NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Wright Leads AI Collaboration Event from Oak Ridge National Lab

    Source: US Department of Energy

    OAK RIDGE, TENN.—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Chairman of House Committee on Energy and Waters Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), and Greg Brockman, OpenAI President and Co-Founder released the following statements after participating in the launch of an AI collaboration session involving more than 1,000 Energy Department scientists and OpenAI employees.

    “More than 70 years ago, experts from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Lab joined with innovators from around the United States in one of the greatest scientific and engineering accomplishments in history: the Manhattan Project,” Secretary Wright said. “We’re at the start of a new Manhattan Project. With President Trump’s leadership, the United States will win the global AI race, but first, we must unleash our energy dominance and restore American competitiveness. Today’s collaboration of DOE’s national labs and technology companies is an important step in our efforts to secure America’s future.”

    “It was great to join Secretary Wright and Representative Chuck Fleischmann this morning in Oak Ridge,” Senator Hagerty said. “In order for the U.S. to win the Artificial Intelligence race, we need computing power and energy, and Tennessee has both. The U.S. can lead in this space with the Volunteer State at the tip of the spear. I am more than confident that we can achieve this under President Trump’s leadership.”

    “I’m honored to have welcomed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to East Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to showcase the groundbreaking work ORNL is doing to advance breakthroughs in AI, develop new nuclear that will create America’s New Nuclear Future which is necessary to power our nation through the 21st Century and strengthen our national and energy security,” Chairman Fleischmann said. Secretary Wright’s visit, I’ve seen his determination to deliver on President Trump’s agenda to unleash American energy and innovation, and I look forward to partnering with Sec. Wright over the next four years to create America’s New Golden Age, win the AI Arms Race, and make our country energy dominant again.”

    “Advancing scientific research is one of the most promising applications of AI. We’re proud to work with the U.S. national labs to put our advanced technology into the hands of our country’s top scientists,” Brockman said. “OpenAI believes working closely with the U.S. government is essential to unlocking AI’s full potential. I want to thank Secretary Wright for his commitment to ensuring the U.S. continues to lead on AI, including through public-private collaborations like today’s event.”  

    BACKGROUND:

    Secretary Wright joined Senator Hagerty, Chairman Fleischmann and Greg Brockman at the “1,000 Scientist AI Jam Session” on Friday, February 28. This first-of-its-kind event co-hosted by OpenAI and nine of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national labs explored how AI can accelerate scientific discovery.

    Nine labs, including Argonne, Berkeley, Brookhaven, Idaho, Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and Princeton Plasma Physics. It hosted more than 1,000 of America’s leading scientists for the day-long event. Participants had access to leading frontier AI models to test research applications, evaluate model responses, and help improve future AI systems. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 200K New Yorkers Enrolled in New York Mobile ID

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than 200,000 New Yorkers have completed the enrollment process for New York Mobile ID (MiD), a voluntary, highly secure digital version of a state-issued driver license, learner permit or ID. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) first announced the Mobile ID in June 2024.

    “We’re thrilled that more than 200,000 New Yorkers have embraced this revolutionary technology that enables secure, contactless identification right from your phone,” Governor Hochul said. “Whether you want to get through airport security or order an alcoholic beverage, Mobile ID is raising the bar on the way New Yorkers can verify their age and identity, offering greater convenience and privacy.”

    Anyone with a valid New York State-issued driver license, learner permit, or non-driver ID can download the secure Mobile ID app on their Android or iOS device through Google Play or the App Store.

    In tandem with the growth in Mobile ID users, the number of places where Mobile ID can be used continues to expand. Through a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), New York’s MiD is accepted at TSA security checkpoints at more than 100 airports across the country and at four airports in New York State, including all terminals at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, Syracuse Hancock, and Stewart International airports.

    State bars, restaurants and other businesses with liquor licenses can also accept Mobile ID as a form of age verification during alcohol sales after the New York State Liquor Authority issued an advisory in October approving its use.

    New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “So much in today’s world happens on your smartphone, and Mobile ID’s strong growth in less than 10 months shows that so many New Yorkers have wanted a simple and secure way to access their driver license, permit or non-driver ID directly on their device. Mobile IDs will become increasingly important for consumers and businesses alike as more interactions go digital, and I’m proud that New York is one of the states leading the way.”

    The New York Mobile ID was designed to ensure user privacy and developed in compliance with the most stringent international standards for personal identification published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as well as the Mobile Driver’s License Implementation Guidelines created by the American Academy of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

    The MiD app can only be unlocked through Face ID, TouchID, or a secure six-digit PIN. Personal information found on the MiD is encrypted and only accessible when the Mobile ID holder consents to sharing it.

    Information is transmitted to a verifier through a secure, digital connection so the user never has to hand over their phone. And information about usage, including where, when, and what personal information the user has shared, is encrypted and stored only on their personal device. Data on when and where someone uses their MiD is not tracked, stored or transmitted.

    You can get MiD in a few simple steps:

    1. Download the New York MiD app from the App Store or through Google Play.
    2. Register the phone number of the device the Mobile ID will be on. Your Mobile ID can only be on one device at a time to help protect your identity.
    3. Take a picture of the front and back of your physical ID (driver license, non-driver ID, or learner permit), using your phone’s camera.
    4. Pose for a selfie. The app checks the photo and ID against information on file with the DMV to ensure you are who you say you are.

    Once your information is verified, your MiD is active and ready to use wherever it is accepted, including in other states and countries. Learn more about New York Mobile ID online.

    For more information about DMV, visit the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website, or follow the DMV conversation online at Facebook, X and Instagram.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: HONOR! COURAGE! SELF-SACRIFICE!

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    : AEMO

    About the U.S. Army:
    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #USArmyRangers

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

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Cyber Expert’s Safety Tips & UN Chief Talks Humanitarian Crises | WEF | Top Stories Week

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    This week’s top stories of the week include:

    0:15 Online safety tips from cyber expert – Rupal Hollenbeck leads cybersecurity firm Check Point Software. Today’s online space is much more hyperconnected than it used to be, she says. Gen Z uses the internet in a different way to older users, says Hollenbeck, who may be alarmed at what young people choose to share online. But the cybersecurity industry needs to accept this new reality and ‘lean into it’, she says.

    4:16 UN chief talks humanitarian crises – In December, the UN released its annual review of the scale of worldwide need. In total, 305 million people need urgent humanitarian aid from Syria and sub-Saharan Africa to Myanmar, Venezuela and Ukraine. At the same time, 2024 was the deadliest year ever to be a humanitarian worker. Tom Fletcher took over the UN humanitarian affairs office in October. He says that while the task is daunting, multilateral cooperation is essential to success.

    8:49 How history can help leaders today – According to Mohit Joshi, CEO of Tech Mahindra, understanding history can shape better leaders by offering valuable insights into how societies adapt to change. As the world navigates the rapid transformation brought by the AI revolution, Joshi highlights how past events like the Industrial Revolution, the rise of railroads, and mechanization provide a template for understanding technological adoption and its long-term societal impact.

    12:00 Climate scientists’ warning to business – Even as the world strives to hit net-zero targets, things will get worse before they get better. But for businesses that take action today, there will be opportunities amid the upheaval. Every $1 that businesses invest in climate adaptation and resilience today could generate up to $19 in returns tomorrow. These benefits will appear from several directions, says Johan Rockström, Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

    _____________________________________________

    The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqaNb1gBykE

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Trump’s NIH funding cuts and freezes raise concerns over US biotech drug development and innovation, reveals GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Trump’s NIH funding cuts and freezes raise concerns over US biotech drug development and innovation, reveals GlobalData

    Posted in Business Fundamentals

    The US President Donald Trump began his second term with a series of directives targeting the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), creating uncertainty around NIH grant funding for biopharmaceutical drug development. With over $1.4 billion in NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants involving innovator drugs awarded between 2020 and 2024, the funding cuts and freezes could hamper biopharmaceutical innovation and limit patient access to drugs, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    The US NIH is the largest funder of biomedical research globally, providing federal government funding to US-based early-stage small businesses through its SBIR and STTR programs to drive innovation with a focus on commercialization.

    Alison Labya, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Biotech startups rely on government grants to fund early-stage biopharmaceutical research and development (R&D), where attracting venture capital is challenging unless a clear return on investment is evident.”

    According to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center Grants Database, SBIR and STTR grants involving innovator drugs saw a 37% increase in total grant value from $237 million in 2020 to $326 million in 2024. Over 80% of SBIR and STTR grants were awarded for preclinical and discovery-stage drugs, amounting to over $1.1 billion between 2020 and 2024, reflecting the support NIH SBIR and STTR grant funding provides to early-stage R&D.

    Labya continues: “Infectious disease was the top therapy area for preclinical and discovery-stage SBIR and grants with a total grant value of $295 million from 2020 to 2024, followed by central nervous system with $241 million. However, infectious disease drug development could see a downturn in NIH grant funding under the leadership of Robert F Kennedy Jr.—Trump’s newly appointed head of the US Department of Health and Human Services—who has previously commented plans to shift research away from infectious diseases.”

    A notable NIH reform rolled out by Trump was a $4 billion cut to overhead funding for biomedical research by reducing “indirect” costs on grants to 15%. This follows other restrictions that were imposed on the NIH, including abrupt cancellations of grant review panels without reschedule, delaying access to grant funding.

    Similarly, Trump issued a 90-day funding freeze and stop-work order for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), disrupting USAID-funded clinical trials globally.

    Labya concludes: “The Trump administration communicated its intent to review and redirect federal spending away from grant programs that do not align with Trump’s ideological agenda, signalling increased stringency in the allocation of NIH grant funding, with grant applications referencing diversity in preclinical and clinical drug development potentially facing challenges.

    “Trump’s recent federal funding cuts and freezes could stifle innovation by creating cash flow challenges for biotech companies that rely on government grants, which could delay or halt global biopharmaceutical R&D and drug approvals, limiting patient access to essential treatments.”

    Note: Data in the chart includes all announced and completed SBIR and STTR grants received by a company from 2020 to 2024 involving at least one innovator drug.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Over 500,000 people demand oil & gas companies pay for climate damages

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    Cape Town, February 28, 2024 — Greenpeace Africa delivered on Friday 28th February a global petition on behalf of more than half a million people, calling on governments to force fossil fuel companies to “stop their climate wrecking activities” and “repair and pay for the damage they have caused.” The petition was handed over to a coalition of 17 countries and groups currently reviewing “polluter pays” levies [1] at the sidelines of the meeting of the Finance in Commons Summit in Cape Town.[2] In parallel, Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain National Park is being consumed by wildfires, in the midst of the worst drought in more than 100 years across Southern Africa.[3]

    Sherelee Odayar, Greenpeace Africa’s Oil and Gas Campaigner, said: “It is unfair to expect that ordinary people will face the climate crisis with cents and rands, while the polluters in chief will pocket billions. It is also impractical: Most world governments simply cannot afford to provide climate solutions at the needed scale. Drought, extreme heat, storms, floods and fires are disproportionately affecting Africa and other Global Majority countries. Science and technology can help bring relief, now governments must make polluters pay to deliver justice and raise the necessary funds.”  

    Signatures by people from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia were collected between 2023-24, the two hottest years since records began, replete with extreme weather events fuelled by greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry. At the same, five oil and gas corporations alone reported over US$100 billion cumulatively in profit for last year. 

    The collective demand was presented to the secretariat of the Global Solidarity Levies Taskforce, a coalition of 17 countries and groups, co-led by Barbados, France, and Kenya. It contributes to a public process of consultation which started last month concerning a series of proposals being considered by the governments who are members of the Taskforce, including options to apply levies on fossil fuel industry profits and extraction to fund climate action.

    A letter accompanying the petition reminds that oil and gas companies “knowingly lied about climate change and lobbied to slow action” and are failing to pay their fair share. “Super rich individuals and other polluting industries… should also be held to account. Making polluters pay for the damages they have caused is vital to help communities across the world to recover, rebuild and invest in climate solutions.” 

    The petition’s demands are in line with public polling across a range of geographies, including research recently commissioned by Greenpeace International, which has consistently demonstrated the strong popularity of increasing taxes on oil and gas profits. 

    Greenpeace Africa calls for designing tax and penalty mechanisms in a way that is fair and proportionate – including: ensuring a well-managed and just transition out of coal, oil and gas, while imposing more polluter taxes and fines on the industry to help fund the transition; taking steps to prevent knock-on increases in prices and the cost of living, especially for people living in poverty; and ensuring that people most impacted by climate change benefit the most from revenues raised. 

    Notes:

    [1] The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force: For People and the Planet explores feasible, scaleable and sensible options for levies to raise additional resources for climate and development: https://globalsolidaritylevies.org/world-leaders-pledge-action-on-climate-finance-as-coalition-for-solidarity-levies-launched-at-cop29/ 

    [2] The 5th Finance in Common Summit (FiCS), co-hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): https://www.financeincommonsummit2025.com/ 

    [3] A night of flames: Table Mountain fire lights up the Cape Town skyline https://www.capetownetc.com/news/a-night-of-flames-table-mountain-fire-lights-up-the-ct-skyline/ ; Climate change behind the 2021 Table Mountain fire – study https://mg.co.za/the-green-guardian/2023-03-02-climate-change-behind-the-2021-table-mountain-fire-study/ 

    Photos: Handover of petition by Greenpeace Africa campaigner

    For more information, contact: 

    Greenpeace Africa Press Desk: [email protected] 

    Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours). Follow @greenpeacepress for our latest international press releases.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: I-90 Vantage Bridge deck replacement resumes

    Source: Washington State News 2

    VANTAGE – Work to replace the Interstate 90 Vantage Bridge deck is underway for a second construction season. Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor crews are replacing the surface of the bridge that was last upgraded in 1992.

    Starting March 3, traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction around-the-clock, seven days a week with reduced speeds and a 9-foot width restriction. 

    Prepare for summer travel season

    Travelers will experience long delays as traffic volumes increase during the warmer months and during events at The Gorge Amphitheatre. Historically, the longest delays occur eastbound on Fridays and westbound on Sundays. To avoid congestion and longer travel times, alternate routes are encouraged. Drivers may choose to use detour routes up north near Wenatchee, or down south near the Tri Cities to bypass the construction area. Due to limited road capacity, Vantage Highway is not a recommended detour. 

    Important dates to note:

    • Work on the bridge will pause from May 23 to July 8 to accommodate the busy travel season between Memorial Day and Independence Day. During this time, travelers on the bridge will have access to the full two lanes in both direction with an occasional single-lane closure.
    • Following the holiday work pause, travel lanes will again reduce to one lane in each direction around-the-clock starting Tuesday, July 8.
    • Ramp meters will assist drivers during high-volume traffic times. Ramp meters control how quickly vehicles enter the freeway, reducing collisions and travel time.

    Repair work on the Vantage Bridge began in spring 2024. The completion of the project is scheduled for 2028.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Judge grants WA’s injunction request blocking Trump’s illegal order targeting trans youth and gender affirming care

    Source: Washington State News

    Judge grants WA’s injunction request blocking Trump’s illegal orders targeting trans youth and gender affirming care

    SEATTLE – A federal judge today granted Washington state’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump’s illegal orders to deny life-saving medical care to trans youth. 

    The action follows the judge’s previous grant of a temporary restraining order against the president’s action to withhold research and education grants from medical institutions providing gender affirming care to young people and prioritize potential criminal actions against providers.

    Judge Lauren King previously said the order “blatantly discriminated against trans youth” and would not likely “survive judicial scrutiny.” Judge King reaffirmed that ruling today. 

    “The president’s disregard for the Constitution is obvious and intentional,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “But once again, states and the courts have stepped up to affirm the rule of law and the values that hold us together as a nation.”

    The state is joined in the lawsuit by the attorneys general of Minnesota, Oregon and Colorado. Three individual doctors also joined as plaintiffs in the case, bringing claims on their own behalf and that of the minors for whom they provide care.

    The states argued the order violates the 5th Amendment’s equal protection guarantee by singling out transgender individuals for mistreatment and discrimination.

    Additionally, Congress has already authorized research and education funding for medical institutions in Washington state, and the president cannot unilaterally overrule congressional intent. The president also cannot unilaterally regulate or criminalize medical practices in Washington state, which are protected by the 10th Amendment, states argue.

    In granting Washington’s preliminary injunction motion, the Court agreed that the plaintiffs were likely to show that the challenged executive orders violate equal protection and the separation of powers.

    The Court went on to firmly warn the federal government against baseless and “bad faith” threats to criminalize medically necessary gender-affirming care. The Court explained, “federal prosecutors and law enforcement are legally and ethically obligated to follow the law, and serious consequences could result from advancing a groundless criminal prosecution.” The Court went on to find that the record is “bereft of any evidence,” that any of the thousands of the licensed doctors and clinicians providing gender affirming care in the Plaintiff States could plausibly be accused of violating federal law.

    Work on this litigation is funded by the Attorney General’s Civil Justice Operating Fund, which is funded by recoveries made by the office in civil enforcement actions made on behalf of Washingtonians.

    Read more about the lawsuit here.

     -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the State of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Letter to Makary, Sens. Murray, Baldwin, Alsobrooks Raise Alarm over Decision to Cancel Critical FDA Flu Shot Meeting Amid Worst Flu Season in 15 Years

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Senators: “We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision making.”
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chairof the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) sent a letter to Dr. Marty Makary, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expressing extreme concern with the FDA’s unprecedented decision to abruptly cancel the March 13th planned meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which is the annual opportunity for FDA to hear expert advice and make recommendations on the selection of influenza strains to be included in the flu vaccines this coming fall. The cancellation of the VRBPAC’s meeting to consider flu shot characteristics for the upcoming flu season comes while the U.S. is experiencing the worst flu season in 15 years. As of February 15, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there have been at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
    Dr. Makary is set to appear before the HELP Committee on Thursday, March 6th, for a hearing on his nomination to lead FDA. “We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision making,” Murray, Baldwin, and Alsobrooks—all members of the HELP Committee—wrote.
    “The cancellation of next week’s VRBPAC meeting is unprecedented. This Committee has met every year for the past 30 years to discuss the influenza virus vaccines for the upcoming flu season and make recommendations to the FDA. It is essential for this meeting to occur, and its expert recommendations to be issued, in a timely, routine manner,” the senators continued. “Any delay in the Committee meeting and issuing recommendations may impact flu vaccine availability and effectiveness, if manufacturers do not have sufficient time to prepare the correct vaccines.”
    “While we acknowledge you are not yet at the agency, we expect you to answer questions about whether you will adopt a position of responsible public health leadership or continue the Trump Administration’s current, troubling trajectory into vaccine skepticism should you be confirmed to lead FDA,” Murray and her colleagues wrote, asking that Dr. Makary be prepared to address the following questions:
    Will you reschedule FDA VRBPAC meeting to consider influenza virus vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season? If not, why not?
    Are you planning to remove or otherwise change the membership of the FDA VRBPAC?
    Will FDA accept the expert, independent recommendations of the FDA VRBPAC, for influenza virus vaccines and all other vaccine types?
    Do you commit to convening the FDA VRBPAC on its established annual basis to discuss and issue recommendations on flu shot characteristics?
    The full text of the letter is below and HERE:
    Dear Dr. Makary:
    Next week, you are scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee for your nomination to serve as the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We write today to express our extreme concern with the decision to abruptly cancel the planned meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), which is the annual opportunity for FDA to hear expert advice and make recommendations on the selection of strains to be included in the influenza virus vaccines for the 2025 to 2026 influenza season. We intend to use your nomination hearing next week to understand whether you support this ill-informed measure to slow critical public health decision making. 
    The cancellation of the VRBPAC’s meeting to consider flu shot characteristics for the upcoming flu season comes while the U.S. is experiencing the worst flu season in 15 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the United States’ 2024-2025 influenza season as “high severity” overall and for all age groups. As of February 15, 2025, the CDC estimates that there have been at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season. The flu vaccine is one essential tool for prevention of flu illness, complications, hospitalizations, and untimely deaths.
    The VRBPAC is comprised of independent experts and is critical for ensuring that public health decisions, including the development and approval of vaccines, are based on the best available science and expert, independent review. VRBPAC members are experts in vaccines, infectious diseases, and epidemiology, among other relevant areas, and are essential to conducting these independent reviews and evaluating the data concerning the safety, effectiveness, and appropriate use of vaccines. The Committee typically meets in March to make recommendations for which strains should be included in the flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season.
    The cancellation of next week’s VRBPAC meeting is unprecedented. This Committee has met every year for the past 30 years to discuss the influenza virus vaccines for the upcoming flu season and make recommendations to the FDA. It is essential for this meeting to occur, and its expert recommendations to be issued, in a timely, routine manner. This is integral to give vaccine manufacturers this information to start production on flu vaccines for the upcoming flu season. Any delay in the Committee meeting and issuing recommendations may impact flu vaccine availability and effectiveness, if manufacturers do not have sufficient time to prepare the correct vaccines.
    In FDA’s response concerning the cancellation of the March 13 VRBPAC meeting, FDA stated that the agency “will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season.” This suggests FDA plans to forgo any independent expertise from the Committee when making its determinations for flu shot strains, and it remains unclear who will be making this critical public health decision.
    The options are not inspiring. The newly confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has stated “there is no vaccine that is safe and effective” and called vaccines “sham science.” He refuses to believe the definitive science showing vaccines are not linked to autism. You have promoted natural immunity as “at least as effective as vaccinated immunity, and probably better” and stated, “The greatest perpetrator of misinformation during the pandemic has been the United States government.” President Trump’s nominee to lead CDC has a long history of championing the false connection between vaccines and autism.
    While we acknowledge you are not yet at the agency, we expect you to answer questions about whether you will adopt a position of responsible public health leadership or continue the Trump Administration’s current, troubling trajectory into vaccine skepticism should you be confirmed to lead FDA. Please be prepared to address the following questions:
    Will you reschedule FDA VRBPAC meeting to consider influenza virus vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season? If not, why not?
    Are you planning to remove or otherwise change the membership of the FDA VRBPAC?
    Will FDA accept the expert, independent recommendations of the FDA VRBPAC, for influenza virus vaccines and all other vaccine types?
    Do you commit to convening the FDA VRBPAC on its established annual basis to discuss and issue recommendations on flu shot characteristics?
    Whether it’s influenza, COVID-19, measles, or other threats facing our nation’s public health, I call on you to recognize the immense responsibility placed on you if confirmed as one of the nation’s public health leaders. It will be incumbent upon you to maintain FDA’s credibility as the nation’s leading agency for ensuring the safety of our vaccines, diagnostics, medicines, foods, and more.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office:

    “Today in the Oval Office, in front of the entire world, Donald Trump and JD Vance chose to berate an American ally and side with a brutal dictator—willfully ignoring the plain fact that it was Putin who launched a deadly and unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation and started this awful war. Putin is the dictator with blood on his hands—and it is appalling, dangerous, and an affront to American values to pretend otherwise. Russian state media is already celebrating Trump’s disgraceful conduct in this meeting—this should be a wake-up call to everyone, and especially Republicans who have gone along with Trump’s acquiescence to Putin for far too long, to separate right from wrong, and truth from fiction.

    “As I have said time and again, standing up for a strong and sovereign Ukraine in face of Putin’s aggression is not only the right thing to do, but it is squarely in America’s interest. As a U.S. Senator, I will continue to stand with Ukraine as they chart a path forward to protect their democracy and statehood.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Announces Sparks Elementary School Principal as Guest to Presidential Address to Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Jason Shipman is the Principal at Florence Drake Elementary, the highest-performing Title I school in the region 

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced Jason Shipman, Principal at Florence Drake Elementary School in Sparks, as her guest to President Donald Trump’s 2025 Presidential Address to Congress on March 4, 2025. Under his leadership, Florence Drake Elementary has become one of the highest performing Title I schools in Nevada, receiving the 2024 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Schools award. Florence Drake Elementary was also recognized as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School.

    Following reports that Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” plan to eliminate or dramatically cut the Department of Education, students, teachers, and parents at Florence Drake Elementary School and at schools across Nevada face uncertainty. Dissolving the Department of Education would have devastating impacts on public schools, including the potential disruption of the Title I funds that support low-income students. Principal Shipman’s school relies on Title I to pay teachers, keep kids safe, fund classroom equipment, and support special education.

    “I’m the product of Nevada public schools – from kindergarten all the way to my time at UNR – and I know the difference a good education can make in a child’s life,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “As schools across the country face the potential cuts to critical federal funding, I won’t abandon our educators. I’m proud to work with Nevada leaders like Principal Shipman to ensure our students have everything they need to thrive.”

    “I am incredibly proud of the continued success of the students and staff members at Florence Drake Elementary School,” said Jason Shipman, Principal at Florence Drake Elementary School. “We are a Title I school, and the federal funding we receive provides crucial resources and supports to children living in poverty. I can relate to the struggles of our students, as my own family lived in poverty when I was in elementary school. I encountered barriers to my education, as Title I funding had not been established yet, and I saw how those barriers adversely affected many of my friends whose educations and lives were negatively impacted by their lack of access to education. Title I funding is the federal government’s promise to help reduce these barriers so all students have the right to access a free and appropriate education, and I am proud to play a part in helping each of our students find success in our school.”

    Senator Cortez Masto has delivered critical support to students and schools across Nevada. Cortez Masto’s legislation to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law. In addition, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included three of Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bills to boost transportation safety for students, expand internet access for both rural and urban schools, and update old school infrastructure. The Senator has also championed bipartisan Reaching English Learners Act to create a competitive grant program to fund partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need school districts to provide training for new English-language teachers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Omar, Schakowsky Reintroduce Bill to Address Rising Islamophobia Worldwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Combating International Islamophobia Act, legislation to address the rise in Islamophobic incidents worldwide. The bill requires the State Department to create a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia and develop a comprehensive strategy for establishing U.S. leadership in confronting anti-Muslim bigotry across the globe. U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) reintroduced companion legislation in the House last month.

    From the violent atrocities against the Uyghurs in China and the Rohingya in Burma to the crackdowns on Muslim communities in India and Sri Lanka, the scapegoating of Muslim refugees in Hungary and Poland, and the rise of white supremacist violence targeting Muslims in New Zealand and Canada, Islamophobia remains a global crisis. Minority Muslim communities in Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Bahrain, and Iran, also continue to face systemic oppression and persecution.

    Here in the United States, incidents of Islamophobic hate crimes and discrimination have surged. Mosques have been vandalized, Muslims have been harassed in public spaces, and anti-Muslim rhetoric continues to be normalized in political discourse. The urgent need for federal action to combat this growing threat cannot be overstated.

    “Religious freedom is one of our nation’s most foundational values, and no one should ever have to live in fear of discrimination or violence for practicing their faith,” said Senator Booker. “Islamophobic attacks and rhetoric are on the rise in the United States and around the world, and this legislation would establish a Special Envoy at the State Department to monitor and combat Islamophobia in all its forms. We must dedicate resources to protecting people’s fundamental right to practice their faith and put an end to bigotry.”

    “Islamophobia is not just a problem overseas—it is on the rise here at home. From the desecration of mosques to the violent attacks on Muslim Americans, we are witnessing a dangerous resurgence of anti-Muslim bigotry in our communities,” said Representative Omar. “We cannot turn a blind eye while Muslim communities face targeted violence and systemic discrimination worldwide. That is why I am proud to reintroduce the Combating International Islamophobia Act alongside Senator Booker and Representative Schakowsky. The United States must take a stand and lead in the fight against this global crisis.”

    Anti-Muslim bigotry is on the rise in the U.S., and around the world, and we have a duty to stop it once and for all,” said Representative Schakowsky. “I’m joining my colleagues, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Senator Cory Booker, in reintroducing the Combating International Islamophobia Act. This critical legislation will create a Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia and will ensure the United States has the resources necessary to safeguard human rights and religious and cultural freedom around the world. I hope all our colleagues join us in standing together against Islamophobia. We must promote peace and acceptance for all.”

    During the 117th Congress, this bill was successfully passed in the House, marking a historic step forward in the fight against anti-Muslim hate. 

    To read the full text of the bill, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Duckworth, Blunt Rochester Urge Trump Administration to Reopen EPA Environmental Justice Office That Helped Most Disadvantaged Communities Solve Environmental and Public Health Challenges

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—founding co-chairs of the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus—along with U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester urged EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to reopen the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), which Booker and Duckworth led the charge to create, so the office can continue helping our most disadvantaged communities in rural, urban and tribal areas by improving access to clean drinking water, addressing legacy pollution that has led to higher cancer, asthma and death rates and more. Additionally, the Senators are demanding a more detailed explanation behind why the Trump Administration decided to abolish such a critical office and how the Administration is planning to ensure victims of environmental harm receive the attention, resources and protections they deserve.

    “The closure of this office which assisted underserved communities across the country leaves us seriously questioning your commitment to adhere to the Congressional appropriations process of the agency and address the impacts of pollution on communities in urban, suburban, and rural America,” wrote the lawmakers. “The 168 EPA staff placed on administrative leave were dedicated, trusted in their community, and worked to help Americans overcome the public health and economic effects of pollution. We strongly urge you to reinstate this workforce and to provide Congress and the American people a reasonable strategy to make their communities healthier and cleaner.”

    In addition to Booker, Duckworth, and Blunt Rochester, the letter is co-signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    To read the full text of the letter, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deadline Extension: $25 Million Tribal Energy Funding Opportunity

    Source: US Department of Energy

    Blog

    The Office of Indian Energy is extending the deadline of the Tribal Energy Planning and Development – 2025 funding opportunity to March 20, 2025.

    Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs

    February 28, 2025

    The Office of Indian Energy is extending the deadline of the Tribal Energy Planning and Development – 2025 funding opportunity to March 20, 2025 at 5 p.m. ET. 

    The updated funding opportunity also includes the modification of applicable technologies eligible for funding.

    Through the $25 million funding opportunity announcement, the Office of Indian Energy anticipates making approximately 20–40 awards that range from $100,000 to $2,500,000 for projects that support planning, feasibility and viability assessments, and design and development of energy for Tribal buildings or on Tribal lands.

    Apply for the funding opportunity announcement.

    Review the webinar for more information. 

    DOE Removes Barriers to the Use of LNG as a Marine Fuel with Order to JAX LNG

    The U.S. Department of Energy Announces Xander Newlun as the 2025 Conquer the Hill® Command Competition Winner

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DOE Removes Barriers to the Use of LNG as a Marine Fuel with Order to JAX LNG

    Source: US Department of Energy

    WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy today announced an order that removes barriers for the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as marine fuel to power vessels. The order issued by DOE modifies a prior order issued to JAX LNG under the previous administration that asserted new oversight for the use of LNG to power marine vessels, also known as LNG bunkering.

    “Today’s action is a significant step in reducing regulatory burdens and helping this important segment of the LNG market continue to grow,” said Tala Goudarzi, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.

    JAX LNG is a small-scale coastal LNG facility located at Dames Point near Jacksonville, Florida that dispenses LNG as fuel to ships, including cruise ships, car carriers, petroleum tankers, and container ships.

    By issuing an Order on Rehearing, DOE is modifying an order originally issued in December 2024. The modified order clarifies that DOE is withdrawing the exercise of its jurisdiction under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) for ship-to-ship transfers of LNG for marine fuel use at a U.S. port, in U.S. waters, or in international waters. The only bunkering-related activity that will continue to be considered an export is when there are ship-to-ship transfers of U.S. LNG when the receiving ship is located in the territorial sea of a foreign country, including foreign ports. DOE has left unchanged its authorization to JAX to export LNG via ISO container.

    The use of LNG for marine fuel has increased in recent years and is expected to continue to increase amid more stringent emissions regulations for shipping. According to the IEA’s January 2025 Quarterly Gas Report, based on the current order book for vessels, the number of LNG-fueled ships is expected to almost double and reach over 1,200 vessels by 2028.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott, Booker Resolution Celebrating Black History Month Passes Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 39 of their Senate colleagues in a resolution commemorating Black History Month and the important contributions made by Black Americans throughout United States history. The resolution was approved by the Senate yesterday. 
    The resolution recognizes that all Americans benefit from the rich historical legacy of Black culture and recognizes Black History Month as a chance to reflect on the complex history of the nation while also continuing to work toward a more equitable future. Furthermore, the resolution acknowledges the suffering of African Americans during enslavement and the continued racial injustices that remain evident in the United States today.
    “As we honor the legacies of so many Black Americans whose innovations and achievements have contributed to the success of our nation, I think it is essential to reflect on the progress we’ve made as a country,” said Senator Scott. “Through their perseverance, we are closer than we’ve ever been to a more perfect union. I am glad to join my colleagues in introducing this resolution.”
    “Every year, Black History Month offers us the opportunity to honor the invaluable contributions, struggles, and sacrifices Black Americans have made throughout our nation’s history,” said Senator Booker. “I’m proud to introduce this resolution alongside Senator Scott to uplift the stories and triumphs of Black Americans. This is a month for celebration of how far we have come, and to recognize the work left to be done.”
    The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Angus King (I-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    To read the full text of the resolution, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats Condemn Trump and Vance’s Disgraceful Oval Office Outburst During Meeting with Zelenskyy and Reiterate Support for Ukraine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    February 28, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—joined her fellow SFRC Democratic colleagues Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in issuing the following statement condemning President Trump and Vice President Vance’s rhetoric during their meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

    “Today’s behavior by President Trump and Vice President Vance would be more shocking if it wasn’t the new normal that this administration is forcing on our allies, partners and even our own citizens. Russia has not been able to break Ukraine’s spirit nor its will to fight. We are certain President Trump’s childish tantrum will not reach that objective either. Ukrainians have strong bipartisan support for their fight in Congress and Ukrainian flags continue to hang across our communities in the United States. We stand with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and will continue to condemn Putin’s aggression toward the brave and honorable citizenry of Ukraine.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock Statement on Trump Administration’s Closure of Five Social Security Offices in Georgia

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock Statement on Trump Administration’s Closure of Five Social Security Offices in Georgia

    Social Security Offices (SSA) in BRUNSWICK, COLUMBUS, GAINESVILLE, THOMASVILLE, and VIDALIA will be permanently closed
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s announced closures of five Social Security Administration (SSA) offices throughout Georgia. The SSA offices in the following five Georgia cities will be permanently closed: Brunswick, Columbus, Gainesville, Thomasville, and Vidalia. Georgia has the highest number of SSA offices closed for any state so far.
    “For millions of Georgians, Social Security provides a baseline of support and stability. It ensures our seniors, who’ve spent decades paying into the program, can afford rent, groceries, and medication. Permanently closing five Georgia Social Security offices will make it harder for Georgia seniors, especially in rural areas, to enroll in the program, solve payment issues, report fraud, and more.
    As I have said before, I am all for cutting government waste and abuse, but never at the expense of hardworking Georgians, especially our retired seniors. On the Senate Aging Committee, I’ve worked to protect Georgians from bad actors looking to take advantage of seniors, and this is no different. The closure of these offices will make it significantly harder for Georgians to get access to their benefits or talk through an often confusing bureaucratic system.
    Make no mistake: the money taken away from Georgia seniors will go towards tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. I will use every avenue available to fight back against this reckless action and remain focused on getting our seniors the benefits they paid for and rely on to live safe, healthy lives.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Wildfire Mitigation and Research

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Wildfire Mitigation and Research

    As wildfires have devastated California and the West, bipartisan bill would create career pathways to tackle growing wildfire threats

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined his colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act, legislation that would establish regional research centers at institutions of higher education across the country to boost wildfire mitigation and research. These regional centers would be tasked with developing next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to support wildland fire management and address the specific needs of the region in which they are situated. Additionally, this bill would establish a National Center Coordination Board to manage the work of regional centers and establish Regional Advisory Boards from wildfire management agencies, state and tribal governments, and other stakeholders to provide input and assistance.

    According to the U.S. Fire Administration, current wildfire models are failing to adequately predict fire behavior under extreme conditions and in more complex environments, like last month’s Southern California fires, which occurred under severe winds. These models also struggle to reproduce recent catastrophic wildfires, making them more likely to fail at predicting future wildfires or determining when and where it is safe to conduct prescribed burns. That’s why next-generation fire and vegetation models are essential to supporting effective wildland fire management and preparing firefighters against evolving risks.

    Senator Padilla joined Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) in introducing the legislation.

    “Californians are all too familiar with the devastating toll catastrophic wildfires can take on their communities, burning down homes and businesses, and uprooting families’ livelihoods,” said Senator Padilla. “As the climate crisis makes wildfires more dangerous and harder to predict, expanding our wildland fire research would help us better prepare for wildfires and safely conduct prescribed burns ahead of peak fire season. California universities are already the nation’s leading hub for wildfire research and technology, and this bipartisan effort is a critical step forward in expanding next-generation fire mitigation efforts.”

    “Far too many communities in New Mexico and in states across the country know that wildfire season can cost you everything. We must do everything possible to understand the root causes of these wildfires and how local communities can improve wildfire mitigation efforts and save lives and livelihoods,” said Senator Luján. “I’m proud to partner with Senator Sullivan to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to establish regional research centers tasked with developing next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to boost wildfire mitigation. Each of these regional centers will help boost wildland fire management across the country while creating more opportunities for a good-paying job through career training for wildfire research. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill signed into law.”

    “Wildfires burn millions of acres in Alaska every year—sometimes as much or more than the combined acreage burned in the rest of the country,” said Senator Sullivan. “To better protect lives, homes and critical infrastructure, we need to invest in research that will produce more accurate models and empower our wildland firefighters to better predict and extinguish fires before they become full-scale natural disasters. I’m glad to reintroduce legislation with Senator Luján to establish wildland fire research centers at our universities with specialized expertise in this space—like UAF in Interior Alaska—and develop more effective firefighting strategies that respond to the unique circumstances of each of our states.”

    “If we’ve learned anything from recent wildfire tragedies across the country, it’s that the threat of catastrophic wildfires isn’t seasonal, nor is it isolated to one region; it’s a year-round, nationwide threat. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort with my colleagues to invest in better anticipating wildland fires, streamlining our response, and ensuring we are fighting these fires faster and more effectively to keep communities safe,” said Senator Sheehy.

    Each regional research center would:

    • Conduct research to improve our understanding of wildland fire, including causes and associated risks for fires, rehabilitation of affected ecosystems, mitigation strategies that improve firefighter safety, and more;
    • Develop, maintain, and operate next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to support wildland fire management; and
    • Develop a career pathway training program to help carry out wildland fire research.

    The bill is supported by the Federation of American Scientists, Megafire Action, National Association of State Foresters, National Federation of Federal Employees, the Nature Conservancy, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

    “We spend billions on improving our understanding of disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes — that hasn’t happened yet with megafire. The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act recognizes and invests in our research community to produce region specific scientific research and solutions to catastrophic wildfires, allowing innovators and wildland firefighters to use this information to directly leverage technology to predict, detect, and prevent megafire,” said Matt Weiner, CEO of Megafire Action.

    Senator Padilla has long been a leader in strengthening the federal and state response to wildfires. Earlier this month, Padilla introduced bipartisan legislation to create a national Wildfire Intelligence Center to streamline federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combat wildfires. He also announced a package of three bipartisan bills to bolster fire resilience and proactive mitigation efforts, including the Wildfire Emergency Act, the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act, and the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. Last month, Padilla introduced another suite of bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire recovery and resilience. Additionally, Padilla’s legislation to strengthen FEMA’s wildfire preparedness and response efforts, the FIRE Act, became law in 2022.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, EPW Democrats Slam Zeldin’s Covert Push to Dismantle Climate Safeguards

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, EPW Democrats Slam Zeldin’s Covert Push to Dismantle Climate Safeguards

    Senators: “Your push to undermine the Endangerment Finding seems based not on sound science or legal reasoning, but rather on an agenda that prioritizes industry profits over public health, environmental protection, and climate safety.”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with all other Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), demanded answers about Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s secretive efforts to roll back the longstanding EPA endangerment finding that greenhouse gases are harmful to human health and welfare. The endangerment finding underpins greenhouse gas regulations, and repealing it would ignore scientific consensus while in effect gutting emissions standards for vehicles, power plants, airplanes, and more — which would increase harmful, toxic pollution.  
    During then-nominee Zeldin’s confirmation, he testified that he “strongly believe[s] we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for generations to come,” and that he was “someone who believes strongly that we should work with the scientists, leaving the science to the scientists.” But this week, it was revealed that he — behind the scenes and away from public scrutiny — has been urging the Trump Administration to rescind the evidence-based endangerment finding. The fact that greenhouse gases harm public health was scientific fact when the endangerment finding was issued in 2009, and 16 years later, the evidence has only gotten stronger and the looming economic harms more dangerous. Since Administrator Zeldin’s confirmation, he has also announced plans to carry out a politically motivated purge of scientists from EPA and has overseen an illegal funding freeze that is threatening to kill jobs and drive up energy costs nationwide.
    “This key finding underpins EPA’s ability to regulate emissions from motor vehicles, which EPA also found in 2009 to ‘contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution that threatens public health and welfare,’ as well as other pollution-emitting sources. Without the finding, EPA cannot fulfill its core mission and legal obligation of ensuring clean air for the American people,” wrote the Senators.
    “As you surely know, any attempt to rescind the Endangerment Finding flies in the face of established science and EPA’s own findings. EPA has found that its greenhouse gas regulations generate billions of dollars in savings for Americans and huge reductions in premature deaths, emergency room visits, heart disease, cancer, stroke, asthma onset and symptoms, and missed workdays,” continued the Senators.
    “Your recommendation to strike down the Endangerment Finding appears to be part of a broader effort to dismantle environmental protections at the behest of fossil fuel interests. Reporting and previous investigations of the Senate Committee on the Budget indicate that oil industry lobbyists pre-drafted executive orders that would weaken climate regulations in anticipation of a second Trump Administration. In short, the fossil fuel industry is now collecting the return on its investment in the 2024 election,” concluded the Senators. “… [Y]our push to undermine the Endangerment Finding seems based not on sound science or legal reasoning, but rather on an agenda that prioritizes industry profits over public health, environmental protection, and climate safety.”
    Specifically, Zeldin recommended to the Office of Management and Budget that the EPA withdraw its 2009 finding under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act that “the current and projected concentrations of the six key well-mixed greenhouse gases … in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations” (the ‘Endangerment Finding’). 
    Over the past 15 years, the scientific consensus supporting the endangerment finding has only strengthened, with successive National Climate Assessments and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change demonstrating extensive environmental and economic harms caused by climate change, including increased risks from flooding and wildfires. EPA’s endangerment finding is the foundation of subsequent endangerment findings for greenhouse gases emitted from power plants, aircraft engines, and oil and gas sector sources of methane. 
    Padilla and Schiff signed the letter, led by EPW Ranking Member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Administrator Zeldin,
    We write to express grave concern about your recommendation to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw its December 7, 2009, finding under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act that “the current and projected concentrations of the six key well-mixed greenhouse gases . . . in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations” (the “Endangerment Finding”).  This key finding underpins EPA’s ability to regulate emissions from motor vehicles, which EPA also found in 2009 to “contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution that threatens public health and welfare,” as well as other pollution-emitting sources. Without the finding, EPA cannot fulfill its core mission and legal obligation of ensuring clean air for the American people.
    On February 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 3418, directing you, in collaboration with other agency heads, to submit joint recommendations to the OMB Director on the legality and continuing applicability of the Endangerment Finding. On February 26, 2025, the Washington Post reported that you had “privately urged the White House to strike down” the finding. President Trump’s directive and your recommendation, which follow years of legal precedent affirming the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, raise serious concerns about the Administration’s commitment to respecting established science, following the law, and fulfilling EPA’s core mission of protecting clean air—all three of which you promised the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee you would do if confirmed as EPA Administrator.
    In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act, compelling the EPA to regulate them if they pose a threat to public health and welfare. Following a rigorous review of peer-reviewed scientific evidence and extensive public input, EPA then issued the Endangerment Finding in 2009, requiring it to regulate greenhouse gases. The 2012 D.C. Circuit ruling in Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA reaffirmed that the Endangerment Finding is grounded in substantial scientific evidence. The Supreme Court declined to review that decision and, in 2014, reaffirmed the EPA’s ability to regulate GHG emissions in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA.  The Supreme Court has continued to decline to hear challenges to the Endangerment Finding, including as recently as December 11, 2023.
    Over the intervening decade and a half, the scientific consensus supporting the Endangerment Finding has only strengthened, with successive National Climate Assessments and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlining in increasing detail the extensive harms caused by climate change.  Multiple other sources echo these warnings, and extend them to coming economic harms, which we see already presenting themselves in a property insurance—and increasingly unpredictable—crisis driven by increased flooding and wildfire risk. This overwhelming evidence underpinned EPA’s promulgation of subsequent endangerment findings for greenhouse gases emitted from power plants, oil and gas sector sources of methane, and aircraft engines.
    As you surely know, any attempt to rescind the Endangerment Finding flies in the face of established science and EPA’s own findings. EPA has found that its greenhouse gas regulations generate billions of dollars in savings for Americans and huge reductions in premature deaths, emergency room visits, heart disease, cancer, stroke, asthma onset and symptoms, and missed workdays.  Any attempt to rescind the Endangerment Finding will face significant legal and procedural hurdles, and will create chaos and uncertainty for industries that are relying on existing regulations.
    Your recommendation to strike down the Endangerment Finding appears to be part of a broader effort to dismantle environmental protections at the behest of fossil fuel interests. Reporting and previous investigations of the Senate Committee on the Budget indicate that oil industry lobbyists pre-drafted executive orders that would weaken climate regulations in anticipation of a second Trump Administration.  In short, the fossil fuel industry is now collecting the return on its investment in the 2024 election. Nevertheless, you promised at your confirmation hearing that you would “work with the scientists, leaving the science to the scientists.”  Despite that pledge, your push to undermine the Endangerment Finding seems based not on sound science or legal reasoning, but rather on an agenda that prioritizes industry profits over public health, environmental protection, and climate safety.
    Accordingly, in order to assist in our understanding of your recommendation concerning the Endangerment Finding, please respond to the following questions and requests for production of documents no later than March 6, 2025:
    1. Provide a copy of your correspondence with OMB and any other executive branch parties recommending that the Endangerment Finding be rescinded;
    2. Identify the author(s) of any such correspondence;
    3. Provide all scientific, legal, and economic analyses used to inform your recommendation to OMB regarding the Endangerment Finding;
    4. Identify all individuals and organizations consulted as part of this review process, including meetings with industry representatives and external stakeholders;
    5. Explain how the EPA intends to reconcile any proposed rescission of the Endangerment Finding with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA and subsequent legal precedent, which remains valid law;
    6. Provide any communications (including but not limited to emails, text messages, and memoranda)—dating from November 1, 2024 to present—between and among the EPA and White House officials, members of the Trump 2024 campaign, members of the Trump-Vance Transition Team, OMB staff, Elon Musk, Russell Vought, Mandy Gunasekara, or Jonathan Brightbill regarding the review and potential withdrawal of the Endangerment Finding; and
    7. Detail any plans the EPA has to conduct a formal rulemaking process to revise or rescind the Endangerment Finding.
    The American people deserve transparency regarding policies that impact public health, the environment, and the stability of our climate. We expect your prompt and thorough response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Cortez Masto Demands Answers from Trump Administration on Impact of Terminations Across Federal Government

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) pushed the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture. To date, the Trump administration has refused to respond.

    The Requests:

    On February 18, Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen (D-Nev.) sent two letters to the Trump administration regarding the President’s recent decision to terminate several thousand employees at the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). The Senators expressed deep concerns about the risks that these mass firings could have on the millions of acres of public lands in Nevada and demanded transparency about the projects the terminated employees had been responsible for. The Senators have not received a response.

    On February 20, Cortez Masto and Rosen sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins demanding he provide answers on the mass terminations of personnel across the VA, specifically those in Nevada. The Senators asked for critical information on how these staff reductions could impact veterans and their ability to receive service in Nevada and across the United States. The Senators have not received a response.

    On February 21, the Senators sent a letter to President Trump’s Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) regarding recent terminations of NNSA personnel. Given the NNSA’s role maintaining and modernizing the American nuclear stockpile, largely done at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), the senators expressed grave concern that the chaotic terminations could harm American national security.The Senators have not received a response.

    On February 26, following reports that several U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees involved in bird flu response were fired, Senator Cortez Masto sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins demanding vital answers on recent terminations and the Department’s response to bird flu outbreaks. The Senator has not received a response.

    Senator Cortez Masto will continue to sound the alarm and demand answers from the Trump administration for policies that threaten the safety and wellbeing of Nevada families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump, Zelensky cancel signing of minerals deal after White House shouting match

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A press conference at the White House scheduled for Friday where U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky planned to sign the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal was canceled, following a tense shouting match between the two inside the Oval Office earlier in the day.

    U.S. President Donald Trump (C) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

    What should have been a normal press pool spray before the high-stakes Trump-Zelensky bilateral meeting transpired into a fireworks-filled blowup aired on TV that no one would expect, all starting with an interjection by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who was present in the room, demanding that the Ukrainian leader be thankful for Trump’s effort to get his country out of its three-year conflict with Russia.

    “You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Vance told Zelensky during the unprecedented public confrontation, which later saw the three of them — Trump and Vance versus Zelensky — repeatedly race to talk over one another.

    Rebuking Vance, Zelensky’s remarks that the United States will “in the future” feel the problem brought to it by the Ukraine-Russia conflict was pushed back by Trump, who said Zelensky was “in no position to dictate what we are going to feel” given that he “allowed” himself “to be in a very bad position.”

    “You don’t have cards right now. With us you start having cards,” Trump said as Zelensky, whose voice was barely audible in the face of a shouting Trump, was heard saying he was not playing cards.

    “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country,” Trump piled on and continued.

    After the chaotic Oval Office confrontation, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social saying: “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

    For his part, Zelensky took to X and said: “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you (President Trump), Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Slams Trump for Weaponizing FBI to Target National Climate Bank Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Senator is co-author of the provision that created the National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator

    Funds for programs have been frozen for past two weeks with no explanation from Citibank or the EPA

    Washington (February 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today released the following statement after revelations that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been questioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. These programs, which are part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, leverage private capital to cut energy bills for families and small businesses, improve resiliency against climate change-fueled disasters, and create local economic opportunity while combatting climate change. The affected $20 billion in funding was lawfully passed by Congress, based on Senator Markey’s National Climate Bank Act, and awarded to grantees around the country.

    Earlier this month, the head of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Columbia, Denise Cheung, was pressured to find evidence of a crime as a justification for freezing the release of the congressionally approved federal funds for the National Clean Investment Fund and the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator. When Cheung declined to pursue an unwarranted criminal investigation due to insufficient evidence, she was forced to resign. Trump Justice Department officials then took additional unprecedented steps to formally freeze this funding—steps which were subsequently rejected by a federal judge and refused by other federal prosecutors. Now, the Trump Justice Department has sent in the FBI.

    “The Trump administration is carrying out a literal bank heist right now, and weaponizing the FBI to do so. First freezing funding, then cravenly searching for a non-existent crime, and now utilizing the FBI to target the climate bank is unfounded and is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle the programs that keep Americans safe, healthy, and create jobs. A freeze on these investments would be, by far, the U.S. government’s largest confirmed financial seizure.

    “This kind of illegal and unethical witch hunt is McCarthyesque and shows the Trump administration to be both un-American and deeply worried about the power of clean energy and climate investments. Grantees are already starting to distribute funding to finance projects that will cut energy bills, improve resiliency, and create local economic opportunity around the country.

    “The FBI must immediately stop following the groundless, politicized directives of Trump and Musk and instead return to the important work of protecting the American people, not serving as Trump’s personal corrupt police force. And Citibank must immediately restart the flow of funds to recipients so they can continue to leverage private dollars for projects that will benefit Americans nationwide.”

    Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, Senators Markey and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06), the House lead on the climate financing legislation, welcomed the launch of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund in April 2023.

    Since the start of EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s unfounded attacks on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund this month, Senator Markey issued a statement urging Citibank not to give into fearmongering, wrote a letter to the Department of Justice Inspector General about revelations that Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Cheung was forced to resign after declining to pursue a criminal investigation, and signed onto a letter with the entire Environment and Public Works Committee Democrats demanding answers from the EPA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Colleagues Introduce Measure to Extend Trade Program with Haiti

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension (HELP) Act to extend trade benefits for apparel products produced in Haiti from 2025 to 2035. The products that are eligible for these benefits comprise 93% of Haitian exports and are a vital source of dignified employment for thousands of Haitians, who would otherwise turn to violent gangs for employment or seek to enter the United States illegally. 
    “Over the years, Haitian families have been devasted by natural disasters and political unrest,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Extending trade benefits is good for the U.S. and the Haitian people who need resources and jobs.”
    “America is safer and better off when our neighbors are thriving,” said Senator Warnock. “That’s why I was proud to lead this bipartisan effort to strengthen Haiti’s economic future and stability. This bill is a win-win for Georgians and the people of Haiti. It will promote a better future for us all and shows what is possible when we center the people in policymaking.”
    “Originally a lifeline to Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the Haiti Economic Lift Program has helped the nation economically by stimulating trade between Haiti and the U.S.,” said Senator Durbin. “As Haiti continues to face economic hardship and political unrest, we should extend its provisions by passing the bipartisan HELP Extension Act.”
    In the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Congress passed the HELP Act to broaden the types of goods eligible for duty free status to over 5,000 types of apparel and footwear. The law, which helped rebuild some of Haiti’s domestic industry, is set to expire in 2025.
    Background.
    In December 2021, Cassidy and former U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation to reauthorize the Haitian Hemisphere Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act. In 2021 and 2023, they reintroduced the HELP act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Premier’s statement on Ramadan

    Premier David Eby has issued the following statement in honour of the month of Ramadan:

    “Tonight at sundown, Muslim communities in British Columbia and around the world mark the beginning of Ramadan.

    “Over the coming weeks, family and friends will gather to pray and give back to others through acts of generosity and kindness. A day of fasting from dawn to dusk concludes with iftar, the traditional meal shared at sundown.

    “This year marks another painful time for the Muslim population in our province as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to unfold. As Muslim communities observe Ramadan, it is important we stand in solidarity against Islamophobia and all forms of hate. All of us in British Columbia should continue to build bridges with our neighbours of all faiths and backgrounds. Bringing people together to acknowledge our shared values helps make British Columbia a stronger and ever more welcoming place.

    “I wish everyone observing this sacred month a blessed and peaceful time of reflection.

    “Ramadan Mubarak!”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Kim, Conaway Jr., MD, Pocan, Lead Bicameral Letter to Department of Labor Concerning Musk’s Access to Internal Systems

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (February 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), along with Representatives Herb Conaway Jr., MD (NJ-03), and Mark Pocan (WI-02) today led 137 of their Democratic colleagues in a bicameral letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Vince Miccone, expressing serious concerns regarding reports that Elon Musk and DOGE are being granted access to the Department of Labor’s internal systems and data.
    “The reported involvement of unelected billionaire Elon Musk and DOGE in these functions raises urgent questions about potential conflicts of interest and the safeguarding of sensitive worker data,” wrote the lawmakers. “Elon Musk’s past statements and actions raise serious concerns about the potential for his personal interests to take precedent over the interests of the American public in labor-related matters.”
    The letter includes an extensive list of questions that lawmakers demand answers to by March 7, 2025. The topics covered in these questions include:
    • Data Access and Confidentiality
    • Worker Protections and Regulatory Oversight
    • Security and Oversight
    • Personnel and Employment Protections
    In addition to Senators Markey and Kim, the letter was also signed by Senators: Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    In addition to Representatives Conaway Jr., MD and Pocan, the letter was also signed by Representatives: Adams, Amo, Ansari, Balint, Barragán, Beyer, Bishop, Bonamici, Boyle, Brownley, Budzinski, Bynum, Carbajal, Carson, Casar, Casten, Castro, Chu, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Connolly, Crockett, Crow, Davis (IL), Dean, DeGette, DeLauro, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Dingell, Escobar, Espaillat, Evans, Fields, Friedman, Garamendi, Garcia (CA), Garcia (TX), Goldman, Gottheimer, Green, Grijalva, Hayes, Houlahan, Huffman, Ivey, Jackson (IL), Jayapal, Johnson, Kamlager-Dove, Kaptur, Kelly, Kennedy (NY), Khanna, Landsman, Latimer, Lee, Lynch, Magaziner, Mannion, McClain Delaney, McClellan, McCollum, McGarvey, McIver, Meeks, Menendez, Meng, Mfume, Min, Moore, Mullin, Norcross, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pallone, Panetta, Pettersen, Ramirez, Ross, Salinas, Sánchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Scholten, Schrier, Sewell, Sherman, Sherrill, Smith, Soto, Stansbury, Stanton, Stevens, Strickland, Subramanyam, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson, Titus, Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (NY), Turner, Underwood, Vargas, Velázquez, Williams, and Wilson.
    A copy of the letter can be found HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Joins Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Ban High-Capacity Gun Magazines

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    A similar law prohibiting semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in place from 1994-2004
    Washington (February 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and colleagues in introducing the Keep Americans Safe Act (KASA) to reinstate a nationwide ban on the sale, transfer, possession, import, or manufacture of high-capacity gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives by Diana DeGette (CO-01), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Brad Schneider (IL-10).
    A federal law prohibiting semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines was in place from 1994 to 2004. While research showed this regulation reduced the likelihood of mass shooting fatalities by 70 percent, this federal law has not been renewed since 2004. In mass shootings with four or more people killed between 2015 and 2022, high-capacity magazines led to more than twice as many people killed, and nearly 10 times as many people wounded, per incident on average.
    Specifically, the Keep Americans Safe Act would:
    1. Ban the sale or transfer of high-capacity gun magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds to anyone other than law enforcement;
    2. Ban the possession of a high-capacity gun magazine manufactured after the date of enactment by anyone other than law enforcement;
    3. Authorize high-capacity magazine buyback programs; and
    4. Authorize law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and ATF, to seize and destroy high-capacity magazines possessed illegally.
    “The common denominator in nearly every mass shooting is large-capacity magazines (LCMs), dangerous accessories that allow shooters to continuously fire without reloading, robbing victims of an opportunity to flee or intervene,” said Mark Collins, Director of Federal Policy at Brady: United Against Gun Violence. “Regardless if they are paired with handguns or assault weapons, when LCMs are used in shootings, 155% more people are shot and twice as many people are killed. Brady is grateful to Sen. Blumenthal, Sen. Hirono, and Rep. DeGette for their leadership and is proud to endorse the Keep Americans Safe Act to regulate these dangerous accessories and make America safer.”
    “High-capacity magazines enable shooters to cause devastating harm in a short amount of time and restricting them will help prevent mass shootings that have tragically become too common,” said Nick Wilson, Senior Director of gun violence prevention at Center for American Progress. “If enacted, the Keep Americans Safe Act would save lives because it is working in states who’ve adopted similar laws. When a mass shooting occurred, states with a large-capacity magazine ban had 38 percent fewer fatalities and 77 percent fewer nonfatal injuries.”
    “High-capacity magazines were designed for war, but have become a favored tool for mass shooters looking to inflict maximum carnage,” said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We applaud Senator Hirono for introducing this legislation, which will keep high-capacity magazines out of civilian hands.”
    The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
    The full text of the bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cotton, Scott, Hill, and Colleagues to Uyeda: Review Approach to Consolidated Audit Trail

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
     
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353February 28, 2025
    Cotton, Scott, Hill, and Colleagues to Uyeda: Review Approach to Consolidated Audit Trail
    Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), and House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (Arkansas-02) today sent a letter to Acting Chairman of The Securities and Exchange Commission Mark Uyeda to launch a comprehensive review of all aspects of the Consolidated Audit Trail.
    Additional signers of the letter included Senator Boozman (R-Arkansas), Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), Congressman Bill Huizenga (Michigan-04), Congresswoman Ann Wagner (Missouri-02), and Congressman Barry Loudermilk (Georgia-11).
    In part, the lawmakers wrote:
    “The prohibition on collecting investor PII must be formally codified (rather than via rescindable exemptive relief) and already-collected PII must be expunged.  Cybersecurity measures for the remaining data must be enhanced.  And the CAT’s bloated out-of-control budget must be addressed… . Further, it would appear appropriate for the Commission to pause and reconsider its position with respect to ongoing litigation related to the CAT, as it has done for other cases commenced during the Biden administration.”
    Full text of the letter may be found here and below.
    February 28, 2025
    Mr. Mark Uyeda
    Acting Chairman
    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
    100 F Street NE
    Washington, DC 20549
    The Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) has been a highly controversial endeavor that has raised many concerns from Members of Congress, including with respect to (i) the unwarranted collection of personally identifiable information (PII) from millions of American investors, (ii) potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and (iii) its inequitable funding structure.
    We are pleased that you and fellow Commissioner Peirce have repeatedly acknowledged these longstanding concerns and applaud the Commission for its recent steps to protect the financial privacy of American investors.
    However, there is more work to be done. The prohibition on collecting investor PII must be formally codified (rather than via rescindable exemptive relief) and already-collected PII must be expunged.  Cybersecurity measures for the remaining data must be enhanced.  And the CAT’s bloated out-of-control budget must be addressed.
    Given these continuing concerns, the Commission should launch a comprehensive review that covers all aspects of the CAT.  In doing so, the Commission should take additional steps to pause the CAT’s most controversial elements—not only the collection of customer PII, but also the problematic funding structure that a majority of the current Commission voted against. Further, it would appear appropriate for the Commission to pause and reconsider its position with respect to ongoing litigation related to the CAT, as it has done for other cases commenced during the Biden administration.
    Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Peters Calls on Trump Administration to Reinstate Veterans Illegally Fired in Mass Terminations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 02.28.2025

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) joined a group of 21 Democratic Senators in calling on President Trump to immediately reinstate veterans who have been illegally fired in his Administration’s mass terminations of federal employees. It’s estimated that the Trump Administration’s actions have already resulted in roughly 6,000 veterans abruptly losing their jobs, including many former servicemembers who had worked in government service for multiple years. In a letter to President Trump, Peters and his colleagues emphasized the harmful and disproportionate impacts that these mass layoffs are having on veterans, which make up approximately 30 percent of the federal workforce – or more than 640,000 employees. The letter also called for the Administration to provide these veterans with full back pay and benefits. 
    “Federal civil service has long been a preferred path for military-affiliated populations, allowing them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits, and much-needed stability,” said Peters and his colleagues. “In return, every single agency in our government and every single taxpayer benefits from these experienced, talented, and dedicated employees.” 
    The letter continued, “Your Administration’s actions are damaging the economic security and morale of our military and veteran families, the federal government’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality talent, and ultimately, our national security. We demand that you cease your attacks on our nation’s heroes, who have already given so much in defense of our country, and immediately reinstate those who have been illegally fired with their full back pay and benefits.” 
    To read full text of the letter, click here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Veterans Access VA Benefits

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Preserving Access to Patient Reimbursement (PAPR) Act. The bipartisan PAPR Act would ensure our nation’s veterans continue to have access to a paper-based system for reimbursement of their travel expenses to and from medical appointments. This legislation follows a move from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to transition to a fully web-based travel reimbursement program for veterans, making it difficult for those without access to high-speed internet or experience with computers to fill out their travel expense forms. 
    “Our veterans sacrificed so much for our nation, and it’s our responsibility to make sure they can easily access the benefits they’ve earned,” said Senator Rosen. “That’s why I’m helping to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan bill to increase the methods available to veterans to receive reimbursement forms for travel expenses.”
    “Our veterans are American heroes, who have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms as Americans,” said Senator Scott. “They have sacrificed so much on behalf of the country and shouldn’t have to face unnecessary hurdles at the VA, an agency designed to provide the support they earned. This bill provides a simple fix that makes it easier for our veterans to get their reimbursements, by ensuring paper files are available for those with limited access to or experience with computers or online-based systems. I urge my colleagues to support the PAPR Act and pass it swiftly into law.”
    Senator Rosen has been leading efforts to deliver for Nevada’s veterans. Last year, her bipartisan law to strengthen the cybersecurity of veterans’ personal information was implemented by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen helped introduce bipartisan legislation to assist veterans with home ownership and increase awareness of VA Home Loans. Recently, a bipartisan bill she supported to expand veterans’ benefits outreach became law.

    MIL OSI USA News –