NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow supported more than three thousand innovative solutions with patent grants

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Since 2022, Moscow developers have been approved for city grants to patent 3,180 inventions and utility models in Russia and abroad. The total amount of grants was more than 290 million rubles. The support was used by creators of innovations in the field of radio electronics, robotics, public safety, construction and information technology.

    Entrepreneurs can receive a grant of 75 thousand rubles for each Russian patent for an invention or utility model registered in the last 12 months. The maximum amount of grant support for submitted foreign patent applications is up to five million rubles per year.

    Two grants were received by a company that develops and manufactures robotic devices for industrial high-pressure cleaning. The funds were allocated for patenting a microhydropercussion hydrodynamic cleaning complex for the inner surface of heat exchanger pipes. Patents for the invention are currently being processed in Russia and abroad.

    Another recipient of financial support was a research and production enterprise that manufactures innovative equipment for disinfecting air, hard surfaces and water from all types of dangerous bacteria. The technology of high-intensity pulsed ultraviolet radiation allows disinfecting premises of all classes with an efficiency of up to 99.9 percent in a minimum period of time – from 30 seconds. More than 3.5 thousand such installations are successfully used in more than 500 Russian organizations. In addition, the enterprise exports its products to the Republic of South Africa, Mexico, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

    A Russian developer and manufacturer of thermal indicators has received five grants for filing foreign patent applications and nine grants for Russian patents. The company has developed a new type of thermal fire alarm designed to prevent pre-emergency and pre-fire situations by detecting overheating of contact connections that occur in electrical distribution devices. Its products are patented in more than 40 countries.

    As part of the strategy Sergei Sobyanin for business development and innovation support, the Moscow Innovation Cluster promotes support for patenting and commercialization of intellectual property through grant, consulting, and educational programs, as well as preferential lending secured by rights to the results of intellectual activity.

    The application period for grant support for patenting inventions and utility models in Russia and abroad is open until June 30, 2025.i.moscow platform.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152344073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cory Mills Hosts Tele-Town Hall

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Cory Mills Florida (7th District)

    Washington, D.C. — Congressman Cory Mills (FL-07) held a successful telephone town hall tonight with record breaking attendance, connecting with constituents across Florida’s 7th Congressional District. The event demonstrates his commitment to open dialogue and accountability with the residents he proudly represents.

    During the town hall, Congressman Mills addressed key issues affecting the community, including local infrastructure projects, tariffs, taxes, border security, education, DOGE, and more. Participants were encouraged to ask questions and share their concerns, leading to a lively discussion on various topics important to our community.

    “I am honored to have been able to connect with my constituents. The tele-town hall tonight included over 220,000 participants. Talking directly with the individuals I represent is a top priority, you have entrusted me to represent your interests in Washington, D.C., and I am committed to doing just that,” said Congressman Mills. 

    “I look forward to continuing these conversations and finding ways to collaborate on solutions that will benefit our community. This tele-town hall was just the beginning, I am dedicated to maintaining an open line of communication with all my constituents.”

    The Congressman encouraged everyone to sign up for his newsletter at his website, www.Mills.House.Gov, and not hesitate to contact the Lake Mary and Port Orange offices with any feedback or additional questions.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Promotes Submarine Manufacturing in SASC Subcommittee Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with several top officers on the state of nuclear shipbuilding at a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower hearing. They spoke about strategies to better enable submarine and shipbuilding companies, like Mobile’s Austal, to give the Navy the best possible product.
    Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Chairman Scott, for this hearing. I haven’t been in this business long, but I’ve noticed shortcomings of shipbuilding since I’ve been on this [Sub]committee and [the Senate] Armed Services Committee. We build components for submarines—the Columbia class and the Virginia class—at Austal in Mobile. Probably most of you know that. It’s pretty new to us, but I’ve noticed recruiting—as the Senator was alluding to—workforce, I know Austal has gone out and gone through fast food joints and everything else trying to find welders and people that can actually work and understand it. So, it’s an ongoing process. 
    Admiral Weeks, how does this module production support your goal of increasing submarine construction rates?”
    WEEKS: “Sir, thank you for that question. So, as we look at the constrained capacity in our primary build yards, it’s really important that we recognize that broadening that shipbuilding industrial base—the shipbuilding base beyond those two yards—is really the opportunity we need to be able to get and bring more folks to bear, bring different geographical regions to bear, and alleviate the strain on our primary yards. And that will then allow them to do most efficiently what only they can do, which is things like outfitting, final assembly, and testing.”
    TUBERVILLE: “So, we’ve seen an increase in production by doing this?”
    WEEKS: “Yes, Sir. So, […] anytime you put something new in a new facility that has not done that kind of work before, you expect that it’s going to take a little bit of time to come up to speed, and that’s exactly what’s happening. But we are now, especially with Austal, so we’ve been on the path long enough now that we’re starting to see the improvement that we expected. And both Admiral Rucker and I have been down to Austal multiple times partnering with both electric boat and the company there to make sure that they’re on track to get where they need to be and, you know, they’re doing well. Yes, Sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. You think it’ll help us catch up with the Chinese and their expansion of their submarines? They’re really flying past us. You think it’s gonna be possible for this type of procedure to really help catch the Chinese?”
    WEEKS: “Yes, Sir. I think it’s absolutely critical that we expand our industrial base. That is the only way we’re gonna be able to compete. Yes, Sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.
    Admiral Rucker, what can the Navy and Congress do to accelerate outsourcing of module production?”
    RUCKER: “Thank you for the question, Sir. I agree with everything Admiral Weeks said and the importance of outsourcing. Where we stand today, we have a goal by 2026 to get up to about 7,000,000 man-hours annually. That’s equivalent of a Surface Ship Destroyer from our submarine yards out to the industrial base. As of end of 2024, we were about 3,000,000 [man-]hours. So, we’re about halfway there.
    As Admiral Weeks said, we’ve been down to Austal. They’ve already delivered the first two large sub modules for Virginia class. They’ve got three more they’re working [on] right now. The next one is going to be delivered this summer and then they keep on going. We need that strategic outsourcing to increase the overall capability and capacity for large structural fabrication, machining, [and] electrical.
    So, we’re going to continue to work with the shipbuilders to ensure that we can execute that efficiently and effectively.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Admiral Moton, any thoughts on strategic outsourcing as a method to increase our shipyard output?”
    MOTON: “Yes, Senator, I completely agree with my colleagues on the importance. I think it’s a critical part of our strategy to, as you say, to improve our pace of shipbuilding. I would note in the example of Austal, the aircraft elevators for CVN-80 and [CVN-]81 are both being built there as well. So, we’ve done that closer to Hampton Roads. Outsourcing has been an important part of Newport’s new shipbuilding strategy to improve on aircraft carrier production.
    They’ve gone to several suppliers to help with construction of modules, including a site just across the river in the Hampton Roads area that’s focused on adding real estate and the ability to do panels more quickly to support our carrier ship building. So, I agree it’s critical.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Now, visiting Austal, I noticed that, especially in submarines, nickel is a huge part, a very important part of submarines. And our supply chain there—any of the three of you, can you give an update on—do we have a better supply of nickel now? Is it getting worse? Because don’t have a lot of nickel in our country. Anybody want to answer it.
    Mr. Sermon?”
    SERMON: “Yes, Sir. Thank you for the question. Nickel, as you as you pointed out, Sir, is among the fundamental metals and alloys that we’re continuing to work with OSD—Office of the Secretary of Defense to take a very careful look at and address. As you pointed out, we do continue to have both price fluctuations, which are of course related to supply, but committed to addressing those, Sir.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Just one other question. If I could, Mr. Serman, the Navy cand CapZone’s investments put $150 million each to buy land from Alabama’s shipyard just recently, which is just next to Austal. Can you describe how this partnership came about and what [are] your plans for growing the industrial base using this land? Do you know anything about this?”
    SERMON: “Yes, Sir. I’m familiar and thank you for the question. So, we talked about outsourcing. And we understand, as Admiral Rucker and Admiral Weeks pointed out, we’re about 3,000,000 [man-]hours into that outsourcing that we have to do annually. We have to get to 7,000,000. […] As an enterprise, we need additional space. We need additional workforce. We need additional production. We’ve got a very promising work started at Austal. We’ve got work started at BAE in Jacksonville. We’ve got work started at Rhoads [Industries] in Philadelphia, as well, that are really going to bring us into battery. But more land is needed, more […] waterfront land, that facility that is Alabama Shipyard, actually 60 acres of that 355 acres there will remain as in battery maintaining our Military Sealift Command.
    Much of the rest of that, our intention in an opportunity zone, public-private partnership is to work to bring that land into battery. Much like it was, that exact same land was in battery building liberty ships and tankers during World War II, is to bring that in battery for supply chain activities, for submarine modules, and most importantly—from my perspective—advanced manufacturing. That will fundamentally teach us across the entire industrial base, the entire nation, how to build ships, unmanned vehicles and other kinds of naval activities better and more efficiently.”
    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. I [would have] loved to get into the Saildrone discussion, but thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 8th, 2025 Heinrich, Sheehy Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act Passes Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) announced that their Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, legislation to strengthen the aerial wildfire suppression fleet and better combat the year-round threat of catastrophic wildfire, passed the Senate.
    Heinrich and Sheehy led the introduction of their legislation in January. The legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act now awaits House passage.
    “I’m pleased that my Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act is one step closer to becoming law,” said Heinrich. “The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act is urgently needed to expand the operations of Very Large Air Tankers that have proven absolutely essential to firefighters battling large wildfires in New Mexico and across the West. I will never stop fighting to deliver the resources that our communities need to effectively respond to wildfires.”
    “It’s only April, and this year has already seen the most dangerous and expensive wildfire season in history. It’s clear our government must do more to give wildland firefighters the tools they need to protect communities and save lives. The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act supports that mission by eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to provide our aerial wildfire suppression fleet the resources necessary to fight wildfires quickly and aggressively. I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support of this bipartisan legislation, and I will continue to use the full power of my office to support the brave first responders on the front lines fighting wildfires across the country,” said Sheehy.
    “In Arizona and across the West, wildfires are more frequent, more intense, and no longer confined to a single season. Our response capabilities need to reflect that new reality,” said Kelly. “Strengthening our aerial firefighting fleet by making more aircraft and parts available is a smart, proven way to help firefighters respond faster and keep communities safe. I’m proud to support this effort to ensure the tools are in place to meet the growing threat, and I’ll keep working to get it done.”
    “As catastrophic wildfires devastate communities across the country, we need to be smarter and more resourceful in our approach to wildfire suppression,” said Padilla. “Californians saw firsthand the power of our aerial wildfire suppression fleet in putting out the Los Angeles fires as quickly as possible. Shoring up aerial firefighting fleets by allowing the Department of Defense to sell excess aircraft parts is a lifesaving, commonsense priority — and I’m glad to see the Senate come together to unanimously pass this bipartisan legislation.”
    The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act amends the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale of excess aircraft and parts by the Department of Defense for wildfire suppression. The bill will help the U.S. better suppress wildfires year-round by facilitating the acquisition of military excess aircraft, sold at fair market value, for the aerial wildfire suppression fleet. Additionally, the sale of parts will help the U.S. maintain its existing aerial firefighting aircraft fleet.
    The bill reauthorizes the Secretary of Defense’s authority to sell excess Department of Defense aircraft and aircraft parts, which are acceptable for commercial sale, to persons or entities that contract with the government for the delivery of fire retardant or water by air to suppress wildfires, as long as the aircraft and parts are used only for wildfire suppression. The initial authority expired in 2005 and was reauthorized from 2012 to 2017 before lapsing again.
    Read more on the bill here.
    Heinrich’s Support for Aerial Firefighting:
    Heinrich has long worked to expand and improve aerial firefighting operations in New Mexico to more effectively fight wildfires. In 2022, Heinrich secured more than $15 million to upgrade the Cibola National Forest Air Tanker Base at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque. Those upgrades were completed in 2024 – a major milestone that makes it possible to support and refuel Very Large Air Tanker planes that can drop large volumes of fire retardant on blazes.
    In an op-ed published in the Albuquerque Journal, Col. Mike Power, Kirtland Air Force Base Installation Commander, highlighted the importance of these newly completed upgrades at the Cibola National Forest Air Tanker Base that will help the U.S. Forest Service fight wildfires in New Mexico more efficiently and effectively.  one of only two bases in the United States with that capability.
    “This base upgrade, where now up to 30 Forest Service professionals work to lead the fight against wildfires, includes the larger ramp space for a stronger, more efficient capability to fight wildfires in New Mexico year-round. It now also houses a retardant tank farm,” said Col. Power in the op-ed. “What does that mean to the average New Mexican? It means 75,000 gallons of retardant available at one time, and cuts response time to a fire in half. Ours is one of only two bases in the United States with that capability.”
    Heinrich’s Continued Leadership on Wildfire Response & Recovery:
    Heinrich remains focused on delivering the resources New Mexico needs to effectively respond to wildfires and prevent future devastating blazes by restoring the health and resilience of our forests and watersheds.
    Last week, Heinrich attempted to amend Republicans’ budget resolution that funds Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s tax handouts for billionaires by filing an amendment to increase forest health and wildfire mitigation forest treatments to support wildland firefighting.  
    In March, Heinrich demanded USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to reverse the Trump-Musk terminations of forest service workers responsible for protecting our communities from wildfires. In his letter, Heinrich highlighted impacts of the USDA’s actions across New Mexico. Specifically, in the Gila National Forest, Heinrich pointed to the USDA’s termination of an entire trail crew that previously spent their days clearing debris from trails to make them safe for the community and help prevent catastrophic wildfire.
    Additionally, Heinrich pressed the USDA on Trump’s plans to fire forest service workers responsible for wildfire prevention and watershed restoration.
    In January, Heinrich introduced the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act to ensure the federal government can recruit and retain a sufficient wildland firefighting workforce to keep communities safe. The legislation would also permanently increase federal wildland firefighter pay.
    Heinrich is keeping up the effort to do right by the New Mexico families whose lives were upended by the 2022 Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. As communities continue to rebuild, Heinrich will keep working to deliver for every personimpacted by that fire and the floods that followed.
    Heinrich, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) successfully secured an additional $1.5 billion to help New Mexicans recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire within the Continuing Resolution that Congress passed in December 2024.
    The 2024 Continuing Resolution also extended the period that victims may file claims with the Hermit’s Peak Claims Office to March 14, 2025. The Heinrich, Luján, and Leger Fernández are continuing to call for the passage of their Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Extension Act, legislation they introduced to extend the period a victim can file a claim with the Hermit’s Peak Claims Office through the end of 2027.
    The New Mexico Congressional Delegation has now secured a total of $5.45 billion in federal resources to help New Mexicans recover and rebuild since the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
    In November 2024, Heinrich, Luján, and Leger Fernández announced that President Biden’s disaster supplemental request included transfer authority for $1.5 billion to help New Mexicans recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. That same month, Heinrich, Luján, and Leger Fernández also sent a letter urging the FEMA Director of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office and the FEMA Director of the New Mexico Joint Recovery Office to address concerns from New Mexicans about the process for receiving compensationfrom the Claims Office and help families get the relief and compensation needed to recover.
    Additional information on Heinrich’s leadership on Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Response and Recovery can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Highlights Importance Of NIH Funding To Red States & Urges Republicans Senators To Stand Up For Medical Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 08, 2025
    Durbin: I am pleading with my Republican colleagues: may your choices reflect your hope for new cures and treatments for patients, not your fears about what will happen if you cross Donald Trump
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming the Trump Administration for its attempts to dismantle the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the harmful impacts it will have on medical research across the country, including in red states. Durbin began his remarks by highlighting the importance of NIH funding to patients nationwide.
    Durbin said, “There is certainty in funding medical research. Certainty in knowing that while not all trials, experiments, and grants will result in a breakthrough—some of them will. Because of medical research, kids with ear infections or pneumonia can find relief in antibiotics; because of medical research, we have vaccines that have saved tens of millions of lives worldwide; because of medical research, we have anesthesia that allows patients to safely undergo major surgeries; because of medical research, people are surviving heart attacks, beating cancer, living with HIV/AIDS, receiving organ donations, surviving drug overdoses, and living longer. But there is so much more to be done—so many people still hoping and praying for more.”
    “And you know who offers them that hope? The National Institutes of Health—our nation’s premier biomedical research agency. It is considered the gold standard around the world. For decades, NIH has been a bipartisan success story—with Congress prioritizing the funding of promising, life-saving medical research in all 50 states—creating and supporting good-paying jobs in red, blue, and purple states, and offering real hope to families desperate for it,” Durbin continued.
    Durbin then slammed President Trump, Elon Musk, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for their actions to dismantle NIH and medical research. In addition to cutting medical research around the country, they have terminated clinical trials in process, placed gag orders on researchers, and fired more than a thousand NIH employees.
    “Instead of bolstering medical research, they are breaking it. Instead of offering hope to patients in need, unfortunately they are crushing it. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and RFK Jr. are either completely oblivious to what they are doing—or they just don’t care,” Durbin continued. “But you know who isn’t oblivious? My Republican colleagues, many of whom have fought by my side to increase NIH’s budget by 60 percent over the past decade… Which is why their silence—their refusal to say anything or act in the face of President Trump’s dismantling of NIH is so devastating… If Republican Senators won’t stand up for NIH funding in their states [or] for constituents in their states, I’m going to do it.”
    Durbin then highlighted how NIH cuts are affecting South Dakota—the home state of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). In 2024, South Dakota research institutions received nearly $29 million in NIH funding—which supported 453 jobs in that state. Sanford Research/University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University were among some of the top NIH-funded institutions in South Dakota. Sanford Research/USD researchers used NIH funding to support their Center for Pediatric Research, with a specific focus on training new scientists to study pediatric diseases. South Dakota State University used NIH funding to increase cervical cancer screening among Indigenous women—who face higher rates of cervical cancer prevalence and death. They also used funding to develop new, targeted therapies forcolorectal cancer that are safer and more effective than current chemotherapies.
    “These researchers know that cuts to medical research mean diseases will not be cured and treatments will not be found. They know the mass, indiscriminate firings at NIH don’t just mean we are losing talent—it also means we are losing time and progress,” said Durbin.
    Durbin concluded, “Nelson Mandela once said, ‘May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.’ I am pleading with my Republican colleagues: may your choices reflect your hope for new cures and treatments for patients fighting cancer, ALS, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease—not your fears about what will happen if you cross this President. Let us do what is right. Let’s come together again on a bipartisan basis for medical research… Medical research helps all people—everybody gets a helping hand. Let us do what’s right. Let’s come together and save medical research forevery single person in America who is desperate for hope.”
    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.
    This year, Durbin has twice asked for unanimous consent (UC) to pass a resolution he introduced with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), as well as 21 other Senators, that would pledge support for NIH.  The resolution simply said that the work of NIH should not be subject to interruption, delay, or funding disruptions in violation of the law, and it reaffirmed that the NIH workforce is essential to sustaining medical progress.  The first UC request was blocked by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and the second was blocked by U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).
    Durbin has long been a strong advocate for robust medical research.  His legislation, the American Cures Act, would provide annual budget increases of five percent plus inflation at America’s top four biomedical research agencies: NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans Medical and Prosthetics Research Program.  Thanks to Durbin’s efforts to increase medical research funding, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent funding increase over the past decade.
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues To Demand Answers, Return Of Maryland Father Wrongfully Deported To El Salvador

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    April 08, 2025

    “When the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to DHS Secretary Noem and ICE Acting Director Lyons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and 22 Senators in writing to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Tedd Lyons.  The Senators’ letter urged Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally, under a protected status, in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration last month to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.  The Administration has admitted that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error.”

    In their letter, the Senators call on the Trump Administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and ask for responses to questions regarding ICE’s enforcement policies that may have led to this grave error – and what measures they will take to ensure such an incident does not occur again.

    The Senators began, “We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an ‘administrative error.’ It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.”

    “Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence,” the Senators wrote.

    “This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019,” the Senators continued their letter.

    “Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible,” they wrote. “And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens.”

    “On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order,” the Senators urged.

    While the Supreme Court has since lifted the order to immediately return him to the United States, it also made clear that Mr. Abrego Garcia has the right to challenge this illegal deportation in the lower courts.  The Administration should correct its egregious “error” and reunite Mr. Abrego Garcia with his wife and child, who are both U.S. citizens while that litigation is pending.     

    The Senators closed the letter with a series of questions to Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons, requesting a response by April 22.

    Joining Durbin, Duckworth, and Van Hollen in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    A copy of the letter is available here and below:

    April 8, 2025

    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,?? 

    We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.  

    According to court filings, on March 12, 2025, shortly after Mr. Abrego Garcia had picked up his son from the boy’s grandmother’s house, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped Mr. Abrego Garcia, inaccurately telling him that his protected status had changed. After giving his wife a few minutes to arrive to take custody of his son, ICE arrested and detained him without any further explanation as to the reason for his arrest. ICE then transferred Mr. Abrego Garcia and other detainees to Texas, where on March 15, 2025, they were loaded onto planes and deported to El Salvador. Mr. Abrego Garcia was reportedly on the only plane that was not sent under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act but instead was transporting migrants with formal removal orders signed by a judge. This occurred despite the fact that ICE knew, as the Administration conceded in court, that his protected legal status specifically prohibited his removal to El Salvador.  

    Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence. The judge found that Mr. Abrego Garcia and his relatives credibly testified that gang members had been trying to extort his family and recruit him and his brother to join the gang, forcing his family to move multiple times, ultimately compelling both him and his brother to flee to the United States out of fear.  

    The immigration judge agreed that Mr. Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution if deported back to El Salvador and thus granted him a form of legally mandated protection known as “withholding of removal.” Withholding of removal, which may only be granted by an immigration judge, provided Mr. Abrego Garcia the ability to stay and work in the United States despite being the subject of a deportation order. This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his releasein 2019.  

    Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible. Though the Administration has admitted in court that his deportation was a mistake, it alleges that there is nothing it can do to address this injustice, given that Mr. Abrego Garcia is now in the jurisdiction of the government of El Salvador as part of an agreement to imprison U.S. deportees in exchange for financial compensation.  

    Your unwillingness to immediately rectify this “administrative error” is unacceptable. Under multiple Democratic and Republican administrations, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE followed the rule of law and worked to quickly return people who were wrongfully deported, in the rare instances where such “administrative errors” occurred. The Administration’s mass deportation agenda does not transcend immigration law or the need for due process. And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens. On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order.

    To address our concerns about this matter and to provide clarity on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s policy regarding the immigration enforcement actions against immigrants with protected status, we ask that your Administration answer the following questions by April 22, 2025: 

    1. The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case?  
    2. In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?   
    3. Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
    4. Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
    5. Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors. 
    6. Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors? 
    7. What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process? 

    We appreciate your prompt attention to this vital matter and look forward to reviewing your fulsome, timely response. 

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 5th High-Performance Computing Security Workshop

    Source: US Government research organizations

    High-performance computing (HPC) systems provide fundamental computing infrastructure and play a pivotal role in economic competitiveness and scientific discovery. Security is an essential component of HPC. NIST HPC Security Working Group (WG) has been leading the effort to create comprehensive and reliable security guidance for HPC systems. As part of the Working Group mission and to reach the greater HPC scientific community, NIST, in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF), will host the 5th High-Performance Computing Security Workshop on May 7-8, 2025. The workshop aims to listen to the community’s needs and feedback, report and reflect on the ongoing activities at HPC Security WG, and define and discuss future directions with stakeholders from industry, academia, and government.

    A room block has been reserved at the following location:

    Sheraton Rockville

    Address: 920 King Farm Blvd, Rockville, MD 20850

    Rate: $159/night (excluding taxes and fees). Rate includes breakfast and shuttle to and from NCCoE

    CLICK HERE to book your room. Last day to book your room is April 16, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2025 Manufacturing USA Network Meeting

    Source: US Government research organizations

    On May 6th and 7th, Manufacturing USA representatives will gather for the 2025 Network Meeting. Hosted by NIST’s Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, this event will bring together the manufacturing innovation institutes and their federal partners for one and a half days of connection, collaboration, and inspiration.

    Attendees will have an opportunity to hear key agency and administrative updates, share knowledge and best practices, and explore opportunities to engage and partner. This year’s meeting will focus on the future, with the theme “Unleashing Manufacturing Innovation”.

    This is a limited access meeting for Manufacturing USA network representatives. Participants will receive a code that enables registration. Please contact Erin Rushing (erin.rushing [at] nist.gov (erin[dot]rushing[at]nist[dot]gov)) if you have questions about attendance. 

    For those traveling, below is information on a few hotels in proximity to the American Geophysical Union:

    Washington Hilton

    1919 Connecticut Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20009
    Rates: $354-487

    The Normandy Hotel

    2118 Wyoming Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20008
    Rates: $179-249

    Residence Inn by Marriott Dupont Circle

    2120 P Street, NW
    Washington, DC 200037
    Rates: $377-408

    Royal Sonesta Washington DC Dupont Circle

    2121 P Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20037
    Rates: $369-439

    Churchill Hotel

    1914 Connecticut Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20009
    Rates: $251-310

    		  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NIST OWM Info Hour: A Primary Lab in Every State? How Groundbreaking Kibble Balance Technology Will Revolutionize the Mass Calibration Laboratory

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Please join the OWM Laboratory Metrology Program in welcoming our special guest speaker, Leon Chao, NIST Scientific Engineer from the Fundamental Electrical Measurements Group within the Physical Measurement Laboratory.   

    Leon will share how this new groundbreaking technology can directly realize mass traceable to the revised SI through electrical measurements, putting the power of a primary mass standard directly into the hands of state and calibrations labs. 

    During this Info Hour, Leon will:

    • Describe the fundamentals of a Kibble Balance and how state-of-the-art advancements will enable technological commercialization and modernization at the regulatory level (e.g., state laboratory metrology programs) for attaining SI traceability through a constant of nature (Planck’s constant).  
    • Explain why traceability in measurements is critically important, and what the future holds for the traceability of mass calibrations.
    • Discuss NIST’s efforts to miniaturize this technology for any lab’s implementation.  
    • Share current and ongoing collaborations with commercial partners, the Department of Defense, the “NIST on a Chip” Program, and the timetables for deliverables.

     We will have ample time for Q&A and discussion on how states and laboratories can consider if this new technology is right for them and how best to prepare for any practical changes in calibration services. 

    ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR *  There is no registration or fee required to attend the event, and no certificates will be issued.

    (If you have problems adding the calendar link to your Outlook calendar, open the attached document for instructions on making Outlook your default calendar app.)

     If you are a Weights and Measures Official, a Laboratory or Field Metrologist, or anyone involved in using mass standards or mass calibrations, this is for you!”

    About our Guest Speaker

    Leon Chao (B.S., M.S. Mech. Engr, University of Maryland) began his career as a precision design engineer for the NIST-4 Kibble Balance in 2012 aimed at measuring a value of the Planck constant to 8-digit accuracy. This machine ultimately contributed to the global effort in redefining the SI unit of mass, the kilogram, in terms of a fixed value of the Planck constant, sparking the complete revision of the SI. During these efforts, Leon spearheaded an outreach project to build and publish scientific data generated by a fun, LEGO-based tabletop Kibble balance with 1% accuracy, ultimately evolving into a full-blown endeavor to develop multiple generations of laboratory-grade tabletop balances with parts in 10^6 accuracy alongside collaborations with the US Army, NIST-On-A-Chip (NOAC) program, and commercial partners. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Climbing Higher: Preview of the 2025 NICE Conference & Expo

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Speakers:

    Credit: Michele Robinson

    Michele Robinson
    Senior Director
    National Cybersecurity Centers
    Whatcom Community College

    Credit: Donavon Johnson, Phd

    Donavon Johnson, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Florida International University

    Credit: Barbara Peres-Furones

    Barbara Peres-Furones
    Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications
    Florida International University

    Credit: Daniel Eliot

    Daniel Eliot
    Lead for Small Business Engagement
    NIST

    Credit: Rodney Petersen

    Rodney Petersen
    Director
    NICE
    (Moderator)

    Additional speakers to be announced. 

    Synopsis: 

    The NICE Conference & Expo is an annual event that brings together professionals from education, government, industry, and non-profits to address the need for a skilled cybersecurity workforce. Hosted by Florida International University (FIU) in collaboration with NICE, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the conference serves as a platform to share best practices, research, and workforce development strategies for cybersecurity professionals. The 2025 NICE Conference & Expo, is scheduled for June 1-3, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. The conference will feature keynote speakers, presentations, workshops, and discussions focused on cybersecurity skills gaps, education strategies, and policy initiatives. During this webinar, you will receive insights regarding the learning experiences and program content that will be showcased as part of the NICE Conference. We hope to see you there!

    Resources: 

    2025 NICE Conference and Expo 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 80 Fundamentals of Metrology – SIM Participants Only

    Source: US Government research organizations

    Credit: OWM/K. Dill

    Course Description

    The 5-day Fundamentals of Metrology seminar is an intensive course that introduces participants to the concepts of measurement systems, units, good laboratory practices, data integrity, measurement uncertainty, measurement assurance, traceability, basic statistics and how they fit into a laboratory Quality Management System. Additional topics covered will include overall Laboratory Management and specific discussions of the requirements for proficiency testing, calibration certificate generation and software verification and validation. Topics will be covered using a variety of measurement disciplines and laboratory measurements and case studies so that the participants will be able to apply the concepts to any measurement discipline upon completion. Topics are covered in a mixture of training styles including lecture, hands-on exercises, case studies and discussion.

    This class covers the following procedures from NISTIR 6969:

    • GLP 1, Quality Assurance of the Measurement Process;
    • GLP 9, Rounding Expanded Uncertainties and Calibration Values;
    • GMP 11, Assignment and Adjustment of Calibration Intervals for Laboratory Standards;
    • GMP 13, Ensuring Traceability;
    • SOP 1, Preparation of Calibration Certificates;
    • SOP 29, Assignment of Uncertainty; and
    • SOP 30, Process Measurement Assurance Program.

    Learning Objectives

    At the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

    • IDENTIFY and USE reference materials to ensure good quality, accurate, traceable measurement results;
    • EXPLAIN highlights and key concepts of each topic (noted on the Table of Contents and the detailed learning objectives) to each other and to your managers and show how these topics fit into a management system using ISO/IEC 17025 as the basis;
    • Have and know how to IMPLEMENT several simple tools, job aids, and references to use and improve your laboratory operations.

    Materials & Supplies

    Several notebooks and course materials will be provided.

    Prerequisites

    The instructor will send registered participants the prerequisite documentation ‘AFTER’ the registration deadline.  Required prerequisites include having a demonstrated knowledge of basic mathematics (pre-test) and completion of a number of reading assignments (listed in Pre-work section). Additional helpful pre-work will be provided to students who have been accepted by the instructor prior to the seminar to minimize course homework time. Participants must be proficient in spreadsheet functions and operations, and formatting in word processing software.

    Pre-Work

    In addition to completing and submitting the Math Exercises, please read:

    Pre-Work Deadline

    Submit the math exercises (pre-work) according to instructions by COB on Monday, February 17, 2025.

    Post-Work

    Fundamentals of Metrology, Laboratory Auditing Program (LAP) Problems – required for State Weights and Measures Laboratories (not applicable for other participants.)

    Minimum Requirements

    Successful completion requires that participants fully participate in all classroom and laboratory exercises, turn in or present accurate work assignments, and be present for the entire course. There will also be a Final Exam on the last day of the class. The Final Exam and Final Calibration Certificate each contribute equal value to the final grade; the final grade also includes class participation and laboratory exercises. A passing grade on all portions is required to obtain a training certificate that indicates “successful completion” (e.g., getting a 100 percent on the final is not an excuse to participate minimally in classroom and laboratory.) Successful completion qualifies the participant to participate in the Mass, Volume and Length seminars, though those may have additional prerequisites.

    *Homework note: students generally report taking one to two hours for homework each night.

    Audience

    National Metrology Institute personnel within the Interamerican Metrology System (SIM) who have responsibilities for developing, implementing, and/or improving national measurement system and quality management systems in their laboratories.  Please contact Andrew Conn at andrew.conn [at] nist.gov (andrew[dot]conn[at]nist[dot]gov) for further information.

    Registration Fee

    This class is for SIM participants only and payment arrangements are made through the International and Academic Affairs Office.  Please contact Andrew Conn at andrew.conn [at] nist.gov (andrew[dot]conn[at]nist[dot]gov) for further information.

    Instructors

    Micheal Hicks and Jose Torres
    Email: micheal.hicks [at] nist.gov (micheal[dot]hicks[at]nist[dot]gov)

    Technology Requirements

    Registered participants will need to bring a 10-digit scientific calculator to use during this seminar. Participants MUST be familiar with the use of the hand-held scientific calculator. Additionally, use of a laptop or tablet PC is required to succeed in the seminar. Participants must have access to Microsoft Word and Excel (version 2010 or newer are acceptable) and be able to open and use template Excel workbooks that will be provided on USB media. Participants must be able to save/store files to USB media devices facilitate printing and turning in homework assignments; if not able to use USB media, participants must be able to connect their laptop to a printing device by cable or BlueTooth and be able to upload files to a secure Google Drive.

    You will need a government-issued photo ID (e.g., passport or driver’s license) when you check into the Visitors Center at the entrance of NIST and if bringing a vehicle onto the NIST campus, a vehicle registration card.

    PLEASE NOTE: Effective July 21, 2014, under the REAL ID Act of 2005 (https://www.dhs.gov/real-id/real-id-frequently-asked-questions), agencies, including NIST, can only accept a state-issued driver’s license or identification card for access to federal facilities if issued by states that are REAL ID compliant or have an extension. NIST currently accepts other forms of federally issued identification in lieu of a state-issued driver’s license, such as a valid passport, passport card, DOD’s Common Access Card (CAC), Veterans ID, Federal Agency HSPD-12 IDs, Military Dependents ID, Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC), and TSA Trusted Traveler ID. See Visitor Information for the latest information.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Praises President Trump’s Pro-Coal Executive Order

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    April 8, 2025

    Washington, D.C. —  Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) released the following statement today applauding President Trump’s pro-coal executive order.

    “I am thrilled that President Trump is reversing the failed energy policies of the Biden administration and officially lifting this ridiculous moratorium on federal coal leasing,” said Lummis. “The previous administration’s anti-science, anti-energy, anti-Wyoming policies cost good paying jobs, increased energy costs, and played into the hands of America’s adversaries. President Trump knows that increased American energy is a strength, not a weakness. As America’s leading coal-producing state, Wyoming stands ready and able to support President Trump’s initiative to expand and Unleash American Energy.”

    Background: 

    Earlier today, President Trump signed an EO: Executive Actions to Support the Coal Industry, which does the following:

    • Directs the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council to designate coal as a “mineral” under Executive Order 14241, entitling coal to all of the benefits of that prior Order.
    • Directs relevant agencies to identify coal resources on Federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining, and prioritize coal leasing on those lands.
    • Directs the Secretary of the Interior to acknowledge the end of the Jewell Moratorium, which paused coal leasing on Federal lands.
    • Requires agencies to rescind any agency policies that seek to transition the Nation away from coal production or otherwise establish preferences against coal as a generation resource.
    • Directs CEQ to assist agencies in adopting coal-related categorical exclusions under NEPA.
    • Seeks to promote coal and coal technology exports, facilitate international offtake agreements for U.S. coal, and accelerate development of coal technologies.
    • Calls for the Secretary of Energy to determine whether coal used in the production of steel meets the definition of a “critical material” and “critical mineral” under the Energy Act of 2020, and if so, add it to the relevant lists.
    • Pushes for using coal to power new artificial intelligence (AI) data.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Host Dodgers Capitol Reception to Celebrate 2024 World Series Championship

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Schiff Host Dodgers Capitol Reception to Celebrate 2024 World Series Championship

    Additional photos from the Dodgers Capitol reception are available here.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) hosted players, coaches, and executives from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization at the Capitol to celebrate the Dodgers’ 2024 Major League Baseball World Series championship.

    “As a U.S. Senator and lifelong Dodger fan, it was a special honor to host the Boys in Blue at the Capitol today to celebrate their 2024 World Series Championship,” said Senator Padilla. “I remember being inspired by Fernandomania in ’81 and Gibby and the Bulldog in ’88. The talent, grit, and diversity of the 2024 championship team is just as inspiring.”

    “The Los Angeles Dodgers are champions in every sense of the word, and I was delighted to join Senator Alex Padilla today to celebrate them on their World Series victory. To the players, coaches, staff, and fans — thank you for a season we’ll never forget and for pouring your hearts and soul into the game. Let’s win it all again this year!” said Senator Schiff.

    The Dodgers’ victory in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series marked the eighth World Series championship for the franchise and their seventh title since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. The Dodgers’ 98 regular season wins last season gave them the best record in baseball and led to their 11th National League West Division title in the last 12 seasons.

    Last year, the Senate unanimously passed Senator Padilla and former Senator Laphonza Butler’s resolution applauding the Dodgers’ dominant championship run and recognizing the achievements and contributions of the entire Los Angeles Dodgers organization. The resolution also acknowledged the passing of Fernando Valenzuela, who spurred a unique connection between the team and the Latino community of Los Angeles. Valenzuela passed away just days before the start of the World Series.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Upgrades to Melba Oval now complete

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Sports to use the oval include rugby league, touch football, soccer and cricket.

    New upgrades to the Melba Neighbourhood Oval pavilion and a new canteen are now complete. The upgrades will make playing and watching sport in West Belconnen a more comfortable experience.

    The upgrades include:

    • heating in the changing rooms
    • privacy screens at the entry to the changing rooms
    • lighting
    • mirrors, vanities and shelves
    • toilet cubicles
    • an accessible toilet with a foldaway baby change table
    • power points adjacent to wet areas
    • lockable shower cubicles
    • hygiene disposal points
    • nonslip flooring.

    Sports to use the oval include rugby league, touch football, soccer and cricket.

    Spectators cheering on their team will also benefit with:

    • three new public toilets (two unisex and one accessible)
    • a new water refill station
    • bike racks
    • a new canteen featuring a digital art wrap highlighting some iconic Canberra images.

    A barbecue area is also close by. It is securely caged off to allow storage and for groups to cook the traditional fundraiser brunches and lunches.

    “These enhancements will significantly improve the experience for our players, volunteers and the entire community, fostering a more welcoming, inclusive and comfortable environment for everyone in our club,” Belconnen United Sharks Junior Rugby League Club President Matt Brown said.

    “As all sports, including the great game of rugby league, look to continue to grow female participant numbers in community sports, having more dedicated change rooms enhances our ability to make everyone feel welcome, valued and respected as they engage in junior sports in large part thanks to our new and upgraded facilities.”

    Cricket ACT is pleased to see the upgrade works completed.

    “For cricket in the Territory to continue on its current nation-leading trajectory of growth, we need to ensure male and female players of all abilities are able to compete in the best possible facilities, and we’re excited to see what impact these and other facility improvements around the region will have on our great game,” Cricket ACT Territory Infrastructure Manager Lauren Coates said.

    The Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund made possible through Cricket Australia. Cricket ACT also helped to contribute to the upgrades to the pavilion with $25,000.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Case Introduces Measure To Coordinate Diplomacy And Engagements Among And With Indigenous Peoples Around The World

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

    (Washington, DC) — U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai‘i-First District) today announced introduction of his Indigenous Diplomacy and Engagement Act  “to ensure that our country’s foreign affairs efforts fully encompass and incorporate the independent interconnectedness of our world’s indigenous peoples.”

    “The estimated 476 million indigenous peoples spread across all parts of our world are bound together by a common heritage, common wisdom and common challenges that transcend often artificial lines of national sovereignty,” said Case in remarks on introduction. “To recognize their international status and leverage their collective knowledge, in 2007 the international community adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

    “Rather than step away from the international stage, we must redouble efforts for meaningful engagement wherever and however we can. This includes strengthening our relationships and partnerships with international indigenous peoples to more fully include their special perspective and connectedness in an inextricably interlinked world.”

    Case said that his proposal arose in part from the success of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, a gathering of the indigenous peoples of Oceania in Honolulu in June 2024. “The Pacific Festival was a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific and of mutual commitment across national boundaries to addressing the challenges of our times, and we should take those lessons in our own responses.”

    Case further said that, to better coordinate focus on indigenous peoples worldwide and engage internationally on issues important to indigenous peoples, including Native Hawaiians, his bill would create an Office for Indigenous Affairs at the Department of State responsible for coordinating all efforts of the federal government regarding diplomacy and engagements with international indigenous peoples.

    “The office would be headed by a Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The coordinator would be tasked with establishing a comprehensive international strategy for promoting diplomacy and engagement with indigenous peoples.”

    “The strategy would be developed in coordination with various federal departments and agencies as well as an Advisory Commission on Indigenous Peoples established by the bill. The Commission would consist of members appointed by the Secretary of State, President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, as well as representatives from the National Congress of American Indians, Alaska Federation of Natives and Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the representative entities for the largest groups of our country’s own indigenous peoples. This will help more directly link our nation’s indigenous peoples with efforts to build relationship with those in other countries.”

    Case added that his bill would also require Foreign Service Officers to be trained on the history and culture of indigenous communities that reside near their posts of assignment. He said Foreign Service Officers will often be the primary American officials for interaction with these communities and should be well versed in specific indigenous peoples’ issues.

    ·        Copy of bill is here

    ·        Case remarks in the Congressional Record is here

    ·        Pictures of Congressman Case at the Closing Ceremony for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture on June 16, 2024

     

    ###

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Paul and Wyden  Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Reassert Congressional Authority Over Tax Policy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Rand Paul

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    April 8th, 2025

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

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a bipartisan resolution to terminate a national emergency declaration used to impose broad tariffs on goods imported into the United States. The resolution reasserts Congress’s constitutional authority over tax policy by ending the emergency powers used to bypass legislative oversight.

    “Tariffs are taxes, and the power to tax belongs to Congress—not the president. Our Founders were clear: tax policy should never rest in the hands of one person. Abusing emergency powers to impose blanket tariffs not only drives up costs for American families but also tramples on the Constitution. It’s time Congress reasserts its authority and restores the balance of power.” Said Dr. Paul

    The resolution would end the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257, which enabled tariffs of up to 49% on a wide range of imported goods. American consumers will face higher costs, and U.S. manufacturers and farmers will be hit by retaliatory tariffs from foreign governments once the tariffs go into effect.

    Dr. Paul has consistently opposed the use of emergency declarations to circumvent Congress, especially when those actions have broad and lasting economic impact. This resolution is part of his ongoing effort to protect constitutional checks and balances and ensure Congress—not the Executive Branch—sets the nation’s tax policy.

    Read the resolution HERE.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Death toll from Dominican Republic nightclub collapse rises to 66

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Aerial photo taken on April 8, 2025 shows the site of a nightclub roof collapse in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. [Photo/Xinhua]

    The death toll from the nightclub roof collapse on Tuesday in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, has climbed to 66, with 155 others injured, authorities confirmed.

    Rescue operations are ongoing, said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, describing the tragedy as one that has plunged not only the affected families but also the entire nation into mourning.

    Dominican President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning starting April 8 to honor the victims.

    The collapse occurred during a party at the Jet Set nightclub in the capital in the early hours Tuesday. Jet Set is a well-known nightclub in Santo Domingo and often hosts live performances during the week.

    Investigation is under way to determine the cause of the collapse. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: The Keg Royalties Income Fund announces April 2025 cash distribution

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Keg Royalties Income Fund (the “Fund”) (TSX: KEG.UN) today announced that its March 2025 distribution of $0.0946 per unit has been declared and is payable to unitholders of record as at April 21, 2025. The April 2025 distribution will be paid on April 30, 2025.

    The Fund is a limited purpose, open-ended trust established under the laws of the Province of Ontario that, through The Keg Rights Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Fund, owns certain trademarks and other related intellectual property used by Keg Restaurants Ltd. (“KRL”). In exchange for use of those trademarks, KRL pays the Fund a royalty of 4% of gross sales of Keg restaurants included in the royalty pool.

    With approximately 10,000 employees, over 100 restaurants and annual system sales exceeding $700 million, Vancouver-based KRL is the leading operator and franchisor of steakhouse restaurants in Canada and has a substantial presence in select regional markets in the United States. KRL continues to operate The Keg restaurant system and expand that system through the addition of both corporate and franchised Keg steakhouses. KRL has been named the number one restaurant company to work for in Canada in the latest edition of Forbes “Canada’s Best Employers 2025” survey.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI China: Canada’s countermeasures against auto imports from U.S. to take effect on Wednesday

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne on Tuesday confirmed that Canada’s new countermeasures announced last week in response to the U.S. tariffs on the Canadian auto industry will come into force at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 9.

    Champagne said Canada would continue to “respond forcefully” to all unwarranted and unreasonable tariffs imposed by the United States on Canadian products.

    “The government is firmly committed to getting these U.S. tariffs removed as soon as possible, and will protect Canada’s workers, businesses, economy and industry,” Champagne said in a release issued by the Finance Ministry.

    The countermeasures, announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney Prime Minister last week, include 25-percent tariffs on non-Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) compliant fully-assembled vehicles imported into Canada from the United States, and 25-percent tariffs on non-Canadian and non-Mexican content of CUSMA compliant fully-assembled vehicles imported into Canada from the United States.

    A remission framework for auto producers that incentivizes production and investment in Canada, and helps maintain Canadian jobs, will also be implemented, said the release.

    On April 3, U.S. tariffs of 25 percent on Canadian automobiles came into effect, targeting the auto industry and the more than 500,000 Canadians this industry supports across the country, said the release, adding that the United States also intends to apply 25-percent tariffs on certain automobile parts on May 3.

    Vehicle imports from the United States totaled 35.6 billion Canadian dollars (25 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, said the release. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Expresses Disappointment in Legislature’s Failure to Advance Winner-Take-All

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Expresses Disappointment in Legislature’s Failure to Advance Winner-Take-All

    LINCOLN, NE — Governor Jim Pillen today offered the following statement regarding the Legislature’s failure to end a filibuster to reach a fair up-or-down vote on LB3, which would restore Winner-Take-All to Nebraska’s electoral college vote allocation and unify our voice in presidential elections:

    “I am deeply disappointed that a minority of the Legislature defeated the will of the majority of their colleagues and, more importantly, the majority of Nebraskans by filibustering Winner-Take-All. WTA is supported by a substantial majority of the people’s representatives and should have received a fair up-or-down vote. Nebraskans expect and deserve principled, straightforward consistency from their elected leaders, and I’m disappointed that the Legislature fell short of those expectations with its failure today.

    I continue to believe that it is critical to pass WTA to strengthen Nebraska’s voice in presidential elections. There have been many efforts to fix it in the last 30 years, and I will continue to work with allies in the Legislature to get this done in time for the 2028 election.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Secures Commitment from Interior Dep. Sec. Nominee to Help Protect Wild Horses in TRNP

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    04.08.25
    ***Click for video and audio.***
    WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator John Hoeven secured a commitment from Katharine MacGregor, nominee to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior, to work together on legislation to protect wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP).
    “We continue our efforts to ensure that the National Park Service fulfills its commitment to protecting wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. At the same time, we are working to secure Kate MacGregor’s confirmation as Interior Deputy Secretary, and I look forward to working with her to implement a long-term management plan that preserves a healthy, genetically diverse herd of horses for future generations to enjoy,” said Hoeven.
    Hoeven is continuing his efforts to ensure the National Park Service (NPS) maintains a herd of free-roaming horses at TRNP on a permanent basis.
    As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven passed a provision in annual funding legislation directing NPS to maintain “the historic scene commensurate with the historic herds during the period when President Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher in the area.”
    Advanced this priority with NPS officials, including Midwest Regional Director Bert Frost.
    On April 25, 2024, NPS formally terminated its proposed removal of horses at TRNP under the environmental assessment process initiated in 2022, and as a result, horses continue to be maintained at the park.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven: President Signs Executive Orders to Strengthen Access to Affordable, Reliable Baseload Electricity

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    04.08.25

    Senator at White House for EO Signing, Working to Secure Future of Coal in Support of U.S. Energy Dominance

    ***Click for video and audio.***

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today joined President Donald Trump at the White House as he signed executive orders to strengthen access to the affordable and reliable baseload electricity provided by coal. The orders align with Hoeven’s longtime work to secure the future of the U.S. coal industry, ensuring the nation can continue to utilize this abundant energy resource in support of making the country energy dominant. Specifically, President Trump signed orders that:

    • Direct the Department of the Interior to identify coal reserves on federal lands and prioritize federal coal leasing.
    • Provide regulatory relief for coal mining and coal-fired power plants, including exempting certain coal plants from the onerous Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule imposed by the Biden administration.
      • Hoeven, along with then-Congressman Kelly Armstrong, led bicameral legislation to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing its new MATS rule.
    • Support the development of technologies like carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and encourage coal technology exports to support U.S. global energy leadership.
    • Utilize emergency authority under the Federal Power Act to address the premature retirement of coal-fired power plants and enable these facilities to continue supporting the reliability of the grid.

    “Today’s executive orders help mobilize President Trump’s team in support of our nation’s coal producers, who provide affordable and reliable baseload power that is essential to the stability of our electric grid,” said Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Leveraging our vast coal reserves, including those on federal lands, is a key part of our efforts to make the U.S. truly energy dominant. North Dakota has long led the way on priorities like CCUS, and I look forward to continuing my efforts with the administration, including Interior Secretary Burgum and Energy Secretary Wright, to provide the regulatory relief and legal certainty needed to unlock our country’s energy potential.”

    Leading in CCUS

    Hoeven has worked for more than 15 years to advance North Dakota’s leadership in cracking the code on CCUS technologies to enable the next generation of clean, coal-fired electric power, including:

    • Putting in place the legal, tax and regulatory requirements to advance CCUS.
    • Making North Dakota the first state to be granted regulatory primacy for Class VI wells, to ensure CO2 is safely and securely stored below the surface.
    • Advancing Basin’s Dakota Gasification synfuels plant, the largest coal-based carbon capture project in the world, which is currently in operation and captures up to 2.25 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Statement on President Trump Signing Coal Executive Orders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    ***Click here for audio.***
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) issued the following statement following President Trump signing executive orders relating to coal mining and coal powered electricity production:
    “It was a really good day for American energy. These executive orders that President Trump signed today reflect not just a temporary reprieve in the war against coal, but really a revolutionary break from the Biden administration’s pessimistic philosophy of scarcity. This shift toward a brighter future for energy abundance really does solidify President Trump’s promise to pursue energy dominance by ensuring that coal, which is of course our nation’s most abundant energy resource, remains available to help keep the lights on, and we know how important that is. North Dakota’s lignite coal industry gives consumers the lowest average electric rates in the country, and has for decades, but it faced a very uncertain future under the failed policies of the Biden administration. This action today really restores sanity to our national energy policy by elevating the importance of domestic energy production to a power manufacturing renaissance and it ensures that affordable, reliable electricity is available for many generations.”
    During the Biden administration, Cramer highlighted how its regulatory actions against coal would lead to disastrous consequences.  He introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Clean Power Plan 2.0 rule and celebrated the agency’s announcement to roll it back on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Deregulation Day, when the EPA announced 31 actions intended to revitalize the American energy industry.  He also publicized attempts by President Obama’s Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, to bar coal leasing on federal lands. This moratorium is expressly terminated by today’s actions.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: At least 27 dead after nightclub roof collapse in Dominican Republic

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Aerial photo taken on April 8, 2025 shows the site of a nightclub roof collapse in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. [Photo/Xinhua]

    At least 27 people were killed Tuesday when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, authorities confirmed.

    The collapse occurred in the early hours of the morning during a live music event. Emergency officials said 134 people were rescued with injuries and taken to local hospitals.

    “We’re continuing rescue efforts and believe some people may still be alive under the rubble,” said Juan Manuel Mendez, director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE). “We won’t stop until every last person is accounted for.”

    Rescue teams and volunteers reported hearing cries for help from beneath the debris, prompting ongoing efforts at the site.

    Jet Set is a well-known nightclub in Santo Domingo and often hosts live performances during the week. On the night of the collapse, popular Dominican jazz and merengue artist Rubby Perez was scheduled to perform.

    Dominican President Luis Abinader posted a message on social media expressing his condolences and saying he had been monitoring the situation “minute by minute.”

    “All emergency agencies have responded and are working tirelessly on the rescue efforts. Our prayers are with the affected families,” he said.

    The cause of the collapse is under investigation. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump administration revokes visas for foreign students

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Trump administration has revoked visas for more than 300 international students across the United States, a move confirmed by universities and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of a nationwide effort targeting foreign students.

    “Maybe more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” Rubio said during a press conference in Guyana on March 27.

    Over the weekend, the visa revocations were reported by dozens of universities nationwide, including prestigious ones like Columbia, Cornell, Harvard and Stanford.

    Many affected students had participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests. But university officials said that others with no connection to protests had also suffered visa revocations without explanation.

    At Tufts University, Turkish doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested by masked immigration agents on March 25 while walking near her home. Video of the arrest showed plainclothes officers taking the 30-year-old into custody as she was heading to break her Ramadan fast with friends, according to her attorney.

    The Department of Homeland Security claimed Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” though they provided no evidence for this allegation. Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece in the student newspaper criticizing Tufts’ response to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

    The Turkish embassy said it was working with U.S. authorities regarding Ozturk’s detention. “Every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal support to protect the rights of our citizen,” the embassy stated.

    At Columbia University, graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who has legal permanent residency, was detained by immigration authorities last month.

    Khalil said in his Columbia Daily Spectator opinion piece that the school “laid the groundwork for my abduction” and urged the students not to “abdicate their responsibility to resist repression.”

    “Since my abduction on March 8, the intimidation and kidnapping of international students who stand for Palestine has only accelerated,” Khalil wrote in Friday’s piece.

    The actions extend beyond East Coast schools. The University of Colorado and Colorado State University reported a combined total of 10 students with revoked visas this weekend. Meanwhile, Minnesota State University identified five students whose visas were canceled for unclear reasons.

    In California, the situation is equally concerning so far.

    University of California, Los Angeles reported nine affected international students, while UC Berkeley confirmed six visa revocations — four for current students and two for recent graduates.

    UC Davis officials stated seven students and five recent graduates had their visas terminated, and Stanford University confirmed six visa revocations.

    “The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations,” UC Davis said in a statement as reported by NBC News.

    Universities are scrambling to support affected students.

    “We are focused on supporting the success of all of our students, including international students. Each one of our students is seeking to advance their careers and the lives of their families, and we understand the anxieties that visa revocations cause to impacted students,” reported NBC News, citing University of Colorado.

    The Council of University of California Faculty Associations issued a statement Sunday, urgently calling upon the University of California to address the revocation of visas and deportation of international students.

    “It has been reported that in the past week alone, at least 44 students across the UC system have had their I-20 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record terminated by the Department of Homeland Security, with at least one deportation occurring,” the statement noted.

    Civil rights organizations have condemned the administration’s actions. The American Civil Liberties Union issued an open letter to universities warning: “The federal government cannot mandate student expulsions or threaten funding cuts to suppress constitutionally protected speech.”

    College officials worry this crackdown will deter international students from studying in the United States in the future.

    The situation is “a far different, unprecedented intrusion by the executive branch” involving “revoking student visas for different reasons than we have seen previously and at higher rates than we have ever seen,” said Violeta Chapin, a University of Colorado Boulder law professor and immigration expert. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Philip Barbour High School named 2024 School of Excellence by ACT’s American College Application Campaign – West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

    Source: US State of West Virginia

    Philippi high school is one of 26 U.S. schools recognized for outstanding effort in helping students apply for college

    PHILIPPI, WEST VIRGINIA — ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC) named Philip Barbour High School as a 2024 School of Excellence as part of the College for West Virginia (CFWV) effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential. Philip Barbour High School is one of 26 outstanding schools being recognized nationwide.

    “This recognition is a testament to our commitment to helping students pursue a postsecondary degree or other higher education credential,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “We are incredibly pleased to see Philip Barbour bring home this award. The faculty and staff have worked incredibly hard to increase their college-going rate and have shown fierce dedication to their students’ success.” 

    CFWV coordinates three annual college-planning milestones to help students in West Virginia plan their pathway to education or training beyond high school. Philip Barbour High School fosters a college-going culture within their school through participation in these milestone events as well as creating an overarching culture of student success within their school. Because of this, Philip Barbour has seen an increase in their college going rate by 11 percentage points over the last few years.

    This year’s winning schools were key contributors to the national campaign’s success, as reported by the participating state campaigns:

    • Philip Barbour High School is among 5,854 participating schools that hosted a college application event last fall.
    • More than 477,000 seniors submitted at least one college application during events, an increase of more than 10,000 more seniors compared to 2023.
    • Students submitted a total of 1,316,688 applications. 

    Applying for college can be one of the most intimidating parts of a student’s high school education. This year’s recognized schools worked with students to help them better understand the process, ultimately empowering them to complete an application.

    Every year, ACAC works with coordinators in nearly every state and the District of Columbia to host college application events and reach students in their schools and communities, encouraging them to apply to college. Activities in 2024 included career days and fairs, collegiate tailgates, financial aid workshops, and field trips to colleges, where students could take campus tours.                                                              

    “There’s something that’s so rewarding about seeing our state coordinators take part in helping students navigate the admission process,” ACAC Director Lisa King said. “Students feel more confident and empowered to apply to college, and thanks to initiatives like the American College Application Campaign, it all serves as a reminder of the impact we can have.”

    Nationally, the campaign has served nearly 5.17 million students who have submitted more than 10 million applications since 2005. This is the sixth year that ACAC has recognized outstanding schools.

    For more information, visit https://impactandlearning.act.org.

    To learn more about College for West Virginia, visit CFWV.com.

    About College for West Virginia (CFWV)
    College for West Virginia (CFWV) provides free resource that educators and students can use to expand college and career advising. CFWV’s tools, articles, and college-ready initiatives help guide students to career and college pathways. CFWV.com is West Virginia’s free one-stop resource for college and career information in the Mountain State.

    About the American College Application Campaign
    The American College Application Campaign (ACAC), a national initiative of ACT’s Center for Impact and Learning, is designed to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from under-resourced communities who pursue a postsecondary degree. The purpose is to assist high school seniors as they navigate the college application and admissions process and ensure each participating student submits at least one admissions application. https://impactandlearning.act.org

    About ACT
    ACT is transforming college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential. Grounded in more than 65 years of research, ACT’s learning resources, assessments, research, and work-ready credentials are trusted by students, job seekers, educators, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world to help people achieve their education and career goals at every stage of life. Visit us at https://www.act.org. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, Colleagues Demand Answers and Return of Maryland Father Wrongfully Deported to El Salvador

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 23 of their Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally under protected status in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration last month and sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The Trump Administration has admitted Abrego Garcia’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error” but has not returned Abrego Garcia to his family and home in Maryland.  

    Specifically, the senators call on the Trump Administration to comply with the court order requiring that they facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and ask for responses to a series of questions regarding ICE’s enforcement policies that may have led to this grave error—and what measures they will take to ensure such an incident does not occur again.

    “It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador,” the senators wrote. “We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately.”

    “Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence,” the senators continued. “This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.”

    “Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible,” they continued. “And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens.”

    The senators concluded the letter with a series of questions for Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons about Abrego Garcia’s protected status, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s failure to follow well-established procedures and practices to avoid erroneous deportations and to promptly fix such errors if they do occur, and to demand evidence for unsupported accusations from Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13 gang. The senators requested a response by April 22.

    In addition to Warner and Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons,??

    We write to express our concerns regarding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, an action which the Administration admitted in a recent court filing was an “administrative error.” It is unacceptable that anyone would be deported without proper due process, especially where an immigration judge has granted the individual protected status that explicitly prohibits his return to El Salvador. We demand that the Administration bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home immediately. 

    According to court filings, on March 12, 2025, shortly after Mr. Abrego Garcia had picked up his son from the boy’s grandmother’s house, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped Mr. Abrego Garcia, inaccurately telling him that his protected status had changed. After giving his wife a few minutes to arrive to take custody of his son, ICE arrested and detained him without any further explanation as to the reason for his arrest. ICE then transferred Mr. Abrego Garcia and other detainees to Texas, where on March 15, 2025, they were loaded onto planes and deported to El Salvador. Mr. Abrego Garcia was reportedly on the only plane that was not sent under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act but instead was transporting migrants with formal removal orders signed by a judge. This occurred despite the fact that ICE knew, as the Administration conceded in court, that his protected legal status specifically prohibited his removal to El Salvador. 

    Per court filings, Mr. Abrego Garcia came to the United States in 2011 as a teenager fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, ICE arrested Mr. Abrego Garcia over an unfounded and anonymous allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings. The U.S. immigration judge in the case ultimately found that it was in fact Mr. Abrego Garcia who was at risk of being the victim of gang violence. The judge found that Mr. Abrego Garcia and his relatives credibly testified that gang members had been trying to extort his family and recruit him and his brother to join the gang, forcing his family to move multiple times, ultimately compelling both him and his brother to flee to the United States out of fear.

    The immigration judge agreed that Mr. Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution if deported back to El Salvador and thus granted him a form of legally mandated protection known as “withholding of removal.” Withholding of removal, which may only be granted by an immigration judge, provided Mr. Abrego Garcia the ability to stay and work in the United States despite being the subject of a deportation order. This ruling was made under the Trump Administration in 2019 and was in fact required by law under section 241(b)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act once the immigration judge made the factual determination that Mr. Abrego Garcia faced a likelihood of torture in El Salvador. At the time, the Trump Administration made no effort to appeal the judge’s ruling or pursue Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation further. Court filings attest that Mr. Abrego Garcia has complied with regular ICE check-ins, has no criminal charges, and has had no contact with any other law-enforcement agency since his release in 2019.

    Mr. Abrego Garcia is currently being held at CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses, after being deported in violation of the law to the very country where his return was impermissible. Though the Administration has admitted in court that his deportation was a mistake, it alleges that there is nothing it can do to address this injustice, given that Mr. Abrego Garcia is now in the jurisdiction of the government of El Salvador as part of an agreement to imprison U.S. deportees in exchange for financial compensation. 

    Your unwillingness to immediately rectify this “administrative error” is unacceptable. Under multiple Democratic and Republican administrations, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE followed the rule of law and worked to quickly return people who were wrongfully deported, in the rare instances where such “administrative errors” occurred. The Administration’s mass deportation agenda does not transcend immigration law or the need for due process. And when the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens. On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Maryland ordered the government to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the United States, and on Monday the Fourth Circuit denied the government’s motion to stay the order. The Administration should promptly comply with the district court’s order.

    To address our concerns about this matter and to provide clarity on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE’s policy regarding the immigration enforcement actions against immigrants with protected status, we ask that your Administration answer the following questions by April 22, 2025:

    1. The standard and legal course for the government to take to deport someone with protected status would be to reopen the case, introduce evidence that grounds for terminating the protected status exist, and then allow an immigration judge to make a determination as to their status. Why was that course of action not taken in this case? 
    2. In the past, DHS and ICE worked to quickly return people to the U.S. who were erroneously deported. Why is DHS and ICE no longer following these well-established procedures and practices?   
    3. Vice President J.D. Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have both claimed that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, but the government was unable or unwilling to provide any evidence to substantiate that claim to the court. Please provide any evidence of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s membership in MS-13.
    4. Given that the Administration is reportedly paying $6 million to El Salvador to detain deported immigrants at CECOT, why does it believe that there is nothing it can do to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States? Please provide a copy of the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador on the detention of people deported from the U.S. in CECOT.
    5. Are there any other cases that the Administration is aware of in which an immigrant with protected status was illegally deported without due process? If so, identify those cases and explain what, if anything the government is doing to rectify those errors.
    6. Will the Administration commit to reviewing all of the cases of its deportees to ensure that it has appropriately identified all of the errors?
    7. What actions will the Administration take in the future to ensure that immigrants with protected status are afforded their appropriate due process?

    We appreciate your prompt attention to this vital matter and look forward to reviewing your fulsome, timely response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, & Colleagues Question HHS Secretary RFK Jr. on Decision to Fire Workers Tasked with Protecting Coal Miner Health and Safety

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushing back on his decision to gut the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), firing nearly 900 employees. Recent reporting has indicated that these firings include all employees tasked with protecting the health and safety of coal miners.

    “According to reports, HHS is laying off approximately 873 employees, or two-thirds, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” the senators wrote. “According to a notification provided to AFGE Local 1969, whose federal employee members are being impacted, all employees working on mining safety and health in NIOSH’s Spokane, WA and Pittsburgh, PA, offices are being let go. ,  The NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division focuses on coal miner safety, and the Spokane Mining Research Division specializes in hard rock mining, and are the two main research hubs for NIOSH’s Mining Research Program. Additionally, reports indicate more than 185 NIOSH employees are being laid off from its Morgantown, WV, office, who also work to protect miner health, among other occupational safety and health activities.”

    The senators also highlighted the immediate impacts of this move, explaining that mining communities are already being left without key health services.

    They continued, “We also have heard from those who work directly with our miner constituents in these communities that the Enhanced Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program is also being decimated. This program provides direct screening services via a mobile medical unit to miners at no cost. NIOSH also supports clinic sites where screening is done, so miners can understand if they are developing black lung or another condition and be as healthy as possible for themselves and their families.”

    In their letter, the senators demanded answers from Secretary Kennedy, questioning how these crucial services will continue with a significantly reduced workforce. The senators requested a written response to the following:

    1. How many HHS employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety have been fired, put on administrative leave, accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the VERA/VSIP offer since January 20, 2025? Provide a complete breakdown by agency and position. For each category of employee at each agency, provide information on GS level and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. Include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status. Please provide the latest data available.
    2. How many HHS employees remain who work on mining health and safety? Please provide a complete breakdown by agency and position.
    3. How many additional employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety do you intend to fire following the announcement made on March 27, 2025?
    4. Provide all analyses conducted prior to the reorganization and firings of HHS employees who work in offices that focus on mining safety and health to determine the immediate and long-term impact these firings will have on programs and activities that those employees are tasked with administering. In particular, provide all analyses relating to 1) ensuring statutory obligations will be met, and 2) the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

    Dear Secretary Kennedy:

    We write today with alarming concern about reports that nearly the entire workforce that works to improve the health of miners was laid off and the office that oversees this work was eliminated. We urge you to reverse course immediately and ensure the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continues its important work in our states to protect and serve our constituents.

    According to reports, HHS is laying off approximately 873 employees, or two-thirds, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  According to a notification provided to AFGE Local 1969, whose federal employee members are being impacted, all employees working on mining safety and health in NIOSH’s Spokane, WA and Pittsburgh, PA, offices are being let go. ,  The NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division focuses on coal miner safety, and the Spokane Mining Research Division specializes in hard rock mining, and are the two main research hubs for NIOSH’s Mining Research Program. Additionally, reports indicate more than 185 NIOSH employees are being laid off from its Morgantown, WV, office, who also work to protect miner health, among other occupational safety and health activities. 

    We also have heard from those who work directly with our miner constituents in these communities that the Enhanced Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program is also being decimated. This program provides direct screening services via a mobile medical unit to miners at no cost. NIOSH also supports clinic sites where screening is done, so miners can understand if they are developing black lung or another condition and be as healthy as possible for themselves and their families.

    Never has there been a more critical time to do this work. A 2023 study conducted jointly by researchers at NIOSH and at the University of Illinois Chicago found that coal miners in central Appalachia—Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky—were eight times more likely to die from respiratory diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and black lung than American men who are not miners.  Our constituents are getting more severe disease at younger ages in recent decades, and we might never had known that without the expertise of NIOSH’s work on coal miner health.

    We require more than a fact sheet indicating these duties will be reorganized into an Administration for a Healthy America given the extensive cuts to personnel. In order for us to better understand how the same amount of work can be done with hundreds fewer individuals, please provide responses to the following questions by April 9, 2025:

    1. How many HHS employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety have been fired, put on administrative leave, accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the VERA/VSIP offer since January 20, 2025? Provide a complete breakdown by agency and position. For each category of employee at each agency, provide information on GS level and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. Include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status. Please provide the latest data available.
    2. How many HHS employees remain who work on mining health and safety? Please provide a complete breakdown by agency and position.
    3. How many additional employees who work in offices that work on mining health and safety do you intend to fire following the announcement made on March 27, 2025?
    4. Provide all analyses conducted prior to the reorganization and firings of HHS employees who work in offices that focus on mining safety and health to determine the immediate and long-term impact these firings will have on programs and activities that those employees are tasked with administering. In particular, provide all analyses relating to 1) ensuring statutory obligations will be met, and 2) the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.

    Art Miller, an expert in mine air quality who has been working for NIOSH since 1996 and for its predecessor before this, was part of the Spokane-area firings. He noted that no one else does this kind of research and that “every worker in this country deserves to go home safe.”  We agree, and urge you to reverse these cuts before it’s too late.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER DEMANDS FEMA IMMEDIATELY REVERSE DEVASTATING $300+ MILLION CUT FOR DISASTER PREPARDNESS, FLOOD MITIGATION & INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES ACROSS NEW YORK TO ENSURE CONSTRUCTION CAN CONTINUE & TO…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Last Week FEMA Announced It Will Eliminate The Building Resilient Infrastructure And Communities (BRIC), Cutting Projects Across NY; BRIC Was Set To Provide $325M For NYS Projects And Has Distributed $5B In Fed Grants Nationally Since It Started In 2020

    BRIC Program – Created By Schumer And Signed Into Law By Trump – Helps State And Local Government Improve Infrastructure By Raising Roads, Improving Drainage, Creating Power Sources, And More With Projects In Capital Region, NYC, Buffalo, And More Set To Lose Funding

    Schumer: FEMA Is Putting New Yorkers At Risk During Next Disaster By Cutting Off Funding

    After Trump abruptly canceled FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program, including over $300 million in federal funding headed to New York, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today demanded FEMA reverse this harmful decision which will rip resources away from New York State’s disaster preparedness efforts. The senator said as New York has faced more extreme weather than ever, FEMA has played a critical role in helping communities rebuild and cutting off this lifeline with hurt New York families, businesses, and more in every corner of the state.

    “New Yorkers are no strangers to natural disasters and FEMA’s BRIC program was one of the best tools for helping communities big and small rebuild to keep communities safe in the face of flooding, snowstorms and more. By ripping away over $300 million in funding for projects with no warning or explanation, imperiling them from moving forward, FEMA is going against its mission and putting the lives & safety of New Yorkers during the next emergency at risk,” said Senator Schumer. “When communities are hit by disaster, when roads are flooded, downtowns destroyed, or worse – it is FEMA that is supposed to come to help them rebuild. We cannot leave New York’s families, businesses, and neighborhoods fending for themselves by cutting off this vital lifeline. I’m demanding FEMA immediately reverse these cuts and restore BRIC to keep New Yorkers safe.”

    FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) in 2020 and was previously signed into law by President Trump during his first administration. BRIC allocates resources to state and local governments to help mitigate damage from natural disasters, such as raising roads or building underground storage which will help make communities more resilient to extreme weather such as hurricanes or floods. When announcing that it would end the program, FEMA labeled BRIC as an “ineffective FEMA program” and said eliminating it was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse.”

    Schumer added, “I created BRIC to provide support for critical projects including rebuilding roads, improving drainage, creating emergency power sources, and more in every corner of the state – and Trump signed it into law. ‘DOGE’ claims to eliminate government waste, so why is Trump canceling a program that he signed into law? This newest announcement will only create more waste when houses, roads, and more are ruined with no resources to rebuild.”

    In a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Schumer explained that BRIC provides a lifeline for New York and other states that have been facing more extreme weather as they prepare for the next storm. For example, last year New York State set a record for most tornadoes in a year since they were first recorded in 1950 and experienced an earthquake that was felt throughout the state. Schumer said BRIC has and should continue to play a critical role in supporting New York’s infrastructure improvements and mitigating damage caused by extreme weather and natural disasters and called on the Trump administration to reverse these cuts and maintain BRIC.

    Schumer said canceled projects are in every corner of New York State, including New York City, Westchester, the Capital Region, and Buffalo. For example, according to Governor Hochul, $100 million was cut off for two flood mitigation projects in Central Harlem and East Elmhurst, $24 million was cut off for the New York Power Authority to reduce the formation of ice jams in the Capital Region, and over $700,000 was cut off for the removal of a dangerous dam in Westchester.

    Schumer explained that BRIC is one of several FEMA preparedness and resilience programs that help communities reduce the impacts of future disasters. The Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (FMA) and State Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Program, established by the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act of 2020, or the STORM Act, provide critical support to communities that have been hit by disasters to help them prepare for the next major storm. Secretary Noem’s previous comments asserting that the Trump administration will “eliminate FEMA” put not just the BRIC and preparedness programs at risk, but also programs and funds that allow the federal government to respond to major disasters and help communities rebuild in the immediate and long-term aftermath.

    Schumer’s letter to Secretary Noem can be found HERE or below:

    Dear Secretary Noem:

    I write to urge you to reverse your recent decision to cancel the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. By cancelling this program, New York State will lose over $325 million for projects that have not yet begun construction that would help mitigate or prevent flooding in local communities, helping to save lives and reduce the damages and costs of extreme weather. $56 million in funding has already helped begin some resilience projects, although this decision now puts those dollars at risk. Funding to help states invest in preparedness and resilience not only saves lives and property, but also saves money for local, state, and the federal government in the long term. I implore you to revisit your decision to end the BRIC funding for states and restore the $325 million investments in New York’s resilience to extreme weather.

    The BRIC program provides local, state, territorial and Tribal governments resources to reduce their hazard risk when extreme weather strikes. In recent years, New York has seen its fair share of disasters, including 23 federally declared disasters with New Yorkers receiving $1,385 in federal aid per capita from disasters that occurred 2011 – 2024, the third highest cost per capita in the country. Just last year, New York saw tornadoes and flooding that left communities devastated. Hurricane Ida brought record-shattering rainfall and devastated New York City in 2021, drowning 11 people in their basement apartments, demonstrating the dire need for improved wastewater infrastructure to ensure no more lives are lost at the hand of extreme rainfall. Programs like BRIC that invest in resilience will help mitigate the impacts of these storms, preventing some or all of the most severe damages that these weather systems bring. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has stated that every $1 invested in disaster preparedness saves communities $13 in damages, cleanup, and recovery costs. The BRIC investments are not only a smart choice to save lives and property, but they also make economic sense.

    Across New York City, 10 projects totaling over $280 million were slated to help improve flooding resiliency. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has several projects to mitigate flooding impacts by reducing storm-related runoff and flooding from high intensity rainfall. These projects would improve and strengthen stormwater infrastructure across the city, including in the Historic South Street Seaport, Central Harlem, East Elmhurst, Corona East, at the NYCHA Polo Grounds Tower Development, and other areas of the city. In Upstate New York, three projects totaling over $1 million are at risk because of this reckless decision to cancel the BRIC program. In Westchester, the Upper Minkel Dam Decommissioning and Riparian Corridor Restoration project would restore a stream and surrounding land to reduce flood hazards, potentially eliminating any future flooding event at this site. The New York Power Authority was slated to address ice jams in Vischer Ferry along the NYS canal system, flushing ice from the Vischer Ferry impoundment to avoid jam flooding and the potential for ice dam formations. Lastly, the City of Buffalo was slated to utilize BRIC funds to improve building codes and invest in local workforce training and development, helping to improve energy use and the utilization of emerging technologies. All these projects, and more across the state, detailed today by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, would help improve community safety and invest in local workforce development, but are unfortunately now at risk thanks to the administration’s decision to cancel the BRIC program.

     The BRIC program, along with FEMA’s other disaster preparedness and resilience programs such as the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program (FMA) and State Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Program, established by the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act of 2020, or the STORM Act, provide critical support to communities that have been hit by disasters to help them prepare for the next major storm. I urge you to swiftly restore the BRIC program to ensure these dollars can continue doing this important work to create safer communities and save costs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Demands Honesty and Transparency about the Impacts of Trump Tariffs on Economy during Senate Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) pressed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer about the impacts of President Trump’s blanket tariffs on Nevadans, particularly those employed in the tourism and hospitality industry.

    “We have a billion-dollar economy when it comes to tourism into the United States. People know Las Vegas, my state is Nevada, we rely on tourism to our state, and now we’re seeing an impact because of these tariffs” said Senator Cortez Masto. She went on to ask Representative Greer what the Trump administration is doing to address the impact blanket tariffs are having on tourism.

    After Greer repeatedly failed to provide a substantive answer, Cortez Masto said, “You haven’t thought about this, and the administration hasn’t really thought about it because I haven’t heard anybody talking about tourism. So, why don’t you come talk to me in my office, and let’s talk about it and put a plan together, because these blanket tariffs are having an impact in my state and across the country.”

    Senator Cortez Masto is a champion of Nevada’s tourism economy. In the American Rescue Plan, Senator Cortez Masto secured $3 billion in funding to assist states with their economic recovery and their vital tourism industries, including Nevada. She also delivered resources to the state’s businesses and secured flexibility for the gaming industry. She has been a Senate leader in passing the seven-year reauthorization of ‘Brand USA’, which is a public-private partnership that enhances tourism and job creation across the country.

    MIL OSI USA News –