: Good morning, everyone. It’s great to see you all, here in person and online. Welcome to the first IMF press briefing for 2025. I’m Julie Kozak, Director of the Communication Department. As usual, this briefing is embargoed until 11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. I’ll start with a few announcements and then I’ll move to take your questions in person, on WebEx, and via the Press Center.

       First, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will travel to Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The Managing Director will visit Ethiopia on February 8th and 9th to meet Prime Minister Abiy and his team, and this visit will take stock of the economic reforms and progress that is being made by the country. She will also meet with stakeholders, including representatives of the private sector.

    The Managing Director will also travel to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the Arab Fiscal Forum on February 10th and the World Government Summit on February 11th where she will deliver keynote remarks. On February 16th and 17th, the Managing Director will participate in a two-day conference in Saudi Arabia on building resilience of emerging market economies. The conference is co-organized by the IMF and the Saudi Finance Ministry.

    The First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath will travel to Japan to join the Article IV mission. She will participate in meetings with the authorities and hold a press conference on February 7th at 10:30 a.m. Tokyo time.

    Finally, Deputy Managing Director Okamura will travel to Japan to participate in a jointly organized IMF-JICA conference on Economic and Fiscal Policy Challenges and Prospects for Asia. And this is scheduled for February 12 and 13.

    And with that I will now open the floor for your questions. For those connecting virtually, please do turn on both your camera and the microphone when speaking. Let’s get started.

    QUESTIONER: Hi,I was just wondering, you mentioned Ethiopia. How concerned are you about sort of countries with large IMF programs which also receive a substantial amount of support from USAID, considering the recent executive order, countries like Ethiopia and Ukraine, for example. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Thanks very much. So with respect to your question, you know we are closely following the announcements and developments regarding USAID. At this stage it’s too early to gauge the precise impact on the countries that it supports. We’ll wait for clarity on the next steps, including any changes to the scope of the work of USAID.

    QUESTIONER: So, the IMF mission is going to start working in Ukraine this month. Could you specify please what main issues will the Fund plan to focus on during the Seventh Review of the EFF program. And the second question is about the pension reform in Ukraine. Ukrainian government committed to starting this reform this year. Could you elaborate on what key changes the IMF expects from Ukraine on this area? Thank you.

    KOZACK: Are there any other questions on Ukraine?

    QUESTIONER: So, according to latest information, the review of the EFF is scheduled to begin this month. When the decision on the disbursement is going to be made and what amount of funds are going to be provided with this fund? And the follow-up, how much money is left in the EFF according to the current situation? Are there any plans to expand this program? Thank you.

    QUESTIONER: Just to follow up on the question about Ethiopia. Obviously, the USAID cuts also affect Ukraine pretty significantly. And I wonder, you know, both in those cases and in all cases involving USAID funding, whether you are working with the US ED here and sort of sending a message about the impact. So, whether you’ve kind of figured it out across the enterprise and across all the countries that the IMF works with as well. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Anything else on Ukraine online? Okay. So, on Ukraine, just to remind everyone of the context. So, on December 20th, the IMF’s Executive Board approved the Sixth Review of the EFF program. That enabled the disbursement of $1.1 billion and that brought total disbursements under the program to $9.8 billion. And the total size of the program, I believe, was $15.6 billion. So, the difference between those two is what would be remaining. At that time, the Board assessed that program performance remained strong. The authorities had met all of the benchmarks and prior actions for the review.

    With respect to the next mission, the technical work for the upcoming review is underway. The mission dates are in the process of being finalized, and once we have them, we’ll be sure to communicate that. During this upcoming mission, the IMF staff will engage with the authorities on fiscal policy, including progress on revenue mobilization, monetary policies for 2025, and also progress in ensuring that debt sustainability and fiscal sustainability are restored. Staff will also be reviewing governance reforms, which remain a key pillar for the program. Based on the approved calendar of disbursements, subject to completion of the next review and, of course, subject to Board approval, Ukraine would have access to about $900 million for that next review.

    With respect to pension reform, the government has committed to launch pension reforms this year in 2025, and they would be spearheaded by the Ministry of Social Policy. And those reforms are supported by external partners, notably the World Bank. What I can also add is that the authorities are in the process of developing a comprehensive set of proposals for pension reforms, but it’s too early to tell exactly what will be included in those proposals and what the changes may be.

    And on the second question, I don’t really have much to add to what I already said, other than obviously we’re paying close attention and we’re awaiting further details.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, good morning. Thank you for taking my question. Just on Syria, can you give us an update if the IMF has made any contact with the new government and if there are any plans to provide a loan package to the country? Thank you.

    KOZACK: We’re closely monitoring, obviously, the situation in Syria, and we stand ready to support the international community’s efforts to assist Syria’s reconstruction as needed and when conditions allow. With respect to our engagement, we have not had a meaningful engagement with Syria since 2009, which was the time of the last Article IV Consultation, and this has been due to the difficult security situation in the country.

    QUESTIONER: I have two questions, and they’re Caribbean-related questions. Can you provide a breakdown of the growth projections for the Caribbean region, more specifically, focusing on St. Kitts and Nevis, and what factors are driving the projected growth or decline outlook for the region, more specifically, the Caribbean region?

    KOZACK: Okay. All right, let me step back and give a little bit of an overview of where we stand, what our view is on the Caribbean. So, following the rapid recovery after the Pandemic, real GDP growth in the region has normalized in recent years. Average GDP growth for the region, and this is excluding Guyana and Haiti, is estimated at 2.2 percent for 2023, 2.4 percent for 2024. And growth, our projection is for growth to remain relatively stable at 2.4 percent in 2025.

    Broadly speaking, there are sort of two groups of countries in the Caribbean. So, we look at tourism-dependent economies, and there we see that growth in tourism economies has slowed as tourism arrivals have returned to pre-Pandemic levels. And then for commodity-exporting countries, they have faced challenges in the energy sector but have overall benefited from robust performance in their non-energy sector, and that has been driven by supportive and economic policies.

    I can also add that inflation in most Caribbean countries has moderated significantly over the past few years, and the decline was due to lower global commodity prices and easing of supply chain disruptions. And we expect inflation to remain moderate in the years to come.

    QUESTIONER: My question is on the comment by Managing Director Georgieva in Davos. MD mentioned in Davos clearly that more cooperation in the regional levels might be needed in the future in such a fragmented world and IMF would support such a movement. And could you give me some more detailed plans?

    KOZACK: Thanks very much for the question. What the Managing Director noted in Davos is that we are seeing shifting patterns in global cooperation, in trade, and in other areas, including financial and capital flows. And of course, as a global institution, what will be important for us is as we engage with our membership, right, to take all of this into account to ensure that we can give our members the best policy advice within our mandate of economic and financial stability.

    QUESTIONER: Thanks so much, Julie. I wanted to ask you very broadly about the changes that are happening in the United States and the tariffs that President Trump has announced. Now the implementation of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico has been delayed to March 1st. And, you know, it’s not clear what will happen there exactly. But one of the, you know, the tariffs on China have stayed in place. China has now announced tariffs that will kick in on February 10th. The IMF has warned repeatedly against rising protectionism and also kind of cataloged the thousands of trade restrictions that have been put in place and growing over time since COVID. Can you just walk us through what your perception is right now? The markets have been really all over the place, you know, sort of up and down depending on the day’s mood. Do you see this period of trade uncertainty that you warned about in the WEO, kind of really affecting and dampening global growth prospects? Thanks.

    KOZACK: Thanks very much. Let me see if anyone else has questions on this broad topic.

    QUESTIONER: Thank you. Yeah, I was just wondering, just to follow on the previous question, how you sort of think about the unpredictability of of these tariffs or the discussions around the tariffs, the uncertainty that that kind of brings up, and potentially how that could affect monetary policy. We’ve seen a lot of analysts talking about how they no longer expect the Fed to cut, or they expect the Fed to cut maybe only once this year. I’m just sort of wondering how you’re kind of in real time or as close to real time as you can, sort of taking on board that unpredictability when you think about the U.S. economy and the impacts for global growth. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Great. And you also had a question.

    QUESTIONER: Yes. Just following up with my colleagues. What sort of study, if any, has the IMF undertaken to better understand the global ramifications of these tariffs? We know they’re on pause for another 30 days or so or less. And what sort of impact would small states that are heavily dependent on the United States feel going forward?

    KOZACK: And let me go online to see if anyone online has a question along these lines.

    QUESTIONER: It is very similar. Just wondering the fact that it’s not just tariffs that have imposed on China, but the threat of tariffs on countries across the EU, Canada, and Mexico, and what effect that has on the global outlook. Thank you.

    KOZACK: Okay. Thank you. Anyone else online want to come in on this topic? Okay. So, what I can say on this issue is we’re following the announcements by the U.S. with respect to tariffs on Chinese goods and potentially Canadian and Mexican goods. We’re following these announcements. We believe that it’s in the interest of all to find a constructive way forward to resolve this issue.

    With respect to the assessment, assessing the full impact of these measures of tariffs, it’s actually going to depend on several factors, and let me lay those out. One of those factors is going to be the responses of the countries concerned. Another factor will be how firms and consumers react. And finally, how the measures evolve over time will also have an impact.

    So, at this stage, that’s what I can share with you. We will, of course, have more information over time and in due course as the situation evolves.

    QUESTIONER: Julie, I’m sorry, I think the question is, like, can you say something about what uncertainty does to the global economy? I mean, you’ve talked about this in WEO’s before, but do you see this as a period of heightened uncertainty now that Trump has taken office? And, you know, what is the impact of that uncertainty on things like investment and all this, you know, the sort of categories of economic indicators that we look at?

    KOZACK: So, I think what I can say is, of course, I would refer you to the WEO for some of those analysis. And again, assessing the full impact of this will include all of the factors that I just laid out. And we would take into account issues related to uncertainty, market reactions, et cetera, in an assessment that we will ultimately undertake as the situation evolves and once we have more information.

    Let me now go online. I see a couple of hands up. So, if you’re online, please go ahead and jump in.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, good morning. Thank you for taking my question. Well, has the letter of intent between the IMF and Argentina been prepared? Or let me ask in a different way. Are the negotiations between Argentina and the IMF already in the final stage?

    KOZACK: Thanks. Other questions on Argentina?

    QUESTIONER: Could you give me any updates on the negotiations of the new agreement and what are the most challenging issues they are facing right now? And also yesterday, Minister Luis Caputo said a new agreement will not imply a devaluation of the peso or the exit of the exchange restrictions the next day. Does the IMF agree with this statement?

    KOZACK: Thanks. Others on Argentina?

    QUESTIONER: Hi, Julie. I was wondering also if you could give some input regarding the meetings that the mission in Buenos Aires had, if they have only been talking to government officials or if they are also contacting unions and other opposition representatives. And also, the new crawling peg of 1 percent has started this February. I was wondering if that was a matter of discussion between the staff and the government.

    KOZACK: Thanks, other questions?

    QUESTIONER: Yes, thank you, Julie. So, my question is also on the crawling peg. So, is the IMF concerned about the greater exchange rate delay generated by this reduction of the crawling peg from 2 percent to 1 percent started the 1st of February?

    KOZACK: Any other questions on Argentina? Okay, I hear two more. Please go ahead.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, Julie, I wanted to know if Argentina has already paid a debt due on February 1st or when is it expected to do so? And if there is a meeting plan between Argentina authorities and the IMF network staff in Washington.

    KOZACK: Thank you. Next.

    QUESTIONER: Good morning. The question is if Argentina and the IMF comes to a new agreement, should it be like we are talking here in Argentina about $5 million? It will be for anything special, for example, to leave what we call cepo, or it depends on the Argentine authorities.

    KOZACK: Any other questions on Argentina? Okay, I do not see anyone coming in.

    So, on Argentina, what I can share is first that, as the Managing Director highlighted after her meeting with President Milei last month, we recognize Argentina’s tremendous progress in reducing inflation, stabilizing the economy, returning to growth, and with poverty finally starting to decline. We continue to engage constructively with the Argentine authorities. And a staff mission did recently visit Buenos Aires to advance discussions on a new program. The new program will aim to build on the gains that have been achieved so far, while also addressing the remaining challenges that the country faces. Constructive and frequent discussions continue, and we will provide further details on next steps when we have them.

    I can also just add that to sustain early gains, there is a shared recognition between the Fund staff and the Argentine authorities about the need to continue to adopt a consistent set of fiscal, monetary, and foreign exchange policies while furthering growth-enhancing reforms. I also know that you have a lot of interest, and there were a lot of detailed questions here, but given that the discussions are continuing and there has been good progress so far, we do want to ensure that there is space for staff and the authorities to continue these constructive discussions. And of course, we will communicate more when we have further details.

    Okay, let us go online because I see a few hands up.

    QUESTIONER: My question is, when do we expect Board of Directors to discuss Egypt Fourth Review?

    KOZACK: Do we have other questions on Egypt?

    QUESTIONER: Hi, I’d like to ask, in addition to that, when the board does discuss Egypt’s Fourth Review, will it also be discussing an additional RSF for Egypt? There have been some reports that Egypt is in line to receive as much as $1 billion.

    KOZACK: Other questions?

    QUESTIONER:  I just wanted to ask, in terms of the assessment of Egypt, but also other countries in the region, to what extent you are calculating additional costs and spending needs that have to do with Gaza and with the potential absorption of Palestinian refugees that has been proposed.

    KOZACK: Okay, any other questions on Egypt? I see I have two questions that have come through the press center, which I will read aloud. So, the first is when will the IMF’s Executive Board complete the Fourth Review of the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility for Egypt?

    The second question is regarding the Executive Board’s approval of the Fourth Review of Egypt’s program, could it be this month? Does the IMF have updates on your projections for Egypt’s economy in light of regional updates?

    Let me share with you where we are on Egypt. On December 24, the IMF staff and the Egyptian authorities reached a staff-level agreement on the Fourth Review of the EFF. This review is subject to approval of our Executive Board and subject to that approval, Egypt would have access to about $1.2 billion. Preparations for Board consideration are underway, and the Board meeting is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

    In light of the difficult external conditions and challenging domestic environment, the IMF staff and the Egyptian authorities agreed to recalibrate the fiscal consolidation path, and this was agreed in December, I would highlight, to create fiscal space for critical social programs benefiting vulnerable groups and the middle class while ensuring debt sustainability.

    Looking forward, reform priorities comprise lowering inflation, sustaining exchange rate flexibility, and liberalized access to foreign exchange. In addition, the program aims to boost domestic revenues. It aims to improve the business environment. It aims to accelerate disinvestment or divestment rather and leveling [of] the playing field between state-owned enterprises and the private sector. And of course, it also aims to enhance governance and transparency.

    With respect to the question on the RSF, a policy package of reforms will be considered by the Fund’s Executive Board along with the Fourth Review of Egypt’s program.

    And lastly, there is no connection at the moment between some of the announcements in Gaza and the and the Egypt program.

    QUESTIONER: Hi, I wonder if I can just clarify. On the RSF, you say a policy package of reforms that also presumably comes with some additional funding. Can you confirm whether the amount of up to $1 billion is accurate?

    KOZACK: I can’t confirm now the precise amount of the RSF, but of course as we have more information, we will provide that.

    QUESTIONER: Thank you so much.

    KOZACK: Let us go online. I see another hand online and then we will come back. Just one follow up, a follow up. Go ahead.

    QUESTIONER: You cannot confirm the amount of the RSF. So just so we are clear, are you confirming that there are discussions around an RSF? Thanks.

    KOZACK: Yes, there’s discussions on an RSF and the intention is to present the RSF with its package of reforms to our Executive Board at the same time as we present the Fourth Review of the EFF.

    QUESTIONER: Question about Rwanda and Eastern Congo. I wanted to know, I know that the IMF has programs with both Rwanda and the DRC. And I wanted to know, you know, given the M23 incursion, the fall of Goma, how the programs can react to it, if there is anything you can say about that. And also, obviously, in El Salvador, they changed their cryptocurrency law, but it is also reported that they recently bought 50 bitcoins. So, some people are for the kind of national treasury. Some people are confused in terms of what the contours of the limitations put on. And I wonder if you could comment on that. Thanks a lot.

    KOZACK: Okay, thank you. Any other questions on these countries? DRC, Rwanda, El Salvador?

    Okay, let me start with DRC and I want to start by saying that, you know, we are deeply saddened by the loss of lives and the humanitarian crisis in the Eastern part of DRC. We are closely monitoring the situation, including its potential impact on neighboring countries and the region. And of course, we are also closely monitoring with respect to potential impact on our program.

    With respect to Rwanda, what I can say on Rwanda is simply that the country continues to demonstrate a robust commitment to advancing policy reforms. And In December of 2024, our Executive Board concluded the Fourth Review of Rwanda’s programs.

    With respect to El Salvador, just to step back and remind, IMF staff and the Salvadorian authorities reached a staff-level agreement on December 18th for a new arrangement, a new EFF arrangement. The arrangement would be for about $1.4 billion to support the government’s reform agenda, and this agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board.

    I can also add that as explained in the press release that we issued following the staff-level agreement, the new Fund supported program aims to reduce the potential risks of the bitcoin project. Once in place, purchases of bitcoin will be confined under the program as agreed.

    QUESTIONER: Thank you, Julie. Good morning, everyone. A few things. In Zimbabwe, when you expect a deal for the Staff Monitored Program? And on Lebanon, have you had any contact with the new government? Are there any signs that you are going to be able to work with them? Also on Senegal, can you give us any update on the resolution of the suspension of the financing program there? And lastly, are there any concerns of a drop in the commitment of funding from the U.S.? The 2025 project calls for the U.S. to stop putting money into the World Bank and the IMF. So, are you guys concerned about that?

    KOZACK: Okay, thanks. Starting with Zimbabwe, I do not have an update for you for today on Zimbabwe, but we will come back to you bilaterally.

    On Lebanon, what I can share is that, you know, we welcome the election of General Aoun as president of Lebanon, and we look forward to working with him and his new government to address the challenges facing the Lebanese economy. And just to remind, Lebanon continues to face profound economic challenges, and the conflict had exacerbated an already fragile macroeconomic and social situation. The election of the president, the formation of a new government, as well as the ceasefire, are critical to support policy actions and reforms that would allow the gradual return to the normalization of economic activity in Lebanon.

    And what I can share on Senegal is that we are actively engaged in discussions with the authorities on addressing the misreporting case. Senegal’s Court of Auditors is expected to issue its final report this month. In parallel, IMF staff are working closely with the authorities to identify their capacity development needs and to implement corrective measures needed to address the root causes of the misreporting. These efforts are aimed at enhancing transparency, strengthening accountability, and preventing a recurrence of similar misreporting in the future.

    And I think, on your final question, all I can say here is that the United States is the IMF’s largest shareholder, and it plays an extremely valuable role in helping ensure global financial stability. We have a long history of working with successive U.S. administrations, and we look forward to continuing to do so.

    QUESTIONER: Thanks, Julie. Thank you for taking my question. When do you think we can expect the Executive Board’s approval on the next tranche for the Island Nation? And if there is any delay, what sort of reason is there? Is there more for the government to do? And secondly, the budget for the country is expected in a few weeks. Has the IMF given any input on preparing this budget, given the fact that the country is still in the EFF program?

    KOZACK: Thanks. So, your question was on Sri Lanka? And yes, I see you nodding. So, if anyone else has questions on Sri Lanka, I can take them now. Okay. If not, let me go ahead with Sri Lanka.

    So, on Sri Lanka on November 23rd, IMF staff and the Sri Lankan authorities reached a staff-level agreement on the Third Review of Sri Lanka’s EFF program. Once approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, Sri Lanka will have access to about $333 million in financing. And we expect the Board meeting to take place in the coming weeks.

    Here, I would also just like to take the opportunity to emphasize that Sri Lanka’s ambitious reform agenda is delivering commendable outcomes. The economy expanded by 5.5 percent in the fourth — third quarter of 2024. Average headline and core inflation remain contained well below the target during the fourth quarter of 2024. And international reserves increased to $6.1 billion at the end of 2024.

    With respect to the specific question on the budget, what I can share is that the staff-level agreement that I mentioned, which was reached in November, will be presented to the Executive Board or is subject to Executive Board approval, but it’s also contingent upon, among other things, implementation by the authorities of prior actions, including submission of the 2025 budget that is consistent with parameters identified under the program.

    QUESTIONER: Most of the questions we had have been touched upon, and I would just reinforce as well what colleagues had said earlier about trying to get a sense of what all this uncertainty around tariffs will mean. I know there is a tendency to talk about the policies once they are implemented and the impact. But given the fact that policies get announced and withdrawn and swung around, it seems like the uncertainty has more of the impact than the actual policy. But all that seems to be covered. I will get to — actually, the only outstanding question we have now is if you could update us on the status of the Mozambique program and if there is a risk to that program’s existence right now, given what is going on. That is for our Africa colleagues. Everything else was covered. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

    1. KOZACK: Thank you very much. So, on Mozambique, what I can share is that the Article IV Consultation and the Fourth Review of the Extended Credit Facility, or ECF, were completed back in July of 2024. An IMF team will visit Maputo in the coming weeks to engage with the new government. We do remain engaged to support the country’s efforts toward remaining macroeconomic stability, accelerating growth and making growth more inclusive, in line with the arrangements. But given that there is a mission in the coming weeks, we will have more to report toward the end of that engagement.

    QUESTIONER: Julie, regarding Russia, are there any developments concerning the postponed mission to Russia to evaluate progress in economy that was stopped in September due to necessity to gather additional information and make additional analysis. Anything we should expect this year, probably? Thank you.

    KOZACK: Unfortunately, I don’t yet have an update for you or a timeline for the Article IV.

    QUESTIONER: One final question. Thank you. Sorry, Julie, I’m going to try again with a sort of a similar question. But, you know, we are seeing a fundamental shift in the global and potentially in the support that is available for developing countries. The United States has ended foreign assistance. It has frozen funding for the World Food Program. It is pulling out of and talking about pulling out of the World Health Organization. These are institutions that are part, writ large, of the Bretton Woods system in which the IMF is such a key player.

    So, I do not think it’s unfair of us to be asking for some guidance from you about how you at an institution like the IMF are approaching this period of time that is marked by uncertainty, not just for the markets or for global trade, but also for the institutions themselves. And, you know, we have seen some initial reports that Elon Musk’s DOGE employees or people who work with DOGE are starting to look at the World Bank and other institutions.

    And I, you know, so I guess we want to hear something from you that is a little bit broader about the time that we’re in and what it means, because it obviously has implications for other countries, too, if they’re going to fill the gap in the developing thing. And, you know, you have been warning for years that the developing economies face a kind of perfect storm of different difficult circumstances. This seems like it adds to, to it. Thanks.

    KOZACK: Thanks very much. Look, what I can say now is really what I’ve been saying. I really do not have much to add other than that we are a global institution. We have a clearly defined mandate to support economic and financial stability globally and just ultimately support growth and employment in the world economy. We are continuing as an institution to remain laser-focused, of course, on that mandate. And we, as a global institution, take our responsibility to serve our membership very, very seriously. And we will continue to do everything that we need to do to serve our membership in the best possible way. You know, we do, as I said, have a long history of working with successive U.S. administrations, and we look forward to continuing to do so as an institution for which the U.S. is our largest shareholder.

    And with this, I’m going to bring this press briefing to an end. Thank you all for your participation today. As a reminder, this briefing is embargoed until 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time today. A transcript will be made available later on IMF.org, and as usual, in case of clarifications, additional queries, or anything else, please reach out to my colleagues at media@mf.org.

    This does conclude our first press briefing of the year. I wish everyone a wonderful day and I do look forward to seeing you next time. Thank you all so much for joining, and please be safe given the weather outside here in D.C. Thank you, everyone.

    * * * * *

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER:

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/02/06/020625-tr-imf-press-briefing-julie-kozack

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Newark arrest of Chilean national leads to federal charges

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEWARK, N.J. – A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest led to Gustavo Ignacio Salas Ortega, 33, a Chilean alien, being charged Feb. 4 in the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, with one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property that had crossed state lines and one count of receiving stolen property that had crossed state lines.

    Salas Ortega, believed to be part of a South American theft group in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, was arrested by ICE Oct. 14, 2024. ICE then transferred Salas Ortega to U.S Marshals Service custody and lodged an immigration detainer against him.

    “As alleged, the illegal alien offender threatened the public safety of our community by participating in an organized theft group,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris.  “These charges against Salas Ortega demonstrate ICE ERO Newark’s commitment to uphold the integrity of our immigration system while promoting the security of New Jersey’s residents.”

    ICE partnered with FBI Newark’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force, the Millburn Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and the New Jersey Police Department in the investigation leading to the charges.

    “The Joint Organized Crime Task Force has been working tirelessly to apprehend these alleged criminals, following a labyrinth of conspirators that span multiple states,” FBI-Newark acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly said. “These alleged criminals are part of South American theft groups who have been targeting stores throughout the United States for months. These alleged thieves have worked equally hard to evade law enforcement as they have to infiltrate the very businesses they have ripped off. This charge marks a positive step forward towards dismantling this group.”

    According to the investigation, the defendant was part of a group which scouted a jewelry store in a New Jersey mall before committing the burglary. The defendant and his co-conspirators then entered the jewelry store through the ceiling and a hole they cut through an adjacent wall. Law enforcement later found the defendant wearing an expensive wristwatch that had been in the jewelry store at the time of the burglary. Further investigation showed that the defendant had possessed the stolen wristwatch in New York on multiple days after the burglary.

    Other law enforcement partners throughout the U.S. supported the investigation. Federal partners include U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI Denver, FBI New York, and the FBI legal attaché in Santiago, Chile. New Jersey agencies include the Denver Police Department, the Paramus Police Department, the Fair Lawn Police Department, the Edison Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. New York agencies include the Nassau County Police Department, the Woodbury Town Police Department, the Town of Greenburgh Police Department and the New York Police Department. The Northbrook Police Department in Illinois, and the Vacaville Police Department in California, also assisted.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Minns Labor Government releases draft legislation to protect gig workers

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 7 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Industrial Relations

    The Minns Labor Government is seeking industry and stakeholder input as it looks to legislate protections for gig workers and other precarious workers in the transport sector to modernise the NSW Industrial Relations Act.

    Consultation on the draft bill will inform the development of the reforms which were a pre-election commitment. This will help ensure the changes are fit-for-purpose for the gig economy and the modern transport sector.

    The proposed changes will extend to gig workers the same legal protections already offered to owner driver truck drivers, couriers and taxi drivers under Chapter 6 of the Industrial Relations Act.

    The reforms will allow platform companies, employers and unions to apply to the Industrial Relations Commission for binding determinations on the workers’ pay and conditions of employment.

    The Commission is required to consider what is fair and reasonable while promoting efficiency and productivity in the economy of NSW.

    The NSW Government’s proposed changes will:

    • Allow the Commission to determine what is fair and reasonable pay and conditions for rideshare and other gig workers in the transport industry.
    • Correct the historical exemption that prevented milk, cream and bread delivery drivers from having the same protections.
    • Explore new offences of accessorial liability for those who break the law in a supply chain.
    • Ensure there are enforceable standards across road transport supply chains to make sure everyone, no matter how big or small, can recover their costs.

    Consistent with the approach of the Commonwealth Government, the existing exemptions for transport of livestock and produce will remain in place.

    The proposed changes will be complementary to the Federal Government’s gig workers reform.

    Minister for Industrial Relations Sophie Cotsis said:

    “We need to ensure our Industrial Relations system is fit for purpose.

    “The public relies on gig workers in the transport industry every day, and workers can rely on us for the same legal protections.

    “This is an important step in supporting the thousands of gig workers to ensure they have the same industrial rights to access the industrial relations commission.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Rental Taskforce to tackle fairness in rental market

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 7 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading

    Renters in NSW now have a dedicated Rental Taskforce to hold landlords and real estate agents to account, and will address rental law violations following the Government’s most significant rental reforms in more than a decade.

    With an $8.4 million investment, NSW Fair Trading’s Rental Taskforce will analyse activities and trends within the rental market and conduct compliance activities such as inspections, audits, and blitzes to prevent and act on breaches of the law.

    The new taskforce is a multi-disciplinary team with new and existing resources drawn from across NSW Fair Trading, and led by a newly appointed Rental Taskforce Manager reporting to the NSW Rental Commissioner, Trina Jones.

    The Rental Taskforce will focus on three key priorities:

    • Ending solicited rent bidding 
    • Implementing renting reforms to prevent no grounds evictions
    • Ensuring improved responses to repairs and maintenance in the rental market

    The NSW Government is also working to deliver cost of living relief to renters by delivering a Portable Rental Bond Scheme, which is due to go live in the second half of this year.

    For more information on changes to NSW rental laws, please visit the NSW Fair Trading website.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong:

    “The Minns Labor Government understands that more people are renting, and they are renting for longer.

    “That’s why we have established the Rental Taskforce to help create a more equitable market for the 2.3 million renters in this state.

    “Our inspectors will be out in full force to ensure real estate agents and landlords are complying with new and existing rental laws to ease the stress placed on renters by things like no grounds evictions and rent bidding.

    “While the majority of agents and landlords are doing the right thing, this $8.4m investment targets bad actors who make life tougher for renters.

    “With these resources, NSW renters can be assured we’re working hard on a fairer rental market for tenants.”

    Quotes attributable to Rental Commissioner Trina Jones:

    “The Rental Taskforce is here to protect the rights of renters and hold bad actors to account.

    “It’s critical to provide renters and property providers with assurance that bad actors will not be permitted to cause harm in the market.

    “The Rental Taskforce is a dedicated and skilled team made up of new and existing roles focused on preventing and responding to breaches of rental laws.

    “This will support a fair and safe marketplace for rented homes in NSW and contribute to improved confidence in the rental market.”

    Quotes attributable to Leo Patterson Ross, NSW Tenants Union CEO:

    “For too long, renters have been carrying the burden of dodgy behaviour. It is vital that such an important essential service as renting your home has an active and visible regulator to hold people to account for failing to deliver a fair renting experience.

    “We and the Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Services have long supported renters with services to support them in resolving issues, but without a responsive regulator there have often been limited options to truly hold dodgy operators to account.

    “We welcome the investment and the impact it will have, and we look forward to seeing further investment as needed in both regulatory activities and support services for renters into the future.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Free breakfast for 88,000 additional public school students

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 7 February 2025

    Released by: Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Early Learning

    At least 88,000 additional public school students can start their school day right, with a nutritious, free breakfast, as the Minns Labor Government continues its work to double the number of schools participating in Foodbank’s School Breakfast 4 Health program.

    The Minns Labor Government made a commitment in the lead up to the last state election to increase the number of participating public schools to 1,000 by 2027.

    It is investing $8 million in partnership with Foodbank to give public school children the best possible start to their day, with the program having grown by over a third from 500 to 676 schools in less than two years.

    New schools to take on the program in the last two years include Blacktown Girls High School, Birrong Public School, Melonba High School, Villawood North Public School, Whalan Public School, Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School, Narellan Public School, Miller Public School and Maryland Public School.

    Every day Foodbank staff and volunteers undertake a huge logistical exercise to supply high-quality breakfast foods including milks, juices, breakfast cereals, fruits and breads, so that every child enters the classroom well-fed, energised, focused and ready to learn.

    Foodbank data indicates:

    • 80 per cent of schools in the program reported an increase in attendance and;
    • 89 per cent saw an increase in class engagement

    The program improves students’ nutrition, eating habits, boosts their mental and physical health and can increase learning. Schools have also reported improvements in school attendance and engagement.

    The program runs in schools across NSW, including rural and regional areas, and as the cost-of-living continues to affect many, this is one way Minns Labor Government is helping families make ends meet.

    As work continues to grow the program further, the Minns Labor Government has been working closely with Foodbank to simplify and accelerate the onboarding process for schools, so they can access the program as quickly and seamlessly as possible. 

    Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

    “Parents and families are continuing to struggle with the cost-of-living, which is why this program has been so important, particularly over the past two years.

    “Across NSW, thousands of students are benefitting from free breakfasts at their school every day and starting the day full of energy, and ready to learn, thanks to the hard work of Foodbank staff and volunteers.

    “The Foodbank program helps ensure children are given the best chance to be ready to learn when they enter the classroom while helping families with cost-of-living pressures.”

    Federal Member for Greenway Michelle Rowland said:

    “Knowing your child will have a healthy breakfast at school is a fantastic thing for all families, and sets our public school children up for success.

    “It is fantastic to see this simple and effective program continue to be so successful at so many schools across NSW.”

    Chief Executive Officer, Foodbank NSW and ACT John Robertson said:

    “We know that children learn their best when they have full bellies. We thank the Minns Labor Government for their continued support to help us get this vital program into more schools around NSW to ensure our future leaders have the best possible start to the day.”

    Lalor Park Public School principal Dee Taylor said:

    “We’re really grateful for our strong partnership with Foodbank. We have students from Preschool to Year 6 who know they can come to school and start the day with a nourishing breakfast.

    “I can’t overstate the positive impact breakfast has on our students’ positive behaviour and ability to stay focused and engaged in the classroom throughout the morning. 

    “The program also helps teach life skills at Lalor Park – clearing your own plate, using manners and helping those around you are key values of breakfast club.” 

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Video Presentation: James Altucher Declares: AI 2.0 Is Here—And It Will Transform Life As We Know It

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AI expert James Altucher is making a bold new prediction in his recent video presentation: “AI 2.0 isn’t some future dream…” According to Altucher, this next wave of artificial intelligence will revolutionize every aspect of society, from the way we work to how we live.

    “AI is now predicted to be a global $15,700,000,000,000 BOOM market by 2030”

    Altucher believes we are witnessing a turning point in history, comparable to the invention of the internet, but at a scale never seen before.

    The impact of AI 2.0 will soon be felt in industries worldwide, shaping the economy, security, and even personal freedoms. Altucher warns that AI’s expansion will be swift, leaving those unaware struggling to catch up.

    “But [AI 2.0] will soon transform our economy, our lives, and our society forever.”

    With a major AI milestone approaching on March 17, 2025, Altucher believes this moment will redefine the future.

    About James Altucher

    James Altucher is a leading AI expert, author, and entrepreneur with nearly four decades of experience in emerging technologies. He has been featured in major media outlets and is known for his forward-thinking insights on AI’s impact on society.

    Media Contact:
    Derek Warren
    Public Relations Manager
    Paradigm Press Group
    Email: dwarren@paradigmpressgroup.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Element3® Produces First Lithium Carbonate from Permian Basin Wastewater

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORT WORTH, Texas and MIDLAND, Texas, Feb. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Element3®, the critical material extraction company specializing in oil and gas wastewater, announced today the successful production of battery-grade lithium carbonate from Midland Basin oil and gas wastewater at a Double Eagle Energy Holdings IV, LLC (“Double Eagle”) subsidiary’s recycling facility.

    This landmark production of lithium carbonate from unconcentrated, produced water demonstrates a breakthrough in developing a sustainable, domestic lithium supply. The carbonate was produced from lithium extracted at Element3’s second-generation field demonstration plant and validates the scalability of Element3’s patented process.

    “This is another milestone as we work toward utilizing oil and gas wastewater as an efficient and economical source of battery grade lithium materials, securing the U.S. supply chain,” said Hood Whitson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Element3. “With our newly acquired lithium carbonate processing equipment, we are positioned to begin commercial production this year.”

    Element3 is currently commissioning its full-scale lithium carbonate plant. This facility will enable the company to process the abundant lithium resources present in the region’s oil and gas wastewater and contribute to domestic supply chain security for in-demand, critical battery materials.

    About Element3
    Element3 focuses on the extraction of lithium and other critical materials from oil and gas wastewater. We harness this underutilized resource to create a secure, environmentally stable, domestic supply of materials required for the energy transition and advanced manufacturing. Learn more at www.element3.io.

    Contact:
    Ben Patterson
    Director of Business Operations
    817-221-8711
    bpatterson@element3.io

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King to Senate Colleagues: “Now is the Time to Establish a Redline—the Constitution Itself”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    To watch the floor speech click here or download here

    WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today spoke on the Senate floor to share his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach — adding historical perspective to the decisions facing the Senate. In the speech, King also shared his position on Russell Vought, the nominee to become Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):

    “We began our careers here with the following words, ‘I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the constitution of the united States against all enemies foreign and domestic.’ 

    “When each of us arrived here in the senate, we took this oath to support and defend the constitution and as it says against all enemies foreign and domestic. I think it’s interesting that the framers concede that there might be domestic enemies to the constitution. Our oath was not to the Republican Party, not to the Democratic Party, not to Joe Biden, not to Donald Trump, but our oath was to defend the constitution. 

    “And right now — right now literally at this moment that constitution is under the most direct and consequential assault in our nation’s history. An assault not on a particular provision but on the essential structure of the document itself. It’s hard to grasp what is happening because of all the events that are swirling around us over the last several weeks. It’s coming from so many different quarters and so many different actors. It’s hard to get a picture of what’s really happening fundamentally. 

    “But this is an assault, and how we respond to it will define our life’s work, our place in history, and the future of our country. None of us will ever face a greater challenge. 

    “Before we get to the challenge, however, I think it’s important to ask why we have a constitution in the first place, why ours has so far stood the test of time. 

    “The answer to the first question, why have a Constitution in the first place, is contained in the preamble — we the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, there’s number one, establish justice, number two, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this constitution of the United States of America.’

    “You want to know what the Constitution is for? There it is. There’s the list — ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. 

    “But there’s a paradox at the heart of the creation of any government, whether it’s here or anywhere else on Earth, and anywhere else in history. There’s a paradox built in, because the essence of creating government is to give it power, give it our power, in order to look after us, in order to provide for the common defense, to ensure domestic tranquility, to provide justice to our people. 

    “In other words, we’re giving our power to this separate entity. But we have to do so with the realization that the power that’s being given has the potential to be abused. In other words, how do we give power to this entity, this government, and ensure that the government itself doesn’t use that power to abuse us as citizens? This is a question at the heart of all political discussion throughout history. 

    “The Romans even had a question that captured it. The question was, “quis custodiet, ipsos custodes?” It means who will guard the guardians? Who will guard those who we have given power to guard us? It’s a fundamental question that’s confronted every society and every government throughout history. 

    “Madison put it this way, and by the way he used a gender-specific term. I suspect if he were writing today it would be more broadly phrased. In the 51st federalist, ‘if men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to cover govern men, neither internal nor external controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this — you must first enable the government to control the governed.’ That’s the function. And in the next place, oblige it to control itself. 

    “Our framers understood this. They were deep students of history and also human nature. And they had just won a lengthy and brutal war against the abuses inherent in concentrated governmental power, George III. The universal principle of human nature they understood was this — power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That’s a universal principle, all over the world throughout history. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 

    “So how did they answer the question? How did they answer the question who will guard the guardians? They answered it by building into the basic structure of our government two essential safeguards. One was regular elections. In other words, returning the control of the government to the people on regular scheduled elections. By the way, this is what we learned in sixth grade, checks and balances. But the other piece that’s built into our system that’s the other essential safeguard is the deliberate division of power between the branches and levels of government.

    “This is important, Mr. President. The cumbersomeness, the slowness, the clumsiness is built into our system. The framers were so fearful of concentrated power that they designed a system that would be hard to operate. And the heart of it was the separation of power between various parts of the government. The whole idea, the whole idea was that no part of the government, no one person, no one institution had or could ever have a monopoly on power. 

    “Why? Because it’s dangerous. History and human nature tells us that. This division of power as annoying and inefficient as it can be, particularly to the executive, I know because I used to be a governor, is an essential feature of the system, not a bug. It’s an essential, basic feature of the system, designed to protect our freedoms. 

    “Now, this contrasts with the normal structure of a private business, where authority is purposefully concentrated, allowing swift and sometimes arbitrary action. But a private business does not have the army, and the President of the United States is not the CEO of America. 

    “Power is shared, principally between the President and this body, this Congress, both houses. In fact, this herky-jerkiness, the two houses, the war power divided between the President and Congress, this unwieldy structure is the whole idea. No one has or should ever have all the power. 

    “So the concern I’m raising today isn’t some academic exercise or manifestation of political jealousy or abstract institutional loyalty. It’s the guts of the system, designed to protect us from the inevitable. And I mean inevitable abuse of an authoritarian state, the inevitable abuse of an authoritarian state. It’s the guts of our protection. In fact, this clumsy system is the main spring of our freedom. By the way, it’s worked so far, so far, and distinguishes us from the historical norm.

    “We have to understand, we are an anomaly in history. The historical norm is pharaohs, kings, dictators, emperors, presidents for life. But the fact that we’re such an anomaly, and we’ve seen in our lifetimes other governments, other systems based upon ours slip into authoritarianism and dictatorship tells us how fragile what we have is. What we have in this country is an anomaly in history and it’s fragile, and it needs to be, must be, protected from generation to generation. This makes this moment all the more urgent and portentous. 

    “Now, the nominee before us today is one of the ring leaders of this assault, one of the ring leaders of the assault on our Constitution. He believes in a presidency of virtually unlimited powers. He’s written extensively about this. And explicitly rejects, for example, the exclusive power of congress to authorize and appropriate funds for the operation of the government. He espouses the discredited and illegal theory that the president has the power to selectively impound funds appropriated by congress, thereby rendering the famous power of the purse a nullity. I am not talking about the specifics and I will touch on A.I.D and other issues, but what I’m really worried about are the implications, the structural implications for our freedom and government of what’s happening here. 

    “We have to keep our eye on the big picture. Not all the confusion and smoke that’s going on over the last couple of weeks. Mr. Vought is one of the principal authors of the infamous Project 2025 which the President strangely hadn’t heard of during the campaign but now seems to be the essential guideline for his presidency. Project 2025 is nothing less than a blueprint for the shredding of the constitution and the transition of our country to authoritarian rule. He’s the last person who should be put in the heart of the operation of our government.

    “Again, this isn’t about politics. This isn’t about policy. This isn’t about Republican versus Democrat. This is about tampering with the structure of our government, which will ultimately undermine its ability to protect the freedom of our citizens. If our defense of the Constitution is gone, there’s nothing left to us. 

    “So Thomas Moore said, ‘I expected you to betray me, Richard, but for Wales?’ We should not betray the constitution for temporary expedient because we don’t like this or that agency. 

    “Now I want to speak to my Republican colleagues. It is your constitutional prerogative to confirm this nominee and any others. I do not question that right, only its wisdom. And this nominee is a place to say no to the undermining and destruction of our constitutional system. 

    “But don’t stand aside in the midst of these confirmations, ill-considered foreign policy pronouncements, flood of executive orders, none of which will do a thing about the price of eggs, cost of housing or availabilities of child care. Don’t get caught up in all of that and ignore the steady and not-so-slow usurpation of congressional authority and fundamental alteration of the framers’ scheme. 

    “My colleague who preceded me, speaking from the Republican side, bemoaned Congress’ lack of oversight and praised Elon Musk for doing what congress should have done. Maybe she’s right and Congress should have done it, and we should do it, but not give away that power, which will never come back. Once this door is open, it’s going to be very difficult to close it again, no matter who the president is. No matter who’s in charge. 

    “To my colleagues, are there no red lines? Are there no limits? 

    “Just in the past ten days, we’ve seen the literal destruction of a statutorily, I emphasize that word, statutorily established and funded federal agency by people ostensibly working for the president understand vague authority, no transparency, and no guidance from the congress. Did they come to the Foreign Relations Committee and say what do you think about A.I.D.? Are there parts to work with or be reformed? No, zero. 

    “This small group, and we don’t know who they are, but this small group apparently it’s reported in their 20’s have no experience with government, no experience with foreign aid, no experience with the operation of the United States government, but they’re making basically policy decisions and constitutional decisions. 

    “The Constitution does not give to the President or his designee the power to extinguish a statutorily established agency. I can think of no greater violation of the strictures of the Constitution or usurpation of the power of this body. None. I can think of none. Shouldn’t this be a red line? 

    “By the way, I find it especially galling to read the sneering comment from the richest man in the world that, quote, ‘we spent the weekend feeding said into the chipper.’ Describing an action that will literally take food from the mouths of starving children. Forget red lines. Do we have no decency? 

    “And then there is the executive order freezing funding, again, selectively, for programs the administration doesn’t like or understand. I mentioned that I was a former governor and I would have loved to have had this power, but it’s a fundamental violation of the whole idea of the Constitution, the separa[tion] of powers. 

    “To say that the executive, you can pick and choose which laws you like, which funding programs, the level of funding, you can impound if you don’t want to spend it. Richard Nixon tried to do that. He was rebuffed by the Congress who passed a specific statute, no impoundments. 

    “In addition to the chaos, the uncertainty and demonstrable damage which my colleagues have been outlining all day brilliantly, there’s nothing theoretical about cutting off funding to a rural health clinic, for example, or support for small farmers or grants to your fire department. But getting away from those specifics, it’s easy to get pulled into those, and my office is hearing calls every day, we can hardly handle the volume, this again, to underline, is a frontal assault of our power, your power, the power to decide where public funds should be spent. 

    “Isn’t this an obvious red line? Isn’t this an obvious limit? 

    “Or finally, and I picked a few examples, but my final example is the power seemingly assumed by DOGE to burrow into the treasury’s payment system, and now CMS for undefined purposes, zero oversight and raises questions up to and including threats to national security. Do these people have clearance? Are the doors closed? Are they going to leave open doors into these? What are the opportunities for our adversaries to hack into the systems? 

    “We’re already under unprecedented cyberattack and we’re opening doors, although it’s impossible to determine what they’re taking. Remember there’s no transparency or oversight. Access to social security numbers seem to be in the mix. All the government’s personnel files, personal financial data, potentially everyone’s tax returns and medical records. That can’t be good. That can’t be good. That’s data that should be protected with the highest level of security and consideration of Americans’ privacy. And we don’t know who these people are. We don’t know what they’re taking out with them. We don’t know whether they’re walking out with laptops or thumb drives. We don’t know whether they’re leaving back doors into the system. There is literally no oversight. The government of the United States is not a private company. It is fundamentally at odds with how this system is supposed to work. 

    “Shouldn’t this be an easy redline? 

    “In short, Mr. President, we’re experiencing in real time exactly what the framers most feared. When you clear away the smoke, clear away the DOGE, the executive orders, foreign pronouncements, more fundamentally what’s happening is the shredding of the constitutional structure itself. 

    “And we have a profound responsibility it seems to be based on that pesky oath that we all took, to stop it, to stop it. […] But stop what’s going on in terms of altering how our government is supposed to fundamentally function to protect our people. 

    “The power of the majority is with you, my Republican colleagues. Together, together we have the power to right the balance, to reclaim the authority we thought was inherent in our jobs, and in the process save our country. 

    “At a prior time of crisis, Abraham Lincoln defined the stakes for each of us, “Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We, of this Congress, and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.

    “Now is the time to establish a redline—the Constitution itself.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King Join Colleagues in Calling for Prompt Implementation of Social Security Fairness Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined 26 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) calling for the immediate implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act. This bipartisan legislation, which Senator Collins coauthored with former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and which was co-sponsored by King, will provide full Social Security benefits for millions of public servants impacted by the unfair Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The Social Security Fairness Act fully repealed the WEP and GPO and was signed into law on January 5, 2025.

    “The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who are unfairly penalized by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO),” the Senators wrote.

    “The Social Security Administration’s website currently states, ‘SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits’ owed under the Social Security Fairness Act. We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to the millions of Americans impacted by WEP and GPO. In the interim, we request monthly updates and briefings regarding the status of the Social Security Administration’s progress towards implementing the Social Security Fairness Act,” the Senators concluded.

    In addition to Senators Collins and King, the letter was signed by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mark Warner (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

    The complete text of the letter can be read here and below.

    +++

    Dear Acting Commissioner King,

    We write to you concerning the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act (Public LawNo: 118-273). This legislation passed Congress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis on December 21st, 2024 and was signed into law on January 5th, 2025. The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public servants who are unfairly penalized by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

    The Social Security Administration’s website currently states, “SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits” owed under the Social Security Fairness Act. We call for the immediate implementation of this legislation to provide prompt relief to the millions of Americans impacted by WEP and GPO. In the interim, we request monthly updates and briefings regarding the status of the Social Security Administration’s progress towards implementing the Social Security Fairness Act.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: “We’re Experiencing in Real Time Exactly What the Framers Most Feared,” King says to Republican Colleagues

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

    WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) shared his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s largely unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach. In a speech on the Senate floor, King cited the Founding Fathers to add historical perspective to the decisions facing the Senate including the importance of keeping a separation of powers between the branches of government.

    “The framers were so fearful of concentrated power that they designed a system that would be hard to operate. And the heart of it was the separation of power between various parts of the government. The whole idea, the whole idea was that no part of the government, no one person, no one institution had or could ever have a monopoly on power,” King said. “Why? Because it’s dangerous. History and human nature tells us that. This division of power as annoying and inefficient as it can be, particularly to the executive, I know because I used to be a governor, is an essential feature of the system, not a bug. It’s an essential, basic feature of the system, designed to protect our freedoms. Now, this contrasts with the normal structure of a private business, where authority is purposefully concentrated, allowing swift and sometimes arbitrary action. But a private business does not have the army, and the President of the United States is not the CEO of America.”

    King then discussed the critical vulnerability of Congress relieving its duties to the administration in charge – an abdication that would be hard to reverse no matter what administration is next elected into office.

    “But don’t stand aside in the midst of these confirmations, ill-considered foreign policy pronouncements, flood of executive orders, none of which will do a thing about the price of eggs, cost of housing or availabilities of child care,” King continued. “Don’t get caught up in all of that and ignore the steady and not-so-slow usurpation of congressional authority and fundamental alteration of the framers’ scheme. My colleague who preceded me, speaking from the Republican side, bemoaned Congress’ lack of oversight and praised Elon Musk for doing what congress should have done. Maybe she’s right and Congress should have done it, and we should do it, but not give away that power, which will never come back. Once this door is open, it’s going to be very difficult to close it again, no matter who the president is. No matter who’s in charge. To my colleagues, are there no red lines? Are there no limits?”

    Lastly, he emphasized the ‘profound responsibility’ each member of the Senate has to respect the Oath they swore to the Constitution.

    “In short, Mr. President, we’re experiencing in real time exactly what the framers most feared. When you clear away the smoke, clear away the DOGE, the executive orders, foreign pronouncements, more fundamentally what’s happening is the shredding of the constitutional structure itself,” King concluded. “And we have a profound responsibility it seems to be based on that pesky oath that we all took, to stop it, to stop it. […] But stop what’s going on in terms of altering how our government is supposed to fundamentally function to protect our people.”

    Senator King has been continuously sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s existential threat to the Constitution: he declared that the proposal to halt all federal grant and loan disbursement was illegal and a direct assault on the Constitution. More recently, he joined 36 Senators in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sharing the detrimental effects of  the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He also joined fellow Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) colleagues in writing a letter to the White House about the risks to national security by allowing unvetted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Rand Paul Introduces REINS Act to Put Power Back in the People’s Hands

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Rand Paul

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    February 6, 2025

     Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

     

     

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act to help put power back in the people’s hands instead of the administrative state.

    “The whims of an unaccountable administrative state should never rule our lives. For too long, an ever-growing federal bureaucracy has piled regulations and red tape on the backs of the American people without any approval by Americans’ elected representatives. By making Congress more accountable for the most costly and intrusive federal rules, our REINS Act would give Kentuckians and all Americans a greater voice in determining whether these major rules are truly in America’s best interests,” said Dr. Paul. 

    Cosponsors in the Senate include U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), James Risch (R-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).

    Background:

    Under the REINS Act, once major rules are drafted, they must then be affirmatively approved by both chambers of Congress and then signed by the President, satisfying the bicameralism and presentment requirements of the Constitution. Currently, regulations ultimately take effect unless Congress specifically disapproves.

    The bill defines a “major” rule as one that the Office of Management and Budget determines may result in an economic impact of $100 million or greater each year; “a major increase in costs or prices” for American consumers, government agencies, regions, or industries; or “significant adverse effects” on the economy.

    The REINS Act also includes the following changes from the original bill which has been introduced every Congress since Dr. Paul has been in office:

    • New Defense for Individuals: Individuals can argue that the average person would not have known their actions violated federal law if the statute did not clearly state it.
    • Right to Sue: People can sue to stop enforcement if an agency implements a major rule without getting congressional approval.
    • LIBERTY Act: Agency guidance with an economic impact of $100 million or more needs congressional approval just like major rules.
    • Deregulatory Actions Exempted: Agencies do not need congressional approval to withdraw costly or burdensome rules

    You can read the REINS Act HERE.

    The REINS Act also has wide support:

    “Four years of unprecedented executive branch spending and a record-setting stream of new rules from unelected bureaucrats in Washington have caused the price of everything to go up at the same time the value of every dollar has gone down. American families are left paying more for less in a broken economy that was roaring just a few short years ago,” said Tarren Bragdon, President and CEO of the Foundation for Government Accountability. “The REINS Act would empower Congress to free working families from the suffocating weight of the Biden-Harris bureaucracy and cure the cost-of-living crisis dimming the American Dream. The REINS Act cuts to the core of the fundamental question facing our nation at this critical moment in history: Do we want our future determined by unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., or the elected representatives closest to the people?”

     “For years, the executive branch has grown its power and subverted the will of the people by imposing expensive rules and regulations that should require the consent of Congress. No administration should have the authority to place sweeping regulations on every facet of Americans’ daily lives without giving them the chance to weigh in through their elected representatives and fight back when the executive branch skirts the law. Sen. Paul’s updated REINS Act will help restore the legal rights of Americans and the balance of power laid out in the Constitution,” said Ryan Walker, Executive Vice President of Heritage Action. 

    “For too long, bureaucrats in the administrative state have imposed trillions of dollars in regulatory costs onto American citizens and businesses as they embark on their personal crusades – all without needing the support of a single member of the legislative branch. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned the Chevron Doctrine, leaders on Capitol Hill must pass the REINs Act to return Article 1 lawmaking authority to its rightful home in Congress and end the delegation of power to unelected regulators,” said Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh. “We applaud Sen. Rand Paul for his work to introduce and champion this bill in the Senate. Every member of Congress should support this commonsense plan to create a more representative approach to how the Federal Government imposes the hidden tax of regulation,” said David McIntosh, President of Club For Growth.

    “Senator Paul’s updated version of the REINS Act is an essential government reform bill that would strengthen congressional oversight, put a brake on administrative state power, and reinstate accountability in the rulemaking process. Building upon all the good the preexisting REINS Act would do, Senator Paul’s updated REINS Act includes a number of new provisions that would further empower Congress to check big government. Importantly, the bill would require that guidance documents and other forms of “regulatory dark matter” be subject to congressional approval. The bill would also address the concern that rules and guidance documents are not properly submitted to Congress or the Government Accountability Office. Together, these provisions would help give greater scrutiny to the regulatory process – a move especially important now since the Biden administration has dismantled President Trump’s guidance portals and rewrote the rules of rulemaking with their Modernizing Regulatory Review directive (Executive Order 14,094). These updates are vitally important as the Supreme Court’s recent rejection of the Chevron Doctrine still leaves progressives with many tools in their toolbox to work around Congress and pursue their regulatory pursuits. Ultimately, Senator Paul’s updated REINS Act is a vital step in restoring accountability to the administrative state and in ensuring that the American people are governed by their duly elected representatives, rather than by unaccountable bureaucrats,” said Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Fred L. Smith Jr. Fellow in Regulatory Studies at Competitive Enterprise Institute.

    “Regulatory agencies seem to think they can make any rules they want. The REINS Act was already an important reminder that Congress has lawmaking powers, and executive agencies do not. The new version’s expanded protections make REINS even more urgent to pass,” said Ryan Young, Senior Economist at Competitive Enterprise Institute.

    “Federal regulation is out of control.  It’s time for Congress to REINS it in,” said James Carter, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Treasury (2002-06), America First Policy Institute.

    “The REINS Act is desperately needed.  We hear a lot about defending democracy today, but we don’t see much real effort from the administrative state to honor the principles of democracy. Senator Paul’s updated REINS Act will make sure that the people’s representatives in Congress will have to approve of any major rules proposed by an unelected administrative agency. If the economic impact of a rule is $100 million or more, it must have congressional approval. This guarantees that we the people have a voice in the regulatory state that has the impact of being law. It would also guarantee individuals the right to use as an affirmative defense that the regulation they are accused of violating do not logically follow from the statute. It would also allow citizens to seek judicial relief when an agency fails to seek or obtain congressional approval. Any who opposes the REINS Act is clearly not a fan of democracy, but rather prefers a system of unelected oligarchy,” said George Landrith, President, Frontiers of Freedom Institute.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Colleagues Introduce Antitrust Legislation to Take on Algorithmic Price Fixing, Bring Down Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), joined by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Peter Welch (D-VT), introduced the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act to prevent companies from using algorithms to collude to set higher prices. As recent reporting, a Justice Department lawsuit, and multiple private lawsuits have shown, big corporations are using algorithms to raise prices and limit competition, including companies like RealPage that have facilitated collusion to increase rents by more than $3 billion in 2023 alone. This legislation will make such collusion illegal to lower costs for families and support small businesses.

    “Price fixing is illegal under our antitrust laws, but the development of price-setting algorithms can exploit loopholes that could be used to unfairly raise prices on everything from rent to rideshares,” said Klobuchar. “My bill will strengthen antitrust law and guarantee needed transparency to prevent companies from using algorithms to fix prices to ensure consumers are able to get the full benefits of competition.” 

    “Collusion is collusion, whether you do it over the phone or using an algorithm. This legislation, along with my End Rent Fixing Act, will send a strong message to corporations that they won’t get away with coordinating to ratchet up prices on consumers,” said Wyden.

    “Businesses are increasingly turning to algorithms to determine pricing for their products.  In a technology-based world, we need to prevent businesses from using these tools to reduce competition,” said Durbin.  “That’s why I’m joining my colleagues in introducing the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act, which would ensure that pricing algorithms aren’t being used to take advantage of consumers and inflate prices.”

    “Predatory algorithms significantly suppress competition in today’s markets and allow companies to collude to raise prices to unaffordable levels. The Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act will eliminate coercive anticompetitive software and empower consumers,” said Blumenthal.

    “Algorithmic price fixing enables businesses to artificially inflate their prices while hiding their collusion behind technology, stifling competition, and leaving consumers to suffer the consequences,” said Hirono. “This legislation will help to ensure transparent competition on price, prevent big business from manipulating the market, encourage healthy competition, and protect consumers and small businesses from being taken advantage of.”

    “Far too many companies are utilizing predatory pricing algorithms that prevent competition and raise prices for consumers,” said Luján. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing the Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act to increase transparency and prevent companies from taking advantage of consumers. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill signed into law.”

    “These pricing algorithms are just one more tactic corporations use to get around the law and screw regular people. It’s how the poultry industry colludes to keep the price of chicken high,” said Murphy. “If we really care about lowering costs and disrupting the corrupt status quo, this is the kind of bill that Congress should pass.”

    “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bill to strengthen competition, increase transparency and prevent big corporations from secretly working together to raise rent and other prices on everyday consumers through predatory algorithms,” said Shaheen.

    “Transparency is a key tenet of doing good business, and consumers expect businesses to treat them fairly. But increasingly we’ve seen competitors throw antitrust laws to the wind by using pricing algorithms to avoid competition, leaving consumers to suffer the consequences. The Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act works to close existing loopholes and increase transparency around how companies use pricing algorithms to make sure consumers aren’t getting a raw deal,” said Welch.

    Price fixing and other forms of collusion are illegal under current antitrust laws. However, current antitrust laws may be insufficient when competing companies delegate their pricing decisions to an algorithm without agreeing to fix prices. Current law requires proof of an agreement to fix prices before condemning the conduct. When pricing decisions of multiple competitors are delegated to a single algorithm, that agreement may not exist even though the use of the algorithm may have the same effect as a traditional agreement to fix prices. This type of conduct has already occurred in rental housing, and we must ensure that it does not spread to other sectors of our economy with the proliferation of algorithmic pricing.  

    To strengthen current price fixing law, this legislation will:

    • Close a loophole in current law by presuming a price-fixing “agreement,” when direct competitors share non-public information through a pricing algorithm to raise prices;
    • Increase transparency by requiring companies that use algorithms to set prices to disclose that fact and give antitrust enforcers the ability to audit the pricing algorithm when there are concerns it may be harming consumers;
    • Ban companies from using non-public, competitively sensitive information from their direct competitors to inform or train a pricing algorithm;
    • Direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to study pricing algorithms’ impact on competition. 

    The Preventing Algorithmic Collusion Act is endorsed by Consumer Reports, the Open Markets Institute, and Accountable.US. 

    Klobuchar has long led efforts to update our competition laws. As Chair of the Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights subcommittee, Klobuchar held two hearings in 2023 exploring how algorithms can be used to harm consumers. In November 2022, Klobuchar, along with Senators Durbin and Booker, urged the Department of Justice to investigate potential anticompetitive conduct by Realpage increasing rents. Klobuchar leads the bipartisan American Innovation and Choice Online Act with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), which would prevent technology companies from abusing their market power to harm competition, and which made history as the first digital competition bill to advance in Congress since the dawn of the internet when it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 16-6 vote in 2022. Last month, Klobuchar reintroduced the Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act with 13 co-sponsors to give federal antitrust enforcers the resources they need to do their jobs and strengthen prohibitions on anticompetitive conduct and mergers. In 2024, Klobuchar joined Senator Wyden in introducing the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act to ensure that large landlords cannot skirt antitrust law and collude to increase rent prices across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Speakers Call for Culture of Collaboration, Renewed Solidarity to Achieve Sustainable Development, as Economic and Social Council Begins Coordination Segment

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Note: Full coverage of today’s meetings of the Economic and Social Council will be available Friday, 7 February.

    The United Nations must celebrate its many successes as much as it acknowledges its failures, the Economic and Social Council heard today as speakers at its 2025 Coordination Segment called for a culture of collaboration and renewed solidarity.

    This year, the two-day Segment, which includes panel discussions and interactive dialogues, will focus on the theme of “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.” 

    The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the “common sense of humanity”, and people around the world care about them, Bob Rae (Canada), President of the 54-member Council, said in his opening remarks.  Stressing the need to build on previous successes, he hailed the many partnerships between Member States and various multilateral institutions, such as the Spotlight Initiative, which has protected over 21 million girls and women from gender-based violence; the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, which engages over 130 stakeholders to tackle abandoned fishing gear to reduce marine pollution; and the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative, which aims to strengthen resilience against climate and disaster risks. 

    The people who created the Organization were living with war, depression, tariff wars, economic protectionism and poverty, he added.  The vision of the United Nations was not only political but also economic and social.  Commitment to a multilateral organization like the UN — whose budget in 2024 was $75 billion — does not take away a State’s freedom; rather, it broadens the sovereignty of each country, he stressed. 

    “The stakes could not be higher,” said Guy Ryder, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Policy, who noted that only 17 per cent of the Goals are on course, while many critical targets are regressing.  Meanwhile, conflicts are intensifying, inequalities are widening, the climate crisis is escalating, and unregulated technology continues to disrupt societies. The international community must unlock the scale and quality of financing needed to drive investments, alleviate the debt burden that stifles many countries, and protect economies from the external shocks, he stressed.  The Pact for the Future provides a blueprint for this, he said, adding that reform of the international financial architecture is crucial to fulfil the promise of the SDGs.

    Also addressing the Segment was Anatolio Ndong Mba (Equatorial Guinea), Council Vice-President, who said:  “The United Nations cannot do more than what we allow it to do.”  Progress on the SDGs has stagnated, or even reversed course, with only 17 per cent of assessed targets on track for achievement by 2030. “We cannot afford to let this trend continue,” he said, calling on the international community to “bridge divides, mobilize resources and implement transformative solutions”.  Highlighting the role of the Economic and Social Council and its many subsidiary bodies, he noted that the Segment has the valuable role of leveraging their insights. 

    Conversation with Regional Commissions, Functional Commissions and Expert Bodies

    Following opening remarks, the Council held a conversation with the Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions and Chairs of functional commissions and expert bodies, which focused on “Accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, including by leveraging the outcomes of the Summit of the Future”.

    …

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lockheed Martin Corporation Agrees to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Defective Pricing

    Source: US Justice – Antitrust Division

    Headline: Lockheed Martin Corporation Agrees to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Defective Pricing

    Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMC) has agreed to pay $29.74 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of defective pricing on contracts for F-35 military aircraft. This payment is in addition to $11.3 million that LMC previously paid to the Department of Defense (DOD) for the same undisclosed cost and pricing data on some of the same contracts. LMC, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the world’s largest defense contractors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Sentenced To More Than 12 Months For Unlawful Possession Of Firearms

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Jose Cruz Cienega-Gaona (41, Mexico) to one year and one day in federal prison for possessing a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. Cienega-Gaona entered a guilty plea in November 2024.

    According to court documents, in May 2024, agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection began an investigation into Cienega-Gaona. Through their investigation, agents determined that Cienega-Gaona is a native and citizen of Mexico. Cienega-Gaona had been removed from the United States in 2006 and 2019 after it was determined he was illegally in the United States.

    On July 9, 2024, agents spoke with Cienega-Gaona at a gas station near his home and he was arrested for being illegally in the United States. While interviewing Cienega-Gaona, agents learned that he had guns in his home. Agents executed a search warrant at Cienega-Gaona’s home and found four guns and ammunition. Because Cienega-Gaona was in the United States illegally, he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

    This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deering, Alaska, man indicted for abusive sexual contact on an aircraft from Anchorage to Seattle

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Repeatedly touched 17-year-old sitting next to him despite her actions to stop him

    Seattle – A 27-year-old Deering, Alaska man was arraigned today following his indictment for abusive sexual contact, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Trayton C. Ballot was arrested on January 15, 2025, when the Alaska Airlines flight he was on arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International airport. Ballot pleaded not guilty this morning and trial was scheduled in front of U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on April 7, 2025.

    According to records filed in the case, the 17-year-old victim was flying with her mother and a friend from Anchorage to Seattle. Ballot was seated in the middle seat in a row near the back of the plane. The victim was in the window seat. Ballot appeared to be asleep, but then allegedly moved his hand onto the victim’s inner thigh and began rubbing her thigh. The victim removed Ballot’s hand. Two more times Ballot moved his hand onto the 17-year-old’s inner thigh, and she removed his hand. After the third time, the victim lowered her tray table and wedged a pillow under it to protect her lap. Despite those barriers, Ballot moved his hand under the armrest and attempted to place it over the victim’s thigh. The victim pressed down on the pillow to stop the assault and Ballot took his hand away.

    The victim typed into her phone that the man seated next to her had touched her and showed the message to her mother who was seated in the row behind her. At her mother’s instruction, the victim notified the flight attendants who moved her to a different seat.

    Ballot was arrested when the plane arrived in Seattle. He was held at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac until the next day when he was released on many conditions including that he notify any airline of these charges before he travels.

    Ballot waived his presence at arraignment and his attorney entered a plea of “Not Guilty.”

    Abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to two years in prison.

    The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The case is being investigated by the FBI.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn Forstein.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Civil Forfeiture Action Filed In Federal Court Against Bronx Residence Used As Stash House For Firearms And Drug Trafficking

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    Residence Located Steps Away from Elementary School was Used by Gang Members to Store Guns, Drugs, and Proceeds from Drug Trafficking

    Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Bryan Miller, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”); and Jessica S. Tisch, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced today the filing of a civil forfeiture Complaint against a Bronx residence located at 3267 Decatur Avenue in the Bronx, New York.  The Complaint alleges that the residence was used by members of the “Drilly Gang” as a stash house for drug trafficking and firearms.

    U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “As alleged, 3267 Decatur Avenue—a Bronx residence located steps away from an elementary school—was used by members of a gang as a stash house for drugs and firearms.  This civil forfeiture action seeking to seize the residence demonstrates that we will use all the tools available to protect the streets of this city.  Together with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to the fight against gun violence and drug trafficking in our community.”

    ATF Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller said: “Illicit drug trafficking destroys lives and fuels violence. Taking over a home, for the purpose of selling illegal drugs next to a school, while boasting about it on social media, demonstrates a blatant disregard for the safety of our communities. The ATF / NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force remains committed to dismantling criminal networks and protecting innocent people from the tragic consequences of violent crime. No one should have to live or work next to an illegal narcotics operation run by armed criminals. We will remain relentless in our efforts to keep our streets safe. I commend the dedication and hard work of the men and women of the Joint Firearms Task Force, NYPD 52nd Precinct, and SDNY for their efforts in this case.”

    According to the allegations in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court today and other court filings: [1]

    Since in or about April 2024, law enforcement agents with the ATF and the NYPD have been conducting an investigation into 3267 Decatur Avenue in the Bronx, New York, including members of a group known as the “Drilly Gang” that used 3267 Decatur Avenue as a stash house for drug trafficking and firearms.  The residence at 3267 Decatur Avenue is located steps away from an elementary school in the Norwood neighborhood of the Bronx.  Members of the Drilly Gang were using 3267 Decatur Avenue as a headquarter of operations, including as a location to film rap videos in furtherance of the Drilly Gang, which included depictions of drugs and weapons.  Members of the Drilly Gang also posted on social media photographs and videos depicting their involvement in the sale of drugs and possession of firearms, as depicted below:

    On or about November 4, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at 3267 Decatur Avenue and recovered, among other things: a pistol magazine; 177.73 grams of cocaine; 33 grams of methamphetamine; 38 grams of fentanyl; 65 grams of psilocybin mushrooms; and 240 grams of marijuana. Investigators also found drug packaging materials, which were designed to make the drugs look like candy (i.e., Welch’s Fruit Snacks, Skittles, Peanut Buddy Bars, etc.) and approximately $1700 in U.S. currency. Depicted below are some of the items seized from 3267 Decatur Avenue:

    *                *                *

    Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding investigative work of the ATF and the NYPD.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit and Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew K. Chan and Frank J. Balsamello are in charge of the prosecution.

    [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Complaint, and the description of the Complaint set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

    MIL Security OSI –