Category: Economy

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Revolvo: BaFin additionally warns consumers about the website revolvo.online

    Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – In English

    On 5 March 2025, BaFin issued a warning about Revolvo and its website revolvo.pro, which has since been deactivated. The unknown operators are now using the website revolvo.online. BaFin suspects the operators of the website of offering consumers financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.

    The unknown operators are contacting consumers, claiming that their offer is from Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse GmbH or Börse Stuttgart GmbH. However, none of this information is correct. This is a case of identity fraud.

    BaFin is issuing this information on the basis of section 37 (4) of the German Banking Act (Kreditwesengesetz – KWG) and section 10 (7) of the German Cryptomarkets Supervision Act (Kryptomärkteaufsichtsgesetz).

    Please be aware:

    BaFin, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BundeskriminalamtBKA) and the German state criminal police offices (Landeskriminalämter) recommend that consumers seeking to invest money online should exercise the utmost caution and do the necessary research beforehand in order to identify fraud attempts at an early stage.

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI: Completion of Share Buyback Programme

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LEI: 213800NNT42FFIZB1T09 
    03 April 2025

    Transaction in Own Shares

    Foresight Group Holdings Limited (“Foresight”, the “Group”), a leading investment manager in real assets and providing capital for growth, announces that, in accordance with the terms of its share buyback programme announced on 27 October 2023, and extended on 27 June 2024, 09 December 2024 and further extended on 28 February 2025 (the “Share Buyback”), the Group purchased the following number of its ordinary shares of £nil par value (“Ordinary Shares”) each through Numis Securities Limited (which is trading for these purposes as Deutsche Numis) (“Deutsche Numis”).

    Date of purchase: 02 April 2025
    Aggregate number of Ordinary Shares purchased: 11,820
    Lowest price paid per share (GBp): 341.00
    Highest price paid per share (GBp): 351.00
    Volume weighted average price paid per share (GBp): 345.71

    Once settled, the purchased shares will be held by the Group in treasury, which means they will have no voting rights while they are held in treasury. This purchase successfully completes the Buyback Programme of up to £17 million initially announced on 27 October 2023. Including the above purchase, the total shares purchased under the Buyback Programme amounts to 3,993,735. To date, 1,391,739 shares have been transferred out of treasury.

    As a result, the Group’s total voting rights will be 113,745,807 while the Group’s issued ordinary share capital is 116,347,803 of which 2,601,996 continue to be held in treasury. This figure for the total number of voting rights may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in the Group under the FCA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

    In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of the UK version of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the table below contains detailed information of the individual trades made by Deutsche Numis as part of the Share Buyback.

    Aggregate information:

    Venue Volume-weighted average price
    (pence per share)
    Aggregated volume
    LSE 345.71 11,820

    Individual information:

    Number of ordinary shares purchased Transaction price
    (GBp share)
    Time of transaction (UK Time) Trading venue
    400 345.50  09:04:03 XLON
    496 345.50  09:04:03 XLON
    567 345.50  09:04:03 XLON
    1014 344.00  09:33:15 XLON
    475 344.00  09:33:15 XLON
    259 346.00  11:09:56 XLON
    260 345.50  11:13:29 XLON
    1200 345.50  11:13:29 XLON
    320 344.00  12:41:38 XLON
    175 344.00  12:41:38 XLON
    171 344.00  12:41:38 XLON
    729 343.00  13:06:09 XLON
    598 343.00  13:06:09 XLON
    487 342.50  13:39:58 XLON
    329 342.50  13:39:58 XLON
    24 342.50  13:39:58 XLON
    925 341.00  14:26:51 XLON
    168 351.00  16:01:52 XLON
    8 351.00  16:01:52 XLON
    556 351.00  16:01:52 XLON
    791 350.00  16:01:53 XLON
    129 350.00  16:05:12 XLON
    810 350.00  16:05:12 XLON
    238 349.50  16:05:40 XLON
    600 349.50  16:05:40 XLON
    21 345.71  16:07:49 XLON
    70 351.00  16:12:42 XLON

    For further information please contact:

    Foresight Group Investors
    Liz Scorer / Ben McGrory
    +44 (0) 7966 966956 / +44 (0) 7443 821577
    ir@foresightgroup.eu

    Deutsche Numis
    Charles Farquhar / Rajesh Iyer
    +44 (0) 207 260 1000 

    H-Advisors Maitland
    Sam Cartwright / Audrey Da Costa
    +44 (0) 782 725 4561 / +44 (0) 781 710 5562
    Foresight@h-advisors.global

    About Foresight Group Holdings Limited

    Founded in 1984, Foresight is a leading investment manager in real assets and capital for growth, operating across the UK, Europe, and Australia.

    With decades of experience, Foresight offers investors access to attractive investment opportunities at the forefront of change. Foresight actively builds and grows investment solutions to support the energy transition, decarbonise industry, enhance nature recovery and realise the economic potential of ambitious companies.

    A constituent of the FTSE 250 index, Foresight’s diversified investment strategies combine financial and operational skillsets to maximise asset value and provide attractive returns to its investors. Its wide range of private and public funds is complemented with a variety of investment solutions designed for the retail market.

    Foresight is united by a shared commitment to build a sustainable future and grow thriving companies and economies.

    Visit https://foresight.group for more information.

    Follow us on LinkedIn for key updates. 

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Slams Trump’s Tariffs for Increasing Prices for Working Families

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Slams Trump’s Tariffs for Increasing Prices for Working Families

    WATCH: Padilla blasts President Trump for breaking promises to lower pricesWASHINGTON, D.C. — During an interview with MeidasTouch’s Ben Meiselas, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) sharply criticized President Trump’s chaotic, harmful tariffs that will raise prices for millions of working families and cost California farmers billions. Padilla highlighted Trump’s broken promise to lower costs and denounced the President’s recent comments that he “couldn’t care less” if his tariffs raise prices.
    MEISELAS: Let’s break down what’s going on, first in kind of California with the farming situation. We’ve got Senator Alex Padilla here, Senator from California. Senator, we’re seeing a lot of Trump voters now saying they regret this. This is absolute chaos. They didn’t vote for this. What are you hearing, Senator?
    PADILLA: Hearing a lot of the same fury, a lot of the same frustration, and people coming to the realization Donald Trump lied to them. His whole campaign, his platform, his promises were all a lie, and it’s coming home to roost.
    PADILLA: Because you’re right, whether it’s the tariffs — we know who’s going to pay the price ultimately. It’s not foreign countries as Donald claimed. It’s going to be working families here in the country when prices will go up. This is a President who said he was gonna tackle inflation and bring down prices on day one. The opposite has happened. Prices are up in all categories.
    PADILLA: The one thing he has said that’s truthful, just this last weekend, he says he doesn’t care. He “can care less,” specifically, is what he said, if prices go up. Because they’re going up on everything from cars to fruits and vegetables and everything in between.
    As President Trump and other Republicans have admitted that the tariffs will cause “short-term pain,” Padilla underscored that these tariffs will exacerbate the affordability crisis and cripple the stock market, depleting Americans’ pensions and retirement savings.
    PADILLA: It was a bait and switch. He promised to lower costs. Costs are going up. This short-term pain? Only now he’s realizing what it means, but the pain is real. So my colleagues on both sides of the aisle — there’s inconvenience and there’s pain. … Pain is being left homeless, which a lot of people will be when they lose their jobs or can’t afford to pay the rent because of Donald Trump’s policies.
    PADILLA: Another impact of his tariffs — on again, off again and on again, on again prices going up is what’s happening with the stock market. Now I don’t say this because I’m sympathetic to traders on Wall Street. I bring this up because so many people’s pensions, so many people’s 401(k), so many people’s retirement savings are tied to the economy. So when the stock market crashes, that’s literally dollars that you no longer have for retirement. It’s gone up in smoke. But once again, if you ask Donald Trump what he thinks of all this, he could care less.
    Padilla also blasted Trump for illogically and irresponsibly opening up dams and flooding the Central Valley, claiming to “turn on the water” to fight the Los Angeles fires after they had already been contained and using up resources farmers need in the dry summer months.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Vote on Resolution to Undo Trump’s Taxes on Canadian Goods, Shaheen Highlights the Devastating Consequences for Small Businesses on Senate Floor

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) Following President Trump’s announcement of sweeping new tariffs, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) took to the Senate floor to highlight the devastating economic impacts that President Trump’s tariffs and trade war will have on American families and the economy. The speech came ahead of a vote on U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) joint resolution with U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) to end Trump’s tariffs on Canada. Some estimates have shown that Trump’s tariffs could raise costs for the average American household by up to $2,000 per year. You can watch Senator Shaheen’s speech here. 

    Key quotes from Senator Shaheen:

    • “On Monday I visited a bakery in Derry, New Hampshire, that may have to go out of business due to what President Trump is proposing on tariffs on Canada. […] Mr. Chatila said to me, and I quote, ‘When I came, this was the American dream, which is why we built it. But now you see it in front of your eyes. It’s just melted like ice.’” 
    • “Imposing tariffs against Canada is not the way to fight fentanyl and other drugs. This kind of legislation, like the HALT Fentanyl Act, is something that is going to have much more of an impact.” 
       
    • “The message to the American people from this administration is increasingly clear: they do not care about you and what your needs are.”
    • “He is taxing all of the goods that people buy every day and what he doesn’t tell you is that the reason he’s doing this is so that he can give more money to provide tax cuts for the top 1% of the income earners in the country, so the billionaires.”

    You can read Shaheen’s remarks as delivered below:

    I came to the floor to join my colleagues because I am so concerned about the damaging impact of President Trump’s tariff taxes—and I call them taxes because that’s what they really are—about those tariffs particularly on Canada, although we heard today that he’s announced a number of others.

    On Monday, I’ve been hearing from a lot of small businesses in New Hampshire, but on Monday I visited a bakery in Derry, New Hampshire, that may have to go out of business due to what President Trump is proposing on tariffs on Canada. 

    Now, the owner of Chatila’s Bakery moved to the United States 36 years ago.

     He’s a cardiologist and with his brother, a PhD. Scientist, they’re from Lebanon. 

    He became a citizen.

    He raised his family and sent his daughter to college, and he and his brother got interested in sugar free desserts and candies because their mother was diabetic. 

    So he spent the last 36 years building his business, and now he might have to sell his factory because of the trade war that President Trump has started with Canada. 

    Chatila’s Bakery makes sugar free desserts.

    They get some of their ingredients from Canada. 

    All of those ingredients are now more expensive and while I was there, he showed me a fuel bill he had just gotten, that said that because of the tariffs, his fuel bill was going up. 

    But more important than that, 85% of his business comes from exporting to Canadian customers. 

    Most of his sales contracts in Canada were canceled after these tariffs went into effect last month.

    So he says he’s going to lose between $400,000 and $500,000 this year in the business. 

    Now, President Trump says he’s worried about trade imbalances and that he wants to support exporters.

     Well, here is an American small business and an exporter and because of what this president is doing with his reckless trade war, this small business owner might go out of business.

    So Mr. Chatila said to me, and I quote, “When I came, this was the American dream, which is why we built it. But now you see it in front of your eyes. It’s just melted like ice.”

    And I asked him what he would like to ask President Trump if he had the opportunity, and he said his question was to the president, “What do you want me to do? If you really care about your country, why don’t you support small businesses which are the backbone of every community?”

     I think that said it about as well as anybody I’ve heard. 

    And we know, sadly, that his business is not the only one. 

    Many of our small businesses in New Hampshire are reliant on travel and tourism. 

    I’ve heard from businesses across our state about Canadian tourists canceling plans already, about bookings that they rely on that are not going to come through.

    Last week, we saw that airline tickets for travelers coming from Canada this summer are down more than 70% from this time last year. 

    That represents lost business for my constituents and for businesses and communities across this country. 

    All of this will put their businesses at risk, and it will do so when they are also facing higher costs for inputs because of these tariff taxes.

    Two weeks ago, I visited a bus company, runs bus lines between the seacoast of New Hampshire and Boston and New York. 

    They’re facing $500,000 in added costs because of these tariffs and now, on top of that, he stands to lose business because fewer people are visiting the United States—He also goes between the seacoast and Logan Airport.

    All of that because the president has damaged the relationship we have with one of our closest allies.

    It doesn’t make sense to me. 

    What is the logic of antagonizing those allies and partners that we rely on? 

    And lest anyone forget, the president is claiming that the flow of fentanyl from Canada justifies all this.

    Well, fentanyl and other drugs are serious issues, and I’ve spent much of my time in the Senate doing what I can to help stop those drugs from entering the United States and to getting help for those who need it.

    Just last month, the Senate passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which is legislation that I co-sponsored along with a lot of my colleagues, which would permanently schedule fentanyl related substances. 

    Imposing tariffs against Canada is not the way to fight fentanyl and other drugs. 

    This kind of legislation, like the HALT Fentanyl Act, is something that is going to have much more of an impact.

    CBP statistics show that all the fentanyl seized along the northern border from the beginning of 2022 until now is 71 pounds. 

    Now, that’s a lot of fentanyl, and that could kill a lot of people, so I don’t endorse that by any means. 

    But you compare that with the 67,966 pounds that have been seized along the US-Mexico border for the same period of time.

    Wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on where most of this fentanyl is coming from? 

    Instead of imposing tariffs, we should be working cooperatively with our allies and partners, and Canada has taken a number of steps to crack down and to stop drugs from coming into the United States. 

    The tariffs that are in place before today are likely to raise costs by nearly $2,000 for the average household.

    That’s money many families in New Hampshire and across this country can’t afford to pay when they’re trying to cover the cost of groceries, of housing, of child care, of energy, all of those things that President Trump, when he was running for president, said he was going to address.

    I’ve heard from many New Hampshire families about how these tariffs will raise prices for keeping their homes warm, for putting gas in their cars.

    And now the Trump administration has reportedly fired the entire staff of the LIHEAP program that helps families and seniors heat their homes when they can’t afford to pay. 

    The message to the American people from this administration is increasingly clear: they do not care about you and what your needs are. 

    So voting for Senator Kaine’s resolution presents an opportunity for Congress to help Americans who are worried about higher costs.

    I intend to vote for this resolution to end the tariffs on Canada, to lower costs for Americans and to help our small businesses and I hope all my colleagues will do the same. 

    Now, I just want to add that in the last hour, President Trump announced a new tax of 10% on everything Americans import with far higher taxes on many countries.

    Everything from the EU will now face a 20% tax. 

    Japan and South Korea 25%. 

    I mean, again, the rationale for why we are going after our allies and partners makes no sense. 

    And this is a tremendous tax increase on American business and families. 

    Likely the largest peacetime tax increase in U.S. history. 

    This new Trump tariff tax will add at least another $3,000 to the costs for an average household.

    And again, this president promised he was going to lower costs for families.

    This does nothing to do that. 

    He is taxing all of the goods that people buy every day and what he doesn’t tell you is that the reason he’s doing this is so that he can give more money to provide tax cuts for the top 1% of the income earners in the country, so the billionaires. 

    I don’t think this tax increase is going to help the small business owner I visited on Monday, or the families in my state and across this country who are trying to afford groceries, and I intend to vote to end those tariffs on Canada today when I have the opportunity. 

    I hope my colleagues will join me.

    Thank you.

    Senator Shaheen is leading efforts in Congress to mitigate the harmful impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. Earlier today, Shaheen released a statement condemning President Trump’s announcement that he will impose 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods, with far higher taxes on many more countries at midnight. In January, Shaheen introduced the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act which would limit the president’s ability to leverage sweeping tariffs that increase costs for American consumers and families. Her effort to pass this bill by unanimous consent was blocked by Senate Republicans. In recent weeks, Shaheen has traveled across the Granite State to visit businesses including Chatila’s Bakery, C&J, DCI Furniture, Mount Cabot Maple and American Calan Inc. to hear directly from Granite Staters impacted by the looming tariffs.   

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scalise: Budget Bill Will Accelerate Trump’s Pro-Growth Agenda

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) appeared on Fox Business Network’s Kudlow to discuss the impact of House Republicans’ one big, beautiful budget bill. Leader Scalise emphasized the need to continue the Trump tax cuts and explained how this bill would unleash American energy, lower costs, and fuel economic growth. Leader Scalise also highlighted the Ways and Means Committee’s work on ensuring President Trump’s pro-growth agenda is executed in this budget reconciliation process. 

    Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full interview. 
    On economic growth through budget reconciliation:“[The Senate has come around], Larry, and you and I have talked about this many times, why it’s so important to have one bill. President Trump has been all in on the idea of one big, beautiful bill. [I] was just in the Oval Office talking with him about this on Monday, and he is really pushing as well. That’s why I think you’re seeing the Senate moving even faster now. We’ve got to get this bill moved through as quickly as possible to get those big bounces in the economy that Kevin Hassett was talking about. When you think about the economic growth that comes along with a, number one, not just a lower and simplified tax code, but the certainty that you get. Because right now there is a lot of uncertainty that’s holding back a lot of trillions, I’ve heard, of investment that could be coming into the economy that’s not right now until we get this done. Let’s get it done soon and then get the big bounce that comes with it for the American workers and the economy.”On the need to extend the Trump tax cuts:“Yeah, and the good news on that, Larry, on both fronts, the answer is yes. And the two are tied together because I think some people initially were worried that if you go to current policy baseline, it would be used to avoid cuts. We cannot avoid cuts. You know, with the deficit, with the debt, we have got to start getting control over spending. And President Trump’s got that as a top priority, too. So making sure that we get the savings as well as going to current policy as baseline allows you to go to permanency instead of ten-year renewal, and then you get an even bigger bounce. Ten-year renewal would be great. A permanent tax code would be even better. So we want the Senate to add that in. They’re the side that’s really got to address that. Their parliamentarian is the one who makes those decisions. It’s a Senate issue, really not a House issue. Let’s get it added in. Still do the real savings so that we get that economic bounce and a lower deficit at the same time. All that’s being worked on together. I think when you see this bill come back and then we start the reconciliation process, it’s going to be full steam ahead.“Yes, [I think the Senate can get to the $1.5 trillion budget savings that are implicit in the House budget]. Look, we went back and forth on this a lot. It took us probably a month of intense meetings with every element of our conference. We’ve got ultra-fiscal hawks. We’ve got people in swing, moderate districts that had very different views on this. We got everybody in a room, and that’s where we settled on $1.5 trillion. The Senate is going to find out the same thing.”On Republicans working toward one big, beautiful bill:“President Trump has been consistently pushing for that one big, beautiful bill. I think now that he’s being more vocal about it and pushing the Senate, I think he wanted to get the government funding issue taken off the table. We did that with the CR that we passed through the House, and Chuck Schumer had to swallow. The left’s going livid over that, but that removed a big obstacle. Now, President Trump’s got his exclusive focus on getting reconciliation done in one big, beautiful bill so that we can get that economic bounce for the hard working families, no tax on tips, all the things he talked about during the campaign, plus energy security, Larry, border security, the other things that go with it.”On the Ways and Means Committee’s work on maximizing impact of the budget bill:“Let me nail it down for you, Larry. You absolutely can do it in that one big, beautiful bill. Renewing existing tax policy is the first thing you do. But then [Chairman] Jason Smith and the Ways and Means Committee have also been meeting on the additional items. We’ve sat down with President Trump to go over things like no tax on tips. There’s other things we’re looking at, too. More pro-growth policies. All of that will be looked at. Now, ultimately, Ways and Means has to make all the numbers add up, and that’s when they can put it all together. Both renewal and new policy can be in that same bill coming out of the Ways and Means Committee. Then we’ll put it all together with the energy policies and the border policies. The debt ceiling will be handled for two years, so President Trump won’t have to worry about that. The deficit reduction components, all that will be in that one big, beautiful bill. We’ll put it all together, bring it, hopefully by the summer, pass that, and get it to the President’s desk.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scalise Encourages Senate Passage of House Budget Reconciliation Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Scalise (1st District of Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Congressman Derek Schmidt (R-Kan.) to discuss the Senate taking up the House’s budget bill, bringing us one step closer to fulfilling President Trump’s agenda of helping American families who previously struggled under Biden’s disastrous economic policies. Leader Scalise also highlighted the importance of the Trump Administration’s work to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and slammed Democrats for being more concerned with Elon Musk than the wasting of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.

    Click here or the image above to view Leader Scalise’s full remarks. 
    On the Senate taking up budget reconciliation:“We have another full week working through our legislative agenda while we also are urging the Senate to continue moving on the budget reconciliation process. This week, they will be taking up the budget that we sent over weeks ago. Of course, when you look at where the budgets are, we went through a lot of work within our conference, meeting with members that represent all different factions within our conference to come up with the ultimate targets that were laid out in our budget to direct 11 different committees in the House to take action in reconciliation. The Senate needs to go through that same process. They’ve got similar dynamics in the Senate. They’ve got fiscal hawks, moderates, the same kind of issues that they’re going to have to resolve. But ultimately, it’s only when the House and Senate come together, are we going to be able to deliver that big package for President Trump to get this economy back on track for the American people. And ultimately, that’s who we’re fighting for.“We’re fighting for those hardworking families who have been struggling too long under the weight of the failed far-left policies of President Biden that are still lingering. The Democrats, when they were in charge, when they added trillions in spending, inflation, interest rates, all the things that are still crushing families. We are finally starting to address those things one at a time. And it’s taken time, but we’re two months in, and you can already see the progress, but there’s a lot more work to do. And so we’re not slowing down in our majority.”On House Republicans holding Democrat overreach accountable on the floor this week:“We’re not slowing down with the bills we’re bringing. Of course, this week, the No Rogue Judges Act. And I think it’s been laid out really well, the abuses that we’ve been seeing with some of these district court judges that just feel their role is to try to stop the duly elected President of the United States and Donald Trump because they disagree with his policies, as opposed to carrying out their duty to interpret the Constitution and the laws of this country. If they’re going to overstep their boundaries, should they be able to have, literally at a district level, an ability to change the law for the entire country, when ultimately the US Supreme Court is going to have to decide many of these big issues? But we’re taking that up.“We’re also, of course, going to continue to fight for the integrity of the vote to make sure that people that have come here illegally by the millions cannot register and vote, and that there will be actual safeguards and consequences for people who come to this country and vote illegally. We’re going to bring that bill again, give everybody an opportunity to state their position on that as well.”On rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government:“As you look at reconciliation, one of the things we’re looking to do is to finally start to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. Obviously, the mandatory spending side is what we look at heavily on the reconciliation side. But we’ve been working closely with the President’s DOGE Commission. For anybody who didn’t see it, I thought it was a very refreshing exercise to watch Elon Musk and all the other leaders of DOGE come together and do, in essence, a town hall meeting talking about the methods, the methodology, and the sophistication that is being used to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. When people fill out their taxes in just two weeks, there’s a lot of anger and frustration when people send their money into Washington, and they wonder when they hear these stories of the billions of dollars in wasteful programs.“These aren’t just anecdotes. As Elon and the DOGE commission members have been finding out, it’s rampant throughout every agency in federal government, whether it’s just inefficiencies, which is bad enough, or flat-out fraud, abuse, and corruption. They’re identifying billions and hundreds of billions of dollars in waste that can and should be rooted out because every dollar of waste here in Washington, number one is deficit spending that we would not be adding to our deficit, but it’s money that can be reinvested to make programs work the way they were intended by Congress and by the President – to see how serious they take these jobs. Many of these people are very accomplished in their own rights, people that have their own careers and are stepping aside and doing this work to make government work better for all the people of this country. I was very encouraged by it. I wish everybody in the country saw it because when you watch how the left is trying to demonize not the waste in government, I wish the left was as fervent at going after waste in government as they’re going after the people that are trying to root out the waste in government.“Elon’s giving up a lot to do this. As an individual, you see the personal attacks, death threats that are being made against him. That’s real, and it’s disgusting and disgraceful. But it also shows he must clearly be touching on something to the core. How much waste is out there that somebody would threaten his life because he’s trying to find out and root out that waste? We’re going to continue working with DOGE to root out the waste, lock as much of it into law as possible. If we can fit it in a budget reconciliation, we surely will. If it’s going to come later in a recisions package, then we’re going to do it as best as we can to achieve those real savings for the taxpayers of this country who are counting on us to deliver.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: Tyton Partners and Ufi Ventures Release 2025 Annual VocTech Market Report: Policy Inflection, Skills Gaps, and AI Transformations Define the Future of Workforce Development

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LONDON, April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tyton Partners, the leading strategy consultancy and investment advisor in global education, and Ufi Ventures, the UK’s specialist investor in vocational technology, have published their fifth annual report on the future of workforce development, The Jobs Frontier 2025.

    The report reflects on a year marked by political upheaval, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change. It also explores how these trends are shaping investment priorities and public-private responses across the UK and globally, with a strategic review of the implications of 2024 alongside scenarios for the remainder of 2025.

    Key takeaways from the 2025 report include:

    • Macroeconomic uncertainty, demographic change, and technological acceleration are reshaping the UK workforce.
    • Labour shortages remain acute, particularly in the green economy, education, health and social care, and tech.
    • The new US administration’s policies have introduced considerable uncertainty and are shifting spending priorities – and perhaps jobs and skills requirements – across Europe.
    • Investment in VocTech has rebounded in the UK but remains cautious globally.
    • AI and automation are changing the dynamics of employment and workforce development.
    • Public-private partnerships are emerging as essential to addressing systemic workforce challenges.

    Nick Kind, Managing Director at Tyton Partners, said:
    “We are entering a decisive period for workforce transformation. The choices made by government, employers and investors over the next 12 months will determine whether we bridge critical skills gaps or entrench inequality further. This report is designed to inform those decisions.”

    Helen Gironi, Director of Ufi Ventures, added:
    “This year’s analysis reinforces the case for targeted investment where business needs and social value align. The VocTech ecosystem has a vital role to play in enabling access to skills and opportunity—particularly for those who have historically been underserved by mainstream education and training systems. As the UK confronts economic and environmental transition, those solutions will only become more essential.”

    The report also highlights growing momentum behind new public-private partnerships and a renewed policy focus on adult education, apprenticeships and regional skills development, as well as areas where further action is urgently needed.

    Read The Jobs Frontier 2025 here.

    About Tyton Partners
    Tyton Partners is the leading provider of strategy consulting and investment banking services to the global knowledge and information services sector. With offices in Boston and New York City, the firm has an experienced team of bankers and consultants who deliver a unique spectrum of services from mergers and acquisitions and capital markets access to strategy development that helps companies, organizations, and investors navigate the complexities of the education, media, and information markets. Tyton Partners leverages a deep foundation of transactional and advisory experience and an unparalleled level of global relationships to make its clients’ aspirations a reality and to catalyze innovation in the sector. Learn more at tytonpartners.com.

    About Ufi Ventures

    Ufi Ventures is the investment arm of Ufi VocTech Trust, investing in early-stage EdTech companies building digital technologies to deliver the skills needed for work, now and in the future. We focus on early-stage companies with an ambition to use technology to make a positive and scalable impact on skills development for adults. Learn more at ufi.co.uk/ventures.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI USA: Huizenga, Sherman, Steil, and Auchincloss Introduce Bipartisan Improving Disclosure for Investors Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

    On Friday, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, announced the introduction of the Improving Disclosure for Investors Act. This bipartisan bill was introduced with Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), Congressman Bryan Steil (R-WI), and Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA). The Improving Disclosure for Investors Act directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to engage in rulemaking that would allow registered investment companies to satisfy their obligation to deliver regulatory documents to investors under the federal securities laws using electronic means.

    After introducing this bipartisan legislation, Congressman Huizenga released the following statement:

    “The Improving Disclosure for Investors Act is designed to modernize disclosure requirements, building on President Trump’s efforts to make our financial system more efficient and inclusive” said Congressman Huizenga. “Continuing to send customers paper disclosure notices is not only wasteful but fails to acknowledge that digital communications are safer and more effective in reaching all Americans. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission to finally make this a reality.”

    Background

    The SEC currently permits electronic delivery of certain documents under the federal securities laws, subject to requirements that a registrant provide notice that the information is available electronically, the investor has effective access to such information, and the registrant either obtains evidence to show actual delivery or obtains informed consent from the investor (“opt-in” requirement). The SEC has not comprehensively updated this framework in over 20 years.

    In 2023, the SEC announced a proposal that would require electronic submissions for nearly all forms, filings, and other materials. The proposal further highlights the need for a more digitalized reporting ecosystem.

    In the 118th Congress, the House of Representatives, overwhelming passed the Improving Disclosure for Investors Act with a vote of 269-153.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-Evening Report: What Donald Trump’s dramatic US trade war means for global climate action

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rakesh Gupta, Associate Professor of Accounting & Finance, Charles Darwin University

    US President Donald Trump’s new trade war will not only send shockwaves through the global economy – it also upsets efforts to tackle the urgent issue of climate change.

    Trump has announced a minimum 10% tariff to be slapped on all exports to the United States. A 34% duty applies to imports from China and a 20% rate to products from the European Union. Australia has been hit with the minimum 10% tariff.

    The move has prompted fears of a global economic slowdown. This might seem like a positive for the climate, because greenhouse gas emissions are closely tied to economic growth.

    However, in the long term, the trade war is bad news for global efforts to cut emissions. It is likely to lead to more energy-intensive goods produced in the US, and dampen international investment in renewable energy projects.

    How does global trade affect emissions?

    Traditionally, growth in the global economy leads to greater emissions from sources such as energy use in both manufacturing and transport. Conversely, emissions tend to fall in periods of economic decline.

    Trade tensions damage the global economy. This was borne out in the tariff war between the US and China, the world’s two largest economies, in 2018 and 2019.

    Trump, in his first presidential term, imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of imports from China. In response, China introduced or increased tariffs on thousands of items from the US.

    As a result, the International Monetary Fund estimated global gross domestic product (GDP) would fall by 0.8% in 2020. The extent of its true impact on GDP is difficult to determine due to the onset of COVID in the same year.

    However, Trump’s tariff war is far broader this time around, and we can expect broadscale damage to global GDP.

    In the short-term, any decline is likely to have a positive impact on emissions reduction. We saw this effect during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global production and trade fell.

    But unfortunately, this effect won’t last forever.

    Domestic production isn’t always a good thing

    Every country consumes goods. And according to Trump’s trade plan, which aims to revive the US manufacturing base, the goods his nation requires will be produced domestically rather than being imported.

    Unfortunately, this US production is likely to be inefficient in many cases. A central tenet of global trade is that nations focus on making goods where they have a competitive advantage – in other words, where they can manufacture the item more cheaply than other nations can. That includes making them using less energy, or creating fewer carbon emissions.

    If the US insists on manufacturing everything it needs domestically, we can expect many of those goods to be more emissions-intensive than if they were imported.

    Renewable energy slowdown?

    Globally, investment in renewable energy has been growing. The US trade war jeopardises this growth.

    Renewable energy spending is, in many cases, a long-term investment which may not produce an immediate economic reward. The logic is obvious: if we don’t invest in reducing emissions now, the economic costs in the future will be far worse.

    However, the US tariffs create a new political imperative. Already, there are fears it may trigger a global economic recession and increase living costs around the world.

    National governments are likely to become focused on protecting their own populace from these financial pressures. Business and industry will also become nervous about global economic conditions.

    And the result? Both governments and the private sector may shy away from investments in renewable energy and other clean technologies, in favour of more immediate financial concerns.

    The COVID experience provides a cautionary tale. The unstable economic outlook and higher interest rates meant banks were more cautious about financing some renewable energy projects.

    And according to the International Energy Agency, small to medium-sized businesses became more reluctant to invest in renewable energy applications such as heat pumps and solar panels.

    What’s more, the slowing in global trade during the pandemic meant the supply of components and materials vital to the energy transition was disrupted.

    There are fears this disruption may be repeated following the US tariff move. For example, the duty on solar products from China to the US is expected to rise to 60%, just as demand for solar energy increases from US data centres and artificial intelligence use.

    Few nations can afford to impose retaliatory tariffs on the US imports.

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, for example, says this nation will not slap new duties on US imports, saying: “We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth”.

    China, however, can be expected to return fire. Already it has halted imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US for 40 days – a move attributed to trade tensions.

    This may seem like good news for emissions reduction. However, China, like all other nations, needs energy. With less gas from the US, it may resort to burning more coal – which generates more CO₂ when burnt than gas.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responds to Trump’s tariff announcement.

    An uncertain time

    Free global trade has worldwide benefits. It helps reduce poverty and stimulates innovation and technology. It can improve democracy and individual freedoms.

    And, with the right safeguards in place, global trade can help drive the clean energy transition. Global trade improves efficiency and innovation and technology. This is likely to benefit innovation in clean energy and energy efficiency.

    Trump’s tariff war weakens global trade, and will slow the world’s progress towards decarbonisation. It is a most uncertain time – both for the world’s economy, and its climate.

    Rakesh Gupta 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. What Donald Trump’s dramatic US trade war means for global climate action – https://theconversation.com/what-donald-trumps-dramatic-us-trade-war-means-for-global-climate-action-253740

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal, Carson, Schakowsky, Welch Reintroduce Bill to Restore UNRWA Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

    WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) has re-introduced H.R. 2411, the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, with Rep. André Carson (IN-07), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Senator Peter Welch (VT). This bill will end the congressionally and administratively mandated pause on funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

    The United States has historically been one of the largest financial supporters of UNRWA, which serves nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. In March of last year, the U.S. paused UNRWA funding after the Israeli government alleged that 12 agency employees had direct involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack. 

    Following the United Nations’ investigation and proactive commitments made by UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform, all countries except the U.S. have resumed their UNRWA funding, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Sweden.  

    Humanitarian aid and supplies have not entered the Gaza Strip since March 2, when the Israeli authorities imposed a siege. Reports show that supplies are depleting at alarming rates, which could cause deaths from malnutrition and starvation. Several bakeries have already shut down after running out of cooking gas, and the U.N. World Food Programme reports that its flour supplies can only support bread production for five more day. UNRWA has served as the primary humanitarian aid organization operating in Gaza, and without funding, hundreds of thousands of Gaza civilians are left vulnerable.

    “For decades, UNRWA has played a unique and integral role in supporting the welfare of Palestinian refugees,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “The organization’s on-the-ground understanding is invaluable to ensuring that humanitarian aid makes it to the people who need it most — in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and critically in this moment, in Gaza. Permanently revoking funding for UNRWA will unquestionably lead to more devastation and loss of life in Gaza and throughout the Middle East. We must restore U.S. funding to UNRWA to ensure that those acting in good faith to save civilian lives have the necessary resources to continue their irreplaceable work.”

    “The scale of this devastating, man-made crisis in Gaza cannot be overstated,” said Congressman Carson. “Providing humanitarian aid to a starving nation – with funding Congress has appropriated year after year – should not be controversial. We need to end this blockade and restore full humanitarian funding to UNRWA. I urge my colleagues who care about basic human rights, the rights of pregnant women, and the wellbeing of innocent children to join our bill. It’s past time we restore funding and save lives.”

    “For decades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a lifeline for Palestinians throughout the Middle East, providing food, clean water, health care, shelter, education, and livelihoods. UNRWA has provided essential support to those in Gaza throughout the Israel-Hamas war and dire humanitarian crisis. UNRWA and the United Nations have taken swift and decisive actions to address the concerns raised by the U.S. government when it paused funding last year and our allies have long ago resumed funding for UNRWA. The U.S. must follow suit and finally resume funding for this critical humanitarian agency,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “I am proud to co-lead the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act to restore funding to UNRWA and help Gazans get the humanitarian assistance they need at a time of unprecedented crisis.”

    “Since day one of this conflict, UNRWA has proven to be the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. It is unacceptable that the funding pause has gone on this long—the civilian populations of Gaza and the West Bank are paying the price. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to intensify, support for humanitarian aid is more important than ever,” said Senator Welch. “Congress must pass this legislation to ensure UNRWA can safely deliver humanitarian assistance to starving women, children, and families desperate for food, medicine, and shelter.”

    Below is a list of all endorsing organizations:

    National Organizations: 99 Coalition, American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International USA, Amnesty International USA, Carolina Peace Center , Historians for Peace and Democracy, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Center for International Policy Advocacy, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Charity & Security Network, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), CODEPINK, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces, Demand Progress, Doctors Against Genocide, DSA, End Wars Working Group of Progressive Democrats of America , Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends Committee on National Legislation , Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), George Devendorf, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Health Advocacy International, Hindus for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, IfNotNow Movement, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), International Refugee Assistance Project, J Street, Jahalin Solidarity, Jahalin Solidarity, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Justice4palestinians, MADRE, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Medglobal , Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC), Migrant Roots Media, MoveOn, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Advocates, Muslims United PAC, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Council of Churches, New Jewish Narrative, No Dem Left Behind , Nonviolent Peaceforce, NRC USA, Partners for Progressive Israel, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, Poligon Education Fund, Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness, Quincy Institute, ReThinking Foreign Policy, ReThinking Foreign Policy, RootsAction.org, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team, Terre des hommes Lausanne, The Borgen Project, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR), UNRWA USA National Committee, USCPR Action, Win Without War, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US), Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation 

    State and Local Organizations:  Al Otro Lado, Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine (AMCP), Barry University, Brooklyn For Peace, Carolyn Eisenberg, Ceasefire Now NJ, Christian Jewish Allies for a just peace for Israel Palestine, Church Women United in New York State, Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights, Florida Peace & Justice Alliance, FOSNA Pittsburgh , Greater Dayton Peace Coalition, Houston for Palestine Coalition, Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, MARUF CT (Muslim Advocacy for Rights, Unity, and Fairness), Massachusetts Peace Action, Minnesota Peace Project, Muslim Justice League, Nebraskans for Peace Palestinian Rights Task Force, NorCal Sabeel, Oasis Legal Services, Peace Action Maine, Peace Action WI, Peace Action WI, Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!, Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!, Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico, Progressive Democrats of America- Central New Mexico, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom DC-Metro Action Group, The Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church USA, Bay Area, UPTE Members for Palestine, Valley View Presbyterian Church, Voices for Justice in Palestine, YUSRA

    Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI China: Development of new markets to cater to growing silver economy

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    With over 20 percent of the nation’s population over the age of 60, China is seeking to capitalize on consumption in the “silver economy” by opening up new markets to cater to their needs and contribute to economic growth.

    Chen Yanming, 59, a semiretired man from Huangshan, Anhui province, will gradually phase out work in the next few years. In his increasing spare time, he’s started cycling, a pursuit that takes up a few hours at weekends and on which he has so far spent nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,400) on related equipment and accessories.

    “Many of my peers spend money on their hobbies or leisure, like tourism or dance classes. I think people over 50, like me, have gradually changed our view of life,” said Chen. “I used to live a very plain life and kept the idea of saving money in my mind, but I gained little sense of happiness. My daughter persuaded me to do something I like without concern for money, as long as it’s within reach.”

    The central government has tried to develop the silver economy in recent years with the aim of tackling the aging problem in a positive way and incubating new economic growth points, and also bettering people’s livelihoods and life quality.

    The 2025 Government Work Report stressed the importance and necessity of improving supportive policies for elderly care services and the development of the silver economy. A recent guideline released by the State Council in January focuses on bettering elderly care services and mentions the nation’s plan to develop the silver economy.

    “The silver economy has a very promising future,” Liu Ming, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a recent news conference. “The nation has an increasing community of elderly people who have needs for suitable products and services, and also the willpower to consume. The elderly, especially those born after 1960, have stronger desires and ability for consumption, and their consumption views and preferences have gradually overlapped with younger people, who consume to please themselves.”

    He said the commission has channeled efforts to encourage local authorities and companies to innovate and develop products catering to the needs of seniors, and to release supportive financial guidelines to secure the high-quality development of the silver economy.

    A report by the China Association of Social Welfare and Senior Service and the Contemporary Social Service Research Institute in December, said the silver economy accounted for 7 trillion yuan ($965 billion), roughly 6 percent of the nation’s GDP. The number will reach 30 trillion yuan by 2035 and account for up to 10 percent of the GDP, the report said.

    “Chinese elderly people have transferred their focus from basic living to self-development. They have needs not only for food, clothes and housing, but healthcare, leisure and entertainment,” said Jin Li, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice-president of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, in an interview at the two sessions in March.

    He noted the growing population of elderly people who are 60 or 70 and still full of energy leading active lifestyles.

    “When we talk about the silver economy, we are probing into the issue showing the human touch of a civilization. The question of how to get old in an elegant way requires the satisfaction of physical needs and also spiritual nourishment,” he said.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-Evening Report: Slammed by tariffs and defence demands, Japan and South Korea toe a cautious line with Trump

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Maslow, Associate Professor, International Relations, University of Tokyo

    Two months into US President Donald Trump’s second term, the liberal international order is on life support.

    Alliances and multilateral institutions are now seen by the United States as burdens. Europe and NATO are framed as bad business, “ripping off” the US. On his so-called “Liberation Day”, Trump also imposed 20% tariffs on all European Union imports.

    The Trump administration has been far less critical of the US’ alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. On a visit to Tokyo this week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described Japan as America’s “indispensable partner” in deterring Chinese aggression.

    Yet, Japan and South Korea fared even worse than the EU with Trump’s new tariffs. Trump slapped Japan with 24% tariffs and South Korea 25%. (Both countries enjoy a trade surplus with the US.)

    So, how are the US’ two main allies in the Indo-Pacific dealing with the mercurial US leader? Will they follow Europe’s lead in reassessing their own security relationships with the US?

    Japan: a positive summit but concerns remain

    America’s post-war security strategy in Asia differs from Europe. While NATO was built on the premise of collective defence among its members, the US adopted a “hub-and-spokes” model in Asia, relying on bilateral alliances to contain the spread of communism.

    Japan and South Korea have long sheltered under the US nuclear umbrella and hosted major US military bases. Both are also highly sensitive to changes in the US’ Indo-Pacific policies.

    Japan, in particular, has a long history of careful alliance management with the US, epitomised by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s courting of Trump.

    During Trump’s first term in office, Abe’s policy goals aligned closely with the US: transforming Japan’s security posture to make it a serious military and diplomatic power. Japan increased military spending, lifted arms export restrictions and deepened ties with India and Australia.

    Prime Minister Fumio Kishida continued to raise Japan’s security profile from 2021-24, again increasing military spending and taking a tough line on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He emphasised “Europe today could be Asia tomorrow”.

    His successor, Shigeru Ishiba, had a successful summit with Trump in February, immediately after his inauguration. The joint statement reaffirmed US security guarantees to Japan, including over the Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by China.

    Japan also agreed to import American liquefied natural gas, and later committed to working with South Korea to develop a US$44 billion (A$70 billion) plan to export LNG from Alaska.

    However, these positive developments do not mean the relationship is on firm ground.

    In early March, Trump complained the US-Japan security agreement signed in 1960 was “one-sided” and a top administration official again called for Japan to increase its defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) – a huge increase for a country facing serious demographic and fiscal pressures.

    Reports also emerged the US was considering cancelling a new joint headquarters in Japan aimed at deeper integration between US and Japanese forces.

    South Korea: extremely vulnerable on trade

    South Korea faces similar pressures. Ties between the two countries were strained during Trump’s first term over his demand South Korea increase the amount it pays to host US forces by
    nearly 400%. A 2021 agreement restored some stability, but left Seoul deeply worried about the future of the alliance.

    South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, has expressed a desire to strengthen ties with the US, though Trump has reportedly been cool to his advances.

    With a US$66 billion (A$105 billion) trade surplus with the US, South Korea is considered the country most vulnerable to trade risk with the Trump administration, according to a Swiss research group.

    Trump’s past suggestions that both South Korea and Japan develop nuclear weapons or pay for US nuclear protection has also rattled some nerves. As confidence in the US alliance erodes, both countries are engaging in an urgent public debate about the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons.

    Tensions moving forward

    Potential for conflict is on the horizon. For example, Tokyo and Washington are set to renegotiate the deal that dictates how much Japan pays to host US troops next year.

    Both allies pay huge sums to host US bases. South Korea will pay US$1.14 billion (A$1.8 billion) in 2026, and Japan pays US$1.72 billion (A$2.7 billion) annually.

    A trade war could also prompt a reassessment of the costs of US efforts to decouple from China, potentially leading to closer economic ties between Japan, South Korea and China. The three countries have agreed to accelerate talks on a trilateral free trade agreement, which had been on hold since 2019.

    Another challenge is semiconductors. Japan’s new semiconductor revitalisation strategy is prioritising domestic investment, raising questions about whether Trump will tolerate “friendshoring” if Japan diverts investments from the US.

    In 2024, Japan outspent the US in semiconductor subsidies (as a share of GDP), while Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, expanded its production capacity in Japan.

    Seoul remains an important partner to Washington on semiconductors. Samsung and SK Hynix are both boosting their investments on new semiconductor plants in the US. However, there is now uncertainty over the subsidies promised to both companies to invest in America under the CHIPS Act.

    Ultimately, the strength of these alliances depends on whether the Trump administration views them as long-term bulwarks against China’s rise in the region, or merely vassals that can be extorted for financial gain.

    If the US is serious about countering China, its regional alliances are key. This would give Japan and South Korea some degree of leverage – or, in Trump terms, they’ll hold valuable cards. Whether they get to play them, however, depends on what Trump’s China policy turns out to be.

    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. Slammed by tariffs and defence demands, Japan and South Korea toe a cautious line with Trump – https://theconversation.com/slammed-by-tariffs-and-defence-demands-japan-and-south-korea-toe-a-cautious-line-with-trump-244172

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Australia doesn’t care about me’: women international students suffering alarming rates of sexual violence

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Tarzia, Professor and Co-Lead of the Sexual and Family Violence Program at the Department of General Practice & Primary Care, The University of Melbourne

    Unai Huizi Photography/Shutterstock

    Every year, more than 700,000 international students leave their homes to study in Australia.

    Around half are women.

    For most of these students, the experience is positive. Many choose to remain in Australia for employment or migration.

    However, for others, what should be a dream opportunity is shattered by experiences of violence.

    An unsafe space for some

    Australia has long been regarded as a safe society. However, international students’ safety was questioned in 2009 after a series of attacks on Indian students, and again in 2020 when a survey of 6000 students revealed a quarter had experienced racist abuse during the COVID pandemic.

    Addressing these issues is important.

    For women international students, violence can also be gender-based, including intimate partner violence and sexual violence.

    These issues facing women international students have mainly been overlooked by institutions, government policies and services, despite causing enormous harm to health and wellbeing.




    Read more:
    ‘They eat snacks during class and swing on chairs’: the worrying, sexist behaviour of some young men at uni


    Our research

    In our recent project, we examined the sexual and intimate partner violence experiences of women international students in Australia.

    For the past few years we have been running a national survey of students focused on “health, relationships, consent and wellbeing”.

    The survey was offered in five languages other than English (Mandarin, Hindi, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Nepali). It referred to “unwanted sexual experiences” rather than talking about “sexual assault”, to try to reduce participant discomfort.

    A total of 1491 students responded nation-wide. Nearly one-third were born in China, 10% in the Philippines and 10% in India, reflecting the major international student groups currently studying in Australia.

    Most (82%) had a first language other than English.

    Our findings suggest both sexual violence and intimate partner violence are common among women international students. More than 40% had experienced at least one incident of sexual violence since arriving in Australia.

    One in five had experienced forced or coerced sex. More than 45% who had ever been in a relationship had experienced intimate partner violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.

    Almost all of this violence was perpetrated by men.

    It’s important to note this was not a representative sample in the statistical sense, because students volunteered to take part. However, our findings are still concerning.

    International students are by no means the only group affected by sexual and intimate partner violence. Both are widespread in Australia, including among domestic students.

    The 2021 National Student Safety Survey found one in six students had experienced sexual harassment since starting university, and one in 20 had been sexually assaulted.

    Less is known about intimate partner violence, but research suggests it is also common.

    In the wider Australian community, sexual violence affects around one in five women over the age of 15. One in four report intimate partner violence.

    What else did we discover?

    We also looked at what factors might be linked to this violence against women international students.

    We found students who experienced financial stress, housing insecurity, and low social support were more likely to report both sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

    In an earlier study for this project, we interviewed 30 international students about their experiences seeking help after sexual or intimate partner violence.

    Many felt socially isolated and had no-one to turn to. Support from tertiary education providers was mixed and students worried about their visa being cancelled.

    Often, they did not tell their families back home what had happened for fear of causing shame or distress.

    Multiple barriers such as cost, ineligibility for services, and confusion about the complex health and legal systems in Australia prevented them from accessing support privately.

    Some felt: “Australia doesn’t care about me”.

    Some positive steps, but more is needed

    Last month, the federal government launched the National Student Ombudsman as part of its national action plan addressing gender-based violence in higher education.

    The government has also recently unveiled the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence, outlining expectations and standards for addressing the issue.

    These are positive changes.

    However, international student voices have not been heard in the development of these, or other policies and guidelines focused on gender-based violence in higher education.

    Recommendations addressing the specific needs of international students are lacking.

    There is an urgent need to tackle the structural challenges faced by international students when seeking help.

    Our findings suggest tertiary education providers could be doing more to keep women international students safer. Culturally appropriate, trauma-sensitive education around consent and relationships, delivered in-language, is important.

    But this on its own is not enough.

    International students experiencing financial stress or housing insecurity need to be supported to avoid increasing their risk of gendered violence. Strategies could be put into place to build social connection, so students are less isolated when they arrive in Australia.

    At government levels, subsidised social support, health and welfare services need to be made available and without restrictions to all international students.

    We need to take our duty of care towards international students’ health, wellbeing and safety more seriously.

    International education is Australia’s largest services export, contributing about A$51 billion in 2023-24.

    It’s in our interest to better support international students to study safely in Australia.

    The authors would like to acknowledge the input of Dr Adele Murdolo from the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health for this article.

    Laura Tarzia receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and The Australian Research Council for her research addressing sexual and reproductive violence.

    Helen Forbes-Mewett receives funding from the Australian Research Council, DHSS and DFAT for her work on international students and migrant communities.

    Ly Tran receives funding from the Australian Research Council, DFAT and Department of Education for her work on international students, geopolitics and student mobilities, the New Colombo Plan, staff professional development in international education and graduate employability in Vietnam.

    Mandy McKenzie receives funding from the Australian Research Council

    ref. ‘Australia doesn’t care about me’: women international students suffering alarming rates of sexual violence – https://theconversation.com/australia-doesnt-care-about-me-women-international-students-suffering-alarming-rates-of-sexual-violence-252610

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott Statement on Trump’s Recession Day

    Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

    Headline: Scott Statement on Trump’s Recession Day

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on countries across the world:

    “President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs are reckless and will raise costs on Americans without making the long overdue investments in American manufacturing capacity that would create jobs. This carelessness is a new chapter in his trade wars, that have no rules and no alliances and will just create more chaos and instability.

    “President Trump was elected based on his promise to immediately lower costs for families, but economic experts have said cost will go up as a direct result of these tariffs. Economic experts have also warned us how President Trump’s tariffs and other economic policies risk throwing the economy into a recession. Instead of working with Democrats to protect workers and invest in America, Trump and Republicans are slowing our economic growth and accelerating inflation.” 

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Democrats Introduce Legislation to Reclaim Congressional Trade Powers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    United States Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Suzan DelBene, Don Beyer, Brad Schneider, and Terri Sewell introduced the Reclaim Trade Powers Act, which would modernize outdated trade authorities and ensure that Congress, not the Administration, has the final say when it comes to imposing broad tariffs.  This legislation was introduced ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned widespread tariffs on U.S. trading partners.

    “The balance of payments authority has been mischaracterized and misused to justify broad, indiscriminate tariffs that bypass Congressional oversight,” said Rep. Panetta.  “The Reclaim Trade Powers Act would close that loophole and help establish a trade policy that reflects modern economic realities rather than outdated statutes.  This legislation would protect our economy from unnecessary and harmful tariffs, ensure major trade decisions are not made solely by executive branch, and restore Congressional authority over trade.”

    “Outdated laws are providing President Trump with the opening to argue that he can unilaterally impose huge tax increases on American consumers without congressional approval,” said Rep. DelBene.  “This legislation is one of several that would reaffirm Congress’ constitutional role in trade policy and ensure the president alone cannot impose broad-based tariffs, which are taxes, on our trading partners,” said DelBene.  

    “No one should be under any illusion that the Trump administration would require an actual balance in payments crisis to levy these across the board tariffs,” said Rep. Beyer.  “Pretextual and dishonest justifications are this president’s stock-in-trade, which makes this executive authority simply too dangerous to leave on the books.”

    “It’s long past time that Congress assert its constitutional responsibilities and put a check on President Trump’s reckless, arbitrary, and punitive approach to trade policy, which is only hurting our consumers, companies, and economy,” said Rep. Schneider.  “We must close outdated loopholes—like Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, among others—that Trump is using to impose sweeping tariffs while punishing our small businesses, retirement accounts, and economy.”

    “In a few short months, President Trump has abused multiple trade authorities as he initiates trade wars with our allies,” said Rep. Sewell.  “Congress must act to draw back trade authorities from this administration in order to protect American consumers, farmers, and manufacturers from President Trump’s reckless trade agenda.  I am proud to join my colleagues in this effort to strengthen our checks against this administration.”

    The Reclaim Trade Powers Act would strike Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which currently allows the President to impose sweeping 15% tariffs on all imports in the event of a so-called balance of payments crisis.  This provision, originally intended to address a scenario in which a nation’s currency is backed by a commodity or foreign currency, is no longer applicable since the United States is no longer on the gold standard.

    In recent years, the Trump Administration misused the term “balance of payments issue” to justify imposing tariffs based on trade imbalances, rather than genuine economic crises.  This misuse underscores the need for Congress to reassert its Constitutional role in trade policy.

    By repealing Section 122, the Reclaim Trade Powers Act would:

    • Modernize U.S. tariff authorities to reflect current economic conditions;
    • Reclaim Congressional authority over trade powers;
    • Restrict the Administration from unilaterally imposing broad, across-the-board tariffs without Congressional approval.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer Statement On U.S. Institute Of Peace

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement after the reported mass firings of workers at the United States Institute of Peace, the reported illegal “appointment” of a 28-year-old Elon Musk lackey to replace its president, and the reported “transfer” of its headquarters to the General Services Administration (GSA): 

    “The United States Institute of Peace is a private, independent, nonprofit organization, not an Executive Branch agency. Trump and Musk have no more authority to bypass the legal procedures Congress enacted to establish its headquarters and governance structure than they have to seize the assets of the American Red Cross or replace the leadership of the U.S. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with Elon Musk’s young stooges.

    “Congress established the Institute of Peace with support of Ronald Reagan to study and advance the use of diplomacy to prevent armed conflict. The American people have a vested interest in that goal, for both national security and financial reasons in addition to the moral ones. Donald Trump’s attacks on diplomacy and soft power, his antagonization of key American allies, and his authoritarian tactics make our country and the world less safe.  I will continue to advocate for the U.S. Institute of Peace and for the conscientious, committed people who work there.”

    Beyer served as a U.S. Ambassador during the Obama Administration. He has been an outspoken defender of the United States Institute of Peace, and critic of illegal attempts by the Trump Administration and “DOGE” to dismantle it.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer: Trump Is “Liberating The American People From Their Savings”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) yesterday spoke during a press conference on Trump’s upcoming tariff announcement, held by Democrats on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee after House Republicans abruptly cancelled votes for the week and fled town.

    The press conference featured U.S. Representatives Linda Sanchez, Don Beyer, Suzan DelBene, and Jimmy Panetta; Sanchez is the Ranking Member of the Trade Subcommittee, and Beyer, DelBene, and Panetta introduced legislation to block Trump’s destructive tariff rampage, which is wreaking havoc on the U.S. economy.

    Video of Beyer’s remarks is available here, and his remarks follow below.

    The last time we tried this tariff policy, we got ten years of the Great Depression.

    This is really stupid public policy.

    And it’s no surprise that the Republicans are leaving this afternoon. I wouldn’t want to be here for “Liberation Day.”

    [Trump is] going to be “liberating” the American people from their savings. “Liberation Day,” these 25% tariffs, are going to be the largest tax increase in American history.

    Peter Navarro the other day estimated at $600 billion.

    It’d be one thing if the $3,900 in extra costs that every American family is going to pay would do something useful, but it’s going to try to fund the [Trump tax cuts] for the richest Americans.

    We’ve heard all these different reasons for the tariffs. Most of them are contradictory, but I’m not going to address any of them because they’re all in bad faith. None of them are what this is really about.

    Trump likes tariffs because he’s a bully. He likes him because he’s authoritarian, because they make him feel important, because he doesn’t realize that it actually costs real people real money.

    Make no mistake – these tariffs are going to wreck our economy.

    Already we’re seeing manufacturing numbers are down. Inflation expectations are up. Consumer confidence is plunging.

    Stock markets are down almost 8% since he took office. And we just had the worst quarter in the last three years, after a very strong fourth quarter.

    This is a guy who couldn’t care less about us. He says “I don’t care if prices go up.”

    He clearly does not care, because they’re going to go up a lot.

    I was a car dealer for 46 years. This is going to wreak havoc in the international auto place that we have, where cars and parts come from all over assembled here. They’re shipped from here to all over.

    And this – I think Ronald Reagan may have said it best, not the first to say it, but: “no one wins a trade war.”

    This is dumb policy.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: DelBene, Ways & Means Democrats Seek to Rein in a President’s Tariff Powers to Stop a Massive Tax Increase on all Americans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

    Today, Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01) Brad Schneider (IL-10), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Don Beyer (VA-08), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) introduced the Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act, legislation which would repeal Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, an outdated and ripe-for-abuse tool that President Trump is threatening to use to destabilize global trade.

    Recent media reports have suggested that President Trump may use this section of the law to impose reciprocal tariffs on U.S. allies on April 2, 2025. This Great Depression-era provision gives the president unilateral authority to impose up to 50 percent tariffs in response to “discriminatory behavior” by U.S. trading partners, which is undefined and could easily be abused by a president to coerce our allies. Section 338 does not require the president to consult with Congress before imposing tariffs or publicly disclose the evidence supporting the decision.

    “President Trump has already exploited the law to ramp up his trade war with some of our closest allies and trading partners,” said DelBene. “This legislation would prevent him from imposing sweeping tariffs on American consumers through yet another previously unused and untested law without first getting a vote in Congress.”

    “Since taking office, President Trump has taken a reckless, arbitrary, and punitive approach to trade policy that will only hurt American consumers, American companies, and the entire U.S. economy,” said Schneider. “Tariffs, when used strategically, can be an important tool in defending U.S. economic interests – but that’s far from the sledgehammer and whipsaw approach President Trump has so far shown to be the only way he knows. Congress must exercise its constitutional responsibilities and step in to put a check on the President’s authority to punish our small businesses, retirement accounts, and economy. That’s what the Repealing Outdated and Unilateral Tariff Authorities Act will do – it removes a dangerous, never-before-used tool, Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, from President Trump’s arsenal and reclaims Congress’s trade authority.”

    “In a few short months, President Trump has abused multiple trade authorities as he initiates trade wars with our allies,” said Rep. Sewell. “Congress must act to draw back trade authorities from this administration in order to protect American consumers, farmers, and manufacturers from President Trump’s reckless trade agenda. I am proud to join my colleagues in this effort to strengthen our checks against this administration.”

    “The Trump administration’s economically and reputationally destructive abuse of existing trade authorities has made it plain that even as-yet unused executive authorities like Section 338 present an unacceptable risk to our economy. Repealing this authority is an important step in a necessary and overdue reassertion of Congress’ constitutional role in trade policy,” said Beyer.

    “Ensuring that our trade policies are fair and effective means removing outdated and unnecessary tariff authorities that could be misused,” said Panetta. “Our legislation would take a commonsense step to eliminate Section 338, an untested and excessive authority that is redundant to existing trade enforcement tools and potentially dangerous to our economy. I’m proud to support this effort to bring more certainty and balance to our trade policies.”

    A copy of the bill text can be found here.

    DelBene previously introduced the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act, the Congressional Trade Authorities Act with Representative Beyer, and Resolutions Terminating the Canada and Mexico Tariffs.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Money Market Operations as on April 02, 2025

    Source: Reserve Bank of India


    (Amount in ₹ crore, Rate in Per cent)

      Volume
    (One Leg)
    Weighted
    Average Rate
    Range
    A. Overnight Segment (I+II+III+IV) 6,21,461.80 5.82 0.01-6.40
         I. Call Money 16,354.78 6.19 5.15-6.35
         II. Triparty Repo 4,25,750.50 5.75 4.00-6.25
         III. Market Repo 1,78,131.62 5.96 0.01-6.40
         IV. Repo in Corporate Bond 1,224.90 6.17 6.15-6.40
    B. Term Segment      
         I. Notice Money** 227.00 6.24 6.05-6.30
         II. Term Money@@ 1,150.00 6.30-6.60
         III. Triparty Repo 7,169.00 5.78 5.55-6.10
         IV. Market Repo 282.58 6.43 6.43-6.43
         V. Repo in Corporate Bond 0.00
      Auction Date Tenor (Days) Maturity Date Amount Current Rate /
    Cut off Rate
    C. Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) & Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)
    I. Today’s Operations
    1. Fixed Rate          
    2. Variable Rate&          
      (I) Main Operation          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
         (a) Repo Wed, 02/04/2025 1 Thu, 03/04/2025 9,170.00 6.26
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (III) Long Term Operations^          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
    3. MSF# Wed, 02/04/2025 1 Thu, 03/04/2025 176.00 6.50
    4. SDFΔ# Wed, 02/04/2025 1 Thu, 03/04/2025 3,93,917.00 6.00
    5. Net liquidity injected from today’s operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*       -3,84,571.00  
    II. Outstanding Operations
    1. Fixed Rate          
    2. Variable Rate&          
      (I) Main Operation          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (II) Fine Tuning Operations          
         (a) Repo          
         (b) Reverse Repo          
      (III) Long Term Operations^          
         (a) Repo Fri, 21/02/2025 45 Mon, 07/04/2025 57,951.00 6.26
      Fri, 14/02/2025 49 Fri, 04/04/2025 75,003.00 6.28
      Fri, 07/02/2025 56 Fri, 04/04/2025 50,010.00 6.31
         (b) Reverse Repo          
    3. MSF#          
    4. SDFΔ#          
    D. Standing Liquidity Facility (SLF) Availed from RBI$       8,518.39  
    E. Net liquidity injected from outstanding operations [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     1,91,482.39  
    F. Net liquidity injected (outstanding including today’s operations) [injection (+)/absorption (-)]*     -1,93,088.61  
    G. Cash Reserves Position of Scheduled Commercial Banks
         (i) Cash balances with RBI as on April 02, 2025 9,06,024.29  
         (ii) Average daily cash reserve requirement for the fortnight ending April 04, 2025 9,28,983.00  
    H. Government of India Surplus Cash Balance Reckoned for Auction as on¥ April 02, 2025 9,170.00  
    I. Net durable liquidity [surplus (+)/deficit (-)] as on March 07, 2025 54,323.00  
    @ Based on Reserve Bank of India (RBI) / Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL).
    – Not Applicable / No Transaction.
    ** Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 2 to 14 days tenor.
    @@ Relates to uncollateralized transactions of 15 days to one year tenor.
    $ Includes refinance facilities extended by RBI.
    & As per the Press Release No. 2019-2020/1900 dated February 06, 2020.
    Δ As per the Press Release No. 2022-2023/41 dated April 08, 2022.
    * Net liquidity is calculated as Repo+MSF+SLF-Reverse Repo-SDF.
    ¥ As per the Press Release No. 2014-2015/1971 dated March 19, 2015.
    # As per the Press Release No. 2023-2024/1548 dated December 27, 2023.
    ^ As per the Press Release No. 2024-2025/2082 dated February 05, 2025, Press Release No. 2024-2025/2138 dated February 12, 2025, and Press Release No. 2024-2025/2209 dated February 20, 2025.
    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    
    Press Release: 2025-2026/18

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Announces Staff Changes, Promotions, Trump Admin Appointments

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today announced 22 additions and changes to his staff over the last year, as well as 14 of his staff appointed to serve in the Trump Administration. 

    “I’m pleased to welcome several additions to my staff and announce well-deserved promotions for others,” said Senator Hagerty. “I’m confident that my exceptional team will soar to even greater heights with new expertise and experience. At the same time, I’m deeply proud of my close advisors and alumni who have been appointed to serve in the Trump Administration. I look forward to all we will accomplish in the coming years together.”

    Lucas Da Pieve is now serving as Legislative Director. Da Pieve has served as the Deputy Legislative Director and Projects Manager, handling all budgetary and appropriations matters for Senator Hagerty, since 2021. Previously, he was the Director of Digital Response in the Office of Presidential Correspondence during the first Trump Administration and as Deputy Legislative Director and Projects Manager for Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN). He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Da Pieve is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his family has lived in Blount County since 2008.

    Nate Kinard will serve as General Counsel to Senator Hagerty, and advise the Senator regarding judicial nominations, constitutional matters, and artificial intelligence. Previously, Kinard was a shareholder at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, specializing in business litigation and appeals. Kinard received his law degree summa cum laude from William & Mary Law School. A native of Chattanooga, Kinard majored in Political Science and Piano Performance at Vanderbilt University.

    Sloan McDonagh is now serving as Policy Advisor and Senior Counsel in Senator Hagerty’s Washington, DC office. McDonagh previously served as Senior Counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is a graduate of Hillsdale College and Emory University School of Law.  

    Christy Charbonnet is now serving as Scheduler for Senator Hagerty’s Washington, DC office. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in Systems Engineering and has been with the Senator since the fall of 2023.

    Emma Morris will serve as Deputy Director of Operations and Scheduling for Hagerty. Morris previously served as the Senator’s Deputy Scheduler. She graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in Political Science. She is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

    John DiGravio is now serving as Legislative Assistant to Senator Hagerty, advising him on the Banking Committee portfolio. He previously served as Legislative Aide to the Senator and as an aide to the Senate Banking Committee. DiGravio holds a B.A. from Williams College and was raised in Austin, Texas.

    Luke Harris has been named Legislative Assistant to Hagerty assisting in the Agriculture, Energy, and Transportation portfolio. Harris is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

    JT Isaacs has been named Legislative Assistant to manage all general budget and appropriations matters for Hagerty. He also manages the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Pensions, and Veterans’ Affairs portfolio. He previously served as Legislative Aide for Hagerty. Isaacs received a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from the University of Kentucky.

    Matthew Venoit will serve as Policy Advisor to Senator Hagerty. Prior to the Senate, Venoit worked at Goldman Sachs in both New York and Hong Kong. He holds a B.S. from Penn State University and graduate degrees from KU Leuven and Georgetown University.

    Jillian Cantrell is now serving as Legislative Aide to Hagerty assisting in the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Pensions, and Veterans’ Affairs portfolio. Cantrell previously served as Legislative Correspondent and Staff Assistant. She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where she received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Biology and Politics. She is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

    Cole Bornefeld is now serving as a Legislative Aide to Hagerty, assisting in the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Rules portfolio. Bornefeld previously served as a Legislative Correspondent in Hagerty’s Office. He graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public relations. He is a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee.

    Melissa Stooksbury has been serving as Deputy State Director since February 2024 based in the Nashville, Tennessee office. Prior to this role, she served in the office of Congressman Tom Cole, most recently as Communications Director. Stooksbury was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

    Ethan Finley now serves as a Legislative Correspondent to Senator Hagerty within the Banking Committee Portfolio. Finley previously worked as a field organizer for Tim Sheehy’s 2024 Senate Campaign. Before that, he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Evercore. Finley also has experience as an analyst in private equity and wealth management. He graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in Financial Economics.

    Zach Brooks currently serves as the Southeast Tennessee Field Representative for Senator Hagerty, a role he has held since April 2024. Before his tenure with Senator Hagerty’s office, Brooks was the Investor Development Director at the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce, focusing on membership growth and community engagement. Born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, Brooks graduated from Cleveland High School in 2010. He pursued higher education at Lee University, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2014 and a Master of Business Administration in 2019.

    Gabby Gardner serves as the Nashville Field Representative for Senator Hagerty, where she works closely with community leaders, elected officials, and industry stakeholders across Middle Tennessee. Prior to this role, she served as a Clerk in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Gardner is a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

    Ford Hawkins is now serving as the Jackson, Tennessee Field Representative. He previously served with the Young Republicans before joining Olin/Winchester Ammunition, where he worked as a ballistician before joining Hagerty’s office. Hawkins is a West Tennessee native, and he attended the University of Mississippi, holding a bachelor’s degree in History.

    Jonathan White is now serving as the West Tennessee Field Representative. After graduating high school, White served four years active in the U.S. Navy before graduating with his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mississippi. He has also worked for the American Legion and interned for the Northern District of Mississippi U.S. Attorney’s Office.


    Jake Netterville
    is now serving as Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty in the Washington, DC office. Netterville recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Prior to joining Senator Hagerty’s office, Netterville worked as a federal analyst at The Picard Group. 

    Cecilia Ann Hutton is now serving as a Staff Assistant in Senator Hagerty’s Washington, DC office. She recently graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History.

    Steven Behringer is now serving as a DoD fellow for Senator Hagerty. Behringer is an active-duty Marine who is fluent in both Mandarin and Korean, and has extensive experience evaluating military and cyber threats in the INDOPACOM region. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland.

    Blake McMahon is now serving as a National Security Fellow for Senator Hagerty. McMahon has held a variety of Executive Branch roles related to aerospace, defense, and intelligence issues. He received a PhD from the University of California, San Diego and a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State.

    James Santos is serving as a National Security Fellow. Santos comes from the Office of Director of National Intelligence, where he worked on a range of national security issues, covering policy development and program management matters. He graduated from Michigan State University, and holds a Master’s degree in Accounting. He was born in Manila, Philippines and hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

    Serving in the Trump Administration

    Adam Telle is nominated to lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Telle has served as Hagerty’s Chief of Staff over the last four years and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. Telle served during the first Trump Administration as the White House’s Senate lead in its Office of Legislative Affairs.  Prior to that role, Telle served as the top staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security and as the top policy advisor to the late Senator Thad Cochran. Telle holds degrees in computer science and journalism from Mississippi State University.

    Luke Pettit is nominated to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. Pettit has served as Senator Hagerty’s Senior Policy Advisor and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. Previously, he worked at the Senate Banking Committee, Bridgewater Associates, and the Federal Reserve. Luke holds a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania, and graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Johns Hopkins University.

    Daniel Zimmerman has been nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Zimmerman currently serves in a Congressional Executive Fellowship in the office of Senator Hagerty and will continue to serve Hagerty while his nomination is pending before the Senate. He previously has held many roles in the agency realm, and holds both a bachelor’s degree from Asbury University and a master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.

    Julia Hahn is serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department for the Office of Public Affairs. Hahn joins the Department after serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications for Senator Hagerty. Prior to the Senate, Hahn served in the first Trump White House over all four years, most recently as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Communications Director. Before that, she served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Rapid Response and Surrogate Operations. Hahn has also worked in media as the Executive Producer of The Laura Ingraham Show and a reporter at Breitbart News. She also worked on Capitol Hill as Press Secretary to former Congressman Dave Brat. Hahn graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Philosophy.

    Clark Milner is serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Policy, focusing primarily on domestic policy. Milner formerly served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Chief Counsel to Senator Bill Hagerty. Milner previously served as Deputy Counsel to Governor Bill Lee.

    Natalie McIntyre currently serves a Special Assistant to the President for the Office of Legislative Affairs where she handles the Healthcare, Education, Labor, Banking, and Agriculture portfolio. Previously, she was Senator Hagerty’s Legislative Director overseeing the legislative team and managing the Health, Education, Labor, Pension, and Veterans portfolio. Prior to her role in Hagerty’s office, she was part of the legislative office at OMB where she managed the Senate offices. She also served as a Senior Policy Advisor and White House liaison at ONDCP.

    Nels Nordquist
    is serving as Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy and DD of NEC.Nordquist was Senior Fellow for Economic Policy in the office of Senator Hagerty. From October 2022 through January 2025, he served as Staff Director for the National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. From 2018-2021, Nordquist worked in the National Security Council and National Economic Council, first as Director for Trade & Investment and later as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Economic Policy. Nordquist graduated from Stanford and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia.

    Joel Rayburn is the Trump Administration’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. He is a historian, former diplomat, and retired military officer who previously served as special advisor for Middle East affairs in the office of Senator Hagerty. Rayburn is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. In the first Trump Administration, he served as a senior director on the National Security Council staff and, from July 2018 to January 2021, as the U.S. special envoy for Syria. Before joining the State Department, Rayburn served 26 years as a US Army officer and co-authored the Army’s official history of the Iraq War. He holds an MA in history from Texas A&M University and an MS in strategic studies from the National War College.

    Kevin Kim is the State Department’s China Coordinator and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan. Prior to the State Department, Kim worked as a national security fellow for Senator Hagerty. Kim was also the Senior Advisor to the Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea as part of the U.S. delegation to the 2020 U.S.-Russia arms control negotiations.  From 2018 to 2020, he served as the Chief of Staff to the Special Representative for North Korea and the Deputy Secretary of state Stephen Biegun and participated in various rounds of U.S.-DPRK nuclear negotiations. Kim received a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

    Walton Stivender Mears has taken on a new role as scheduler for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Mears joined HUD last month after serving as Director of Scheduling for Senator Hagerty. She previously handled scheduling and assisted the chief of staff for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and as a Staff Assistant for Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). Mears is an Auburn University graduate from Birmingham, Alabama.

    J. Cal Mitchell is serving as the Special Assistant at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He joins the Treasury Department after serving as Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty. Mitchell is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College.

    Nick Checker, a national security fellow for Senator Hagerty in 2023, currently serves as Deputy Executive Secretary on the National Security Council. In that role, Checker provides senior-level review of NSC products for substance, policy relevance, and appropriateness for the President and senior White House officials. Checker has spent the last decade at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as a military analyst covering conflicts in the greater Middle East. Most recently, Checker worked in CIA’s office of Congressional Affairs, where he supported the confirmation process for Director John Ratcliffe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University.

    Nicholas Elliot is the Acting Director of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Elliot serves as the chief advisor to the CFTC Chairman on matters before the U.S. Congress and as the Commission’s official liaison with Congressional members, federal agencies, and the Administration. Previously, Elliot spent nearly four years working for Senator Hagerty on the Senator’s financial services and banking portfolio, where he advanced the Senator’s work on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Elliot is a graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business where he received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance and a minor in Mandarin.

    Taylor Asher serves as Chief Policy Advisor of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force and is a Senior Policy Advisor to SEC Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda. From April 2023 to January 2025, Asher served as Policy Advisor and Confidential Assistant to Commissioner Uyeda. Prior to his time at the SEC, Asher was Personal Aide to Senator Hagerty. His tenure in public service began with Congresswoman Julia Letlow’s Office, where he served as Staff Assistant and Intern Manager. Asher is currently pursuing a Master of Economics at George Mason University. He holds a Master of Finance with an Energy Specialization as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tulane University. He is originally from Nashville, Tennessee.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Raises Alarms on Trump Tariffs Slapping Higher Prices on Wisconsin Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WATCH: Senator Baldwin delivers remarks ahead of Trump tariff announcement

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s plan to impose reciprocal tariffs and 10% minimum across the board tariffs that promise to raise costs on Wisconsin businesses and consumers.

    “Donald Trump promised to lower prices for Wisconsinites on Day 1, but it’s been 72 days and families are still facing soaring costs. Now, Donald Trump’s trade war is set to jack up the price of virtually everything from the grocery store and gas pump to buying a home and car,” said Senator Baldwin. “I agree that we need to address trade cheats like China, bring back Made in America manufacturing, and level the playing field for workers, but Donald Trump’s reckless plan is not going to do that. These across-the-board tariffs are going to mean higher costs for Wisconsin families and start a trade war that will increase input costs for farmers and manufacturers and cut off international markets they can sell to.”

    On Wednesday afternoon, President Trump announced he would impose a 10 percent minimum tariff on all trading partners as well as double-digit “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of other countries. The reciprocal tariffs will apply to around 60 countries including the European Union, China, the United Kingdom and India. Imports from Canada and Mexico will still face 25% tariffs.

    On Monday, Senator Baldwin sent a letter to President Trump outlining the details of her wishes for a trade agenda that centers workers, stands up to trade cheats like China, and grows the American manufacturing sector. Instead of jacking up costs on consumers, Senator Baldwin’s plan aims to rebuilding American manufacturing and level the playing field for Wisconsin workers, including:

    • Advocating for a Complete Reimagining of Relationship with People’s Republic of China (PRC): The plan calls for revising our trade relationship with China. By allowing China to join the World Trade Organization, the United States opted to treat China like a market economy. China’s non-market practices, rampant abuses of labor and human rights, and government-sponsored trade cheating call for a complete rethinking of our economic relationship, including Permanent Normal Trade Relations.
    • Review & Revise Free Trade Agreements: Baldwin calls for reviewing and revising each of the United States’ 14 free trade agreements with 20 countries, including the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), to ensure the best outcomes for American workers.
    • Strengthen Trade Enforcement Mechanisms: Baldwin looks to strengthen trade enforcement mechanisms to curb cheating and manipulation by foreign countries. Baldwin identifies bipartisan legislation, such as the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act to strengthen trade remedies, Fighting Trade Cheats Act to empower private companies to hold bad actors accountable, and efforts that can be addressed by executive action, like closing the de minimis loophole, which results in lost tariff revenue and the importing of counterfeit products and contraband drugs like fentanyl.
    • Support for Workers Who Lost Jobs Due to Short-Sighted Policies of the Past: Baldwin also calls for the strengthening and reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to provide critical support for American workers who lose their jobs due to the short-sighted policies of the past, so those workers can access job training benefits and quickly return to the workforce.

    Senator Baldwin delivering video remarks on this announcement is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Liberates Money From American Wallets

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

    The president promised to drastically lower prices on day one; he’s done the opposite and hit families with a new round of tariff taxes.

    Contact: Alexis.Torres@mail.house.gov

    Washington, D.C.—Today, U.S Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), member of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement:

    “Trump’s declaration that he ‘couldn’t care less’ if his damaging tariffs cause prices to go up is a mighty big reversal from his promise to bring down prices ‘drastically.’ His ‘Liberation Day’ only liberates dollars from Americans’ wallets with the added danger of liberating many entrepreneurs from failed businesses as tariffs spike costs. Trump’s tariffs for all represent a big tax hike for all Americans to pay. Americans will not be fooled by repeated Administration claims that tariffs are tax cuts.

    “Not seen since Senator Smoot and Representative Hawley pursued a similar disastrous path leading to the Great Depression has any president pursued such a crusade of protectionism that now has us barreling toward recession. 

    “Trump and Republicans are scheming to finance trillions in tax breaks for billionaires and large corporations. Their reckless actions further isolate us from our trading allies and help lay the groundwork for tax giveaways that the average family will never see but only help finance.” 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Doggett, Davis, Kelly, Feenstra Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Financial Assistance for College

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

    Contact: Alexis.Torres@mail.house.gov

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Danny K. Davis (D-IL), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, Mike Kelly (R-PA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax, and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) introduced the bipartisan Tax-Free Pell Grants Act to remove a financial and logistical barrier impairing students from securing higher education opportunities. Specifically, the legislation expands the usage of Pell Grants on a tax-free basis, improves coordination with the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), and ensures students do not lose out on any AOTC benefits. An incredibly timely solution as ongoing cuts to postsecondary institutions and research labs across the country result in lost revenue and financial gaps in operating costs, potentially leading to increases in tuition and fees for students and their families.

    “Everyone deserves a chance at success, and we should be simplifying our tax code to unlock more support for students interested in going to college but who may need a little financial help to get there,” said Rep. Doggett. “This legislation would also expand eligible expenses under the existing tax credit to include computers and childcare, which for many is essential to achieving their dreams and growing our economy.”

    “Education is fundamental to our democracy,” said Rep. Davis. “I am proud to join Representatives Doggett, Kelly, and Feenstra in leading this bill that helps low-income students get the most from the American Opportunity Tax Credit. In my District, relatively few taxpayers use the AOTC because many attend community colleges and can’t claim their childcare and computer costs. Ensuring that students can fully benefit from the AOTC credit without worry about being taxed on the Pell grant helps educate our citizenry and strengthen them economically.” 

    “Pell Grants are an important way for more lower-income Americans to get an education and work toward a successful career,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax. “More than 216,000 Pennsylvania students benefitted from Pell Grants last year. I’m again proud to join Congressman Doggett on this bipartisan legislation that will expand what these grants can be used for – including child care and computers — so many more Americans, particularly single mothers, have the ability to access higher education to achieve long-term financial stability for themselves and their families.”

    “I have long supported Pell Grants because they offer academic opportunities to our students and ensure that Iowans who might otherwise skip higher education because of the cost can pursue advanced studies. These grants are an important investment in the next generation of leaders, farmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who will support our communities and power our economy forward,” said Rep. Feenstra. “However, current law still requires some students to pay taxes on their Pell Grants, reducing the financial support that these grants are intended to provide. That’s why I’m glad to help introduce legislation to make Pell Grants completely tax-free so that our kids can focus on their studies without worrying about the cost.”

    While Pell Grant awards used to pay for tuition and fees are already treated as tax-free income, any portion of a Pell Grant used for other education-related items like living expenses is taxed. Currently, using Pell Grants to cover tuition reduces potential AOTC eligibility and creates complications for students in maximizing their educational benefits. As a result, many students simply forgo the AOTC, leaving an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars unclaimed each year. By increasing compatibility with the AOTC, we can ensure that Pell Grants are not treated as taxable income, even if they are used for non-tuition education expenses.

    Since enacted in 2009, the AOTC has helped millions pay for college, and more than a decade ago, Rep. Doggett authored provisions to ensure the tax credit allows a tax cut of up to $10,000 on education expenses, such as tuition, textbooks and fees. The AOTC covers up to $2,500 in annual college tuition, fees, and other education-related expenses — 40% of the credit, up to $1,000, is refundable. With more than 3 million undergraduate students in the United States being parents—nearly one in five college students—access to affordable childcare can be the difference between completing a degree program or not. The Tax-Free Pell Grants Act meets this need by adding childcare and computer costs as qualifying expenses for the AOTC.

    Endorsing organizations: American Association of Community Colleges, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

    The bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Build Back Better: Central Sulawesi’s Journey of Recovery (Part I)

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Transcript

    Build Back Better: Central Sulawesi’s Journey of Recovery (Part I)

    In September 2018, a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, triggering tsunami, landslides, and liquefaction.

    Thousands of lives were lost, and critical transport infrastructure were damaged.

    In June 2019, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved the $297.75 million Emergency Assistance for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project.

    Supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Internasional Trade, the project aims to rebuild key public works and transport infrastructure.

    Sumarno, Head Department of Transportation Central Sulawesi Province
    After the earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction, the economic impact has been severe. 
    Ports, airports, and other infrastructure are in a state of disrepair, causing significant disruptions to economic activity.Following the recovery efforts, economic factors have picked up, encouraging people to engage in various activities around the port and Palu City.

    The project rehabilitated and reconstructed three ports and an airport to disaster-resilient standards with gender responsive and inclusive features.

    Donggala Port, which serves both passengers and cargo, projected to become a key logistics and passenger hub in Indonesia’s eastern region.

    Wani Port is a multipurpose port that supports agriculture, livestock transport, and government ships.

    Meanwhile, Pantoloan Port is an important gateway for the economy in Donggala and Central Sulawesi, handling various types of cargo and passenger ships.

    Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport, the largest in Central Sulawesi, is the main gateway to Palu and its surrounding areas.

    Yandi Hermawan, Branch Manager PT Dharma Lautan Utama Palu Branch 
    Compared to the old terminal, our passengers are very enthusiastic about the new Donggala Port terminal. The facilities are quite comprehensive, including air-conditioned rooms and seating area. Our passengers have also shown greater comfort at the Donggala passenger terminal.

    Alexander Allokendek, Head Palu Bay Port Authority 
    When it was built, we set a standard that accessibility for disabilities is crucial. In Donggala Port, we have tracking systems and accessible toilets, as well as proper signage. We also assist passengers all the way to the ship and back.

    Rudi Richardo, Airport Head Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport 
    Regarding gender aspects, such as nursery areas and others, these remain a focus in the rehabilitation and reconstruction project. For the disability aspect, this has already been implemented at the airport, enabling persons with disabilities to carry out their activities independently.

    Elias Katapi, Traveler with Disability
    As a person with visual impairments, there are now tactile blocks that allow us to navigate independently.

    Irmansyah, Traveler with Disability
    Before the renovation, there was no access at all for wheelchair users inside the toilet; the door was too narrow, so it was impossible to use a wheelchair. Now, it is more accessible, allowing wheelchair users to move freely from the entrance to the inside.

    With strong collaboration between the Ministry of Transportation and the local government, the project became fully operational in 2024.

    Former President Joko Widodo inaugurated several of them that same year.

    The project’s implementation follows ADB safeguards to ensure compliance with social and environmental impact standards.

    Idrus, Shop Owner Donggala Port
    When there was a plan for port construction, we were invited by the local government for relocation, and we also had several meetings with AECOM, so the relocation process went smoothly.

    Twenty-nine affected shop owners in the port area were relocated to the nearby temporary sites to continue their businesses.

    The affected shop owners will move to the permanent relocation site in front of the constructed Donggala Port in early 2025.

    For airport rehabilitation, tenants relocated to temporary sites have been returned to the terminal to continue their business.

    Cici, Shop Manager Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport
    Currently, everyone who was relocated has returned to their respective cafeterias upstairs. Because the air is cool inside, the place gets a lot of customers. During the relocation process,the cafeteria sellers were also given consultations by the airport authorities to ensure everything went smoothly.

    Both temporary sites in Donggala Port and Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport were completed with associated facilities: electricity, water, and disposal.

    The rehabilitation and reconstruction of these key transportation infrastructure symbolize recovery.

    It highlights the power of collaboration and commitment.

    Together, we are not just recovering; we are building stronger, more inclusive features.

    We are building back better. 

    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cohen Introduces the ‘‘Making Any Reimbursement Against the Law for Guarding Overnight Act’’ or the ‘‘MARALAGO Act’’

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

    Prohibits Secret Service from spending federal dollars for lodging or meals at a facility owned or controlled by a president

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today introduced the ‘‘Making Any Reimbursement Against the Law for Guarding Overnight Act’’ or the ‘‘MARALAGO Act’’ of 2025. The legislation prohibits the Secret Service from spending federal dollars to pay a President or former President (or an entity that he or she owns or controls) for lodging, meals, and other incidental expenses while the Secret Service is protecting the President or former President at his or her residence.

    Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

    “Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach isn’t just Donald Trump’s home; it is a hotel and restaurant.  When the Secret Service travels to Mar-a-Lago to protect the President, Donald Trump turns around and sends the hotel bill to taxpayers.  

    “In his previous term, Donald Trump charged the Secret Service more than $800 per night at least 11 times to stay at his properties, including Mar-a-Lago.  It also paid $17,000 per month to rent a cottage at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. This continued into his post-presidency, when Trump continued to bill the Secret Service $396.15 per night to stay at his Florida resort.  Between January 20, 2021 and April 30, 2021, spending records show the Secret Service paid more than $40,000 for hotel rooms at Mar-a-Lago.  

    “Secret Service protection should not be a financial conflict for a president. If he believes he needs protection at his property, the agents should deliver as they would with any president who has a home residence by protecting the home, but should sleep elsewhere. When they protected Biden in Delaware, they didn’t stay at Biden’s home.”

    # # # 

     

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: PASSED: Kustoff Bill to Replace Checks Stolen in the Mail Passed by the House of Representatives

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative David Kustoff (TN-08)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives unanimously passed, H.R. 1155, the Recovery of Stolen Checks Act, introduced by Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and Terri Sewell (D-AL). This bipartisan legislation would give victims of mail theft the option to receive their payment from the Department of Treasury electronically.
     
    Click here to watch Congressman Kustoff remarks during debate or read them as prepared below:
    Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 
     
    And I do want to thank Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) for his leadership on this issue and this important piece of legislation, as well as the leadership of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Terri Sewell (D-AL). 
     
    Over the last several years, the number of government checks stolen from the mail has increased dramatically. 
     
    If I could, I would like to share a few statistics: 

    • Between 2019 and 2022 there was an 87% increase in theft from mailboxes, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
    • According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), reports of check fraud doubled from 2021 to 2022.
    • FinCen’s most recent report on check fraud (published September 2024) found that between February to August 2023, the bureau received 15,417 individual reports about mail theft-related check fraud.

    This has been an ongoing problem in my district in West Tennessee, as it has been throughout the country. It is well past time that we get mail theft in the United States under control.
     
    That starts with giving federal law enforcement officers the tools and resources they need to detect, investigate, and prosecute the criminals behind these thefts.
     
    We also have to ensure that victims of mail theft are taken care of, and that they can access timely relief.

    That’s why this bill H.R. 1155, the Recovery of Stolen Checks Act, is so important.
     
    Right now, it can take up to four months for the IRS to issue a replacement for a stolen check. That’s a long time. 
     
    And due to the sheer frequency of mail theft that is happening right now, many taxpayers are having their replacement checks get stolen as well. 
     
    This is truly unacceptable – and outdated IRS regulations are partially to blame.
     
    Frankly, the IRS’s current process makes no sense.
     
    It exacerbates check fraud, it creates more bureaucratic hurdles for U.S. taxpayers, and it ultimately makes it more difficult for Americans to access their hard-earned dollars.
     
    For many American families, a delay in getting their tax refund has the potential to cause serious financial strain. 
     
    The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act will give victims of mail theft the option to receive their replacement payment through direct deposit, instead of having to risk mailing another check.
     
    This is a simple fix that will help expedite relief to affected taxpayers, keep government checks out of the hands of criminals, and ultimately make our government more efficient.
     
    I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation which passed out of the Ways and Means Committee unanimously by a vote of 41 to 0.
     
     
    The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Ways and Means on February 12, 2025. Click here for the full text of the bill. 
     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government Cuts – Hundreds of Kāinga Ora jobs proposed to go in latest Govt attack on public housing – PSA

    Source: PSA

     A net 673 roles proposed to be axed across successful public housing provider
     Cuts mean a third of workforce gone in a year
    The latest restructuring of Kāinga Ora proposes deep cuts to the jobs of those working with other agencies to place people on waiting lists into houses, and in call centres where staff help tenants resolve issues.
    Plans announced to staff today would see a net 673 roles gone, including 195 roles that are currently vacant.
    “These proposals would result in the mass dismissal of experts who support tenants in public housing,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “This is an attack on tenants, their families, an attack those who need homes to live in and will be resisted.
    “With other cuts made last year, all up, a third of the workforce would be axed because of the Government’s ideological refusal to invest in Kāinga Ora despite a record number of houses being built by the agency.
    “The Government has been deliberately catastrophising about Kāinga Ora’s finances to suit its privatisation agenda. It is simply setting up a far smaller Kāinga Ora to fail.
    “This proposal is yet another broken promise by the Government that cuts will not hit frontline services as it runs down an agency that has successfully housed so many New Zealand families.
    “The proposal includes gutting the team which works across the country with the Ministry of Social Development to place people in social housing. They find the right houses in the right location for families on waiting lists, including taking people to home viewings – these are critical customer facing roles and Kāinga Ora will still have 78,000 dwellings to manage.
    “Workloads will increase and service will slow – how does that help with waiting lists still growing?”
    Kāinga Ora is also proposing to cut 12 staff or 10% of the team which deals directly with calls from tenants and the public at its three call centres. All up 66 net roles at call centres are proposed to go, a third of the workforce.
    “This will impact the service tenants expect when they have problems.”
    Other roles proposed to go include stakeholder relationship managers who work with communities, health and safety experts, building inspectors, accountants, lawyers and business analysts.
    “The Government has made a choice to cut taxes for landlords and turn its back on a successful organisation like Kāinga Ora which has a proud legacy of putting New Zealanders who need a helping hand into warm dry homes.
    “These deep and brutal cuts will mean Kāinga Ora will be a shadow of its former self – making it much harder for a future government wanting to return to the role of the state taking the lead in providing social housing. It’s appalling.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Housing Market – The next upturn is slowly building – CoreLogic

    Source: CoreLogic

    Property values in Aotearoa New Zealand rose by +0.5% in March, after a +0.4% lift in February, and a flat result for January. The latest figures confirm that the market is now into its next phase of growth, on the back of lower interest rates and improved affordability after the previous value falls.

    March’s rise on the CoreLogic hedonic Home Value Index (HVI) was the strongest since January last year. Property values are now sitting at $812,195, the highest since June 2024 ($818,649). However, values are still down by 16.3% compared to the previous January 2022 peak.

    Around the main centres, Ōtepoti Dunedin (-0.1%) and Tauranga (0.0%) were still a bit more subdued in March, but Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington saw a +0.3% rise, with Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland up by +0.6%, Ōtautahi Christchurch +0.8%, and Kirikiriroa Hamilton at +0.9%.
     
    CoreLogic NZ Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson said that March’s result simply builds on the previous month’s rise, signalling the next phase in NZ’s property market has begun.

    “The falls in mortgage rates since around July or August last year were always going to take a little bit of time to flow through to house prices, given the weak economic environment and subdued household confidence,” he said.

    “The abundance of listings has been an extra limiting factor for property values, while some households on higher fixed interest rates from a year or two ago have also had to be patient before seeing their debt repayments drop.”

    “But the lags have now worked their way through the system and, with signs becoming clearer that the economy has started to turn a corner, confidence is returning to the property market.”

    “That said, a fresh boom in house prices seems unlikely, given additional restraints that are now in place, such as caps on debt-to-income ratios for mortgage lending.”

    “Undoubtedly, this cautious outlook will be welcomed by aspiring buyers who may have been concerned about property values rising beyond their reach again, provided that they can navigate the new credit rules in the first place.”

    Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

    March was a stronger month across the board in Tāmaki Makaurau, with Rodney seeing a +0.3% rise in values, Franklin at +0.5%, and then right up to +0.8% in Papakura, and +0.9% in North Shore.

    Clearer signs of growth are also evident across a broader three-month horizon, with Auckland City, Papakura, and Franklin all up by 1.6% or more so far in 2025.

    Mr Davidson said, “Clearly, Auckland is still a challenging market for some would-be buyers, with affordability pressures lingering. But we’ve been detecting a change in sentiment on the ground across Auckland for a few months now, and this is flowing through to the hard data.”

    Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington

    The wider Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington area also strengthened in March, albeit there was a relatively minor -0.2% drop in values in Upper Hutt.

    Elsewhere, Lower Hutt and Wellington City rose by +0.3% apiece, with Porirua up by +0.6%, and Kapiti Coast recording a robust increase of +1.4%.

    Some areas are still slightly lower than they were three months ago, but Lower Hutt (+0.6%) and Kapiti Coast (+2.4%) have increased over the year to date.

    “Wellington’s property market has underperformed over the past few years, with the previous boom meaning that some excesses needed to be worked off, and the public sector cutbacks then weighing on values too. But conditions are now turning around in the property market, with some buyers probably finding ‘value’ again.”

    Regional results

    March was also a tale of emerging upturn across nearly all of the key provincial markets, with only Nelson recording a modest -0.1% fall in values. New Plymouth and Invercargill were flat, while Napier, Palmerston North, and Queenstown only saw mild increases of +0.1%.

    But Whangarei and Rotorua were up by +0.5%, and Whanganui topped the charts for these areas with an increase of +0.8% in March. Each of the key regional areas is also higher than December last year, except for Nelson (-0.6%).

    “In the current environment where listings are higher than normal in many parts of the country and some sectors of the economy are yet to rebound, a bit of variability across the provinces is to be expected. But lower interest rates are a significant support, so the outlook for a modest recovery in values this year is likely to be replicated across regional markets too,” added Mr Davidson.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News

  • MIL-OSI USA News: President Trump’s Bold Trade Action Draws Praise

    Source: The White House

    Today, President Donald J. Trump made clear to the world that the days of economic surrender are over. After being sold out by career politicians for generations, President Trump is enacting fair trade policies that will restore our workforce, rebuild our economy, and finally put America First.

    The move drew immediate praise:

    Coalition for a Prosperous America Chairman Zach Mottl: “A permanent, universal baseline tariff resets the global trade environment and finally addresses the destructive legacy of decades of misguided free-trade policies. President Trump’s decision to implement a baseline tariff is a game-changing shift that prioritizes American manufacturing, protects working-class jobs, and safeguards our economic security from adversaries like China. This is exactly the type of bold action America needs to restore its industrial leadership. Today’s action will deliver lasting benefits to the U.S. economy and working-class Americans, cementing President Trump’s legacy as one that ushered in a new Golden Age of American industrialization and prosperity.”

    National Cattlemen’s Beef Association SVP of Government Affairs Ethan Lane: “For too long, America’s family farmers and ranchers have been mistreated by certain trading partners around the world. President Trump is taking action to address numerous trade barriers that prevent consumers overseas from enjoying high-quality, wholesome American beef. NCBA will continue engaging with the White House to ensure fair treatment for America’s cattle producers around the world and optimize opportunities for exports abroad.”

    Steel Manufacturers Association President Philip K. Bell: “President Trump is a champion of the domestic steel industry, and his America First Trade Policy is designed to fight the unfair trade that has harmed American workers and weakened manufacturing in the United States. The recently reinvigorated 232 steel tariffs have already started creating American jobs and bolstering the domestic steel industry. President Trump is working to turn America into a manufacturing powerhouse and the steel tariffs are driving that movement. President Trump’s initial 232 steel tariffs and the historic tax cuts led to investments of nearly $20 billion by steel manufacturers in the United States. Since the revised tariffs took effect, Hyundai Steel announced a $5.8 billion steel mill in Louisiana, demonstrating that the tariffs are working to bring more steel investments and production to the United States. The domestic steel market is stronger when other nations are forced to compete on a level playing field. On a level playing field, American workers can outcompete anyone. We look forward to continuing working with President Trump and his administration to ensure a level playing field for Americans and a robust domestic steel industry that strengthens our national, economic and energy security.”

    Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul: “Today’s trade action prioritizes domestic manufacturers and America’s workers. These hardworking men and women have seen unfair trade cut the ground from beneath their feet for decades. They deserve a fighting chance. Our workers can out-compete anyone in the world, but they need a level playing field to do it. This trade reset is a necessary step in the right direction.”

    National Electrical Contractors Association CEO David Long: “President Trump has consistently prioritized policies that put the electrical industry as a priority, and we recognize his commitment to strengthening our nation’s economy. As these new tariffs take effect, we look forward to working with the Administration to ensure that electrical contractors and the entire electrical industry can continue powering America efficiently while navigating potential cost and supply chain challenges.”

    Bienvenido Empresarios: “As an organization committed to empowering Hispanic Americans and strengthening our nation’s future, Bienvenido supports policies that build a more resilient American economy, safeguard our communities, and reassert U.S. leadership on the global stage. President Trump’s emphasis on using economic leverage — including tariffs — reflects a broader strategy to counter China, confront the deadly fentanyl crisis, and bring critical industries back home. Now is a time for tough, decisive action when national security and American livelihoods are at stake. Our hope is that these measures lead to stronger enforcement, fairer trade, and long-term prosperity for all Americans.”

    America First Policy Institute: “Tariffs worked then—and they’ll work again. Under President Trump, tariffs brought back jobs, lowered inflation, and strengthened national security. It’s not just economic policy—it’s America First in action.”

    Speaker Mike Johnson: “President Trump is sending a clear message with Liberation Day: America will not be exploited by unfair trade practices anymore. These tariffs restore fair and reciprocal trade and level the playing field for American workers and innovators. The President understands that FREE trade ONLY works when it’s FAIR!”

    Gov. Jeff Landry: “Pro Jobs. Pro Business. Pro America.”

    Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso: “President Trump is acting boldly to put America first. America needs fair and free trade. We can’t allow other countries to keep abusing our workers and job creators. It’s time we had a level playing field. I applaud President Trump’s 100% commitment to Made in America.”

    Sen. Jim Banks: “The decision by President Trump today to impose reciprocal tariffs will be so good for Indiana. … Those are the manufacturing jobs that President Trump is bringing back from overseas.”

    Sen. Bill Cassidy: “The president’s trade agenda can pave the way for stronger trade deals, fairer rules, and real results. I am excited to work with President Trump to make it happen. Louisiana’s workers and families deserve nothing less.”

    Sen. Roger Marshall: “President Donald Trump is fighting for long-term solutions to put America’s farmers and ranchers first.”

    Sen. Ashley Moody: “It’s liberation day in America! Today, @POTUS sent a message to the world that the era of America being taken advantage of is over.”

    Sen. Markwayne Mullin: “President Trump is going to charge foreign countries roughly half of what they *already* charge us to do business. Literally who can argue with this?”

    Sen. Pete Ricketts: “President Trump is delivering on his campaign promises to level the playing field and stand up for the American people. Reciprocal tariffs will ensure equal treatment for American businesses. @POTUS is working to reshore jobs lost overseas and secure our supply chains. He is working to open new markets for our nation’s agriculture products. He is demonstrating to foreign adversaries like China that we will no longer be taken advantage of.”

    Sen. Rick Scott: “The days of the U.S. being taken advantage of by other countries are OVER! Pres. Trump is making it clear that he will ALWAYS put American jobs, manufacturing and our economy first. As Americans, let’s stand with him and support one another by buying products MADE IN AMERICA.”

    Sen. Eric Schmitt: “President Trump is bringing America back. We won’t be ripped off by other countries anymore. We’re bringing back manufacturing, unleashing energy production, and paving the way for prosperity.”

    Sen. Tommy Tuberville: “For too long, other countries have ripped us off with bad trade deals – resulting in American jobs and manufacturing moving overseas. But change is coming. The Golden Age of America’s economy is here. Happy Liberation Day.”

    House Majority Leader Steve Scalise: “The United States and American workers will no longer be ripped off by other countries with unfair trade practices. Thank you President Trump for putting America’s workers and innovators first with reciprocal tariffs that level the playing field and make trade FAIR.”

    House Majority Whip Tom Emmer: “For too long, foreign countries have taken advantage of us at the expense of American workers. President @realDonaldTrump says NO MORE.”

    House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain: “Tariffs work! @POTUS has proven tariffs are an effective tool in achieving economic and strategic objectives. The President’s long-term strategy will pay off.”

    Rep. Elise Stefanik: “I strongly support President Trump’s America First economic policies to strengthen American manufacturing and create millions of American jobs. For too long, Americans have suffered under unfair trade practices putting America Last. We will not allow other countries to take advantage of us and we must put America and the American worker first.”

    Rep. Jason Smith: “America shouldn’t reward countries that discriminate against American workers and manufacturers. On Liberation Day, President Trump is correcting this and demanding fair treatment for American producers.”

    Rep. Mark Alford: “The days of the United States being taken advantage of are OVER. Republicans are putting American workers FIRST.”

    Rep. Jodey Arrington: “For too long, our leaders have allowed other nations to rip us off through numerous unfair trade practices resulting in suppressed wages, lost opportunities, and unrealized economic growth. Just as he did in his first term, President Trump is fighting to ensure an even playing field for our manufacturers, farmers, and workers so we can unleash American prosperity and Make America Great Again.”

    Rep. Brian Babin: “Trump’s tariffs aren’t starting a trade war—they’re ending one. For decades, other countries ripped off American workers with unfair tariffs and barriers. Now, we’re finally fighting back.”

    Rep. Andy Biggs: “Past administrations have allowed the United States to be ripped off by allies and adversaries alike. President Trump said “NO MORE!” The Art of the Deal.”

    Rep. Vern Buchanan: “For too long, unfair trade practices devastated America’s manufacturing base and stole millions of blue-collar jobs. It’s time to level the playing field and bring those jobs back. @POTUS is fighting for American workers.”

    Rep. Michael Cloud: “America-First means putting the American people first. We will no longer be taken advantage of as a nation and people.”

    Rep. Andrew Clyde: “For far too long, the U.S. has been ripped off by countries across the globe with unfair trade practices. Now, we’re finally leveling the playing field. THANK YOU, President Trump, for putting American workers and manufacturing FIRST.”

    Rep. Mike Collins: “This is fair. Whether it’s our military or economy, other countries have taken advantage of the U.S. for far too long. That time is over.”

    Rep. Chuck Edwards: “Many countries are taking advantage of the United States by imposing tariffs against us while we don’t have reciprocal tariffs against them. @POTUS has used tariffs to produce successful trade deals for us in his first term, and I support his plan to use them again to create a more level playing field and secure fairer trade deals for America. The quicker other countries agree to fairer trade deals, the quicker the tariffs can end.”

    Rep. Scott Franklin:“For years the US handcuffed itself and played nice while other countries imposed massive tariffs and took advantage of us. We’re done putting America last. @POTUS is leveling the playing field, ending trade imbalances and prioritizing American workers and manufacturing again!”

    Rep. Russell Fry: “HAPPY LIBERATION DAY. Thanks to @POTUS, America is DONE being taken advantage of. A new era has begun.”

    Rep. Lance Gooden: “For decades, Washington allowed Texans to be ripped off by foreign countries. Those days are now over. @POTUS is committed to making America wealthy again!”

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: “If you want to do business in America, you need to play by our rules. For too long, American businesses, big and small, have been ripped off by bad trade deals and unfair competition. President Trump is putting a stop to it. He’s standing up for our workers, our companies, and our consumers.”

    Rep. Abe Hamadeh: “The America First Republican party is the party of the working class, the forgotten men and women. On this Liberation Day, we further our commitment to them, that we will reshore our manufacturing, restore fair trade, and rebuild the greatest economy in the world.”

    Rep. Pat Harrigan:“If you want access to the most powerful economy in the world, treat us fairly. If not, don’t expect a free ride. That’s real leadership and @POTUS is delivering it!”

    Rep. Andy Harris: “President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will put the American worker first and bring fairness back to international trade. America is being respected again.”

    Rep. Diana Harshbarger: “President Trump is bringing back the American Dream. Our taxpayers have been ripped off by foreign countries for far too long, but those days are over. President Trump is right to impose these reciprocal tariffs.”

    Rep. Clay Higgins: “@POTUS’ trade agenda puts American industry and America first. I support the President’s action to protect our domestic producers.”

    Rep. Wesley Hunt: “Today, President Trump empowered the American middle class.  His policies on tariffs will bring automotive manufacturing back to America.”

    Rep. Nicole Malliotakis: “Since President Trump has been elected, we’ve attracted $5 trillion in private investment, foreign & domestic companies have announced Made in USA manufacturing, countries have reduced tariffs or changed foreign policies. President Trump is sticking up for American workers & farmers, repatriating our supply chain and protecting our national security.”

    Rep. Addison McDowell: “My district was hit hard over the years by unfair trade deals. Finally, we have a President who wants to put the American worker FIRST.”

    Rep. Mary Miller: “America will no longer be taken advantage of! This is how you put America First.”

    Rep. Riley Moore: “For decades, foreign countries have enjoyed free access to the greatest consumer marketplace on the face of the planet, all while still charging our domestic producers hefty duties or imposing significant barriers to access their markets. Today that ends. President Trump is the only president in my lifetime to acknowledge how unfair trade has gutted the heartland and shipped countless jobs overseas. By finally reciprocating in-kind, we’ll force foreign competitors to the negotiating table, lower trade barriers, and ultimately create real free and fair trade across the board. I’m confident this move will boost our domestic manufacturing industry and fuel demand for American products across the globe.”

    Rep. Tim Moore: “President Trump is leveling the playing field for American workers and bringing back MADE IN AMERICA!”

    Rep. Troy Nehls: “President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs make it clear that our country will not be ripped off anymore. We are bringing back American manufacturing and putting America First.”

    Rep. Ralph Norman: “Happy LIBERATION Day … ✅Protect the American worker ✅Strengthen manufacturing ✅Reduce unfair trade practices … Our economy will be competitive again!!”

    Rep. Andy Ogles: “He’s resetting the negotiating table. He’s resetting the deck here to say, ‘You know what? For too long, you’ve taken advantage of our free market and you’ve literally leached jobs away from the American people … Let’s have a serious conversation and let’s do something that’s fair and mutually beneficial for both sides.’”

    Rep. Guy Reschenthaler: “I fully support President Trump’s critical efforts to right this generational wrong, bring manufacturing jobs home, and rejuvenate American working families. Made in America is back.”

    Rep. John Rutherford: “Tariffs help bring American jobs back home, incentivize buying American, AND put pressure on Canada and Mexico to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants from their countries into ours. Even the Biden Admin kept or increased tariffs that President Trump imposed during his first presidency. Under Trump, inflation stayed around 2% and our GDP grew to 3%. Smart tariffs are a long-term investment in the American economy that are worth the short-term cost.”

    Rep. Greg Steube: “What many fail to realize: Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are a long-overdue response to years of unfair trade policies against America. For decades, America has been ripped off by other countries who have repeatedly slapped tariffs on our goods, blocked our products, and flooded our markets with theirs. The numbers don’t lie–the rest of the world has profited at the expense of American workers and businesses. President Trump is finally putting America First by taking bold, necessary actions that past leaders wouldn’t take.”

    Rep. Marlin Stutzman: “If Australia doesn’t want our beef – WE DON’T WANT THEIRS! Thank you @POTUS for opening the door of fair treatment for America’s Cattlemen”

    Rep. Tom Tiffany: “Gone are the days of America being taken advantage of by foreign countries. The American worker comes FIRST.”

    Rep. William Timmons: “President Trump’s tariffs are a necessary move to protect American workers and rebuild our economy. We are finally breaking free from decades of unfair trade deals that gutted our industries. These tariffs will bring jobs back to our districts, strengthen manufacturing, and ensure our children inherit a country that is not just a consumer, but a producer. Thank you, @POTUS.”

    Rep. Beth Van Duyne: “For far too long, the United States has been taken advantage of by our foreign trade partners. The American people re-elected President Trump to bring back truly fair trade with other countries. Reciprocal tariffs are a first step to have a level playing field for American products and to start bringing back manufacturing to our country!”

    Rep. Daniel Webster: “President @realDonaldTrump is delivering on his mandate to restore America’s economic strength. For too long, unfair trade deals have hollowed out our factories and shipped American jobs overseas. By standing up to bad actors like China and Venezuela and enforcing fair trade, President Trump is defending American industries and putting American workers first.”

    Rep. Tony Wied: “President Trump has made it clear with these reciprocal tariffs that we will no longer allow other countries to take advantage of us. His goal is simple: to bring jobs and manufacturing back to our country and open up foreign markets to American products. If companies want to avoid these tariffs, they will do business in the United States. I applaud the President for taking a stand against years of unfair trade practices and making sure we put American workers and consumers first. It’s time our foreign trading partners finally live up to their end of the bargain.”

    Rep. Roger Williams: “For too long, America Last policies have put the U.S. auto industry at a disadvantage. As a car dealer and small business owner, I support @POTUS’ Executive Order to increase competition, boost revenue, and bring back American jobs.”

    U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer: “Today, President Trump is taking urgent action to protect the national security and economy of the United States. The current lack of trade reciprocity, demonstrated by our chronic trade deficit, has weakened our economic and national security. After only 72 days in office, President Trump has prioritized swift action to bring reciprocity to our trade relations and reduce the trade deficit by leveling the playing field for American workers and manufacturers, reshoring American jobs, expanding our domestic manufacturing base, and ensuring our defense-industrial base is not dependent on foreign adversaries—all leading to stronger economic and national security.”

    Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick: “Today, the world starts taking us seriously. Our workforce will finally be treated fairly.”

    Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent: “President Trump signed the Declaration of Economic Independence for the American people. For decades, the trade status quo has allowed countries to leverage tariffs and unfair trade practices to get ahead at the expense of hardworking Americans. The President’s historic actions will level the playing field for American workers and usher in a new age of economic strength.”

    Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins: “FARMERS COME FIRST — @POTUS is leveling the playing field, ensuring American farmers and ranchers can compete globally again!”

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “Thank you, @POTUS! ‘Made in America’ is not just a tagline — it’s an economic and national security priority.”

    Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: “For too long, America has been targeted by unfair trade practices that made our supply chain dependent on foreign adversaries, eroded our industrial base, and hurt American workers. This has gravely impacted our national security. President Trump’s strong action will help make America safe again. @DHS, primarily through @CBP, is ready to collect these new tariffs and put an end to unfair trade practices. Thank you President @realDonaldTrump for putting America FIRST.”

    Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer: “Promises made, promises kept”

    Secretary of Energy Chris Wright: “President Trump is a businessman; he’s a negotiator. The result of that has been and will continue to be improvements for the American people. We are in the midst of a negotiation, and he is fighting every day to make the cost-of-living conditions better for Americans.”

    Secretary of Education Linda McMahon: “At the White House this afternoon, we celebrated Liberation Day — setting our economy on the path of future prosperity for our children. Business owners, workers, and taxpayers have been waiting for strong economic leadership. @POTUS’ actions today prove we are done being taken advantage of in international trade.”

    Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum: “President Trump’s Liberation Day reciprocity plan is commonsense. If you tariff us, we’ll tariff you. This will strengthen our economy and make America wealthy again!”

    Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy: “Today is the day we will liberate ourselves from unfair trade practices and outdated ways of thinking. Tariffs are an important tool in the President’s toolbox to stop foreign countries from ripping us off, protect America’s workers, and restore U.S. manufacturing. I stand with @POTUS as he finally levels the playing field. Happy Liberation Day!”

    Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner: “For four years, Americans couldn’t afford groceries, let alone a house. This Liberation Day, @POTUS is bringing manufacturing and jobs back. President Trump is making the American Dream achievable again!”

    Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin: “Massive announcement by @POTUS today restoring U.S. dominance, cementing his America First vision, and Powering the Great American Comeback.”

    Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler: “Small businesses will no longer be crushed by foreign governments and unfair trade deals. Instead, we will put American industry, workers, and strength FIRST. Thank you @POTUS for bringing back Made in America!”

    National Security Advisor Mike Waltz: “Economic security is national security. Thank you President Trump for putting America first.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI China: African fashion brands debut at Shanghai Fashion Week

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    South African designer Jessica Jane (R) and her husband, Wandile Molebatsi, co-founders of South African fashion brand Molebatsi, display their collections at the trade exhibition MODE during Shanghai Fashion Week in east China’s Shanghai, March 25, 2025. [PhotoXinhua]

    At the ongoing 2025 Autumn/Winter Shanghai Fashion Week, 22 African fashion brands made their debut, aiming to break into the Chinese and broader Asian markets while highlighting the appeal of China’s burgeoning “debut economy.”

    Models walked the runway in Shanghai, presenting the latest collections from African designer brands, from handmade weaving to natural dyeing and environmentally friendly techniques.

    Themed “Innovascape,” the fashion extravaganza took place from March 25 to April 1, showcasing nearly 100 runway shows and about 1,000 brands in exhibitions.

    Hannah Ryder, CEO of Development Reimagined, brought 22 African designer brands from 12 countries to Shanghai Fashion Week, giving them the opportunity to connect with global buyers and retailers at the trade exhibition MODE.

    “This is the first time that African designers have come to China as a group, and I think our main message for the Chinese market is that African fashion brands are ready to enter China,” said Ryder, noting that African designer brands have immense potential in terms of creativity and sustainability and can offer something truly unique to the Chinese market.

    “Shanghai Fashion Week is one of the top fashion weeks in the world,” Ryder said, adding that this is not only an opportunity to showcase African creativity and culture but also an excellent chance to establish connections and expand business cooperation with the Chinese fashion industry, and even the rest of Asia, including Southeast Asia, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

    She noted that while African clothing is often associated with beautiful patterns and vibrant colors, African designer brands feature a much more diverse range of design languages and aesthetics.

    Ryder explained that while some of the brands have already entered the European market, they are still new to China and will use the exhibition and runway shows to introduce themselves, alongside launching select new collections on Chinese e-commerce platforms as a “test drive.”

    A Chinese-style buckle and double-breasted design, featuring cuffs inspired by Hanfu yet reimagined with African geometric patterns, is paired with fabric adorned with scenes of local South African tribes. This striking ensemble is one of the latest creations from the South African fashion brand Molebatsi.

    South African designer Jessica Jane and her husband, Wandile Molebatsi, co-founded the brand. In 2023, Jane made a special trip to central China’s Hunan Province to attend the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, followed by a visit to Beijing.

    During her 10-day trip to China, Jane saw traditional Chinese clothing, such as Hanfu and horse-faced skirts, for the first time. “China’s long history and traditional culture fascinated me,” she said. After the trip, she began brainstorming ways to combine elements of traditional Chinese clothing with traditional African clothing, ultimately bringing the new products back to China.

    “It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity because there are so many collaborations and mutually beneficial relationships between Africa and China,” said Wandile Molebatsi. “There’s a huge amount of opportunity for Africans here in China, and it’s very exciting.”

    Aristide Loua, from Cote d’Ivoire, is new to the Chinese market. Through pre-promotion activities at Shanghai Fashion Week, he received cooperation invitations and engaged in in-depth negotiations with numerous buyers. “I will formulate a plan for entering the Chinese market based on their feedback,” Loua said.

    “As we witness African designers showcasing their work at one of the world’s most influential fashion weeks, we are taking an essential step toward a more inclusive and diverse global fashion industry. Through continued collaboration, investment, and market access, African brands can carve out their space in the Chinese market — not as a niche, but as a mainstream force,” said Phuti Tsipa, Consul General of South Africa in Shanghai.

    Raphael Deray, a buyer from Printemps in Paris, went straight from the airport to the MODE exhibition to meet with designers from China, Africa, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and other places.

    “My expectations are quite high to find good designers and good products during Shanghai Fashion Week because I know China has a lot of potential. It is a big market for fashion,” Raphael Deray said.

    “As a trendsetter in the Asian fashion industry, Shanghai Fashion Week is an amplifier of innovative fashion. We will create a gateway for international brands to engage with the Chinese market through a more open and inclusive approach and foster a new fashion ecosystem that spans from Chinese design to global resonance,” said Tong Jisheng, director of the Shanghai Fashion Week organizing committee.

    Recently, the “debut economy” has emerged as a key driver of consumption in China. This concept encompasses product launches, flagship store openings, new service rollouts, and the development of innovative business models and technologies.

    Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, said that the “debut economy” is an important measure to expand domestic demand and boost consumption.

    Shanghai has enhanced policy support across multiple areas, including exhibition support, streamlined customs clearance, and financial incentives. These measures have further optimized the launch environment for global new products and provided stronger service guarantees for both domestic and international brands introducing new products in the city.

    “We hope more brands will establish a long-term presence in Shanghai, starting with a first launch or debut show, followed by the opening of flagship stores, and ultimately establishing headquarters here to expand globally,” she added.

    MIL OSI China News