Category: Economy

MIL-Evening Report: US tariffs will upend global trade. This is how Australia can respond

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Deane, Professor of Trade Law, Taxation and Climate Change, Queensland University of Technology

US President Donald Trump has imposed a range of tariffs on all products entering the US market, with Australian exports set to face a 10% tariff, effective April 5.

These import taxes will be charged by US customs on each imported item. The punitive tariffs on 60 countries range as high as 34% on imports from China and 46% on Vietnam, and exceed the rates agreed between the United States and other global trade partners.

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said.

The impact on Australian industries will be both direct and indirect. The largest Australian export to the US is meat products, totalling A$4 billion in 2024, and our farmers may divert some product to other nations.

Direct and indirect impacts

The larger economic risk is to our regional trading partners.

While Australia faces only 10% tariffs, our major trading partners China, Japan and South Korea all face much higher US tariffs under the new regime. So the risk of a manufacturing slowdown in those countries could dampen demand for Australia’s much larger exports – iron ore, coal and gas.

Australian investors reacted swiftly, wiping 2.1% off the main stock market index, the S&P/ASX 200, in the first hour of trade.

Another problem will be the disruption to global supply chains. It is not just finished products impacted. For instance, the 25% automobile tariff will be extended to auto parts on May 3. This means even if a car is entirely built in the US, it will still be more expensive because many components are imported.

Read more:
What are tariffs?

What sectors has the US complained about?

On April 1, the US released an annual trade report that identifies what it describes as “foreign trade barriers”. There was a long list of grievances with both tariff and non-tariff barriers identified.

The report identified Australia’s biosecurity restrictions on meat, apples and pears. The Australian biosecurity rules do not directly ban any products, although in practice raw beef products are excluded.

Trump singled out Australian beef in his speech. “They won’t take any of our beef,” he claimed.

In a speech riddled with inaccuracies and falsehoods, this was one of them. Australia take shelf-stable US products, but not raw products for which consumer safety can not be assured.

The US cited two other main Australian trade barriers. US drug companies have criticised the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme approvals processes. The Albanese government’s plan to strengthen the News Media Bargaining Code that requires tech companies to pay for news published on their platforms was also targeted.

How can Australia respond?

Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are in agreement over what we should do in response. They say Australian law and policy is not up for sale. We don’t negotiate on biosecurity, we don’t negotiate on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme process, and our local news media deserves protection from Big Tech.

1. All avenues start with negotiations

The preferred option is for a negotiation with the US to secure an exemption.

A dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) sends a strong message to our trading partners and will also mean there’s an expert adjudication on this unprecedented move.

However, the US has sidelined the WTO in recent years and Albanese has ruled out this route.

2. Consultation

The second potential action is to initiate consultations under the Australia–US Free Trade Agreement. There is a formal process identified in the agreement to which Albanese referred, with a threat of “dispute resolution mechanisms”.

Albanese has ruled out imposing “reciprocal tariffs” on US imports, noting this would only push up prices for Australian consumers.

3. Find new markets

Third, we can find other markets. Australian agricultural products are some of the most desirable in the world. Australian producers will have other options. Indeed, the latest data for beef exports showed exports to China jumped 43% from January, to Japan up 27%, and to South Korea up 60% from the previous month.

What has the government said?

Albanese announced a response package, including $50 million to help pursue new markets. He said the tariff announcement was “not the act of a friend” and had “no basis in logic”:

It is the American people who will pay the biggest price for these unjustified tariffs. This is why our government will not be seeking to impose reciprocal tariffs.

Albanese’s response contains only one direct trade measure. That is the plan to strengthen anti-dumping provisions on steel, aluminium and other manufacturing. This means countries looking to sell their products too cheaply in Australia will face countervailing duties. It is a measure that aligns with trade rules.

The decision by the US to impose tariffs in this way shows complete disregard for the world trade order established after World War II.

The rules that have existed since this time aimed to limit trade barriers (such as tariffs). They also recognised the importance of supporting developing countries to be part of the world economy.

Some of the biggest US tariffs are to hit some of the lowest-income countries. This will impact their economies badly and disadvantage people already living in poverty.

Read more:
Why developing countries must unite to protect the WTO’s dispute settlement system

Felicity Deane 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. US tariffs will upend global trade. This is how Australia can respond – https://theconversation.com/us-tariffs-will-upend-global-trade-this-is-how-australia-can-respond-253621

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Household net worth little changed in December 2024 – Stats NZ media and information release: National accounts (income, saving, assets, and liabilities): December 2024 quarter
Source: Statistics New Zealand

Household net worth little changed in December 2024 – 3 April 2025 – Household net worth showed little change in the December 2024 quarter, up $834 million to $2,440 billion, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

Net worth is the value of all assets owned by households less the value of all their liabilities.

“In the December 2024 quarter, a rise in total household assets was largely offset by a rise in total liabilities, resulting in only a minor change in household net worth,” institutional sectors spokesperson James Mitchell said.

In the September 2024 quarter, household net worth was also little changed (down $1.0 billion). In the June 2024 quarter, net worth fell $23.8 billion (1.0 percent).

Total household assets rose $4.3 billion (0.2 percent) in the December 2024 quarter – a rise in financial assets was partly offset by a fall in non-financial assets.

Files:

Household net worth little changed in December 2024

National accounts (income, saving, assets, and liabilities): December 2024 quarter

CSV files for download
MIL OSI –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Statement on New Tariffs

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on President Trump’s announcement of additional across-the-board tariffs on all imports, which are in effect a national sales tax on American consumers, farmers, and businesses.
“The President’s new national sales tax on Americans is reckless, harmful, and could have irreversible consequences. This is the biggest tax increase in a generation, and will increase costs by more than $5,000 a year for the average family. The economic chaos and uncertainty the President is creating is endangering our economy.
“I support targeted tariffs to take on our adversaries, such as those used by the previous Trump, Biden, and Obama administration to counter China’s steel dumping. But the President’s across-the-board tariffs will only raise costs, hurt businesses, and eliminate jobs.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Calls for Congress to Pass Her Legislation to Reverse Canada Tariffs

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

WASHINGTON—On the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called for support of her bipartisan legislation with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) to undo President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports. The administration is imposing a 10 percent tariff on energy from Canada and a 25 percent tariff on other goods — a move that amounts to a tax hike on American consumers and businesses. Canada is Minnesota’s top trading partner.

“This resolution is about drawing a line in the sand and saying you cannot abuse your emergency powers to start an unjustified trade war,” said Klobuchar. “You cannot abuse your emergency powers to hurt one of the finest relationships in the world, the relationship between America and Canada, and you cannot drive up prices, eliminate jobs, and put in place a national sales tax.”

Along with Klobuchar, Kaine, and Warner, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Rand Paul (R-KY).

Specifically, the senators’ legislation would work by terminating the President’s February 1 declaration that President Trump used to launch his trade war with Canada, and thus eliminate the tariffs on Canadian imports as a result. The declaration invoked the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), an unprecedented use of that law in its nearly 50-year history to justify across-the-board tariffs on a longstanding U.S. ally.

A rough transcript of Klobuchar’s remarks is available below. Download video HERE.

Senator Klobuchar: Madam President, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan resolution led by my colleague who is here today, Senator Tim Kaine, which I co-lead with him and Senator Warner to restore stability to our trade with one of our greatest allies, greatest friends, and that is the country of Canada.

This resolution does one thing, and it does it clearly. It terminates the President’s declaration related to the Canadian border that he is using as an excuse to impose across-the-board tariffs, which are, in fact, taxes on Canadian imports under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Passing this resolution just became even more urgent because of the President’s announcement of even more across-the-board tariffs this afternoon, including a minimum 10% tax on all imports and even higher tariffs on certain countries, including our friends and allies.

This is a country that has thrived on the fact, and our economy has grown because we do business with the world. And already with the President’s announcement, which he calls Liberation Day, I call it a National Sales Tax Day, because the estimates are that these tariffs will result in about $5,000 in taxes, that’s right, on the average family in America every single year.

What has happened? Well, the stock market is closed, but the futures are tanking. They are tanking, and that is because people get that this is not going to work for our American economy. They don’t want a national sales tax. People involved in the economy of this country, everyone from small business owners on and they’re going to be the first hit by this, because they do not actually have the wherewithal and the big conglomeration to try to deal with it.

Small farmers in my state that are already dealing with retaliatory tariffs, that are already dealing with the fact that Canadians who used to buy their stuff don’t want to buy it anymore, or other countries aren’t buying their stuff. And what happens then, the Canadians look for other markets, and there’s other countries, other manufacturers, other farmers, and other nations that say “we are more than happy to fill your contract, sir. We are more than happy to help you out with that aluminum, Mam.” Because of these tariffs.

…

This resolution is about drawing a line in the sand and saying you cannot abuse your emergency powers to start an unjustified trade war. You cannot abuse your emergency powers to hurt one of the finest relationships in the world, the relationship between America and Canada, and you cannot drive up prices, eliminate jobs, and put in place a national sales tax.

Canada is not just our neighbor with my state, it’s our number one trading partner. In fact, we do so much business with Canada that it is more than the total of our number two, number three, and number four, largest markets combined. We are the fourth biggest ag exporter, the state of Minnesota, in the country. So, we know a little bit about how this works.

In 2023 alone, our state exported 7 billion in goods to Canada, including ag products, machinery, and medical devices. That’s a major hit for the retaliatory tariffs that we’re going to see.

The damage could extend to every sector of our economy. I just mentioned tourism. So I chair the Canadian American Interparliamentary Group. I go to Canada a lot. I know our partners over there. I know the people in the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, all of them. And the one thing that has united us to a T is this friendship, that has far transcended this President.

I remember it was the Canadian Embassy in one of the worst of times for our country, that had banners draped in the front of their embassy that said, “friends, neighbors, partners, allies.” Those banners aren’t hanging there right now, and they’re not going to put them up any time soon.

It was the Canadians that were the first to arrive after 9/11 to volunteer, to help out our country in its greatest moment of need. They fought alongside us in two World Wars. This is a long-standing friendship and an incredible trade relationship based on mutual respect and trust, and yes, two strong economies.

Because these new tariffs are already causing harm, as I noted, they amount to a national sales tax.

Since the administration began to propose and implement or pause but hang over people’s heads, wide-ranging tariff, wholesale prices have gone up on everything from meat and coffee to natural gas and lumber.

Homeowners Association, Home Builders Association, Retail Association, how many business groups? Are the Republicans not listening to them anymore? And add to that, the Steelworkers. Do they not care about that? They’re opposed to that, and they support this resolution that Senator Kaine, and Warner, and I have come together to introduce.

With these tariffs across the world, we’re going to see a $20,000 increase to the price of a home and a $3,000 increase to an American-made car. This might not mean much to Elon Musk and the billionaires in Trump’s cabinet, but it means a lot to the people in my state.

Tariffs can be an important tool. Sure, you can have targeted tariffs. That’s not what this is. These tariffs on Canada are an abuse of the emergency powers, and if they want to negotiate this, put it in the upcoming negotiations of the USMCA, the United States, Mexico, Canada, Trade Agreement that I supported, that President Trump negotiated in his last administration. Why wouldn’t he do it there? Why, instead, is he doing his usual shock and awe, jarring the economy? This is going to be a blanket permission slip for tariff wars.

And I will note again, thank Senator Kaine, our bipartisan group of supporters, and the United Steelworkers, International Association of Machinists, North American Building Trades Union, AFL-CIO, Chamber of Commerce, National Taxpayers Union, and the National Retail Federation have all endorsed this resolution. Maybe we don’t care about all those businesses and all those workers, but maybe we should listen to them.

This resolution is about restoring common sense and responsible governance. It is about Congress reasserting its constitutional role on trade, and it’s about standing up for American workers, businesses, and consumers who are being asked to pay the price of this trade war.

Let’s change course, before the damage becomes even more permanent. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cole Secures Economic Assistance for Farmers in Oklahoma
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Olivia Porcaro 202-225-6165

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) announced that he has secured a total of $10 billion for economic assistance for farmers through his legislation, the American Relief Act. An estimated total of over $230 million of that dollar amount will go to farmers and producers in Oklahoma specifically. After securing the funding, Congressman Cole released the following statement:

“As a lifelong Oklahoman, I know firsthand just how important our farmers, ranchers, and producers are. While the agriculture industry does drive our state’s economy, farmers are essential to not only Oklahoma, but to the entire country. Therefore, today, I am proud to announce that I have secured over $230 million in economic assistance for farmers in the state of Oklahoma, which will bridge the gap until a new Farm Bill is passed through Congress,” said Congressman Cole. “As the representative for over 13,000 farms and ranches in Oklahoma’s Fourth District alone, I will always ensure that these farmers and ranchers are properly represented in Congress. I would also like to thank both House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania and former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Frank Lucas of Oklahoma for helping target the money in ways that would most benefit the hardworking producers that are the backbone of the rural economy.”

How to apply for assistance:

Producers must submit Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) applications to their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office by August 15, 2025. Only one application is required for all ECAP eligible commodities nationwide. ECAP applications can be submitted to FSA in-person, electronically using Box and One-Span, by fax, or by applying online at fsa.usda.gov/ecap utilizing a secure login.gov account.

If not already on file for the 2024 crop year, producers must have the following forms on file with FSA:
- Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.
- Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable).
- Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity.
- Form CCC 943, 75 percent of Average Gross Income from Farming, Ranching, or Forestry Certification (if applicable).
- AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification.
- SF-3881, Direct Deposit.
For any questions regarding the application and forms above, please contact your local FSA county office.

If a producer does not receive a pre-filled ECAP application, and they planted or were prevented from planting ECAP eligible commodities in 2024, they should contact their local FSA office.

Please stay tuned for future announcements as additional disaster assistance is released and available to Oklahomans.

###

MIL OSI USA News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO PUT FAMILIES OVER BILLIONAIRES”

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

Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke at a rally where he emphasized that while Republicans are focused on giving tax cuts to their billionaire donors and Elon Musk, Democrats are going to continue to defend Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and stand up for everyday Americans.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Are you ready to put families over billionaires? Are you ready to stop the GOP Tax Scam dead in its tracks? Is SEIU in the house right now? What an honor and a privilege to be here with all of you as we stand in the midst of this righteous fight, just a few steps away from the Capitol where I work, a Capitol, of course, that has turned into a hostile work environment. Because half the people want to bury their heads in the sand. Act like they don’t know what their responsibilities are. They believe, some of these sycophants, they believe that they work for Donald Trump. Congress doesn’t work for Donald Trump, we work for the American people, and all of you.

And so we got a very different vision about what we need to do at this moment. We want to move the country forward, they want to turn back the clock. We’re fighting hard to bring people together, they want to tear us apart. We believe in an economy that works for everyday Americans. They want an economy of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires. That’s what the GOP Tax Scam is all about. That’s why we’re going to stop the GOP Tax Scam dead in its tracks and put families over billionaires. We’ve got a vision of America, we believe that in this country, when you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live a comfortable life, provide for your families, educate your children, purchase a home, have access to high-quality health care, go on vacation every now and then and one day retire with grace and dignity, that’s the American dream, and we’re gonna fight hard to make sure we bring that dream to life for every single person in this country, and put families over billionaires.

Nobody told us that the road would be easy. And so we know we have trouble all around us. Trouble in the White House. Trouble with the Congress. Trouble the cabinet. And by the way, Pete Hegseth needs to resign or be fired immediately. Trouble in the cabinet and trouble with Elon Musk. Can I park right there for a moment? Elon Musk is unelected, unaccountable, unhinged, unpopular and un-American with his out-of-control behavior. And so he wants to, and the extreme MAGA Republicans, they want to take a chainsaw to Social Security, a chainsaw to Medicare, a chainsaw to Medicaid, a chainsaw to public schools, a chainsaw to veterans’ benefits, a chainsaw to the American way of life. But here’s the thing, we’ve got to show up, we got to stand up, we’ve got to speak up and when we do, we’re going to take a chainsaw to Project 2025. Families over billionaires.

Let me end with this observation. Earlier this month, several of us, many in this crowd, many Members of Congress had an opportunity to visit Selma for the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. I also had the chance to stop by Montgomery, which was the start of the Civil Rights Movement. And when I was there, we thought about the courage and the conviction and the character of those civil rights heroes and foot soldiers. They had trouble all around them. The odds were stacked against them. But they knew that their cause was a righteous one and they were able to prevail. And that’s exactly what we’ve got to do right now because our cause, the cause of putting families over billionaires is a righteous one in the United States of America. And so when the Civil Rights Movement started early in 1956, shortly after the Montgomery Bus Boycott had started in December of the previous year, Dr. King was gathered at a church with thousands of people shortly after he had been arrested. They tried to intimidate them and bully them and stop the movement in its tracks. And Dr. King said to a gathering of folks that they’ve got to press on and keep pressing. And Dr. King said that if you can’t fly, run. If you can run, walk. If you walk, crawl. But at all times, press on, and keep pressing.

And here’s the thing, they want to intimidate us. They want to bully us. They want to threaten us. They’re trying to stop us. But our cause is a righteous one, and we’ve got to press on and keep pressing. Press on for our children, press on for our seniors, press on for our veterans, press on for our unions, press on for our Dreamers, press on for working families, press on for the middle class, press on for poor, press on for sick, press on for the afflicted, press on for least, press on for lost, press on for left behind, press on for voting rights, press on for civil rights, press on for economic justice, press on for social justice, press on racial justice, press on for families, press on for freedom, press on for our future, press on for democracy. We’re going to press on until victory is won. Families over billionaires.

Full rally can be watched here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Nadler Leads New York Delegation Letter Opposing Trump’s Executive Order Eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Dean of the New York Congressional Delegation, led a letter signed by fifteen members of New York’s delegation to President Donald Trump, expressing strong opposition to his Executive Order calling for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

IMLS is the primary source of federal funding for museums and libraries, supporting education, digital literacy, and cultural preservation through grants and resources. Its support is crucial for sustaining community access to information and fostering innovation, especially in smaller and rural institutions.

In their letter, the Members wrote: “Your Executive Order would have a devastating impact on New York, which is home to an extensive network of museums and libraries, many of which serve as vital educational and cultural hubs for their communities. Many of New York’s museums and libraries have received vital funding from the IMLS, including the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. The programming supported by this funding enriches the lives of New Yorkers and visitors alike.

“The IMLS represents just 0.0046% of the federal budget, yet it supports a sector that generates over $50 billion in economic benefits and sustains more than 726,000 jobs nationwide.

“The Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 clearly established that the IMLS is legally obligated under Section 9133 to allocate federal funding to state libraries through the Grants to States program. Congress enacted this law with a clear intent to ensure that federal support would reach libraries nationwide, recognizing the indispensable role they play in education, innovation, and community building,” the Members continued.

Representative Nadler was joined on the letter by Reps. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Laura Gillen (NY-4), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Timothy Kennedy (NY-26), George Latimer (NY-16), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Josh Riley (NY-19), Patrick Ryan (NY-18), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-7)

Full text of the letter can be found below and here:

As members of New York’s Congressional Delegation, we are writing to express our strong opposition to your recent Executive Order, which calls for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”1 The proposed cuts to the core functions of the IMLS pose a significant threat to the survival of our nation’s cultural and educational institutions.

The IMLS plays a crucial role in supporting these institutions and is a cornerstone of our cultural and educational landscape. Your Executive Order would have a devastating impact on New York, which is home to an extensive network of museums and libraries, many of which serve as vital educational and cultural hubs for their communities. Many of New York’s museums and libraries have received vital funding from the IMLS, including the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. The programming supported by this funding enriches the lives of New Yorkers and visitors alike.

From the world-class institutions of the Hudson Valley and the Capital Region to the diverse cultural centers of Western and Upstate New York, these institutions attract visitors from around the globe, enrich local economies, and provide indispensable learning opportunities for residents of all ages. Additionally, New York City has the highest concentration of museums in the United States, with over 188 museums and cultural institutions. Furthermore, the New York Public Library, the largest public library system in the country, risks losing vital funding that supports essential services benefiting millions of residents and visitors each year.

The decision to eliminate or cut the IMLS’s core functions is not only shortsighted but also economically unsound. The IMLS represents just 0.0046% of the federal budget, yet it supports a sector that generates over $50 billion in economic benefits and sustains more than 726,000 jobs nationwide.

The arts and humanities play a vital role in enriching American life, showcasing the diversity and creativity that define our nation. They are not merely cultural assets but essential lifelines for communities, providing education, job training, internet access, and spaces for civic engagement.

The United States is renowned for housing some of the world’s most distinguished and groundbreaking cultural institutions. Museums and cultural venues represent a wide range of American experiences, from iconic Broadway theaters in New York City to unique sites such as the National Video Game Museum in Frisco, Texas, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Collectively, more than 35,000 museums across the nation support over 372,100 jobs and generate $15 billion in annual revenue.

As hubs of literacy and innovation, our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic, and special libraries deserve increased support, not reduced funding. These institutions are crucial for preserving American art, history, and culture while promoting community engagement and lifelong learning. The Museum and Library Services Act of 2018 clearly established that the IMLS is legally obligated under Section 9133 to allocate federal funding to state libraries through the Grants to States program.2 Congress enacted this law with a clear intent to ensure that federal support would reach libraries nationwide, recognizing the indispensable role they play in education, innovation, and community building.

Support from IMLS is crucial for libraries to maintain statewide digital resources and collections, create support systems for individual public, school, and academic libraries, and facilitate interlibrary loan programs. At a time when the nation should be investing in cultural preservation and community support, eliminating IMLS funding threatens to dismantle the foundational support that libraries and cultural institutions rely on to strengthen our democracy and promote social cohesion.

We strongly urge you to immediately rescind this Executive Order and instead prioritize the continued funding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. These institutions are fundamental to our communities, our economy, and our shared cultural heritage. Eliminating their support would undermine the very foundation of educational and cultural access that Americans rely on every day. We are committed to collaborating with your administration to protect these vital resources and ensure they continue to serve the American people.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Helps Pass Resolution to Reverse Trump’s Cost-Spiking Tariffs on Canadian Goods

US Senate News:

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) voted to pass a Congressional resolution to reverse Trump’s devastating tariffs on virtually all Canadian goods that have raised prices for families and hurt Nevada’s businesses and economy. This resolution passed the U.S. Senate and now heads to the House of Representatives. Earlier this year, President Trump placed a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy imports and a 25 percent tariff on all other Canadian goods, essentially placing a sales tax on the products Americans purchase every day. Canada is Nevada’s biggest export partner and the top nation from where visitors come to Las Vegas.
“At a time when Nevada families are already experiencing high prices, Donald Trump is making things more expensive for Nevadans by placing tariffs on nearly every good from Canada,” said Senator Rosen. “These sweeping tariffs amount to a national sales tax, and I voted with a bipartisan group of colleagues to reverse them and help deliver financial relief for Nevada families. I’m glad to see that this legislation passed in the Senate, and I’ll continue fighting to lower costs.”
Senator Rosen has been fighting back against Trump’s reckless tariffs and the destructive impacts they’re having on Nevada’s economy. She helped introduce legislation to require the United States International Trade Commission to investigate how Donald Trump’s recent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada will impact the American people, and make that information public. Senator Rosen also sent a letter urging the Trump Administration to reverse course on imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico to prevent housing prices from rising even further.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Statement on Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariff Hike

US Senate News:

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statement on President Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement imposing broad-based tariffs on other countries, which will lead to higher prices for Americans on everyday essentials.
“Nevada families are already suffering from high costs on everything from housing, to groceries, to gas. Trump’s sweeping tariffs are a slap in the face to hardworking Nevadans who will now have to bear the full brunt of these additional taxes,” said Senator Rosen. “By raising prices of everyday essentials and hurting families’ budgets, these tariffs will also have a devastating effect on Nevada’s tourism economy. I’ll do everything in my power to reverse these blanket tariffs and lower costs for Nevadans.”
ICYMI: Below is coverage of Senator Rosen speaking out against tariff hikes:
ABC: Rosen speaks out against Trump’s price-spiking tariffs, policies

Anchor: “The Senate is expected to vote on Democratic-backed legislation to curtail Trump’s authority to impose tariffs on Canada. Do you think you’ll have the Republican support to pass the measure?”
Senator Rosen: “Well, some Republicans are indicating their support, but let’s be clear—this is a tariff, a blanket tariff on all Americans. This is a national sales tax – Trump’s tariffs. So he’s doing this just so he can justify a national sales tax. That’s wrong. Tariffs should be targeted. They should be strategic. They are a tool we can use, but putting a national sales tax on everyone that’s going to have our heating and cooling costs go up, having our food prices to go up, our housing, everything in between. And I can tell you, I live in Las Vegas. We depend on tourism. Canadian tourism [is] down 70% over last year because of what’s happening with our largest trading partner on the Trump tariffs.”
KLAS Las Vegas: Nevada Sen. Rosen calls for special counsel investigation into Signal chat leak

Senator Rosen: “What’s going to happen [with tariffs] is food prices go up. Like I said, housing goes up. Cars go up. Gas goes up. The cost of everything goes up. And when that happens, tourism goes down. So Nevada is going to be squeezed both ways. Everybody who lives here – prices going up, and people aren’t going to come because […] they’re going to be hitting their other states. So we’re going to lose it in our economy.”
KSNV Las Vegas: Rosen speaks out against Trump’s price-spiking tariffs, policies

Anchor: “Opponents like Senator Jacky Rosen say the tariffs will make everything more expensive for American households and eventually dig into the disposable income that people need to visit Las Vegas.”
Senator Rosen: “So when travel goes down, that means that there’s less money in our economy. These people don’t get those extra shifts. It means then they don’t work at the casino, and they don’t get their shift. They don’t go home and buy a pizza or go out to dinner. So it has a trickle down effect everywhere. So Nevadans are going to get squeezed by Trump’s reckless tariffs. It’s a national sales tax.”
KTVN Reno: Rosen speaks out against Trump’s price-spiking tariffs, policies

Anchor: “We were able to speak with Senator Jacky Rosen today, and she says when you put tariffs across the board, it’s a national sales tax, so whatever you consume, you are paying for. Senator Rosen also told us that she disagrees with these tariffs.”
Senator Rosen: “By the way, in Nevada, when everything goes up, what goes down? Tourism goes down. So we’re going to get hit with that double whammy because I know Canadian tourism is a 70 percent decrease in tourism from Canada over last year, and so we’re going to get squeezed in Nevada, both sides, and Trump said he doesn’t care.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Video: Kaine Speaks on Senate Floor Ahead of Vote on Resolution to Undo Trump’s Taxes on Canadian Goods

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO IS AVAILABLE HERE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to pass his joint resolution challenging President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies. The legislation will be voted on today. Estimates have shown that Trump’s tariffs could raise costs for the average American household by thousands of dollars per year. In addition, Trump’s trade wars have hurt American businesses and created needless uncertainty in the U.S. economy.

“Trump’s aides have basically admitted that this is a new sales tax. The tariff revenue will hit everyday people by making the cost of their goods go up,” said Kaine. “What we are likely to see today with the tariff announcement, it will be the largest tax hike in the United States history.”

Kaine continued, “This was an economy that was extremely strong just two months ago on President Trump’s inauguration day. It was a very, very strong economy – not a perfect economy. But since that time, we’ve seen volatility in the stock market. We’ve seen growing inflation. We’ve seen reducing consumer confidence. We’ve seen some suggestions of slowing economic growth, even negative economic growth from some, and that is due in large part to the prospect of this national sales tax – tariffs to the degree of $6 trillion dollars – but also somewhat to the chaos about whether and when and how they will be implemented.”

Kaine then discussed what he’s hearing from Virginia businesses, saying, “I’ve been traveling around the state talking to Virginians, and they’re very, very worried about these Canadian tariffs. And they’re not worried in the abstract. They saw them in 2017, 2018, 2019, so they know what happens with tariffs … From the kitchen table of a family to our nation’s largest shipbuilders, these tariff shenanigans pose a huge economic risk.”

Kaine pushed back on the Trump Administration’s claims that there is a fentanyl emergency at the U.S.-Canadian border. “No one in this chamber … would dispute that fentanyl is a massive problem and indeed an emergency … There is a fentanyl emergency, but it’s not Canada … It’s not an emergency from Canada, and it’s certainly not an emergency that would justify treating Canadian products with exactly the same tariff that we would levy on products from Mexico and from China,” Kaine said.

“I think allies are really important, and I think it’s wrong to call an ally an adversary,” Kaine said. “I don’t want an America pushing aside its longstanding allies … This is no way to treat an ally. This is no way to treat a friend.”

Kaine concluded, “Tariffs are a tax. Tariffs will hurt our families. Canada is not an enemy. Let’s act together to fight fentanyl. We can do that. We have done that – we showed it with the HALT Fentanyl Act we passed two weeks ago. But let’s not label an ally as an enemy. Let’s not impose punishing costs on American families at a time they can’t afford it. Let’s not hurt American small businesses. Let’s not make our national security investments in ships and subs more expensive. I earnestly request that colleagues support S.J. [Res.] 37 when we vote on it later.”

Ahead of the Senate vote, Kaine’s legislation has garnered support from businesses and organized labor alike, including from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Peters Announces Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Access to Infrastructure Funding for Great Lakes Ports

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) announced new, bipartisan legislation to help ensure Great Lakes ports can receive a fair share of federal funding available for port infrastructure upgrades and repairs. The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a competitive federal grant program administered by the Maritime Administration that provides funding to improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of our nation’s ports – including investments to reconstruct docks, improve access to key transportation routes, expand storage capacity, and more. From 2019 to 2024, Great Lakes ports received as little as two percent of all available PIDP awards. Meanwhile, ports along the East and West Coasts of the United States were awarded almost 70 percent of PIDP funding available. Peters’ Securing Smart Investments in Our Ports Act – which he introduced with U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Todd Young (R-IN) – would help address this imbalance by directing the Maritime Administration to consider equitable regional distribution of Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) funds when awarding grants.

“Michigan’s ports along the Great Lakes play a vital role in both our state and national economy, supporting key shipping and manufacturing industries, creating jobs, and helping to transport goods that American families and businesses rely on every day. Yet, these ports are being overlooked when it comes to receiving federal support to help keep them safe and efficient,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “It’s past time to ensure Great Lakes ports have equitable access to the resources they need to upgrade their infrastructure and compete on a level playing field with larger coastal ports.”

“Senator Peters has been the ‘Port Champion’ for the State of Michigan and an unrelenting advocate for the entire Great Lakes Region,” said Captain Paul C. LaMarre III, President of the American Great Lakes Ports Association and Port Director in Monroe, Michigan. “On behalf of all ports on the Great Lakes, we especially appreciate Senator Peters’ efforts to ensure the Great Lakes region receives its fair share of federal funding for critical port infrastructure projects. As a Port Director, mariner, fellow Navy veteran, and friend, I know firsthand that Senator Peters fights each and every day to deliver sustainable economic growth to our nation’s manufacturing heartland. His desire for equitable federal investment is only rivaled by his advocacy for the irreplaceable jobs of the people who continue to breathe life into our industry.”

To read more about the PIDP, click here.

During his time in the Senate, Peters has prioritized strengthening Michigan’s shipping ports. Peters has helped secure over $42 million in funding for Michigan ports from the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), including investments to expand cargo capacity, purchase new crane equipment and upgrade cargo screening infrastructure. During Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s confirmation hearing in January 2025, Peters underscored the importance of Great Lakes shipping and secured Secretary Duffy’s commitment to take the necessary steps to promote equitable distribution of PIDP funding. In 2021, Peters helped Congress pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, which provided robust funding for transportation and port infrastructure projects across the country. The historic law invested more than $17 billion in U.S. port infrastructure to make needed repairs and upgrades, reduce congestion to strengthen our supply chains and expedite commerce, and lower harmful emissions near ports to reduce environmental impacts on local communities.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: McConnell On Vote To Support Kentucky, Reject Tariff War: “The Last Thing We Need Is To Pick Fights With… Friends”

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today following his vote in favor of legislation to undo the tariffs on Canada, Kentucky’s largest trade market:

“As I have always warned, tariffs are bad policy, and trade wars with our partners hurt working people most. Tariffs drive up the cost of goods and services. They are a tax on everyday working Americans. Preserving the long-term prosperity of American industry and workers requires working with our allies, not against them. With so much at stake globally, the last thing we need is to pick fights with the very friends with whom we should be working with to protect against China’s predatory and unfair trade practices. That includes what we do on trade. Tariffs make it more expensive to do business in America, driving up costs for producers and consumers across the board. In Kentucky, broad-based tariffs could even have long-term consequences right in our backyard. Consider our state’s 69,000 family farms that sell their crops around the globe, or the hardworking Kentuckians who craft 95% of the world’s bourbon, or our automotive and manufacturing industries that rely on global supply chains. Make no mistake: goods made in America will be more expensive to manufacture and, ultimately, for consumers to purchase, with higher broad-based tariffs. At a time when Americans are tightening their belts, we would do well to avoid policies that heap on the pain. We ought to strengthen our friendships abroad, and reinforce our allies as pillars of American prosperity and security.”

BACKGROUND: In Kentucky, local storeowners are already hearing about their suppliers’ prices going up. One estimate suggests the president’s tariffs could cost the average Kentuckian up to $1,200 each year. Canada is the top export market for Kentucky, exporting $9.3 billion and importing $6 billion in goods annually.

Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association and a soy farmer in Magnolia, Kentucky in the Wall Street Journal: “It’s hitting us on all fronts,” said Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association and a soy farmer in Magnolia, Ky. “You’re talking about the potential of a flat-out crisis in rural America and the farm economy.”… Trump’s first trade war led to more than $27 billion in losses of agricultural exports, according to USDA research. Soybeans accounted for nearly 71% of that. In response, China started importing more soybeans from Brazil, and U.S. soybean farmers have yet to regain their market share, according to Ragland of the soybean association.

McConnell op-ed in the Courier Journal: Kentuckians can’t afford the high cost of Trump’s tariffs

McConnell article in Foreign Affairs magazine: The Price of American Retreat

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Scottish Secretary focusses on jobs and investment in USA visit
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Scottish Secretary focusses on jobs and investment in USA visit

US investors invited to Edinburgh for a Global Investment Summit to help boost jobs and investment, putting more money back in people’s pockets.
Jobs and investment in Scotland will be top of the agenda today [Thursday 3 April] when Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, Lord Mayor of London Alastair King and Scottish Financial Enterprise Chief Executive Sandy Begbie meet key sectors in a series of meetings in New York during Tartan Week.

In a co-ordinated effort aimed at boosting growth in Scotland they will invite companies to attend the Scottish Investor Summit – organised by Scottish Financial Enterprise and The City of London Corporation – to be held in Edinburgh in October this year.

The event will be key to encouraging inward investment in Scotland – investment which can boost Scotland’s economy, create well paid jobs and boost living standards, putting more money back in people’s pockets.

The New York meetings will showcase Scotland’s key strengths in financial services, clean energy and life sciences to international investors. This will be held at the UK Consul General’s residence in New York and at the offices of BlackRock, a global investment management corporation with a significant presence in Scotland.

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said:

“At a time when we are celebrating Scotland on the international stage, we want to highlight the exceptional investment opportunities in innovative industries. These meetings and roundtables are at the heart of Brand Scotland, selling the nation on the global stage. By strengthening these international partnerships through our Plan for Change, we’re laying the groundwork for the Edinburgh Global Investment Summit.”

Lord Mayor of London Alastair King said:

“Tartan week is not just an opportunity to celebrate the strong cultural and economic links between Scotland and the US, it is also a chance to deepen them further especially in financial services. That is why I am in New York speaking to major US businesses and investors and promoting the forthcoming Scottish Investment Summit in Edinburgh in October

“The theme of my mayoralty is ‘growth unleashed’, aiming to reignite the City’s appetite for positive risk and fully leverage the white heat of new technology to fuel economic growth across the United Kingdom. One of the best ways to do that is through greater cooperation with the US in financial services – which is a major part of both the Scottish and wider UK economy.”

Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise Sandy Begbie CBE said:

“Tartan week is an excellent example of the soft power which Scotland commands across the globe, but especially in the US. These roundtables provide just a small taste of the investment opportunity in Scotland.

“The Scottish investment summit later this year will showcase in detail the very best of Scotland’s financial services, renewables and life science to global investors. This coupled with opportunities to engage with government stakeholders and investment prospects highlight the unique opportunity the summit will bring.”

The Scottish investment summit, to be held in Edinburgh in October, will bring together major global investors, UK industry leaders, higher education institutions, and government representatives. Around 150 senior-level attendees are expected at the summit, with at least half representing significant global investors.

The summit will showcase the investments that have already been made, as well as the rationale behind why firms made the decision to invest in Scotland and what have been the returns and benefits to them as a result. It will also provide opportunities for investors to engage with investment prospects that currently exist in our investment pipeline, as well as government and regulatory stakeholders.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 3 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Regional tourism to benefit from $2.45 million boost
Source: New Zealand Government

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says opening a second multi-million dollar funding round for regional tourism will drive economic growth.

“We know a successful tourism and hospitality sector is crucial for growing our economy,” Louise Upston says.

“Tourism is a crucial part of this Government’s focus on economic growth, with domestic and international tourism expenditure at almost $38 billion and supporting nearly 200,000 jobs

“We also know we need to see visitors in regions outside our main cities, and outside peak periods. Hosting exciting local events is one of the best ways we can do this.

“Today I’m pleased to be announcing that regional tourism organisations will have a pool of $2.45 million to pitch to from the Regional Events Promotion Fund.

“Regions with big ideas can reach out straight away. As Minister, I’m always looking forward to working closely with the sector to help maximise the benefits of tourism and hospitality and support the workforce to grow.

“All ideas are up for discussion, as we reinforce the message that New Zealand is open for business and ready to welcome visitors from home and overseas.

“In this second round, I’m particularly keen to encourage regions which might not traditionally have seen a high volume of domestic tourists to host events which will drive spending and activity in their communities.

“This is the latest in our push to support the tourism sector, including:
- $500,000 for marketing New Zealand as the ‘go now’ destination for Australians
- $30 million to support conservation visitor related experiences
- $9 million for Great Rides cycle infrastructure
- $3 million from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy to secure more business events for New Zealand
“2025 is our chance to reinforce the value of tourism and show what our humming, vibrant country has on show. New Zealand tourism is open for business,” Louise Upston said during comments to the University of Otago Tourism Policy School in Queenstown.

The first round of funding for the Regional Events Promotion Fund saw 132 events approved, with $2.375 million allocated.

Applications for the second round of funding are open now with decisions expected to be made in May 2025.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SBA Opens New Business Recovery Assessment Center in Mitchell County

Source: United States Small Business Administration

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the opening of a Business Recovery Assessment Center (BRAC) in Mitchell County to assist businesses, nonprofits and residents affected by Hurricane Helene.

Beginning Wednesday, April 2, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the BRAC to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their application. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.

The BRAC’s hours of operation is listed below.

Business Recovery Assessment Center (BRAC)

Mitchell County

Maryland Community College Small Business Center

67 Hotel Place

Spruce Pine, NC 28777

Opening: Wednesday, April 2, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hours:  Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed: Saturday & Sunday

“SBA’s Business Recovery Assessment Centers have consistently proven their value to business owners following a disaster,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “Business owners can visit these centers to meet face-to-face with specialists who will guide them through the disaster loan application process and connect them with resources to support their recovery.”

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, regrading landscaping for better drainage, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.

Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.250% for nonprofits, and 2.813% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is April 27, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 30, 2025.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pallone Leads NJ House Democrats in Urging HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to Reverse Cuts to Public Health Funding
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today led all House Democrats from New Jersey in sending a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to reverse the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind $11.4 billion in federal public health funding—including $350 million allocated to New Jersey. Pallone’s letter was signed by NJ Representatives Menendez, Watson Coleman, Sherrill, Conaway, Pou, McIver, Gottheimer, and Norcross.

The lawmakers warned that the cuts would severely weaken New Jersey’s public health infrastructure, including efforts to prevent disease outbreaks, expand access to addiction and mental health treatment, and support a stable health care workforce. The funding, originally authorized during the COVID-19 pandemic, has become a critical lifeline for state and local health departments.

“If these cuts are allowed to proceed, the consequences will be severe and immediate. Health programs will be dismantled, services will be terminated midstream, and the burden of these cuts will fall disproportionately on low-income communities, seniors, and individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. In addition, closing regional HHS offices and laying off thousands of public health professionals will weaken the federal government’s ability to respond to future health crises,” the delegation wrote.

New Jersey is already seeing the consequences of eroded public health protections. On March 28, the state Department of Health issued a warning that a person infected with measles may have exposed others at a Mercer County emergency room—one of hundreds of new cases reported nationwide this year. Measles, once declared eliminated in the U.S., is now back, fueled by anti-vaccine misinformation and public distrust sown by Donald Trump and Secretary Kennedy himself.

Pallone is the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal public health programs.

A full copy of Pallone’s letter is available here and below:

We write to express our deep concern and strong opposition to the recent decision to revoke $11.4 billion in federal funding for health programs across the United States, including $350 million in critical public health funding for New Jersey.^[1] These cuts will have severe consequences for addiction treatment, mental health services, and infectious disease prevention in our state. We urge the Administration to reverse this decision and restore the funding to ensure the health and well-being of our communities.

These federal funds have been instrumental in strengthening our public health infrastructure, which was critically under-resourced before the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Contrary to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) assertion that these funds were exclusively for pandemic-related responses, they are used for a wide range of essential health programs in New Jersey, including:
- Infectious Disease Monitoring and Prevention: These funds have enabled state and local health departments to track and respond to outbreaks of flu, RSV, measles, tuberculosis, and bird flu. The sudden elimination of this funding will severely weaken our ability to monitor and contain infectious diseases, placing vulnerable populations at significant risk.
- Mental Health and Addiction Treatment: At a time when opioid overdoses remain a leading cause of preventable death, New Jersey has used these funds to expand access to counseling, treatment, and harm reduction services. These efforts have contributed to a decrease in overdose deaths from 3,171 in 2022 to 2,816 in 2023^[3]. Cutting these funds threatens to reverse this progress and exacerbate the opioid crisis.
- Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure: The loss of $350 million in funding will likely lead to job losses within the New Jersey Department of Health, Department of Human Services, local health departments, and contracted health service providers. These cuts will not only impact employment but will also reduce the capacity of health professionals to respond to ongoing and emerging health threats.
These cuts are occurring alongside anticipated reductions in Medicaid funding and medical research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), further compounding the strain on New Jersey’s health care system. Medicaid provides critical health care access to low-income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.^[4] Any reduction in funding will place an additional financial burden on hospitals and health care providers, forcing them to cut services or shift costs to state and local governments.

The Department of Health and Human Services has justified these cuts by stating that ”the COVID-19 pandemic is over.”^[5] However, this funding has long since evolved and has been approved beyond pandemic response and become a cornerstone of public health programs that protect the most vulnerable and ensure public safety. The reality is that infectious disease outbreaks, mental health crises, and addiction epidemics are ongoing public health emergencies that require sustained investment.

If these cuts are allowed to proceed, the consequences will be severe and immediate. Health programs will be dismantled, services will be terminated midstream, and the burden of these cuts will fall disproportionately on low-income communities, seniors, and individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. In addition, closing regional HHS offices and laying off thousands of public health professionals will weaken the federal government’s ability to respond to future health crises.^[6]

We strongly urge you to reconsider this decision and reinstate this funding in full. Public health should not be a partisan issue—investments in health infrastructure save lives, reduce long-term health care costs, and ensure that states have the resources necessary to address ongoing and emerging health threats. New Jersey, like many other states, cannot afford to bear the consequences of these ill-advised cuts.

We hope you will recognize the critical need for this funding and take immediate action to reverse this decision. We stand ready to work together to ensure that all Americans have access to the health care services they need and deserve.

MIL OSI USA News –
April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Polis: It’s Not ‘Liberation Day’ But Sadly Recession Day as Trump Creates Biggest Tax Hike in U.S. History

Source: US State of Colorado

DENVER – Colorado Governor Jared Polis released a statement on President Trump’s latest tariff tax hike.

“I am deeply saddened by this Trump tax hike that increases costs on everything while also increasing the size of government by charging people more. These deeply damaging tariffs are sending the market in a downward spiral, hurting businesses, devastating manufacturing, and damaging our economy, which will lead to more inflation and recession fears,” said Governor Polis. “I urge Colorado’s members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to reject these tariffs, which will raise the cost of groceries, housing, and much more for hardworking Coloradans.”

Gov. Polis has been an outspoken opponent of the President’s tariffs, urging the federal government to focus on free trade and expanding American-made products. Gov. Polis hosted a Colorado-Canada friendship day with the state’s largest trading partner.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Graves and Mann Introduce Legislation to Provide Reliable & Affordable Energy to Missouri, Kansas Families

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sam Graves (6th District of Missouri)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) and Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01) have introduced legislation to help provide stable energy rates and a reliable energy grid to states in the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA), including Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

“Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities have worked with the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) to provide affordable and reliable electricity to Missouri families for over 80 years,” said Rep. Graves. “But the way SWPA is set up, droughts and other disruptions can cause rate spikes that are passed on to co-ops and municipalities that have no choice but to increase electric rates on Missouri families. This common sense legislation creates a revolving fund to fix that problem—giving SWPA the stable funding necessary to avoid costly rate spikes, and lower customer rates.”

“For more than eight decades, the Southwestern Power Administration has allowed rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities to provide reliable, affordable energy to Kansans,” said Rep. Mann. “Under the current funding structure, SWPA has not had the flexibility to make necessary investments into their infrastructure. As a result, when natural disasters and bad weather limit the Administration’s ability to produce power, replacement power has to be purchased, and that cost is absorbed by everyday Kansans. Establishing a revolving fund for SWPA ensures that they can continue to invest in their infrastructure while providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy to Kansas families and rural communities like those in the Big First.”

The SWPA, part of the Department of Energy, markets power produced by federal hydropower projects, including Clarence Cannon Dam and Harry S. Truman Dam, to electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act would give the SWPA the authority to operate on a self-funding, revolving Treasury fund to help provide long-term stability to SWPA. This would provide the certainty and stable funding SWPA needs to avoid drastic and unnecessary spikes in power rates charged to electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in an extreme or multi-year regional drought.

The Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act is supported by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Missouri Public Utilities Association, Southwestern Power Resources Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and American Public Power Association.

“Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives thank Congressman Graves for leading this effort to provide more reliable and affordable electricity for Missouri families. When no one else would, Missouri’s electric cooperatives answered the call to provide power to every farm and every home in every corner of this state. Now, this bill ensures we can keep providing affordable, reliable electric service to Missouri families for decades to come.” – Caleb Jones, CEO/Executive Vice President of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives

“MPUA commends Congressman Graves for championing this forward-thinking legislation, which preserves Missouri’s legacy of affordable, renewable energy, while strengthening its future. The Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act is a foundational step in modernizing federal hydropower and ensuring its long-term reliability. This bill will help secure cost-based power for generations to come. We look forward to collaborating with Congressman Graves to advance this important legislation. – Steven Stodden, President & CEO, Missouri Public Utilities Association

“Federal hydropower is a vital, reliable renewable energy source for the state of Missouri and throughout the region. We are grateful for Congressman Graves’ support for this legislation that will help cut unnecessary red tape and keep energy prices affordable for the members we serve.” – Brian Ackermann, SPRA Board President and Vice President of Portfolio Management at Associated Electric Cooperative

“Federal hydropower is a reliably renewable generation resource. This legislation recognizes the value of protecting that resource throughout the six-state region, making sure that these important assets are maintained. This legislation would go a long way toward ensuring grid reliability and affordably throughout the region for millions of homes, farms and small businesses. I thank Congressman Graves for introducing this important bill that represents good business sense.” – Nicki Fuller, Executive Director, Southwestern Power Resources Association

“NRECA supports the Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act. The self-financed revolving loan fund authorized by this bill would allow the Southwestern Power Administration to better manage infrastructure needs while being more responsive to market conditions and electric demands created by extreme weather events.” – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

“The American Public Power Association applauds the introduction of the Southwestern Power Fund Establishment Act. Since 1943, not-for-profit public power utilities and rural electric cooperatives have successfully partnered with the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) to bring reliable hydropower produced at Army Corps dams to millions of customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. While SWPA customers pay all costs of generating and transmitting the electricity in their power rates, a complicated funding process has increasingly failed to provide the financial certainty necessary to steady power rates to customers during drought and extreme weather events. The Southwestern Power Fund Establishment Act would streamline this process in a manner that would help avoid rate spikes and economic hardship for communities served by public power utilities and rural electric cooperatives while continuing to ensure that SWPA customers pay all costs associated with generating and transmitting hydropower produced at Corps dams. It is a win-win for the federal government and communities served by not-for-profit electric utilities.” – American Public Power Association

You can find the full text of the legislation here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON TRUMP GUTTING UNION RIGHTS

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

Boston, MA – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:

Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to stand up for working class Americans. They lied. Instead of lowering the high cost of living, Republicans are attacking everyday Americans and crashing the economy in real time.

The freedom to negotiate, join a union and collectively bargain for a living wage is a central part of achieving the American dream for many in this country. We will defend at all times the right to organize.

The late-night decision by Donald Trump to gut workers rights and union-bust makes clear that Republicans are hell bent on undermining the quality of life of working class Americans. As a direct result of the Republican assault on the federal workforce, tax refunds, veterans benefits and Social Security checks will be delayed or wrongfully halted.

Republicans are driven by their intense desire to reward Elon Musk and their billionaire donors with a massive tax cut and then stick working class Americans with the bill. House Democrats will continue to stand with everyday Americans, including our hardworking government employees, and oppose the far-right extreme agenda in Congress and in the Courts.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “THE VOTERS REJECTED DONALD TRUMP, THEY REJECTED ELON MUSK AND THEY REJECTED THE RAPIDLY DETERIORATING REPUBLICAN BRAND”

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

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell where he emphasized that Democrats will continue to stand up for everyday Americans and push back against Republican efforts to break Social Security in order to give tax breaks to Elon Musk and their billionaire donors.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Joining us now is House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. There is so much to talk about. Let’s begin as we wait for a victory speech in Wisconsin with what you’re seeing in those special elections in Florida for two House seats?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening, Lawrence. Great to be with you. It was an incredible overperformance by the two Democratic candidates in two ruby-red districts, Florida-1, which Donald Trump won by 37 points and Florida-6, where Joshua Weil ran a great campaign in a district that Donald Trump had just won by 30 points. And what we’re seeing, of course, is something that we’ve seen all across the country since the early special elections that began in late January, and that is Democratic energy and overperformance, coupled with Independent swing voters and even moderate Republicans breaking for the Democratic candidate and rejecting the extremism, the outrageous behavior of this administration and their effort to harm everyday Americans.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: As you look at the Wisconsin result, this was something I did not expect to be discussing with you during this hour tonight. We expected this to be a closer race. We expected the call to come much later in the evening. We saw Elon Musk personally go out there. We saw him hand million dollar checks to voters trying to literally buy the election right there in Wisconsin. What does it tell Republican Members of the House of Representatives who were counting on Elon Musk to get them re-elected?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s time for them to walk away from this unelected, unpopular, unhinged and un-American billionaire puppet master. Elon Musk was just rejected decisively by the voters of Wisconsin. He tried to spend his unlimited resources to buy a state Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin, and it failed spectacularly. The voters rejected Donald Trump. They rejected Elon Musk, and they rejected the rapidly deteriorating Republican brand. We have to continue as Democrats to make it clear to everyday Americans that we are fighting to build an affordable economy and to drive down the high cost of living, while at the same time pushing back against Republican extremism and their efforts to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut Medicaid and undermine our democracy and the American way of life. Clearly, the American people are with us as it relates to what they are seeing in Washington, D.C., and we’ve now seen this in special elections in January, in February, in March, just recently in Pennsylvania and now, of course, decisively in April in Wisconsin.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: I want to ask you about what feels like a related event, especially at this hour, a related event to what voters are saying in these elections tonight. And that is what happened in the United States Senate today. And I worked in the Senate for many years, seven or eight years. And I can say that the Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives, never once set foot in the Senate chamber when I was there. All House Members, of course, as we know, have Floor privileges in the Senate. They can come in whenever they want to. It was extremely rare to see a House Member there. You were there today. Why did you decide to go there today? And what did it feel like to witness what turned out to be the history that Senator Cory Booker made in the Senate chamber today?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It was a very powerful experience. I had the opportunity to visit the Senate chamber twice, initially earlier in the day, just to express my support and solidarity for Cory, who I’ve known a long time, we got started in politics around the same period of time, him in Newark, New Jersey, and myself across the river in Brooklyn, New York. We were in law school around the same time. And I’ve long admired him. But today was really Senator Cory Booker taking it to the next level on behalf of the American people. And indeed, I would argue, Lawrence, the free world. And so it was powerful to be on the Senate Floor with him earlier today. But then when it became clear that he had a chance to break Strom Thurmond’s record, I decided to change my schedule so I could be back on the Senate Floor to witness that history. Because here you have this incredible juxtaposition of Strom Thurmond having previously delivered the longest speech in Senate history in defense of Jim Crow and racial oppression, and Cory Booker, an African American man, defending democracy and the American way of life in the face of Trump’s extremism. Breaking that record was just powerful to witness. And, you know, Senator Booker’s speech was strong. It was substantive. But perhaps what was most touching about it was that it was soulful. It was authentic. It came from his heart. Of course, the brilliance of his mind. But it came from his heart.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Yeah. It was the most fully authentic Cory Booker that I’ve ever seen. And I think there’s something about that 25 hours that wears as a person down and he was standing out there with no defenses that you might bring to other sort of public speaking events. And it was really an astonishing thing to watch. One of the things he was concentrating on, and one of the things that he was getting and all the emails that are being sent to him from around the country, was fear of what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are going to do to Social Security, and that is a fear that is as powerful as a voter could have in terms of an attachment to an important public program, the most popular public program in American governing history. I gotta think, even when you get to judicial elections in Wisconsin, if people are afraid of what’s going to happen to Social Security. They’re not going to be voting for the side that’s trying to knock it down.

LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely correct. And this is an area where there’s a clear distinction between what Democrats are all about and Republicans. We want to protect and strengthen Social Security. It’s an earned benefit. The American people have paid into Social Security throughout their entire working life. And the nerve of these Republicans, led by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who want to take a chainsaw to Social Security, the most important anti-poverty program for older Americans ever invented, which also happens to be this earned benefit. And why they want to decimate Social Security? Because they want to actually give massive tax cuts to their billionaire donors, people like Elon Musk. And so I thought what Senator Booker did today was incredibly powerful in speaking to this issue. And as you know, Lawrence, in the House, we had a Democratic-led hearing on Social Security, the threats that it is under and our commitment as Democrats to protect it.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: And you did—I watched some of that hearing. And you did something at that hearing—I know you were present at the hearing—that Republicans would never do. You actually listened to Social Security recipients and people whose lives could not work without their Social Security check. There was a woman who testified. I saw her testifying that her Social Security check is $1,500 a month, $1,500 a month. And without that, she would be homeless and the stakes identified by the actual beneficiaries in that hearing were as clear and as powerful as you could ask for.

LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely right. It’s one thing to say, and it is in fact true that there are a little over 70 million people who rely on Social Security as a major source of income, half of whom live by themselves here in the United States of America. But when you actually hear from people whose very life will be impacted and short-changed, possibly just cut short, in terms of their ability to live with the dignity and respect that every American deserves is very powerful. Republicans have no interest in these Americans telling their stories, which is why, as House Democrats, we will continue week after week to hold hearings. This is the third in a series of hearings that we’ve held. Initially it was on Medicaid. Last week we had a hearing on nutritional assistance and the fact that Republicans are literally trying to rip food out of the mouths of babies and children in this country. Today, Social Security and we’re going to continue to stay on this case.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: I mean, on the subject of Social Security. I would have to think that it was a factor in the results we’re seeing in those congressional races, those House races in Florida tonight.

LEADER JEFFRIES: There’s no doubt about it. You know, Elon Musk was also very involved in these Florida races. And notwithstanding the fact that these are safe Republican districts, the results that we have seen can be interpreted, we believe, as a rejection of him and his extremism as well. This is somebody who has said he wants to take a chainsaw to Social Security, and he’s called Social Security a Ponzi scheme. It’s not a Ponzi scheme, Elon. He’s a living, breathing Ponzi scheme. Project 2025 is a Ponzi scheme. And that’s what the voters clearly believe increasingly all across the country. One point, Lawrence, that should have my Republican colleagues quaking in their boots—in the Florida-6 race, which was a Trump plus 30 district where margin was cut in half and we’ll see where it ultimately lands. But we know at minimum, it was cut in half to around 15 or 16 points. There are 60 Republicans in the House of Representatives who currently represent districts where Trump did worse than 15 or 16 points, and every single one of those districts, there’s now a target on the backs of those House Republicans.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for joining us on this important night, I really appreciate it.

Full interview can be watched here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “WE ARE STANDING TOGETHER IN OPPOSITION TO THE GOP TAX SCAM”

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

Washington, DC – Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press availability with Senate Democratic Leader Schumer and House and Senate Democratic leaders where they made clear that Democrats are united in pushing back against the reckless Republican tax scheme.

Leader Jeffries: We just completed a very good meeting between House Democratic leadership and Senate Democratic leadership. We are standing together in defense of the American people. House Democrats and Senate Democrats are fighting hard to build an affordable economy that works for everyday Americans and drives down the high cost of living in this country. At the same period of time, Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to lower the high cost of living. But costs aren’t going down, they are going up. Inflation is going up under the Republicans here in the Congress and the Trump administration, while at the same time the stock market is collapsing, eroding the retirement security of the American people.

Democrats are focused on driving down the high cost of living. Republicans are crashing the economy in real time and driving us toward a recession. House and Senate Democrats are united in defending Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits and nutritional assistance for our children and our families, while Republicans are trying to take these things away, stealing taxpayer dollars so they can jam a massive tax break for Elon Musk and their billionaire donors down the throats of the American people. We are standing together in opposition to the GOP tax scam and in defense of the American people.

Full press availability can be found here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “REPUBLICANS ARE CRASHING THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IN REAL TIME AND DRIVING US TO A RECESSION”

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

Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to push back against far-right extremism, including Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs which will increase costs on the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning everyone. From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have continued to make clear that we are fighting hard to build an affordable economy that drives down the high cost of living for everyday Americans because the cost of living in America is too high. Housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, childcare costs are too high, utility costs are too high and insurance costs are too high. America is too expensive. Donald Trump and House Republicans aren’t doing anything about the affordability crisis in the United States of America.

We were told that grocery costs were going to go down on day one of the Trump presidency. Costs aren’t going down in America, they’re going up. And the Trump tariffs are going to make things more costly in the United States of America. House Republicans, Senate Republicans and Donald Trump haven’t done a single thing to lower the cost of living in this country. Not a single bill. Not a single executive order. Not a single administrative action has been done by Donald Trump, House Republicans or Senate Republicans to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America. In fact, Republicans are crashing the American economy in real time and driving us to a recession. This is not Liberation Day. It’s Recession Day in the United States of America. That’s what the Trump tariffs are going to do—crash the economy, which has been happening since January 20 of this year. And the American people are taking note of it in community after community after the community.

But it gets worse. Not only have Republicans failed to do anything to drive down the high cost of living in the United States of America, they are trying to take healthcare away from the American people and end Social Security as we know it. Our response to that Republican effort: not on our watch. We’re working hard to save Medicaid and strengthen and protect Social Security from Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the extreme MAGA Republicans who are on the run. They’re on the run on the economy. They’re on the run legislatively. Yesterday, they got out of town before sundown cause they have no agenda to make life better for the American people. And they’re on the run politically, which as Democrats we’ve been saying since January and now apparently other people are starting to catch up.

Full press conference can be watched here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Statement by Minister Todd McClay following U.S. tariff announcement

Source: New Zealand Government

“Today the U.S. has announced a 10 per cent tariff on all imports of good, with many countries facing much higher tariffs on a reciprocal basis. New Zealand exporters will face a 10 per cent tariff rate from this weekend. While this is a significant development, New Zealand remains competitive against other exporters in the U.S. market.

New Zealand’s interests are best served in a world where trade flows freely. Tariffs have consequences for the global economy – impacting inflation, demand, currency stability, and economic growth.

While these tariffs create additional costs that will largely be passed on to consumers, New Zealand is in a stronger position than many other countries, some who are facing higher tariff barriers. This reinforces the importance of our work to create new trade opportunities and reduce barriers for our exporters in the EU, UK, UAE, GCC and most recently India.

New Zealand’s bilateral relationship with the U.S. remains strong. We will be talking with the Administration to get more information, and our exporters to better understand the impact this announcement will have.

We will continue to advocate for a rules-based trading system.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: King Releases Statement on New Tariff Proposals, Emergency Tariffs on Canadian Goods

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Angus King released the following statement after the White House announced sweeping new tariffs, and the Senate voted on a resolution dissolving the national emergency at the northern border imposing tariffs placed on Canada in February. The bill passed the Senate in a 51-48 vote:
“Today, the White House announced sweeping new tariffs that will upend our economy, increase the cost of consumer goods, and isolate the United States on the global stage. The announcement comes on the same day as the Senate voted in a bipartisan manner to undo a demonstrably false national emergency on the northern border which the President used to impose tariffs on our northern neighbor.
“Canada is not only our neighbor, but it is also our ally and strategic economic partner. As Maine people, we have family, friends and business associates across the border that we work and socialize with in our daily lives.
“The partnership between our two nations supports countless industries, creates millions of jobs and helps ensure our shared economic successes. In fact, annually, Maine exports more than $1.8 billion in goods to Canada and provides $233 million in services to our close neighbors. That is a significant part of our state’s economy.
“The Senate vote today underlines the lack of any basis for asserting a national emergency on our northern border. The claim that these tariffs are a retaliation against drug trafficking doesn’t pass the straight face test – fentanyl seizures at the United States-Canada border make up a tenth of a percent of Customs and Border Protection seizures of this dangerous drug. To make things worse, a tariff hike based on a false narrative would have drastic costs for American households, especially those closest to the border. Launching a trade war with Canada will harm Maine families and many key industries our state relies upon like the lobster fishery and agriculture.
“As co-chair of the bicameral, bipartisan American-Canadian Economy and Security (ACES) Caucus, I will always vote to protect our economy and partnership with Canada. But I’m also committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect Maine people and Americans from harmful policies that threaten existing relationships with our strongest allies.”

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen: Extreme Trump Tariffs on All Imported Goods Amount to a National Sales Tax That Will Punish Granite State Families and Small Businesses

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement in response to President Trump imposing 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods, with far higher taxes on many more countries:
“President Trump’s extreme, sweeping tariffs amount to a national sales tax—which may be the largest tax increase during peacetime in U.S. history—that will indeed punish Granite State families, consumers and small businesses the most. Instead of focusing on how to lower costs for families who are struggling to make ends meet, the President is insistent on starting an unnecessary trade war.
“Make no mistake: hardworking Americans—not foreign nations—will be forced to pick up the tab. And in the President’s own words, he ‘couldn’t care less’ if prices go up.
“If the impact here at home wasn’t enough, the President’s reckless tariffs will harm our global standing – weakening our national security and fueling China’s growth. To punish families with higher prices while driving our trading partners towards one of our top adversaries is simply putting America Last.
“Families will foot the bill so that the administration can pay for tax cuts for billionaires. The President must immediately reverse course before he isolates America further and runs our economy into the ground.”
Economists and business leaders alike have said broad tariffs could stoke further inflation, worsen the risk of a recession and raise prices on consumers.
In recent weeks, Senator Shaheen has traveled across the Granite State to hear from multiple small business owners—including C&J, DCI Furniture, Mount Cabot Maple and American Calan Inc.—about how President Trump’s threat of sweeping tariffs has already harmed their ability to maintain current operations, let alone grow and compete.
Last month, Shaheen invited Rebecca Hamilton, the co-owner and co-CEO of Badger in Gilsum, New Hampshire, to be her guest for President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress. Badger is one of many New Hampshire small businesses that will be badly hit by today’s tariffs. A day prior, Shaheen took to the Senate floor to call for unanimous consent to pass her legislation—the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act. If Republicans had not blocked passage, Shaheen’s bill would have shielded American consumers and businesses from rising prices and higher taxes caused by President Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI: Acceleware Ltd. Reports Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial and Operating Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CALGARY, Alberta, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Acceleware^® Ltd. (“Acceleware” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: AXE), a leading innovator of transformative technologies targeting the decarbonization of industrial process heat, today announced its financial and operating results for the year ended December 31, 2024 (all figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted). Acceleware’s results reflect contributions from the Company’s two business units, radio frequency (“RF”) heating for industrial applications using the Company’s proprietary Clean Tech Inverter (“CTI”) including enhanced oil recovery (“RF XL”), and scientific high-performance computing (“HPC”). This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and the accompanying notes for the year ended December 31, 2024 and management’s discussion and analysis (“MDA”) with respect thereto, all of which are available on Acceleware’s website at www.acceleware.com or on www.sedarplus.ca.

HIGHLIGHTS

Financial highlights for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024:

		Three Months Ended		Twelve Months Ended
		Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023
Revenue	$	1,918,077	43,590	5,233,033	279,011
Comprehensive income/ (loss)		851,242	617,748	2,001,685	(2,045,373	)
Gross R&D expenditures		581,071	684,437	2,872,982	2,872,982
Government assistance		–	2,064,434	1,227,929	2,618,242

Acceleware is piloting RF XL at its commercial-scale RF XL pilot project at Marwayne, Alberta (the “RF XL Pilot”). During 2024, the RF XL Pilot was shut down awaiting redeployment of upgraded subsurface components designed to address limitations encountered in the first phase of heating. Please refer to the RF XL PILOT UPDATE section below for more information, and to the MDA for a complete RF XL Pilot update.

Based on results to date, Acceleware remains confident that RF XL will become viable as a differentiated technology in the effort to reduce production costs and decarbonize heavy oil and oil sands production. In 2024, the Company’s operations team continued data analysis, “history-matching” simulations and other analyses of operational data from tests in 2022. The analysis provides evidence that the operation of the RF XL Pilot resulted in sustained heating of the formation around the heating well prior to the pause in operations for maintenance and inspection. In particular, the Company successfully injected RF power into the heating well for over 200 days — a significant milestone and something that has never been achieved before. Also of note is that the CTI successfully operated for seven consecutive months at a variety of power levels and operating conditions during this time.

In the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company worked closely with industry partners to refine the next iteration of the RF XL subsurface system to address technical issues that were illuminated during the first phase of heating at the RF XL Pilot. This redesign work is now complete and ready for manufacturing and deployment. During 2024 the Company confirmed that the expected cost to redeploy the upgraded design at Marwayne would be approximately $5 million including contingency. In December 2024, the Company announced that it had secured a total of up to $1.3 million in non-dilutive funding from the Clean Resource Innovation Network (“CRIN”) for the next phase of the RF XL Pilot, contingent on the Company sourcing the remaining $3.7 million. To this end, the Company also secured an RF XL consulting contract from an oil and gas operator (whose identity remains confidential), the net proceeds of which will be applied to RF XL development. The Company has identified several additional industry and government potential funders and is in discussions with them. The purpose of the next phase of the RF XL Pilot is to enable higher power to be distributed in the reservoir for a sustained period, resulting in higher reservoir temperatures and oil production, to advance the potential commercial viability of RF XL technology.

In addition to development work, and with results gained from RF XL deployment in Marwayne to date, Management has also initiated a strategic review of the commercialization plan for RF XL. The process involved analyzing various heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs in western Canada, considering RF XL test results and analyses conducted to date, with the goal of determining the optimal resources for the demonstration of commercial viability of RF XL. These reservoirs included not only the vast McMurray oil sands, but also heavy oil plays including the Clearwater in north-central Alberta, the Bluesky in west-central Alberta, and the Mannville Stack in eastern Alberta and western Saskatchewan. The review process has led Management to conclude that heavy oil plays offer the greatest near-term potential for commercializing RF XL, due to lower initial capital cost per well, ability to scale from one-to-many heating wells, lower operating cost to effectively decrease viscosity, and the potential for significant incremental production and ultimate recovery to make uneconomic resources economic. Once proven in heavy oil, Management believes the oil sands will offer significant market expansion potential.

In Q1 2025, Acceleware’s board of directors approved a Management proposal to investigate (in parallel with continued effort to progress a second phase of heating at Marwayne) the opportunity for Acceleware, as an operator, to acquire a suitable heavy oil property, and thereafter apply RF XL as a secondary recovery method to improve the property’s production, cashflow, ultimate recovery and asset valuation. Should this investigation ultimately lead to a decision to “green light” an undertaking of this nature based on its economic merits, Acceleware would benefit from the valuation enhancement brought about by RF XL. Management has commenced its investigation as of the date of this news release.

Beyond enhanced recovery of heavy oil, Acceleware believes EM Powered Heat and the CTI can economically decarbonize many industrial heating verticals through electrification. Immediate application of electrification in industrial heating is critical in the clean energy transition. Acceleware has established initiatives, and is in discussions to pursue other initiatives, to develop CTI powered prototypes for applications in industries such as mining and mineral processing, concrete, carbon capture, agri-food drying, hydrogen and other clean fuels production.

Acceleware continues to work toward securing a contract to complete Phase 3 of a potash ore drying project from the International Minerals Innovation Institute (“IMII”). The findings of Phase 2 were presented to IMII in July 2024, and the Company continues to conduct paid testing with the system. Phase 3 of the project would include the design, construction and testing of a larger shop-scale demonstration dryer. IMII, a non-profit organization jointly funded by industry and government, is committed to developing and implementing innovative education, training, research and development partnerships to support a world-class minerals industry. IMII’s minerals industry members include BHP, Cameco Corporation, Fission Uranium Corp., The Mosaic Company and Nutrien Ltd.

The Company has 28 patents granted or allowed to protect various proprietary technologies and 32 patent applications pending or under development. The Company uses an integrated strategy for IP protection involving a combination of patenting and trade secrets, working closely with the patent offices and intellectual property advisors.

RF XL PILOT UPDATE

Consistent with the last update, Acceleware plans to continue a second phase of heating after completing a proposed significant subsurface design upgrade to address the moisture ingress issue. Prior to the next phase of heating, all RF XL subsurface components will be removed, refurbished, or upgraded, and then redeployed. This plan was developed in consultation with industry partners and service providers and among the alternatives examined, it is expected to have the highest probability of achieving higher power injected into the reservoir for a sustained period. During 2024 the engineering team worked to solidify plans and estimate costs. An estimated additional $5 million of funding is required to complete the redeployment including contingency, and Acceleware is actively working to raise these funds. Acceleware has secured $1.3 million partial funding for the redeployment conditional on securing the balance of the funds from industry partners or other sources. The final timing and cost of the redeployment and subsequent heating is uncertain and remains primarily dependent on financing, partner investment, the time required to source the remaining financing, and the successful deployment of repairs and components. Planned upgrades have been specifically designed to eliminate the moisture ingress issue. In addition, measures will be taken to add resilience to the system to ensure long-term operation if moisture does return. Upgrades will also be made to enhance the performance of the CTI function, including providing more accurate monitoring of broadband voltage, current and power.

Total direct funding received for the first phase of the RF XL Pilot was $24.4 million and included $5.9 million from Alberta Innovates, $5.5 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (“SDTC”), $5.0 million from Emissions Reduction Alberta (“ERA”), $3.0 million from CRIN and $5.0 million in aggregate from three oil sands operators. See discussion below in Financial Summary. In exchange for funding, the oil sands operators received exclusive access to detailed technical data and test results, prioritized rights to host a subsequent test, preferred pricing on pre-commercial products and preferred access to RF XL products. These major oil sands producers represent well over one million barrels of oil sands and heavy oil production per day.

QUARTER IN REVIEW

Revenue of $1.9 million was recorded in the three months ended December 31, 2024 (“Q4 2024”) compared to $44 thousand in the three months ended December 31, 2023 (“Q4 2023”) and $3.3 million in the previous quarter ended September 30, 2024 (“Q3 2024”). Revenue in Q4 2024 included $1.9 million related to the RF XL Pilot. Deferred revenue related to a contract with one oil sands producer was recognized when all deliverables were provided.

Total comprehensive income for Q4 2024 was $0.9 million compared to a comprehensive income of $0.8 million for Q4 2023 and comprehensive income of $1.2 million for Q3 2024. Comprehensive income in Q4 2024 and Q3 2024 was higher due to revenue related to the RF XL Pilot, while positive comprehensive income in Q4 2023 was due to higher government assistance for R&D. Finance expenses in Q4 2024 and Q4 2023 include interest expense on notes payable which are funding the Company’s working capital. Comprehensive income in all periods was impacted by changes in value of the derivative financial instruments embedded within the convertible debenture. The changes in derivative value are driven primarily by the fluctuation in the Company’s share price.

Gross R&D expenses incurred in Q4 2024 were $0.6 million compared to $0.7 million in Q4 2023 and $0.5 million in Q3 2024. R&D spending in Q4 2024 was principally related to the IMII dryer for potash ore and included lab engineering, designing and testing, data analysis, and partner consultations. R&D spending in Q4 2023 was related to the RF XL Pilot. There was $nil government assistance received in Q4 2024 and $2.1 million in Q4 2023 and $0.7 million in Q3 2024. The Company received the final CRIN payment of $0.3 million in Q3 2024 and the final ERA holdback payment of $0.2 million. The Government of Alberta’s Innovation Employment Grant (“IEG”) to support research and development was effective January 1, 2021 and provides a grant of up to 20% of eligible R&D expenses incurred in Alberta. This new grant effectively replaced Alberta’s 10% scientific research and experimental development refundable tax credit that was eliminated as at December 31, 2019. The Company met the eligibility criteria, claimed eligible R&D expenditures and received $0.3 million in Q3 2024 related to 2023 eligible expenditures, received $0.1 million in the three months ended September 30, 2023 related to 2022 eligible expenditures, and $0.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2023 related to 2021 eligible expenditures. Government assistance is recorded as a reduction of R&D expenses.

G&A expenses incurred in Q4 2024 were $315 thousand compared to $579 thousand in Q4 2023 and $446 thousand in Q3 2024. There were lower non-cash payroll related costs incurred in Q4 2024 due to the timing of option grants and lower salaries as the Company continues to prioritize cost control given uncertain economic conditions.

YEAR IN REVIEW

Revenue of $5.2 million was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $279 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2023. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 included $4.75 million services revenue related to the RF XL Pilot and $322 thousand in services revenue related to the potash drying project. Revenue was recognized for the RF XL Pilot as all milestones were completed under Project Funding Agreements for two oil sands producers while a third oil sands producer terminated its Project Funding Agreement triggering revenue recognition of previously received milestone payments.

Total comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $2.0 million compared to comprehensive loss of $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was due to higher revenue as noted above, despite lower government assistance for R&D. There were fluctuations in both periods related to changes in fair value of the derivative financial instruments embedded in convertible debentures.

Gross R&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $2.3 million compared to $2.9 million incurred during the year ended December 31, 2023 due to higher R&D activity in the first half of 2023 related to the final on site activities associated with the RF XL Pilot. Federal and provincial government assistance of $1.2 million was recognized in the year ended December 31, 2024. This was lower than the $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 when the RF XL Pilot on-site activities wrapped up. R&D net of government assistance was $1.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $255 thousand in the year ended December 31, 2023.

General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses incurred during the year ended December 31, 2024 were $1.6 million compared to $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to lower salaries and professional fees. The Company continues to prioritize cost management, while it works on sourcing financing alternatives.

As at December 31, 2024, Acceleware had negative working capital of $3.4 million (December 31, 2023 – negative working capital of $2.0 million) including cash and cash equivalents of $272 thousand (December 31, 2023 – $1.0 million). The increase in negative working capital is attributable to the decrease in cash as well as an increase in short term notes payable, and an increase in deferred management compensation.

In the interests of matching cash requirements with a combination of cash generated from operations, external funding, and capital raising activities, the Company actively manages its cash flow and investments in new products. Acceleware intends to maximize cash generated from operations through several initiatives which include continuing to focus on higher gross margin software products that are marketed through a combination of direct and reseller models; minimizing operating expenses where possible; and limiting capital expenditures. As the Company continues to develop its RF Heating technology, new R&D investments will be financed through a combination of internal cash flow from the HPC business, project funding agreements, government assistance and external financing, when available.

ABOUT ACCELEWARE:

Acceleware is an innovator of clean-tech decarbonization technologies comprised of two business units: Radio Frequency Heating Technology and Seismic Imaging Software.

Acceleware is piloting RF XL, its patented low-cost, low-carbon production technology for heavy oil and oil sands that is materially different from any heavy oil recovery technique used today. Acceleware’s vision is that electrification of heavy oil and oil sands production can be made possible through RF XL, supporting a transition to much cleaner energy production that can quickly bend the emissions curve downward. With clean electricity, Acceleware’s RF XL technology could eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with heavy oil and oil sands production. RF XL uses no water, requires no solvent, has a small physical footprint, can be redeployed from site to site, and can be applied to a multitude of reservoir types. Acceleware is also actively developing partnerships for RF heating of other industrial applications using the Company’s proprietary CTI.

Acceleware and Saa Dene Group (co-founded by Jim Boucher) have created Acceleware | Kisâstwêw to raise the profile, adoption, and value of Acceleware technologies. The shared vision of the partnership is to improve the environmental and economic performance of the energy sector by supporting ideals that are important to Indigenous peoples, including respect for land, water, and clean air.

The Company’s seismic imaging software solutions are state-of-the-art for high fidelity imaging, providing the most accurate and advanced imaging available for oil exploration in complex geologies. Acceleware is a public company listed on Canada’s TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol “AXE”.

NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND OTHER ADVISORIES

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally means information about an issuer’s business, capital, or operations that are prospective in nature, and includes disclosure about the issuer’s prospective financial performance or financial position.

The forward-looking information in this press release can be identified by terms such as “believes”, “estimates”, “plans”, “potential”, and “will”, and includes information about, the expected commercialization of RF XL, the expected cost of the RF XL Pilot, the timing of the execution of the RF XL Pilot and the redeployment, expected financing required for the RF XL Pilot redeployment, and the anticipated economic and societal benefits of the RF XL technology. Acceleware assumes that current cost estimates are accurate, current timelines will not be delayed by either internal or external causes, that research and development effort including the commercial-scale test plans will result in commercial-ready products, and that future capital raising efforts will be successful.

Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this press release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors are described in detail in Acceleware’s continuous disclosure documents, which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Acceleware assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this press release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this release in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

DISCLAIMER

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information:
Geoff Clark
Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099
geoff.clark@acceleware.com

Acceleware Ltd.
435 10^th Avenue SE
Calgary, AB, T2G 0W3
Canada
Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099
www.acceleware.com

The MIL Network –

April 3, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’: why the US is on a war footing over tariffs and mass deportations

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney

US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is doing little to enhance his country’s standing abroad. But it is helping to reinforce his political authority at home.

Congress and the courts are typically deferential to the president on foreign policy – and, in particular, issues related to national security. By putting most of his agenda under the banner of foreign policy, Trump is now taking advantage of that deference to minimise challenges to his power.

Trump has claimed for decades that US domestic problems can be solved with a more aggressive foreign policy.

This focus certainly helps him deal with his political problems, allowing him to attack his enemies and evade accountability under the guise of “saving the country”.

Trump has even gone so far as to call April 2 – when sweeping new tariffs are imposed on foreign goods – “Liberation Day”.

This is a term usually used to celebrate the end of long wars rather than the beginning of them.

Congress ceded its foreign policy powers

We are used to thinking of the US president as having almost unlimited power over US foreign policy. But the Constitution actually gives a lot of that power to Congress.

For example, Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. It also gives Congress the power to “collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises”, which include tariffs.

Given these shared responsibilities, the legal scholar Edward Corwin described the Constitution as “an invitation to struggle for the privilege of directing American foreign policy.”

Since at least the Second World War, the president has been decisively winning that struggle. Or more accurately, Congress has been declining invitations to use its power.

For example, American wars no longer begin with declarations. The US has not declared war since 1941, even though the country has been at war almost every year since then. Presidents instead initiate and escalate military conflict in other ways, nearly always with Congressional approval. That approval usually remains in place until a war goes badly wrong.

Congress also passed legislation in 1934 giving the president power to negotiate trade agreements and adjust tariffs. That power expanded significantly with an act in 1962 that authorised the president to impose tariffs if imports threaten “national security”.

Although Trump claims tariffs will bring economic prosperity back to the US by reviving manufacturing, his administration justifies them on national security grounds. For example, it is currently using another federal act passed in 1977 that allows tariffs in response to an international emergency as justification for its tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

Given the dubiousness of these justifications and the economic damage tariffs might do, Congress could try to reassert its constitutional power to set tariffs.

But this isn’t likely to happen soon, given the loyalty of Republicans to Trump. Members of Congress are also reluctant to be seen standing in the way of the president if national security is at stake.

One revelation of “Signalgate” was the fact the US bombed Yemen without even the pretext of an urgent national security reason. But the Congressional grilling of Trump’s intelligence leaders, predictably, did not address this.

The courts are no better

The courts are supposed to review the constitutionality of government actions. But on foreign policy, the courts have been deferential to the president even longer than Congress.

In a sweeping judgement in 1918, the Supreme Court wrote that foreign relations counted as a “political power” of the executive and legislative branches, not subject to judicial review.

The Supreme Court has rarely ruled on foreign policy questions since then. When it does, it nearly always supports the president against anyone challenging his right to make foreign policy, including Congress.

A federal judge recently complained the Trump administration ignored his order blocking deportation flights of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.

Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify deporting the Venezuelans, even though some have no criminal record.
And Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued the deportations were a “foreign policy matter”, and “we can’t have the judges running foreign policy”.

Mass deportation is one of Trump’s most popular policies. If he is going to pick fights with the judiciary, it makes political sense to do it on an issue where public opinion is on his side – even if the law is not.

Rubio’s comment is also a likely preview of the arguments Trump’s lawyers will make when cases about immigration reach the Supreme Court.

Similarly, the Trump’s administration is relying on the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act to deport protesters who have committed no crimes. This law allows the secretary of state to deport non-citizens if their presence in the US has “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences”.

Deportations under both acts are going to face legal challenges. But the Trump administration is betting the Supreme Court will take Trump’s side, given its conservative members generally hold an expansive view of executive power.

A Supreme Court win would be a major political victory for Trump. It would encourage him to focus even more on using deportation as a political weapon, and making foreign policy justifications for legally dubious acts.

War as a political tool

Trump is effectively putting the US on a war footing. He is justifying his executive actions by recasting allies as enemies who menace national security with everything from illegal drugs to unfair subsidies, and by labelling millions of foreign nationals as “invaders”.

Many Americans don’t believe him. But as long as he can make threatening foreigners the main focus of American politics, he can find political and legal support for almost anything he wants to do.

David Smith 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. Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’: why the US is on a war footing over tariffs and mass deportations – https://theconversation.com/trumps-liberation-day-why-the-us-is-on-a-war-footing-over-tariffs-and-mass-deportations-252808

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Wagner, Hill Commend SEC on Recent Rule Rollback, Encourage Commission to Review Further Harmful Rules

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (AR-02), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets Ann Wagner (MO-02), and all Republican members of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, sent a letter to Acting Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Mark Uyeda commending the Commission for its recent decision to rescind Staff Legal Bulletin (SLB) No. 14L. The lawmakers also used the letter to highlight additional challenges that remain within the Rule 14a-8 framework.

In the letter, Hill, Wagner, and Republican members of the Subcommittee stated, “The SEC’s core mission is to protect investors, maintain fair and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. The recent rescission of SLB 14L is a commendable action aligned with this mission. We encourage the Commission to build upon this progress by pursuing further reforms to Rule 14a-8 that will promote a shareholder proposal process that is both fair and focused on enhancing long-term shareholder value.

Read the full letter here or below.

Dear Acting Chair Uyeda,

We write to commend the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its recent decision to rescind Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L through the issuance of Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M on February 12, 2025. This action marks a significant step toward restoring balance in the shareholder proposal process and ensuring that proposals included in proxy statements are pertinent to shareholder value.

However, despite this positive development, challenges remain within the Rule 14a-8 framework. The politicization of the proxy process continues to place a substantial burden on public companies, drive up unnecessary costs for shareholders, and undermine the broader attractiveness of U.S. public markets. When shareholder proposals are driven by social and political agendas rather than issues directly tied to corporate performance, they erode investor confidence and divert resources away from long-term value creation. This not only harms the companies targeted but also retail investors, pension funds, and other market participants who rely on fair and efficient capital markets.

In addition to the broader politicization of the proxy process, the unchecked influence of proxy advisory firms, such as Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, continues to distort voting outcomes with little transparency or accountability. By imposing arbitrary voting thresholds, these firms override shareholder intent, disenfranchising the majority of investors who support management proposals. Despite their outsized influence, proxy advisory firms often issue blanket recommendations that fail to account for company-specific circumstances. Worse, their recommendations are rarely grounded in a substantive analysis of whether a given proposal serves the economic interests of shareholders, further eroding confidence in the process.

These challenges underscore the need for the SEC to take decisive action in regulating the proxy process. Given the ongoing litigation surrounding the SEC’s proxy advisor rules and the conflicting decisions from various circuit courts, we urge the SEC to reengage in defending its interpretation that proxy voting advice constitutes a “solicitation.” Reinforcing the agency’s authority to regulate proxy advisory firms is critical to ensuring accountability and restoring trust in the proxy process.

To further enhance the effectiveness and fairness of the shareholder proposal process, we urge the SEC to undertake a formal rulemaking to:

1. Restore the Shareholder Proposal Rule’s Original Intent by Keeping Politics Out of Proxy Statements: The SEC should formally recognize that corporate proxy statements are not the appropriate forum for partisan ideological debates. The shareholder proposal rule was designed to facilitate engagement on matters directly tied to a company’s business and financial performance, not as a tool for advancing broader social or political agendas. To restore this original intent, the SEC should amend Rule 14a-8 to clarify that companies may exclude shareholder proposals that do not directly relate to core business operations and financial performance.

2. Eliminate the Significant Policy Exception: The SEC should eliminate the so-called “significant policy exception” under Rule 14a-8(i)(7), a provision not explicitly stated in the rule but created through Commission-level guidance and SEC staff interpretation. This loophole allows activists to compel companies to include shareholder proposals on controversial political and social issues, even when they are not meaningfully tied to a company’s operations. The exception has increasingly been exploited to advance special interest agendas, resulting in an influx of proposals that detract from corporate governance and impose unnecessary costs on businesses and shareholders. Removing this loophole would help refocus the shareholder proposal process on issues that promote long-term shareholder value, rather than allowing it to become a tool for divisive political activism.

3. Increase Resubmission Thresholds: Raising the resubmission thresholds would prevent the recurrence of proposals that have been consistently rejected, ensuring that only those with substantial shareholder support are reconsidered.

4. Enhance Oversight of Proxy Advisory Firms: Establishing greater transparency and accountability standards for proxy advisory firms would ensure that their recommendations are accurate, free from conflicts of interest, and in the economic interest of shareholders.

5. End Robovoting Practices: Ensuring institutional investors conduct independent analyses before voting, rather than automatically following proxy advisory firm recommendations, is consistent with investors’ fiduciary duties and will protect shareholder interests.

The SEC’s recent actions are a step in the right direction, but the Commission must build on this momentum by implementing durable, substantive reforms through formal rulemaking. Ensuring that the proxy process serves the interests of all shareholders—not just a vocal minority with political agendas—is critical to maintaining the integrity and competitiveness of U.S. capital markets and supporting long-term value creation. Political debates should be left to Congress, not corporate proxy statements.

The SEC’s core mission is to protect investors, maintain fair and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation. The recent rescission of SLB 14L is a commendable action aligned with this mission. We encourage the Commission to build upon this progress by pursuing further reforms to Rule 14a-8 that will promote a shareholder proposal process that is both fair and focused on enhancing long-term shareholder value.

We appreciate your attention to this critical issue and look forward to working with the Commission to advance important, commonsense reforms to the proxy process.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Cleaver, Waters, Lynch Slam Trump Administration’s Reported Plans to Launch Dangerous Blockchain and Crypto Experiment Within HUD

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

“It is unclear how these technologies, which have not been widely adopted even by the real estate industry, would help HUD meet its mission.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, and Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence, slammed the Trump Administration following reporting that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is exploring ways to implement blockchain and cryptocurrency within the operations of the agency. In a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, the lawmakers warn of the risky nature of cryptocurrency, which remains an unregulated and highly volatile financial product. The lawmakers emphasize that if used in untested ways within critical federal housing programs, it could destabilize the housing market and harm hard-working families.

“We write in response to disconcerting reports that the Trump Administration is exploring ways to broadly apply unproven uses of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency (crypto) in the operations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),” wrote the lawmakers. “The federal government cannot allow under-regulated financial products to infiltrate critical housing programs, especially when they have already proven to be dangerous, speculative, and harmful to working families. It is unclear how these technologies, which have not been widely adopted even by the real estate industry, would help HUD meet its mission. Applying this technology to critical operations raises serious concerns about accountability, transparency, and harm to those relying on these housing programs. Rather than gambling America’s housing, the agency should focus on getting Congressionally appropriated funds back out to communities, addressing the affordable housing supply shortage, ending homelessness for over 771,000 people, and increasing homeownership for the millions of Americans who remain locked out by rising house prices and high interest rates.”

In the letter, the lawmakers emphasize that experimenting with crypto at HUD threatens triggering a repeat of the 2008 foreclosure crisis which was fueled by risky financial products. What’s more, following the Trump Administration’s recent actions to gut key agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), we stand at even greater risk of repeating the past and harming millions who rely on housing programs.

In addition, the lawmakers demand HUD halt any action on cryptocurrency until Congress establishes a comprehensive federal framework to ensure proper oversight and protect our nation’s consumers. The lawmakers conclude by encouraging HUD to redirect its resources to upholding the agency’s mission and addressing the worsening housing and homelessness crisis. They request prompt responses to a series of questions on these latest plans no later than April 8, 2025.

The official letter from lawmakers is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Demands Answers After Whistleblowers Accuse Management of Shocking Waste at Watchdog Agency

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

WASHINGTON – After whistleblowers asserted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) leadership made a series of wasteful and ill-advised financial decisions, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is demanding answers from the watchdog agency.
The allegations range from using federal funds for personal vacations under the guise of work trips, sweeping locality pay abuse, and even that a manager routinely used a “mouse-jiggler” to fake the appearance of work.
“As the following allegations illustrate, under then-Deputy Inspector General Tyler Smith’s guidance, the distinction between ‘growth’ and reckless spending appears increasingly blurred. Moreover, a series of wasteful and ill-advised financial decisions allegedly have placed your agency in a dire financial position, leading to decisions that reportedly have hindered its core investigative function,” wrote Ernst.
Click here to view the letter.
Background:
Ernst has doggedly investigated allegations of wrongdoing at the FDIC, the agency the FDIC OIG is tasked with conducting oversight of, and was one of the first senators to call for FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg’s resignation following reports of sexual harassment and discrimination at the agency.
In November 2023, she followed up by conducting critical oversight of this behavior at the FDIC and demanding any evidence of criminal wrongdoing by agency employees be turned over to the Department of Justice and local law enforcement for potential prosecution.
After a third-party investigation into the FDIC’s workplace culture, Ernst called for real consequences and the Department of Justice to investigate the agency from top to bottom. Even after this report, the Biden administration refused to immediately remove FDIC Chair Gruenberg.
In April 2024, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP (Cleary Gottlieb), the firm hired to investigate FDIC’s workplace issues, released its report documenting over 500 allegations of harassment and other egregious behavior and revealed one in ten FDIC employees reported some form of misconduct.
However, Cleary Gottlieb was precluded from directly investigating claims of misconduct to hold perpetrators accountable, instead focusing on policies and shortfalls giving rise to the culture. In November 2024, Ernst demanded that the FDIC investigate the more than 500 allegations of misconduct and harassment.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 3, 2025

Category: Economy

Direct and indirect impacts

What sectors has the US complained about?

How can Australia respond?

1. All avenues start with negotiations

2. Consultation

3. Find new markets

What has the government said?

Scottish Secretary focusses on jobs and investment in USA visit

Share this page

Updates to this page

Congress ceded its foreign policy powers

The courts are no better

War as a political tool

“It is unclear how these technologies, which have not been widely adopted even by the real estate industry, would help HUD meet its mission.”