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Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Outlines Efforts to Advance Comprehensive Missile, Drone Detection & Defense Network

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    06.24.25

    Senator Joins Sullivan, Cramer in Introducing GOLDEN DOME Act, Highlights Critical Role of Grand Forks, Cavalier in Integrated Defense System

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today outlined efforts to ensure the U.S. is secure against threats both present and future, including advanced missile technologies and emerging threats from unmanned aircraft. To this end, Hoeven is joining with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act, legislation that supports the establishment of a network of sensors and intercept capabilities to protect against the range of threats facing the U.S. Hoeven joined his colleagues at a press conference today announcing the legislation and highlighted key missions and initiatives in North Dakota that would fit into the Golden Dome architecture:

    • The Space Development Agency’s (SDA) low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission in Grand Forks.
      • In addition to his efforts to stand up the SDA mission, which will serve as the backbone of all U.S. military communications, Hoeven has been working to ensure the LEO satellites can provide missile tracking and advanced fire control.
    • The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) radar at Cavalier Space Force Station, which provides early warning of incoming missiles.
      • Hoeven is working as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to fund the modernization of PARCS.
    • The counter-drone research and development taking place in the Grand Forks region.
      • Hoeven is working to leverage Project ULTRA to develop counter-drone technologies, while bringing in new capabilities like securing access to the Federal Aviation Administration’s unfiltered radar data feed to support and accelerate these efforts.

    At the same time, Hoeven stressed the importance of maintaining an effective nuclear deterrent and keeping nuclear modernization on track, including for the dual-nuclear mission in Minot.

    “This is about integrating all of the systems we are developing throughout the various military branches to ensure we have a comprehensive defense network that works across all domains. Whether it’s ground-based radar in Cavalier, satellite detection out of Grand Forks, or the new missile and drone interception technologies we are advancing, we need all of these pieces to work seamlessly together,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, the best protection is a strong deterrent, so our adversaries don’t even consider striking the U.S. That’s why we need to keep our nuclear modernization programs moving forward, so we can match any of the capabilities being developed by hostile nations like Russia and China. This will be critical as we work to get the Golden Dome established and will remain essential even when these new defenses are in place.”

    Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act:

    • Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a layered defense system that fully integrates all of the nation’s missile defense technologies.
    • Enhances existing U.S. missile defense by authorizing procurement of additional sensors and interceptors.
    • Enables SDA to develop, procure and deploy satellite-based sensors in support of Golden Dome.
    • Requires the modernization of numerous early warning radar detection systems across the U.S., including PARCS at Cavalier Space Force Station.
    • Supports development of advanced technologies to track and defeat enemy missile threats.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Outlines Efforts to Advance Comprehensive Missile, Drone Detection & Defense Network

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    06.24.25

    Senator Joins Sullivan, Cramer in Introducing GOLDEN DOME Act, Highlights Critical Role of Grand Forks, Cavalier in Integrated Defense System

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today outlined efforts to ensure the U.S. is secure against threats both present and future, including advanced missile technologies and emerging threats from unmanned aircraft. To this end, Hoeven is joining with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act, legislation that supports the establishment of a network of sensors and intercept capabilities to protect against the range of threats facing the U.S. Hoeven joined his colleagues at a press conference today announcing the legislation and highlighted key missions and initiatives in North Dakota that would fit into the Golden Dome architecture:

    • The Space Development Agency’s (SDA) low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission in Grand Forks.
      • In addition to his efforts to stand up the SDA mission, which will serve as the backbone of all U.S. military communications, Hoeven has been working to ensure the LEO satellites can provide missile tracking and advanced fire control.
    • The Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) radar at Cavalier Space Force Station, which provides early warning of incoming missiles.
      • Hoeven is working as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to fund the modernization of PARCS.
    • The counter-drone research and development taking place in the Grand Forks region.
      • Hoeven is working to leverage Project ULTRA to develop counter-drone technologies, while bringing in new capabilities like securing access to the Federal Aviation Administration’s unfiltered radar data feed to support and accelerate these efforts.

    At the same time, Hoeven stressed the importance of maintaining an effective nuclear deterrent and keeping nuclear modernization on track, including for the dual-nuclear mission in Minot.

    “This is about integrating all of the systems we are developing throughout the various military branches to ensure we have a comprehensive defense network that works across all domains. Whether it’s ground-based radar in Cavalier, satellite detection out of Grand Forks, or the new missile and drone interception technologies we are advancing, we need all of these pieces to work seamlessly together,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, the best protection is a strong deterrent, so our adversaries don’t even consider striking the U.S. That’s why we need to keep our nuclear modernization programs moving forward, so we can match any of the capabilities being developed by hostile nations like Russia and China. This will be critical as we work to get the Golden Dome established and will remain essential even when these new defenses are in place.”

    Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act:

    • Directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a layered defense system that fully integrates all of the nation’s missile defense technologies.
    • Enhances existing U.S. missile defense by authorizing procurement of additional sensors and interceptors.
    • Enables SDA to develop, procure and deploy satellite-based sensors in support of Golden Dome.
    • Requires the modernization of numerous early warning radar detection systems across the U.S., including PARCS at Cavalier Space Force Station.
    • Supports development of advanced technologies to track and defeat enemy missile threats.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: In Floor Speech, Warren Slams Trump’s War in Iran, Exposes 10 Ways Big Beautiful Bill Increases Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 24, 2025
    “American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.”
    Video of Floor Speech (YouTube)
    Washington, D.C. — In a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) underscored the recklessness of President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran and highlighted ten ways Republicans’ ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ raise costs for American families.  
    “We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon…But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran,” said Senator Warren.
    “American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on,” she continued. 
    Senator Warren also called out the hypocrisy of President Trump’s promise to lower costs “on Day 1” while instead he has been working to rip health care away from over 16 million people to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. She then highlighted ten ways the bill would raise costs for families, from rent to groceries to prescription drug prices. 
    “But what makes the bill worse is that the money you lose doesn’t pay down the national debt or help us rebuild our roads and bridges. The money you lose will be handed directly to a handful of giant corporations and billionaires in the form of new tax giveaways,” said Senator Warren. 
    Senator Warren called for her Republican colleagues to stand up for American families and say no to the dangerous bill. 
    “We still have time to stop it—and that’s exactly what we should do. Democrats will vote NO. We just need a few courageous Republicans, people who care more about working people instead of billionaires, to join us and stop the Big Beautiful Betrayal from passing,” she concluded. 
    Transcript: Floor Speech on Iran, ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’U.S. Senate FloorJune 24, 2025
    As Prepared for Delivery
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Bombing another country is an act of war.
    And last week, Donald Trump launched an attack that could spin the United States into another endless war in the Middle East. 
    What followed from that decision can only be described as pure madness.
    Trump declared total victory. Iran threatened retaliation. Americans in the region were forced to shelter in place. Trump’s own team admitted no one knows where the nuclear materials are and what nuclear capacity Iran may still have. Trump called for regime change. And then last night, for a moment, we hoped and believed there was a ceasefire, only for us to wake up to frantic posts on social media by the president begging both sides to stop shooting missiles and rockets at each other.
    Today the Deputy commander of Central Command could describe nothing about what kind of contingency plans the Defense Department was making or even whether they did—or didn’t—have plans for U.S. boots on the ground. And the classified briefing scheduled for right now so that all the senators can ask questions about what has happened and what is currently happening in Iran has just been scrapped for another 48 hours. 
    There is no grand plan. There is no careful effort to develop a responsible U.S. foreign policy to keep us all safe. Once again, Trump serves up chaos—dangerous chaos that threatens the long-term security of the American people. 
    New reporting by CNN and the New York Times suggest Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran failed to destroy its nuclear program. The media reports highlight that the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months.
    A few months – while risking another war in the Middle East. 
    We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon. We are committed to that. But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran. 
    That is what we need right now: for all sides to come to the table to build an agreement that’s sturdy and that cements lasting peace. 
    But Trump’s reckless action, backed by many Republicans in Congress, makes it more likely this crisis escalates into a deadly cycle of violence.
    Trump’s reckless action puts American lives at risk.
    Trump’s reckless action risks initiating another endless war that could last months – or even decades – as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    We have the power to put a stop to this madness now. Senator Kaine has introduced a War Powers Resolution to stop Donald Trump from turning these Iran bombings into another endless war in the Middle East.
    American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.
    When Donald Trump ran for President, he promised over and over that he would lower costs “on Day 1.” His words—on Day 1. After he was elected, and he was told that his policies would drive up costs, Trump said he “couldn’t care less.” 
    Now we’re at Day 154, and costs are up. Families are paying more for gas. More for housing. More for electricity. Prices are even going up on baby strollers — or as Donald Trump calls it, “the thing you carry the babies around in.” Yes, Donald Trump, the man of the people. 
    So logically, right now, Republicans in Congress are ramming through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” A bill that’s not designed to bring down costs, but that will rip health care away from over 16 million people and hand that money over to every billionaire CEO who paid to be in the front row of Trump’s inauguration.
    For anyone who is watching, I’m here today to read into the record ten ways Trump and Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will make your life more expensive:
    One, your utility bills may go up. The Republicans’ bill will get rid of investments we’ve made in clean energy. We need that energy, and the Republican bill takes our country backwards. It also means that the price of electricity will go up for American families like yours.
    Two, your rent could go up. How? Republicans are trying to block state and local governments from fighting schemes that predatory housing companies use to artificially jack up the price of rent.
    Three, if you’re a kid from a working-class family and don’t have the money to write one check to pay for college, Republicans will make that even more expensive for you. That’s right – Republicans are cutting Pell Grants.
    Four, Republicans are making your student loan payments go up. Independent experts explain that by changing how student loan repayment plans work, Republicans could raise your student loan payments by an average of $400 a month.
    Five, Republicans are making it more expensive to go to medical school. I can’t believe I have to say this, but rich kids shouldn’t be the only people who can become doctors. But this bill would limit how much you can take out in loans to go to medical school.
    Six, Republicans are making the cost of groceries go up. They are cutting food assistance – or SNAP – by nearly $200 per person per year. More than seven million people will have less help, including more than four million people who will lose their food assistance altogether.
    Seven, Republicans are increasing the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans. By demanding that states require higher copays for prescription drugs – from $4 to $35 – the cost of a prescription will go up nearly 900% for low-income people on Medicaid.
    Eight, Republicans will send your Affordable Care Act premiums skyrocketing, pushing them up by thousands – and in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars every year. 
    Nine, Republicans’ will drive up the cost of private health insurance. More than half of all Americans get their insurance from their employer. When a portion of the uncompensated care is shifted to private insurers, experts estimate that the costs to your family will increase by hundreds of dollars a year. 
    Ten, Republicans are ripping health insurance away entirely from 16 million people. For those people who will be uninsured, the cost of essential services like X-rays and blood tests will go up. A trip to the emergency room, if God forbid there’s an accident, could mean they go bankrupt.
    That’s just ten ways this bill could raise your costs. That’s bad. But what makes the bill worse is that the money you lose doesn’t pay down the national debt or help us rebuild our roads and bridges. The money you lose will be handed directly to a handful of giant corporations and billionaires in the form of new tax giveaways. Yes, Republicans are stealing your health care to pay for Jeff Bezos’ third yacht.
    And at the same time working families are worried about war and are scraping together enough money to put food on the table, Jeff Bezos is already celebrating by renting out Venice for his ten-million-dollar wedding.
    With control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, this is what the Republicans decided to do with their power: drive up your costs and rip health care coverage from millions of people. 
    Really, imagine that: the Republicans have virtually unlimited power, and they want to use it to kick newborn babies out of the hospital and take wheelchairs away from people with disabilities – all so they can give that money to their billionaire friends and corporate donors. 
    It’s sickening. And I am angry.
    I’m angry because I believe that it isn’t just rich kids who should be able to afford a trip to the hospital when they fall down and break an arm.
    Because I believe it isn’t just babies from wealthy families who should be able to see a pediatrician when they get an ear infection.
    Because I believe it isn’t just parents who are Wall Street bankers who should be able to pay for cancer treatment for their kids.
    Our nation is better than that.
    My Republican colleagues should feel ashamed. Experts have run the numbers. Fifty-one thousand more people will die a year – unnecessarily – if the Republican bill becomes law. 
    The Republican reaction? Senator Joni Ernst proclaimed, “well, we’re all going to die.”
    And as recently as today, Senator Mitch McConnell is telling Republicans behind closed doors that their party can take a sledgehammer to Medicaid and ignore people’s concerns because quote “they’ll get over it.”
    Really?
    Seniors in nursing homes who get kicked to the curb won’t “get over it.”
    Little kids who find their mom or dad on the kitchen floor after they couldn’t afford insulin won’t “get over it.”
    Parents who rely on Medicaid to take care of their kid with a disability won’t “get over it.”
    Because make no mistake: people won’t stop getting sick—they’ll just stop getting care. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in a red state or blue state, either. 
    And no, if Senate Republicans cut Medicaid, we will not get over it. We will hold you accountable at the ballot box. 
    But this bill isn’t law. We still have time to stop it—and that’s exactly what we should do. Democrats will vote NO. We just need a few courageous Republicans, people who care more about working people instead of billionaires, to join us and stop the Big Beautiful Betrayal from passing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Pressure From Social Security War Room, SSA Confirms Has Not Recategorized Employees as “Schedule F”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 24, 2025

    Warren underscores concerns with potential reclassification of Social Security workers to on strip civil service protections, pave way for mass firings

    Text of SSA Response (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – In a response to a recent letter from U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano confirmed that SSA has not yet reclassified any frontline SSA workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. The confirmation follows pressure from the lawmakers, who sounded the alarm on SSA’s plans to recategorize critical employees, stripping them of their civil service protections and making it easier to fire them without cause.

    “Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify Social Security staff was always about laying the groundwork to fire frontline workers without reason and replace them with DOGE lackeys — ultimately making it harder for Americans to access their services and benefits,” said Senator Warren. “We’ve kept up the pressure to make sure Trump and Bisignano don’t move forward with this reckless plan, and we’ll keep sounding the alarm.”

    Shortly after Commissioner Bisignano was sworn in, the lawmakers pressed him on reported plans to recategorize thousands of Social Security workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. 

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employees that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.

    “SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.

    Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Pressure From Social Security War Room, SSA Confirms Has Not Recategorized Employees as “Schedule F”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 24, 2025

    Warren underscores concerns with potential reclassification of Social Security workers to on strip civil service protections, pave way for mass firings

    Text of SSA Response (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – In a response to a recent letter from U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano confirmed that SSA has not yet reclassified any frontline SSA workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. The confirmation follows pressure from the lawmakers, who sounded the alarm on SSA’s plans to recategorize critical employees, stripping them of their civil service protections and making it easier to fire them without cause.

    “Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify Social Security staff was always about laying the groundwork to fire frontline workers without reason and replace them with DOGE lackeys — ultimately making it harder for Americans to access their services and benefits,” said Senator Warren. “We’ve kept up the pressure to make sure Trump and Bisignano don’t move forward with this reckless plan, and we’ll keep sounding the alarm.”

    Shortly after Commissioner Bisignano was sworn in, the lawmakers pressed him on reported plans to recategorize thousands of Social Security workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. 

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employees that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.

    “SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.

    Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Colleagues Highlight Trump Administration Hypocrisy on National Debt While It Guts IRS, Pushes Giant Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. 

    In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.

    However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.

    Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.

    Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.

    “Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. 

    “These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded. 

    The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025. 

    A copy of the letter is available here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Colleagues Highlight Trump Administration Hypocrisy on National Debt While It Guts IRS, Pushes Giant Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. 

    In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.

    However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.

    Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.

    Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.

    “Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. 

    “These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded. 

    The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025. 

    A copy of the letter is available here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Colleagues Highlight Trump Administration Hypocrisy on National Debt While It Guts IRS, Pushes Giant Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. 
    In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.
    However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.
    Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.
    Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
    “Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. 
    “These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded. 
    The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025. 
    A copy of the letter is available here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to study looking at global childhood vaccination coverage

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A study published in the Lancet looks at global trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage.

    Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology, and Head of Division of Biomedical Sciences & Biomedical Engineering, University of Reading, said:

    “These figures indicate a worrying level of children in the UK who are completely unvaccinated against childhood diseases.  While the comparative data do not show the specific causes of this rising trend over recent decades, the WHO and others are right to highlight it as a worrying trend.

    “This is a very large assessment of multiple and large data sources, combined with models which are used to provide consistency between the data and provide forecasts into the future.  Such methodology provides both a clear overview of the past trajectories of immunisation rates along with an effective range of possible scenarios for the future, which appears to be robust and based on sound data.  The authors are clear about the limitations of their study but these do not detract from the overall message.

    “The current move away from funding global health schemes through international aid in order to spend more on defence puts the whole world at greater risk of future epidemics and pandemics.  Our security against this in the UK is improved by supporting efforts to not let dangerous diseases take hold in populations elsewhere in the world.  Our experience of Covid reminds us that lethal human diseases can be very hard to contain on the other side of international borders.”

    Dr David Elliman, Honorary Senior Associate Professor, UCL, said:

    “Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways that the health service can improve the lives of children around the world. It is a great success story with more vaccines being introduced all the time.  Not only does vaccination save lives, but it often saves money. However, in the last ten to twenty years, many countries, worldwide, have seen a reduction in the proportion of children receiving all the available vaccines. This article by a large group of researchers has documented the decline.  It may be difficult to measure uptake of vaccination accurately, but the researchers have allowed for this.  It is clear that the decline in uptake is happening around the world.  This has resulted in outbreaks of disease, for examples measles and whooping cough in USA and Europe (including UK) as well as in resource poor countries.  These diseases can and do kill children.  While part of the fall in vaccination is related to COVID, the trend was clear before then.

    “Declining vaccination rates are often blamed on misinformation, but there are many reasons, of which this is only one. Access to vaccines is often overlooked or underestimated as a factor, even in the UK.  Around the world, the increasing number of countries torn apart by civil unrest and wars, combined with the drastic cuts in foreign aid from rich nations, such as USA and UK, makes it difficult to get vaccines to many populations.  With the political changes in USA where it appears that policy is being made on the basis of ill-informed opinion, rather than science, we have a perfect storm. The researchers’ recommendations to strengthen primary health-care systems, address vaccine misinformation and hesitancy, and adapt to local contexts can, and should, be applied to all countries, including the UK.  In addition we should ensure that vaccines are available to all.

    “It is in everyone’s interest that this situation is rectified.  Not only is it a moral imperative to improve the health of ALL children, wherever possible, but as was said during the COVID pandemic, no-one is safe, until everyone is safe. While vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, occur anywhere in the world, we are all at risk. Universal vaccination is a perfect example of ‘enlightened self interest’.”

    Prof Sir Andrew Pollard FRCPCH FMedSci FRS, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, and Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, said:

    “The study uses an established approach to track the global burden of disease and immunisation coverage and the authors have tried hard to get the most accurate data by using multiple sources and account for regional variation and inequalities. These types of study will always be limited by the lack of high quality national data from most countries in the world which means there has to be extrapolation and assumption.  Nevertheless these are important data providing a concerning picture of recent declines in vaccine coverage and an increase in the number of zero dose children which risks the future health and lives of millions of children.

    “Incredible progress has been made in the past 50 years since the global expanded programme of immunisation was launched 50 years ago and over 150 million lives, mostly children, have been saved by the programme. The story is the same here in the UK with the launch of our own national programme by JCVI 62 years ago: deaths from infectious diseases of childhood have plummeted here too. The rarity of childhood severe disease and death from infection risks that we become complacent. But the danger remains out there: all of the diseases for which vaccines can protect children remain at large, only kept at bay by the shield which is provided by immunuisation. Unvaccinated children are vulnerable to a wide range of awful life-threatening bacteria and viruses, just as was the case for our population in the first half of the 20th century. There is a worrying trend of falling vaccine coverage worldwide which has been manifest in the last year as the outbreaks in Europe and North America of measles and whooping cough, with measles deaths in Texas in 2025. Falling global vaccine coverage, an increase in the numbers of children receiving no vaccines, and delays in vaccination mean that more children will be hospitalised, permanently damaged and die from fully preventable diseases if the trend is not reversed. Alas, the cuts in global health funding mean that this situation is set to deteriorate. This is a big concern for the future of our health and global health security.”

    Dr Ed Parker, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Vaccine Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:

    “This is a timely study that attempts to quantify global trends in childhood vaccine coverage since 1980.  The findings highlight the remarkable progress that has been made to deliver life-saving vaccines across the globe, while painting a clear picture of the challenges faced following disrupted vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and the stagnation in vaccination rates that preceded it.

    “Underpinning the work is an immense data curation effort, drawing together data from household surveys, national coverage reports, and various other sources from across the globe. The study team estimated coverage trends with careful consideration of the biases, gaps, and inconsistencies that are inherent in these data, providing strong foundations for the study’s conclusions.

    “A key uncertainty – acknowledged by the authors – is that it is too early to know what effect proposed funding cuts might have on vaccination programmes globally. The recent resurgence of measles, polio, and diphtheria – all preventable by vaccination – serves as a reminder of what is at stake if high and equitable vaccine coverage is not sustained.”

    Prof Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, UCL, said:

    “It is often said that, after clean water, vaccination is the most effective intervention for protecting the health of our children. While it can be challenging in many settings to measure vaccine uptake accurately, the researchers publishing the latest data from the World Health Organization have made allowance for this and it provides powerful evidence. It is estimated that vaccination has prevented an estimated 154 million deaths, mostly in the under-fives, across the globe in the last 50 years. However, we cannot rest on our laurels; this progress is stalling in many countries including the UK. In UK, although vaccination is the norm, with the overwhelming majority of parents vaccinating their babies, infants and children without hesitation, there has been a small but gradual decline in the number of parents doing so each year over the past 12 years with increasing inequity in uptake between social groups. This has resulted in recent outbreaks of disease with the largest number of confirmed cases of measles since the 1990s and the tragic deaths of eleven babies from whooping cough in 2024.

    “The reasons for declining vaccine uptake are numerous and complex but require commitment and resource to meet the challenges of increasing social inequity, readily available mis-information about vaccine safety and necessity and improving public confidence in vaccination programmes. Vaccination remains one of our most powerful tools for protecting child health, but its continued success depends on sustained investment, equity, and public trust.”

    ‘Global, regional, and national trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage from 1980 to 2023 with forecasts to 2030: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023’ by GBD 2023 Vaccine Coverage Collaborators was published in the Lancet at 23:30 UK time on Tuesday 24 June 2025. 

    DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01037-2

    Declared interests

    Dr Simon Clarke: “No conflicts of interest.”

    Dr David Elliman: “No conflicts of interest.”

    Prof Sir Andrew Pollard: “Professor Pollard is chair of JCVI which provides independent scientific advice on vaccines to DHSC.  The comment above is given in a personal capacity.”

    Dr Ed Parker: “No COIs to declare.”

    Prof Helen Bedford: “No conflicts.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nadler Statement on Dobbs Anniversary

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion:

    “Three years ago today, six Justices on the Supreme Court issued a decision that overturned nearly half a century of settled law and ripped away a constitutional right that millions of Americans had relied on: the right to access abortion care.

    The consequences have been devastating. In the wake of Dobbs, 22 states have enacted bans or severe restrictions on abortion, resulting in deeply troubling violations of individual rights and medical ethics. In Georgia, for example, a woman who had been declared brain dead while pregnant was kept on life support for months against her family’s wishes, not because of medical necessity, but because of the state’s abortion law.

    These harms are not incidental. They are the predictable result of the Republican Party’s coordinated campaign to roll back reproductive freedom. President Trump, who appointed the justices responsible for the Dobbs decision, has since taken additional steps to undermine access to care. He has pardoned individuals convicted of violence against abortion providers, withheld federal funding from reproductive health care providers, and rescinded guidance that ensured pregnant patients could receive emergency medical care. Trump is also targeting mifepristone, a safe and effective abortion medication used in more than half of all abortions nationwide, by seeking to restrict access even in states where abortion remains legal.

    Congressional Republicans are following his lead. House Republicans’ recently passed a dangerous reconciliation bill that would kick 16 million people off of their health coverage by slashing Medicaid. Medicaid allows millions of Americans to access birth control, family planning services, prenatal care, and other essential services. The same bill would also defund Planned Parenthood, which provides routine care to millions of patients each year.

    The American people overwhelmingly support the right to make personal health care decisions without political interference. Yet Republican leaders continue to pursue a national abortion ban, regardless of the consequences for women, families, and our most basic freedoms.

    I remain firmly committed to restoring the protections once guaranteed by Roe, to defending reproductive rights, and to ensuring that every individual, no matter where they live, can make their own health care decisions free from government intrusion.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Transforming Factories into Mixed-Use Housing

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of Wood and Brooks the Lofts in the Town of Tonawanda. The $23 million mixed-use project transformed 98,370 square feet of space inside a former piano key factory into 55 apartments, and a commercial hub anchored by The Plan Room — a first of its kind, coworking space in Western New York that caters to businesses and individuals in the construction industry.

    “We are working to address the housing crisis with each project we support, by creating the types of modern and sustainable homes that uplift communities and allow families to grow all over the state, including in Erie County,” Governor Hochul said. “We as a state need to build more housing in order to drive down housing affordability, and revitalizing and rehabilitating long-vacant buildings for housing and workforce development is one way we can get that done. This is another great example of what’s possible when municipalities and the state work in true partnership with nonprofits and private developers.”

    This historic renovation project is located within an industrial neighborhood in the Town of Tonawanda bordering the City of Buffalo. The Wood and Brooks piano key factory at 2075 Kenmore Avenue opened in the early 1910s and was renowned for its production of ivory keys. It also played a pivotal role in manufacturing Higgins boat landing crafts during World War II. The location, which is listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places, has been revitalized by the Wopperer family and their extended relatives, who have held ownership of the property since 1972. The building was once known for a since-removed giant elephant head on the roof, a reference to the ivory used to make the keys.

    Wood and Brooks the Lofts offers a range of high-end amenities including a fitness center, on-site café, dog park and wash station, co-working and lounge areas, and 24/7 maintenance services — all designed to enhance the quality of life for residents and commercial tenants. In addition, the project promotes sustainability and preservation through participation in the New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program and utilization of federal and state historic tax credits.

    A centerpiece of the development is The Plan Room, a collaborative initiative with the Construction Exchange of Buffalo & WNY. Designed for small contractors ready to move beyond working from home but not yet in need of a full-scale office, The Plan Room provides private offices, shared meeting rooms, high-speed internet, showers, a shared workshop, and large storage lockers. With capacity for over 50 construction-related businesses, it is the first dedicated coworking space of its kind in the region. The Construction Exchange, a not-for-profit organization serving the Western New York construction industry since 1981, continues its mission of supporting business growth through access to information, education, and networking. To learn more about The Plan Room, visit www.wnyplanroom.com.

    Wood and Brooks Properties President Michael Wopperer said, “We are incredibly grateful to Empire State Development for their financial investment and belief in this project. The transformation of the historic Wood and Brooks factory into modern apartments and flexible workspace would not have been possible without their investment. This project is not only about restoring a landmark—it’s about creating opportunity, housing, and long-term impact in a neighborhood we’ve been proud to be part of for over 50 years.”

    Empire State Development is assisting the Wood and Brooks project with a $1 million Western New York Regional Economic Development Council capital grant towards the commercial portion of the project. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has facilitated the use of Federal and State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, providing nearly $7.88 million in equity for the project.

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “This project will deliver vital housing and catalyze economic growth through a dynamic mix of residential, workforce training and food amenities. The adaptive reuse of this long vacant former factory into high-quality homes is another step forward in the revitalization of Tonawanda. Governor Hochul understands that transforming communities into economic hubs requires housing that is accessible for all New Yorkers and is in proximity to jobs and transportation. The Wood and Brooks project is the latest demonstration of how we renew neighborhoods and increase housing opportunities.”

    New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simon said, “Pairing our historic buildings with state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credit programs can generate exciting new projects along our former industrial corridors. Through partnerships and collective vision, these buildings are reborn into active spaces that look to the future while linking us to a shared past. We are honored to be part of these efforts here in Tonawanda and across the state.”

    New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “By turning a former piano key factory into 55 beautiful, quality apartments and a hub for coworking, this project is not only providing the homes that families need, but also cultivating a vibrant community where residents and businesses can flourish. The Wood and Brooks development is another example of Governor Hochul’s commitment to honoring New York’s history and putting existing resources to work to increase housing supply, grow local economies, and create a stronger New York.”

    The Wood and Brooks project complements Governor Hochul’s economic development vision by making strategic investments in communities across the State which revitalize the economy and create more opportunities for New Yorkers. The FY26 Budget invests $100 million for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and $100 million for NY Forward. These programs help municipalities promote quality of life, foster socio-economic development and create walkable, livable and safer neighborhoods in every corner of the state. The Budget also includes funding for the state’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative; new this year, the 10 councils will compete, in part, for $150 million in funding as part of the new ACHIEVE initiative to advance catalytic economic development projects backed by enhanced implementation funding to jump-start regional growth.

    WNYREDC Co-Chair and Campus Labs Co-Founder Eric Reich said, “Today’s ribbon cutting marks the transformation of a long-vacant building into a vibrant, mixed-use development designed to support and uplift the Town of Tonawanda. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s vision, this former brownfield site has been reimagined as a beautiful residence that also includes an incubator for construction contractors who will be the driving force behind future building projects in the region.”

    WNYREDC Co-Chair and Canisius University President Steve Stoute said, “Through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, Western New York has worked to regrow its economy by increasing the level of building trades training for skilled jobs in our region. The WNYREDC appreciates added value created by the partnership between the project developer and the Construction Exchange of Buffalo & WNY, to help train future contractors and improve the skills of people already working in the field.”

    ECIDA President and CEO John Cappellino said, “On behalf of the ECIDA I congratulate Wood and Brooks Properties on completing this transformational redevelopment of the former Wood and Brooks piano factory. The project was approved for sales tax and Mortgage Recording Tax benefits under ECIDA’s Adaptive Reuse program, which helps developers finance the otherwise cost-prohibitive revitalization of our region’s abandoned historic commercial properties. The project will also create much-needed workforce-affordable housing, including setting aside 10 percent of the housing units for households earning 80 percent or less of the Area Median Income.”

    Assemblymember William Conrad said, “Wood and Brooks the Lofts is a truly transformational project, both in terms of the development team’s reimagination of this historic site, and because of its expansive impact on the housing market in the Town and Buffalo, including for working families seeking affordability. I had the pleasure of touring the property last year, and I was so impressed by the attention to detail, innovation, and quality in the apartments, amenities, and workspace. I thank Governor Hochul and Empire State Development for their faith in this effort and for their continued investment in the growth of Western New York.”

    Tonawanda Supervisor Joseph Emminger said, “The Wood and Brooks project is one that never would have happened without the vision of Michael Wopperer and his family, and the critical support from Governor Hochul, Empire State Development, and the ECIDA. The Town of Tonawanda is proud to have played a role in making this a reality and we look forward to working with Mr. Wopperer in continuing his vision in enhancing this historic property!”

    About Empire State Development

    Empire State Development is New York’s chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state’s 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state’s world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PHOTO RELEASE: Secretary Kristi Noem Observes Repatriation Flight of Criminal Illegal Aliens in Panama

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Removing illegal aliens from Panama saves U.S. taxpayer dollars and helps stop the flow of illegal aliens to the U.S.

    PANAMA – Today, Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia. Deportees included aliens convicted of drug trafficking, sex crimes and aggravated robbery. 

    This deportation program creates drastic savings for U.S. taxpayers— costing about half as much in U.S. taxpayer dollars to remove an illegal alien from Panama compared to the removal process from the U.S. 

    Secretary Noem extended a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Panama, originally signed on July 1, 2024. This extension allows continued U.S. funding—including an additional $7 million commitment—for the Panamanian government’s deportation flights and supports Panama’s efforts to curb illegal immigration across the continent, including southbound migration from the United States. Under this understanding, 2,044 migrants without legal grounds to remain in Panama were deported to 23 countries between August 2024 and June 2025. 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help keep violent criminal illegal aliens from entering the U.S. 

    The agreement, along with President Trump’s strong leadership, has contributed to the closure of the Darién region to illegal migratory flows into Panama en route to the United States. Under President Trump, migration through Panama’s Darien Gap, a dangerous pathway illegal aliens use to get to the U.S. southern border, is down 99%.

    Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia 

    These flights send a clear message to the world: If you come to either the U.S. or Panama illegally, you will be caught, arrested, and removed 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. and save U.S. taxpayer dollars 

    Secretary Noem met with Panamanian President Mulino and other government officials where they discussed ways the U.S. and Panama can continue our partnership to halt illegal immigration 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PHOTO RELEASE: Secretary Kristi Noem Observes Repatriation Flight of Criminal Illegal Aliens in Panama

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Removing illegal aliens from Panama saves U.S. taxpayer dollars and helps stop the flow of illegal aliens to the U.S.

    PANAMA – Today, Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia. Deportees included aliens convicted of drug trafficking, sex crimes and aggravated robbery. 

    This deportation program creates drastic savings for U.S. taxpayers— costing about half as much in U.S. taxpayer dollars to remove an illegal alien from Panama compared to the removal process from the U.S. 

    Secretary Noem extended a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Panama, originally signed on July 1, 2024. This extension allows continued U.S. funding—including an additional $7 million commitment—for the Panamanian government’s deportation flights and supports Panama’s efforts to curb illegal immigration across the continent, including southbound migration from the United States. Under this understanding, 2,044 migrants without legal grounds to remain in Panama were deported to 23 countries between August 2024 and June 2025. 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help keep violent criminal illegal aliens from entering the U.S. 

    The agreement, along with President Trump’s strong leadership, has contributed to the closure of the Darién region to illegal migratory flows into Panama en route to the United States. Under President Trump, migration through Panama’s Darien Gap, a dangerous pathway illegal aliens use to get to the U.S. southern border, is down 99%.

    Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia 

    These flights send a clear message to the world: If you come to either the U.S. or Panama illegally, you will be caught, arrested, and removed 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. and save U.S. taxpayer dollars 

    Secretary Noem met with Panamanian President Mulino and other government officials where they discussed ways the U.S. and Panama can continue our partnership to halt illegal immigration 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pettersen Joins Bipartisan War Powers Resolution

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brittany Pettersen (Colorado 7th District)

    Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) joined two War Powers resolutions reaffirming that only Congress – as outlined in the Constitution – has the authority to declare war, while ensuring the U.S. retains the ability to defend itself from an imminent threat. 

    “These resolutions reaffirm what our Constitution makes very clear: only Congress has the power to authorize war – not a single person. 

    “Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons is in the best interest of America, Israel, and the world. Unfortunately, it was Donald Trump who withdrew us from the Iran nuclear deal. Because of his diplomatic failure, Iran now has 60% enriched uranium, which is very near weapons grade, and does pose an existential threat. 

    “While I recognize the urgency, I am deeply concerned that Trump completely circumvented Congress, endangered American servicemembers and diplomats in the region, and put our national security at risk. 

    “Donald Trump, Congress, and the administration must work together to keep the American people safe, de-escalate tensions, and seek peace wherever possible while supporting our ally, Israel.”

    Pettersen joined two War Powers resolutions: H. Con. Res. 38, led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), and H. Con. Res. 40, introduced by Reps. Greg Meeks, Jim Himes, and Adam Smith, the Ranking Members of the House Foreign Affairs, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Armed Services Committees, respectively.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Statement On The Third Anniversary Of The Dobbs Ruling

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 24, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the third anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court:

    “Today marks a sad anniversary. Three years ago, the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority abandoned the long-standing constitutional protections recognized in Roe v. Wade—rejecting nearly 50 years of progress and dragging gender equality and women’s rights half a century backward.

    “What has happened in the wake of Dobbs was as predictable as it is devastating. Republican-led states opened the floodgates, enacting draconian abortion restrictions with deadly consequences for women unable to obtain critical health care. We’ve also seen a full-fledged attack on reproductive freedoms at the federal level, including the Trump Administration’s Health and Human Services Department re-reviewing mifepristone—which has been deemed safe and effective for more than two decades by the FDA—and Republicans’ continued efforts to defund Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation.

    “While I cannot sugarcoat the state of women’s rights following Dobbs, I want to make one thing crystal clear: this fight is far from over. I, along with my Democratic colleagues, will continue to fight against harmful partisan policies, unfounded in science or the Constitution, that put women’s health and autonomy at risk.”

    Today, Durbin joined Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Patty Murray (D-WA), along with the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025, legislation to guarantee access to abortion everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans.

    As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Biden Administration, Durbin held a hearing in March 2024 entitled “The Continued Assault on Reproductive Freedoms in a Post-Dobbs America.”  The hearing examined the continued and devastating fallout since Dobbs. The hearing followed two previous hearings the Committee held, under Durbin’s leadership, on reproductive freedoms since Roe was overruled—one in July 2022 and one in April 2023. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $1M In Federal Funding For Quincy Regional Airport

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 24, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $1,187,500 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Authority for Quincy Regional Airport to be used for equipment upgrades.

    “By improving airport infrastructure, we are laying the foundation for increased connectivity and reliability,” said Durbin. “This federal funding for Quincy Regional Airport-Baldwin Field Airport will upgrade the airport’s infrastructure and promote economic growth. I will continue working with Senator Duckworth to ensure our state’s regional airports have the necessary federal resources.”

    “Illinois’s airports are critical economic engines for our state and the source of jobs for so many working families,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this federal funding to help replace aging snow removal equipment the Quincy Regional-Baldwin Field Airport. I will continue working to make traveling safer and more reliable for all passengers while ensuring that our communities receive the much-needed federal resources they deserve.”

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on American Leadership; Standing with Israel and Ukraine

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered remarks on the Senate floor today regarding U.S. national security interests in standing with Israel, supporting Ukraine, and investing sufficiently in our own defense. Prepared text of his speech follows:

    “When Iran’s proxies launched a full-scale war on Israel on October 7th, 2023, President Biden pledged an ‘unwavering commitment to Israel’s security’. This was the right message in the moment. But as I warned publicly at the time, Israel needed more than rhetorical solidarity.

    “Like Ukraine, Israel needed precious time, space to maneuver, and material support to defeat a shared enemy. And yet, as in Ukraine, America’s commitment has indeed wavered. Our support has not been ironclad.

    “Instead, under the previous Administration, American support was delayed, restricted, and paired with attempts to micromanage Israeli operations and even interfere with Israeli politics. And at every turn, the progressive left and isolationist right hyperventilated about the specter of so-called forever war.

    “Fortunately, Israel held its ground. Israelis weren’t enthused about a ground war in Gaza. Their leaders knew that war would be difficult. But they knew it was unavoidable so long as Hamas terrorists still refused to release its hostages. They also knew lasting security meant changing Iran’s calculus…Not just responding to attacks from its proxies. So Israel decided to turn Iran’s terrorist assets into liabilities.

    “Despite the pearl-clutching here in Washington, our ally simultaneously decapitated Hizballah and crippled Hamas. Their bold operations created a new opportunity for Lebanon to claw back its sovereignty from a terrorist state within a state.

    “Meanwhile, the collapse of the brutal Assad regime in Syria brought down a Russian vassal and Iran’s favorite corridor of weapons and terrorist finance. These are the circumstances President Trump inherited. What to do with them has been the subject of some debate. Some of his advisors and supporters came with Obama-Biden-era talking points, ready to urge him to continue his predecessor’s policy of constraining Israel. Some had argued publicly that America had no vital or existential interests in the Middle East or claimed the region was a distraction from other priorities. They warned of forever war. Some seemed to push for nuclear negotiations with parameters eerily similar to the nuclear deal he withdrew from during his first term. They even proposed Iran could keep enriching uranium, until the President rightly quashed that idea.

    “These mixed messages emboldened Iran and its proxies. After all, why give up if Administration officials saw the Middle East as little more than a distraction?…or if they seem as fearful of restoring deterrence as the previous guys? So Hamas kept holding hostages. The Houthis kept targeting Israel and Red Sea commerce. And the Islamic Republic kept marching toward a nuclear weapon. And in response, Israel took the next logical step to restore deterrence.

    “Once again, innovative and decisive strikes destroyed Iran’s air defenses and imposed immediate costs on Tehran. And leaders from across Israel’s politics stood united behind the daring operations. But here in America, the same restrainers, anti-Israel progressives, and self-proclaimed realists warned again of regional conflagration if the President intervened alongside – or even supported – Israel’s strikes.

    “The President’s own Director of National Intelligence traveled to Hiroshima to record a bizarre video message – not as a warning against Tehran’s nuclear ambitions but, presumably, against American or Israeli operations to blunt them.

    “Fortunately, the President rejected the pleas of appeasers and isolationists. The strikes he ordered dealt a massive blow to Iran’s nuclear program, bolstered American credibility, and strengthened U.S. and Israeli leverage to end Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and its support for terrorism for good.

    “Thanks to Israel’s heroic efforts for more than a year and a half, Iran’s ability to threaten regional stability is massively degraded. Not since before the Islamic revolution has there been such an opportunity for America, Israel, and our Arab partners to reset regional dynamics on such favorable terms. Achieving it has required no large-scale deployment of U.S. ground forces. It required only supporting our friends. Israel is a close ally and a strategic asset. Not a liability. And the strategic return on our investment in assisting Israel is incalculable.

    “Standing with our Israeli friends offers a powerful lesson about American leadership, the value of alliances and partnerships, and the real nature of peace through strength. And this lesson extends far beyond the Middle East. If America refuses to apply it elsewhere – like Ukraine – we do so at grave risk to our own interests. But that’s exactly what some in Washington seem to be doing. Congress recently learned that a senior DoD official conducted a review of DoD security assistance efforts and concluded that the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), among other programs, was wasteful. This is a Republican Administration panning a program created by a Republican Congress in 2015 to counter President Obama’s toothless response to Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine. I’d like to see the analysis behind the Administration’s decision to zero out USAI in its FY26 request. I’d like to hear them try to explain away the massive return on investment of America’s security assistance to Ukraine and the precious lessons we’ve learned from our Ukrainian partners.

    “The Secretary of the Army has rightly called Ukraine ‘the Silicon Valley of warfare’. Do his colleagues at the Pentagon think this assessment is wrong, or do they just not think access to the cutting edge of modern combat is valuable? Here’s the truth: USAI and other security assistance efforts have helped us measurably address shortcomings in strategy, capabilities, and production capacity that would have gone ignored until it was too late.

    “It’s an inconvenient reality for isolationists and restrainers, but – for a tiny percent of our defense budget – we helped a smaller military resist invasion by a vastly larger one and degrade a major U.S. adversary.

    “As with Israel, Ukraine is fighting an adversary of the United States. Our support does not entangle us in a far-off foreign conflict. For Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea, America is the main enemy – the great Satan. If these adversaries beat our friends, the threat to America become a thousand times greater. We should be grateful for friends so willing to defend our collective interests against common foes.

    “Partnership with Ukraine is teaching us what modern warfare could mean for U.S. forces when they do face direct conflict. It has tested our assumptions about munitions inventories, expenditure rates, electronic warfare, and the duration of conflict. Without Ukraine’s experience with U.S. weapons, we would have been surprised to find some advanced systems quickly rendered inoperable on future battlefields.

    “The money we invest in USAI on weapons for Ukraine expands our own production capacity in the process and will improve the quality of our own munitions. Supplemental appropriations on Ukraine and Israel, in turn, backfill our own stocks with brand-new capabilities – not just 155mm rounds, but air defenses and long-range fires, with specific investment in solid rocket motors. These investments help us prepare for conflict in the Indo-Pacific. And production would be slower in the absence of our partnership with Ukraine. Not doing more to address our growing defense needs isn’t a failure of foresight. It’s a failure of political will. Everyone wants to see an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. But the price of peace matters. If we want enduring stability in Europe, we can’t fall for an illusory peace.

    “We should know enough history not to dismiss this as merely ‘a quarrel in a faraway country, between two people of whom we know nothing’. It’s a major war of conquest in Europe…The most significant since the days of Nazi Germany…And allies and adversaries half a world away are watching it closely for clues about America’s resolve. Certainly, Europe’s deepening commitments to collective defense will make real peace more enforceable. The President’s insistence has driven much of this progress; Putin’s brutality has reinforced it.

    “Since 2022, our European NATO allies have made historic investments in defense – often buying American. And many are preparing to make even larger commitments at this week’s NATO Summit. This is good news. But we can’t expect allies to continue signing up for 3.5% and 5% commitments if America insists on falling further behind. Likewise, we can’t expect Putin to end his aggression if he thinks America’s abandonment of Ukraine is only a matter of time. And we can’t expect anyone to take America’s threats and commitments seriously if we’re content to let our own strength atrophy.

    “A base budget request that cuts defense spending in real terms doesn’t show Moscow we’re serious – let alone Beijing. Leading from behind would be bad enough, but this is just plain falling behind. The strongest deterrence is denying an adversary’s objectives through military means. Israel is restoring this deterrence in the Middle East. Ukraine is achieving it by holding its own against Russia. But it needs help.

    “Recently, I’ve asked Administration officials simple questions, like: Who is the aggressor in this conflict? The answer is obvious. But a second, equally simple question seems to trip them up: Who do we want to win?

    “The President made the right call to stand with Israel. I hope he’ll also decide to stand with Ukraine, prevent Russian victory, and start reversing a dangerous, downward trend in our defense budgets. I hope he’ll recognize Russia’s attempt to ‘tap him along’ for what it is. Putin is getting mixed messages from Washington. He thinks he has time. He believes the West is weak and divided. But the President – at very little cost – can shatter this illusion. It’s time to impose sanctions, raise the price of Russia’s aggression, redouble security assistance to Ukraine, and drive the Kremlin to seek peace. It’s time for deterrence through denial.

    “There’s no surer path to just and enduring peace…No better way to demonstrate that peace through strength actually means something…No clearer sign to allies and adversaries watching closely from the Western Hemisphere to the Indo-Pacific that America still has the will to lead.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CANCELING CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING ON IRAN

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Know Your Immigration Rights

    If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

    Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

    Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

    Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

    The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

    Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tampa-based companies signs with IMAGE program

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Tampa has signed an ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers, or IMAGE, program agreement with Ruri Software Technologies and Famous Technologies, Inc., as part of a voluntary collaborative program with America’s business community.

    These privately owned companies entered into IMAGE agreements as part of a mutually beneficial initiative that provides businesses enhanced security and a more stable workforce while minimizing the likelihood of hiring unauthorized workers. This Department of Homeland Security E-Verify employment eligibility program is free to employers and enables them to verify new hires’ eligibility to work in the U.S. Its internet-based system is available throughout the nation and provides an automated link to the Social Security Administration’s database and DHS immigration records.

    “These partnerships with businesses in our communities are an integral part of our commitment to providing national security, as well as the security of employees and customers,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge John Condon. “They are leading by example in how a legal workforce is a key component of responsible corporate citizenship.”

    As part of these agreements, Ruri Software Technologies and Famous Technologies have pledged to maintain secure and stable workforces and curtail the employment of unauthorized workers through outreach and education.

    To qualify for IMAGE certification, companies must:

    • Complete the IMAGE Self-Assessment Questionnaire
    • Enroll in the E-Verify program within 60 days
    • Establish a written hiring and employment eligibility verification policy that includes internal Form I-9 audits at least once per year
    • Submit to a Form I-9 inspection

    Ruri Software Technologies is a rapidly growing IT consulting company providing complete life cycle of software solutions to its clientele. Its companion company, Famous Technologies Inc., is also a rapidly expanding IT consulting firm that provides complete life cycle software solutions in a variety of domains across the U.S. Their basic processes aim to provide innovative, technology-enabled solutions that help provide their customers with leading products and services that endeavor to be on the cutting edge of technology.

    “We are proud to align ourselves with the values and standards that IMAGE represents, and we look forward to upholding the integrity and responsibility that comes with this designation,” said Ruri Software technologies director of operations Ram Arikatlal. “It is an honor to be part of this important partnership committed to fostering a lawful workforce while promoting best hiring practices.”

    Companies interested in more information about the IMAGE program can call 813-357-7137 or visit ICE.gov/image.

    To learn more about HSI Tampa, follow us on X at @HSITampa.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Pillen Announces Resignation of DED Director Belitz

    Source: US State of Nebraska

    . Pillen Announces Resignation of DED Director Belitz

    LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced the resignation of K.C. Belitz, director of the Department of Economic Development (DED). His final day with the state is July 18.

    Belitz, appointed to oversee the agency in July 2023, led the implementation of several new initiatives like Read Nebraska, 6 Regions, One Nebraska and the Governor’s New Venture Competition. He also oversaw the review and issuance of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants through state and local programs aimed at revitalizing key areas of Nebraska, including north and south Omaha, but also including smaller cities and rural communities.

    “K.C. is a committed public servant, whose entire career has been about growing local communities and growing Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “Over the past two years, he has been a positive champion for bringing new business to the state and fostering relationships that will allow Nebraska to continue attracting companies involved in the bioeconomy, manufacturing, technology and other industries. I appreciate all that K.C. has done as director of DED and wish him the very best in all future endeavors.”

    “It has been a pleasure to serve Gov. Pillen and the people of Nebraska in this role,” said Beliz. “It has afforded me the chance to meet stakeholders across Nebraska who care deeply about their communities, making investments and creating opportunities so that families can raise their kids, have great careers, and thrive in their home state. That has been immensely satisfying, and I’m appreciative of those many relationships.”

    An announcement as to interim leadership for DED, as well as the search for a permanent director, will be made at a later date.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Representatives Jackson and Krishnamoorthi Demand ICE Transparency at Chicago South Loop Facility

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jonathan Jackson – Illinois (1st District)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    CHICAGO, IL – Congressmen Jonathan L. Jackson and Raja Krishnamoorthi are demanding immediate transparency and accountability from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following their denied attempt to conduct an oversight visit at the South Loop ICE facility in Chicago.

    In a joint letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the two lawmakers insist on gaining access to the facility and obtaining clear information about recent detentions.

    “We were denied the ability to perform congressional oversight – as is our duty as members of the United States House of Representatives,” the letter states. “During the visit to this facility, the ICE officer who refused to identify himself called the Chicago Police Department to evict us for ‘trespassing.’”

    Their visit follows alarming reports from June 4 indicating that at least ten individuals were detained under the pretense of routine appointments at the facility.

    “It is unclear exactly how many people were taken, where they were taken to, and if they were given access to counsel,” the lawmakers wrote. “We were denied those answers.”

    These concerns arise amidst credible reports that President Donald Trump has directed ICE to initiate the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, targeting cities such as Chicago.

    “The President’s politically motivated actions are deeply troubling, particularly for communities like ours in Illinois that have already seen intensified enforcement activity in recent weeks,” Reps. Jackson and Krishnamoorthi wrote.

    In their letter to Secretary Noem, the representatives have requested a formal response by Friday, June 27, and reiterated their demand for access to the South Loop facility to fulfill their oversight responsibilities.

    Access the complete letter here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Representatives Jackson and Krishnamoorthi Demand ICE Transparency at Chicago South Loop Facility

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jonathan Jackson – Illinois (1st District)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    CHICAGO, IL – Congressmen Jonathan L. Jackson and Raja Krishnamoorthi are demanding immediate transparency and accountability from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following their denied attempt to conduct an oversight visit at the South Loop ICE facility in Chicago.

    In a joint letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the two lawmakers insist on gaining access to the facility and obtaining clear information about recent detentions.

    “We were denied the ability to perform congressional oversight – as is our duty as members of the United States House of Representatives,” the letter states. “During the visit to this facility, the ICE officer who refused to identify himself called the Chicago Police Department to evict us for ‘trespassing.’”

    Their visit follows alarming reports from June 4 indicating that at least ten individuals were detained under the pretense of routine appointments at the facility.

    “It is unclear exactly how many people were taken, where they were taken to, and if they were given access to counsel,” the lawmakers wrote. “We were denied those answers.”

    These concerns arise amidst credible reports that President Donald Trump has directed ICE to initiate the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, targeting cities such as Chicago.

    “The President’s politically motivated actions are deeply troubling, particularly for communities like ours in Illinois that have already seen intensified enforcement activity in recent weeks,” Reps. Jackson and Krishnamoorthi wrote.

    In their letter to Secretary Noem, the representatives have requested a formal response by Friday, June 27, and reiterated their demand for access to the South Loop facility to fulfill their oversight responsibilities.

    Access the complete letter here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Donald Heflin, Executive Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center and Senior Fellow of Diplomatic Practice, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

    President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House on June 24, 2025, in Washington, less than 12 hours after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Within hours of President Donald Trump unexpectedly announcing an upcoming ceasefire between Israel and Iran on June 23, 2025, both countries launched airstrikes against the other.

    “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f–k they’re doing,” an angry and frustrated Trump told reporters outside the White House on June 24.

    While Iran and Israel have tentatively agreed to the truce – and Trump reiterated on June 24 that the “ceasefire is in effect” – it is not clear whether this deal can hold. Some research shows that an estimated 80% of ceasefire deals worldwide fail.

    Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with former Ambassador Donald Heflin, an American career diplomat who serves as the executive director of the Edward R. Murrow Center at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, to understand how ceasefires typically work – and how the Israel-Iran deal stacks up against other agreements to end wars.

    An excavator removes debris from a residential building that was destroyed in Israel’s June 13, 2025, airstrike on Tehran, Iran.
    Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

    How do ceasefire deals typically happen?

    There are classes taught on how to negotiate ceasefires, but it is ad hoc with each situation.

    For example, in one scenario, one of the warring parties wants a ceasefire and has decided that the conflict isn’t going well. The second party might not want a ceasefire, but could agree that it is getting tired or the risks are too high, and agrees to work something out.

    The next scenario, which leads to more success, is when both parties want a ceasefire. They decide that the loss of life and money has gone too far for both sides. One of the parties approaches the other through intermediaries to say it wants a ceasefire, and the other warring party agrees.

    In a third situation – which is what we are seeing with the Iran-Israel deal – the outside world imposes a ceasefire. Trump likely told both Israel and Iran: Look, it’s enough. This is too dangerous for the rest of the world. We don’t care what you think. Time for a ceasefire.“

    The U.S. has done this in the Middle East before, like after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria. Israel was achieving big military victories, but the risk was pretty great for the world. The U.S. came in and said, “That’s enough, stop it now.” And it worked.

    Does the US bring the warring parties to a table in this kind of situation, or simply pressure the countries to stop fighting?

    It is more of the U.S. saying, “We are done.” When the U.S. does something like this, it is often going to have backup from the European Union and other countries like Qatar, saying, “The Americans are right. It is time for a ceasefire.”

    It appears that this Israel-Iran deal does not have specific conditions attached to it. Is that typical of a ceasefire deal?

    This deal doesn’t seem to have any specific details attached to it. Ceasefires work better when they have that. Lasting ceasefires need to address the concerns of the warring parties and give each side some of what it wants.

    For instance, in the Ukraine and Russia war, we have not seen either one of those countries push for a ceasefire. Part of the problem is Crimea and eastern Ukraine, sections of land in Ukraine that Russia has annexed and claims as its own. Russia would be happy with a deal that puts it in charge of Crimea and Ukraine, but Ukraine won’t agree to that. The question of who controls specific areas of land has to be addressed in this conflict; otherwise, the ceasefire isn’t going to last.

    Search and rescue efforts continue in a building in Beersheba, Israel, hit by a ballistic missile fired from Iran shortly before the ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump came into effect on June 24, 2025.
    Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    Who is responsible for ensuring that both sides uphold a ceasefire?

    Security guarantees are an important part of negotiating and maintaining long-term ceasefires. Big countries like the U.S. could say that if a warring party violates a ceasefire agreement, they are going to punish them.

    In the 1990s, the U.S. and Europe assured Ukraine that if it gave up its nuclear arsenal, the U.S. would defend Ukraine if Russia ever invaded it. Russia has invaded Ukraine twice since then, in 2014 and 2022. The U.S. gave a more substantial response in the form of sending weapons and other war materials to Ukraine after the 2022 invasion, but there have been no real consequences for Russia.

    That has created a problem for ceasefires in the future, because the U.S. didn’t deliver on its past security guarantees.

    The further away you get from Europe, the less interested the West is in wars. But in those kinds of disputes, United Nations and other international peacekeeping troops can be sent in. Sometimes, that can work brilliantly in one place, like with the example of international peacekeeping troops called the multilateral Observer Mission stationed between Israel and Egypt helping maintain peace between those countries. But you can copy it to another place and it just doesn’t work as well.

    How does this ceasefire fit within the history of other ceasefires?

    It’s too early to tell. What matters is how the details get fleshed out.

    Ideally, you can get representatives of the Israeli and Iranian governments to sit around a conference table to reach a detailed agreement. The Israelis might say, “We have got to have some kind of assurances that Iran is not going to use a nuclear weapon.” And the Iranians could say, “Assassinations of our military generals and scientists has got to stop.” That kind of conversation and agreement is what is missing, thus far, in this process.

    Why is it so common for ceasefire deals to fail?

    Some ceasefire deals don’t get to the underlying conditions of what really caused the problem and what made people start shooting this time around. If you don’t get to the core issues of a conflict, you are putting a Band-Aid on the situation. Putting a Band-Aid on someone when they are bleeding is a good move, but you ultimately might need more than that to stop the bleeding.

    The outside world might be pretty happy with a ceasefire deal that seems to stop the fighting, but if the details are not ironed out, the experts would say, “This isn’t going to last.”

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

    – ref. Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold – https://theconversation.com/ceasefires-like-the-one-between-iran-and-israel-often-fail-but-an-agreement-with-specific-conditions-is-more-likely-to-hold-259739

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Donald Heflin, Executive Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center and Senior Fellow of Diplomatic Practice, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

    President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House on June 24, 2025, in Washington, less than 12 hours after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Within hours of President Donald Trump unexpectedly announcing an upcoming ceasefire between Israel and Iran on June 23, 2025, both countries launched airstrikes against the other.

    “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f–k they’re doing,” an angry and frustrated Trump told reporters outside the White House on June 24.

    While Iran and Israel have tentatively agreed to the truce – and Trump reiterated on June 24 that the “ceasefire is in effect” – it is not clear whether this deal can hold. Some research shows that an estimated 80% of ceasefire deals worldwide fail.

    Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with former Ambassador Donald Heflin, an American career diplomat who serves as the executive director of the Edward R. Murrow Center at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, to understand how ceasefires typically work – and how the Israel-Iran deal stacks up against other agreements to end wars.

    An excavator removes debris from a residential building that was destroyed in Israel’s June 13, 2025, airstrike on Tehran, Iran.
    Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

    How do ceasefire deals typically happen?

    There are classes taught on how to negotiate ceasefires, but it is ad hoc with each situation.

    For example, in one scenario, one of the warring parties wants a ceasefire and has decided that the conflict isn’t going well. The second party might not want a ceasefire, but could agree that it is getting tired or the risks are too high, and agrees to work something out.

    The next scenario, which leads to more success, is when both parties want a ceasefire. They decide that the loss of life and money has gone too far for both sides. One of the parties approaches the other through intermediaries to say it wants a ceasefire, and the other warring party agrees.

    In a third situation – which is what we are seeing with the Iran-Israel deal – the outside world imposes a ceasefire. Trump likely told both Israel and Iran: Look, it’s enough. This is too dangerous for the rest of the world. We don’t care what you think. Time for a ceasefire.“

    The U.S. has done this in the Middle East before, like after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab countries led by Egypt and Syria. Israel was achieving big military victories, but the risk was pretty great for the world. The U.S. came in and said, “That’s enough, stop it now.” And it worked.

    Does the US bring the warring parties to a table in this kind of situation, or simply pressure the countries to stop fighting?

    It is more of the U.S. saying, “We are done.” When the U.S. does something like this, it is often going to have backup from the European Union and other countries like Qatar, saying, “The Americans are right. It is time for a ceasefire.”

    It appears that this Israel-Iran deal does not have specific conditions attached to it. Is that typical of a ceasefire deal?

    This deal doesn’t seem to have any specific details attached to it. Ceasefires work better when they have that. Lasting ceasefires need to address the concerns of the warring parties and give each side some of what it wants.

    For instance, in the Ukraine and Russia war, we have not seen either one of those countries push for a ceasefire. Part of the problem is Crimea and eastern Ukraine, sections of land in Ukraine that Russia has annexed and claims as its own. Russia would be happy with a deal that puts it in charge of Crimea and Ukraine, but Ukraine won’t agree to that. The question of who controls specific areas of land has to be addressed in this conflict; otherwise, the ceasefire isn’t going to last.

    Search and rescue efforts continue in a building in Beersheba, Israel, hit by a ballistic missile fired from Iran shortly before the ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump came into effect on June 24, 2025.
    Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    Who is responsible for ensuring that both sides uphold a ceasefire?

    Security guarantees are an important part of negotiating and maintaining long-term ceasefires. Big countries like the U.S. could say that if a warring party violates a ceasefire agreement, they are going to punish them.

    In the 1990s, the U.S. and Europe assured Ukraine that if it gave up its nuclear arsenal, the U.S. would defend Ukraine if Russia ever invaded it. Russia has invaded Ukraine twice since then, in 2014 and 2022. The U.S. gave a more substantial response in the form of sending weapons and other war materials to Ukraine after the 2022 invasion, but there have been no real consequences for Russia.

    That has created a problem for ceasefires in the future, because the U.S. didn’t deliver on its past security guarantees.

    The further away you get from Europe, the less interested the West is in wars. But in those kinds of disputes, United Nations and other international peacekeeping troops can be sent in. Sometimes, that can work brilliantly in one place, like with the example of international peacekeeping troops called the multilateral Observer Mission stationed between Israel and Egypt helping maintain peace between those countries. But you can copy it to another place and it just doesn’t work as well.

    How does this ceasefire fit within the history of other ceasefires?

    It’s too early to tell. What matters is how the details get fleshed out.

    Ideally, you can get representatives of the Israeli and Iranian governments to sit around a conference table to reach a detailed agreement. The Israelis might say, “We have got to have some kind of assurances that Iran is not going to use a nuclear weapon.” And the Iranians could say, “Assassinations of our military generals and scientists has got to stop.” That kind of conversation and agreement is what is missing, thus far, in this process.

    Why is it so common for ceasefire deals to fail?

    Some ceasefire deals don’t get to the underlying conditions of what really caused the problem and what made people start shooting this time around. If you don’t get to the core issues of a conflict, you are putting a Band-Aid on the situation. Putting a Band-Aid on someone when they are bleeding is a good move, but you ultimately might need more than that to stop the bleeding.

    The outside world might be pretty happy with a ceasefire deal that seems to stop the fighting, but if the details are not ironed out, the experts would say, “This isn’t going to last.”

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

    – ref. Ceasefires like the one between Iran and Israel often fail – but an agreement with specific conditions is more likely to hold – https://theconversation.com/ceasefires-like-the-one-between-iran-and-israel-often-fail-but-an-agreement-with-specific-conditions-is-more-likely-to-hold-259739

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Young Kim Urges Governor Newsom to Ease Pain at Pump for Californians

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Young Kim (CA-39)

    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) joined Rep. David Valadao (CA-22) and members of the CA GOP delegation in writing to Gov. Gavin Newsom in opposition to the State’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the gasoline excise tax, which would increase to 61.2 cents per gallon, taking effect on July 1, 2025.   

    “California is already home to the highest gas prices of any state in the nation – the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and gas tax only add more pain at the pump for hardworking families,” said Congresswoman Kim. “I will continue to urge Governor Newsom to suspend the burdensome gas tax and provide relief for Californians.” 

    Read the letter HERE or see highlights below. 

    We strongly oppose two impending increases in gasoline costs proposed by your administration that are set to take effect on July 1, 2025—measures that could impose an additional $0.68 per gallon on California drivers. 

    In November 2024, the unelected bureaucrats at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved updates to the State’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), despite widespread concerns 

    about affordability. Beginning July 1, 2025, this regulatory change is expected to increase gas prices by 65 cents per gallon. In addition, your administration has announced an increase to the state’s gasoline excise tax, raising it to 61.2 cents per gallon—further compounding the financial strain on working families. 

    These developments come amid the closure of several in-state refineries, placing further pressure on California’s already limited transportation fuel supply. Rather than addressing these supply challenges, the state’s actions threaten to deepen the hardship faced by millions of Californians who are already struggling to meet their families’ basic needs. 

    We have repeatedly urged your administration to suspend the gas tax and halt new regulatory measures that raise fuel prices. Yet, our calls have gone unanswered. As of this letter’s date, AAA reports that the average price of gasoline in California stands at $4.66 per gallon, $1.44 above the national average and the highest in the country. If your administration proceeds with these increases, projections show gas prices could soar to $8.43 per gallon by 2026. This is simply unsustainable for the constituents we represent. 

    We urge you to immediately suspend any further increases to California’s gasoline excise tax and pause the implementation of CARB’s LCFS updates. Californians need relief—not additional burdens. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Shaheen, New Hampshire Congressional Delegation Applaud Release of More Than $9.4 Million to Help Improve Water for Disadvantaged Communities, Small Towns and Private Wells

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    **Funding is New Hampshire’s FY 2025 allocation from the $5 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program**

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a lead negotiator of the water provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), applauded the release of more than $9.4 million from a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program to help Granite State communities and private well owners address contamination from per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The funding is New Hampshire’s Fiscal Year 2025 allocation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Shaheen secured this funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and has worked to ensure it can be used to help homes on private wells in addition to community water systems.  

    “When safe drinking water is on the line, it’s critical for New Hampshire to receive the federal funding it has been promised to address PFAS contamination,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m glad the Environmental Protection Agency has released funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I fought for to help ensure Granite Staters everywhere have clean drinking water. I’ll continue to push this administration to uphold its responsibility to protect public health.”

    “I’m glad to see that this $9 million in federal funding is being released to New Hampshire’s small communities to help them address dangerous PFAS contamination in their drinking water and private wells. However, this contamination problem is likely to continue because the Trump Administration is rolling back standards that would limit forever chemicals in drinking water,” said Senator Hassan. “I will continue to support efforts to ensure that all Granite Staters have access to clean, safe drinking water.”

    “I fought to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law to deliver needed resources to our communities to modernize water infrastructure, combat harmful PFAS contamination, and strengthen access to clean, safe water,” said Congressman Pappas. “While I continue to fight for better national water standards and federal resources for New Hampshire, I am glad that this funding is rightfully being delivered to help tackle toxic forever chemicals and protect public health.”

    “New Hampshire cannot thrive without access to safe, reliable drinking water – free from forever chemicals like PFAS,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “This federal funding will make life better for hardworking people across our state, and I’ll never stop fighting to deliver every penny of federal funding that the people of New Hampshire were promised.”

    Senator Shaheen leads efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, respond to the chemical exposure and remediate polluted sites. As a lead negotiator of water provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Senator Shaheen worked to secure $10 billion to specifically address PFAS and other emerging contaminants, $5 billion of which is targeted to small and disadvantaged communities. To date, New Hampshire has received more than $325 million in water infrastructure funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $66 million to address PFAS. In the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding legislation, Senator Shaheen successfully secured language ensuring funding for small and disadvantaged communities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could be used to address private well contamination. Shaheen has introduced legislation that would be a permanent fix.

    Pappas has been a leader in addressing PFAS and advocating for improved standards, increased investment, and a stronger national focus on PFAS contamination. On the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Pappas led the fight for dedicated funding for PFAS and helped pass the bipartisan infrastructure law to deliver resources to New Hampshire communities. Pappas leads the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act, legislation to establish water quality criteria and set limits on industrial PFAS discharges into water and water treatment plants. He also leads the PFAS Research and Development Reauthorization Act, the PFAS Registry Act, the PFAS-Free Procurement Act, and the No Taxation on PFAS Remediation Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Anniversary of Dobbs Ruling, Shaheen and Hassan Renew Legislation to Guarantee Women’s Reproductive Rights

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today joined a group of Senators to reintroduce the Women’s Health Protection Act. The legislation would guarantee a woman’s right to access an abortion—and the right of an abortion provider to deliver these services—free from medically unnecessary restrictions that interfere with a patient’s individual choice or the provider-patient relationship. The reintroduction of the Shaheen and Hassan-backed Women’s Health Protection Act falls on the three-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling that eliminated fifty years of precedent protecting abortion access. 

    “In the three years since Roe v. Wade was reversed by the Supreme Court, we’ve seen Republican politicians jump at virtually every opportunity to undermine women’s reproductive freedoms. Let’s be very clear: No one—not a lawmaker or unelected jurist—should be able to control a woman’s decision on when or if to start a family,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m helping reintroduce the Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law—ensuring a woman’s ability to access reproductive care isn’t defined by the zip code she lives in.” 

    “For the first time in our country’s history, our daughters are now less free than their mothers were at their age. The Dobbs decision represents the largest attack on women’s freedom in modern American political history, stripping away women’s fundamental freedom to make their own health decisions and chart their own futures,” said Senator Hassan. “The Women’s Health Protection Act would restore these essential freedoms and ensure that a woman’s right to lifesaving care doesn’t vanish when she crosses a state line.” 

    Senator Shaheen is an unrelenting advocate for women’s reproductive rights. Earlier this year, Shaheen took to the Senate floor alongside her Democratic colleagues to oppose Senate Republicans’ latest effort to restrict access to reproductive health care, the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, that would have significantly interfered with the doctor-patient relationship and posed unnecessary and harmful obstacles to a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her reproductive health.  For years, Shaheen has fought to expand coverage of women’s preventative care, including through her legislation to reduce the cost of contraception for servicewomen and dependents in military families. 

    Senator Hassan has a record of standing up for reproductive freedom. Earlier this year, she spoke on the Senate floor to criticize the decision by the Senate’s Republican leadership to hold a vote on legislation to restrict a woman’s fundamental freedom to access reproductive health care instead of working in a bipartisan manner to lower the cost of living. In April, Senator Hassan met with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England leadership, health care providers, and community health leaders to hear directly about the impact of the Trump Administration’s decision to take away Title X federal funding for life-saving health care services – which include cancer screening, reproductive health care, and family planning services that Granite Staters count on. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Leads New Hampshire Delegation Letter Urging Labor Department to Reverse Decision to Close Manchester Job Corps Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), are urging U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to reverse the DOL’s decision to close Job Corps Centers nationwide, including the New Hampshire Job Corps Center in Manchester. The Manchester Job Corps Center, which Shaheen helped establish in 2013, serves up to 268 residential and 32 nonresidential students, providing vocational training, pathways to a high school diploma and college certifications and degrees through partnerships with Manchester Community College, Nashua Community College and the New Hampshire Technical Institute.

    In part the delegation wrote, “The New Hampshire Job Corps Center is essential to the state’s economy with an estimated economic impact of more than $21 million per year. The center’s closure would have a grave and lasting impact on the state’s economic growth and workforce pipeline.”

    The delegation continued, “Given the vital role that Job Corps plays in New Hampshire and throughout the country, we respectfully urge you to reconsider your pause of Job Corps operations and cease efforts to eliminate the program. We have a shared interest in improving outcomes for Job Corps students, prioritizing their safety, and preventing any waste that may exist in the Job Corps program, and we urge you to work with Congress to advance these goals.”

    The full text of the letter can be found here.

    Last week, Shaheen joined a bipartisan group of Appropriations Committee members in sending a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, urging the DOL to reverse its decision to begin the closure of Job Corps Centers nationwide.

    Senator Shaheen has long championed funding to support the Manchester Job Corps Center. In 2013, Shaheen built on fifteen years of bipartisan work to break ground on the Manchester Job Corps Center in collaboration with federal and local officials. Job Corps students and graduates have gone on to work in high-need industries across New Hampshire, including advanced manufacturing and other businesses critical to the defense industrial base.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: New Hampshire Delegation Sends Letter Urging Labor Department to Reverse Decision to Close Manchester Job Corps Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), are urging U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to reverse the DOL’s decision to close Job Corps Centers nationwide, including the New Hampshire Job Corps Center in Manchester. The Manchester Job Corps Center, which Shaheen helped establish in 2013, serves up to 268 residential and 32 nonresidential students, providing vocational training, pathways to a high school diploma and college certifications and degrees through partnerships with Manchester Community College, Nashua Community College and the New Hampshire Technical Institute.

    In part the delegation wrote, “The New Hampshire Job Corps Center is essential to the state’s economy with an estimated economic impact of more than $21 million per year. The center’s closure would have a grave and lasting impact on the state’s economic growth and workforce pipeline.”

    The delegation continued, “Given the vital role that Job Corps plays in New Hampshire and throughout the country, we respectfully urge you to reconsider your pause of Job Corps operations and cease efforts to eliminate the program. We have a shared interest in improving outcomes for Job Corps students, prioritizing their safety, and preventing any waste that may exist in the Job Corps program, and we urge you to work with Congress to advance these goals.”

    The full text of the letter can be found here.

    Last week, Shaheen joined a bipartisan group of Appropriations Committee members in sending a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, urging the DOL to reverse its decision to begin the closure of Job Corps Centers nationwide.

    Senator Shaheen has long championed funding to support the Manchester Job Corps Center. In 2013, Shaheen built on fifteen years of bipartisan work to break ground on the Manchester Job Corps Center in collaboration with federal and local officials. Job Corps students and graduates have gone on to work in high-need industries across New Hampshire, including advanced manufacturing and other businesses critical to the defense industrial base.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BlackRock® Canada Announces Final June Cash Distributions for the iShares® Premium Money Market ETF

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (“BlackRock Canada”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final June 2025 cash distributions for iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Unitholders of record on June 25, 2025 will receive cash distributions payable on June 30, 2025.

    Details regarding the final “per unit” distribution amounts are as follows:

    Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution Per Unit
    iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR $0.129

    Further information on the iShares ETFs can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca.

    About BlackRock
    BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @BlackRockCA

    About iShares ETFs
    iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1500+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$4.3 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2025, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock.

    iShares® ETFs are managed by BlackRock Canada.

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.  

    Contact for Media:
    Sydney Punchard
    Email: Sydney.Punchard@blackrock.com

    The MIL Network –