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Category: Health

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 22nd, 2025 Heinrich Announces Committee Passage of $6.5 Million to Combat Crime, Save Lives, & Keep New Mexicans Safe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. With Committee approval of this bill, Heinrich secured support for over $6.5 million for nine local projects in New Mexico.

    “While this Appropriations bill isn’t perfect, it includes resources and investments I negotiated for New Mexico that will help our law enforcement officers solve and reduce violent crime, keep our communities safe, and save lives,” said Heinrich, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This legislation will allocate additional resources to investigate, respond to, and prevent crimes in Tribal communities, including funding to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Additionally, the bill creates a fentanyl tracking system, builds on my work to prevent firearm straw purchases and illegal gun trafficking, and makes opioid use disorder medications more accessible to New Mexicans. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will always fight for investments that put New Mexico communities first.”

    Next, the bill will be considered by the full United States Senate.

    Congressionally Directed Spending

    Heinrich successfully included $6,521,000 in investments for the following 9 local projects in the bill:

    • $1,668,000 for the New Mexico Statewide Sexual Assault Program to increase capacity at the Helpline and Work Force Trauma Institute.
    • $1,050,000 for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office for forensic analysis and crime scene reconstruction equipment.
    • $1,000,000 for the Las Cruces Police Department to establish an Evidence Processing Lab for local law enforcement agencies.
    • $908,000 for the Albuquerque Police Department to purchase crime scene processing equipment at the Metropolitan Forensic Science Center.
    • $629,000 for the City of Farmington to acquire forensic DNA and narcotics identification equipment, training, and personnel.
    • $533,000 for Eastern New Mexico University Campus to enhance lighting and safety on campus.
    • $350,000 for New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence to expand its youth gun violence prevention programs.
    • $268,000 for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office to purchase mobile security trailers.
    • $115,000 for Gallup Police Department to purchase crime scene reconstruction equipment.

    Additionally, Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $1,000,000 for the New Mexico Medical Investigator to enhance the DNA Processing Laboratory.

    Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Key Points and Highlights

    Combatting Crimes on Tribal Lands: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue to allocate additional resources to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, including providing sufficient funding to investigate, respond to, and prevent crimes in Tribal communities. Heinrich helped secure $95,000,000 within the Crime Victims Fund specifically for law enforcement efforts on Tribal lands and in order for federal, state, and tribal governments to coordinate on these critical public safety initiatives.

    Fentanyl Tracking System: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop a comprehensive fentanyl tracking system. That tracking system would include documentation of seizure location, chemical composition, probable or known manufacturing location, and probable or known point of entry into the United States. Currently, fentanyl interdiction is compiled at land ports of entry by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the DEA does not have readily accessible tracking data on the movement of illicit drugs within the U.S. or their point of origin. Requiring the compilation and organization of that data will complement DHS’ work and improve our country’s work to effectively combat the fentanyl crisis.

    Firearm Straw Purchases Prevention: Heinrich successfully included language calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to continue its public awareness campaign to reduce firearm straw purchases at the retail level and to educate would-be straw purchasers of the penalties associated with knowingly participating in an illegal firearm purchase. This language builds on Heinrich’s work to negotiate and author the provision in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that increased criminal penalties for straw purchases and made it illegal to traffic firearms out of the United States. To date, more than 1,000 defendants have been charged by the Department of Justice because of those provisions, removing hundreds of firearms from the streets.

    Removing Barriers to Lifesaving Medication: Heinrich successfully included language directing the DEA to take further action to remove barriers to access for opioid use disorder medications such as buprenorphine. The data clearly shows that prescriptions of medications for opioid use disorder significantly reduce the risk of overdose death, but despite their demonstrated effectiveness, approximately 87% of those suffering from opioid use disorder do not have a prescription for these lifesaving medications. The inclusion of this language will assist local medical and mental health providers and make medications, including buprenorphine, more accessible to New Mexicans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 22nd, 2025 Heinrich Announces Committee Passage of $6.5 Million to Combat Crime, Save Lives, & Keep New Mexicans Safe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. With Committee approval of this bill, Heinrich secured support for over $6.5 million for nine local projects in New Mexico.

    “While this Appropriations bill isn’t perfect, it includes resources and investments I negotiated for New Mexico that will help our law enforcement officers solve and reduce violent crime, keep our communities safe, and save lives,” said Heinrich, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This legislation will allocate additional resources to investigate, respond to, and prevent crimes in Tribal communities, including funding to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Additionally, the bill creates a fentanyl tracking system, builds on my work to prevent firearm straw purchases and illegal gun trafficking, and makes opioid use disorder medications more accessible to New Mexicans. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will always fight for investments that put New Mexico communities first.”

    Next, the bill will be considered by the full United States Senate.

    Congressionally Directed Spending

    Heinrich successfully included $6,521,000 in investments for the following 9 local projects in the bill:

    • $1,668,000 for the New Mexico Statewide Sexual Assault Program to increase capacity at the Helpline and Work Force Trauma Institute.
    • $1,050,000 for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office for forensic analysis and crime scene reconstruction equipment.
    • $1,000,000 for the Las Cruces Police Department to establish an Evidence Processing Lab for local law enforcement agencies.
    • $908,000 for the Albuquerque Police Department to purchase crime scene processing equipment at the Metropolitan Forensic Science Center.
    • $629,000 for the City of Farmington to acquire forensic DNA and narcotics identification equipment, training, and personnel.
    • $533,000 for Eastern New Mexico University Campus to enhance lighting and safety on campus.
    • $350,000 for New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence to expand its youth gun violence prevention programs.
    • $268,000 for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office to purchase mobile security trailers.
    • $115,000 for Gallup Police Department to purchase crime scene reconstruction equipment.

    Additionally, Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $1,000,000 for the New Mexico Medical Investigator to enhance the DNA Processing Laboratory.

    Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Key Points and Highlights

    Combatting Crimes on Tribal Lands: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to continue to allocate additional resources to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, including providing sufficient funding to investigate, respond to, and prevent crimes in Tribal communities. Heinrich helped secure $95,000,000 within the Crime Victims Fund specifically for law enforcement efforts on Tribal lands and in order for federal, state, and tribal governments to coordinate on these critical public safety initiatives.

    Fentanyl Tracking System: Heinrich successfully included language directing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to develop a comprehensive fentanyl tracking system. That tracking system would include documentation of seizure location, chemical composition, probable or known manufacturing location, and probable or known point of entry into the United States. Currently, fentanyl interdiction is compiled at land ports of entry by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the DEA does not have readily accessible tracking data on the movement of illicit drugs within the U.S. or their point of origin. Requiring the compilation and organization of that data will complement DHS’ work and improve our country’s work to effectively combat the fentanyl crisis.

    Firearm Straw Purchases Prevention: Heinrich successfully included language calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to continue its public awareness campaign to reduce firearm straw purchases at the retail level and to educate would-be straw purchasers of the penalties associated with knowingly participating in an illegal firearm purchase. This language builds on Heinrich’s work to negotiate and author the provision in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that increased criminal penalties for straw purchases and made it illegal to traffic firearms out of the United States. To date, more than 1,000 defendants have been charged by the Department of Justice because of those provisions, removing hundreds of firearms from the streets.

    Removing Barriers to Lifesaving Medication: Heinrich successfully included language directing the DEA to take further action to remove barriers to access for opioid use disorder medications such as buprenorphine. The data clearly shows that prescriptions of medications for opioid use disorder significantly reduce the risk of overdose death, but despite their demonstrated effectiveness, approximately 87% of those suffering from opioid use disorder do not have a prescription for these lifesaving medications. The inclusion of this language will assist local medical and mental health providers and make medications, including buprenorphine, more accessible to New Mexicans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Baby boy starves to death in Gaza as hunger spreads, medics say

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Six-week-old Yousef’s lifeless body lay limp on a hospital table in Gaza City, his skin stretched over protruding ribs and a bandage where a drip had been inserted into his tiny arm. Doctors said the cause of death was starvation.

    He was among 15 people to starve to death in the last 24 hours in Gaza, according to doctors who say a wave of hunger that has loomed over the enclave for months is now finally crashing down.

    Yousef’s family couldn’t find baby formula to feed him, said his uncle, Adham al-Safadi.

    “You can’t get milk anywhere, and if you do find any it’s $100 for a tub,” he said, looking at his dead nephew.

    Three of the other Palestinians who died of hunger over the last day were also children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban, who died in a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.

    Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in airstrikes, shelling and shooting since launching their assault on Gaza in response to attacks on Israel by the Hamas group that killed 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in October 2023.

    For the first time since the war began, Palestinian officials say dozens are now also dying of hunger.

    Gaza has seen its food stocks run out since Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March and then lifted that blockade in May with new measures it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups.

    At least 101 people are known to have died of hunger during the conflict, according to Palestinian officials, including 80 children, most of them in just the last few weeks.

    Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for shortages of food. Israel’s military said it “views the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza as a matter of utmost importance”, and works to facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community.

    It has blamed the United Nations for failing to protect aid it says is stolen by Hamas and other militants. The fighters deny stealing it.

    Asked for comment, a White House official sided with Israel’s position that Hamas is to blame. The official said the United States supports the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid organisation.

    “It’s horrific that Hamas continues to target this crucial aid and hinder GHF’s ability to deliver life-saving assistance by placing bounties on aid workers, targeting contractors, and spreading disinformation,” the official said.

    More than 800 people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near GHF distribution centres. The United Nations has rejected this system as inherently unsafe, and a violation of humanitarian neutrality principles needed to ensure that distribution succeeds.

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the situation for the 2.3 million residents of the Palestinian enclave a “horror show”.

    “We are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles,” Guterres told the U.N. Security Council. “That system is being denied the conditions to function.”

    The Norwegian Refugee Council, which supported hundreds of thousands of Gazans in the first year of the war, said its aid stocks were now depleted and some of its own staff were starving.

    “Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left,” its director Jan Egeland told Reuters. “Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyse our work,” he said.

    The head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency said on Tuesday that its staff, as well as doctors and humanitarian workers, were fainting on duty in Gaza due to hunger and exhaustion.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that images of civilians killed during the distribution of aid were “unbearable” and urged Israel to deliver on pledges to improve the situation.

    FOOD AND MEDICINE SHORTAGES

    On Tuesday, men and boys lugged sacks of flour past destroyed buildings and tarpaulins in Gaza City, grabbing what food they could from aid warehouses.

    “We haven’t eaten for five days,” said Mohammed Jundia.

    Israeli military statistics showed on Tuesday that an average of 146 trucks of aid per day had entered Gaza over the course of the war. The United States has said a minimum of 600 trucks per day are needed to feed Gaza’s population.

    “Hospitals are already overwhelmed by the number of casualties from gunfire. They can’t provide much more help for hunger-related symptoms because of food and medicine shortages,” said Khalil al-Deqran, a spokesperson for the health ministry.

    Deqran said some 600,000 people were suffering from malnutrition, including at least 60,000 pregnant women. Symptoms among those going hungry include dehydration and anaemia, he said.

    Baby formula in particular is in critically short supply, according to aid groups, doctors and residents.

    The health ministry said at least 72 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes in the past 24 hours, including 16 people living in tents in Gaza City. The Israeli military said it wasn’t aware of any incident or artillery in the area at that time.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – Nelson Hospital review fails to hold leadership to account – ASMS says

    Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

    The review of Nelson Hospital released by Health New Zealand today is little more than a ‘plan to make a plan’ the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says.
    The review just restates well-established problems with leadership and severe understaffing at Nelson Hospital which are causing delayed care for hundreds of patients.
    The Nelson Review was commissioned after Senior Medical Officers spoke to media in March about the poor working conditions. Doctors, fed up with inaction, described massive wait times for first specialist appointments, and repeated refusals from leadership to address staffing shortages across many departments.
    This prompted Health New Zealand’s chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan to commission a review. He said, “I would hope we will have some answers within weeks.”
    “Four months later and all we have is a a plan to make a plan,” ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton says.”
    Doctors, nurses and patients want solutions to these ongoing problems, not a bland description of known issues leadership should have addressed years ago.
    “The review lacks timeframes, holds no leaders to account for these failures. Just last month Nelson Hospital was again in the news for booking “ghost clinics” in what appears to be an attempt to game the system in regard to first specialists’ appointments numbers.
    “There is a worrying trend of poor management and poor leadership at Nelson Hospital which the review fails to address.”ASMS is disappointed there has been little engagement with hospital staff – and no consultation as to the review’s findings and recommendations. 
    “We understand regional deputy chief executive Martin Keogh and National Chief Clinical Officer Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard presented the report to just a handful of senior staff and gave other staff just 24 hours’ notice to a 30-minute briefing.
    “This is a wasted opportunity to make positive change.”Dalton says the real finding from the review is that the issues at Nelson are present in other hospitals around the motu.
    “The review uses comparative data that paints the dire picture of medical staffing gaps in similar sized hospitals across the country too. This aligns with our own findings. 
    We simply need more doctors,” she says.
    “Short staffing and increased acute patient demand, coupled with a lack of accountability from our health leaders that allow hospitals to be so poorly staffed has bred a culture of getting by instead of getting ahead.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Grigorenko visited Novosibirsk State University

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On Monday, July 21, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko visited the Novosibirsk Region on a working visit. One of the items on the agenda was a visit to Novosibirsk State University, where guests were presented with developments of the Center for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) and the Advanced Engineering School (AES) of NSU.

    During the meeting, the rector of NSU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk, introduced the vice-premier to the history of the university, told him what is special about NSU, what it is now and what are the plans for the near future. He noted the special role of the university as a center of attraction for innovations and its contribution to the development of Akademgorodok, Novosibirsk and the country as a whole. Mikhail Fedoruk also emphasized that all the main strategic technological projects that the university is implementing within the framework of the Priority 2030 program are somehow related to new technologies and artificial intelligence.

    The AI Center employees, in turn, presented a number of projects that are at various stages of readiness. In partnership with Rostelecom, a whole line of video detectors is being developed that monitor various situations that require the intervention of emergency and city services.

    Currently, about two dozen such detectors have been created, some of which have already been installed for testing in real conditions at the university campus facilities. In the future, the developers want to move on to creating detectors capable of tracking several specified signs or threats at once in order to optimize the operation of video surveillance systems.

    A prototype of an autonomous intelligent assistant for visually impaired and blind patients was also presented, operating on the basis of using large language models and artificial intelligence technologies. This is a joint development with another industrial partner of the AI Center – the Novosibirsk branch of the Federal State Autonomous Institution “NMITs “MNTK “Microsurgery of the Eye” named after Academician S.N. Fedorov” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

    — The principle of operation of this system is simple: a video camera will “see” instead of a person, the information from which will be sent to a portable computer, which will convert it into text. Then the text description is converted by a voice assistant and sent through headphones directly to the patient, — explained the head of the project at the NSU Center for Information Technologies Alexey Okunev.

    Another area of work is related to monitoring atmospheric and noise pollution in municipalities. Here, the partner of the NSU Center for Informatics and Information Technologies is the Novosibirsk company CityAir, which specializes in the production and maintenance of networks and services for monitoring the quality of atmospheric air. Together with the university, the company intends to more widely implement artificial intelligence technologies in its work, thereby increasing the capabilities of the supplied equipment.

    The NSU Advanced Engineering School has presented a “digital core” project for oil companies. NSU is the lead organization of a consortium that won a grant of 210 million rubles to develop digital core methods, an innovative tool that will help the Russian oil industry improve the efficiency of extracting hard-to-recover oil and gas reserves. The research will be conducted using the latest synchrotron, the Siberian Ring Photon Source (SKIF), located in the science city of Koltsovo.

    — The subject of digital core combines the most advanced methods of mathematical modeling, experimental research techniques and data processing. The unique capabilities of synchrotron radiation will allow us to close these areas, making it possible to instrumentally track the impact of various methods of increasing oil recovery on rock and choose the most optimal scenarios for developing hard-to-recover oil and gas reserves, — commented Sergey Golovin, Director of the Advanced Engineering School of NSU, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

    Dmitry Grigorenko highly praised the developments presented to him, while emphasizing that any remarkable results should not remain “a thing in itself,” and it is necessary to move on to their implementation in the real sector of the country’s economy as quickly as possible.

    — Such visits by representatives of the country’s leadership are very important for us. We get the opportunity to tell the top officials of the state about the results of our work, to understand from their reaction how relevant our developments are and, in case of a positive assessment, to receive support in implementation, which today is one of the most difficult barriers for most developers, — commented on the results of the visit the director of the NSU Center for Information Technologies Alexander Lyulko.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Doggett, Murphy Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure Adequate Provider Payments under Medicare Advantage

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

    Health systems are withdrawing from Medicare Advantage contracts due to inadequate and delayed payments

    Contact: Alexis Torres  

    Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, and Health Subcommittee member Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) introduced bipartisan legislation to require Medicare Advantage (MA) to adequately reimburse health care providers for services offered to enrollees of these private plans. The Prompt and Fair Pay Act establishes a floor requiring MA plans to reimburse for all covered health care items and services at least what would have been paid under Medicare Parts A and B; plans and providers may continue to negotiate higher reimbursement rates. The legislation also establishes prompt payment rules for clean in-network claims, which are requirements that would mirror those under Medicare Part D. 

    “A rapidly growing Medicare DisAdvantage market is straining our health care system and threatening consumers’ access to necessary health care,” said Rep. Doggett. “Providers are having to choose between substantial reimbursement delays that are often less than what is truly owed, administrative burdens, and care denials, or an outright withdrawal from MA contracts. With many providers already at risk of closure and MA now covering more than half of enrollees, it is essential that we ensure prompt and fair payments before every community is a health care desert. Our bill is an important step to protect patients and providers.” 

    “Medicare Advantage was conceived with good intentions, but absent updates and reforms, insurers will continue to exploit and abuse the program to bilk the federal government at the expense of patients and physicians,” said  Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. “Doctors who see MA beneficiaries not only experience major delays in reimbursement and senseless prior authorization denials, but often receive less compensation for services rendered than they earn through traditional Medicare. I am proud to support the Prompt and Fair Pay Act to guarantee parity between MA reimbursements and Medicare Parts A and B, ensure our physicians are treated with dignity, and preserve access to high-quality, affordable care for patients.”

    Although Traditional Medicare spending serves as the benchmark for MA payments, the law currently does not require MA plans to reimburse providers at the same rates. As a result, many hospitals, provider groups, and other health systems are operating in the red and are forced to withdraw from MA contracts. This year alone, 27 health systems have left the MA program. It’s also estimated that skilled nursing facilities lost $13.8 billion in 2024 because MA plans reimbursed significantly less than Traditional Medicare. Without Congress’s intervention, MA plans will continue to skirt an obligation to promptly and fairly pay providers. 

    Committed to a more just and equitable health care system for patients, providers and taxpayers, Reps. Doggett and Murphy have previously worked together to introduce legislation to strengthen veterans’ health care for those dually enrolled in MA and Medicare Part D plans. The members have also requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct an independent investigation into vertical consolidation of Medicare Advantage Organizations. 

    The Prompt and Fair Pay Act is endorsed by America’s Essential Hospitals, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Occupational Therapy Association, LeadingAge, National Rural Health Association, Premier, Texas Hospital Association, Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice, and the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

    “By establishing a payment floor for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that aligns with amounts paid under traditional Medicare, the Prompt and Fair Pay Act helps ensure rural providers are not disadvantaged as MA enrollment continues to grow. The National Rural Health Association also appreciates the addition of enforceable prompt payment standards as rural providers often face administrative burdens to receiving timely payment from plans, creating cash flow issues. This bill marks an important step toward improving predictability and sustainability for rural health systems. NRHA thanks Rep. Doggett and Rep. Murphy for their thoughtful approach to addressing long-standing challenges rural providers face in the MA program and we are proud to endorse this legislation.” – Alan Morgan, CEO of National Rural Health Association

    Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, said: “To Congress and to regulators, we’ve repeatedly expressed concerns that Medicare Advantage plans, by underpaying and delaying provider reimbursement, are threatening the financial stability of our nonprofit and mission-driven provider members, which jeopardizes access to necessary care and services for older adults. This legislation, which establishes a rate floor and prompt payment requirements, is a vital step toward ensuring that providers are fairly and promptly compensated for the care they deliver. It will bring much-needed financial stability to our nursing homes and home health members–particularly those located in underserved and rural communities. We strongly support this legislation and urge its swift passage.”

    Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, President and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals, said: “Essential Hospitals across the nation are facing unprecedented financial disruptions, jeopardizing their ability to serve patients and their communities. The Prompt and Fair Pay Act is a step in the right direction, providing concrete steps to fix woefully inadequate hospital reimbursements. We will continue to support common sense legislation like this that aims to better sustain and support our hospitals, and the communities they serve.”

    “The AAFP thanks Rep. Doggett for leading on this legislative effort to establish fair payment standards and enforce timely payments from Medicare Advantage plans. This legislation will help ensure that family physicians can spend less time navigating red tape and more time delivering high-quality care. We’re encouraged by the inclusion of enforcement measures, which we hope will ensure accountability and compliance by plans and help protect the financial stability of practices and the health of our communities.” — Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP,  President, American Academy of Family Physicians

    Soumi Saha, PharmD, JD, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Premier, Inc., said: “Premier applauds Reps. Doggett and Murphy for their leadership in introducing the bipartisan Prompt and Fair Pay Act.  This bill will take important steps to ensure that all providers are paid in a timely and appropriate manner for the care they provide to Medicare Advantage patients. Premier has consistently voiced the need to align payment timelines and levels for in-network providers compared with out-of-network providers. Reps. Doggett and Murphy are taking meaningful action to hold insurers accountable and correct these existing inequities in a manner that will benefit patients and providers.”

    John Hawkins, President and CEO of Texas Hospital Association, said: “THA is grateful for the leadership of Congressman Lloyd Doggett to ensure hospitals are paid timely for care delivered to seniors covered by private insurance plans in the Medicare Advantage program. Non-partisan studies have repeatedly shown that excessive and unnecessary denials, slow pay tactics, overly stringent prior authorization requirements, and restrictive provider networks by these plans threaten access to medically necessary care. For years, Congressman Doggett has been working to address these challenges, and The Prompt and Fair Pay Act of 2025 will bring overdue accountability and prompt pay standards to the MA program.” 

    “Occupational therapy services are crucial to enable Medicare beneficiaries in either traditional Fee-for-Service or Medicare Advantage programs to recover and live as independently as possible after an injury or illness,” according toKatie Jordan, OTD, MBA, OTR/L, FAOTA, Chief Executive Officer, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She notes that “The Prompt and Fair Pay Act would ensure payment parity for OT services provided to beneficiaries in either program while also requiring prompt payment of clean claims and enhancing transparency from Medicare Advantage organizations regarding questioned claims.  This is critical to reduce the administrative burden related to processing claims which would allow a greater focus on actual patient treatment.” 

    “We appreciate Congressman Doggett’s leadership in introducing the Prompt and Fair Pay Act to ensure that Medicare Advantage plans are properly reimbursing practitioners for the care they provide,” said Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC, President of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. “This bill will ensure patients have access to nurse anesthetists and other providers and the high-quality care they deliver by holding payors accountable for proper and timely reimbursement of care. This bill will protect access to care for the growing number of Americans who utilize Medicare Advantage plans, and we strongly urge Congress to pass this critical legislation.” 

    “Medicare Advantage plans have been hard on rural Texas hospitals, so TORCH applauds the effort to require sustainable payments without delay.” –John Henderson, President/CEO of Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH)

    A fact sheet about the bill can be found here, and the full bill text here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 23, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 23, 2025.

    Hard labour conditions of online moderators directly affect how well the internet is policed – new study
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tania Chatterjee, Joint PhD Candidate at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, The University of Queensland Getty Images/GCShutter Big tech platforms often present content moderation as a seamless, tech‑driven system. But human labour, often outsourced to countries such as India and the Philippines, plays a pivotal role in

    Ghosted by a friend? 4 expert tips on how to handle the hurt
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Willis, Associate Professor, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University martin-dm/Getty When we talk about “ghosting”, we usually think it relates to dating. But what happens when you’ve been ghosted by someone you’ve known for years – your childhood best friend, a parent, a

    Labor’s new bill would cut HELP loans by 20%. But it also risks locking some graduates into a ‘debt treadmill’
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor of Higher Education Policy, Monash University The Albanese government’s 20% cut to student debt is the first bill introduced to the new federal parliament. It is clever politics. In the government’s first term, the 3 million Australians with a student debt turned high indexation

    ICJ climate crisis ruling: Will world’s top court back Pacific-led call to hold governments accountable?
    By Jamie Tahana in The Hague for RNZ Pacific In 2019, a group of law students at the University of the South Pacific, frustrated at the slow pace with which the world’s governments were moving to address the climate crisis, had an idea — they would take the world’s governments to court. They arranged a

    ‘Maybe this is the last minutes you are living’: how the war is impacting young Ukrainians
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashley Humphrey, Lecturer in Social Sciences, Monash University Now into its fourth year, the war that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taken a devastating toll. An estimated 60,000 to 100,0000 Ukrainian lives have been lost and more than 10 million citizens displaced, and entire cities have

    Auckland is NZ’s ‘primate city’ but its potential remains caged in by poor planning and vision
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images The recent report comparing Auckland to nine international peer cities delivered an uncomfortable truth: our largest city is falling behind, hampered by car dependency, low-density housing and “weak economic performance”. The Deloitte

    Climate disasters are pushing people into homelessness – but there’s a lot we can do about it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Heffernan, Lecturer in Anthropology, Australian National University Almost half of all Australian properties are at risk of bushfire, while 17,500 face risk of coastal erosion. By 2030, more than 3 million will face riverine flood risk. Meanwhile, housing demand continues to outpace supply. With climate-related disasters

    UK bans Gaza protest group – could the same thing happen in Australia?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Bosch, Associate Professor (Law), Edith Cowan University More than 100 people were arrested in the United Kingdom on the weekend for supporting Palestine Action, a protest group that opposes Britain’s support of Israel. Palestine Action was recently proscribed as a terrorist organisation, placing it in the

    The incredible impact of Ozzy Osbourne, from Black Sabbath to Ozzfest to 30 years of retirement tours
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lachlan Goold, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Music, University of the Sunshine Coast Ozzy Osbourne photographed in London in 1991. Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images Ozzy Osbourne, the “prince of darkness” and godfather of heavy metal, has died aged 76, just weeks after he reunited with Black Sabbath bandmates for

    Could the latest ‘interstellar comet’ be an alien probe? Why spotting cosmic visitors is harder than you think
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Comet 3I/ATLAS International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech/Jen Miller/Mahdi Zamani, CC BY On July 1, astronomers spotted an unusual high-speed object zooming towards the Sun. Dubbed 3I/ATLAS, the surprising space traveller had one very special quality: its

    Should Australia lower the voting age to 16 like the UK? We asked 5 experts
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pandanus Petter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University The government in the UK is introducing legislation into parliament to lower the voting age to 16. If passed, the new age rules will be in place for the next general election, expected

    Doctors shouldn’t be allowed to object to medical care if it harms their patients
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Savulescu, Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, The University of Melbourne HRAUN/Getty A young woman needs an abortion and the reasons, while urgent, are not medical. A United States Navy

    Ultra fast fashion could be taxed to oblivion in France. Could Australia follow suit?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rowena Maguire, Professor of Law and Director of the Centre of Justice, Queensland University of Technology Ryan McVay/Getty For centuries, clothes were hard to produce and expensive. People wore them as long as possible. But manufacturing advances have steadily driven down the cost of production. These days,

    Central bank independence and credibility matters. Here’s why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Simon, Adjunct Fellow in Economics, Macquarie University Olga Kashubin/Shutterstock In the United States, President Donald Trump has been pressuring the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, to slash interest rates. This is partly to ease the interest payments on the ballooning US government debt.

    Kneecap’s stance on Gaza extends a long history of the Irish supporting other oppressed peoples
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ciara Smart, PhD Graduand in Australasian Irish History, University of Tasmania Love them or hate them, there’s no doubt Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap are having a moment. Their music – delivered in a powerful fusion of English and Irish – is known for its gritty lyrics about

    Do countries have a duty to prevent climate harm? The world’s highest court is about to answer this crucial question
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Cooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will issue a highly anticipated advisory opinion overnight to clarify state obligations related to climate change. It will answer two urgent questions: what are the obligations of states under international

    Gaza not a religious issue – it’s a massive violation of international law, say accord critics
    Asia Pacific Report Groups that have declined to join the government-sponsored “harmony accord” signed yesterday by some Muslim and Jewish groups, say that the proposed new council is “misaligned” with its aims. The signed accord was presented at Government House in Auckland. About 70 people attended, including representatives of the New Zealand Jewish Council, His

    Flying the flags for Palestine – NZ protesters take message to Devonport
    The Devonport Flagstaff About 200 people marched in Devonport last Saturday in support of Palestine. Pro-Palestine flags and placards were draped on the band rotunda at Windsor Reserve as speakers, including Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and the people power manager of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand Margaret Taylor, a Devonport local, encouraged the crowd

    View from The Hill: How much can Jim Chalmers get out of the economic reform roundtable?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra We’re now less than a month away from the start of the Albanese government’s “economic reform” (aka “productivity”) roundtable, but it has become quite hard to get a fix on exactly what this gathering will amount to. The guest list

    Israeli settlers beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings
    BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were beaten to death on their land by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Friday. A funeral was held on Sunday for Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20, and Muhammad Shalabi, 23, who were brutally killed by a large group of settlers in

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Pacific – New world-class health services will transform Nauru – Govt of Nauru

    Source: Government of Nauru

     

    A month after the Government of Nauru announced a ground breaking strategic partnership with UAE company Global Mission Support Services (GMSS) to take over the management and delivery of the country’s health services, the results have already been transformational. 

     

    Minister for Public Health Maverick Eoe said while the first 30 days were earmarked for assessment and planning, the new medical team had already made major progress including reactivating the eye clinic and performing high-impact surgeries that previously could not be performed domestically.

     

    “The government decided that in order to make a real difference in the health care of all Nauruans we had to be innovative, and we are absolutely confident that this solution will dramatically improve, and restore trust in, our health system,” he said. 

     

    The health team has also responded to a dengue fever outbreak which is now under control following consultation with the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, while the company’s engineering team fixed the flooding at the hospital’s entrance which has been an issue for decades.  

     

    The partnership, at no extra cost to the Government, was announced in Parliament last month by President David Adeang, who said, “The government…. had concluded that engaging an experienced and capable private sector partner is a necessary step to ensure our people continue to receive quality and timely medical care, both locally and abroad.”

     

    He also said the new arrangement will reduce the financial burden on the OMR but assured the nation that “this arrangement will (still) ensure that our most vulnerable citizens—those who require overseas medical treatment—are cared for with dignity, efficiency, and compassion.”

     

    The GMSS medical team on Nauru are leading experts from across the world and include a US chief medical officer, a Ukrainian brigadier general who was a special forces physician, an Israeli ophthalmic surgeon, an Australian professor of public policy, a former British Royal Air Force doctor, and a US Navy admiral. 

     

    GMSS manager Roy Shaposhnik said, “Our mission has been receiving outstanding support and goodwill from government, the private sector, and most importantly, the people of Nauru.

     

    “Their support and cooperation remain our greatest motivators and enablers.”

     

    The initial team included civil engineers, logistics specialists, and operations personnel, followed by additional subject-matter experts who conducted in-depth assessments of the Nauru hospital and public health facilities.

     

    GMSS medical adviser Dr Dezheen Zebari said thinking of just how much change they can make in Nauru is “very exciting”.

     

    “This will be a transformative change and build a resilient health care system,” she said.

     

    Dr Zebari credited President Adeang along with ministers Eoe and Charmaine Scotty for “their vision.”

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Wellness Boom in China: How Chinese Youth Are Investing in Their Health

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

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

    BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) — Young girls have become the main consumers of health products on Chinese e-commerce platforms. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals, “national health products” such as candied sweet rice (also known as babaofan) are widely popular among young people, and various immune-boosting drugs are gradually becoming the “fourth meal” for young people…

    Such phenomena are not uncommon in China. More and more young Chinese are paying attention to a healthy lifestyle and forming a new health trend.

    In contrast to traditional concepts of maintaining the health of the older generation, young people do not simply “drink more hot water” or “use immunomodulators,” but strive to implement a healthy lifestyle into all aspects of their lives.

    Zhang Yongjian, head of the Research Center for the Development and Supervision of Food and Pharmaceutical Industry at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that the rise in education, more convenient access to scientific information in the field of health, as well as the trend towards “rejuvenation” of chronic diseases are forcing more and more young people to monitor their health more closely.

    According to the China Institute of Industry Research, the 15-25 year old group of young people is gradually becoming the main consumers in the health care market, and the related methods in this field are also becoming more and more diverse.

    Recently, the hashtag “TCM salon beats milk tea outlet in popularity” has been trending on Chinese social media Weibo. In response to the preferences of young people, some TCM pharmacies make special milk tea and sour plum soup, and some also serve them along with medicinal dishes.

    The First People’s Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, southwest China, sells special TCM medicinal dishes according to the health maintenance methods of different seasons. “One of the milk teas with turmeric and cinnamon is very popular with young people,” said Liu Yan, deputy head of the hospital’s clinical dietetics department.

    As young people increasingly pay attention to healthy lifestyles, the health care product industry is booming. According to a report by marketing agency iiMedia Research, the health care product market has been growing steadily over the past five years and is expected to reach 423.7 billion yuan (about $59.1 billion) in 2027.

    “When consumers buy milk tea, they prefer low-sugar, low-fat products that have ingredients listed on the label,” said a worker at a confectionery shop in Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin Province, noting that big brands are starting to pay attention to adding healthy ingredients and their products are popular with young people who eat healthily.

    In addition, scientific and technological means also help Chinese youth improve their health. For example, with the popularization of intelligent health testing equipment such as smart bracelets, personal health management is simplified and more efficient.

    “You’ve been sitting for over 90 minutes!” – the smartwatch of 32-year-old programmer Zhang Yang vibrates, reminding him to get up and move around. After Zhang Yang took a break from work and performed a set of traditional Chinese breathing exercises called “Baduanjin”, the mobile health management app updated his activity in real time.

    According to the data, in the first quarter of 2024, shipments of wearable devices in the Chinese market grew by 36.2 percent year on year to 33.67 million units. Some smartwatches have increasingly advanced health monitoring features, including heart rate and blood saturation monitoring.

    “Maintaining health is no longer just advice from elders, but a quantitatively measurable aesthetic of daily life,” said Liu Junkang, CEO of Jinaitang Health Management Company.

    According to him, there are three key trends in healthy living among young consumers: using data to customize their daily routine, rethinking traditional treatments in a modern way, and prioritizing enjoyable and practical experiences in maintaining good health, which are changing the structure of the industry in the country.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Ghosted by a friend? 4 expert tips on how to handle the hurt

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Willis, Associate Professor, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University

    martin-dm/Getty

    When we talk about “ghosting”, we usually think it relates to dating. But what happens when you’ve been ghosted by someone you’ve known for years – your childhood best friend, a parent, a child?

    These disappearances can be harder to explain, and even harder to heal from.

    It’s also surprisingly common. For instance, one study showed 38.6% of people have been ghosted by a friend.

    So why do people ghost those closest to them? What impact does it have on those left behind? How do you begin to move on?

    What is ghosting?

    Ghosting is when someone abruptly, or gradually, cuts off all communication without explanation. Whether it’s a friend, family member or love interest, the signs are much the same – messages left on read or calls ignored. Sometimes you’re blocked.

    Ghosting doesn’t just happen online. It can also play out in person, when someone deliberately ignores you – avoiding eye contact, refusing attempts to engage in conversation, pretending you’re not there.

    Unlike relationships that gradually wither over time, or end abruptly after an argument, ghosting is a one-sided withdrawal from a relationship that happens without closure.

    For the person left behind, it can feel like grief.

    Why do people ghost family and friends?

    People often ghost friends for the same reasons they ghost romantic partners.

    Ghosting is more common – and considered more acceptable – in brief or casual romantic relationships or friendships. That’s when people may ghost because they lose interest, wish to avoid confrontation, or find it easier than facing the discomfort of ending things directly.

    In longer-term relationships, ghosting may stem from incompatibility, be prompted by different priorities, physical distance, or growing apart over time.

    Major life transitions – such as becoming a parent, entering the workforce, moving, or going through a divorce – can often provide the catalyst for someone to shrink their social network.

    In some cases, ghosting is driven by self-preservation or concerns for personal safety, particularly when ghosting involves family members.

    People report ghosting in response to toxic, emotionally draining, or abusive relationships, often when previous attempts to resolve issues were met with abuse or aggression. In such instances, ghosting isn’t so much an avoidance strategy, but a last resort to preserve someone’s safety and psychological wellbeing.

    Ghosting has also been linked to certain personality traits. One study found people who reported ghosting others tended to score higher in narcissism (tend towards entitlement and lack of empathy) and borderline traits (so have trouble regulating emotions and are impulsive).

    Why does it hurt so much?

    People often ghost as they hope to spare the other person the pain of rejection. But that is rarely the case.

    Being ghosted by someone you’ve been close to for a long time is often associated with grief, much like the death of the loved one. After the initial shock, there is often anger and sadness.

    Ghosting also involves “ambiguous loss”. This ambiguity – the uncertainty and lack of closure – can almost freeze the grief process, making it particularly hard to move on.

    In addition to grief-like emotions, ghosting is also often associated with self-blame, rumination, feelings of worthlessness, and trust issues that can affect how someone relates to others in the future.

    How to cope if you’ve been ghosted

    There’s no easy fix and you can’t force someone to communicate with you if they don’t want to. But research points to some strategies that may help you move on and ease the pain:

    1. Acknowledge your feelings. Grief-like emotions are a normal reaction to being ghosted. Accept your emotions and express them in healthy ways. This is better than suppressing them, which is linked to depression, low self-esteem and reduced wellbeing.

    2. Seek social support. Social support is linked to a range of mental health benefits. Talk about your experience with friends, family or a mental health professional. This can help reduce feeling of isolation, and low self-worth. Greater social support is also associated with post-traumatic growth – positive psychological change that can emerge after a challenging life event.

    3. Choose self-compassion over rumination. It’s easy to get caught in the trap of replaying what happened and wondering what went wrong. But this can prolong distress and make it harder to move on. Instead treat yourself as you would a close friend – with kindness, compassion and care. Self-compassion has been linked to reduced rumination, anxiety and depression. Exercise, mindfulness and spending time in nature are examples of self-care with similar
      psychological benefits.

    4. Create your own closure. Being ghosted can often leave you stuck in a cycle of uncertainty and unanswered questions. You may never get an explanation and waiting for answers will only make it harder to move on. Writing a letter you don’t send can help create closure. This form of expressive writing can help you articulate your thoughts and emotions and make sense of your experience – and is linked to a range of psychological benefits.

    Megan Willis 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. Ghosted by a friend? 4 expert tips on how to handle the hurt – https://theconversation.com/ghosted-by-a-friend-4-expert-tips-on-how-to-handle-the-hurt-260300

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schakowsky, Fletcher, Matsui, Pressley Introduce Safer Beauty Bill Package

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th District of Illinois)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Ranking Member of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on Wednesday reintroduced the Safer Beauty Bill Package with her colleagues, Reps. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Doris Matsui (CA-07), and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). The bill package includes four separate bills that offer progressive updates to an increasingly outdated set of federal cosmetics laws. This package builds upon the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), which passed under President Joe Biden and expanded FDA oversight to include the regulation of the cosmetics industry, including mandatory recall authority, adverse event reporting, and requiring facility registration, and more.

    “Safe, accessible beauty cannot wait. After more than 80 years of inaction, the United States finally updated its cosmetics laws in 2022. President Biden was able to sign into law the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, which now gives authority to the Food and Drug Administration to recall beauty and personal care products that are harming human health. While this was an important first step, our work is not done,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “I am proud to reintroduce the Safer Beauty Bill Package with my colleagues, Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Doris Matsui, and Ayanna Pressley, which would protect consumers from toxic chemicals linked to hormone disruption, cancer and other health problems; require full ingredient transparency for consumers and manufacturers; and protect the health of women of color and salon workers, who are among the most highly exposed to toxic chemicals because of the products marketed to them or commonly found in their workplaces. We must pass the Safer Beauty Bill Package now!”

    “Many people assume that the personal care and beauty items they use are safe, but with minimal oversight, many of the care, beauty, and salon products sold across the country actually contain toxic chemicals,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “I am glad to partner with Congresswoman Schakowsky to reintroduce the Toxic-Free Beauty Act to protect the health and safety of people across the country by banning chemicals known to cause significant harm in beauty products.”

    “Americans deserve the comfort of knowing the products they use every day are safe and properly labeled,” said Congresswoman Doris Matsui. “That’s why I am proud to join Congresswoman Schakowsky in announcing the Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act, which will introduce much needed transparency and accountability to the cosmetics industry. This is a commonsense step toward protecting consumers and our public health. Whether it’s a parent buying shampoo for their child or a professional exposed to dozens of products daily, every person should have clear, honest information about what they’re putting on their bodies.” 

    “For decades, the beauty products marketed to Black women and girls and found in our salons have contained toxic, unregulated chemicals – leaving us to disproportionately suffer from increased incidences of cancer, respiratory issues, and adverse reproductive outcomes,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “This isn’t a coincidence – this is exploitation. Black women, girls, and salon workers should be able to show up everyday as our beautiful, authentic selves, without fear for our health and safety. It’s past time that we regulate these hazardous products and affirm our right to safer alternatives, and I am proud to co-lead the Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color and Salon Workers Act and partner with my colleagues and dedicated advocates on the Safer Beauty Bill Package to do exactly that.”

    The four bills cover almost every aspect of personal care product safety. They are:  

    • H.R. 4433 – The Toxic-Free Beauty Act (Reps. Schakowsky and Fletcher): Bans 18 of the most toxic chemicals and two whole classes of chemicals (phthalates and formaldehyde releasing preservatives) that have been banned by the European Union and a number of states including California, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont.
    • H.R. 4434 – Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act (Rep. Schakowsky): Requires suppliers of raw materials, ingredients, and private label products to provide full ingredient disclosure and safety data to cosmetic companies so they can make safer products.
    • H.R. 4435 – Cosmetic Hazardous Ingredient Right to Know Act (Reps. Schakowsky and Matsui): Requires product label and website disclosure of secret, unlabeled, and often toxic chemicals in our personal care products. Last Congress, this bill only required transparency for fragrance and flavor ingredients and has been expanded to cover all ingredients that can pose a health risk to consumers.
    • H.R. 4436 – Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color and Salon Workers (Reps. Schakowsky and Pressley): Funds research, resource materials, education and outreach, and the development of safer chemicals to protect the health of women of color and salon workers, two vulnerable populations who are among the most highly exposed to toxic chemicals because of the cosmetic products marketed to them or commonly found in their workplaces. This bill also requires the FDA to regulate the safety of synthetic braids, which can contain toxic chemicals.

    The average American adult uses about 12 personal care products a day, resulting in exposure to an average of 168 unique chemicals. Children are also exposed to products containing risky chemicals during critical stages of childhood development. As these products range from toothpaste to makeup, it is easy for companies to conceal harmful chemicals that risk American livelihoods. Chemicals in beauty and personal care products have been linked to cancer, infertility, poor infant and maternal health outcomes, asthma, and many other serious health concerns. Women of color are disproportionately exposed to these harmful chemicals due to workplace conditions.

    Joining Reps. Schakowsky, Fletcher, Matsui, and Pressley as original cosponsors of the Safer Beauty Bill Package are Reps. Dingell, Khanna, Norton, and Tlaib. 

    The bill has been endorsed by a coalition of over 150 organizations and safe cosmetics companies. Find a full list of endorsements here.

    “Thank you, Rep. Schakowsky, for your steadfast advocacy on behalf of cosmetic safety and for introducing the 2025 Safer Beauty Bill Package which will protect everyone regardless of where they live, shop or work” said Janet Nudelman, Director of Breast Cancer Prevention Partner’s Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “This important suite of bills will match the new high bar for ingredient safety set by laws recently enacted in CA, MD, OR, WA, VT, and NY; create long overdue protections for women of color and professional salon workers; and set a new industry standard for ingredient and supply chain transparency.”

    For over a decade, Congresswoman Schakowsky has fought tirelessly to pass a robust regulatory framework for cosmetics and personal care products. The efforts focus on closing major loopholes in federal law that allow companies to use nearly any ingredient in these products, even chemicals that are known to harm human health and the environment like coal tar dyes, formaldehyde, lead acetate, parabens, and phthalates.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Krishnamoorthi Leads 104 Colleagues in Letter to Protect 988 LGBTQI+ Youth Lifeline

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

    WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), a national leader in bipartisan efforts to protect crisis services for vulnerable youth, led a letter with Reps. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Paul Tonko (NY-20), urging House Appropriations Committee leaders to preserve funding for the 988 LGBTQI+ Youth Lifeline. The letter—sent to Subcommittee Chair Robert Aderholt (AL-04) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)—was co-signed by 104 Democratic Members of Congress.

    The letter comes as the Trump Administration moved to eliminate the 988 LGBTQI+ Youth Lifeline, a service that has received nearly 1.5 million contacts since its inception. It has served as a critical resource for LGBTQI+ youth nationwide, who are at significantly higher risk of suicide and mental health challenges.

    Dear Chair Aderholt and Ranking Member DeLauro:

    As you craft the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related Agencies appropriations bill, the undersigned Members urge you to maintain funding for the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Budget. 

    In 2022, SAMHSA launched the LGBTQ+ youth specialized services as a pilot program in coordination with the broader 988 lifeline. Since its launch, the line has received nearly 1.5 million contacts from LGBTQ+ youth through calls, texts, and online chats[1]. In 2024 alone the LGBTQ+ service served over 600,000 crisis contacts, demonstrating both its necessity and impact[2].

    Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 14, and LGBTQ+ young people are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. It is estimated that one LGBTQ+ young person attempts suicide every 45 seconds[3]. 

    The LGBTQ+ Youth lifeline was designed to address this higher risk of suicide for this population. When an adolescent reaches out to the LGBTQ+ Youth lifeline, they can access specialized services from somebody who cares, who may have shared experience, understands where they are coming from, and is trained to address the unique situation LGBTQ+ youth may face[4].

    LGBTQ+ identifying youth can face distinct mental health issues rooted in rejection and social discrimination. In fact, of LGBTQ+ youth who reported they slept away from parents or were kicked out of the house, 40 percent were abandoned due to their identity and 28 percent of LGBTQ+ youth report experiencing homelessness or housing instability during their lives[5]. 

    Despite the need, a 2024 study demonstrated that 50 percent of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health care in the previous year were unable to access i[6]t. More than 80 percent say it is important that crisis services include a specific focus on LGBTQ+ youth[7].

    In the midst of a youth mental health crisis, we cannot afford to eliminate a critical, life-saving resource for LGBTQ+ youth, who face both higher risks and greater barriers to care. These young people deserve to speak with professionals who are trained and equipped to meet their unique needs.

    Please maintain the lifesaving funding for the 988 LGBTQ+ youth specialized services so we can continue to serve LGBTQ+ young people across the country who are at an elevated risk of suicide and mental illness. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Krishnamoorthi Introduces BURDEN Act to Force Congress to Complete the Medicaid and SNAP Paperwork They Imposed on Millions

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)

    The bill requires Members of Congress to comply with the same bureaucratic red tape now mandated for Medicaid and SNAP recipients under the “Large Lousy Law.”

    WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) introduced the Bringing Unfair Reporting Duties to Electeds Now (BURDEN) Act, a bill that would require Members of Congress to personally comply with the same burdensome work requirement paperwork they imposed on low-income Americans under President Trump’s so-called “Large Lousy Law” budget reconciliation package, which became law earlier this month.

    Under the BURDEN Act, Members of Congress would be barred from enrolling in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program unless they submit monthly proof of “community engagement,” the same bureaucratic reporting required of Medicaid recipients. Additionally, the bill requires Members to complete and submit the same paperwork now mandated for SNAP recipients to verify employment, income, and eligibility on a recurring basis.

    “President Trump’s reckless ‘Large Lousy Law’ forces millions of vulnerable Americans to jump through hoops just to keep food on the table or get the medical care they need,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “If Congressional Republicans think these burdens are appropriate for struggling families, then Members of Congress should shoulder them too. The BURDEN Act simply says, if you want taxpayer-funded health coverage, prove you meet the same standards you’re imposing on the American people.”

    The “Large Lousy Law” slashes Medicaid by over $1 trillion, imposes sweeping work requirements, and adds layers of red tape that threaten access to health care and nutrition assistance for millions of Americans—including working parents, caregivers, and individuals with unstable or part-time employment. According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than 17 million Americans are projected to lose their health care under the new law.

    Key provisions of the BURDEN Act include:

    • Requiring Members of Congress to submit monthly certifications proving they meet Medicaid work requirement standards for “community engagement” — typically including documented employment, job training, or approved volunteer work.

    • Requiring Members to complete and submit recurring SNAP eligibility documentation, including income reporting, employment verification, and other required paperwork, on the same schedule as SNAP recipients.

    • Prohibiting enrollment in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program for Members who fail to comply with these requirements.

    By exposing the double standard in how burdensome requirements are applied, the BURDEN Act seeks to restore basic fairness and highlight the real-world consequences of Republican policies that target working families.

    The full copy of the bill is available here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Norton Calls D.C. Appropriations Bill Text “Unreasonable” and “Patronizing” to 700,000+ D.C. Residents

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Committee on Appropriations today released the text of its fiscal year 2026 (FY 26) Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) Appropriations bill, which Norton said includes an outrageous number of anti-home rule riders. Republicans try to attach the riders to the annual D.C. spending bill to exert control over local D.C. matters, despite their positions as federal officials who do not represent D.C. residents. Significantly, the bill would halve funding for DCTAG, a program established by a 1999 Norton bill. DCTAG makes up the difference for D.C. residents between in-state and out-of-state tuition up to $10,000 at public institutions of higher education in the U.S.

    “I am outraged at the number and scope of anti-D.C. home rule riders in the bill released today,” Norton said. “In my long career representing D.C. residents in Congress, I have rarely seen a bill as unreasonable and patronizing to the more than 700,000 people who live in the nation’s capital as this one. I will use every tool at my disposal to stop these riders from becoming law, and I commit to reminding my fellow lawmakers across the aisle that D.C. residents deserve the same consideration as their own constituents at every opportunity.” 

    The text released today:

    • Would permit anyone with a concealed carry permit from any state or territory to carry a concealed handgun in D.C. and on WMATA.
    • Would provide $20 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), a 50% decrease from the current funding level.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from spending its own local funds on abortion services for low-income women.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to carry out its Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014.
    • Would repeal D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act, and prohibits enacting any similar act.
    • Would require D.C. to submit a report on its enforcement of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from spending its own local funds to enforce its vehicle emission standards.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to carry out its automated traffic enforcement law.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using its local funds to enact or carry out any law which prohibits motorists from making right turns on red.
    • Would repeal the provision of D.C.’s Anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation law, or Anti-SLAPP law, that exempts from that law any claim brought by the D.C. government.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to implement its law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections or on activities related to enrolling or registering noncitizens into voter rolls for local elections.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to implement its Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.
    • Would repeal parts of the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act of 2018 that allows courts to use sentencing alternatives for a person who was sentenced as an adult but was under the age of 24 at the time the person committed a crime, changing that age back to 22.
    • Would prohibit the use of funds to implement, administer, or enforce any COVID–19 mask or vaccine mandate.
    • Would prohibit the use of funds to commercialize recreational marijuana.
    • Would prohibit the use of funds to implement the Insurance Regulation Amendment Act of 2024, which relates to reproductive health care and gender-affirming care.
    • Would prohibit funds to implement or enforce provisions of the Consumer Protection Act against oil and gas companies for environmental claims.

    Among the anti-home rule riders are several victories secured by Norton, despite Republican control of the House.

    “Even among the long list of anti-home rule riders in the bill text released today, there are a number of victories for residents of the nation’s capital,” Norton said. “I was pleased to secure these wins for the District, including increasing the DCTAG yearly cap from $10,000 to $15,000 and lifetime award cap from $50,000 to $75,000, a change I have requested for years. Even in the face of funding for the overall program being cut by half, these increases are a positive for D.C. residents who are recipients of the program. I will continue to work to secure full funding for DCTAG.”

    The bill also maintains the provision to exempt the D.C. government from a federal government shutdown in FY 2026, a provision she has gotten enacted every year since FY 2015. It also approves D.C. to spend under its FY 26 local budget.

    Norton also secured the following victories in the bill:

    • Increasing the yearly cap on DCTAG to $15,000 from $10,000 and increasing the lifetime cap from $50,000 to $75,000.
    • Requiring ratably reducing the amount of tuition and fee payment of each eligible DCTAG student who receives more than $10,000 for the award year if there are insufficient funds.
    • Exempting D.C. from federal government shutdowns in FY 2026.
    • Providing $5.7 million for D.C. Water Clean Rivers Project.
    • Providing $70 million for the Emergency Planning and Security Fund. The fund pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation’s capital, and is designed to cover the District’s costs upfront so D.C. does not need to expend local funds and then seek an appropriation to be reimbursed for such costs after the fact.
    • Providing $600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.
    • Providing $4 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Norton Says Anti-Home Rule Riders on Subcommittee-Passed D.C. Appropriations Bill are “Appalling” and “Unsurprising”

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Committee on Appropriations marked up and passed the fiscal year 2026 (FY 26) Financial Services and General Government (FSSG) Appropriations bill tonight, which Norton said includes an outrageous and irresponsible number of anti-home rule riders. Republicans try to attach the riders to the annual D.C. spending bill to exert control over local D.C. matters, despite their positions as federal officials who do not represent D.C. residents. Significantly, the bill would halve funding for DCTAG, a program established by a 1999 Norton bill. DCTAG makes up the difference for D.C. residents between in-state and out-of-state tuition up to $10,000 at public institutions of higher education in the U.S.

    “It is unsurprising that at a time when there are more frequent Republican attacks on D.C. home rule than any time since the 1990s, the D.C. appropriations bill reported out of a Republican-controlled subcommittee contains numerous and extensive riders that would overrule the expressed will of D.C. residents,” Norton said. “I am particularly appalled by the 50% cut in funding for DCTAG, a program created in 1999 by a bill I authored that simply helps pay for students who are D.C. residents to attend college.

    “I will use every tool at my disposal to stop these riders from becoming law, and I commit to reminding my fellow lawmakers across the aisle that D.C. residents deserve consideration equal to that given to as their own constituents.”

    As reported out of the subcommittee today, the bill:

    • Would provide $20 million for the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG), a 50% decrease from the current funding level.
    • Would permit anyone with a concealed carry permit from any state or territory to carry a concealed handgun in D.C. and on WMATA.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from spending its own local funds on abortion services for low-income women.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to carry out its Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014.
    • Would repeal D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act and prohibit enacting any similar act.
    • Would require D.C. to submit a report on its enforcement of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from spending its own local funds to enforce its vehicle emission standards.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to carry out its automated traffic enforcement law.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using its local funds to enact or carry out any law which prohibits motorists from making right turns on red.
    • Would repeal the provision of D.C.’s Anti-Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation law, or Anti-SLAPP law, that exempts from that law any claim brought by the D.C. government.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to implement its law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections or on activities related to enrolling or registering noncitizens into voter rolls for local elections.
    • Would prohibit D.C. from using local funds to implement its Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022.
    • Would repeal parts of the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act of 2018 that allows courts to use sentencing alternatives for a person who was sentenced as an adult but was under the age of 24 at the time the person committed a crime, changing that age back to 22.
    • Would prohibit the use of funds to implement, administer, or enforce any COVID–19 mask or vaccine mandate.
    • Would prohibit the use of funds to commercialize recreational marijuana.
    • Would prohibit the use of funds to implement the Insurance Regulation Amendment Act of 2024, which relates to reproductive health care and gender-affirming care.
    • Would prohibit funds to implement or enforce provisions of the Consumer Protection Act against oil and gas companies for environmental claims.

    Despite Republican control of the House, Norton secured several key victories for D.C., including the first increase in the annual and lifetime award caps for DCTAG recipients since the program was created in 1999.

    “I was pleased the bill that passed out of subcommittee tonight maintained several wins I secured for D.C., including increasing the DCTAG yearly cap from $10,000 to $15,000 and lifetime award cap from $50,000 to $75,000, a change I have requested for many years. Even in the face of funding for the overall program being cut by half, these increases are a positive for DCTAG recipients. I will continue to work to secure full funding for DCTAG.”

    The bill also maintains the provision to exempt the D.C. government from a federal government shutdown in FY 2027, a provision Norton has gotten enacted every year since FY 2015. It also approves D.C. to spend under its FY 26 local budget.

    Norton secured the following victories in the bill:

    • Increasing the yearly cap on DCTAG to $15,000 from $10,000 and increasing the lifetime cap from $50,000 to $75,000.
    • Requiring ratably reducing the amount of tuition and fee payment of each eligible DCTAG student who receives more than $10,000 for the award year if there are insufficient funds.
    • Exempting D.C. from federal government shutdowns in FY 2027.
    • Providing $5.7 million for D.C. Water Clean Rivers Project.
    • Providing $70 million for the Emergency Planning and Security Fund. The fund pays for the unique public safety and security costs the District incurs as the nation’s capital, and is designed to cover the District’s costs upfront so D.C. does not need to expend local funds and then seek an appropriation to be reimbursed for such costs after the fact.
    • Providing $600,000 for the Major General David F. Wherley, Jr. District of Columbia National Guard Retention and College Access Program.
    • Providing $4 million to combat HIV/AIDS in D.C.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US exits UNESCO again, agency calls move ‘regrettable’ but ‘expected’

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

    The United States announced Tuesday its decision to pull out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization two years after rejoining.

    According to a statement by the U.S. State Department, the withdrawal was due to what Washington saw as the UN cultural agency’s policy to “advance divisive social and cultural causes” over the Israel-Palestine conflicts.

    “UNESCO’s decision to admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a member state is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization,” the statement said.

    The U.S. exit will take effect at the end of December 2026.

    Meanwhile, UNESCO said Tuesday the U.S. exit was regrettable but came as no surprise.

    “However regrettable, this announcement was expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a statement.

    This will be the third time that Washington has left UNESCO, and the second time during the administration under Donald Trump. Since his second term in office started early this year, the Trump administration had announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

    Washington has long had a contentious relationship with UNESCO, repeatedly withdrawing over political grievances. In 1984, the Ronald Reagan administration pulled the United States out of the agency, citing what it called the UN body’s ideological tilt toward the former Soviet Union against the West, and the United States stayed away till 2003.

    In November 2011, the Barack Obama administration cut off funding for the UN cultural agency, after its member countries defied a U.S. warning and approved a Palestinian bid for full membership in the body. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Aderholt Celebrates Grand Opening of Nauvoo Capstone Rural Health Clinic

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

    Nauvoo, Alabama — Congressman Robert Aderholt joined community leaders, healthcare professionals, and residents today for the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the newly constructed Capstone Rural Health Clinic in Nauvoo.

    Standing inside the clinic’s state-of-the-art facility, Congressman Aderholt marked the occasion as a moment of progress and renewed commitment to rural health care. He praised the Capstone team for their steadfast dedication to delivering both medical and behavioral health services in the community — even while operating for years out of an inadequate and non-ADA-compliant building.

    “When my office received the request to help secure funding for this project, I knew it was the kind of investment that makes a real difference,” Aderholt said. “That’s why I was proud to request and secure $725,000 in federal funding to help bring this facility to life.”

    The new clinic addresses longstanding infrastructure limitations and significantly expands the services available to the Nauvoo community. Features of the upgraded facility include:

    • Expanded access to both primary and behavioral health care;
    • Space to add an additional primary care provider;
    • On-site case management to help patients navigate complex health and social needs;
    • A dedicated Telehealth suite for increased provider access;
    • ADA-compliant access throughout, including to the pharmacy.

    Within a 30-mile radius, Capstone’s clinic may be the only source of consistent, community-based care. With this expansion, the clinic expects to handle an additional 1,000 to 1,500 patient visits annually — in addition to the 3,600 visits already served each year. The on-site pharmacy currently fills over 2,500 prescriptions each month.

    “This clinic is more than a building — it is a beacon of hope for rural families,” said Aderholt. “Congressional earmarks sometimes get a bad name, but this is a shining example of how smart, community-driven investments can improve lives and strengthen the fabric of our towns.”

    Congressman Aderholt concluded his remarks by thanking Capstone’s leadership and staff for their vision, and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting rural health initiatives across Alabama’s 4th District.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Crow Hosts Annual Job Fair in Aurora

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

    AURORA — Today, Congressman Crow hosted his annual Job Fair for Coloradans looking for work. The event featured more than 30 local employers from across the Denver metro area, and hundreds of Coloradans looking for a new job attended the event.

    “Connecting Coloradans with important resources is one of the most important parts of my job,” said Congressman Crow. “That’s why I’m proud to host an annual job fair that brings our community together, and connects Coloradans with valuable employment opportunities. I’m thankful to the hundreds of job seekers and more than 30 local employers who made this year’s job fair a great success.”

    The event included employers from across an array of industries, including: Buckley Space Force Base, the U.S. Navy, Thrivent, Littleton Public Schools, Arapahoe County Human Services, Target, STRIDE Community Health Center, Troops Into Transportation, Arapahoe/Douglas Works!, and Rocky Mountain Human Services.

    The event took place on Friday, July 18th from noon to 5 PM MT at Arapahoe/Douglas Works in Aurora. Veterans and spouses of servicemembers were granted early access at 11:30 AM MT.

    Through his time in Congress, Congressman Crow has made it a priority to connect Coloradans with important community resources. Since his first term in Congress, Congressman Crow has held an annual job fair; his 2024 Job Fair helped connect over 500 Coloradans with employers.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Crow Secures Key Wins in Annual Defense Bill for Colorado

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)

    WASHINGTON — Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06), a former Army Ranger who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, announced today that more than 15 provisions he championed have been successfully included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Congressman Crow’s provisions focused on improving the lives of servicemembers and their families, modernizing our military to make America more safe, and investing in Colorado’s space industry to make us more competitive.

    “I served in combat and know the critical role Congress plays in improving the quality of life for servicemembers, strengthening our military readiness, and keeping Americans safe,” said Congressman Crow. “As a Member of the Armed Services Committee, I’ve worked in a bipartisan fashion to secure key wins for Colorado and support our men and women in uniform.”

    Congressman Crow’s provisions included in this year’s Pentagon budget include:

    Improving the Lives of our Servicemembers:

    • Upgrading Digital Health Technologies for Traumatic Brain Injury: Improves care for active-duty servicemembers suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) by identifying ways that digital technology can be used to better deliver care.
    • Preventing Traumatic Brain Injuries in Fighter Pilots: Directs the Department of Defense to create a strategy to better identify, document, and treat TBIs in active duty pilots.
    • Providing Dental for Our Troops: Ensures no-cost dental care for all reservists, which will help recruiting, retention, and readiness.
    • Securing affordable health care for servicemembers: Ensures children’s hospitals that serve a large population of active duty families can continue providing high quality, affordable healthcare for servicemembers and their children.

    Investing in Colorado’s Space Industry & Making America More Competitive:

    • Bolstering Crucial Space Programs: Provides U.S. Space Systems Command with the resources needed to compete tactically and technologically with our adversaries in outer space.
    • Modernizing Rocket Launches: Requires the Space Force to report to Congress on how it will modernize standards and processes around rocket launches so they are safer and more efficient.
    • Supporting Space Domain Awareness: Improves our ability to track objects, like satellites, and activities happening outside of our atmosphere.
    • Increasing competition when the government buys space technology: Ensures that all companies have a fair shot when the U.S. government is looking to purchase technology that we use in space.

    Modernizing our Military:

    • Updating Air Force’s Flying Communications System: Authorizes support for mobile communications platforms to ensure continuity of government and national military command and control during a crisis
    • Protecting Assets Against Climate Change: Ensures climate shocks don’t negatively impact military installations, training, operations, and readiness.
    • Ensuring the Military Protects Civilians in Combat: Compels the Department of Defense to produce a report on how civilian harm could impact the success of military operations.
    • Improving the Defense Supply Chain: Encourages changes to the way DoD buys equipment so the supply chain that supports our defense is stronger and more efficient.
    • Strengthening the Afghanistan War Commission: Gives them more tools to complete their bipartisan assessment of key decisions made over twenty years of war in Afghanistan and to produce their final report.
    • Maintaining a global security footprint: Prevents the elimination or consolidation of US Southern Command.
    • Bolstering our strategy in Eastern Europe: Requires DoD to provide Congress an updated strategy related to NATO, and provide a detailed update on Russia’s actions. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pappas, Weber Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen U.S.-Israel Medical Innovation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14) introduced the United States-Israel Bilateral Innovation for Research and Development in (BIRD) Health Act of 2025. The legislation directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to partner with the successful Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation to create a dedicated BIRD Health Program, modeled after existing collaborations in energy, cyber, and homeland security.

    The BIRD Health Act deepens U.S.-Israel collaboration in the development of next-generation health technologies, fortifies domestic supply chains, and reduces our reliance on adversarial nations for critical medical products by leveraging Israel’s world-class biotech ecosystem and America’s unmatched research infrastructure.

    “U.S. and Israeli doctors, scientists, and researchers are leading the world in groundbreaking medical advancements, including regenerative medicine, disease prevention, and cancer research,” said Rep. Pappas. “The health technology and innovation program created through this bipartisan legislation will strengthen the bilateral partnership between the U.S. and Israel to address emerging health issues, develop innovative solutions, and save lives.”

    “The United States and Israel share one of the strongest, most enduring alliances in the world, and it just makes sense to join forces in advancing life-saving health technologies that benefit both our nations,” said Rep. Weber. “The BIRD Health Act of 2025 builds on our shared strengths to support cutting-edge medical innovation, strengthen supply chains, and improve health outcomes for American families.”

    The bill supports:

    • Joint U.S.-Israel research and development in medical devices, digital health, diagnostics, vaccines, and biotechnology
    • Manufacturing partnerships to boost U.S.-based production of critical medicines
    • Innovation ecosystems that promote startups, clinical trials, and the commercialization of new treatments
    • Data-sharing and cybersecurity protocols to protect patient privacy and medical infrastructure

    Read the bill here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Continues to Underscore the Negative Impact of the Big, Ugly Bill on New Hampshire Communities and Seniors

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) met with staff and residents of Hillsborough County Nursing Home (HCNH) to discuss how the Republican’s so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, which is now law, makes devastating cuts to Medicaid funding that is essential to New Hampshire nursing homes, their operations, and patient care.

    “People deserve to retire with dignity and live peacefully. Nursing homes are key to ensuring our seniors can do so while getting the care they need. Medicaid is the primary payer for about six in ten nursing home residents. The Big, Ugly Bill, which is now law, makes devastating cuts to Medicaid funding that New Hampshire nursing homes rely on to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Without these resources, their services and care are in real jeopardy,” said Congressman Pappas. “Today I joined staff and residents of Hillsborough County Nursing Home to hear directly from them about these impacts. I fought against the passage of this cruel legislation, and I will continue working to protect health care access and other essential programs for New Hampshire families and seniors.”

    “Our nursing homes try our best to provide quality, affordable care to seniors. The cuts to Medicaid threaten our operations, will increase costs for residents, push the burden onto county taxpayers, and ultimately, could lead to loss of care throughout our state,” said David Ross, Administrator of the Hillsborough County Nursing Home. “Ahead of the reconciliation bill’s passage, I reached out to the Congressman’s office about my concerns. I’m grateful for him voting no, for coming to us today to hear from staff and our residents, and for his work to protect and strengthen access to care.”

    Background:

    Pappas voted against Republicans’ reconciliation bill every timeit came to the floor. Pappas filed two amendments to the Senate-passed Republican reconciliation bill to protect Granite Staters’ access to Medicaid and food assistance and to prevent Congress from passing the burden of cuts to these programs onto the state; neither was adopted.

    Now law, this legislation included deep cuts to health care and food programs for working families to cover the cost of $5 trillion in tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. It will leave an estimated 17 million Americans uninsured, including at least 46,388 Granite Staters; trigger $500 billion in cuts to Medicare; increase monthly out-of-pocket costs for families and leave more Americans with overwhelming medical debt; defund Planned Parenthood, leaving more than 1.1 million women without access to needed care like cancer screenings and birth control; and kick millions of Americans off SNAP, leaving them unable to put food on the table.

    In February, Pappas held a roundtable with New Hampshire health care advocates and community leaders to highlight the devastating impact the Republican budget would have on New Hampshire residents’ access to health care and local community health centers’ ability to serve their patients. In April, he held another discussion to highlight the negative impact the legislation would have on people who access care through the Medicaid program and New Hampshire’s Medicaid Expansion. Pappas spoke on the floor several times in opposition to the reconciliation bill and on behalf of his constituents on Medicaid and SNAP.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Joins Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers, Advocates to Condemn Shutdown of 988 LGBTQ+ Crisis Lifeline

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

    Today, in response to the LGBTQ+ subline of the 988 crisis support hotline being shut down as previously ordered by the Trump Administration, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers and national mental health advocates to speak out against the harmful decision and called for its immediate reversal. Today’s event follows an earlier plea to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging his office to “scrap this ill-advised plan.” WATCH HERE.

    Since its launch in 2022, the LGBTQ+ subline under the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has been a critical, life-saving resource for LGBTQ+ youth and adults facing mental health crises. The line has handled nearly 1.3 million calls, texts, and chats from LGBTQ+ individuals seeking support. Its closure comes at a time of growing need — just last year, nearly 40 percent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide, according to national surveys.

    “LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. It should not be a political issue, but a matter of basic human decency to restore the 988 hotline’s specialized services that have been proven to save LGBTQ+ children’s lives,” said Rep. Pappas. “We all know someone who struggles with their mental health. We will continue to call on the administration to right this wrong and make them see why they must fund these critical services for LGBTQ+ youth.” 

    The decision to shut down the LGBTQ+ subline has drawn widespread concern from mental health experts and civil rights organizations, including The Trevor Project, which helped establish the dedicated line in partnership with the federal government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ own data shows the subline has significantly expanded access to crisis care for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially youth in underserved communities.

    Today’s press conference included Representatives Sharice Davids (KS-03), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and representatives from The Trevor Project, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The bipartisan group emphasized that the LGBTQ+ subline is not duplicative or political — it is a proven, specialized tool that meets a real and growing public health need. 

    “The 988 Lifeline’s ‘press 3’ option represents a landmark, bipartisan achievement that has connected more than 1.5 million LGBTQ+ youth in crisis with life-saving care during their darkest moments,” said Jaymes Black, CEO, The Trevor Project. “Ending our country’s suicide crisis is about people, not politics — and we are devastated that the federal government has prioritized a political agenda over saving the lives of at-risk young Americans. Even in the wake of this difficult news, we express our enormous gratitude to the champions in Congress and across the mental health space who have fought to protect these life-saving services — and who continue to fight for a country that supports the health, happiness, and safety of LGBTQ+ young people everywhere. For any LGBTQ+ young person who needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s counselors are still here for you 24/7 — no matter what. Visit TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help.” 

    “LGBTQ+ youth face unique challenges — including stigma, discrimination, and elevated stress — that contribute to a suicide attempt rate more than four times higher than their non-LGBTQ+ peers,” said Robert Gebbia, Chief Executive Officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Recognizing the urgent need for culturally competent support, Congress established a dedicated crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth in 2022. Since then, usage has grown steadily, with over 1.4 million contacts as of June 2025. We are grateful to Representatives Moulton, Krishnamoorthi, Davids, Matsui, Salinas, Tonko, Pappas, Fitzpatrick, and Lawler for championing continued support for this life-saving resource. At a time when youth, including LGBTQ+ youth, are facing a mental health crisis, eliminating specialized services would endanger lives.” 

    “Since its launch, over 1.3 million individuals have reached out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. The importance of talking to someone who understands your experience or has a shared experience with you is invaluable, and it has saved countless lives,” said Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “NAMI urges the Administration to immediately reverse its decision eliminating these specialized services and to support resources for the mental health of our LGBTQ+ friends and family, who are tragically at a higher risk of suicide.” 

    If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text, or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Letter, Murray, Blumenthal, Gallego Call on Secretary Collins Stop Endangering VA Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    “Scientific research takes years to build, and it cannot be treated like a spigot – turned on and off at will to serve the Trump Administration’s efforts to balance the budget on the backs of veterans.”

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) recently expressed their deep concerns with the ongoing setbacks to medical research at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a result of VA Secretary Doug Collins’ cuts and policies at the Department, including his months-long hiring freeze on essential research staff.

    “Mr. Secretary, your hiring freeze has brought real-life impacts and pain upon our veterans – and reversing your hiring freeze for these positions months later is not enough to undo this harm,” the senators wrote in their letter to Secretary Collins. “VA researchers often work on 2- or 3-year appointments – “not to exceed” (NTE) contracts – which, as long as the researcher has funding, are typically rolled over into new appointments. Due to your hiring freeze, essential researchers whose terms were ending soon were shown the door and forced to abandon often lifesaving work, and their positions were unable to be backfilled. These actions damaged veterans’ access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials.” The senators cited specific examples of how the Trump VA’s hiring freeze impeded veterans’ access to critical clinical trials, including those aimed at preventing dementia and heart disease, better predicting veterans’ stroke risk, studying advanced cancers, and a substance use disorder study.

    The senators urged Collins to “rebuild this cornerstone of the United States’ medical research enterprise” by rehiring VA researchers whose terms were not extended due to the hiring freeze; addressing the backlog of research positions that were frozen but are now able to be hired again; coordinating with the National Institutes of Health to restore cancelled grants for VA researchers; and allowing researchers to publish their findings without the unprecedented step of preapproval by political appointees.

    The senators also emphasized their concerns around the prospect of politicizing VA research: “We are also concerned by reports that VA research studies may now have to be approved by political appointees before publication in academic journals. Please clarify to Congress, VA research employees, and veterans that no political appointees will be involved in approving or censoring the publication of research studies. Such clarification will support the historically bipartisan nature of VA research and help assure current and future VA researchers that VA will not censor the work of the talented staff it employs.”

    The senators concluded: “Scientific research takes years to build, and it cannot be treated like a spigot – turned on and off at will to serve the Trump Administration’s efforts to balance the budget on the backs of veterans. The consequences of your hiring freeze – and the resulting backlog in hiring VA research staff – could be severe and long-lasting. You still have the chance to correct course by immediately rehiring wrongly terminated researchers, working with OPM to quickly address the backlog in research staff hiring, coordinating with other agencies to restore all grants revoked from VA researchers, and assuring current and future VA researchers that their research will not be subject to political review.”

    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. In March, Senator Murray and her colleagues sent letters to VA Secretary Doug Collins demanding that the VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, as well as multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information. Senator Murray grilled Trump’s nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers, and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk.

    The full letter is available HERE and below:

    Dear Secretary Collins,

    We write today to express our deep concerns with the setbacks to medical research at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under your leadership. Although VA has begun to resolve some of your self-inflicted issues, including your multiple months-long hiring freeze on essential research staff, we call on you to take additional key actions to build back VA research. To rebuild this cornerstone of the United States’ medical research enterprise, you must rehire VA researchers whose terms were not extended due to the hiring freeze, address the backlog of research positions that were frozen but are now able to be hired again, coordinate with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to restore cancelled grants for VA researchers, and allow researchers to publish their findings without the unprecedented step of preapproval by political appointees.

    Mr. Secretary, your hiring freeze has brought real-life impacts and pain upon our veterans – and reversing your hiring freeze for these positions months later is not enough to undo this harm. VA researchers often work on 2- or 3-year appointments – “not to exceed” (NTE) contracts – which, as long as the researcher has funding, are typically rolled over into new appointments. Due to your hiring freeze, essential researchers whose terms were ending soon were shown the door and forced to abandon often lifesaving work, and their positions were unable to be backfilled. These actions damaged veterans’ access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials. For example:

    • A clinical trial aimed at preventing dementia and heart disease was unable to renew a without compensation appointment and had to turn veterans away from enrollment.
    • A substance use disorder study was paused due to an employee’s termination, leaving progress stalled on a major public health issue affecting veterans at a rate higher than non-veterans.
    • Critical research employees on a study predicting stroke risk were fired, leading this study to be halted.
    • Enrollment in clinical trials for advanced cancers was delayed, limiting access to promising therapies.

    To ensure there are no further impediments to this vital research, we request a list of all research positions that are still subject to the hiring freeze – including research positions at VA’s Centers of Excellence and Centers of Innovation – and call on you to rehire all researchers who, through no fault of their own, had their NTE contracts expire during the hiring freeze. We also urge you to work with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to quickly address the backlog in research staff hiring that your hiring freeze has engendered. VA research staff nationwide are reporting a significant backlog in the hiring process for critical research employees who are finally, after months of waiting, no longer subject to your hiring freeze. Failure to swiftly address this backlog will put veterans’ health at risk, decimate the morale of an already understaffed research workforce, and undercut one of VA’s best recruiting tools.

    Furthermore, timely coordination with the National Institutes of Health – the nation’s leading biomedical research agency – is essential to restore any VA researchers’ canceled NIH grants. Our offices have heard from VA researchers whose studies on topics such as opioid use disorder among veterans have been halted due to NIH grant cancellations. We urge you to work with NIH to restore these grants and all other cancelled grants that funded studies to improve veterans’ health outcomes. We are similarly concerned that additional grants for VA researchers affiliated with academic institutions have been canceled, especially given VA’s refusal to answer repeated requests from our offices regarding the status of VA research at Harvard University. Reporting has noted that VA research projects associated with Harvard University – including studies on veteran suicide prevention, toxic exposure, and prostate cancer screening – have been proposed for termination. Veterans should not have to suffer due to this Administration’s political crusade on research and academia. We urge you to work to restore any such canceled grants without delay.

    We are also concerned by reports that VA research studies may now have to be approved by political appointees before publication in academic journals. Please clarify to Congress, VA research employees, and veterans that no political appointees will be involved in approving or censoring the publication of research studies. Such clarification will support the historically bipartisan nature of VA research and help assure current and future VA researchers that VA will not censor the work of the talented staff it employs.

    Scientific research takes years to build, and it cannot be treated like a spigot – turned on and off at will to serve the Trump Administration’s efforts to balance the budget on the backs of veterans. The consequences of your hiring freeze – and the resulting backlog in hiring VA research staff – could be severe and long-lasting. You still have the chance to correct course by immediately rehiring wrongly terminated researchers, working with OPM to quickly address the backlog in research staff hiring, coordinating with other agencies to restore all grants revoked from VA researchers, and assuring current and future VA researchers that their research will not be subject to political review.

    We appreciate your attention to this critical issue and stand ready to support swift efforts that will allow VA research to thrive once more and continue to improve veteran health outcomes.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member Omar Opening Remarks at Subcommittee Hearing on the Future of Workplace Safety

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

    WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (MN-05) delivered the following opening statement at a Workforce Protections Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Safe Workplaces, Stronger Partnerships: The Future of OSHA Compliance Assistance.”

    “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.

     “Over the last six months, the Trump Administration has embarked on an aggressive assault on worker protections. And just in the past two weeks, Trump’s Department of Labor has released five dozen deregulatory rulemakings – two-thirds of which focus on health and safety issues.

     “These proposals target core worker protections, including changes to child labor rules, removing a requirement as basic and essential as having adequate lighting on construction sites, and even weakening workers’ protections against asbestos.

     “This spree of deregulation follows months of mass firing at the very agencies tasked with researching and investigating workplace conditions—and a proposed budget that would reduce inspections and slash DOL’s capacity to develop new safety standards.

     “The message is clear: workers’ rights and protections are under attack. Compliance assistance programs, such as the Voluntary Protection Program, have their place. But they are no substitute for clear standards that are actively and effectively enforced.

     “No job should ever be a death sentence. Workers deserve to come home to their families at the end of the day alive, healthy, and whole. Yet, according to the AFL-CIO, workplace hazards killed approximately one hundred forty thousand workers in 2023, including 5,283 workers from traumatic injuries and an estimated 135,000 from occupational diseases.

     “To protect workers from harm, Congress passed landmark safety laws and established important agencies like OSHA, MSHA, NIOSH, and the Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board. When they are allowed to do their jobs and are fully funded, these agencies save lives and prevent harm to workers. But now, the Trump Administration is attempting to strip away safety regulations and dismantle critical agencies like NIOSH & the CSB. In doing so, they are threatening the lives of workers who rely on those safeguards and the resources these agencies provide.

     “In my own district, we are already feeling the consequences of these cuts. The University of Minnesota’s Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety is one of just 18 NIOSH-funded Education and Research Centers in the nation. It trains the next generation of workplace safety experts who will help protect our workers in high-risk industries.

     “Without NIOSH, the invaluable research and workforce development provided by that Center—and others like it across the country—will be lost. That means fewer trained medical and safety professionals, less research capacity on critical issues such as heat stress, and decreased investment in innovative technologies that can prevent illness and injury.

     “The Trump Administration’s deregulatory agenda will result in more injuries, more deaths, more grieving families – and lessaccountability for employers who put their workers in harm’s way.

     “Committee Democrats are committed to honoring those workers who have been harmed or killed on the job, not just with words, but with action to change the system.

     “Later today, Ranking Member Scott will reintroduce a bill that will finally bring workers the common-sense protections they deserve against heat-related injury and illness.

     “I am a proud cosponsor of the Asunción ValdiviaHeat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, which requires OSHA to finally issue an enforceable rule with the strongest feasible protections against heat illness, including paid rest breaks, access to water, shaded or cooled recovery areas, and training that is delivered in a language and format that workers understand. These are sensible safeguards that will save lives. 

    “Ranking Member Scott, Representative Courtney, and I also reintroduced the Protecting America’s Workers Act, which would make long-overdue improvements to the enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This bill would expand coverage to millions of workers currently excluded from the law’s protections and strengthen whistleblower protections. These reforms are critical to preventing the most serious violations that endanger workers’ safety.

    “Democrats are offering real solutions to the problems workers face on the job instead of ripping away protections. I hope that our discussion today can center around ensuring that workers come home safely at the end of the day.

    “Finally, Mr. Chairman, I request unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement from the United Steelworkers about the compliance assistance programs we will be discussing today. 

    “Thank you, and I yield back.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stauber Votes to Send Rescissions Package to President Trump’s Desk

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) voted to pass the Recissions Act of 2025, legislation that will claw back $9 billion in wasteful federal spending. This first rescissions package includes necessary cuts to USAID, National Public Radio (NPR), and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

    Of his vote, Congressman Stauber stated, “Today, I was proud to take an essential step to rein in federal spending and save taxpayer dollars. The bulk of this $9 billion package targets wasteful foreign spending identified by the Department of Government Efficiency. The American people should not be paying $1 million for voter ID in Haiti, $6 million for Net Zero Cities in Mexico, $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street, $4 million for sedentary migrants in Columbia, or $135 million to the World Health Organization- which lied about the origins of COVID. And there are so many other egregious examples.

    “Regarding the public broadcasting cuts included in this package, I also do not believe Americans should be forced to fund opinion journalism masquerading as unbiased news coverage. A recent survey found that 100% of NPR’s 87-person editorial board in DC are registered Democrats with zero Republicans. This has led to many concerning headlines, including one claiming there is no evidence that biological men have an unfair advantage over biological women in sports. And even worse, PBS has pushed gender-affirming care for children on its airwaves. 

    “While many on the left will falsely claim that these cuts will restrict access to information, remember that 96% of Americans report using the internet regularly, providing far more access to the news than ever before. 

    “The passage of this package through Congress is a win for commonsense and it wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership of President Trump. Our nation is currently $36 trillion in debt, so I am excited to keep the momentum going by voting for more rescission packages down the road.”

    BACKGROUND: 

    Under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), the Administration may transmit a request to Congress to rescind previously appropriated funds through a rescissions package. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Doctors shouldn’t be allowed to object to medical care if it harms their patients

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Julian Savulescu, Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, The University of Melbourne

    HRAUN/Getty

    A young woman needs an abortion and the reasons, while urgent, are not medical. A United States Navy nurse at Guantánamo Bay is ordered to force-feed a defiant detainee on hunger strike.

    These very different real-life cases have one connecting thread: the question of whether a health professional can conscientiously object to carrying out a patient’s request.

    Freedom of conscience is often held up as a purely noble principle. But when it’s used to deny health care, it means a single person’s beliefs are dictating what is best for another person’s physical and mental health – which can have devastating, even fatal, results.

    In our recent book, Rethinking Conscientious Objection in Healthcare, colleagues and I conclude doctors should not be free to make medical decisions based on their personal beliefs.

    It’s not noble to refuse care

    Freedom of conscience is strongly – but not absolutely – protected under international human rights law. It is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    This principle has often been used for moral purposes: for example, to resist orders to torture or kill.

    But after researching use of conscientious objection by health professionals, I have concluded it is seriously flawed when used to deny patients health services. This is especially so when particular doctors have a monopoly on service provision, as is the case with abortion and assisted dying in many rural and regional areas of Australia.

    In Australia, doctors are allowed to conscientiously object to abortion, although nearly all states require referral to other service providers or information about how to access the relevant service.

    In practice, these laws are not enforced and sometimes disregarded.

    A doctor’s refusal can mean patients can be denied the standard of care they need, or indeed, any care at all.

    Health-care professionals are not like pacifists refusing conscription into the military, opposing something forced upon them. They freely choose health-care careers that come with obligations and with ethical stances already established by professional codes of conduct.

    People are free to hold whatever beliefs they choose, but those beliefs will inevitably close off some options for them. For example, a vegetarian will not be able to work in an abattoir. That is true for every one of us. But what shouldn’t happen is a doctor’s personal beliefs closing off legitimate options for their patient.

    4 guiding questions

    Instead of personal values, there are four key secular principles we propose that doctors should rely on when deciding how to advise patients about sensitive procedures:

    • is it legal?

    • is it a just and fair use of any resources that might be limited?

    • is it in the interests of the patient’s wellbeing?

    • is it what the patient has themselves decided they want?

    Of course, there will be times when some of these principles are in conflict – that is when it is important to apply the most crucial ones, the wellbeing of the patient and the patient’s own wishes.

    In Ireland in 2012, a young woman named Savita Halappanavar went to an Irish hospital for treatment for her miscarriage. Doctors knew there was no hope of the pregnancy surviving but refused to evacuate her uterus while there was still a fetal heartbeat, for fear of breaching Ireland’s anti-abortion laws. The result: Savita died of septicaemia at 31.

    If doctors had put the patient’s wellbeing first, they would have given her that termination, despite the law, and it would have saved her life.

    These are the principles that should have been applied to the examples above: the woman seeking an abortion for career reasons or the nurse refusing to force-feed prisoners.

    The doctor (or nurse) should ask: Is it what the patient has autonomously decided they want? Will it lead to the best outcome for both their physical and their mental health?

    If abortion will promote a woman’s wellbeing, it is in her interests. Hunger strikers should not be force-fed because it violates their autonomy.

    An unfair burden

    While doctors’ personal values are important, they should not dictate care at the bedside. Not only can this disadvantage the patient, but it places an unfair burden on colleagues who do accept such work, and must carry a disproportionate load of procedures they might find unpleasant and financially unrewarding.

    It also creates injustice. Patients who are educated, wealthy and well-connected already find it easier to access health care. Conscientious objection intensifies that unfairness in large swathes of the country because it further limits options.

    Two countries with excellent health-care systems, Sweden and Finland, do not permit conscientious objection by medical professionals.

    In Australia, it is time we do the same and strongly limit conscientious objection as a legal right for health professionals. We should also ensure those entering the discipline are prepared to take on all procedures relevant to their specialty.

    And lastly, but most importantly, we should educate them that the patient’s interests and values must always come first. An individual doctor’s sense of moral authority should not be permitted to morph into medical and moral authoritarianism.

    Julian Savulescu 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. Doctors shouldn’t be allowed to object to medical care if it harms their patients – https://theconversation.com/doctors-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-object-to-medical-care-if-it-harms-their-patients-260003

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Doctors shouldn’t be allowed to object to medical care if it harms their patients

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Julian Savulescu, Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, The University of Melbourne

    HRAUN/Getty

    A young woman needs an abortion and the reasons, while urgent, are not medical. A United States Navy nurse at Guantánamo Bay is ordered to force-feed a defiant detainee on hunger strike.

    These very different real-life cases have one connecting thread: the question of whether a health professional can conscientiously object to carrying out a patient’s request.

    Freedom of conscience is often held up as a purely noble principle. But when it’s used to deny health care, it means a single person’s beliefs are dictating what is best for another person’s physical and mental health – which can have devastating, even fatal, results.

    In our recent book, Rethinking Conscientious Objection in Healthcare, colleagues and I conclude doctors should not be free to make medical decisions based on their personal beliefs.

    It’s not noble to refuse care

    Freedom of conscience is strongly – but not absolutely – protected under international human rights law. It is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    This principle has often been used for moral purposes: for example, to resist orders to torture or kill.

    But after researching use of conscientious objection by health professionals, I have concluded it is seriously flawed when used to deny patients health services. This is especially so when particular doctors have a monopoly on service provision, as is the case with abortion and assisted dying in many rural and regional areas of Australia.

    In Australia, doctors are allowed to conscientiously object to abortion, although nearly all states require referral to other service providers or information about how to access the relevant service.

    In practice, these laws are not enforced and sometimes disregarded.

    A doctor’s refusal can mean patients can be denied the standard of care they need, or indeed, any care at all.

    Health-care professionals are not like pacifists refusing conscription into the military, opposing something forced upon them. They freely choose health-care careers that come with obligations and with ethical stances already established by professional codes of conduct.

    People are free to hold whatever beliefs they choose, but those beliefs will inevitably close off some options for them. For example, a vegetarian will not be able to work in an abattoir. That is true for every one of us. But what shouldn’t happen is a doctor’s personal beliefs closing off legitimate options for their patient.

    4 guiding questions

    Instead of personal values, there are four key secular principles we propose that doctors should rely on when deciding how to advise patients about sensitive procedures:

    • is it legal?

    • is it a just and fair use of any resources that might be limited?

    • is it in the interests of the patient’s wellbeing?

    • is it what the patient has themselves decided they want?

    Of course, there will be times when some of these principles are in conflict – that is when it is important to apply the most crucial ones, the wellbeing of the patient and the patient’s own wishes.

    In Ireland in 2012, a young woman named Savita Halappanavar went to an Irish hospital for treatment for her miscarriage. Doctors knew there was no hope of the pregnancy surviving but refused to evacuate her uterus while there was still a fetal heartbeat, for fear of breaching Ireland’s anti-abortion laws. The result: Savita died of septicaemia at 31.

    If doctors had put the patient’s wellbeing first, they would have given her that termination, despite the law, and it would have saved her life.

    These are the principles that should have been applied to the examples above: the woman seeking an abortion for career reasons or the nurse refusing to force-feed prisoners.

    The doctor (or nurse) should ask: Is it what the patient has autonomously decided they want? Will it lead to the best outcome for both their physical and their mental health?

    If abortion will promote a woman’s wellbeing, it is in her interests. Hunger strikers should not be force-fed because it violates their autonomy.

    An unfair burden

    While doctors’ personal values are important, they should not dictate care at the bedside. Not only can this disadvantage the patient, but it places an unfair burden on colleagues who do accept such work, and must carry a disproportionate load of procedures they might find unpleasant and financially unrewarding.

    It also creates injustice. Patients who are educated, wealthy and well-connected already find it easier to access health care. Conscientious objection intensifies that unfairness in large swathes of the country because it further limits options.

    Two countries with excellent health-care systems, Sweden and Finland, do not permit conscientious objection by medical professionals.

    In Australia, it is time we do the same and strongly limit conscientious objection as a legal right for health professionals. We should also ensure those entering the discipline are prepared to take on all procedures relevant to their specialty.

    And lastly, but most importantly, we should educate them that the patient’s interests and values must always come first. An individual doctor’s sense of moral authority should not be permitted to morph into medical and moral authoritarianism.

    Julian Savulescu 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. Doctors shouldn’t be allowed to object to medical care if it harms their patients – https://theconversation.com/doctors-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-object-to-medical-care-if-it-harms-their-patients-260003

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Here’s why 3-person embryos are a breakthrough for science – but not LGBTQ+ families

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jennifer Power, Principal Research Fellow, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University

    Last week, scientists announced the birth of eight healthy babies in the United Kingdom conceived with DNA from three people. Some headlines have called it “three-person IVF”.

    The embryo uses the DNA from the egg and sperm of the intended father and mother, as well as cells from the egg of a second woman (the donor).

    This process – known as mitochondrial replacement therapy – allows women with certain genetic disorders to conceive a child without passing on their condition.

    While it’s raised broader questions about “three-parent” babies, it’s not so simple. Here’s why it’s unlikely this development will transform the diverse ways LGBTQ+ people are already making families.

    What this technology is – and isn’t

    The UK became the first country in the world to allow mitochondrial donation for three-person embryos ten years ago, in 2015.

    In other countries, such donations are banned or strictly controlled. In Australia, a staged approach to allow mitochondrial donation was introduced in 2022. Stage one will involve clinical trials to determine safety and effectiveness, and establish clear ethical guidelines for donations.

    These restrictions are based on political and ethical concerns about the use of human embryos for research, the unknown health impact on children, and the broader implications of allowing genetic modification of human embryos.

    There are also concerns about the ethical or legal implications of creating babies with “three parents”.

    Carefully and slowly considering these ethical issues is clearly important. But it’s inaccurate to suggest this process creates three parents.

    First, the amount of DNA the donor provides is tiny, only 0.1% of the baby’s DNA. The baby will not share any physical characteristics with the donor.

    While it is significant that two women’s DNA has been used in creating an embryo, it doesn’t mean lesbian couples will be rushing to access this particular in vitro fertilisation (IVF) technology.

    This technique is only used for people affected by mitochondrial disease and is closely regulated. It is not available more widely and in Australia, is not yet available even for this use.

    Second, while biological lineage is an important part of many people’s identity and sense of self, DNA alone does not make a parent.

    As many adoptive, foster and LGBTQ+ parents will attest, parenting is about love, connection and everyday acts of care for a child.

    How do rainbow families use IVF?

    Existing IVF is already expensive and medically invasive. Many fertility services offer a range of additional treatments purported to aid fertility, but extra interventions add more costs and are not universally recommended by doctors.

    While many lesbian couples and single women use fertility services to access donor sperm, not everyone will need to use IVF.

    Less invasive fertilisation techniques, such as intrauterine insemination, may be available for women without fertility problems. This means inserting sperm directly into the uterus, rather than fertilising an egg in a clinic and then implanting that embryo.

    Same-sex couples who have the option to create a baby with a sperm donor they know – rather than from a register – may also choose home-based insemination, the proverbial turkey baster. This is a cheaper and more intimate way to conceive and many women prefer a donor who will have some involvement in their child’s life.

    In recent years, “reciprocal” IVF has also grown in popularity among lesbian couples. This means an embryo is created using one partner’s egg, and the other partner carries it.

    Reciprocal IVF’s popularity suggests biology does play a role for LGBTQ+ women in conceiving a baby. When both mothers share a biological connection to the child, it may help overcome stigmatisation of “non-birth” mothers as less legitimate.

    But biology is by no means the defining feature of rainbow families.

    LGBTQ+ people are already parents

    The 2021 census showed 17% of same-sex couples had children living with them; among female same-sex couples it was 28%. This is likely an underestimate, as the census only collects data on couples that live together.

    Same-sex couples often conceive children using donor sperm or eggs, and this may involve surrogacy. But across the LGBTQ+ community, there are diverse ways people become parents.

    Same-sex couples are one part of the LGBTQ+ community. Growing numbers of trans and non-binary people are choosing to carry a baby (as gestational parents), as well as single parents who use donors or fertility services. Many others conceive children through sex, including bi+ people or others who conceive within a relationship.

    While LGBTQ+ people can legally adopt children in Australia, adoption is not common. However, many foster parents are LGBTQ+.

    When they donate eggs or sperm to others, some LGBTQ+ people may stay involved in the child’s life as a close family friend or co-parent.

    Connection and care, not DNA

    While mitochondrial replacement therapy is a remarkable advance in gene technology, it is unlikely to open new pathways to parenthood for LGBTQ+ people in Australia.

    Asserting the importance of families based on choice – not biology or what technology is available – has been crucial to the LGBTQ+ community’s story and to rainbow families’ fight to be recognised.

    Decades of research now shows children raised by same-sex couples do just as well as any other child. What matters is parents’ consistency, love and quality of care.

    Jennifer Power receives funding from the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Aged Care and the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Here’s why 3-person embryos are a breakthrough for science – but not LGBTQ+ families – https://theconversation.com/heres-why-3-person-embryos-are-a-breakthrough-for-science-but-not-lgbtq-families-261462

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressional Democrats Join Union Workers to Announce Legislation to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat

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

    Headline: Congressional Democrats Join Union Workers to Announce Legislation to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat

    As originally released by the Committee on Education & Workforce, Democrats

    WASHINGTON – Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, Representative Judy Chu (D-CA.-28), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) joined union workers from the United Farm Workers (UFW), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and United Steelworkers to announce their bipartisan, bicameral legislation to implement federal enforceable workplace heat stress protections.

    Co-leads of the legislation include Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12), and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). 

    To address the increasing risks from extreme temperatures, the lawmakers introduced the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, legislation to protect the safety and health of indoor and outdoor workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace.  The legislation would protect workers against occupational exposure to excessive heat by requiring the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an enforceable federal standard to protect workers in high-heat environments with commonsense measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat-related illness. The bill also directs employers to provide training for their employees on the risk factors that can lead to heat illness and guidance on the proper procedures for responding to symptoms.

    The bill is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia, who died in 2004 after picking grapes for 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures.  Mr. Valdivia fell unconscious, but instead of calling an ambulance, his employer told Mr. Valdivia’s son to drive his father home. On his way home, he died of heat stroke at the age of 53.

    “This summer, Americans across the country are grappling with some of the hottest temperatures on record. Yet workers in this country still have no legal protection against excessive heat—one of the oldest, most serious, and most common workplace hazards. Heat illness affects workers in our nation’s fields, warehouses, and factories, and climate change is making the problem more severe every year,” said Ranking Member Scott.  “This legislation will require OSHA to issue a heat standard on a much faster track than the normal OSHA regulatory process.  I was proud to advance this important bill in 2022, and I urge Chairman Walberg and Committee Republicans to do so again this Congress.  Workers deserve nothing less, particularly as heat-related illnesses and deaths rise.”

    “As we continue to experience record-breaking summer heat waves, we’re also seeing a distressing increase in cases of workers collapsing and even losing their lives due to excessive heat. I will never forget people like Asunción Valdivia or Esteban Chavez Jr., who passed away in Pasadena, California in 2022 after a day of delivering packages in 90-degree heat in a truck without air conditioning. Unfortunately, their tragic deaths were entirely preventable,” said Representative Chu. “Whether on a farm, driving a truck, or working in a warehouse, workers like Asunción and Esteban keep our country running while enduring some of the most difficult conditions—often without access to water or rest. To protect our workforce and save lives, we must pass this bill into law and establish comprehensive and enforceable federal standards addressing heat stress on the job.”

    “Asunción Valdivia’s death was completely preventable, yet his story is sadly not unique.  As the planet continues to grow hotter, there is still no federally enforceable heat safety standard for workers.  That’s not just dangerous for the farm workers and construction workers who work all day outside in the sun — it’s also dangerous for the factory and restaurant workers in boiling warehouses and kitchens,”said SenatorPadilla.  “Every family deserves to know that even on the hottest day, their loved one will come back home.  A national heat safety standard would provide that peace of mind and finally give workers the safety they deserve.”

    “As we face record temperatures, it has never been more important that we protect our workers facing extreme heat in the workplace,”said Representative Adams. “Last year, a North Carolina postal worker Wendy Johnson lost her life to heat illness after spending hours in the back of a postal truck on a 95-degree day with no air conditioning. Her death was entirely preventable, and Wendy should still be with us today. I’m proud to introduce this bill so we can honor her memory and ensure every worker has the protections from extreme heat that Wendy deserved.”

    According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 was the warmest year on record for the United States.  The past decade, including 2024, was the hottest on record, marking a decade of extreme heat that will only get worse.  Heat-related illnesses can cause heat cramps, organ damage, heat exhaustion, stroke, and even death.  Between 1992 and 2017, heat stress injuries killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured more than 70,000.  The Washington Center for Equitable Growthestimates hot temperatures caused at least 360,000 workplace injuries in California from 2001 to 2018, or about 20,000 injuries a year. The failure to implement simple heat safety measures costs U.S. employers nearly $100 billion every year in lost productivity.

    From 2011-2020, heat exposure killed at least 400 workers and caused nearly 34,000 injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work; both are likely vast underestimates.  Farm workers and construction workers suffer the highest incidence of heat illness.  And no matter what the weather is outside, workers in factories, commercial kitchens, and other workplaces, including ones where workers must wear personal protective equipment (PPE), can face dangerously high heat conditions all year round.

    The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) , Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI-01), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-03), Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA-02), Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX-35), Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO-05), Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO-01), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37), Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL-22), Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL-10), Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL-04), Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY-10), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Rep. Al Green (D-TX-09), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05), Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA-04), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY-17), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA-49), Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08), Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI-02), Rep. John Mannion (D-NY-22), Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-02), Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-06), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-07), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN-01), Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-At Large), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Rep. Luz Rivas (D-CA-29), Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25), Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-09), Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01), Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-39), Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13), Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS-02), Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA-35), Rep. Derek T. Tran (D-CA-45), Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA-52), Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX-33), Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY-07), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25), and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12).

    To read the fact sheet on the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act is availablehere.

    To read the section-by-section summary of the bill is available here.

    To read the bill text of the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Chu and Senator Padilla and Colleagues Join Union Workers to Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Judy Chu (CA2-27)

    Rep. Chu and Senator Padilla and Colleagues Join Union Workers to Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat

    WATCH: Rep. Chu’s remarks on pushing for enforceable workplace heat stress protections after hottest year on record

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, following yet another extreme heat wave in California, U.S. Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), joined by co-leads Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.-03), Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12), stood alongside union leaders, including Yaisy Villalobos of the United Farm Workers (UFW), Dorothy Bryant of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Roy Houseman of the United Steelworkers (USW) to announce their bipartisan, bicameral legislation to establish an enforceable federal workplace heat protection standard.

    To address the increasing risks from extreme temperatures, the lawmakers introduced the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, legislation to protect the safety and health of indoor and outdoor workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace. The legislation would protect workers against occupational exposure to excessive heat by requiring the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish an enforceable federal standard to protect workers in high-heat environments with common sense measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat-related illness. The bill would also direct employers to provide training for their employees on the risk factors that can lead to heat illness and guidance on the proper procedures for responding to symptoms.

    The bill is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia, who died in 2004 in California after picking grapes for 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures. Mr. Valdivia fell unconscious, but instead of calling an ambulance, his employer told Mr. Valdivia’s son to drive his father home. On his way home, he died of heat stroke at the age of 53. 

    Ever since the United Farm Workers first shared Asunción Valdivia’s story with her, Rep. Judy Chu has been a tireless advocate to protect workers from dangerous heat exposure. She helped pass into law a state heat standard for outdoor workers when she was in the California state legislature. And she will continue to introduce this federal legislation each session of Congress until workers finally have a federal law protecting them from heat-related illness, injury, or death while on the job.

    “As we continue to experience record-breaking summer heat waves, we’re also seeing a distressing increase in cases of workers collapsing and even losing their lives due to excessive heat. I will never forget people like Asunción Valdivia or Esteban Chavez Jr., who passed away in Pasadena, California in 2022 after a day of delivering packages in 90-degree heat in a truck without air conditioning. Unfortunately, their tragic deaths were entirely preventable,” said Representative Chu. “Whether on a farm, driving a truck, or working in a warehouse, workers like Asunción and Esteban keep our country running while enduring some of the most difficult conditions—often without access to water or rest. To protect our workforce and save lives, we must pass this bill into law and establish comprehensive and enforceable federal standards addressing heat stress on the job.”

    “Asunción Valdivia’s death was completely preventable, yet his story is sadly not unique. As the planet continues to grow hotter, there is still no federally enforceable heat safety standard for workers. That’s not just dangerous for the farm workers and construction workers who work all day outside in the sun — it’s also dangerous for the factory and restaurant workers in boiling warehouses and kitchens,” said Senator Padilla. “Every family deserves to know that even on the hottest day, their loved one will come back home. A national heat safety standard would provide that peace of mind and finally give workers the safety they deserve.”

    “This summer, Americans across the country are grappling with some of the hottest temperatures on record. Yet workers in this country still have no legal protection against excessive heat—one of the oldest, most serious, and most common workplace hazards. Heat illness affects workers in our nation’s fields, warehouses, and factories, and climate change is making the problem more severe every year,” said Ranking Member Scott, House Committee on Education and Workforce. “This legislation will require OSHA to issue a heat standard on a much faster track than the normal OSHA regulatory process. I was proud to advance this important bill in 2022, and I urge Chairman Walberg and Committee Republicans to do so again this Congress. Workers deserve nothing less, particularly as heat-related illnesses and deaths rise.”

    “Even as heat waves become more frequent, longer-lasting, and more severe, red state politicians are rolling back heat protections and child labor protections across the country. It’s not rocket science—you cannot be pro-worker if you are anti-heat protection,” said Senator Markey. “Our legislation would provide workers with basic, effective protections: access to water, access to shade, time limits on high heat exposure, and procedures for emergency medical response. Every worker deserves to know when they clock in that they will return home safe at the end of their shift.  The thermometer is rising and the clock is ticking. Republicans want to sacrifice working Americans. Let’s save our workers instead.”

    “As we face record temperatures, it has never been more important that we protect our workers facing extreme heat in the workplace,” said Representative Adams. “Last year, a North Carolina postal worker Wendy Johnson lost her life to heat illness after spending hours in the back of a postal truck on a 95-degree day with no air conditioning. Her death was entirely preventable, and Wendy should still be with us today. I’m proud to introduce this bill so we can honor her memory and ensure every worker has the protections from extreme heat that Wendy deserved.” 

    “From farmhands to construction workers, America’s essential workforce is doing important work while under extreme heat conditions,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Temperatures continue to reach record highs in Nevada and across the United States. We must act now to protect our communities’ vital workers.”  

    According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 was the warmest year on record for the United States. The past decade, including 2024, was the hottest on record, marking a decade of extreme heat that will only get worse. Heat-related illnesses can cause heat cramps, organ damage, heat exhaustion, stroke, and even death. Farm workers and construction workers suffer the highest incidence of heat illness. And no matter what the weather is outside, workers in factories, commercial kitchens, and other workplaces, including ones where workers must wear personal protective equipment (PPE), can face dangerously high heat conditions all year round. From 2011-2020, heat exposure killed at least 400 workers and caused nearly 34,000 injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work; both are likely vast underestimates. The Washington Center for Equitable Growth estimates hot temperatures caused at least 360,000 workplace injuries in California from 2001 to 2018, or about 20,000 injuries a year. The failure to implement simple heat safety measures costs U.S. employers nearly $100 billion every year in lost productivity.

    The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act has the support of a broad coalition of over 250 groups, including: Rural Coalition, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, AFL-CIO, UNITE HERE!, AFSCME, Communication Workers of America, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Sierra Club, United Farm Workers, Farmworker Justice, Public Citizen, National Employment Law Project, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, United Auto Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Union of Concerned Scientists, United Steelworkers, National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, National Resources Defense Council, Service Employees International Union, American Lung Association, and Health Partnerships.

    “Every worker safety rule in America is written in blood,” said UFW President Teresa Romero. “The UFW has been fighting for heat safety protections for decades. Over 20 years later, Asuncion Valdivia’s death still hurts. There are so many other farm workers — many whose names we do not know — who have also been killed by extreme heat on the job in the years since. Enough is enough. Every farm worker deserves access to water, shade, and paid rest breaks — it’s past time for Congress get this done.”

    “Too many workers – including AFSCME members – have lost their lives on the job as a result of blistering heat waves and record-breaking temperatures,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “As the number of heat-related illnesses and fatalities continue to rise, it is well past time we adopt nationwide safeguards to better protect the workers who maintain our infrastructure, keep our streets clean, harvest our food, and keep our economy moving. We at AFSCME thank Senator Padilla and Representative Chu for introducing the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, which will ensure essential workers who brave the heat can do their jobs safely and effectively, and most importantly, make it home alive.”

    “For the Steelworkers Union, we represent workers in manufacturing settings and in a host of other areas where not only is it hot outside, but the areas that they work around are as hot as up to 3,000 degrees and they must wear protective equipment. The Asunción Valdivia Heat, Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act is important because it will provide a basic standard for not just outdoor, but indoor workplaces as well to ensure that there is proper rest breaks and the ability to stay cool. The Steelworkers are absolutely supportive of this bill and are going to work with Republicans and Democrats to ensure that heat illness is the last thing a worker should worry about,” said Roy Houseman, Legislative Director of United Steelworkers. 

    “Everyone deserves safe working conditions, but powerful corporations have not done enough to protect their workers from hot working environments, exacerbated by the climate crisis,” said Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO. “Extreme heat is increasingly causing indoor and outdoor workers to collapse or even die on the job, and our union family has already lost too many members to preventable, work-related heat illness. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must issue a strong heat rule, not a weak one, to ensure workers have specific protections they need and to be able to raise unsafe working conditions without fear of retaliation.”

    “It’s long past time for meaningful legislation to protect Teamsters and other workers from the effects of prolonged heat exposure and dangerous heat levels while at work,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, and limitations on time exposed to heat are simple common sense steps that should be mandated immediately. Waiting to implement these measures is unacceptable and will result in the further loss of lives.” 

    “Workers in America are facing unprecedented dangers from climate-driven heat and extreme weather, and things are only getting worse. It is far past time for a strong national standard to protect workers from illness and death caused by exposure to extreme heat. The provisions mandated in this bill, including temperature triggers, acclimatization, water, shade and paid rest breaks, would save countless lives. They represent a common sense and common decency approach that employers could quickly adopt. American workers deserve no less, and they urgently need it. Today, OSHA is in the final stage of issuing a final rule on this issue. It is imperative that the rule maintain the integrity and high standards called for in the Asuncíon Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act. We applaud Senators Padilla, Markey, and Cortez Masto and Representatives Chu, Adams, and Scott, as well as the dozens of Senators and Congresspersons who have joined them in this long effort. It’s time to bring a high quality, protective standard to the finish line for American workers,” said Ernesto Archila, Climate and Financial Regulation Policy Director, Public Citizen.

    “Every summer high temperature records get broken in states across the country, and while public health officials urge residents to stay inside and stay safe millions of workers have to report for work. From fields to warehouses, airports to schools, construction sites to manufacturing plants, and many more industries, too many workers are at risk of not getting home safely at the end of the day due to exposure to heat on the job. We know how to prevent these dangers. In fact, both outdoor and indoor workers in states like Oregon, California, and Maryland have strong, enforceable protections in place already. And in Washington, Colorado, and Minnesota at least some categories of workers are being kept safe from heat. But millions labor in other states where there are no protections; worker safety is left to the federal government in these states, and absent strong rules workers are left to protect themselves and hope for the best. We must extend workplace protections from heat to all workers. The National Employment Law Project thanks Senator Padilla and Representative Chu, as well as the dozens of Senators and Congresspersons who have cosponsored the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act of 2025,” said Anastasia Christman, Senior Policy Analyst, National Employment Law Project.

    This bill is originally cosponsored by 90 House Members, including Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03)*, Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12)*, Rep. Gabe Amo (RI-01), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Rep. Andre Carson (IN-07), Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02), Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35), Rep. Sean Casten (IL-06), Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14), Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05), Rep. Angie Craig (MN-02), Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-01), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Rep. Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22), Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Rep. Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Rep. Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Rep. Al Green (TX-09), Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Rep. Michael Lawler (NY-17), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Rep. John Mannion (NY-22), Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06), Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-04), Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02), Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Rep. Gwen Moore (WI-04), Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (IN-01), Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Rep. Luz Rivas (CA-29), Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA-38), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Rep. Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09), Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20), Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), Rep. Derek T. Tran (CA-45), Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-52), Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33), Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (NY-07), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

     A one-pager on the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act is available here.

    A section-by-section of the bill is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –