Source: Reserve Bank of India
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Category: DJF
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MIL-OSI Banking: Money Market Operations as on June 24, 2025
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MIL-OSI Australia: Tasmania Police to honour Constable Keith Smith with funeral procession and guard of honour
Source: New South Wales Community and Justice
Tasmania Police to honour Constable Keith Smith with funeral procession and guard of honour
Wednesday, 25 June 2025 – 12:57 pm.
This Friday, Tasmania Police will farewell Constable Keith Smith with full ceremonial honours in recognition of his dedicated service and the lasting impact he made both on and off duty.
Western District Commander Stuart Wilkinson said community members are warmly invited to pay their respects after the funeral service.
“While the service itself is not open to the public, we encourage members of the community to line the streets and join us in paying tribute to Keith as he makes his final journey,” he said.
“After the service, Tasmania Police members will march in a funeral procession from the Paranaple Centre through the Guard of Honour along Victoria Parade.”
“The procession will then continue to Ulverstone and pass through Victoria and Reibey Streets.”
“The outpouring of kindness and support from across Tasmania and beyond over recent days has been deeply moving,” Commander Wilkinson said.
“Keith was a proud member of Tasmania Police who was deeply respected by his colleagues and his community. His service and spirit will not be forgotten.”
A live stream of the funeral will be available online.
Community members are encouraged to observe the procession at the following times:Devonport (from 2:30 pm): Members of the public are encouraged to line Victoria Parade (from Nicholls Street) as the procession travels along Bluff Road, up to William Street.
Ulverstone (from 3:30 pm): The procession will travel past Ulverstone Police Station along Victoria Street, turn into Reibey Street, and continue to Kings Parade. -
MIL-OSI Australia: Celebrate NAIDOC Week with the City of Wanneroo
Source: South Australia Police
National NAIDOC Week (6-13 July) is a time for all Australians to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities and the legacy of our ancestors.
The City of Wanneroo is running a variety of free events and activities throughout July, and the community are encouraged to get involved.
On Friday 4 July, a formal Flag Raising Ceremony will take place in the Jacaranda Amphitheatre as symbol of respect and appreciation for the City’s local Aboriginal heritage, culture and community. The event will feature a Welcome to Country by Aboriginal elder Vaughn McGuire and a special cultural performance by students from Butler College.
The City is also running series of bushtucker sessions where participants will learn about native botanicals and bushfood plants for the backyard, Nyungar culture sessions at City youth centres, and special Six Seasons Storytime sessions at Wanneroo and Clarkson libraries.
Take a look at the full schedule at wanneroo.wa.gov.au/naidocweek
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MIL-OSI China: Xi, Mozambican president exchange congratulations on 50th anniversary of ties
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Xi, Mozambican president exchange congratulations on 50th anniversary of ties
BEIJING, June 25 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday exchanged congratulations with Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Mozambique.
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MIL-OSI China: China confident in, capable of maintaining rapid economic growth: premier
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TIANJIN, June 25 — China is confident in and capable of maintaining rapid economic growth, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Wednesday.
Li made the remarks when addressing the opening plenary of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.
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MIL-OSI China: China committed to tackling difficulties, challenges facing global economy: premier
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China committed to tackling difficulties, challenges facing global economy: premier
TIANJIN, June 25 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday that China is willing to do whatever it takes to help tackle the difficulties and challenges facing the global economy.
Li made the remarks when addressing the opening plenary of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.
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MIL-OSI China: China moving towards becoming a high-income country: premier
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TIANJIN, June 25 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday that China is moving towards becoming a high-income country as a whole as the demand for consumption upgrade is robust in the world’s second-largest consumption market.
Li made the remarks when addressing the opening of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.
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MIL-OSI China: China to grow into super-sized consumption powerhouse: premier
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TIANJIN, June 25 — China is striving to develop itself into a super-sized consumption powerhouse on the solid foundation of a manufacturing powerhouse, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Wednesday.
Li made the remarks when addressing the opening plenary of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.
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MIL-OSI China: ‘Sea of Death’ becomes land of wonder
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Hop aboard, grip the handrail, press the gas, and it’s time for an exhilarating adventure across the vast, rolling sand dunes on a four-wheeled quad bike.
This thrilling experience is just one of many adventures visitors can enjoy at the N39 scenic area in Makit County of Xinjiang’s Kashgar Prefecture. Located on the southwestern edge of the Taklimakan, China’s largest and the world’s second-largest drifting desert — often referred to as the “Sea of Death” — this once-remote and seldom-visited wilderness has become a captivating destination.
“The ride was so much fun and so intense, we enjoyed it a lot,” said Li Wei, who brought her 18-year-old son for a post-graduation trip from Wuhu in east China’s Anhui Province, a city some 4,000 km from Kashgar. “Playing in the desert should be a great way for the kid to relax after the college entrance exam,” she added.
Launched in 2016, the tourist site is attracting a growing number of visitors. The annual tourist visits have reached 500,000, with a consistent year-on-year growth rate of 7 to 15 percent, according to Dong Mingjiang, general manager of the tourism development company of the scenic area.
“Many of our visitors come from afar, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, and we have also received many foreign visitors from countries such as the United States, Britain, Singapore and Thailand,” he said.
Besides the four-wheelers, the site offers a wide choice of desert-based activities such as off-roaders, sand surfing, camel riding and desert camping.
At the camel trekking area, Chen Wenbai mounted a camel and, under the guidance of staff, set off to explore the rolling sand dunes. The rhythmic chime of camel bells and the ethereal whistling of the camel herders echoed across the wilderness, creating a scene reminiscent of the ancient Silk Road.
“It is my first time to see the big desert, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Chen, who traveled all the way from Zhuhai in south China’s Guangdong Province to Xinjiang. Accompanying him were a dozen “travel buddies” he met online, who had discovered this scenic spot through Xiaohongshu, the Chinese lifestyle online platform known overseas as “rednote.”
The name of the tourist site N39 means the 39 degrees north latitude, a line popular with adventurers and off-road enthusiasts to cross the Taklimakan Desert. The history of the N39 dates back to 1895 when Swedish explorer Sven Anders Hedin led his team along this line to cross the Taklimakan in vain.
Today, witnessing an evolving landscape, the once-feared “Sea of Death” is transforming into a sea of life and hope.
Over the years, against the background of China’s fight against desertification, people in Xinjiang have been cultivating drought-resistant plants such as populus euphratica, saxaul and red willow at the edge of the Taklimakan to fix the sand and improve the environment. In November 2024, a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 km was completed to encircle the Taklimakan.
In Makit, a total of 78,400 hectares of sand prevention and control projects, including 30,666 hectares of protective forests, have been completed. At the same time, the county has been tapping into the economic potential of the desert. Besides the N39 scenic area, it also established a tourist site featuring the Daolang (swordsman) culture and paintings created by local farmers.
According to Pan Guoping, deputy director of the local culture, broadcasting and tourism bureau, in the first five months of 2025, the county received over 1.78 million tourist visits, a growth of 55.05 percent year-on-year. Tourism revenue during the period reached 732 million yuan (102 million U.S. dollars), up 61.58 percent.
The tourist boom is evident around the Taklimakan.
At the northern edge of the desert, Xayar County, Aksu Prefecture, boasts the world’s largest and best-preserved pristine populus euphratica forest stretching along the Tarim River.
Thanks to the ecological restoration efforts such as ecological water conveyance and replanting, the county has created a wetland scenic area in the desert, integrating populus euphratica forests, lakes, wetlands and waterfowl habitats. In autumn, when the forests turn into a sea of golden yellow, this once-isolated area emerges as a popular destination, drawing visitors and photographers from near and far.
At the southern margin of the desert, Yutian County in Hotan Prefecture has a long history of rose cultivation. As part of the sand control efforts, local communities have successfully cultivated drought-resistant and highly adaptable rose varieties suitable to their local desert conditions.
The region now hosts a rose culture tourism festival annually, featuring an array of activities including song and dance performances, cultural exhibitions, rose-themed experiences, gourmet food tasting, agricultural product fairs, and sports events.
The booming tourism industry is offering immense opportunities for locals.
Four years ago, after graduating from Shanghai Normal University, Aynur Emer returned to her hometown of Makit and became a tour guide at the N39 scenic area. Now, at just 25 years old, she is the scenic spot’s deputy general manager.
Growing up in a farming family, Aynur Emer often found herself reflecting on the desert that dominated her childhood memories — a place of hardship she hoped to leave.
“The back door of our house opened directly onto the desert,” she recalled. “During sandstorms, the roads would disappear entirely. Coming back from the market, I frequently struggled to find my way home.”
As a little girl, she never imagined that the desert could become a tourist destination. Yet today, thanks to environmental improvements and a burgeoning tourism industry, the desert has transformed in her eyes from a source of struggle to one of beauty and prosperity.
“When I was young, I dreamed of traveling to see stunning landscapes far from home,” Aynur Emer said. “But now, the best view is right at my doorstep.” ■
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MIL-OSI China: Cutting-edge technologies bring ancient inventions to life
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
In the heartland of China, near a 4,500-year-old farmland, a team of agricultural scientists is modernizing an ancient practice. They are using big data analytics and AI modeling to study and improve the yield of a specific plot of land.
At the experimental field near the Baodun Site, where evidence of ancient rice cultivation was found, researchers from Sichuan Agricultural University are using AI-powered models to simulate the result of different hybrid rice varieties.
The modern research method has greatly saved time, unlike the conventional approach, which would require waiting until the harvesting season of a certain rice hybrid, researchers said.
Chinese archaeologists have unearthed carbonized rice, millet, and foxtail millet at the Baodun site, a walled enclosure dating from 4,500 to 4,200 years back. This late Neolithic culture emerging on the Chengdu Plain in southwestern China, bears witness to the agricultural dawn of ancient Chinese civilization. Today, the site’s agricultural values, and also archaeological and economic values are being explored and expanded through technological means.
In a nearby lab, researchers are constructing a 3D image of the site to study the impact of ancient floods and to understand how the walled structures may have contributed to the prosperity of the plain. Not far from the site, the Tianfu Agricultural Expo Park, sprawling 96 square km, accommodates eco-farming, expo and innovative farming practices.
The park with integrated platforms blending culture, commerce, agriculture, and tourism has transformed muddy fields into vibrant cultural spaces, said Yuan Zhouping, director of agricultural industry department of the Sichuan Tianfu Agricultural Expo Park Investment Co., Ltd.
In addition to rice cultivation, silk-weaving, another ancient invention that originated at the Chengdu Plain, has received a modern technological boost.
At the Jinmen Creative Park showcasing the silk culture, the application of AI in Shu Brocade bridges tradition and innovation. Clients submit AI-generated photos for machines to weave into brocade bases before artisans embroider.
“AI-assisted brocade slashes design time and ensures uniqueness,” said Zhong Ming, director of Sichuan Shujing Cultural Communication Co., Ltd., “It turns consumers into co-creators, revitalizing intangible heritage.”
Juxtaposing the modern brocade is a six-meter-tall Tang Dynasty (618-907) loom, with its warp and weft threads labeled “1” and “0” revealing a binary code. The centuries-old brocade patterns are also being digitized and analyzed to foster innovation, Zhong said.
China has more than 7,000 officially registered museums which attracted 1.49 billion visits last year. Across the country, the increasingly wide use of AI, VR and AR now facilitates the preservation, utilization and exhibition of cultural relics and heritage.
In Chengdu, ancient paper money, or jiaozi from the 10th century, inspires creative works now exhibited at the city’s art museum. Digital docents offer immersive tours and answer questions instantly for interested museum-goers. Kiln museums market tea sets based on golden masks freshly unearthed from the Sanxingdui Site, a rich and mysterious city. These innovative pieces are being sold on livestreaming platforms and have gained popularity among young consumers. ■
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MIL-OSI Australia: 10 lesser-known walks to try in the ACT
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Discover the London Bridge Arch on a walk in the Googong Foreshores area.
In brief:
- This article lists lesser-known walks in the ACT.
- This article lists easy, moderate and more difficult walks.
Canberrans are lucky to live among so many reserves, parks and green spaces.
Tucked away in these spaces are great walking trails that you may not have discovered yet.
Whether you’re an avid hiker or like to catch up with friends while taking a stroll, we’ve rounded up 10 lesser-known local walks to try.
Church Rock Heritage Loop
This 2.5km (one hour) signed heritage walk is in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
Start your adventure at Flints picnic area, where you will walk through Flints homestead site and around Church Rock.
The walk has short steep hill sections, a rough surface and many steps. It’s suitable for most ages and fitness levels, but some bushwalking experience is recommended.
London Bridge Walk
This easy 4.5km circuit is in the Googong Foreshores area.
The track takes you through the woodlands to the London Bridge Arch – an incredible geological formation that’s over 20,000 years old – before following the valley to London Bridge Homestead.
Both the arch and the homestead are heritage-listed sites, so remember not to climb on the arch, enter the caves or swim in the surrounding creek.
Start your walk at the London Bridge Woolshed carpark.
Mount Arawang Loop
This is a short 3.5km (one hour) return walk on the Canberra Centenary Trail.
Mount Arawang is the highest point on Cooleman Ridge. Ascend through bird-rich bushland before reaching the trig point, which has beautiful views of Brindabella Mountains.
The walk requires no experience and has a formed track but has short steep sections and many steps.
Start the loop at the Namatjira Drive entry to Cooleman Ridge Park at Ballarat Street for easy access.
Mount Gingera
This walking track is in Namadgi National Park. At 1,847 metres, Mount Gingera is ACT’s second highest peak.
This walk is difficult and recommended for experienced bushwalkers. The uphill walk is worth it, rewarding hikers with beautiful views at the top.
We recommend not attempting the walk during winter as weather can change quickly in the mountains and access roads may be closed or become unsafe.
Distance:
- 14.5 km return from Mt Franklin Road (six hours)
- If walking via Stockyard Spur, start on Corin Road (eight to nine hours).
Image: Molonglo Gorge
Molonglo Gorge
The Molonglo Gorge is 3km long and 15-million years old, and you can walk its full length.
The 6.5km (return) track climbs cliffs and skirts waterline to the Blue Tiles picnic area.
The gorge is also an important wildlife corridor, so keep an eye out for rare woodland birds.
Enter from the picnic area off Sutton Road, with parking available at the Molonglo Gorge recreation area.
Mount McDonald Summit Track
Discover a new side of the Cotter.
This moderate track curves through open woodlands to the summit of Mount McDonald. At the top, you will be rewarded with great views of Canberra, the Murrumbidgee River and Brindabella Range.
Distance:
- 3.8km return via Cotter Catchment Lookout Track (two hours)
- 5.2 km return via management trail (three hours)
Image: Settlers Track
Settlers Track
Located in the Namadgi National Park, this track takes walkers back in time.
Experience huts, homesteads and other historic sites from the 19th and 20th centuries.
We recommend not attempting the walk during winter as weather can change quickly in the mountains and access roads may be closed or become unsafe.
Distance:
- 6km loop from Boboyan Road (four hours)
- 9km loop via Waterhole Hut from Boboyan Road (five hours).
This walk is suitable for most ages and fitness levels, though some bushwalking experience is recommended.
Image: Tong’s Hole
Tong’s Hole
This walk is a hidden secret down the road from Shepherd’s Lookout.
The trail starts at the end of Stockdill Drive and takes you down through stands of Black Cypress Pine to the scenic Molonglo River.
It’s a great spot to see raptors and stunning river views.
This moderate 1km return walk takes about one hour. It’s easily accessible from Stockdill Drive, 3km south-west from Ginninderry.
Oakey Hill Nature Reserve Loop
Enjoy an easy 2.4-km loop walk through Oakey Hill Nature Reserve.
The reserve is a 65-hectare protected area between the suburbs of Lyons and Weston in the Woden Valley.
You can access the reserve:
- on its western side via an underpass beneath the Tuggeranong Parkway
- on its northern side from Heysen Street
- on its eastern side from numerous points in Lyons.
Image: Wanniassa Hills
Wanniassa Hills Nature Reserve Track
This hidden gem is just down the road from Mount Taylor.
The walk up the mountain is 2.62km return and has great sweeping views at the top.
It is accessible from Erindale Drive and from the suburbs of Fadden and Macarthur.
The reserve is great for:
- birdwatching
- views of southern Canberra
- wildflower displays especially in spring.
Before you go
Respect reserves by:
- staying on the tracks to minimise your impact
- taking your rubbish home with you
- leaving what you find, including plants, animals, rocks and timber (dead and alive)
- respecting the area’s heritage – leave cultural sites undisturbed
- collecting and responsibly disposing of your dog’s droppings (where dogs are permitted)
- cleaning your outdoor gear, including bicycles, to avoid spreading weeds and disease.
Stay safe by:
- bringing your own drinking water
- dressing appropriately for the weather- making sure you rug up if it’s cold or layering clothing
- carrying a mobile phone, especially if you are on your own
- letting someone know where you are going and when you’ll return
- being weather alert – reserves and roads may close if there are severe weather conditions. Check the Parks ACT website before travelling.
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MIL-OSI Security: Hawaii Guardsman Returns to the Philippines with Pacific Partnership
Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)
VIRAC, Philippines (June 12, 2025) — The tropical heat of Virac felt familiar to Hawaii Army National Guard Spc. Elvis Lorenz T. Salinas. This wasn’t a vacation, however. As a 12B Combat Engineer with the Hawaii Army National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) Search and Extraction team, Salinas was participating in Pacific Partnership, a multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission.
Born in Manila, Salinas immigrated to Hawaii in 2015 and joined the Guard to serve his new home while staying connected to his roots. The mission to the Philippines was deeply personal.
“It feels like coming full circle,” Salinas explained. “I left for better opportunities, and now I get to come back and support local communities. It’s very humbling.”Salinas’s Filipino heritage proved invaluable. Speaking the language and understanding the culture allowed him to easily communicate with local firefighters, Armed Forces of the Philippines service members, and volunteers.
“My heritage allows me to connect with people on a deeper level,” said Salinas. “I speak the language, I understand the culture, and I know how important family and community are here. It has helped build trust quickly, and I think it reminds both sides that we’re all working together as partners.”
The Hawaii National Guard team provided training in structural collapse, confined space rescue, and disaster preparedness, working side-by-side with local responders.
Salinas was impressed by the professionalism of the Philippine military. “We talked stories with each other, shared meals … It reminded me that what we do affects real people and real lives.”
“I never imagined I’d have the chance to return in this capacity,” Salinas reflected. He hopes the local community gains tools for future disaster response. “To my family and all Filipinos, I thank you for your strength, resilience, and warm hearts. I’m proud to represent our people here, and I promise to continue serving with honor and compassion. Mabuhay kayo!”
Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.
For updates and multimedia from Pacific Partnership 2025, follow #PacificPartnership, #PP25, and #PacificPartnership25 on social media or visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/PacificPartnership
Date Taken: 06.12.2025 Date Posted: 06.24.2025 22:41 Story ID: 501424 Location: VIRAC, PH
Web Views: 5 Downloads: 0
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Hawaii Guardsman Returns to the Philippines with Pacific Partnership, by PO2 Jordan Jennings, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Concludes Successful Mission in Virac, Philippines
Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)
VIRAC, CATANDUANES, Philippines (June 12, 2025) — Pacific Partnership 2025 successfully concluded its mission in Virac, Philippines, marking the end of a series of intensive training exercises and collaborative engagements aimed at strengthening disaster response capabilities and fostering lasting partnerships, June 12, 2025.
Over the past two weeks, members of the Hawaii National Guard, the Center for Excellence-Disaster Management, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) worked alongside local emergency responders and civilian authorities, focusing on urban search and rescue (USAR), Incident Command System (ICS) training, and a disaster management workshop. These activities were designed to enhance technical skills, exercise coordination frameworks, and support community-based resilience initiatives, ultimately increasing natural disaster preparedness in Virac and the greater Catanduanes province.
“Catanduanes is frequently hit by typhoons year-round and the people here have learned to adapt in their own ways; they can still smile and laugh right after their properties were damaged by storm,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines Air Force Lt. Col. Gil L Andal, the AFP Officer in Charge. “The AFP, as a regular partner, is committed to continually improving the synergy in disaster response mechanisms in vulnerable communities to foster resilience built with strong capabilities”
The ICS and disaster management workshops, modelled after the U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS), provided a standardized framework for incident management, improving disaster preparedness and response capabilities. The Hawaii National Guard and AFP’s USAR component focused on lifesaving operations in challenging environments, including hands-on training in simulated collapsed structure rescue, shoring and stabilization techniques, and rubble pile operations.
“The success of Pacific Partnership in Virac is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our Philippine partners,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Robert Reyes, the officer in charge for the Philippines mission stop. “Their commitment to enhancing disaster resilience is truly inspiring. We are deeply grateful for their warm hospitality, collaborative spirit, and unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of their community. The bonds forged here will undoubtedly strengthen our shared ability to respond effectively to future challenges.”
Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.
For updates and multimedia from Pacific Partnership 2025, follow #PacificPartnership, #PP25, and #PacificPartnership25 on social media or visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/PacificPartnership
Date Taken: 06.12.2025 Date Posted: 06.24.2025 22:44 Story ID: 501425 Location: VIRAC, PH
Web Views: 4 Downloads: 0
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This work, Pacific Partnership 2025 Concludes Successful Mission in Virac, Philippines, by PO2 Jordan Jennings, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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MIL-OSI USA: June 24th, 2025 Heinrich Slams Trump Administration’s Decision to Rescind Roadless Rule That Strips Protections of Millions of Acres of America’s National Forests
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins’ efforts to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, also known as the Roadless Rule, established during the Clinton Administration to protect over 58 million acres of public lands administered by the Forest Service.
“Once again, the Trump Administration is putting special interests first by torching protections for our national forests. Rolling back the Roadless Rule will make millions of acres vulnerable to destructive wildfires, carve up wildlife habitat, degrade opportunities for recreation, and threaten the headwaters our communities rely on,” said Heinrich. “More than 80 percent of wildfires are started by humans within a half mile of a road – but now Trump is pretending that this rollback is necessary for fire prevention. This is nothing more than a reckless giveaway to private interests that puts lives and our lands at risk.”
See the map of New Mexico’s inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands here.
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MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Questions Military Leadership On Middle East Readiness, GOP Budget Tactics
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
WASHINGTON — During a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing today entitled, “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Navy,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) pressed top military officials on Middle East operations and partisan budget maneuvers. The witnesses included Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan, Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric M. Smith, and Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James W. Kilby.
Addressing the current situation in the Middle East, Senator Schatz began, “President Trump’s decision to strike Iran was impetuous. He conducted strikes without seeking Congressional authorization, and it endangered service members stationed throughout the region. Iran’s barrage of missile attacks on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar demonstrated that. The announcement of a ceasefire is good news, but now we need an actual ceasefire, and it is on all parties to arrive at that conclusion this unnecessary 12-day conflict.”
Schatz then raised concerns about the readiness of U.S. forces amid shifting global threats, citing examples of multiple carrier strike groups rerouting from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East and stressing the importance of replacing munitions expended by the U.S. to defend Israel to ensure that the U.S. can continue to deter future threats and protect its partners.
Turning to the Navy and Marine Corps budget request, Schatz noted that the FY26 request, which Republicans have tied to their budget reconciliation efforts, fell $8 billion short of the FY25 continuing resolution (CR), saying, “Failing to address the current shortfalls caused by the CR means that the Navy will not be able to successfully deter the threats posed by China. Reconciliation is not a responsible way to do spending, as Senator McConnell, the Chairman of the Defense Subcommittee said, using extraordinary parliamentary authorities does not sustain the Department of Defense. The Department’s ability to take care of our service members should not be contingent on whether Congress passes an unrelated package of tax cuts and health care cuts.”
He urged Republicans to pursue bipartisan cooperation through the regular appropriations process, saying, “Historically, the things that go in a reconciliation package are the things that can’t pass on a bipartisan basis… The model in this modern Senate, which is, granted, different from the Senate of 10 years ago and 30 years ago and so on, but the model has been that you explore bipartisanship, you explore achieving cloture, and making this committee relevant and important and a sort of center of power in the Article One branch, and if you fail, then you have these extraordinary authorities to go elsewhere. But to go elsewhere before you even try to cut a deal with Democrats, who are saying, ‘We’d like to cut a deal’ may not be the wisest course of action.”
Video of the exchange is available here.
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MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 25, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 25, 2025.
Bats get fat to survive hard times. But climate change is threatening their survival strategy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wu, Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology, Murdoch University Rudmer Zwerver/Shutterstock Bats are often cast as the unseen night-time stewards of nature, flitting through the dark to control pest insects, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. But behind their silent contributions lies a remarkable and underappreciated survival strategy: seasonalJapanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Lecturer, Faculty of Economics, Hosei University Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a clear signal to the Trump administration: the Japan–US relationship is in a dire state. After saying just days ago he would be attending this week’s NATO summit at The Hague,Why have athletes stopped ‘taking a knee’?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ciprian N. Radavoi, Associate Professor in Law, University of Southern Queensland Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel ahead of a game in 2016. Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images It’s almost a decade since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick startedNearly half of Kiwis oppose automatic citizenship for Cook Islands, says poll
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist A new poll by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union shows that almost half of respondents oppose the Cook Islands having automatic New Zealand citizenship. Thirty percent of the 1000-person sample supported Cook Islanders retaining citizenship, 46 percent were opposed and 24 percent were unsure. The question asked: The CookMelanesian Spearhead Group leaders discuss Middle East conflict before ceasefire
RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says the Middle East conflict was one of the discussions of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Suva this week — and Pacific leaders “took note of what is happening”. The Post-Courier reports Marape saying the “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran was based onThe ancients also had to deal with a cost-of-living crisis. Here’s how they managed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Louis Le Brun, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY Talk to anyone today, and they will probably have something to say about how expensive life has become. While the rate of inflation hasVideo games can help trans players feel seen and safe. It all starts with design
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Toups Dugas, Associate Professor of Human-Centred Computing, Monash University Shano Liang There is a comfort in finding and being yourself. Video games offer opportunities for this comfort. They allow people to exist in safe spaces, to develop community, and to explore the self – as wellHow old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University We all like to imagine we’re ageing well. Now a simple blood or saliva test promises to tell us by measuring our “biological age”. And then, as many have done, we can share how “young” we really are on socialGlobal rankings fuel hype, but students have more to consider when choosing a uni
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Message, Professor of Public Humanities and Director of the ANU Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University At this time of year, many year 12 students are seriously turning their minds to the future. Should they go to university next year? If so, which one? June isPlayful or harmful? David Seymour’s posts raise questions about what’s OK to say online
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Veale, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, part of the Digital Cultures Laboratory in the School of Humanities, Media, and Creative Communication, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images Deputy Prime Minister and ACT Party leader David Seymour says he is being “playful” andShadow treasurer Ted O’Brien accepts invitation to government’s economic roundtable
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal opposition has accepted an invitation from Treasurer Jim Chalmers for shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien to attend the August economic roundtable. The acceptance contrasts with the position taken by former opposition leader Peter Dutton last term. He refused toFiji advocacy group slams Indonesian role in MSG as a ‘disgrace’
Asia Pacific Report A Fiji-based advocacy group has condemned the participation of Indonesia in the Melanesian Spearhead Group which is meeting in Suva this week, saying it is a “profound disgrace” that the Indonesian Embassy continues to “operate freely” within the the MSG Secretariat. “This presence blatantly undermines the core principles of justice and solidarityWill the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel hold? One factor could be crucial to it sticking
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades. IsraelRamzy Baroud: The fallout – winners and losers from the Israeli war on Iran
COMMENTARY: By Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestinian Chronicle The conflict between Israel and Iran over the past 12 days has redefined the regional chessboard. Here is a look at their key takeaways: Israel:Pulled in the US: Israel successfully drew the United States into a direct military confrontation with Iran, setting a significant precedent forIran and Israel agree to a fragile ceasefire. One factor could be crucial to it sticking
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Amir Levy/Getty Images After 12 days of war, US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that would bring to an end the most dramatic, direct conflict between the two nations in decades. IsraeleSafety boss wants YouTube included in the social media ban. But AI raises even more concerns for kids
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University Irina WS/Shutterstock Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, today addressed the National Press Club to outline how her office will be driving the Social Media Minimum Age Bill when it comes into effect in December this year. The bill,Trouble getting out of bed? Signs the ‘winter blues’ may be something more serious
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology Justin Paget/Getty Winter is here. As the days grow shorter and the skies turn darker, you might start to feel a bit “off”. You may notice a dip in your mood or energy levels.A carbon levy on global shipping promises to slash emissions. We calculated what that means for Australia’s biggest export
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Brear, Director, Melbourne Energy Institute, The University of Melbourne Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Moving people and things around the world by sea has a big climate impact. The shipping industry produces almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions – roughly the same as Germany – largelyThe war won’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it will drive it underground, following North Korea’s model
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Burke, Professor of Environmental Politics & International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States’ and Israel’s strikes on Iran are concerning, and not just for the questionable legal justifications provided by both governments. Even if their attacks cause severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, this will onlyIran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Senior Lecturer of Computing and Security, Edith Cowan University Dylan Carr/Unsplash In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet blackout, with local service providers – including mobile services – repeatedly going offline. Iran’s government has cited cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown. Shutting off -
MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Graham Floor Speech on the Israel-Iran Conflict
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) yesterday delivered a speech on the Senate floor regarding the recent Israel-Iran conflict, before President Trump announced a ceasefire. During his remarks, Senator Graham gave an overview of the conflict, highlighted the Iranian Regime’s radical religious beliefs, and underscored the importance of stopping the ayatollah from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Graham also reiterated his unwavering support for the State of Israel and praised President Trump for the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
On Operation Midnight Hammer:
- GRAHAM: “God bless President Donald J. Trump! I am so glad he won. What has he tried to do? Make peace, not war. He gave the ayatollah sixty days to find a peaceful settlement regarding their nuclear enrichment program… Sixty-one days go by and the rest is history.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=9FnIyGcFppQ7DgyH&t=886
- GRAHAM: “Operation Midnight Hammer [was conducted] after day sixty. All the negotiations went nowhere, because the Iranians didn’t want them to go anywhere. President Trump acted, and it was brilliant, it was bold, and it will live in history.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=0CfR0cMMbHX2Xluo&t=990
On the motivations behind the Iranian Regime’s sponsorship of terrorism:
- GRAHAM: “It’s all about religion. A fanatical strain of Shi’ism is now in charge of Iran, and they have three goals: …To purify Islam in the image of the ayatollah, to destroy the Jewish state, [and] to drive us out of the Middle East because we’re infidels. This is not a democracy, it’s a theocracy.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=F_BV1lb6ne5MDg_9&t=27
- GRAHAM: “Why do they do what they do? Religious, fanatical beliefs. [They want] a master religion for the world. If you don’t believe that, you have missed a lot. The only way they’re not going to get there is for somebody to stop them.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=lUmASnj-In4s7xfm&t=1498
- GRAHAM: “Let me tell you what [the Iranian regime is] up to. They’re up to enacting a religious agenda that has no place for anybody but them. If you’re a Christian, they want to destroy your faith. If you’re Jewish, they want to wipe you off the planet. And if you’re a Muslim, and you don’t agree with them, which most don’t, they want to take over the entire faith and make you bend the knee to their view. These people are religious fanatics. … Do you want any of these people [running the regime] to have a nuclear weapon? I don’t.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=agMwQomzy1yXhfup&t=416
On Iran’s threats and acts of violence toward America:
- GRAHAM: “During the swearing in of the [new] Iranian president, the crowd started chanting, ‘Death to America, Death to America.’ [This happened] not long ago, July 30, 2024.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=pu2a2sS1TSEw9dNa&t=398
- GRAHAM: “If you think this is not our conflict, you’ve missed a lot. You’ve been asleep at the switch since 1979… [The Iranian regime has] attacked Americans. They have American blood on their hands. They’re trying to build a nuclear bomb, and one of the targets is us.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=kFU_-nj4ToShoYZ0&t=487
On Graham’s hopes for the future of the Middle East:
- GRAHAM: “Here’s my goal: to have people in charge of Iran who don’t want a nuclear weapon [or] to destroy Israel, who will not be the largest state sponsor of terrorism, but live in peace with their neighbors, and have a good relationship with the United States.” https://youtu.be/6mWtHKhRszs?si=iiloDfp0waZMFofB&t=1119
Click here to watch Graham’s full remarks
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MIL-OSI USA: TODAY: Baldwin Fights Back Against Republicans’ Relentless Attacks on Women’s Reproductive Rights
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) marked the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade by introducing legislation to restore abortion access nationwide and continuing her fight against attacks from the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress to strip away access to comprehensive reproductive care.
To begin the day, Senator Baldwin led 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.
On the Senate floor, Senator Baldwin delivered a speech underscoring the impact of the Dobbs decision in Wisconsin – forcing women to travel out of state just to access health care. Baldwin highlighted the importance of passing her legislation, especially as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood.
Additionally, Senator Baldwin joined her Senate colleagues for a press conference and hosted a forum focused on the devastation caused by the Dobbs decision. During the forum, Senator Baldwin questioned advocates and providers about why federal protection is essential for improving care for women nationwide and how the Republicans’ dangerous bill will make it harder for women to access reproductive health care both under Medicaid and private insurance.
Full text of Senator Baldwin’s bill is available here. A one-pager on the bill is available here.
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MIL-OSI USA: On Anniversary of Decision that Overturned Roe v. Wade, Cortez Masto Calls Out Republican Efforts to Restrict Access to Reproductive Health Care
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
“It might not be front-page news every day, but when you take all of these actions together, it is clear that this administration and Republicans at every level of government are taking the steps they need to implement a nationwide abortion ban.”
Video of the spotlight forum is available here.
Video of her speaking on the floor of the Senate is available here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called out Republican attempts to further take away access to reproductive health care for women across the United States, including efforts that could restrict access for women in Nevada. Today marks three years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the Court overturned the protections of Roe v. Wade.
Cortez Masto participated in a spotlight forum with patient, provider, and reproductive rights leaders to highlight the devastation caused since Dobbs, and the continued attacks from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress to strip away access to abortion care, family planning services, and Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health coverage. Additionally, the Senator spoke on the Senate floor to call attention to the various ways the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are working to create a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.
Senator Cortez Masto also joined all Democratic Senators in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to guarantee access to abortion everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a fierce advocate for women’s reproductive rights. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Cortez Masto introduced the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act to ensure legal protections for women traveling across state lines to receive reproductive care. She’s championed legislation torepeal the Comstock Act, an arcane 1873 law that anti-choice extremists have repeatedly invoked as a backdoor means to effectively ban abortion nationwide without a single act of Congress. In the last Congress, the Senator also cosponsored legislation to codify the right to contraception and IVF.
Below are her floor remarks as prepared for delivery:
M. President, right now, this administration is causing so much chaos and confusion that it’s sometimes hard to take stock of the damage being done.
But the anniversary of the day Roe v. Wade was overturned is a reminder that we can’t let all that chaos distract us from the work being done to roll back women’s reproductive rights right under our noses.
Take the Republicans’ billionaire tax giveaway bill as an example.
We all know that this bill will cut $800 billion in Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, but the legislation that passed the House would also decimate women’s health care. Not only would it force cuts to critical services, but it also cuts off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood.
That Medicaid funding wouldn’t be going toward abortions. Planned Parenthood providers distribute birth control, conduct wellness exams, test for and treat STIs, and provide lifesaving cancer screenings.
For many Americans with Medicaid, especially in underserved areas, Planned Parenthood is the only accessible source of this care.
Defunding it jeopardizes basic health services that more than one million men and women rely on.
It’s already outrageous that so many Planned Parenthood health centers in anti-choice states around the country have been forced to close over the last several years. But if they’re prohibited from treating patients with Medicaid nationwide, many clinics – even in states where abortion remains legal – may be forced to close their doors.
So in states like Nevada, where women have access to essential reproductive care, Republicans are working to strip that access away – ignoring the will of states that have chosen to protect these rights.
Republican legislators in states across the country are also quietly working to gut access to reproductive care.
Last November, voters in 7 different states approved ballot measures to protect or expand reproductive rights. But in the months since, extremist politicians in more than half of those states have tried to ignore the will of their voters and push new restrictions on abortion access.
And, in several other states, anti-choice politicians are working to block similar ballot initiatives in the future. They’re trying to ignore what people have clearly voted for, and then they’re trying to make it so people can’t actually vote on those issues at all.
Because let’s be clear: for anti-choice politicians, this is about controlling women.
I’ll give you an example.
In Arizona, voters went to the polls last November and overwhelmingly chose to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitution. But since then, Republican politicians in their state legislature have been trying to pass bills that would limit the use of medication abortion and ban doctors from even informing women about abortion as a potential treatment option.
Or how about in Missouri, where anti-choice politicians are trying to get a measure on the ballot that would overturn the abortion rights protections Missouri voters just approved last November.
These plots to subvert the will of voters and roll back women’s rights in the states may not be capturing everyone’s attention right now, but it’s happening. And we need to shed light on it, because it’s just as dangerous as some of the harmful policies coming out of this administration.
We can’t forget that this administration is also taking steps to continue to take away women’s reproductive rights – without any input from legislators at all.
The Food and Drug Administration has appointed commissioners who want to reexamine the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone.
And, no surprise, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is encouraging it.
He’s already asked the FDA to “review the latest data on mifepristone”. Secretary Kennedy is raising questions and injecting doubt about this medication that has already been proven to be safe and effective.
This is a man who, at one time, said he believed it was “always the woman’s right to choose.”
Mifepristone accounts for over 60% of abortions nationwide. Any attempts to restrict access to this medication would jeopardize the health and autonomy of women in Nevada and across the country.
This is an overt tactic by the administration to continue to take away access to the abortion pill nationwide.
In fact, the Trump administration made it more clear than ever that they’re not concerned about women’s safety when they eliminated guidance that hospitals have to provide abortions in emergency situations.
We have a law in this country that hospitals that receive federal funding are required to provide medical care to stabilize a health emergency, including for pregnant patients. In cases where an abortion is necessary to stabilize a patient, hospitals are obligated to provide that care. It’s called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA.
Now, I want to stress that EMTALA is the law of the land, and emergency abortion care is protected under EMTALA.
But the problem is that this administration is telling women they are unwilling to enforce those protections. That’s incredibly dangerous, and it ignores our laws.
It might not be front-page news every day, but when you take all of these actions together, it is clear that this administration and Republicans at every level of government are taking the steps they need to implement a nationwide abortion ban.
We have to remain vigilant and demand change when these harmful policies they emerge. Because we know anti-choice politicians all across the country, including here in Washington, will continue to push them and take away women’s access to health care.
It’s happening at the Supreme Court, too, where the justices who struck down Roe v. Wade are taking up multiple abortion rights cases.
So, as we mark the anniversary of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which took the constitutional right to an abortion away from every woman in this country, I want to thank my colleagues who are standing with me today and every day in this fight.
We will never stop pushing back against this administration’s, and any other anti-choice politician’s, attempts to make women second-class citizens in America.
-
MIL-OSI USA: On Anniversary of Decision that Overturned Roe v. Wade, Cortez Masto Calls Out Republican Efforts to Restrict Access to Reproductive Health Care
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
“It might not be front-page news every day, but when you take all of these actions together, it is clear that this administration and Republicans at every level of government are taking the steps they need to implement a nationwide abortion ban.”
Video of the spotlight forum is available here.
Video of her speaking on the floor of the Senate is available here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called out Republican attempts to further take away access to reproductive health care for women across the United States, including efforts that could restrict access for women in Nevada. Today marks three years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the Court overturned the protections of Roe v. Wade.
Cortez Masto participated in a spotlight forum with patient, provider, and reproductive rights leaders to highlight the devastation caused since Dobbs, and the continued attacks from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress to strip away access to abortion care, family planning services, and Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health coverage. Additionally, the Senator spoke on the Senate floor to call attention to the various ways the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are working to create a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.
Senator Cortez Masto also joined all Democratic Senators in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to guarantee access to abortion everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a fierce advocate for women’s reproductive rights. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Cortez Masto introduced the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act to ensure legal protections for women traveling across state lines to receive reproductive care. She’s championed legislation torepeal the Comstock Act, an arcane 1873 law that anti-choice extremists have repeatedly invoked as a backdoor means to effectively ban abortion nationwide without a single act of Congress. In the last Congress, the Senator also cosponsored legislation to codify the right to contraception and IVF.
Below are her floor remarks as prepared for delivery:
M. President, right now, this administration is causing so much chaos and confusion that it’s sometimes hard to take stock of the damage being done.
But the anniversary of the day Roe v. Wade was overturned is a reminder that we can’t let all that chaos distract us from the work being done to roll back women’s reproductive rights right under our noses.
Take the Republicans’ billionaire tax giveaway bill as an example.
We all know that this bill will cut $800 billion in Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, but the legislation that passed the House would also decimate women’s health care. Not only would it force cuts to critical services, but it also cuts off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood.
That Medicaid funding wouldn’t be going toward abortions. Planned Parenthood providers distribute birth control, conduct wellness exams, test for and treat STIs, and provide lifesaving cancer screenings.
For many Americans with Medicaid, especially in underserved areas, Planned Parenthood is the only accessible source of this care.
Defunding it jeopardizes basic health services that more than one million men and women rely on.
It’s already outrageous that so many Planned Parenthood health centers in anti-choice states around the country have been forced to close over the last several years. But if they’re prohibited from treating patients with Medicaid nationwide, many clinics – even in states where abortion remains legal – may be forced to close their doors.
So in states like Nevada, where women have access to essential reproductive care, Republicans are working to strip that access away – ignoring the will of states that have chosen to protect these rights.
Republican legislators in states across the country are also quietly working to gut access to reproductive care.
Last November, voters in 7 different states approved ballot measures to protect or expand reproductive rights. But in the months since, extremist politicians in more than half of those states have tried to ignore the will of their voters and push new restrictions on abortion access.
And, in several other states, anti-choice politicians are working to block similar ballot initiatives in the future. They’re trying to ignore what people have clearly voted for, and then they’re trying to make it so people can’t actually vote on those issues at all.
Because let’s be clear: for anti-choice politicians, this is about controlling women.
I’ll give you an example.
In Arizona, voters went to the polls last November and overwhelmingly chose to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitution. But since then, Republican politicians in their state legislature have been trying to pass bills that would limit the use of medication abortion and ban doctors from even informing women about abortion as a potential treatment option.
Or how about in Missouri, where anti-choice politicians are trying to get a measure on the ballot that would overturn the abortion rights protections Missouri voters just approved last November.
These plots to subvert the will of voters and roll back women’s rights in the states may not be capturing everyone’s attention right now, but it’s happening. And we need to shed light on it, because it’s just as dangerous as some of the harmful policies coming out of this administration.
We can’t forget that this administration is also taking steps to continue to take away women’s reproductive rights – without any input from legislators at all.
The Food and Drug Administration has appointed commissioners who want to reexamine the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone.
And, no surprise, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is encouraging it.
He’s already asked the FDA to “review the latest data on mifepristone”. Secretary Kennedy is raising questions and injecting doubt about this medication that has already been proven to be safe and effective.
This is a man who, at one time, said he believed it was “always the woman’s right to choose.”
Mifepristone accounts for over 60% of abortions nationwide. Any attempts to restrict access to this medication would jeopardize the health and autonomy of women in Nevada and across the country.
This is an overt tactic by the administration to continue to take away access to the abortion pill nationwide.
In fact, the Trump administration made it more clear than ever that they’re not concerned about women’s safety when they eliminated guidance that hospitals have to provide abortions in emergency situations.
We have a law in this country that hospitals that receive federal funding are required to provide medical care to stabilize a health emergency, including for pregnant patients. In cases where an abortion is necessary to stabilize a patient, hospitals are obligated to provide that care. It’s called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA.
Now, I want to stress that EMTALA is the law of the land, and emergency abortion care is protected under EMTALA.
But the problem is that this administration is telling women they are unwilling to enforce those protections. That’s incredibly dangerous, and it ignores our laws.
It might not be front-page news every day, but when you take all of these actions together, it is clear that this administration and Republicans at every level of government are taking the steps they need to implement a nationwide abortion ban.
We have to remain vigilant and demand change when these harmful policies they emerge. Because we know anti-choice politicians all across the country, including here in Washington, will continue to push them and take away women’s access to health care.
It’s happening at the Supreme Court, too, where the justices who struck down Roe v. Wade are taking up multiple abortion rights cases.
So, as we mark the anniversary of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which took the constitutional right to an abortion away from every woman in this country, I want to thank my colleagues who are standing with me today and every day in this fight.
We will never stop pushing back against this administration’s, and any other anti-choice politician’s, attempts to make women second-class citizens in America.
-
MIL-OSI USA: On 3rd Anniversary of Roe Being Overturned, Murray, Baldwin, and Blumenthal Lead Senate Dems in a Bill to Restore Abortion Access Nationwide
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
Women’s Health Protection Act comes as Trump and Congressional Republicans move to restrict a woman’s right to choose and toward a national abortion ban
Washington, D.C. — Today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), led 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. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. Put together, Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on Americans’ reproductive rights is a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.
“Three years ago, Donald Trump and Republicans succeeded in overturning Roe, ripping away a Constitutional right for the first time in American history, and causing a full-blown health care crisis in our nation. Since then, we have seen with painful clarity how Republican abortion bans are putting women’s lives in danger, forcing providers to close their doors, decimating access to maternal health care, and forcing women to remain pregnant—no matter their circumstances,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore the right to abortion and end the national nightmare Republicans created by overturning Roe. Democrats will never stop fighting to restore abortion access nationwide—nothing less.”
“First, Donald Trump and Republicans overturned Roe v Wade. Now, they are continuing their crusade for a national abortion ban, stripping away a woman’s right to choose and control her body, healthcare, and future. Republicans continue to show that they will stop at nothing in their pursuit to stop a woman from having the right to choose,” said Senator Baldwin. “In Wisconsin, we’ve seen how these attacks on women’s reproductive rights and freedoms have hurt our neighbors, friends, and families – and we won’t stand for it. The Women’s Health Protection Act is a necessary step to restore Americans’ constitutional right to choose what’s best for their families, stop Congressional and state-level Republicans from further putting themselves between a doctor and a woman, and once and for all, give women their rights and freedoms back.”
“This issue is about more than health care; it is about women’s rights, individual rights, and human rights. The foundation of the Women’s Health Protection Act is simply the right to make your own health care decisions. Three years after Dobbs, American women don’t have that right. Today, thanks to Republican lawmakers and conservative courts, a woman in America might walk into an ER and faint, bleeding, and be refused treatment. That woman might die,” said Senator Blumenthal. “By restoring abortion access and implementing basic protections against medically unnecessary restrictions on health care, the Women’s Health Protection Act overturns the death sentence handed down by Dobbs.”
President Trump appointed the Supreme Court Justices who ruled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to overturn Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent. Since the Dobbs decision, 19 states have banned abortion or severely restricted women from being able to access the procedure, leaving one in three American women without access to safe, legal abortion care. Additionally, state legislatures across the country have introduced hundreds of bills to include medically unnecessary restrictions that limit access to abortion care.
In his second term, President Trump has continued to relentlessly attack reproductive rights, including freezing Title X funding for clinics that offer reproductive care, cutting Biden-era emergency abortion protections, pardoning anti-abortion extremists, and fighting to defund Planned Parenthood. Additionally, the House-passed Republican budget bill kicks 16 million people off their health insurance and defunds Planned Parenthood – threatening the closure of 200 health centers across the country and putting access to vital reproductive care for millions of families at risk.
The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal rights for patients and providers to protect abortion access. Specifically, the Women’s Health Protection Act would:
- Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.
- Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.
- Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.
The legislation is sponsored by the entire Democratic caucus, including Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D- DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The full text of the bill is available here.
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MIL-OSI USA: At Dobbs Spotlight Forum, Senator Murray, Senate Democrats Highlight Trump & Republicans’ Backdoor Abortion Ban & Efforts to Rip Away Reproductive Health Care Nationwide
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
***WATCH: Video of full forum***
***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***
Washington, D.C. — Today—on the three-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning the constitutional right to abortion—U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tina Smith (D-MN) hosted a spotlight forum titled Under Attack: Republicans’ Escalating War on Reproductive Freedom. At the forum, Senate Democrats heard from four panelists who have suffered the consequences of the Dobbs decision and subsequent Republican abortion bans firsthand and warned about how President Trump and Republicans are only escalating their attacks on women’s health care and working to make abortion impossible to access anywhere—a backdoor nationwide abortion ban.
The senators’ spotlight forum comes as President Trump has taken direct aim at reproductive health care in his first few months in office, including by: pardoning anti-abortion extremists found guilty of assaulting and injuring abortion clinic staff and announcing that his Department of Justice will largely no longer enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act; attacking mifepristone based on anti-abortion junk science; laying the groundwork to make “fetal personhood” the law of the land—which would ban abortion in every state and curtail pregnant women’s rights; rescinding CMS guidance reaffirming that the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) requires hospitals to provide life-saving care to pregnant women suffering medical emergencies, which might include abortion care in certain situations; repealing two Executive Orders that sought to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in the aftermath of Dobbs; reinstating the Global Gag Rule that targets reproductive health care around the world; scrubbing government websites of vital information about reproductive health care; and appointing notorious anti-abortion extremists for influential roles in his administration, including Pam Bondi as Attorney General, Russell Vought as OMB Director, and John Sauer as Solicitor General—among much else.
Additionally, right now Republicans in Congress are pushing through a budget reconciliation bill that would make abortion care impossible to access nearly everywhere by defunding Planned Parenthood—putting 200 health centers across the country at risk of closure, 90 percent of which are in states where abortion is legal—and by effectively banning ACA marketplace health plans from covering abortion care. Overall, Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act would kick 16 million people off their health insurance through massive cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and overwhelmingly impact women, who comprise most adults covered by Medicaid. Medicaid is the primary source of coverage and the largest single payer for pregnant women’s health care nationwide, covering between one-third and one-half of births in every state across the country.
“Already, we have seen with painful clarity, how—on a daily basis—Republican abortion bans are putting women’s lives in danger, forcing providers to close their doors, decimating access to maternal health care, and forcing women to remain pregnant—no matter their circumstances. But Dobbs was never the end of this fight for Republicans, whose goal has always been a national abortion ban. And since Republicans know they don’t have the votes right now to pass a national abortion ban outright, they are slowly, but surely, advancing a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, and chipping away at access to reproductive health care piece-by-piece—even in states where abortion is protected. Republicans are hoping no one will notice these attacks—as if people don’t care when their rights are stripped away. As if it’s easy to miss the moment your health care decisions are out of your control,” said Senator Patty Murray. “As hard as Republicans might try, the damage they are causing is undeniable. But that doesn’t mean we give up. Women’s lives are at stake—Democrats are not going to stop pushing back—not ever. We will keep pushing for legislation to protect women and health care providers from Republican prosecution, to help people access and afford the reproductive health care they need, to protect women’s private health data, to protect the Right to Contraception and the Right to IVF, and to restore the right to abortion nationwide—nothing less.”
“When I was ten weeks pregnant, doctors informed me that my baby had acrania, a rare condition that was fatal for my baby, and dangerous for me. Naturally, I was heartbroken and scared, but I trusted that I would receive the necessary medical treatment so that my family and I could begin healing. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Just a few weeks before I received my diagnosis, the Supreme Court issued their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating the legal right to abortion. The fallout from the decision was fast, with states across the country starting to enforce cruel and dangerous abortion bans,” said Nancy Davis of Louisiana, Founder and Executive Director of the Nancy Davis Foundation. “My home state of Louisiana has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, and even though I needed to terminate my pregnancy to protect my own health and safety, I was told I could not receive care at the hospital in Baton Rouge. Instead of being able to process the diagnosis and grieve the loss of my pregnancy at home with my family, I had to scramble to find a way out of Louisiana to access abortion care. I found myself in a situation I never thought I would be in, forced to travel nearly 1,500 miles to get the care I needed and deserved. I experienced not only a denial of necessary medical care, but a denial of compassion, and my right to make my own decision about my own health. I felt dehumanized and stripped of my most fundamental rights. I knew what I needed to do to protect my health, and my doctors agreed, but local lawmakers who will never know me or understand my situation had the final say. The system failed me, and I am just as outraged today as I was then.”
“I was raised in St. Louis and I love living in Missouri. But, it is challenging to fulfill your job as a physician when you cannot practice medicine as you were trained to do or teach medical students about abortion in the community and state where you live…It is infuriating and irresponsible that because of abortion bans, OBs can teach our students all aspects of medical care—except abortion. When you go to the doctor, you want your doctor to be trained. Anti-abortion politicians and groups have claimed that abortion rights have been left up to the state. That is simply not true. Last fall, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment ensuring the right to an abortion, but — despite the will of the voters — politicians and state officials are still interfering with patients’ rights. At every turn, when we finally make progress towards abortion access in Missouri, they move the goalposts on us. The only way to describe our experience over the last several months is whiplash,” said Dr. Margaret Baum, M.D., FACOG, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in Missouri. “I have seen first-hand that these draconian laws force patients to make impossible choices when Medicaid cannot cover their care. People delay care because they’re afraid that they are not going to have the coverage for the services we know that they need. Patients are forced to decide if they can pay out of pocket to get lab tests. They are forced to decide between the procedures they need. They are forced to sometimes forego services altogether. It is critical for lawmakers to understand that the decisions they make are affecting patients every. Single. Day. And now, once again, they want to bring this chaos and confusion to the national level. I’m here to tell you today that the Senate bill proposing to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood would be devastating. It could force nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers to close and is a trojan horse for a nationwide abortion ban.”
“Back before the FACE Act protections, our clinic doors were routinely blockaded one day a month by a mob of 300 to 400 anti-abortion extremists. Those days were unpredictable and scary. If we tried to get through them and into the clinic, extremists pinched or pricked us with sharp objects. By the end of the day, our patients were all traumatized and uncared for – and our bodies were black and blue. We can’t go back to those days…I proudly advocated for this Act when it was being debated in the 1990s – I am outraged and heartbroken we have to do this again. The law works at protecting rights, including speech rights, something I witness daily. As soon as the Act took effect, the extreme blockades stopped. Yes, we still had protesters exercising their First Amendment Rights, but now they knew they couldn’t be violent, and they could not invade the clinics or block staff and patients from entering. FACE has helped preserve the dignity and safety of the patients we serve, and the professionals who care for them,” said Renee Chelian, Founder and CEO of Michigan-based Northland Family Planning Centers. “But then in 2017, when President Trump first took office extremists were emboldened to resume their violent attacks, despite FACE, knowing they had a friend in the White House. Twice they invaded our clinics, harassed patients and staff and refused to leave after trespass warnings were given. Even after law enforcement arrived, they refused to leave, went limp and had to be carried out one at a time. But the most appalling and dangerous episode occurred toward the end of Trump’s first term, in August of 2020. A group blockaded our doors preventing staff and patients from entering the clinic including those arriving for birth control appointments and three women scheduled for abortions after receiving a fatal fetal diagnosis…Within days of returning to the White House, sure enough, President Trump pardoned the violent offenders who attacked our clinic and others serving time for violence against clinics in other states, as well as those convicted for their actions here on January 6th. We were all abandoned by our government with that swipe of a pen. The FACE Act has been our only lever preventing clinic violence and holding anti-abortion criminals accountable. The FACE Act simply can’t be undone and it is up to lawmakers like you to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Right now, the Trump administration is taking unprecedented action to roll back abortion rights,” said Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. “The majority of Americans do not support right-wing, hate-fueled ideology. Eight in ten Americans want legal abortion. That’s not just a majority—that’s a consensus. But because of the daily churn of chaos from the White House, most Americans don’t know that Republicans are attacking abortion. Our new focus group research shows that when Americans know these attacks are happening, they feel disgusted and betrayed. That means if we’re louder about this issue, we can win. Senator Murray and many of the champions in this room have long been the conscience of the Senate, and it’s time for all Senate Democrats to join them. We need to do everything we can to loudly push back against this administration’s attacks on our bodies, lives, and futures. We are living through remarkably dangerous times, and this is the moment to act. Our rights are not safe under this administration, and that includes abortion rights. In order to protect the safety, health, and dignity of all Americans, we need you to keep fighting. The majority of Americans are on our side, and together, we will protect reproductive freedom and restore abortion rights for all.”
“Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans paved the path to overturn Roe v. Wade and stripped away a woman’s right to choose, but that wasn’t enough for them,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “Now, they are putting the puzzle pieces together to finally get what they have long wanted: a national abortion ban. Wisconsinites have said time and again that they want the freedom to control their bodies and futures, without politicians or the government butting in – and that is exactly what I’m fighting for. We are going to keep shining a light on Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ cruel efforts to further chip away at women’s right to get the health care they want and deserve – including abortion care.”
“Since Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen a new form of hell at every turn,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Now, Republicans in Congress are on track to pass a bill that amounts to a backdoor ban on abortion – even in states where it’s protected. Republicans’ bill to cut Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood is a one-two punch to women across the country, and we are not going to let them get away with it.”
“Three years after the Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs decision, it’s become difficult and dangerous for women to access basic reproductive care, and Trump and Republicans in Congress are continuing to chip away at access and stoke the danger. I worked at Planned Parenthood, and I know all too well that receiving credible death threats is a fact of life for so many people who work in reproductive health care,” said Senator Tina Smith. “We’re seeing an uptick in threats against abortion providers and patients, meanwhile President Trump is actively pardoning anti-abortion extremists found guilty of harassment and violence. That’s why we are spotlighting the voices of leaders working on the frontlines of providing reproductive health care in the face of these threats at this important moment.”
“The deadly Dobbs decision will go down in history as one of the worst, most harmful, most regressive decisions in modern history, said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “As bad as the Dobbs decision was and as catastrophic as the impacts have already been, Republicans are doubling down on their crusade against access to reproductive healthcare in their big, ugly reconciliation bill. Democrats are going to fight like hell to strip these cruel provisions from the Republican bill, and to protect and restore reproductive freedom for all.”
“This issue is about more than health care; it is about women’s rights, individual rights, and human rights. It is about the right to make your own health care decisions,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal. “Three years after Dobbs, American women don’t have that right. Today, thanks to Republican lawmakers and conservative courts, a woman in America might walk into an ER and faint, bleeding, and be refused treatment. That woman might die. But we aren’t giving up, and we will never stop fighting for reproductive justice, abortion access, and the simple, foundational right to choose your own health care.”
“The Guttmacher Institute said 155,000 people traveled for an abortion in 2024,” said Senator Maria Cantwell. “We are forcing them to go get care in some other state, miles and miles away. Why? Because of this archaic decision. Now, we have two problems. We have people coming to our state who want this care, but now we could have fewer Medicaid dollars to even provide the care.”
“With all the chaos and damage this administration has caused, the anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade reminds us that we can’t lose sight of the fact that anti-choice politicians at all levels of our government are working nonstop to roll back women’s access to reproductive care,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. “Between devastating cuts to Medicaid in Republicans’ reconciliation bill to top officials in this administration calling the safety of the abortion pill into question, Republicans across our country are taking steps to claw back women’s rights. My Democratic colleagues and I will never stop sounding the alarm about this and working to restore women’s access to basic health care.”
“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,” said Senator Dick Durbin. “What has happened in the wake of Dobbs was as predictable as it is devastating—and today we heard how devastating the last three years have been for women seeking critical health care in Republican-led states. 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 thank my colleagues, Senators Murray, Baldwin, Smith, and Warren, for hosting such an important forum and keeping up the fight.”
“I was proud to join my colleagues today to hear directly from those who have suffered due to the deadly Dobbs decision and under Republicans’ anti-choice agenda,” said Senator Mazie Hirono. “Three years after the fall of Roe, Republicans continue to escalate their assault on reproductive freedom, while women across the country experience the devastating impacts of this infringement on their fundamental rights. Dobbs caused chaos and confusion, putting millions of Americans’ lives at risk, but I will not stop doing everything in my power to restore access to abortion and family planning services nationwide and protect reproductive health care providers and their patients.”
“Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, women have been at the mercy of a patchwork of laws. Over 40 percent of women of reproductive age now live under extreme and dangerous bans, women are being turned away from emergency rooms, and doctors are threatened with prosecution for just doing their jobs. This cannot be a country where our daughters have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. That is why we must pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and put the protections of Roe v. Wade into law,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar.
“In the three years since the Trump-packed Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republican-led states have passed waves of harmful laws stripping Americans of the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Despite the life-threatening consequences of these actions, the Trump Administration is escalating its attacks on access to reproductive health care across the country—including in states where it’s protected. The stories we heard today underscored the urgent need to protect reproductive care as a matter of federal law,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen.
Today, Senator Murray also joined Senators Tammy Baldwin and Richard Blumenthal to introduce 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.
Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the Senate floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Last year, Senator Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice), and she led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
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MIL-OSI USA: At Dobbs Spotlight Forum, Senator Murray, Senate Democrats Highlight Trump & Republicans’ Backdoor Abortion Ban & Efforts to Rip Away Reproductive Health Care Nationwide
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
***WATCH: Video of full forum***
***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***
Washington, D.C. — Today—on the three-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning the constitutional right to abortion—U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tina Smith (D-MN) hosted a spotlight forum titled Under Attack: Republicans’ Escalating War on Reproductive Freedom. At the forum, Senate Democrats heard from four panelists who have suffered the consequences of the Dobbs decision and subsequent Republican abortion bans firsthand and warned about how President Trump and Republicans are only escalating their attacks on women’s health care and working to make abortion impossible to access anywhere—a backdoor nationwide abortion ban.
The senators’ spotlight forum comes as President Trump has taken direct aim at reproductive health care in his first few months in office, including by: pardoning anti-abortion extremists found guilty of assaulting and injuring abortion clinic staff and announcing that his Department of Justice will largely no longer enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act; attacking mifepristone based on anti-abortion junk science; laying the groundwork to make “fetal personhood” the law of the land—which would ban abortion in every state and curtail pregnant women’s rights; rescinding CMS guidance reaffirming that the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) requires hospitals to provide life-saving care to pregnant women suffering medical emergencies, which might include abortion care in certain situations; repealing two Executive Orders that sought to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in the aftermath of Dobbs; reinstating the Global Gag Rule that targets reproductive health care around the world; scrubbing government websites of vital information about reproductive health care; and appointing notorious anti-abortion extremists for influential roles in his administration, including Pam Bondi as Attorney General, Russell Vought as OMB Director, and John Sauer as Solicitor General—among much else.
Additionally, right now Republicans in Congress are pushing through a budget reconciliation bill that would make abortion care impossible to access nearly everywhere by defunding Planned Parenthood—putting 200 health centers across the country at risk of closure, 90 percent of which are in states where abortion is legal—and by effectively banning ACA marketplace health plans from covering abortion care. Overall, Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act would kick 16 million people off their health insurance through massive cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and overwhelmingly impact women, who comprise most adults covered by Medicaid. Medicaid is the primary source of coverage and the largest single payer for pregnant women’s health care nationwide, covering between one-third and one-half of births in every state across the country.
“Already, we have seen with painful clarity, how—on a daily basis—Republican abortion bans are putting women’s lives in danger, forcing providers to close their doors, decimating access to maternal health care, and forcing women to remain pregnant—no matter their circumstances. But Dobbs was never the end of this fight for Republicans, whose goal has always been a national abortion ban. And since Republicans know they don’t have the votes right now to pass a national abortion ban outright, they are slowly, but surely, advancing a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, and chipping away at access to reproductive health care piece-by-piece—even in states where abortion is protected. Republicans are hoping no one will notice these attacks—as if people don’t care when their rights are stripped away. As if it’s easy to miss the moment your health care decisions are out of your control,” said Senator Patty Murray. “As hard as Republicans might try, the damage they are causing is undeniable. But that doesn’t mean we give up. Women’s lives are at stake—Democrats are not going to stop pushing back—not ever. We will keep pushing for legislation to protect women and health care providers from Republican prosecution, to help people access and afford the reproductive health care they need, to protect women’s private health data, to protect the Right to Contraception and the Right to IVF, and to restore the right to abortion nationwide—nothing less.”
“When I was ten weeks pregnant, doctors informed me that my baby had acrania, a rare condition that was fatal for my baby, and dangerous for me. Naturally, I was heartbroken and scared, but I trusted that I would receive the necessary medical treatment so that my family and I could begin healing. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Just a few weeks before I received my diagnosis, the Supreme Court issued their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating the legal right to abortion. The fallout from the decision was fast, with states across the country starting to enforce cruel and dangerous abortion bans,” said Nancy Davis of Louisiana, Founder and Executive Director of the Nancy Davis Foundation. “My home state of Louisiana has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, and even though I needed to terminate my pregnancy to protect my own health and safety, I was told I could not receive care at the hospital in Baton Rouge. Instead of being able to process the diagnosis and grieve the loss of my pregnancy at home with my family, I had to scramble to find a way out of Louisiana to access abortion care. I found myself in a situation I never thought I would be in, forced to travel nearly 1,500 miles to get the care I needed and deserved. I experienced not only a denial of necessary medical care, but a denial of compassion, and my right to make my own decision about my own health. I felt dehumanized and stripped of my most fundamental rights. I knew what I needed to do to protect my health, and my doctors agreed, but local lawmakers who will never know me or understand my situation had the final say. The system failed me, and I am just as outraged today as I was then.”
“I was raised in St. Louis and I love living in Missouri. But, it is challenging to fulfill your job as a physician when you cannot practice medicine as you were trained to do or teach medical students about abortion in the community and state where you live…It is infuriating and irresponsible that because of abortion bans, OBs can teach our students all aspects of medical care—except abortion. When you go to the doctor, you want your doctor to be trained. Anti-abortion politicians and groups have claimed that abortion rights have been left up to the state. That is simply not true. Last fall, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment ensuring the right to an abortion, but — despite the will of the voters — politicians and state officials are still interfering with patients’ rights. At every turn, when we finally make progress towards abortion access in Missouri, they move the goalposts on us. The only way to describe our experience over the last several months is whiplash,” said Dr. Margaret Baum, M.D., FACOG, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in Missouri. “I have seen first-hand that these draconian laws force patients to make impossible choices when Medicaid cannot cover their care. People delay care because they’re afraid that they are not going to have the coverage for the services we know that they need. Patients are forced to decide if they can pay out of pocket to get lab tests. They are forced to decide between the procedures they need. They are forced to sometimes forego services altogether. It is critical for lawmakers to understand that the decisions they make are affecting patients every. Single. Day. And now, once again, they want to bring this chaos and confusion to the national level. I’m here to tell you today that the Senate bill proposing to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood would be devastating. It could force nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers to close and is a trojan horse for a nationwide abortion ban.”
“Back before the FACE Act protections, our clinic doors were routinely blockaded one day a month by a mob of 300 to 400 anti-abortion extremists. Those days were unpredictable and scary. If we tried to get through them and into the clinic, extremists pinched or pricked us with sharp objects. By the end of the day, our patients were all traumatized and uncared for – and our bodies were black and blue. We can’t go back to those days…I proudly advocated for this Act when it was being debated in the 1990s – I am outraged and heartbroken we have to do this again. The law works at protecting rights, including speech rights, something I witness daily. As soon as the Act took effect, the extreme blockades stopped. Yes, we still had protesters exercising their First Amendment Rights, but now they knew they couldn’t be violent, and they could not invade the clinics or block staff and patients from entering. FACE has helped preserve the dignity and safety of the patients we serve, and the professionals who care for them,” said Renee Chelian, Founder and CEO of Michigan-based Northland Family Planning Centers. “But then in 2017, when President Trump first took office extremists were emboldened to resume their violent attacks, despite FACE, knowing they had a friend in the White House. Twice they invaded our clinics, harassed patients and staff and refused to leave after trespass warnings were given. Even after law enforcement arrived, they refused to leave, went limp and had to be carried out one at a time. But the most appalling and dangerous episode occurred toward the end of Trump’s first term, in August of 2020. A group blockaded our doors preventing staff and patients from entering the clinic including those arriving for birth control appointments and three women scheduled for abortions after receiving a fatal fetal diagnosis…Within days of returning to the White House, sure enough, President Trump pardoned the violent offenders who attacked our clinic and others serving time for violence against clinics in other states, as well as those convicted for their actions here on January 6th. We were all abandoned by our government with that swipe of a pen. The FACE Act has been our only lever preventing clinic violence and holding anti-abortion criminals accountable. The FACE Act simply can’t be undone and it is up to lawmakers like you to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Right now, the Trump administration is taking unprecedented action to roll back abortion rights,” said Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. “The majority of Americans do not support right-wing, hate-fueled ideology. Eight in ten Americans want legal abortion. That’s not just a majority—that’s a consensus. But because of the daily churn of chaos from the White House, most Americans don’t know that Republicans are attacking abortion. Our new focus group research shows that when Americans know these attacks are happening, they feel disgusted and betrayed. That means if we’re louder about this issue, we can win. Senator Murray and many of the champions in this room have long been the conscience of the Senate, and it’s time for all Senate Democrats to join them. We need to do everything we can to loudly push back against this administration’s attacks on our bodies, lives, and futures. We are living through remarkably dangerous times, and this is the moment to act. Our rights are not safe under this administration, and that includes abortion rights. In order to protect the safety, health, and dignity of all Americans, we need you to keep fighting. The majority of Americans are on our side, and together, we will protect reproductive freedom and restore abortion rights for all.”
“Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans paved the path to overturn Roe v. Wade and stripped away a woman’s right to choose, but that wasn’t enough for them,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “Now, they are putting the puzzle pieces together to finally get what they have long wanted: a national abortion ban. Wisconsinites have said time and again that they want the freedom to control their bodies and futures, without politicians or the government butting in – and that is exactly what I’m fighting for. We are going to keep shining a light on Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ cruel efforts to further chip away at women’s right to get the health care they want and deserve – including abortion care.”
“Since Trump’s Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen a new form of hell at every turn,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Now, Republicans in Congress are on track to pass a bill that amounts to a backdoor ban on abortion – even in states where it’s protected. Republicans’ bill to cut Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood is a one-two punch to women across the country, and we are not going to let them get away with it.”
“Three years after the Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs decision, it’s become difficult and dangerous for women to access basic reproductive care, and Trump and Republicans in Congress are continuing to chip away at access and stoke the danger. I worked at Planned Parenthood, and I know all too well that receiving credible death threats is a fact of life for so many people who work in reproductive health care,” said Senator Tina Smith. “We’re seeing an uptick in threats against abortion providers and patients, meanwhile President Trump is actively pardoning anti-abortion extremists found guilty of harassment and violence. That’s why we are spotlighting the voices of leaders working on the frontlines of providing reproductive health care in the face of these threats at this important moment.”
“The deadly Dobbs decision will go down in history as one of the worst, most harmful, most regressive decisions in modern history, said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “As bad as the Dobbs decision was and as catastrophic as the impacts have already been, Republicans are doubling down on their crusade against access to reproductive healthcare in their big, ugly reconciliation bill. Democrats are going to fight like hell to strip these cruel provisions from the Republican bill, and to protect and restore reproductive freedom for all.”
“This issue is about more than health care; it is about women’s rights, individual rights, and human rights. It is about the right to make your own health care decisions,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal. “Three years after Dobbs, American women don’t have that right. Today, thanks to Republican lawmakers and conservative courts, a woman in America might walk into an ER and faint, bleeding, and be refused treatment. That woman might die. But we aren’t giving up, and we will never stop fighting for reproductive justice, abortion access, and the simple, foundational right to choose your own health care.”
“The Guttmacher Institute said 155,000 people traveled for an abortion in 2024,” said Senator Maria Cantwell. “We are forcing them to go get care in some other state, miles and miles away. Why? Because of this archaic decision. Now, we have two problems. We have people coming to our state who want this care, but now we could have fewer Medicaid dollars to even provide the care.”
“With all the chaos and damage this administration has caused, the anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade reminds us that we can’t lose sight of the fact that anti-choice politicians at all levels of our government are working nonstop to roll back women’s access to reproductive care,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. “Between devastating cuts to Medicaid in Republicans’ reconciliation bill to top officials in this administration calling the safety of the abortion pill into question, Republicans across our country are taking steps to claw back women’s rights. My Democratic colleagues and I will never stop sounding the alarm about this and working to restore women’s access to basic health care.”
“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,” said Senator Dick Durbin. “What has happened in the wake of Dobbs was as predictable as it is devastating—and today we heard how devastating the last three years have been for women seeking critical health care in Republican-led states. 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 thank my colleagues, Senators Murray, Baldwin, Smith, and Warren, for hosting such an important forum and keeping up the fight.”
“I was proud to join my colleagues today to hear directly from those who have suffered due to the deadly Dobbs decision and under Republicans’ anti-choice agenda,” said Senator Mazie Hirono. “Three years after the fall of Roe, Republicans continue to escalate their assault on reproductive freedom, while women across the country experience the devastating impacts of this infringement on their fundamental rights. Dobbs caused chaos and confusion, putting millions of Americans’ lives at risk, but I will not stop doing everything in my power to restore access to abortion and family planning services nationwide and protect reproductive health care providers and their patients.”
“Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, women have been at the mercy of a patchwork of laws. Over 40 percent of women of reproductive age now live under extreme and dangerous bans, women are being turned away from emergency rooms, and doctors are threatened with prosecution for just doing their jobs. This cannot be a country where our daughters have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. That is why we must pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and put the protections of Roe v. Wade into law,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar.
“In the three years since the Trump-packed Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republican-led states have passed waves of harmful laws stripping Americans of the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Despite the life-threatening consequences of these actions, the Trump Administration is escalating its attacks on access to reproductive health care across the country—including in states where it’s protected. The stories we heard today underscored the urgent need to protect reproductive care as a matter of federal law,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen.
Today, Senator Murray also joined Senators Tammy Baldwin and Richard Blumenthal to introduce 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.
Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the Senate floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Last year, Senator Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice), and she led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
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MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Delivers Floor Speech on Lowering Flood Insurance Rates with Hurricane Season Underway
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor highlighting the need to end the Biden-era Risk Rating 2.0 policy and for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to remain affordable.
“We have a chance to bring down prices on flood insurance in the same way President Trump has brought down all these other prices—gas, eggs, milk, you name it,” said Dr. Cassidy.
“As hurricane season ramps up, the clock is ticking. Let’s act now,” concluded Dr. Cassidy.Background
In June, Cassidy led the charge in demanding the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) finally end the Biden-era policy, Risk Rating 2.0, which caused flood insurance premiums to skyrocket.
In May, Cassidy delivered another speech discussing the danger that Risk Rating 2.0 poses to low- and middle-income families’ ability to be enrolled in the program.
In April, Cassidy delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for the continuation of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program, which helps fund pre-disaster mitigation and flood prevention projects in Louisiana and nationwide.
In March, Cassidy delivered a floor speech calling for a long-term extension of NFIP and introduced legislation to extend the program through December 31, 2026. Cassidy also met with the Jefferson Business Council where he discussed his efforts to keep flood insurance affordable and extend NFIP long-term.
In February, Cassidy introduced the Flood Insurance Affordability Tax Credit Act to give low- and middle-income households enrolled in NFIP a 33% refundable tax credit to combat rising flood insurance premiums. Cassidy also released a report last fall outlining the current state of NFIP and the issues that have led to skyrocketing premiums for millions of homeowners.
Last year, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on NFIP at the request of Cassidy. The hearing highlighted the urgent need for Congress to act and featured a Louisiana witness. Cassidy also participated in a roundtable hosted by GNO, Inc. and the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance to hear from community leaders and advocates on the issue.
Cassidy traveled St. Bernard Parish in 2023 to talk with residents about their flood insurance premiums, recording the second episode of his Bill on the Hill series.
Cassidy’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:
Mr. President,
In every single state, there are Americans who rely on the National Flood Insurance Program to protect their home.
Congress has a responsibility to serve ALL Americans, regardless of age, income, or zip code.
Since Biden’s implementation of Risk Rating 2.0, seniors and low- and middle-income homeowners have been left behind.
Earlier this month, I led eight of my Republican colleagues in urging FEMA to end the Biden-era Risk Rating 2.0.
I want to work with him to fix the mess the Biden administration left us in.
Now, I want to share with my colleagues the same case we made in that letter for why we need to act now.
Every year on June 1st, the phrase “Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst” comes to mind.
For the people in my state, it becomes a way of life.
Another hurricane season is upon us.
With a higher Gulf temperature than usual, meteorologists predict 13 to 19 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes, and 3 to 5 major hurricanes hitting the U.S. before the year’s end.
Before long, Louisianans will, yet again, be stocking up on non-perishable food items and prescriptions, boarding up the windows, and checking on their neighbors.
They will also be bracing themselves financially.
Louisianans are still trying to get back on their feet after four years of financial distress under the Biden administration.
Now, add the costs for recovery from severe weather damage. Many families just can’t afford it.
That’s why we have NFIP—a program which has provided a safety net for millions in Louisiana and across the country for the last 50 years.
Because of NFIP, the retired couple in Livingston Parish who just paid off their mortgage sleeps better at night knowing they are covered the next time they flood.
The single working mother in Cameron Parish can rest assured knowing there is help available when it comes time to replace the siding and roof tiles, which have been torn loose by torrential winds.
But this program—and the peace of mind of those who rely on it—is being threatened.
Since FEMA, under the Biden Administration, implemented Risk Rating 2.0, premiums have skyrocketed—making desperately needed protection unaffordable for millions. Over 80% of NFIP policyholders in Louisiana saw a spike in their premiums after its implementation in 2021.
The protection that millions so desperately need has become unaffordable.
When I say unaffordable, I’m not talking about a one or two-hundred-dollar increase.
Even that would be too much for a lot of families.
I’m talking about a $1,916 increase for a homeowner in Waggaman, Louisiana.
I’m talking about a $4,500 increase for a homeowner in Gibson, Louisiana.
I’m talking about an $8,256 increase for a homeowner in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.
And there is no end in sight for these 300, 400, 500…one THOUSAND percent increases.
Has FEMA been transparent about these stunning spikes?
No.
In fact, never knowing why their premiums rose in the first place, Americans have no option but to drop their NFIP coverage altogether, leaving them totally vulnerable.
Has Congress been given the opportunity to provide meaningful comment in response?
No, we were stonewalled for years under President Biden. Now with President Trump in charge, I trust there will be more transparency into Risk Rating 2.0 than we’ve ever seen before.
The American people—and certainly Louisianans—made it clear when they elected President Trump that they are ready to end the confusion and high prices of the previous administration.
They were talking about the grocery store, at the gas pump, and yes, about insurance.
NFIP was at the heart of the cost-of-living crisis Americans struggled through under President Biden.
We have a chance to bring down prices on flood insurance in the same way President Trump has brought down all these other prices—gas, eggs, milk, you name it.
I want to work with President Trump and my colleagues to make life affordable again!
As hurricane season ramps up, the clock is ticking. Let’s act now!
With that, I yield. -
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Backing bold science with Endeavour funding
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government has reinforced its commitment to science-led economic growth by funding 46 high-potential research projects, says Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti.
The projects will be funded by the contestable Endeavour Fund, which invests in research that unlocks new knowledge, technologies, and capabilities. The Smart Ideas stream of the fund targets bold, high-risk projects by catalysing and rapidly testing promising, innovative research.
“Our research institutions and firms deepen our talent pipeline and grow the value of our technology exports. Supporting early-stage, high-impact research is part of our plan to foster innovation and drive growth,” Dr Reti says.
“The selected projects span a wide range of sectors, from MedTech and quantum computing to climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.
“This year’s recipients include innovations in cardiac diagnostics, climate forecasting and AI-powered pest control.
“These projects will deliver real-world impact. Each initiative is designed to tackle national challenges while unlocking new economic opportunities for New Zealand, building the foundations for a stronger, more resilient economy.
“These investments are about more than just research. They grow capability, attract global partnerships, and create industries of the future,” Dr Reti says.
Contracts typically last two to three years and the total value per contract is in the range of $400,000 to $1 million. The Endeavour Fund is managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and is New Zealand’s largest contestable fund.
Further information about the projects can be found on the MBIE website: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/currently-funded-smart-ideas -
MIL-Evening Report: Why have athletes stopped ‘taking a knee’?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ciprian N. Radavoi, Associate Professor in Law, University of Southern Queensland
Eli Harold, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel ahead of a game in 2016. Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images It’s almost a decade since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a worldwide trend and sparked fierce debate when he knelt during the US national anthem.
In 2016, Kaepernick refused to follow the pre-game protocol related to the national anthem and knelt instead, saying:
I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour.
Soon, many athletes and teams began “taking a knee” at sports events to express their solidarity with victims of racial injustice.
Now, they appear to have stopped, which prompted us to research the decline.
Initial widespread support
Following the intense public debate over the appropriateness of Kaepernick’s act, the ritual quickly spread worldwide, with athletes in major soccer leagues, cricket, rugby, Formula 1, top-tier tennis and the US’s Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association taking a knee.
Athletes didn’t always kneel during national anthems, with the majority kneeling at certain points pre-game.
Despite the occasional “defection” of a small number of players who would stand while their teammates knelt – such as Israel Folau in rugby league, Wilfried Zaha in soccer and Quinton de Kock in cricket – the ritual was widely embraced by teams and athletes and helped raise awareness of the issue.
Even major sports organisations notorious for prohibiting any type of political activism generally accepted the kneeling ritual. For example, soccer’s International Football Federation (FIFA) showcased kneeling as a “stand against discrimination” and as human rights advocacy.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially stood firm by its Rule 50, which states “no kind of demonstration or political, religious, or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas”.
But just three weeks before the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, the IOC relaxed its interpretation, and athletes were permitted to express their views in ways that included taking a knee.
A surprising turn of events
Despite permission and even encouragement from sports governing bodies, our research shows the practice is disappearing from major sports competitions.
Take soccer, for example. At the FIFA World Cup 2022, England and Wales were the only national teams that knelt at their games in Qatar.
At the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, no teams or players knelt.
The same happened at the 2024 Olympic soccer tournament in Paris.
That only a handful of teams knelt in Tokyo at the 2021 Olympics, two at the FIFA Mens’ World Cup in Qatar in 2022, none at the FIFA Womens’ World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, and again none at the Paris 2024 Olympics indicates a growing reluctance throughout the sports world.
This surely cannot mean athletes have become indifferent to racial injustice or other forms of oppression in the interval between the late 2010s and the mid-2020s.
The explanation must be sought elsewhere. A hint was provided when Crystal Palace soccer player Zaha, the first player of colour in the UK who refused to kneel, explained:
I feel like taking the knee is degrading, because growing up my parents just let me know that I should be proud to be Black no matter what and I feel like we should just stand tall.
The explanation may therefore be, at least in part, the players’ uncomfortable feelings related to the kneeling posture.
In sociology, this bothersome state of mind is called “cognitive dissonance”: the mental conflict a person experiences in the presence of contrasting beliefs.
A history of kneeling
The body posture of kneeling is not deemed, in any culture, as expressing solidarity.
Ancient Greek and the Roman societies, on whose values Western civilisation was built, rejected kneeling as improper, even when praying to gods.
Then, with the spread of Christianity in the Western world, kneeling became widely used, but only as an act of worship, confessing guilt, or praying for mercy.
When performed outside the church, kneeling meant submission to nobility or royalty.
The significance of kneeling as humility is not limited to the Western world.
In African tribal culture, the young kneel in front of elders, and everyone kneels before the king.
In China in 1949, Chairman Mao famously proclaimed at the first plenary of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference:
From now on our nation […] will no longer be a nation subject to insult and humiliation. We have stood up.
With this in mind, kneeling may be deemed unfit at sporting events, which often feature a powerful cocktail of emotions, values and social expectations.
The inconsistency between the excitement of competition and the expectation to kneel — a gesture associated with submission and humility — likely creates a bothersome state of mind for athletes.
This potentially motivates some players to reject one of the two – in this case, the kneeling – to restore cognitive harmony.
What could replace the kneeling ritual?
After refusing, by unanimous players’ vote, to take a knee before their October 2020 game against the All Blacks, the Australian rugby union team chose instead to wear a First Nations jersey.
The same year, several teams in German soccer’s top league chose to show their support for Black Lives Matter by wearing distinctive armbands.
So it appears wearing a distinctive jersey or at least an armband is more easily accepted by modern-day athletes. This may be challenging given the governing bodies of many sports, such as FIFA, ban athletes from wearing political symbols on their clothing.
Depending on whether sports code accept this type of activism in the future, wearing suportive clothing could replace taking a knee as symbolic communication of solidarity with oppressed minorities.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Why have athletes stopped ‘taking a knee’? – https://theconversation.com/why-have-athletes-stopped-taking-a-knee-259047
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MIL-Evening Report: Japanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Adjunct Lecturer, Faculty of Economics, Hosei University
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a clear signal to the Trump administration: the Japan–US relationship is in a dire state.
After saying just days ago he would be attending this week’s NATO summit at The Hague, Ishiba abruptly pulled out at the last minute.
He joins two other leaders from the Indo-Pacific region, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, in skipping the summit.
The Japanese media reported Ishiba cancelled the trip because a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump was unlikely, as was a meeting of the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) NATO partners (Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan).
Japan will still be represented by Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, showing its desire to strengthen its security relationship with NATO.
However, Ishiba’s no-show reveals how Japan views its relationship with the Trump administration, following the severe tariffs Washington imposed on Japan and Trump’s mixed messages on the countries’ decades-long military alliance.
Tariffs and diplomatic disagreements
Trump’s tariff policy is at the core of the divide between the US and Japan.
Ishiba attempted to get relations with the Trump administration off to a good start. He was the second world leader to visit Trump at the White House, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs imposed a punitive rate of 25% on Japanese cars and 24% on all other Japanese imports. They are already having an adverse impact on Japan’s economy: exports of automobiles to the US dropped in May by 25% compared to a year ago.
Six rounds of negotiations have made little progress, as Ishiba’s government insists on full tariff exemptions.
Japan has been under pressure from the Trump administration to increase its defence spending, as well. According to the Financial Times, Tokyo cancelled a summit between US and Japanese defence and foreign ministers over the demand. (A Japanese official denied the report.)
Japan also did not offer its full support to the US bombings of Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this week. The foreign minister instead said Japan “understands” the US’s determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Japan has traditionally had fairly good relations with Iran, often acting as an indirect bridge with the West. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even made a visit there in 2019.
Japan also remains heavily dependent on oil from the Middle East. It would have been adversely affected if the Strait of Hormuz had been blocked, as Iran was threatening to do.
Unlike the response from the UK and Australia, which both supported the strikes, the Ishiba government prioritised its commitment to upholding international law and the rules-based global order. In doing so, Japan seeks to deny China, Russia and North Korea any leeway to similarly erode global norms on the use of force and territorial aggression.
Strategic dilemma of the Japan–US military alliance
In addition, Japan is facing the same dilemma as other American allies – how to manage relations with the “America first” Trump administration, which has made the US an unreliable ally.
Earlier this year, Trump criticised the decades-old security alliance between the US and Japan, calling it “one-sided”.
“If we’re ever attacked, they don’t have to do a thing to protect us,” he said of Japan.
Lower-level security cooperation is ongoing between the two allies and their regional partners. The US, Japanese and Philippine Coast Guards conducted drills in Japanese waters this week. The US military may also assist with upgrading Japan’s counterstrike missile capabilities.
But Japan is still likely to continue expanding its security ties with partners beyond the US, such as NATO, the European Union, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and other ASEAN members, while maintaining its fragile rapprochement with South Korea.
Australia is now arguably Japan’s most reliable security partner. Canberra is considering buying Japan’s Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. And if the AUKUS agreement with the US and UK collapses, Japanese submarines could be a replacement.
Ishiba under domestic political pressure
There are also intensifying domestic political pressures on Ishiba to hold firm against Trump, who is deeply unpopular among the Japanese public.
After replacing former prime minister Fumio Kishida as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last September, the party lost its majority in the lower house of parliament in snap elections. This made it dependent on minor parties for legislative support.
Ishiba’s minority government has struggled ever since with poor opinion polling. There has been widespread discontent with inflation, the high cost of living and stagnant wages, the legacy of LDP political scandals, and ever-worsening geopolitical uncertainty.
On Sunday, the party suffered its worst-ever result in elections for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, winning its lowest number of seats.
The party could face a similar drubbing in the election for half of the upper house of the Diet (Japan’s parliament) on July 20. Ishiba has pledged to maintain the LDP’s majority in the house with its junior coalition partner Komeito. But if the government falls into minority status in both houses, Ishiba will face heavy pressure to step down.
Craig Mark does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Japanese prime minister’s abrupt no-show at NATO summit reveals a strained alliance with the US – https://theconversation.com/japanese-prime-ministers-abrupt-no-show-at-nato-summit-reveals-a-strained-alliance-with-the-us-259694
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MIL-Evening Report: Bats get fat to survive hard times. But climate change is threatening their survival strategy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wu, Lecturer in Wildlife Ecology, Murdoch University
Bats are often cast as the unseen night-time stewards of nature, flitting through the dark to control pest insects, pollinate plants and disperse seeds. But behind their silent contributions lies a remarkable and underappreciated survival strategy: seasonal fattening.
Much like bears and squirrels, bats around the world bulk up to get through hard times – even in places where you might not expect it.
In a paper published today in Ecology Letters, we analysed data from bat studies around the world to understand how bats use body fat to survive seasonal challenges, whether it’s a freezing winter or a dry spell.
The surprising conclusion? Seasonal fattening is a global phenomenon in bats, not just limited to those in cold climates.
Even bats in the tropics, where it’s warm all year, store fat in anticipation of dry seasons when food becomes scarce. That’s a survival strategy that’s been largely overlooked. But it may be faltering as the climate changes, putting entire food webs at risk.
Climate shapes fattening strategies
We found bats in colder regions predictably gain more weight before winter.
But in warmer regions with highly seasonal rainfall, such as tropical savannas or monsoonal forests, bats also fatten up. In tropical areas, it’s not cold that’s the enemy, but the dry season, when flowers wither, insects vanish and energy is hard to come by.
The extent of fattening is impressive. Some species increased their body weight by more than 50%, which is a huge burden for flying animals that already use a lot of energy to move around. This highlights the delicate balancing act bats perform between storing energy and staying nimble in the air.
Sex matters, especially in the cold
The results also support the “thrifty females, frisky males” hypothesis.
In colder climates, female bats used their fat reserves more sparingly than males – a likely adaptation to ensure they have enough energy left to raise young when spring returns. Since females typically emerge from hibernation to raise their young, conserving fat through winter can directly benefit their reproductive success.
Interestingly, this sex-based difference vanished in warmer climates, where fat use by males and females was more similar, likely because more food is available in warmer climates. It’s another clue that climate patterns intricately shape behaviour and physiology.
Climate change is shifting the rules
Beyond the biology, our study points to a more sobering trend. Bats in warm regions appear to be increasing their fat stores over time. This could be an early warning sign of how climate change is affecting their survival.
Climate change isn’t just about rising temperatures. It’s also making seasons more unpredictable.
Bats may be storing more energy in advance of dry seasons that are becoming longer or harder to predict. That’s risky, because it means more foraging, more exposure to predators and potentially greater mortality.
The implications can ripple outward. Bats help regulate insect populations, fertilise crops and maintain healthy ecosystems. If their survival strategies falter, entire food webs could feel the effects.
Fat bats, fragile futures
Our study changes how we think about bats. They are not just passive victims of environmental change but active strategists, finely tuned to seasonal rhythms. Yet their ability to adapt has limits, and those limits are being tested by a rapidly changing world.
By understanding how bats respond to climate, we gain insights into broader ecosystem resilience. We also gain a deeper appreciation for one of nature’s quiet heroes – fattening up, flying through the night and holding ecosystems together, one wingbeat at a time.
Nicholas Wu was the lead author of a funded Australian Research Council Linkage Grant awarded to Christopher Turbill at Western Sydney University.
– ref. Bats get fat to survive hard times. But climate change is threatening their survival strategy – https://theconversation.com/bats-get-fat-to-survive-hard-times-but-climate-change-is-threatening-their-survival-strategy-259560
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MIL-OSI USA: On 3rd Anniversary of Roe Being Overturned, Markey Joins Senate Dems in a Bill to Restore Abortion Access Nationwide
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Women’s Health Protection Act comes as Trump and Congressional Republicans move to restrict a woman’s right to choose and toward a national abortion ban
Washington (June 24, 2025) – On the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined 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. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. Put together, Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on Americans’ reproductive rights is a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.
President Trump appointed the Supreme Court Justices who ruled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to overturn Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent. Since the Dobbs decision, 19 states have banned abortion or severely restricted women from being able to access the procedure, leaving one in three American women without access to safe, legal abortion care. Additionally, state legislatures across the country have introduced hundreds of bills to include medically unnecessary restrictions that limit access to abortion care.
In his second term, President Trump has continued to relentlessly attack reproductive rights, including freezing Title X funding for clinics that offer reproductive care, cutting Biden-era emergency abortion protections, pardoning anti-abortion extremists, and fighting to defund Planned Parenthood. Additionally, the House-passed Republican budget bill kicks 16 million people off their health insurance and defunds Planned Parenthood – threatening the closure of 200 health centers across the country and putting access to vital reproductive care for millions of families at risk.
The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal rights for patients and providers to protect abortion access. Specifically, the Women’s Health Protection Act would:
- Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.
- Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.
- Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.
The legislation is sponsored by the entire Democratic caucus, including Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D- DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Full text of the bill is available here. A one-pager on the bill is available here.
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MIL-OSI USA: Markey Joins Booker, Jayapal, Barragán to Reintroduce Legislation Removing Barriers to Health Care for Immigrants
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Washington (June 24, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) along with U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44) to introduce the Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act, bicameral legislation that removes cruel and unnecessary barriers to health care for immigrants of all statuses. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
Immigrants are significantly more likely than U.S. Citizens to be uninsured, leaving them at a higher risk for both adverse health and financial consequences. Of the nearly 151 million people aged 15-49 in the United States, 14.6 million people—almost one in 10—are noncitizen immigrants.
“Trump and Republicans are working to rip health care coverage away from millions, including immigrant communities that are already too often left uninsured and vulnerable due to their immigration status. We must expand health care access for all and eliminate the discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant families and communities from seeking the health care they need,” said Senator Markey.
“Everyone deserves access to comprehensive, affordable, quality care, and the HEAL Act lifts unnecessary barriers to medical care for immigrants,” said Senator Booker. “A more equitable health care system will help create healthier communities and ensure that all families, regardless of immigration status, have access to the care they need.”
“Health care is a human right that must be accessible to everyone — regardless of immigration status,” said Representative Jayapal. “As a proud immigrant myself, I know that the HEAL Act is a necessary first step to allow more people across America to access the health care they need to live, making all of our communities healthier. As Republicans in Congress work to strip health coverage away from millions of Americans and further decimate our already broken immigration system, we’re working to ensure everyone in this country is able to see a doctor when they need it.”
“Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on your immigration status,” said Representative Barragán. “Healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s time we break down the needless barriers that keep immigrant families from the care they need to survive and thrive. The HEAL Act is a step toward addressing racial health disparities and expanding quality healthcare to everyone in our communities.”
“Withholding health care from immigrants is cruel and doesn’t make our communities safer or healthier,” said Senator Warren. “While the Trump administration continues playing political games with immigrant families, Democrats are fighting to make sure a person’s immigration status doesn’t prevent them from getting life-saving care.”
“As the Trump Administration guts access to health care and basic services for immigrant communities, breaking down barriers to health care for immigrants isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s critical for protecting our public health and economy,” said Senator Padilla. “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world not despite immigrants, but because of their contributions to our workforce. Everyone deserves access to affordable, quality health care no matter their immigration status, and I will keep fighting to continue expanding coverage for these hardworking members of our communities.”
“Health care is a human right—regardless of a person’s immigration status. With this critical legislation, we remove cruel, unnecessary barriers preventing immigrants from receiving the care they need to survive and thrive. By providing access to quality care and treatment, we strengthen our communities and bolster our nation’s public health,” said Senator Blumenthal.
To see the full list of endorsing organizations, click here.
“Rep. Jayapal and Sen. Booker continue to be courageous and powerful champions for immigrant communities by reintroducing the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act. While immigrant families are currently being attacked and torn apart, this bill promotes a vision for what we want for our collective future. A future that supports immigrant communities by removing long standing systemic barriers to health coverage to help our communities access affordable health care. We are especially grateful that Sen. Booker and Rep. Jayapal are introducing this critical legislation today as we mark three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion. That decision has disproportionately harmed immigrant communities, for whom abortion bans, misinformation, and the threat of being detained and separated from our families has increased the barriers that keep us from getting the health care we need,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We urge Congress to protect immigrant communities and pass this bill,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.
“The reproductive justice movement teaches us that true justice means being able to have children, not have children, and raise our families in safe, supportive communities. None of that is possible without health care. In a country that has always been shaped by immigrants, we cannot keep allowing people and families, including the Asian American immigrants who make up more than a quarter of immigrants in the U.S., to be shut out from basic health care because of harmful, outdated policies. These are our mothers, our sisters, and our neighbors. The HEAL Act tears down the barriers facing our communities and reaffirms that everyone deserves the right to care, regardless of background, income, or immigration status,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).
“For too long, our health care system has denied immigrants equitable access to health insurance, fueling deep and unconscionable health inequities,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program. “The big ugly reconciliation bill before Congress threatens to lock even more immigrant families out of vital and often lifesaving coverage, widening those inequities. The National Health Law Program is proud to endorse the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act, which offers a better vision for the future: dismantling xenophobic health insurance barriers and fostering health equity and reproductive justice for all,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney, The National Health Law Program.
“Everyone deserves access to health care, no matter who they are or where they come from. It is unacceptable and cruel that many are denied affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive health care because of their immigration status. Amid the ongoing attacks on our immigrant communities and our health care, I thank Reps. Jayapal and Barragán and Senator Booker for reintroducing this critical bill that would break down unjust barriers to care for our immigrant families,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
“As a physician, I’ve witnessed the barriers immigrant families face when trying to access health care. Insurance coverage is a cornerstone of meaningful access; without it, care remains out of reach for too many. At a time when attacks on immigrant communities are escalating, we must act now to ensure that everyone—regardless of status—has the right to timely, compassionate, and comprehensive health care. That’s why I join physicians across the country in calling for a swift passage of the HEAL Act. Expanding health coverage to immigrant communities ensures they receive the care they deserve, regardless of their immigration status. Health is a human right and no one should be excluded from receiving healthcare. Congress must pass HEAL – our patients are counting on it,” said Dr. Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG, President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health.
“With immigrant families under constant attack, it’s more important than ever to work toward a better, more inclusive future when everyone can get the care we all need. We are proud to champion the HEAL Act – a critical step toward that better future,” said Adriana Cadena, Campaign Director, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition.
“Now more than ever, it is critical to affirm that everyone—including immigrants—should have access to health care coverage. Immigrants already face many restrictions to such care and an onslaught of attacks on them and their families’ health and well-being, ranging from the fear created by the Administration’s mass deportation efforts to the deeply harmful budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration. The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is a critical step in moving us back in the right direction by giving children and families access to the health care they need to thrive. CLASP is grateful to Representative Jayapal and Senator Booker for their leadership in promoting a vision that supports health care for all,” said Wendy Cervantes, Director, Immigration and Immigrant Families, CLASP.
“A community’s health and well-being depend on ensuring all of us have access to the affordable health care we need, regardless of immigration status. The HEAL Act would remove harmful barriers to care for millions and benefit all of us. At a time when immigrant communities across the country are facing a barrage of attacks, we commend Representative Jayapal for continuing to champion a vision and policies that help everyone in our communities,” said Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center.
The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act will:
- Restore enrollment to full-benefit Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to all federally authorized immigrants who are otherwise eligible by removing the 5-year waiting period and outdated list of “qualified immigrants” for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility;
- Remove discriminatory Medicare restrictions based on length of stay in the U.S. for many lawful permanent residents (LPR);
- End the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces
- Ensure access to public and affordable coverage for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients;
- Create a state option to expand Medicaid and CHIP to immigrants regardless of immigration status.
To read the full text of the bill, click here.