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Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis Leads Legislation to Eliminate Biden’s “Pill Penalty,” Restore Incentives for Life-Saving Drug Innovation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James Lankford (R-OK), and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that fixes the Inflation Reduction Act’s small molecule “pill penalty” to ensure continued R&D investments into small molecule medicines. 

    “For patients battling cancer, rare diseases, and chronic conditions, timely access to innovative treatments can mean the difference between life and death,” said Senator Tillis. “Unfortunately, the Inflation Reduction Act disincentivizes research on small molecule treatments and undermines development of the most accessible and affordable medications. The EPIC Act of 2025 will ensure patients of today and tomorrow have uninterrupted access to life-saving and life-changing therapies.” 

    “President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act ‘pill penalty’ has hindered important research and development for potentially life-saving cures,” said Senator Budd. “The EPIC Act will right this wrong by encouraging more investment in innovative medicines and treatments that are needed to help North Carolinians live long and healthy lives.”

    “Montanans in need of life-saving medicine should not have to worry about government overreach that stifles critical research and development for much-needed cures,” said Senator Daines. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bill to bolster innovation so that Montanans and patients across the country can get the care they deserve.”

    “Incubate Coalition appreciates Senator Tillis’ leadership in addressing the flaws of the IRA and supporting the EPIC Act, which restores incentives for life sciences investment based on scientific potential rather than arbitrary policy barriers,” said John Stanford, Executive Director of the Incubate Coalition. “His dedication to ending the pill penalty will create a fairer system, drive innovation, and ensure patients have access to the breakthrough treatments they need.” 

    “The schizophrenia community has been marginalized for decades. Now, people with this brain disease stand to suffer even more as the IRA endangers the promise of new schizophrenia treatments,” said Gordon Lavigne, CEO of the Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance. “The EPIC Act is a much-needed fix that will help ensure that everyone with schizophrenia has access to a treatment that works for them. For the 2.5 million people living with schizophrenia in the United States, future treatment innovation is a matter of survival and dignity.”

    “As an organization representing the voice of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers across America, the Cancer Support Community (CSC) would like to thank Senator Tillis alongside Senators Blackburn, Budd, Lankford, and Daines for introducing the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act,” said Sally Werner, Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Support Community. “Small molecule drugs are essential for the treatment of many cancers and are more accessible for patients due to their cost and convenience of taking them at home. Innovative oral cancer drugs are bringing improved efficacy and reduced side effects to patients, improving their treatment and lives. The EPIC Act would eliminate the unnecessary distinction between small and large molecule drugs in the IRA, allowing both to be eligible for negotiation eleven years after FDA approval. We must continue to ensure that all patients have access to the treatment best suited for them and that policies accurately reflect the needs and input of patients who will be most impacted by them.”

    Background:

    Under the Inflation Reduction Act’s price-fixing model, small molecule drugs are eligible for selection in the “Medicare Drug Price Negotiation” program seven years after FDA approval. A two-year “negotiation period” follows, with price controls taking effect in year nine. Conversely, biologics become eligible for selection 11 years after FDA approval, with price controls going into effect in year 13. 

    The cost to bring a new drug to market can range from several hundred million to several billion dollars. The IRA is crippling innovation by reducing the ability to recoup losses incurred during drug research and development, with many pharmaceutical companies halting research into groundbreaking treatments. This has left individuals battling cancer, mental health conditions, and rare disease without hope.  

    The impact is already devastating. R&D funding for small molecule medicines has plummeted by 70% since the IRA’s introduction in September 2021 and funding continues to be shifted to other projects. According to a University of Chicago policy brief, due to the 9-13 disparity, 188 fewer small molecule medicines will come to market, leading to a staggering 116 million life-years lost. 

    Full text of the bill is available HERE. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Jason Esteves Introduces Legislation to Lower Costs for Homeowners and Renters

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (March 5, 2025) — On Monday, Sen. Jason Esteves (D–Atlanta) introduced two bills to lower costs for Georgia homeowners and renters. The legislation would hold companies accountable for buying up neighborhood homes and require transparency around fees collected by Property Owners’ Associations.

    “For many hardworking Georgians, housing costs are simply too high,” said Sen. Esteves. “The housing supply shortage is worsened by private equity firms and Wall Street hedge funds driving up prices and pushing Georgia families out of the market. Homes are places for people to live, not opportunities for out-of-state investors to make a quick buck at our expense. That’s why I introduced legislation to help give our cities and counties the tools to hold these companies accountable to bring down the cost of housing for Georgia families.”

    Senate Bill 313 would give Georgia’s cities and counties tools to hold private equity firms and hedge funds accountable for driving up the cost of housing for Georgia families by creating a residential rental property registry. Senate Bill 315 would require fee transparency for Property Owners’ Associations across the state. From 2019 to 2024, metro Atlanta’s median home sale price increased by 60%.

    SB 313 can be found here, and SB 315 can be found here.

    # # # #

    Sen. Jason Esteves represents the 35th Senate District, including portions of Cobb and Fulton County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 463-1562 or by email at Jason.Esteves@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Announces Dismissal of EMTALA Challenge to Idaho Defense of Life Act

    Source: US State of Idaho

    [BOISE] – Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that the new Trump Administration’s Department of Justice is dismissing any further action against Idaho’s Defense of Life Act, argued in Idaho v. United States.“It has been our position from the beginning that there is no conflict between EMTALA and Idaho’s Defense of Life Act,” said Attorney General Labrador.  “The goal of each is to save lives in every circumstance, both the mother and their unborn child.  We are grateful that meddlesome DOJ litigation on this issue will no longer be an obstacle to Idaho enforcing its laws.  Idaho will continue defending life as intended by the legislature and our people.”
    After the passage of Idaho’s Defense of Life Act, the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice sued Idaho, refusing to accept the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Dobbs which remanded abortion policy to the individual states.  The Biden DOJ claimed that federal law under EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act), a 1986 federal statute designed to provide stabilizing treatment at emergency rooms regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, somehow instead mandated abortions, in contravention of Idaho’s Defense of Life Act.
    The Idaho Supreme Court made it very clear that Idaho’s Defense of Life Act permits an abortion based on the subjective, good-faith medical judgement of a doctor who believes the life of the mother is threatened.  Neither a doctor’s certainty nor immanency of death is required for this judgement.  Idaho has argued that EMTALA does not mandate a standard of care, nor requires abortion, but specifically states that emergency rooms are to treat both mothers and their unborn children.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Bank Employee Pleads Guilty to Role in International Money Laundering Conspiracy

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    BOSTON – A Brooklyn, N.Y. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization.

    Rongjian Li, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for June 5, 2025.

    In May 2023, Li was among 12 individuals from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and California charged in a superseding indictment for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization led by Jin Hua Zhang. The investigation revealed that, for a fee, Zhang laundered bulk cash for drug dealers and laundered profits from other illegal businesses. In less than a year, Zhang and his organization laundered at least $25 million worth of drug proceeds and funds from other illegal businesses through undercover agents. Funds were eventually traced to, and seized from, accounts in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China, India, Cambodia and Brazil, among other locations.

    The investigation identified Li as a member of the money laundering conspiracy who, from 2021 through 2022, used his position as a Bank of America employee to knowingly open several accounts through which the organization laundered illicit funds. Li was also aware that some of the accounts were opened using fraudulent passports. As part of his involvement, when the bank’s financial auditing systems flagged or froze accounts for suspicious activity, Li helped Zhang circumvent the bank’s anti-money laundering protocols and move illicit funds elsewhere. In addition, Li was observed sitting next to Zhang at a dinner in New York, where Zhang discussed the different fee percentages he charged various criminal groups for drug trafficking and scams.

    Zhang pleaded guilty in September 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025.

    The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the amount involved, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Florida businessman sentenced for migrant labor employment scheme, payroll tax evasion, worker death

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WASHINGTON — A Florida man was sentenced Feb. 20 to 48 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $5.5 million to the United States as well as forfeit numerous real properties and cash, and to pay over $55 million in restitution for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and willful violation of a workplace standard that resulted in the death of his employee following a joint agency investigation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Manual Domingos Pita, of Wesley Chapel, previously pleaded guilty to those charges on July 9, 2024.

    According to court documents, Pita owned and operated Domingos 54 Construction, a subcontracting business for the wood framing of new construction homes. Domingos 54 was a shell construction company that Pita used to provide workers, including undocumented aliens, with construction jobs. However, Pita failed to secure the required workers compensation insurance coverage for these employees by falsifying in worker’s compensation insurance applications the number of workers for which he sought coverage. In addition, Pita failed to pay any federal employment taxes on the wages that these workers earned during the course of the scheme between 2018 and 2022. As a result, Pita caused several worker’s compensation insurance companies to sustain a loss of over $22.7 million in premiums that they could have charged had they been aware of the number of workers which they had been manipulated into covering with their policies. In addition, Pita failed to pay to the IRS over $33.7 million in federal employment taxes on those workers’ wages.

    Between February and July 2019, investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued six citations to Domingos 54 for failure to provide fall protection to workers. Even after being cited for these violations, Pita continued to ignore OSHA requirements. In March 2020, Pita assigned a worker and three other carpenters to install sheeting on the roof of a residential home in windy conditions without providing the required fall-protection gear or ensuring its use. As a result, one of the workers was blown off the roof and died from his injuries.

    The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, ICE Tampa, Florida Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Insurance Fraud-Criminal Investigations and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay L. Hoffer for the Middle District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Newark worksite enforcement operation results in 16 arrests

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEWARK, N.J. — On Feb. 26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of New York/Newark in conducting an unannounced inspection of a CBP-bonded warehouse in North Bergen, New Jersey, to ensure individuals working in government-regulated facilities were lawfully present and permitted to work in the United States. ICE and CBP worked alongside the FBI Newark Field Office, DEA New Jersey Division, and ATF, to ensure that all facility personnel were acting in compliance with U.S. employment laws.

    This operation resulted in the discovery of 16 individuals who were present in the U.S. illegally. The individuals were apprehended and placed under administrative arrest.

    “This operation underscores HSI’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of our trade infrastructure and, in turn, the wellbeing of the public at-large,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel. “ICE HSI Newark is proud to stand side-by-side with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and our livelihoods.”

    “In the current threat climate, enforcement efforts like this are critical,” added CBP Acting Port Director Jeffrey Greene. “Holding our trade industry partners accountable provides a baseline for operational proficiency.  This baseline allows us to be laser focused on our broader enforcement efforts — keeping bad actors and bad things from harming our country.”

    Additionally, this operation was conducted in part to determine whether imported merchandise was properly secured. Unannounced inspections serve to identify unauthorized manipulations of commercial merchandise within bonded areas, noncompliance with customs regulations, and unauthorized access by employees who lack the authority to access the bonded areas.

    ICE is the federal agency responsible for upholding the laws established by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which requires employers to verify the identity and work eligibility of all individuals they hire. These laws help protect jobs for U.S. citizens and others who are lawfully employed, eliminate unfair competitive advantages for companies that hire an illegal workforce, and strengthen public safety and national security.

    Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all individuals they hire, and to document that information using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. ICE uses the I-9 inspection program to promote compliance with the law, part of a comprehensive strategy to address and deter illegal employment. Inspections are one of the most powerful tools the federal government uses to ensure that businesses are complying with U.S. employment laws.

    ICE’s worksite enforcement strategy includes leveraging the agency’s other investigative disciplines, since worksite investigations can often involve additional criminal activity, such as alien smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering, document fraud, worker exploitation and/or substandard wage and working conditions.

    ICE uses a three-pronged approach to worksite enforcement: compliance, from I-9 inspections, civil fines and referrals for debarment; enforcement, through the criminal arrest of employers and administrative arrest of unauthorized workers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Highlights Investments in Community-Based Programs That Are Making Pennsylvania Safer

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    March 03, 2025 – WEST READING, PA

    Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Highlights Investments in Community-Based Programs That Are Making Pennsylvania Safer

    Lt. Gov. Austin Davis heard today from law enforcement officials, victims service providers and health care workers at Reading Hospital, which recently was awarded more than $600,000 in state grant funding to expand and enhance its hospital-based violence intervention program.

    “Gun violence is something we can – and indeed, must – do something about,” said Davis, who leads the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “I want to commend local law enforcement for the work you’ve done to reduce the number of homicides in Berks County, but I also know that one act of gun violence is one too many. Every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe, whether you live in West Reading or West Hamburg. We’ve been making progress on the issue of gun violence, in Reading, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and many other cities and communities, but there is still much more work to be done.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Fill Critical Public Service Vacancies in Pennsylvania by Recruiting Talented, Experienced Federal Employees and Streamlining Hiring Process

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    March 05, 2025 – Harrisburg, PA

    Governor Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Fill Critical Public Service Vacancies in Pennsylvania by Recruiting Talented, Experienced Federal Employees and Streamlining Hiring Process

    Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2025-01 to help fill critical vacancies in the Commonwealth workforce with experienced former federal employees who have specialized expertise in important fields like civil engineering, nursing, corrections, accounting, and more. The Governor’s Executive Order directs the Office of Administration to accept federal government experience as equivalent to Commonwealth work experience for civil service roles, ensuring former federal employees with valuable experience can more easily apply for essential vacant positions with the Commonwealth. The Executive Order focuses on adding workforce in already-funded job positions to serve Pennsylvanians more efficiently and effectively.

    As part of this Executive Order, the Shapiro Administration will also begin an aggressive effort to recruit federal employees into Pennsylvania’s workforce, launching a new website with key information about exciting state government opportunities that align with their experience and hosting virtual and in-person job fairs for federal employees. That effort builds on the Shapiro Administration‘s work to streamline Commonwealth hiring processes, open the doors of opportunity for those who want to serve, and recruit a team that represents all of Pennsylvania. As a result of that work so far, the Shapiro Administration has reduced hiring times by 32 percent and filled nearly 600 previously vacant permitting, licensing, and certification (PLC) jobs.

    The Governor signed the Executive Order at the second annual Commonwealth Job Fair in Harrisburg, where over 40 state agencies provided job seekers with information about public service careers and hundreds of open positions to nearly 900 registered attendees.

    “Under my Administration, we’ve worked to speed up hiring, fill essential vacancies, and recruit more qualified employees who have helped us cut processing times, reduce wait lists, and deliver results for the people of Pennsylvania,” said Governor Shapiro. “Right now, Pennsylvania still has 540 critical jobs to fill – and we have an opportunity to recruit federal workers and veterans who have significant experience and expertise in all of these fields because they’ve held these jobs already at the federal level or in the military. Under this Executive Order, my Administration will consider relevant federal work experience as equivalent to Commonwealth work experience so skilled, experienced federal employees can pre-qualify for existing open positions with the Commonwealth – while continuing to protect pathways for veterans to continue their service.”

    Speaker list:
    Governor Josh Shapiro
    Commissioner Pam Iovino, State Civil Service Commission
    Jonathan Skripka, Commonwealth employee
    Representatived Justin Fleming
    Representative Carol Hill-Evans
    Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PITTSBURGH – Shapiro Administration to Emphasize the Need for Postpartum Depression Screenings for All Pennsylvania Mothers

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    March 06, 2025 – Pittsburgh, PA

    ADVISORY – PITTSBURGH – Shapiro Administration to Emphasize the Need for Postpartum Depression Screenings for All Pennsylvania Mothers

    Shapiro Administration officials will join local maternal health leaders at the Allegheny Health Network’s Alexis Joy D’Achille Center for Perinatal Mental Health in Pittsburgh to highlight Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposal to identify postpartum depression more quickly and discuss the Administration’s efforts to implement universal postpartum depression screenings for all Pennsylvania moms.

    Postpartum depression can occur weeks and months after childbirth, where mothers experience extreme sadness, anxiety, and fatigue that may make it difficult to carry out daily tasks, including caring for themselves or their babies.

    Postpartum depression affects one in eight moms across the country.

    Building on Governor Shapiro’s $5 million investment to study and prevent maternal morbidity and mortality, the Governor’s 2025-2026 budget proposal directs the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) to prepare doctors and nurses to identify signs of postpartum depression more quickly and speed up referrals to mental health professionals.

    WHO:
    Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen
    Department of Human Services Special Advisor Sara Goulet
    Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Deputy Secretary Kelly Primus
    AHN West Penn Hospital President Dr. Brian Johnson
    AHN Women’s Behavioral Health Medical Director Dr. Ewurama Sackey
    UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Chief of Psychiatry and psychiatrist at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital Dr. Priya Gopalan
    The Alexis Joy Foundation President Steven D’Achille

    WHEN:
    Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 11:30 AM

    WHERE:
    AHN West Penn Hospital
    4800 Friendship Avenue
    Pittsburgh, PA 15224
    (First Floor)

    PARKING: Event parking can be obtained by contacting Allegheny Health Network’s Senior Public Relations Analyst, Emily Beatty, by emailing emily.beatty@highmarkhealth.org or calling 513-678-9620.

    MEDIA RSVP: Media interested in attending must RSVP with the name of the reporter and photojournalist to ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. 4th Fleet Conducts Maritime Staff Talks with Ecuador

    Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

    ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.  –  

    Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, hosted a delegation from the Ecuadorian Navy (Armada del Ecuador) for Maritime Staff Talks (MST) Feb. 27-28. The talks took place at historic St. Francis Barracks, Florida National Guard Headquarters.

    Sardiello, leading the U.S. delegation alongside representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard, welcomed the Ecuadorian Navy General Inspector, Rear Adm. Luis Eduardo Piedra and his delegation.

    “This meeting represents a valuable opportunity to deepen our coordination, interoperability, mutual understanding, directly contributing to strengthening U.S. and regional security and prosperity,” said Rear Adm. Sardiello.

    Rear Adm. Piedra echoed the sentiment of collaboration, emphasizing the importance of building trust during the talks.

    “Without a doubt, the efforts made in this successful MST materialized in several action items which will contribute to making both of our countries stronger, safer and more prosperous,” said Rear Adm. Piedra.

    Discussions focused on upcoming exercises, including Ecuador’s participation in UNITAS 2025, which will serve as a key event commemorating the upcoming 250th anniversaries of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. 

    Additionally, the Continuing Promise 2025 deployment was highlighted, with the USNS Comfort scheduled to make a stop in Ecuador as part of its six-mission stop humanitarian effort. 

    The U.S. delegation also provided updates on hybrid fleet operations in the Eastern Pacific.

    Ecuador delivered presentations and briefed the U.S. delegation on mission objectives and maritime domain operations conducted by their Navy, both domestically and regionally. 

    The MST concluded with tour of the Castillo de San Marcos, a gift exchange, and Rear Adm. Sardiello and Rear Adm. Piedra signing minutes, signifying agreement on key points and continued collaboration. Both leaders expressed a shared commitment to reinforcing the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Ecuador in the maritime domain.

    U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet serves as a trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South American maritime forces, promoting unity, security, and stability in the region.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How the EU is preparing to play hardball in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén, Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster

    US president Donald Trump sees himself as a born negotiator with a knack for driving a hard bargain and striking a good deal. When it comes to trade, his approach is clearly positional, and negotiations are treated as zero-sum games with winners and losers.

    Imposing tariffs – or threatening to do so – is his preferred way of exerting influence over US trading partners. While tariffs are unilaterally imposed – and not the result of negotiations – they can be interpreted as an opening gambit to gain leverage in trade negotiations further down the line.

    Since taking office, Trump has already announced a series of sweeping new tariffs, including an across-the-board steel and aluminium tariff to be effective from March 12.

    He has also presented the “fair and reciprocal plan” aimed at correcting any trade imbalances facing the US, including the EU’s trade surplus in cars. And most recently, he threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all imported goods from the EU.

    As the biggest trading partner of the US, the EU is concerned. Yet the EU is also a formidable negotiator.

    Negotiations are very much part of the EU’s DNA. They are the bloc’s preferred way of engaging with third countries, and in trade the European Commission negotiates on behalf of the member states, projecting a unified EU front. With more trade agreements in place than any other country or regional bloc, it is considered a champion of a liberal global trade order.

    Unlike Trump, the EU prefers a more open approach. Negotiations are considered win-win games, with a focus on relation-building and trying to understand where the other party comes.

    Its response to the provocation from Washington has been rapid and strategic. Even so, the EU has already found that the only option with Trump is to play him at his own game.

    The art of other deals

    Sticking with what it knows best, the EU has hurried to conclude trade negotiations with other partners to offset some of the economic losses resulting from potential US tariffs, and to demonstrate its continued commitment to trade liberalisation and international cooperation.

    Since Trump’s election, the EU has finalised negotiations for a groundbreaking trade deal with Mercosur – a South American trade bloc bringing together Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. This agreement –- if ratified – will create a market of 800 million citizens and boost trade and political ties between the two regions.

    Indirectly rejecting Trump’s “America first” approach, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, stressed how the EU-Mercosur agreement is a political necessity, “bringing together like-minded partners that believe in openness and cooperation as engines of economic growth”.

    The EU has also concluded negotiations on trade agreements with Switzerland and Mexico, relaunched negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement with Malaysia, and is aiming for a trade deal with India this year.

    This reaction is similar to the EU’s response to the isolationist approach taken by Trump during his first administration. Most significantly, it then reached an extensive free trade agreement with Japan.

    Cecilia Malmström, the EU trade commissioner at the time, highlighted how the EU and Japan were “”sending a strong signal to the world that two of its biggest economies still believe in open trade, opposing both unilateralism and protectionism”.

    It was also the first time the EU used a trade agreement to commit to the Paris agreement on climate change – a commitment that was replicated in the EU-Mercosur agreement. This again, was a way of taking a stance against Trump’s broader rejection of multilateralism and withdrawal from the Paris agreement.

    Although not intentionally, Trump has triggered an expansion of the EU’s network of trade agreements. But while these are significant, they cannot fully protect the EU from the effects of US-imposed tariffs. After all, the EU and the US are each other’s largest trading partners, and they have the world’s most integrated economic relationship.

    For that reason, the EU has engaged in intensive diplomacy to try to avert the looming tariffs, and to lure the US to the negotiating table. It has expressed openness to lowering tariffs on industrial goods, including cars, while insisting such a move needs to form part of a broader negotiated deal, compatible with the rules of the WTO. However, these efforts have been to no avail.

    This has left the EU with no choice but to adopt Trump’s positional approach and threaten to impose retaliatory measures. In response to the economic pressure exerted by Trump in his first term, the EU has expanded its arsenal of punitive measures, including an anti-coercion instrument that allows for rapid retaliation.

    There has long been strong resistance to use such measures as it runs counter to the EU’s traditionally open negotiating approach, but the tone in Brussels has now hardened.

    A tit-for-tat tariff war would negatively affect businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. During his first term Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium, and the EU responded with targeted tariffs on goods, such as American whiskey and jeans.

    This was followed by a political agreement, opening the door for trade talks. While a trade deal never materialised, it demonstrates how both the US and the EU recognised the need for a de-escalation of the dispute, and a return to the negotiating table.

    This time around, the looming tariffs are more comprehensive, and they would have more far-reaching implications. The question is how long – and how damaging – the trade war will be before the parties return to the negotiating table. After all, that’s where you reach a deal.

    Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How the EU is preparing to play hardball in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats – https://theconversation.com/how-the-eu-is-preparing-to-play-hardball-in-the-face-of-donald-trumps-tariff-threats-251506

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Growing Trump-Putin detente could spell trouble for the Arctic

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Duncan Depledge, Senior Lecturer in Geopolitics and Security, Loughborough University

    vitstudio/Shutterstock

    During a wide-ranging 90-minute speech to the US congress of March 4, Donald Trump revisited his determination to “get” Greenland “one way or the other”. Trump said his country needed Greenland “for national security”. While he said he and his government “strongly support your right to determine your own future” he added that “if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America”.

    Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland and its considerable mineral wealth are just one of a raft of issues in the first six weeks of his second term that have plunged European global politics into disarray.

    As the White House ramps up the pressure on Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to allow the US access to Ukraine’s mineral wealth, the US president is also talking about “cutting a deal” with Russian president Vladimir Putin. That deal would not only mean territorial losses for Kyiv, but would prepare the ground for a potentially far-reaching economic partnership between the White House and the Kremlin.

    Currently, Trump and Putin are primarily focused on Ukrainian territory and mineral assets. But discussions have also begun on where else “deals” might be made, including in the Arctic.

    A carve up of the Arctic is an attractive proposition for the two countries given the importance both leaders attach to mineral resource wealth. As in the case of Ukraine, such an approach would reflect Trump’s predisposition for transactional geopolitics at the expense of multilateral approaches.

    In the Arctic, any deal would effectively end the principle of “circumpolar cooperation”. This has, since the end of the cold war, upheld the regional primacy of the eight Arctic states (A8) that have cooperated to solve common challenges.

    Since the Arctic Council was established in 1996, the A8 has worked on issues of environmental protection, sustainable development, human security and scientific collaboration. That harmony has been crucial in an era in which climate change is causing the rapid melting of Arctic ice.

    Notably, the Arctic Council played an instrumental role in negotiating several legally binding treaties. These include agreements on search and rescue (2011), marine oil pollution preparedness (2013) and scientific cooperation (2017). It also supported the Central Arctic Ocean fisheries agreement (CAO) signed in 2018 by the Arctic Ocean states with Iceland, the EU, China, Japan and South Korea.

    The Arctic Council – and more broadly, circumpolar cooperation – withstood the geopolitical aftershocks of Russia’s seizure of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2015. But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine left trust teetering on the precipice.

    Within a month, European and North American members had pressed pause on regular meetings of the Arctic Council and its scientific working groups, isolating Moscow. Some activity eventually resumed at the working group level in virtual formats, but full engagement with Russia has remained conditional on a military withdrawal from Ukraine. Meanwhile, hefty sanctions were imposed by the US and Europe, including targeting Russian Arctic energy projects.

    Russia’s response was to enhance its relationships with others. Countries such as Brazil, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia now work with Russia in the Arctic on commercial and scientific projects. This pivot raised concerns among Nato allies about a stronger and challenging Russia-China presence across the Arctic. But the second Trump administration has changed the calculus. There’s now the threat of a new Arctic order based on the primacy – not of the A8 – but on a reset of US-Russia relations.

    Change of focus

    Trump’s signing of an executive order on February 4 to determine whether to withdraw support from international institutions may lead the White House to conclude there is no place for the Arctic Council. Its longstanding focus on climate change and environmental protection is anathema to the Trump administration, which has already withdrawn from the Paris agreement and is destroying domestic climate-related science programmes.

    Climate change is bringing increased competition for access to valuable resources.
    Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock

    The longstanding commitment of the A8 to circumpolar cooperation, or even a narrow A5 (Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the US) view of the primacy of the Arctic Ocean coastal states, is likely to be dismissed by the White House, which favours the embrace of great power politics. While many have warned that the Arctic Council can’t survive without Russia, losing US interest and support would surely be its death knell.

    In this landscape of “America first”, the prospect of Washington and Moscow dividing the Arctic and its resources seems increasingly realistic. In such a situation, the international treaties signed by the A8, and the CAO may also be at risk. Denmark may find itself excluded altogether from Arctic affairs if Trump gets his way over Greenland. At any rate, all the Nordic Arctic states are likely to struggle to make their voices in the region heard.

    A key question for European Nato and EU members is whether Trump would worry about Russian dominance in the European Arctic if it brought US-Russia economic cooperation to extract the region’s wealth? Might Trump even be supportive of Russian attempts to revisit the terms of the 1920 Spitsbergen Treaty, which ultimately gave Norway sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago (albeit with some limitations), if that too meant jointly unlocking Svalbard’s mineral resources let alone the wealth of the Arctic seabed?

    What room, if any, would a deal leave for Indigenous people to be heard, or for international scientific collaboration on critical challenges related to climate and biodiversity?

    If we have learned anything in the tumult of recent weeks, it is that European countries, individually and collectively, struggle to exercise strategic influence over contemporary geopolitical events. If Trump and Putin do begin negotiations over the Arctic, Europe may simply have to accept the end of the Arctic Council and circumpolar cooperation.

    Climate science, environmental protection, sustainable development and the ability of Indigenous people to decide their future would all suffer. The UK and Europe meanwhile will be left to consider what, if anything, can be done to defend Arctic interests.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Growing Trump-Putin detente could spell trouble for the Arctic – https://theconversation.com/growing-trump-putin-detente-could-spell-trouble-for-the-arctic-251386

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Blumenthal Raise Concerns Over Proposed $1 Spending Limit on VA Purchasing Cards

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), are raising concern over a proposed spending limit of $1 on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) purchasing cards — the cards used to pay for gas to transport disabled veterans to appointments, buy medical supplies, and more. The drastically reduced spending limit proposed by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would effectively render the purchasing cards useless and make it more difficult for VA staff to provide critical support and care for veterans. In a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins, the Senators call for the reevaluation of cuts to the VA purchasing card program, which would adversely impact veterans’ access to health care.
    “It has come to our attention the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is considering a reduction in the spending limits on all VA purchasing cards to no more than $1 at the request of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. We have serious concerns these actions will impair critical daily operations across the entire Department and result in immediate and lasting impacts on veterans’ timely access to safe and high-quality care. These cards are used by VA staff to purchase vital medical supplies and prosthetics. They are used to purchase gas for campus shuttles to transport disabled veterans to and from their medical appointments,” the Senators wrote.
    “Rather than continuing to sign off on every arbitrary and destructive idea from DOGE, we hope you will instead start meaningfully consulting with senior leaders across the agency to better understand the real-world consequences your actions have on this nation’s veterans, their families, and their caregivers. We therefore urge you to put veterans first and withdraw from efforts to dismantle VA’s purchasing card program,” the Senators concluded.
    The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
    +++
    Dear Secretary Collins,
    It has come to our attention the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is considering a reduction in the spending limits on all VA purchasing cards to no more than $1 at the request of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. We have serious concerns these actions will impair critical daily operations across the entire Department and result in immediate and lasting impacts on veterans’ timely access to safe and high-quality care. These cards are used by VA staff to purchase vital medical supplies and prosthetics. They are used to purchase gas for campus shuttles to transport disabled veterans to and from their medical appointments. They allow VA employees to travel across the country to oversee programs and ensure their proper execution on behalf of veterans and taxpayers. VA clinicians use them to visit homebound patients, and VA social workers use them to travel to homeless outreach programs. And any pauses or delays in access to the goods and services provided through these purchase cards could put veterans’ lives at stake.
    Despite the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, VA still relies on a “just-in-time” supply chain. Oftentimes, much-needed supplies do not arrive on time due to factors beyond anyone’s control, and facilities are forced to purchase these items locally to ensure patient care is not interrupted. Moreover, of the up to 875 contracts you tried to cancel earlier this week, one relates specifically to managing inventory for VA’s larger medical supply purchasing program. If VA’s overall medical supply inventory is no longer being managed appropriately and facilities no longer have the option to buy supplies or services locally via functioning purchase cards, how will VA medical facilities remain operational? As one frustrated VA employee noted, even band-aids at the dollar store now cost more than a dollar.
    For over a decade, Congress has been acutely aware of concerns surrounding the potential for waste, fraud, and abuse generated by purchasing cards. It has been the subject of numerous oversight hearings and reports from VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office. Due to these efforts, VA has taken considerable steps to improve the program’s oversight and governance. As an added measure, the OIG continues to conduct an annual audit of the purchasing card program to review compliance with VA’s internal controls.
    Rather than continuing to sign off on every arbitrary and destructive idea from DOGE, we hope you will instead start meaningfully consulting with senior leaders across the agency to better understand the real-world consequences your actions have on this nation’s veterans, their families, and their caregivers. We therefore urge you to put veterans first and withdraw from efforts to dismantle VA’s purchasing card program.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Peters Introduce Bill to Protect Americans’ DNA, National Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the Genomic Data Protection Act to give Americans using at-home DNA tests the choice to delete their genomic data and destroy their biological samples. Around 21% of Americans have taken a mail-in a DNA test from a direct-to-consumer genomic testing company. The absence of privacy protections allows for the potential selling of American’s data, posing a risk to consumers and the country’s national security if a bad actors obtains the information.
    “Americans want to know what happens to their data after an at-home DNA test,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Let’s give them control over their own genomic data. It should be private if they want it to be.”
    “American citizens should have the right to control how their unique health and genetic information is being used and stored,” said Senator Peters. “This bill would give consumers the power to access their personal genomic data, delete it from a company’s platform, and ultimately destroy it if they choose.”
    Arizona, California, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming have consumer protections related to the genomic data held by direct-to-consumer genomic testing companies. However, there is no federal framework that empowers Americans to protect the privacy of their personal genomic data. The legislation tasks the Federal Trade Commission with enforcing the Genomic Privacy Protection Act.  
    The Genomic Data Protection Act would: 
    Require direct-to-consumer genomic testing companies to enable a consumer to access their genomic data, delete their genomic data, and destroy their biological samples;
    Require direct-to-consumer genomic testing companies to notify consumers about the upcoming purchase or acquisition of a direct-to-consumer genomic testing companies and remind consumers of their rights to access, delete, and destroy their genomic data and biological sample;
    Require direct-to-consumer genomic testing companies to process deletion requests within 30 days. The companies must also notify consumers that their request was processed 30 days after the data was deleted; and,
    Stipulate that deidentified data can only be used for medical research in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Statement Ahead of President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a statement regarding President Donald Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress.
    “Last November, the American people delivered a mandate for President Trump to secure the border, scrutinize federal spending, restore American leadership, end the politicization of the Justice Department and bring common sense to Washington.
    “Since returning to office, President Trump has swept through Washington like a hurricane. He’s making necessary changes to hold bureaucrats accountable, save taxpayer dollars and end the radical Biden-Harris policies that weakened our country. 
    “I look forward to listening to President Trump tonight as he discusses the many ways he’s delivering for the American people, including through his efforts to secure our southern border and crack down on deadly fentanyl. I also hope he’ll take time to outline his support for family farmers, who make up just 2% of the population, yet produce enough to feed the other 98%.
    “In Congress, Republicans will keep working with the president to strengthen our military, economy and border security.”
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, McConnell Introduce Legislation to Enhance Accountability at Federal Prisons

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reintroduced the Federal Prisons Accountability Act. The legislation would bring greater accountability to federal prisons by requiring the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to be confirmed by the Senate. Currently, the BOP Director is not subject to Senate confirmation, despite having significant authority over taxpayer dollars and federal personnel.
    “The Director of the Bureau of Prisons oversees a massive budget and thousands of employees, including many Iowans. It’s a significant responsibility that requires serious oversight to protect inmates and employees from mismanagement or abuse. Requiring the BOP Director to face Senate confirmation would bring much needed transparency and accountability to the federal prison system,” Grassley said.
    “The Senate plays a vital role in staffing the federal government, evaluating the qualifications of more than a thousand presidential nominees to ensure transparency and accountability. The Director of the Bureau of Prisons oversees thousands of employees and a multi-billion-dollar budget, and should be subject to Senate review and confirmation as well. Our bill would extend the Senate’s advice and consent role to the Bureau of Prisons Director and expand supervision over this federal agency. The thousands of Americans – and hundreds of Kentuckians – employed by the Bureau of Prisons deserve Senate oversight and an added layer of protection from harm,” McConnell said.
    Background:
    The Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2025 would require the President to appoint the BOP Director with the advice and consent of the Senate. The legislation would also limit a BOP Director’s tenure to a single, 10-year term.
    Unlike most Department of Justice (DOJ) administrators and directors, the BOP Director is appointed by the Attorney General – not the President – without Senate consideration. The BOP Director supervises the federal prison employees who serve in over 120 facilities across the country. This legislation would subject the Director to the same congressional scrutiny as other top law enforcement agency chiefs within the DOJ, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives Director and the Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Curb Food Waste

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the bipartisan Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act to prevent and reduce food waste across the country. Each year, the U.S. produces and imports 237 million tons of food, but 31 percent of this food is never sold or eaten, while millions of Americans experience food insecurity.
    “Too many families suffer from food insecurity. The Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa has demonstrated the economic and environmental benefits of reducing food waste, and Congress should act to build on this impactful work. Our legislation would recognize businesses for using excess food responsibly and incentivize others to improve their practices,” Grassley said.
    “While millions of Americans face food insecurity, millions of tons of food waste end up in landfills every year and contribute to methane emissions that drive the climate crisis. We must address these crises for the sake of hungry families, our economy and our environment. Today, I’m reintroducing the bipartisan Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act with Senator Grassley to move our country toward more conscious consumption and curbing food waste,” Durbin said.
    “Food waste continues to be a national concern for our communities, especially here in Iowa, where 22 percent of all waste going to our landfills is food. We look forward to working with Senators Durbin and Grassley to support the Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act through our continued initiatives at the Iowa Waste Reduction Center,” said Mark Nook, President of the University of Northern Iowa.
    Specifically, the Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act would establish a “Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification,” and direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create:
    Criteria, which businesses and organizations would have to meet to receive a Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification;
    A verification process, to confirm that businesses and organizations have achieved the criteria; and
    A label, which certified businesses and organizations would be authorized to use on their products, buildings and websites.
    The “Food Loss and Waste Reduction Certification” would be similar to existing certifications, such as ENERGY STAR and the BioPreferred Program. The Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act would direct USDA to promote the certification to ensure that consumers are informed about which businesses and organizations have received it.
    The Reduce Food Loss and Waste Act has support from the University of Northern Iowa, National Restaurant Association and Consumer Brands Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, World Wildlife Fund, Too Good To Go, Kellanova and FMI – The Food Industry Association.
    Background:
    Food waste has significant economic, environmental and social impacts. More than $440 billion is spent annually to produce and dispose of food that is never consumed or sold. Sending uneaten food to landfills or incinerators uses up more than 20 trillion liters of water, which is equivalent to the annual water use of 50 million homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
    Additionally, just one-third of food waste, if saved from disposal, could feed the 47 million Americans, including 14 million children, who are suffering from food insecurity, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Report Reveals Obama-Biden State Department’s Refusal to Exact Justice Against Iranian Terrorists

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released investigative findings detailing the full scope of the Obama-Biden State Department’s pervasive obstruction of FBI law enforcement efforts before, during and after the Iran Nuclear Deal negotiations. According to legally protected whistleblower disclosures, FBI arrest efforts against high-level Iranian targets were severely hampered until President Trump took office in 2016; Trump’s election “result[ed] in an immediate move back toward normal enforcement of the law against the Iran regime and its supporters.”
    “This report offers chilling evidence the Obama-Biden administration jeopardized our national security and demoralized the morale of FBI agents who were working to keep Americans safe,” Grassley said. “Democrats’ historic refusal to get tough on Iran emboldened its regime and allowed Tehran to continue funding global acts of terrorism, like what we saw on October 7, 2023. We should all be breathing a sigh of relief President Trump is back in the White House to restore American strength on the world stage and hold Iran accountable for its evil acts.”
    Per a legally protected whistleblower disclosure: “The State Department and Obama-Biden administration officials persistently and systematically derailed criminal and national security investigations, creating a shadow amnesty program that protected scores of additional Iranian criminals. FBI offices abandoned dozens of Iran-related investigations and U.S. Attorneys shut down prosecutions after recognizing the State Department and DOJ obstruction would thwart effective enforcement efforts.”
    Read Grassley’s staff report HERE.
    Findings:
    Unclassified FBI email records show the State Department, under the leadership of then-Secretary of State John Kerry, repeatedly blocked FBI officials from executing arrests on individuals involved in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Per an FBI official, in at least once instance, “Secretary of State [Kerry] personally told DOJ officials that they were to stand down on an arrest.” Kerry’s actions flew in the face of his sworn testimony to Congress; ahead of the Iran Nuclear Deal’s signing, Kerry promised Congress the deal would not prevent the U.S. from using its authorities to hold Iran accountable “for terrorism, human rights, missiles or any other non-nuclear reason.” 

    FBI officials elevated their concerns regarding the State Department’s obstruction to the highest rungs of DOJ leadership – including then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch – to no avail. As arrest opportunities passed, one FBI official wrote, “We are all beside ourselves on asking the field to stand down on a layup arrest, however as it stands right now we all have to sit back and wait until all the US and Iran negotiations resolve themselves.”

    A State Department official characterized the absurdity of the Obama-Biden administration’s inactive law enforcement posture, writing to an FBI official, “it’s a little like WTF that [the arrest is] being held up (if you’ll excuse the phrasing). However it is what it is.”

    Ultimately, FBI officials resigned to take steps documenting the State Department’s stonewalling “should there ever be a special investigation/hearing etc. on why FBI could not action law, and potentially prevent [a] national security incident.”

    The Biden-Harris administration last year failed to muster a response to Grassley’s initial findings regarding this obstruction. Today’s report provides the fullest public account of the Obama-Biden State Department’s unlawful actions.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Coons Reignite Effort to Bolster Mental Health Services for First Responders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    Download audio HERE.
    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Committee member Chris Coons (D-Del.) are reintroducing bipartisan legislation to help enhance mental health services for first responders nationwide. The Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Act (S.825) would direct the Justice Department (DOJ) to develop treatment programs for police, fire, emergency medical and 911 personnel who suffer from PTSD or acute stress disorders. The bill unanimously passed the Senate last Congress.
    “Americans rely on first responders and dispatchers in times of crisis. However, first responders’ high-stakes work can quietly take a toll,” Grassley said. “Our bipartisan bill takes an essential step towards ensuring first responders in Iowa and across the country have ready access to the care they need and deserve.”
    “As co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, I will continue to stand behind our first responders and ensure they are supported when they sacrifice their well-being for our communities’ safety,” Coons said. “These heroic public servants in Delaware and across America suffer significantly higher rates of PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation than the general population. I’m proud to support the Fighting PTSD Act because we cannot wait to address this crisis.”
    Additional cosponsors include Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
    The Fighting PTSD Act is endorsed by Major County Sheriffs of America, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and the Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD.
    Find bill text HERE. Click HERE to download audio of Grassley discussing the legislation.
    Background:
    It’s estimated 30 percent of first responders will develop a mental health condition at some point in their lives. The Fighting PTSD Act would require the DOJ to work hand-in-hand with stakeholders to establish evidence-based treatment programs for first responders across the country – similar to mental health services available to military personnel.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tackling seafood fraud: Hawaii Senator introduces new bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new effort led by Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz looks to crack down on foreign and intentionally mislabeled ahi.
    On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act.
    The bipartisan bill would direct NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to “develop a standard way to identify the country of origin of red snapper and certain species of tuna imported into the United States.”
    “Seafood that’s caught illegally or intentionally mislabeled rips off consumers and makes it harder for law-abiding U.S. fishermen to compete,” said Senator Schatz.
    He added the bill would fight against those who try to pass off cheap, foreign tuna for high-quality ahi sold by local Hawaii fishermen.

    US fisheries, including the Hawai‘i Longline fishery, are among the most regulated in the world and we appreciate Congress taking steps to protect domestic fishermen and our markets. Hawai‘i-landed tuna is known for its sustainability and quality and the ability to detect tuna origin to deter seafood fraud is important and we are very appreciative of this effort.
    Mike Goto, Director of the United Fishing Agency
    Currently, there is no technology available to determine the geographic origin of tuna and red snapper.
    If the bill is passed, officials hope to develop a field test kit that can be used to accurately determine if the fish was caught in U.S. or foreign waters.
    Federal and state law enforcement officers would then be able to “intercept illegally caught or falsely labeled red snapper and tuna before it enters the U.S. market.”
    The measure will now head to the full Senate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump’s Dismantling of USAID is Anarchy Masquerading as Efficiency

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    Nothing about Donald Trump’s hasty and illegal attempted dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—and with it, the decapitation of American power—is remotely efficient. Just this week, USAID’s now-former Inspector General found that there is currently half a billion dollars’ worth of American-grown food stranded at ports and warehouses across the country, on the verge of spoiling. That’s corn and rice and lentils and soybeans, grown in Iowa and Kansas and Texas and Oklahoma, that would have otherwise fed children in a school in Bangladesh or famished refugees at a camp in war-torn Sudan. (The Inspector General was subsequently fired for disclosing this information.)
    Similarly, there’s no efficiency being achieved by obstructing one of the most successful global health programs in history—the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief—which has saved 26 million lives over the past two decades. PEPFAR currently provides HIV treatment to over 20 million people around the world, meaning every day aid isn’t flowing inches us closer to the very outbreaks we’ve worked so hard to prevent.
    Whether it’s delivering clean water to communities across Africa; or promoting economic development through education in Mali and small business support in El Salvador; or providing life-saving care in Thailand and Syria; or fighting human trafficking in Nepal and Liberia, thousands of USAID workers and contractors make miracles big and small happen every day.
    But USAID succeeds as more than just a moral matter. Each year, it pours billions of dollars back into the U.S. economy, supporting farmers and businesses that provide food and other supplies. It also helps fight terrorist groups and drug cartels that endanger Americans, while deepening American values and interests in every corner of the globe. But perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of USAID’s work is its singular ability to forge relationships with unlikely partners which help combat the harmful influence of adversaries like China and Russia.
    It’s no surprise, then, that Beijing and Moscow are now cheering on our sudden retreat. They’re not wasting any time filling the void, either. Within days of USAID’s closure, China sent aid and dispatched workers to take on projects we’ve abandoned in the Indo Pacific and Africa. Intended or not, that will be the enduring consequence of this episode of chaos: an emboldened China, all-too-eager to exploit American isolation to grow its own power and influence.
    Like any organization, USAID is not perfect. There are inefficiencies and redundancies, and evolving challenges and emerging technologies present opportunities for improvement. It’s also entirely legitimate to question whether U.S. funding is aligned with our current priorities and interests and seek to adjust it as needed within the four corners of the law. Doing that is one of Congress’ most fundamental responsibilities—and something I was eager to work on when I became the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing foreign aid last month.
    But the abrupt and total shutdown of USAID—in defiance of multiple federal laws through which it was codified and funded—reveals a simple truth: The Department of Government Efficiency is not actually about achieving efficiency. Rather, it’s about Trump trying to wish away whichever parts of the government he doesn’t like. Were a purge of this nature to happen in a country halfway around the world, we would rightly call it an authoritarian takeover. The fact that it’s happening at our own doorstep doesn’t change that.
    Much of what DOGE claims to have newly unearthed are either outright lies or were already publicly available for all to see. Worse, there’s no telling what funding they deem unnecessary—except for vague, baseless descriptions like “woke” and “radical” and “criminal.”
    The way to make reforms is through the lawmaking process—not the lawbreaking process. If you believe that a program needs to be narrowed in scope, reformed a great deal, or even eliminated altogether, the way to do that is by proposing a law—not by rampaging the federal government and stripping it for parts. Our government with three separate but co-equal branches exists precisely to prevent this kind of anarchy operating under a thin veneer of fiscal responsibility and shrewd cost-cutting.
    Moving fast and breaking things may be an acceptable way to conduct business at a tech company. But a break now, fix later strategy doesn’t work when you’re the leader of the free world. What’s on the line is not advertising revenue and the user experience, but lives and livelihoods. Hundreds of millions of them, in fact. People will die, diseases will spread, and famine will grow. Trump is trying to hoodwink Americans into thinking the only way to achieve efficiency is by exacting maximum chaos and cruelty. It’s a false choice and we must reject it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz To Meet With Federal Workers, Nonprofit Organizations In Hawai‘i Impacted By Trump Funding Freeze, Mass Layoffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    WASHINGTON – Tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. HT, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) will meet with nonprofit organizations that serve communities harmed by President Donald Trump’s funding freeze and federal workers in Hawai‘i who were recently laid off through no fault of their own, as part of President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s unprecedented assault on the federal workforce. They will discuss how Trump’s moves to stop federal funding and fire thousands of workers across the country have negatively impacted Hawai‘i residents, communities, and our local economy.
    “Hawai‘i’s nonprofits and federal workers care for veterans, protect our national parks and other public lands, and provide essential services that keep people safe and healthy. They serve the public and keep our government running. Instead of recognizing the critical work they do, they have been unfairly and illegally attacked by President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Hawai‘i’s federal workers and their families deserve better,” said Senator Schatz.
    The virtual meetings will include former federal workers and nonprofits in Hawai‘i that provide essential health care and education services, and help preserve Hawai‘i’s wildlife and environment.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Condemns Trump’s Illegal Dismantling Of USAID As Internal Memos Warn Of Millions Of Deaths, Global Humanitarian Catastrophe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
    WASHINGTON — During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, called attention to President Donald Trump’s unlawful efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), warning that it puts millions of lives and American interests at risk.
    “Because we haven’t had Secretary Rubio here to talk about the evisceration of USAID, it is important for everybody to understand exactly what happened,” said Senator Schatz. “The so-called Department of Government Efficiency had said that they’re going to feed USAID to the woodchipper. That does not sound like a good faith review.”
    Citing USAID’s own internal memos, Schatz outlined the dire consequences of Trump’s closure of the agency, including up to 18 million additional cases of malaria per year leading to as many as 166,000 deaths; 200,000 children paralyzed with polio annually with hundreds of millions of infections; a million children left without treatment for severe malnutrition each year; and more than 28,000 new cases of deadly diseases like Ebola and Marburg annually.
    “Does the United States of America, under any president, support 18 million additional cases of malaria? Is that who we’ve become? Is that America first?” Senator Schatz continued. “We’re going to disagree about a lot in the foreign policy space, but we should not disagree about abiding by the law. We should not disagree that babies, when we can prevent it, should not get HIV/AIDS from their moms. I am just hoping, I am praying, I am begging that we can get back to a bipartisan consensus that we don’t cut off our nose to spite our face. We are the good guys. We do not cause death on purpose.”
    The full text of Senator Schatz’s remarks is below. Video is available here.
    I’ve been in the Senate for more than ten years. Only one other time, I’ve not asked a question. I’m not going to ask a question. I think it’s very important that all of us, because we haven’t had Secretary Rubio here to talk about the evisceration of USAID, it is important for everybody to understand exactly what happened.
    I’m just going to lay out the facts here. First of all, it’s important to understand that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency had said that they’re going to feed USAID to the woodchipper. That does not sound like a good faith review. They said it was going to be a 90-day review. And then when a federal court said that they had to not violate the Foreign Assistance Act and the appropriations law and the Prompt Payments Act and the Impoundment Act, they came back, and they eliminated 5,800 programs at AID and another 4,000 at State. Flatly illegal.
    Any administration is within their rights, maybe even obliged, to review and reform spending. The way to review and reform spending is in this building. Senator Graham, the chairman of the SFOPS committee, and myself, as the ranking member of the SFOPS committee, had a very constructive conversation about how to better align the State Department’s objectives with USAID’s objectives.
    And by the way, this has been a bipartisan complaint over many, many administrations that they are not sufficiently aligned and that we’re not targeting economic assistance, foreign military financing, and humanitarian aid as precisely as we ought to. And maybe even that some of the NGOs and for-profits that deliver the aid ought to be held accountable, just like in the Defense Department, just like any other department for reducing their overhead costs.
    I said, ‘I’m in.’ Two days later, they send 94% of employees home. Secretary Rubio reassures us multiple times, most of us on this committee on a bipartisan basis, ‘Don’t worry, there’s a waiver process.’ There is a waiver process. The problem is the building is shut down and nobody has access to their emails. You cannot process a waiver for life-saving humanitarian aid with no personnel.
    And so if there is an effort to reform USAID, to tighten up what it is that we do, to make sure that… and everybody, by the way, has, since I got on this committee and before, everybody talks about how smart China is for having Belt and Road, for making friends across the planet and how cheap it is to do this kind of diplomacy compared to the Department of Defense.
    And we admire that, and we ponder it, and we say we should do our own version of that. That’s USAID. It’s also parts of the State Department. And so I am all in for a 90-day review. But I just want everybody to understand what is happening now. A, what is happening is illegal. It is violating the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998. It is violating the Impoundment Control Act, and it is violating annual appropriations bills. So first of all, it’s illegal.
    Second of all. According to USAID’s own internal memos, this closure will result in up to 18 million additional cases of malaria per year. Because of the United States’ illegal decision to shutter this agency. I can’t believe that this has taken on some sort of partisan vibe. Does the United States of America, under any president, support 18 million additional cases of malaria? Is that who we’ve become? Is that America first?
    We’re going to disagree about a lot in the foreign policy space, but we should not disagree about abiding by the law. We should not disagree that babies, when we can prevent it, should not get HIV/AIDS from their moms. And we should not disagree about a basic premise of foreign policy and the exercise of American might, which is: sometimes the smartest thing for us to do is to show up with help. We have been doing this on a bipartisan basis, and we have to get back to that.
    This idea of a waiver process is fine, except it’s not working. This idea of a 90 day review is fine, except in the meantime, we’ve eviscerated the program. And so I understand none of you are in the government. But I am just hoping, I am praying, I am begging that we can get back to a bipartisan consensus that we don’t cut off our nose to spite our face. We are the good guys. We do not cause death on purpose.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, Mar. 5, 2025

    Source: United States of America – The White House (video statements)

    The White House

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQMKP2cSdIk

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney Durham Launches the Eastern District of New York’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    Strike Force Focuses on Dismantling Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations

    U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York John J. Durham announced today the creation and launch of the Eastern District of New York’s Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) Strike Force. Capitalizing on the Office’s preeminence in this area, the Strike Force will focus on investigating, prosecuting and dismantling cartels and TCOs, and their senior leadership by bringing charges that include terrorism, racketeering and operating a continuing criminal enterprise.

    “I am establishing this Strike Force with immense pride in what this Office has already accomplished, as well as the knowledge that there is much more work to be done in the fight against TCOs,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Because of my Office’s significant experience and expertise in this area, we have a responsibility to our community and our country to dismantle these ruthless organizations from the top down in order to stop the violence, flow of drugs, and dangers they unleash in our District and across the nation.”

    For more than two decades, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has been a nationwide leader in prosecuting many of the most significant TCOs in the country and the world, including innovative indictments of the highest-ranking international leaders of the La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Sinaloa Cartel, Guadalajara Cartel, Juarez Cartel, H-2 Drug Cartel, Clan de Golfo and others.  In addition, this Office has investigated and prosecuted numerous other TCOs that have a significant operating presence in our district, including the Trinitarios, 18th Street and, more recently, Tren de Aragua (TdA). Notably, United States Attorney Durham has been at the forefront of these prosecutions, leading and serving on the Attorney General’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force Subcommittee for MS-13 and directing Joint Task Force Vulcan, while other AUSAs in the Office have served on the subcommittees for Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartel, Hezbollah and Clan de Golfo.

    Consistent with the Attorney General’s memorandum titled “TOTAL ELIMINATION OF CARTELS AND TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS” issued on February 5, 2025, which provided further guidance regarding President Trump’s January 20, 2025 Executive Order regarding TCOs such as TdA and MS-13, the Strike Force’s mission is as follows:

    • Investigating, prosecuting and dismantling cartels and TCOs, with a particular focus on their senior leadership and management, including without limitation: Mexican drug cartels such as the Sinaloa, H-2, Juarez, CJNG and Clan de Golfo cartels, and TCOs that have a significant operating presence in the District, such as MS-13, the Trinitarios, the 18th Street gang and TdA.   

    • Disrupting the criminal activities of TCOs, particularly those operating in the United States and/or that impact United States victims at home or abroad, including TCOs engaged in criminal activity involving terrorism; racketeering; drug trafficking, particularly with respect to fentanyl and fentanyl precursors; violent crime; human trafficking and smuggling; corruption of foreign officials; money laundering; immigration crimes; and fraud and cybercrime schemes.

    • Identifying the sources and methods of illicit funds related to TCO financing and profits, and seizing and forfeiting bank accounts, digital assets, real property and other assets that are criminally derived, commingled with criminal proceeds, or otherwise involved in money laundering by or in support of TCOs.

    • Coordinating the investigative efforts of the Office’s federal law enforcement partners in the Eastern District and beyond, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, as well as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program (HIDTA), state and local police departments and district attorneys’ offices.

    • Strengthening the Office’s partnerships and coordination with other Department of Justice components, including the National Security Division, Criminal Division, Joint Task Force Vulcan, Joint Task Force 10-7, Joint Task Force Alpha, OCDETF, MLARS, NDDS, OIA and other United States Attorney’s Offices. 

    The Chief of the International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section Francisco J. Navarro has been selected to serve as Director of the EDNY TCO Strike Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan E. Farrell and Gabriel Park have been selected as Deputy Directors.  In addition, the Strike Force will have at least one representative from each section of the Office’s Criminal Division to capitalize on existing experience, coordinate strategic focus and maximize resources to make an even more significant impact combatting TCOs. The Strike Force will also include OCDETF-designated AUSAs, Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) coordinators, as well as a designated representative from the Civil Division to ensure the Strike Force leverages civil remedies as appropriate.  The Strike Force will also coordinate closely with the Office’s Immigration Enforcement Working Group.

    Francisco J. Navarro

    AUSA Navarro joined the Department in 2013 and the Office in 2018 after serving as an AUSA in the District of New Jersey.  He has been in charge of INML since April 2023.  He received his B.A. from Boston University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

    AUSA Navarro has prosecuted several significant narcotics, national security and material support cases.  He has also prosecuted significant white collar cases involving sanctions evasion, money laundering and the Bank Secrecy Act.  For example,  AUSA Navarro is part of the team prosecuting Rafael Caro Quintero for leading a continuing criminal enterprise, including his role in the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.  He is also leading the team prosecuting Ismael Zambada Garcia (aka “El Mayo”) for his founding and two-decade leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel—a continuing criminal enterprise—and one of the most violent and powerful drug cartels in the world.  In United States v. Usuga David, et al., he led the team that obtained a 45-year prison sentence against Dairo Usuga David (aka “Otoniel”) who was the supreme leader of the Clan del Golfo and was considered the most dangerous narco-terrorist in Colombia since Pablo Escobar.  AUSA Navarro also led the team that obtained the first indictments in the nation against Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and employees for importing fentanyl precursors into the United States and working with Mexican cartels to manufacture and distribute fentanyl in the United States.  In addition, AUSA Navarro is also leading the prosecution of Mohammad Bazzi, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and financier for Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization on sanctions evasion and money laundering charges.  AUSA Navarro has been involved in multiple prosecutions of individuals and institutions for failing to follow United States laws regarding maintaining effective anti-money laundering programs, the prohibition on the provision of material support to designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, or other financial regulations.

    Megan E. Farrell

    AUSA Farrell joined the Office in 2018, and currently serves in the Office’s Long Island Criminal Section.  She is one of the Office’s Human Trafficking Coordinators and previously served as an Acting Deputy Chief in the Office’s General Crimes Section.  She received her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from St. John’s University.

    AUSA Farrell has prosecuted significant organized crime, gang and sex trafficking cases during her time in the Office.  In United States v. Canales-Rivera et al. and United States v. Arevalo-Chavez et al., she is part of the team prosecuting the highest-ranking members of MS-13’s international command and control structure, including the body known as the Ranfla Nacional, with charges that include conspiracy to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, conspiracy to finance terrorism and narco-terrorism conspiracy.  In United States v. Alexi Saenz et al., AUSA Farrell was part of a team that secured the convictions of two MS-13 defendants to racketeering and other charges in connection with eight murders.  In United States v. Blanco et al., she was a member of the team that secured the convictions of three high-ranking MS-13 gang members to racketeering charges in connection with nine murders.  In United States v. Escobar, AUSA Farrell was part of the team that secured a sentence of 50 years after the defendant was convicted on April 8, 2022, following a four-week trial, of racketeering, including predicate acts of murder, conspiracy to murder rival gang members, and obstruction of justice and murder in aid-of racketeering, in relation to the deaths of four young men who were hacked to death with machetes and other sharp objects by  more than a dozen MS-13 members and associates after Escobar lured them to a local park in 2017.  In United States v. Lampley-Reid, AUSA Farrell was part of the team leading to a Bloods gang member being sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex trafficking of minors.  Additionally, AUSA Farrell is part of the team charging former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and two other individuals with sex trafficking and interstate prostitution.

    Gabriel Park

    AUSA Park joined the Office in 2022 after serving in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps.  He received his B.A. from Wake Forest University and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and clerked for the Honorable Dora L. Irizarry.  He currently serves in the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.

    AUSA Park has prosecuted significant violent organized crime and gang cases.  In United States v. Yu, he was part of the prosecution team that convicted two defendants who were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder-for-hire scheme of a perceived business rival, and in the related case United States v. Abreu, AUSA Park was on the prosecution team that convicted a third defendant for his role in the murder-for-hire scheme.  In United States v. Thompson, AUSA Park was on the prosecution team that convicted a Long Island man who was later sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug trafficking, distribution of fentanyl that resulted in a death and illegal possession of firearms.    

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Following Public Pressure from Senator Reverend Warnock, Trump Administration Partially Reinstates Critical CDC Workforce

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Following Public Pressure from Senator Reverend Warnock, Trump Administration Partially Reinstates Critical CDC Workforce

    Since the 10% Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) workforce cuts were announced last month, the Senator has hammered the Trump Administration on the disastrous impending consequences to public health
    Last month, Senator Reverend Warnock went to the Senate floor to defend the critical work of the Georgia-based CDC and the agency’s work to combat chronic diseases and protect the nation from health-related national security threats
    The Senator’s work to champion the CDC continues the legacy of Georgia Republican Senator Isakson, who worked to expand and invest in the centers
    Washington, D.C. – Today, following weeks of pressure from U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), the Trump Administration announced it was reinstating some Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) probationary staff and fellows who work on public health threats. The reinstatement, reported by PoliticoPro, comes after the Senator went to the Senate floor and defended the life-saving work on the Georgia-based CDC.
    “Today’s announcement is a welcome relief, but until all fired CDC employees are restored, our country’s public health and national security will continue to be at risk,” said Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock. “The CDC works to ensure our food and water are safe, our brave servicemembers stay healthy when serving abroad, and top researchers have the resources they need to combat heart disease, maternal mortality, cancer, and diabetes. I’m glad my defense of the CDC was heard by the leadership of the Trump Administration, which is why I’m calling on the Trump Administration to reinstate all CDC employees.”
    Last year, the Senator visited the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency’s efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases. During Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination hearing in committee, Senator Warnock spoke at length defending the importance of the CDC which employs over 10,000 hardworking Georgians. Shortly after, the Senator spoke for nearly an hour on the Senate floor, in large part in defense of the CDC’s critical work to defend public health and national security. The Senator continued to pressure HHS Secretary Kennedy to reverse the CDC firings.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dominican National Indicted for Illegal Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Dominican national was arraigned yesterday for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.

    Melvin Villar, 60, of Lawrence, Mass., was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.

    Villar was arrested by immigration authorities on Feb. 2, 2025, at the Essex County House of Correction in Middleton. Villar was previously convicted of unlawful reentry in February 2021 in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.  

    The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five-Time Deported Mexican National Arrested in New Braunfels

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national was arrested in San Antonio on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry.

    According to court documents, Jose Guadalupe Deciga-Lopez was arrested during a vehicle stop in New Braunfels on March 3. Immigration records reflect Deciga-Lopez had been previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico once in 2014, twice in 2017, again in 2018 and, most recently, in 2023.

    If convicted, Deciga-Lopez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) is investigating the case.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Marie Cordova is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Murkowski, Underwood Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Ensure All VA Medical Centers Have Dedicated Nursing Spaces

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) in introducing legislation to ensure all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers have designated nursing spaces. The bipartisan, bicameral Lactation Spaces for Veteran Moms Act would ensure all medical centers managed by the VA contain a hygienic, private space specifically dedicated for nursing veterans, VA employees, and their partners. As of 2022, there were only 90 VA medical centers across the country with such rooms.
    “VA facilities should be equipped to serve all veterans, including nursing mothers,” said Senator Rosen. “This commonsense, bipartisan legislation will make sure that veteran mothers, VA employees, and their family members have access to a private and hygienic place to nurse at VA medical centers.”
    “There are over two million female veterans in this country, and yet only half of VA facilities have designated nursing rooms,” said Senator Murkowski. “We recently renamed the Alaska VA Medical Campus after Colonel Mary Louise Rasmuson to ensure that all veterans feel welcome in these facilities, but it takes more than a name to follow through on the broader promise to make sure that women, as the fastest growing demographic within the VA’s constituency, see their needs being met. We must support female veterans and their young children however we are able, and a key part of that is making sure these young mothers have clean spaces designated for nursing.” 
    “Every mom should be able to breastfeed in a clean, safe, and private space, and our veterans deserve the best,” said Representative Underwood. “As a nurse, I know the health benefits of breastfeeding for moms and babies, and our bicameral legislation will make sure that VA facilities are properly equipped to support veteran families.”
    Senator Rosen has been leading efforts to support Nevada’s veterans. Last week, she sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs demanding answers on the mass terminations of VA personnel. In a previous letter, she demanded the Secretary of Veterans Affairs take immediate action to secure veterans’ personal information provided by the VA or other agencies to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Earlier this year, she helped introduce bipartisan legislation to assist veterans with home ownership and increase awareness of VA resources.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairwoman McClain’s Statement on President Trump’s Joint Address

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    Chairwoman McClain’s Statement on President Trump’s Joint Address

    Washington, March 5, 2025

    WASHINGTON – After President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress, Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) released the following statement:

    “Last night, it was an honor to welcome President Trump back to the People’s House. It was inspiring to hear his vision for our nation to keep our homeland secure, get our country back on track, and make government work for the people. Michiganders, and all Americans, should be proud to have a strong leader back in the White House,” Chairwoman McClain said.

    “President Trump is focused on solving the problems of everyday Americans. He has already delivered on many of his promises to the American people and has turned the page on the Biden administration’s disastrous policies. I look forward to working with President Trump to renew the American Dream. With Republicans leading the way, our best days are ahead.”

    MIL OSI USA News –