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Category: Health

  • MIL-OSI USA: Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
         Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  Some school districts and universities continue to coerce children and young adults into taking the COVID-19 vaccine by conditioning their education on it, and others may re-implement such mandates.  Parents and young adults should be empowered with accurate data regarding the remote risks of serious illness associated with COVID-19 for children and young adults, as well as how those risks can be mitigated through various measures, and left free to make their own decisions accordingly.  Given the incredibly low risk of serious COVID-19 illness for children and young adults, threatening to shut them out of an education is an intolerable infringement on personal freedom.  Such mandates usurp parental authority and burden students of many faiths.    It is the policy of my Administration that discretionary Federal funds should not be used to directly or indirectly support or subsidize an educational service agency, State educational agency, local educational agency, elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccination to attend any in-person education program.
         Sec. 2.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this order:  (a)  The term “educational service agency” has the meaning given in 20 U.S.C. 1401(5).(b)  The term “elementary school” has the meaning given in 34 C.F.R. 77.1(c). (c)  The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given in 20 U.S.C. 1001(a). (d)  The term “local educational agency” has the meaning given in 34 C.F.R. 77.1(c).(e)  The term “secondary school” has the meaning given in 34 C.F.R. 77.1(c). (f)  The term “State educational agency” has the meaning given in 34 C.F.R. 77.1(c).
         Sec. 3.  Ending COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Coercion.  (a)  The Secretary of Education shall as soon as practicable issue guidelines to elementary schools, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education regarding those entities’ legal obligations with respect to parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodations, and equal protection under law, as relevant to coercive COVID-19 school mandates.(b)  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall provide to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, a plan to end coercive COVID-19 school mandates, consistent with applicable law, and including, as appropriate, any proposed legislation.  Such plan shall also include:(i)   a list of discretionary Federal grants and contracts provided to elementary schools, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education that are non-compliant with the guidelines issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; and(ii)  each executive department or agency’s process for, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, preventing Federal funds from being provided to, and rescinding Federal funds from, elementary schools, local educational agencies, State educational agencies, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education that are non-compliant with the guidelines issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
         Sec. 4.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Baldwin Calls Out Firing Essential Health Care Workers, Experts Preventing Disease Spread

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement about alarming reports that President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are executing mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including scientists, nurses, pharmacists, and experts tracking disease spread. 

    “I am all for making our government more efficient, but firing nurses and pharmacists who keep families healthy, disease experts who protect us from the next pandemic, and scientists finding cures for cancer is not what Americans signed up for. This will make Americans less healthy and safe—not more,” said Senator Baldwin. “To the public health experts, scientists, physicians, and researchers, from those early in their careers to those who have dedicated their lives to helping keep others healthy, know that I am here fighting for you and the lifesaving work you do.” 

    The layoffs include the entire first-year class of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, a 73-year-old program which specializes in training disease detectives to investigate public health threats. The layoffs also include more than 1,500 research scientists, nurses, pharmacists, ethics specialists, police officers, data scientists, budget analysts, and patient care technicians at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including critical patient care specialists at the NIH Clinical Center. The NIH Clinical Center is the nation’s largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research, treating about 10,000 patients with rare and severe diseases every year. Mass firings of Clinical Center staff threaten patient safety and may shut down ongoing clinical trials, cutting off access to treatments and cures for patients who have nowhere else to go.

    Secretary Kennedy has indicated he intends to make further changes that will reject science in favor of injecting politics deep into our health agencies and undermine everything from public health to biomedical research to substance use treatment policies.  The reported staffing cuts at the National Institutes of Health also come after the Trump Administration’s illegal attempt to cap indirect costs for biomedical research and an apparent pause in federal grants for researchers across the country, jeopardizing lifesaving breakthroughs.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall to Secretary of Education Nominee Linda McMahon: How Do We Right the Ship of America’s Education System?

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. participated in the nomination hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the Department of Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee yesterday.
    Senator Marshall questioned McMahon on topics including biological boys in girls’ sports, combating antisemitism on college campuses, and Workforce Pell Grants. 
    McMahon is a proven business leader and a steadfast advocate for parents’ rights, successfully leading the Small Business Administration (SBA) to new heights during President Trump’s first Administration. Senator Marshall met with McMahon ahead of her confirmation hearing and believes she is the best fit to lead the Department of Education. As a first-generation college graduate and medical doctor, Senator Marshall understands firsthand the importance of education and is concerned about our current education system.

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    You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full remarks.
    Highlights from Ms. McMahon’s confirmation hearing include:
    On Ms. McMahon’s top priorities for the Department of Education: 
    Senator Marshall: “Mrs. McMahon, when I speak to youth, I typically talk about the three pillars of my life – faith, family, and education – and thanks to a strong faith, a loving family, and the public educators in my life, I was a first-generation college kid who got to live my American dream and become a physician and practice in rural medicine. So, this education thing is so important to all of us on both sides of the dais. I raised four kids in public schools, and unfortunately, I’ve seen the deterioration of the education system. And again, we have the most incredible teachers and coaches back home – and I’m grateful for all of them, but I think we’d all agree we’re going the wrong direction. Just really big picture: what would be your top priorities? How do we move? How do we change the ship’s direction?”
    Ms. McMahon: “The President has given a very clear directive that he would like to look in totality at the Department of Education, and believes that the bureaucracy of it should be closed – that we should return education to our states, that the best education is that closest to the kids, and that we should work with our local schools, with our superintendents, with our parents, to make sure that the education that our students are getting are the ones that is best for them. It’s not one-size-fits-all education policy throughout the country.”
    “I’m very hopeful that we will get back to the basics of education so that our children can read when they leave third grade and that eighth-grade students can have math and reading proficiency. Today, only one-third of high school students graduating can read proficiently. That means two-thirds can’t. We are failing our students. Our Department of Education, and what we are doing today, is not working, and we need to change it.”
    On biological boys competing in girls’ sports:
    Senator Marshall: “Mrs. McMahon, should boys – biological boys – be allowed to compete against girls in sports?”
    Ms. McMahon: “I do not believe that biological boys should be able to compete against girls in sports, and I think now that certainly not only have the people spoken, because that was something that President Trump ran very hard on, but also the court has spoken.”
    On combating antisemitism on college campuses:
    Senator Marshall: “Mrs. McMahon, I feel like antisemitism has become endemic in our universities. Would you be open to some type of an antisemitism commission to evaluate the progress of the universities on this issue?”
    Ms. McMahon: “Yes, I would, and I’d look forward to perhaps working with you or other members of the committee on such a commission.”
    On reforming Workforce Pell Grants to increase access: 
    Senator Marshall: “Let’s talk about Workforce Pell Grants for a second – and we can’t keep doing what we’re doing. The average starting salary for graduates from our community colleges and technical colleges back home is higher than our four-year universities, and their debt is close to zero, if not zero as well. Would you speak to that some more? What do you feel about more flexibility of Pell Grants?”Ms. McMahon: “I certainly would like to see workforce Pell Grants, and it goes through various stages of getting passed. But I definitely think that Workforce Pell Grants are something that could stimulate our economy, provide opportunity for those who want to participate in skilled-based learning, to have the opportunity – if we’d have short-term certificates of Pell Grants – that would get those students into the workplace faster if they want to be electricians, HVAC developers, and apprenticeships, and internships – all of that. In fact, in the first Trump Administration, I was part of – with SBA, working with the Department of Labor – making sure that there were more apprenticeship programs across the country, because those are very, very vital to the growth of not only our economy, but our businesses in general.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ernst Holds USAID Accountable

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is working with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to hold the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) accountable for stonewalling her investigations and hiding how they spent tax dollars.
    She recounted her experience in a Wall Street Journal op-ed here:
    “After keeping its spending records hidden from Congress and taxpayers, USAID employees are now protesting the review of the agency’s records by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. It’s no surprise that Washington insiders are more upset at DOGE for trying to stop wasteful spending than at USAID for misusing tax dollars.”
    This week, Senator Ernst joined Fox News to discuss her work with DOGE:

    “I was privileged to meet with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk just after the fall election and gave them an eight-page memo that outlined a number of the ‘squeal’ initiatives that I have had over the last ten years. It outlined a blueprint to save $2 trillion within our federal government, and we have seen them act on those initiatives already.”
    “There are so many ways that we can save money. We’ve seen the fraud, waste, and abuse – the telework abuse that has happened in DC…We have to be able to do a deep dive and provide our taxpayers with good reasons why we are spending their money the way we do. Unfortunately, for many of these agencies, they cannot come up with a good reason why we are spending money the way we do.”
     
    View more coverage of Ernst exposing the rogue agency: 
    RADIO IOWA | Iowa Senator Ernst says USAID shutdown the right move
    “Last summer, Ernst accused USAID of payroll fraud. On Sunday on the X Spaces broadcast, Ernst said Musk, with President Trump’s blessing, has made the right move in shutting down USAID, so ‘every dollar’ can be scrutinized.”
    DAILY CALLER | Joni Ernst Says USAID ‘Abused The System,’ Agency Threatened Her For Seeking Transparency
    “‘We need to know that those dollars are doing it and not going to fund terrorist organizations, not going to support a gender ideology in certain regions. We have to know that it’s going for a specific goal that is approved by Congress and, unfortunately, USAID has abused this system,’ Ernst said.”
    THE FEDERALIST | Ernst’s struggle to hold USAID accountable frustrated Musk who called the agency’s obstruction of her attempts to investigate ‘outrageous.’
    “Ernst first pressed USAID on how it used its tax dollars to pay the facilities and administrative costs outlined in Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements (NICRAs) in November 2022… Months later in November 2023, Ernst demanded that USAID Administrator Samantha Powers hand over crucial information about her agency’s spending — including sending billions of American tax dollars to fund pet projects and small businesses in Ukraine — but, as Ernst noted Sunday, was again ignored… Ernst’s struggle to hold USAID accountable frustrated Musk, who called the agency’s obstruction of her repeated attempts to investigate ‘outrageous.’”
    NY POST | Sen. Joni Ernst warns of ‘willful sabotage’ at USAID, cites millions in funding for Wuhan lab, terrorists and more
    “The Republican Hawkeye State senator and Senate DOGE Caucus chair, listed a slew of examples on social media this week on why ‘USAID is one of the worst offenders of waste in Washington’… In one example she highlighted, an inspector general discovered that Chemonics, a USAID contractor, overbilled the feds by ‘as much as $270 million through fiscal year 2019’ and was caught ‘possibly offering kickbacks to terrorist groups.’”
    FOX NEWS | USAID has ‘demonstrated pattern of obstructionism,’ claims top DOGE Republican in letter to Rubio
    “The Senate chair of the DOGE Caucus is exposing a ‘demonstrated pattern of obstructionism’ at the U.S.’ top aid agency in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, outlined how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been ‘stonewalling’ her office for years as she sought documents to ensure taxpayer dollars weren’t wasted at the agency, which is now under the microscope of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
    RED STATE | Joni Ernst Drops Devastating USAID Thread, and You Won’t Believe Where Your Money Has Been Going
    “Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) put out a thread on Tuesday and you won’t believe what your money has been going to.”
    DAILY MAIL | Congresswoman reveals ‘crazy’ USAID threatened her when she tried to curb its spending last year
    “The Iowa Republican tore into the agency…’They were trying to scare us away from continuing to dig into this,’ she added. Ernst wanted to know how much USAID was spending on administrative costs versus aid.”
    NATIONAL REVIEW | USAID’s Long Track Record of Wasteful, Left-Wing Spending Made It an Obvious First Target for Musk
    “Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) pushed to suspend the flow of American taxpayer dollars to EcoHealth. ‘From funneling tax dollars for batty studies with the Wuhan Institute in China, to sending Ukrainians to Paris Fashion Week, USAID has been one of the worst offenders of waste in Washington.’”
    DAILY WIRE | ‘Beyond Repair’: Musk Says Trump Has Given The Go-Ahead To ‘Get Rid Of’ USAID
    “Musk made the comments during a discussion on X with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) as they talked about the work of what Trump has called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Ernst said that any program administered by USAID that may actually benefit America should be moved under the jurisdiction of the State Department.”
    FOX DIGITAL | Senator sends message to Dems upset over Elon Musk’s DOGE team: ‘Get used to this’
    “We are going to find ways to focus our American taxpayer dollars on the things that they should be spent on, which is the American people and our interests… There are important [USAID] projects, we acknowledge that, but we have to disrupt the system, ferret out the waste and get back to what we should be doing. And that’s making sure that American interests are represented and supporting our allies and partners.”
    WASHINGTON EXAMINER | Joni Ernst spotlights ‘obstruction and lies’ by USAID’s wasteful spending
    “But what we found was extreme expenditures on the part of USAID with very little data-driven results. We have seen money funded in the Wuhan Institute of Virology through dollars steered by USAID on dangerous Coronaviruses. We saw how that turned out. We’ve seen funding going to Morocco for pottery classes, tourism in Lebanon of all places, even when the State Department was advising against travel.”
    FOX NEWS | ‘Sesame Street in Iraq’: USAID’s ‘wasteful and dangerous’ spending exposed by senator
    “Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, published a list of projects and programs she says the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped fund across the years, highlighting it as ‘wasteful and dangerous’ spending that has gripped taxpayers until the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stepped in… Ernst highlighted that the agency ‘authorized a whopping $20 million to create a Sesame Street in Iraq.’” 
    WASHINGTON EXAMINER | Joni Ernst backs Trump’s gutting of USAID
    “Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is backing President Donald Trump in his effort to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development… Ernst outlined problems with the agency that she discovered in previous investigations. In addition to waste, corruption, and inefficiency, she also alleged a ‘demonstrated pattern of obstructionism’ in its dealings with the Senate… The Iowa senator went into detail regarding some of the excesses of USAID in an X thread, including a reported $2 million for pottery classes in Morocco, an undisclosed sum for Ukrainian models to attend fashion shows abroad, $2 million for tourism in Lebanon, $20 million for a Sesame Street in Iraq, and $9 million in humanitarian assistance for Syria that ended up in the hands of terrorists.”
    WASHINGTON TIMES | Sen. Joni Ernst applauds Secretary of State Rubio’s push to overhaul USAID and review its spending
    “Ms. Ernst has prided herself as a taxpayer advocate and authored the ‘Make ’Em Squeal’ awards targeting wasteful government spending. She is now heading up the Senate DOGE caucus, working with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. In a live X session with Mr. Musk this week, Ms. Ernst said a large chunk of the USAID money is spent on overhead costs and things not associated with its humanitarian mission… In the wake of this series of significant misjudgments and oversight obstruction by the USAID, it is of the utmost importance to conduct a full and independent analysis of the recipients of USAID assistance.”
    BREITBART | Sen. Joni Ernst Details USAID’s ‘Anti-American Agenda’ in Letter to Secretary of State Rubio
    “Ernst said that, through her oversight efforts, she discovered that USAID has signed onto agreements with grant recipients allowing the recipients to spend more than 25 percent of the total award on indirect costs of the grant, including ‘rent for a partner’s corporate headquarters, advocacy costs, and other miscellaneous expenses.’”
    KWQC | Ernst blasts USAID for obstructing investigations
    “In November 2023, Ernst began investigating USAID’s assistance to small businesses in Ukraine. Ernst wrote to Powers that she was steadfast in her support for weapons and munitions on the battlefields, but wanted accountability for the billions in non-military aid. In March 2024 she led a bipartisan effort to eliminate waste at the agency. In May 2024, USAID’s obstruction of her oversight efforts led Ernst to call for a probe of the agency’s implementing partners and recipients of aid by the Inspector General.”
    TV coverage of Senator Ernst’s efforts here:

    Watch Fox News’s full coverage of Ernst’s work here.
    “We got all kinds of threats from USAID because I was trying to exercise my oversight capacity in Congress. My staff and I had estimated was that 30 to 40% of the USAID’s awards would go to indirect costs. So their overhead, their rent, employees.”
     

    Watch Ernst’s full Fox News interview here.
    “I have been on USAID’s case for years now, going back several years where I was trying to investigate the expenditures for humanitarian aid, primarily when it came to the war in Ukraine. And what my team and I encountered was absolute obstruction and lies coming out of USAID. They did everything possible to stop me from accessing their records, to understand where our taxpayer money was going… We are going to find ways to focus our American taxpayer dollars on the things that they should be spent on, which is the American people and our interests.”

    Watch Ernst’s full Fox Business interview here.
    “However, we have seen such complacency with oversight and direction from USAID. Sometimes it takes a sledgehammer. And that’s exactly what Elon Musk is doing. He is going and he is dismantling it. It will be scrutinized. But I can guarantee you, if there are worthy projects that really benefit Americans and our objectives, that those programs, will be rebuilt, but they will have proper oversight within the State Department and in Congress.”

    Watch KCCI’s coverage of Ernst’s efforts here.
    “USAID is culpable for decades of unchecked, outlandish expenditures and that behavior must end now.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Trump & Elon’s Layoffs Jeopardize Essential Services Americans Rely On, Threaten Critical Agency Objectives Keeping Americans Safe & Healthy 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) responded to the Trump administration’s mass firings of federal workers who are on their “probationary” period—meaning: federal workers who were hired or promoted within the past 1-2 years.  

    There is nothing efficient about indiscriminate mass firings. Although the exact number of employees in their probationary period changes with each pay period, data from March 2024 shows more than 220,000 federal employees were within their probationary period. More than one quarter, or 56,000, were employees at the Veterans Health Administration. The Partnership for Public Service estimates that there are now closer to 250,000 federal employees in their probationary period. Moreover, these employees are younger (around 27% are under the age of 30) and have the highest rates of employee engagement among all government workers. President Trump has also recently signed an Executive Order, which mandates that only one employee be hired for every four who are fired or depart.

    In a statement, Senator Murray said:

    “There is nothing ‘efficient’ about indiscriminately firing thousands upon thousands of workers in red and blue states whose work is badly needed. 

    “We are talking about safety engineers at the Hanford nuclear cleanup site, VA doctors and nurses, utility line workers in my home state, CDC health experts who investigate disease outbreaks, and so many others.

    “Two billionaires who have zero concept of what the federal workforce does are breaking the American government—decimating essential services and leaving all of us worse off. 

    “The lives upended by these callous firings will not just be the federal workers who lose their jobs, but the millions of Americans who rely on services these employees provide: health care, food safety, housing, lifesaving research, and so much else. 

    “Let’s be clear that these sweeping layoffs do not address fraud or waste. These firings are totally arbitrary–pushing out high performers and the promising next generation of our federal workforce who won’t be easily replaced. 

    “The scale and scope of Trump and Elon’s purge will set our country back decades, but we are not powerless in this moment. It is incumbent on every one of us to speak out for a government that works for middle-class families and working people—not just billionaires who will never need to call about their Social Security benefits or file a disability claim at VA.”

    SEE BELOW FOR A SELECT, NON-COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF THE IMPACTS OF THESE LAYOFFS:

    VETERANS AFFAIRS: In 2022, Congress passed the largest expansion of veterans’ benefits in two decades, requiring a significant influx of resources and staff to ensure veterans are getting the medical care and benefits they are owed. 

    • The Trump administration’s mass firing of more than 1,000 VA employees just yesterday will badly undercut VA’s ability to process the significant uptick in claims and benefits the agency has seen since the PACT Act was signed into law. The Trump administration has not explicitly exempted doctors, nurses, medical researchers, or disability claims raters from the layoffs. 
    • These layoffs likely mean longer wait times for veterans trying to receive medical care, and they could mean that ongoing clinical trials may be forced to come to an abrupt halt. They likely also mean veterans will wait longer for their disability claims to be processed and approved, and that training for new claims raters that VA has invested in over the last year would go to waste.  
    • There is already a shortage of VA doctors and nurses across the country–in red and blue states. The hiring freeze prohibits new disability claims raters from coming on board, and with the firing of recently hired raters, the backlog of unprocessed claims will grow above 254,000. 

    SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA): The SBA provides essential resources and support to small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country. This week, the Trump administration reportedly moved to fire 720 employees, including those recently hired to help small businesses and homeowners recover from devastating disasters. Communities and main streets across the country–from North Carolina to California–are still reeling from the impacts of hurricanes and wildfires; laying off SBA employees will curtail the SBA’s efforts to help small businesses on the ground recover. 

    OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (OPM): OPM serves as the chief human resources and personnel policy manager for the federal government and processes retirements for all federal workers, including those in the postal service. OPM employees help ensure federal employees in every part of the country receive their paychecks and retirement benefits. Without adequate staffing levels, federal workers will experience disruptions in essential services OPM provides. 

    • On February 13, OPM fired 250 probationary employees. Management was not notified that the agency would be firing people that day and probationary employees were given 30 minutes to leave the building. There were no exceptions given for high-performing employees or those that managers had prioritized on requested forms. 

    GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (GSA): GSA oversees most government contracts, manages federal property, and oversees basic federal government functions. Housed at GSA, Technology Transformation Services is responsible for FedRAMP, which sets cybersecurity standards for federal contractors, and Login.gov, which the American public uses to access their Social Security statements online. GSA was one of the earliest DOGE targets. 

    • An estimated 100 tech workers at GSA have been laid off this week alone. These employees assist with important federal initiatives, including the Direct File program, which is finally helping Americans file their taxes directly with the IRS–for free.  

    HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: The nationwide housing shortage is one area in which both sides of the aisle agree needs urgent solutions, and HUD plays a critical role in working to tackle the crisis. Without sufficient staff to keep things moving at HUD, hundreds of projects across the country are going to be delayed. Many projects will fall apart completely, exacerbating the housing crisis. Even one month of delays on a multimillion-dollar project can cost builders immensely. In just a few weeks of hasty decisions, the Trump administration has proposed drastic cuts that will hurt some of the most vulnerable people and families across the country, undercut economic development, and stunt disaster recovery.

    • Even under current staffing levels, grantees struggle to receive adequate and timely customer service and processing from HUD, and these actions will make it devastatingly worse.
    • Based on current estimates, Trump’s personnel actions to date will result in about a 13% reduction in HUD’s entire workforce.
    • This figure could grow to 50% percent based on reported plans for additional staff cuts across HUD’s programs. One component was directed to reduce staff by 84%, and that office oversees the community and economic development, long-term disaster, and homeless assistance funding that cities around the country, in red and blue states, rely on.  

    DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: The Department of Energy is responsible for overseeing U.S. energy policy and production, our nuclear weapons program, and national nuclear policy. Among other things, Department of Energy staff plays an essential role in turbocharging American innovation, creating new good-paying jobs, lowering families’ energy bills, strengthening America’s energy security, and maintaining our nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

    • The Department of Energy has now laid off 1,800 employees out of 15,850 employees, which is roughly 11% of its workforce. The layoffs have occurred Department-wide; however, the climate and infrastructure deployment offices have been hit hardest, including the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the Manufacturing and Grid Deployment Offices. These layoffs will seriously hamper the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, which have created hundreds of thousands of new jobs–compounding the incredible damage that this administration has already caused with its illegal freeze of funding provided by the two landmark laws. The layoffs include staff responsible for ensuring that funding to lower households’ energy costs gets out the door.
    • In Washington state alone, more than a dozen employees at the Hanford Site and more than 600 at the Bonneville Power Administration have been laid off–which will have cascading ripple effects on the cleanup efforts at the Hanford site and the security of the Pacific Northwest energy grid. Notably, these numbers do not include employees who opted into the “deferred resignation” program.

    INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE: The Indian Health Service provides direct health care to 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives, but has, for years, been plagued with chronic staffing challenges and consistently high vacancy rates (upwards of 29%) across all service areas. The staffing shortage has, for decades, undercut the quality of care to Tribal communities across the country. Congress has consistently identified recruitment and retention as a high priority for the agency and has worked on a bipartisan basis to fully fund staffing at IHS facilities and to increase hiring incentives to provide relief.

    • The Trump administration’s mass firing of more than an estimated 850 employees includes doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and lab technicians–and will devastate the Indian Health Service’s ability to provide services for patients and make an already dire situation worse. These indiscriminate cuts to IHS’ health care workforce will leave thousands without access to critical care and could cost lives.
    • American Indians and Alaska Natives have a life expectancy rate of 11 years less than the national average of 65.2 years old. That’s the same life expectancy rate as the overall population of the United States in 1944.

    DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: The Interior Department is responsible for the management of public lands, waters, and natural resources, including both conservation and development on federal lands under the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management, as well as administering programs affecting Native Americans. The Department is reportedly laying off 2,300 employees.

    • These layoffs will lead to a damaging loss of full-time staff at the National Park Service, which is already operating well below prior staffing levels despite significant increases in visitation. As a result of onerous budget caps during the 2010s, the National Park Service lost 15% of its staff while park visitation also increased by 15%. National Park units experience a summer surge in visitation that peaks in July, and the Service hires more than 6,000 seasonal employees to manage that extra work. Without full-time or seasonal staff during this peak season, visitor centers may close, bathrooms will not be properly maintained, campgrounds may close, guided tours will be cut back or altogether canceled, emergency response times will drop, and visitor services like safety advice, trail recommendations, and interpretation will be unavailable.
    • These indiscriminate cuts are also likely to jeopardize the President’s own “America-First” energy agenda, delaying the processing, planning, permitting, environmental compliance, and approval of new and expanded transmission lines, renewable energy projects, oil and gas leasing and drilling, critical minerals mines, coal mining, and other development on federal lands or waters.

    Federal Bureau of Investigation: The FBI is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. The Bureau is reportedly amassing a list of thousands of probationary employees, including special agents, for possible layoffs–which comes at a time of incredible uncertainty at the FBI. The FBI already faces a salaries and expenses resources shortfall, because of the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s tight constraints, which has already resulted in roughly 1,000 fewer staff. A purge—possibly in the thousands—of FBI employees will worsen an already bad situation–seriously undermining the FBI’s ability to combat terrorism, violent crime, cybercrime, drugs and gangs, transnational organized crime, and child and sex trafficking exploitation. 

    • The FBI has over 2,800 probationary employees, nearly 600 of which are special agents. 
    • The first year cost alone of recruiting, hiring, and training a new FBI special agent is nearly $250,000. Firing hundreds of new agents would be a colossal waste of American taxpayers’ dollars. 

    FOREST SERVICE: The Forest Service is responsible for managing 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands and is reportedly laying off 2,400 employees. While some exemptions are expected for law enforcement and firefighters, many of those being let go are qualified to help respond to wildfires and are a vital resource during the height of fire season. Other recent hires were brought on to accelerate hazardous fuels reduction and community wildfire defense projects to decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfires to communities across the country.

    ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY: Approximately 1,700 EPA staff have so far been notified they could be terminated. As of December 2024, EPA had 15,572 total full-time employees on staff, which include scientists, toxicologists, biologists, staff overseeing cleanups at Superfund sites in red and blue states, and many more. Indiscriminate layoffs will seriously jeopardize energy projects that have created good jobs, efforts to keep American families’ water supply clean and safe, waste site cleanup efforts, and much more.

    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: HHS’ civil service and nonpartisan leadership consists of scientists, researchers, medical professionals, child welfare specialists, and other dedicated public servants. Its nonpartisan leadership is tasked with implementing laws spanning HHS’ far-reaching responsibilities and accordingly is retained to continue building on advances made in medicine, public health, and social services. HHS’ nonpartisan career leadership does not routinely turn over between administrations.

    • Nonetheless, Secretary Kennedy, now having been confirmed, is expected to seek the unprecedented resignation of HHS nonpartisan career leadership and has already begun firing thousands of probationary employees across HHS. 
    • Injecting politics deep into HHS will undermine everything from biomedical research to public health to substance use treatment to child welfare. This is how now-Secretary Kennedy will substitute his own beliefs for established scientific consensus. 
    • Additionally: firing thousands of staff across the Department will have far-reaching impacts on basic government services, potentially including the administration of Medicare. Firings so far have included nurses, pharmacists, patient care technicians, and other staff critical for patient care at NIH’s clinical center, as well as hundreds of early career scientists and researchers.

    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: So far, Department of Education employees have already been put on administrative leave simply because they took a training encouraged by the first Trump administration. Other employees fired or expected to be fired at the Department of Education will put cybersecurity efforts, ongoing work on the FAFSA, and maintenance of student aid processing systems in serious jeopardy. 

    AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE: ARS is the USDA’s principal in-house research agency that seeks to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority. This includes research related to ensuring high-quality, safe food, assessing the nutritional needs of Americans, and sustaining a competitive U.S. agricultural economy.

    • The blanket firing of hundreds of scientists and technicians across the country who were in probationary periods will undercut new, ongoing, and urgent research projects studying livestock and crop production, food safety, environmental stewardship, human nutrition, and value-added agriculture. 

    ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE: Scores of employees from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) were abruptly fired regardless of performance status. APHIS protects our country against the emergence of deadly animal and zoonotic diseases and prevents the introduction of destructive invasive pests. This work is vital to ensuring our farmers and ranchers can safely feed the world. As avian influenza rages across poultry and dairy farms and continues to infect people, the last thing our country needs is a shortage of staff focused on addressing this threat.  

    RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Hundreds of employees working to help rural communities across the country were laid off overnight. Rural Development provides financial assistance for communities to have safe drinking water, affordable housing, high-speed internet, and access to health and safety services. Without adequate staffing, loans and grants will not be processed, and these communities will not have the resources they need to thrive.

    NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE: Hundreds of employees working to assist producers with access to voluntary conservation programs and practices were laid off. Those employees are based in offices across the country and provide technical assistance to help improve soil quality, reduce the energy used on farms, and provide other climate mitigation benefits. 

    NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: NOAA is the nation’s leading scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, and managing marine and coastal resources. Americans rely on the National Weather Service’s data forecasts daily but the critical nature of the mission to life and property comes to light during hurricanes, drought, wildfires, tornados, and other extreme weather events. The National Weather Service already struggles with staffing shortages but has made a concerted effort to increase the number of meteorologists. As such, many meteorologists have only been in the role for less than a year and are within their probationary period. 

    • Reports that NOAA will be required to lay off more than a thousand probationary employees, including meteorologists, which amount to 10% of NOAA’s workforce would result in disruptions to weather forecasts. 
    • Similar impacts could be felt to the sustainable management of the nation’s fisheries since NOAA relies on wage mariners to staff the fisheries’ survey vessels that perform stock assessments that feed into accurate sustainable catch limits on which the fishing industry relies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Unlicensed driver blows 6 times legal limit – Darwin

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    A young Darwin man is lucky to be alive after crashing his small vehicle into large utility vehicle on the Stuart Highway this morning.

    At 10:15am the Joint Emergency Services Communications Centre received a report of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Stuart Highway and Tivendale Road, Knuckey Lagoon.

    Earlier, a 47-year-old male was driving a black, Ford F-150 inbound along the Stuart Highway when a 21-year-old male, driving a silver Toyota Yaris, attempted to make a right-hand turn from the Stuart Highway onto Tivendale Road.

    The driver of the Yaris failed to see the F-150 and collided heavily into the driver’s side causing extensive damage to both vehicles and blocking the inside lane.

    Police, NTFRS and St Johns Ambulance attended the scene. The driver of the F-150 sustained a possible fractured ankle and a laceration to his arm and was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital by ambulance.

    The 21-year-old driver, who is unlicensed, was breath tested at the scene of the crash and returned an indication blood alcohol level of 0.304%.

    He was also taken to RDH for assessment of minor injuries and a blood sample was also taken for analysis.

    Darwin Watch Commander Sean Patterson said the behaviour of the 21-year-old driver was simply unacceptable.

    “The conduct of this offending driver was absolutely ludicrous. He put the community in danger and caused injuries to a person going about his daily business, Watch Commander Patterson said.

    “Sixty people lost their lives on Territory roads last year and the actions of this young man had the potential to cause another, totally unnecessary fatality.

     “This type of behaviour is completely irresponsible and Police make no apology for continuing to target drivers impaired by alcohol and drugs.”

    The Darwin Traffic Operations unit are continuing to investigate the crash.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 99.6% of community healthcare centers offer TCM services

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Up to 99.6 percent of China’s community and township-level healthcare centers are capable of providing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services, according to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM).
    There are approximately 42,000 TCM clinics at primary-level medical facilities nationwide, the NATCM told a press conference on Friday.
    China has made significant strides in advancing appropriate skills related to TCM services, with the proportion of community and township-level healthcare centers equipped with such skills rising to 98 percent, according to the NATCM.
    The accessibility, equity, and sustainability of grassroots TCM services in China have been consistently enhanced through targeted, extensive, direct and effective measures aimed at developing TCM clinics, said Xing Chao, an NATCM official.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Africa – Over 67 million screenings – AstraZeneca’s ‘Healthy Heart Africa’ celebrates 10 years of transforming Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) care

    SOURCE: AstraZeneca

    HHA aims to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment, reducing the burden of this disease across communities.

    KAMPALA, Uganda, February 14, 2025/ — AstraZeneca’s (www.AstraZeneca.com) flagship health equity programme – Healthy Heart Africa (HHA), marks its 10th anniversary, celebrating successfully taking over 67 million blood pressure screenings and a decade of action against non-communicable diseases across Africa.

    Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and accounts for a significant portion of noncommunicable disease (NCD) deaths globally. In Africa, over 27% of adults live with hypertension[1], far above the global average.

    Since its launch, HHA has conducted over 67 million blood pressure screenings, trained over 11,700 healthcare workers, and activated over 1,550 healthcare facilities across nine African countries in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria and Tanzania including the Island of Zanzibar. These efforts have significantly improved access to hypertension diagnosis and treatment, saving countless lives.

    Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President and President, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: “Healthy Heart Africa epitomises AstraZeneca’s commitment to equitable healthcare. In a decade, we’ve empowered millions to manage their heart health. Now, we’ve expanded to tackle chronic kidney disease, ensuring greater resilience in health systems across the continent.”

    The programme has started addressing chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is closely linked to hypertension and affects 15.8% of Africans.[2] Early detection and management are critical, as CKD often progress silently. HHA aims to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment, reducing the burden of this disease across communities.

    This commemoration sets the stage for the upcoming World Health Organization’s High-Level Meeting on NCDs[3], reinforcing the urgency of collective action. One facet of the programme’s success is built on strong partnerships with governments, NGOs, and community leaders to deliver culturally tailored interventions.

    Helen McGuire, Global Program Leader, PATH, added:

    “Working on the Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) programme with AstraZeneca has been truly transformative. Seeing the scale-up and institutionalisation of integrated and expanded NCD services, particularly in countries like Ghana, has been immensely rewarding. The introduction of NCD indicators into national health information systems represents a major milestone, enabling better planning, resource allocation, and outcome monitoring.”

    Ministries of Health across Africa have championed HHA’s integration of hypertension care into national policies, ensuring sustainability and local ownership.

    Permanent Secretary Uganda Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine Kanzira, said:

    “In Uganda, our partnership with Healthy Heart Africa has been instrumental in strengthening our response to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), now a major health challenge across Africa. Through this collaboration, we have raised awareness on risk factors, enhanced early detection, linked patients to care, and built the capacity of healthcare workers. By integrating hypertension data into our national health system and advancing digitalization, we are ensuring a seamless patient pathway, enabling progress tracking, and delivering life-saving care to our people.”

    With its proven model – the Healthy Heart Africa programme aims to expand to new regions, integrating climate-resilient healthcare solutions and prioritising early detection to prevent disease progression. Through such innovative partnerships, the programme aims to deliver care to those most in need.

    To read more about this programme, please read our Impact Report here Link (https://apo-opa.co/3QpqSJf).

    ________________________________
    [1] https://apo-opa.co/41gyyny.

    [2] https://apo-opa.co/4b7QzaX

    [3] https://apo-opa.co/4jRojxr

    AstraZeneca Data on File: Total Programme Numbers Since Start in 2014 to the end of December 2024

    More about:
    Path
    PATH is an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations worldwide. Through innovation, partnerships, and a commitment to equity, PATH tackles pressing global health challenges, including non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases. Learn more at www.Path.org.

    AstraZeneca
    AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries, and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit AstraZeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

    References

    [1] https://apo-opa.co/41gyyny.

    [2] https://apo-opa.co/4b7QzaX

    [3] https://apo-opa.co/4jRojxr

    AstraZeneca Data on File: Total Programme Numbers Since Start in 2014 to the end of December 2024.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: 99.6% of China’s community healthcare centers offer TCM services

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Up to 99.6 percent of China’s community and township-level healthcare centers are capable of providing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services, according to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM).

    There are approximately 42,000 TCM clinics at primary-level medical facilities nationwide, the NATCM told a press conference on Friday.

    China has made significant strides in advancing appropriate skills related to TCM services, with the proportion of community and township-level healthcare centers equipped with such skills rising to 98 percent, according to the NATCM.

    The accessibility, equity, and sustainability of grassroots TCM services in China have been consistently enhanced through targeted, extensive, direct and effective measures aimed at developing TCM clinics, said Xing Chao, an NATCM official.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Scott, Paul, Colleagues, Reintroduce National Right to Work Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in reintroducing the National Right to Work Act to preserve and protect the free choice of individual employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations or to refrain from such activities.
    “American workers should never feel pressured into joining a union or paying dues in order to have gainful employment. I am glad to be a cosponsor of this critical piece of legislation as we continue to safeguard the rights of hardworking Americans,” said Senator Scott. “Since South Carolina became a ‘right to work’ state, we have seen our state economy grow and workforce soar.”
    “The National Right to Work Act ensures all American workers have the ability to choose to refrain from joining or paying dues to a union as a condition for employment,” said Dr. Paul. “Kentucky and 26 other states have already passed right to work laws. It’s time for the federal government to follow their lead.”
    The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.). 
    The National Right to Work Act repeals six statutory provisions that allow private-sector workers, and airline and railroad employees, to be fired if they don’t surrender part of their paycheck to a union. The legislation will put bargaining power back where it belongs: in the hands of the American workers.
    The full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan, ‘the most devastating humanitarian and displacement crises in the world’

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    Sudan’s ruinous civil war is approaching its third year, leaving a legacy of malnutrition, massive population displacement and chronic insecurity. As the UN system prepares to launch a call for record funding of $4.2 billion to support aid operations in the country, here are some of the main things to know about what have been described as “the largest and most devasting displacement, humanitarian and protection crises in the world today”.

    1) The war: 2023 Khartoum clashes herald end of peace process

    By the end of 2022, there were hopes that a UN- backed peace process would finally lead to a civilian administration in Sudan, after a tumultuous period which saw the fall of long-term dictator Omar al-Bashir in a military coup, followed by the harsh suppression of protests in favour of civilian rule.

    “A final political agreement should pave the way towards building a democratic State”, saidformer UN Special Representative for Sudan, Volker Perthes, in December 2022. Ominously, however, he warned that “critical contentious issues” remained, not least a merger of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), separate military groups which had teamed up to depose al-Bashir.

    Tensions between the two sides grew in early 2023, marked by intermittent clashes, but the start of the current civil war came with the RSF attack on the capital Khartoum on 15 April. The fighting, which then spread to other parts of the country, forced the UN to evacuate Khartoum, and base operations in the relatively stable city of Port Sudan, on the Red Sea.

    On Friday, the Secretary-General, described the situation in Sudan as a catastrophe of “staggering scale and brutality” at the AU’s high stakes annual meeting in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and warned that it is increasingly spilling into the wider region. The UN has strongly condemned the fighting, and the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, continues to support peace efforts, in close collaboration with regional organizations, including the African Union (AU). 

    2) Humanitarian crisis: More than 30 million need aid

    The war has been catastrophic for Sudan’s civilians and the numbers are staggering. Some 30.4 million people – over two thirds of the total population – are in need of assistance, from health to food and other forms of humanitarian support. The fighting has led to an economic collapse, sending the prices of food, fuel and other basic goods soaring, putting them beyond the reach of many households.

    Acute hunger is a growing problem. Over half the population faces high levels of acute food insecurity, and famine conditions have been confirmed in five locations in North Darfur and the eastern Nuba mountains. Famine is expected to spread to five more areas by May of this year.

    “This is a critical moment, as the consequences of food insecurity are already being felt in parts of South Kordofan, where families are surviving on dangerously limited food supplies, and malnutrition rates are rising sharply,” warned Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.

    Humanitarian efforts are severely hampered by the lack of security, which is putting severe constraints on humanitarian access, complicating the movement of supplies and endangering aid workers.

    Despite the dangers, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to reach vulnerable populations. The World Food Programme – the UN’s emergency food aid agency – is saving thousands of lives every day and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) successfully distributed seeds to over half a million households during the planting season. In all, some 15.6 million people received at least one form of aid from the UN in 2024.

    The country’s health system is on its knees, with health facilities attacked and many health workers forced to flee. The World Health Organization and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are still operational, supporting immunization for cholera and malaria, and deploying mobile medical teams.

    3) Massive displacement: Equivalent to the entire Swiss population

    Huge numbers of people have been forced to flee their homes for areas of relative safety, both within Sudan and in neighbouring countries, adding to regional instability. Over three million people are classified as refugees, and almost nine million are internally displaced. The total displaced population is greater than the entire population of Switzerland.

    Because of the shifting frontlines, there have been successive waves of displacement, making the task of reaching those in need increasingly complicated. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has described the situation in Sudan as “the largest as well as the fastest growing displacement crisis globally.”

    The displaced population, whether they remain in Sudan or have moved abroad, face reduced access to food, scarce natural resources and limited access to essential services. In addition, outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and measles are rampant in camps for refugees and internally displaced people.

    Many of the surrounding nations have their own economic and security problems, and some are among the poorest in the world, with limited and overstretched services. Where possible, the UN migration agency (IOM) and UNHCR are protecting lives, supporting states hosting refugees, and ensuring that the needs of those fleeing are met with dignity.

    © WFP/Eulalia Berlanga

    South Sudan. Sudanese refugees waiting to receive cash assistance from WFP.

    4) Insecurity: Women and girls highly vulnerable

    Over 18,800 civilians have been reported killed since the beginning of the conflict, and the levels of violence in Sudan are getting worse. At the beginning of February, at least 275 people were killed in just one week, a threefold increase on the previous week’s death toll.

    Civilians are being hit by artillery shelling, airstrikes and aerial drone attacks: the worst affected regions are South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. As well as the general population, aid workers have been targets of intimidation and violence, with reports that some have been falsely accused of collaborating with the RSF.

    A UN fact-finding mission has documented a range of harrowing human rights violations committed by both the SAF and RSF, and called for investigations into the violations, and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

    In an interview with UN News, Edmore Tondhlana, the deputy head of the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), explained that women and girls are the most severely impacted by the conflict, with reports of rape, forced marriage and abductions. “If you look at the recent attack in South Kordofan, in which about 79 people were killed, the majority of victims were women and girls.”

    However, teenage boys are also at high risk. “They cannot easily travel between frontlines. They will be suspected of spying,” added Mr. Tondhlana. Large numbers of children have been recruited into armed groups, forced to fight or spy against the other side.

    © WFP

    Sudan. Offloading of barge transported food aid

    5) Funding: Billions needed

    A lack of sufficient funds is severely limiting the UN’s ability to help Sudan’s population. UNHCR and partners have been able to provide less than the bare minimum of support for refugees, and food rations have been drastically cut, adding to food insecurity.

    On Monday, OCHA and UNHCR will launch an appeal for funding, based on their respective response plans to the crisis. Humanitarian needs have been estimated at a record (for Sudan) $4.2 billion, with an additional $1.8 billion needed to support those hosting refugees in neighbouring countries.

    Whilst the amount needed might seem large, Mr. Tondhlana emphasizes that, given the numbers in dire need, it barely scratches the surface. “We’re trying to reach 21 million people, so this essentially $200 per person over the whole year. If we break it down even further, this is around $.0.50 per day.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Nearly 100 pct of China’s community healthcare centers offer TCM services

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Up to 99.6 percent of China’s community and township-level healthcare centers are capable of providing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services, according to the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM).
    There are approximately 42,000 TCM clinics at primary-level medical facilities nationwide, the NATCM told a press conference on Friday.
    China has made significant strides in advancing appropriate skills related to TCM services, with the proportion of community and township-level healthcare centers equipped with such skills rising to 98 percent, according to the NATCM.
    The accessibility, equity, and sustainability of grassroots TCM services in China have been consistently enhanced through targeted, extensive, direct and effective measures aimed at developing TCM clinics, said Xing Chao, an NATCM official.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan, Murkowski, and Schatz Introduce Legislation for Quality Rural Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    02.14.25

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), and Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), introduced the Save Our Lone Emergency Services (SOLES) Act and the Ensuring Outpatient Quality for Rural States Act this week to increase Medicare reimbursement for rural hospitals in Alaska and Hawaii. Historically, rural and noncontiguous states have faced significant cost disparities for Medicare reimbursement that drive up costs for both hospitals and patients. These bills would recognize the unique cost-of-living challenges rural hospitals face, and would increase reimbursement for critical access and sole community hospitals that serve Medicare-enrolled seniors in areas where other emergency or health care services are not available.

    The legislation follows a letter sent to the Department of Health and Human Services by Senators Sullivan and Murkowski requesting more reimbursement-rate flexibility for Medicare inpatient procedures in Alaska and Hawaii.

    “The federal government’s one-size-fits-all Medicare formulas are not working for rural states like Alaska and Hawaii,” Senator Sullivan said. “Providing high-quality health care in rural areas simply costs more relative to other states, and health care providers and seniors in rural Alaska are paying the price. We need the federal government to recognize these difficulties and respond appropriately by adjusting formulas to account for the unique needs that high-quality rural health care requires. Our priority must be ensuring seniors on Medicare can continue to access the inpatient and outpatient health services they rely on, no matter where they live.”

    “Medicare formulas continue to fall short in addressing the challenges that rural states face. Alaska’s health care system relies on health care facilities to provide care in some of the most remote locations, contributing to increases in cost of care,” said Senator Murkowski. “This legislation will offer greater flexibility for these Medicare formulas, so our facilities can provide critical care to our seniors and rural Alaskans.”

    “To make sure hospitals on neighbor islands can continue to serve the seniors that rely on them, Medicare must recognize the real cost of providing health care in our state,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bills will help boost reimbursements to providers in Hawai‘i and make sure seniors have access to the health care services they deserve.”

    Click here for the Save Our Lone Emergency Services (SOLES) Act bill text and here for the Ensuring Outpatient Quality for Rural States Act bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Colleagues to President Trump: Don’t Turn Your Back on Tribal Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Recent Reporting Indicates Musk-Trump Layoffs at Indian Health Service Will Cut Off Access to Health Care for Tribal Communities

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led nine other Senators in a letter to President Trump expressing concern regarding reporting that layoffs at the Indian Health Service (IHS) will dramatically impact access to health care for Tribal communities and demanding that President Trump stop from these firings at IHS. Recent reporting indicates that over 850 IHS employees who deliver critical medical care for Tribal communities are at risk of being laid off immediately. At a time when IHS faces a significant health care workforce shortage, any further reductions in IHS’ workforce will severely impact the health and wellbeing of our Tribal communities.

    “We write to express our concern regarding recent reporting that layoffs at the Indian Health Service (IHS) resulting from Executive Order 14210 and OPM guidance will dramatically impact American Indians and Alaska Native (Native) communities’ access to health care. Tribal Nations have a legal and political relationship with the United States, and the federal government has a fundamental obligation to fulfill its treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations – an obligation that includes providing services such as health care to Native communities,” wrote the senators.

    “Not only will this lead to worse health outcomes, but overall costs will also rise. With less health care services at existing IHS facilities, there will be increased Purchased Referred Care referrals. This will increase costs for the Federal government and require increased travel, accommodations, and expenses, creating increased hardships and barriers for patients and families seeking care far from where they live on Tribal lands. The federal government is already failing to meet its trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations, and further reductions in IHS’ workforce will severely impact the health and wellbeing of Tribal communities across the country,” the senators continued.

    In addition to Senator Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

    The full text of the letter is available here or below.

    Dear President Trump:

    We write to express our concern regarding recent reporting that layoffs at the Indian Health Service (IHS) resulting from Executive Order 14210 and OPM guidance will dramatically impact American Indians and Alaska Native (Native) communities’ access to health care. Tribal Nations have a legal and political relationship with the United States, and the federal government has a fundamental obligation to fulfill its treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations – an obligation that includes providing services such as health care to Native communities. Abruptly terminating any IHS employees undermines this responsibility, and we urge you to halt the mass firing of any essential health care workers at IHS to preserve the Federal obligations to Tribes.

    Reporting indicates that more than 850 IHS employees, including 90 physicians, 350 nurses, at least 25 nurse practitioners, nearly 20 dentists, 43 dental assistants, more than 85 pharmacists, 45 lab technicians and more than 15 service area chief executives or their deputies are at risk of being laid off immediately. This is particularly concerning because IHS has long struggled with chronic health care workforce shortages. Last year, IHS experienced nearly 2,000 vacancies, and a 2018 GAO report found that IHS had an overall health care provider vacancy rate of 25 percent across service areas. These shortages, which are attributed to limited recruitment incentives, lower salaries, lengthy hiring processes, and geographic isolation, result in longer wait times for appointments, over worked providers who cannot spend enough time with patients, inadequate follow-up care, and provider burnout – leading to lower patient satisfaction and worse health outcomes. It is not uncommon for recently hired clinicians to be the only primary care provider or specialist in their IHS Service Area. AI/ANs already face significantly lower life expectancies compared to the general U.S. population and higher rates of disease including diabetes and hypertension.

    Not only will this lead to worse health outcomes, but overall costs will also rise. With less health care services at existing IHS facilities, there will be increased Purchased Referred Care referrals. This will increase costs for the Federal government and require increased travel, accommodations, and expenses, creating increased hardships and barriers for patients and families seeking care far from where they live on Tribal lands.

    The federal government is already failing to meet its trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations, and further reductions in IHS’ workforce will severely impact the health and wellbeing of Tribal communities across the country. Therefore, we strongly urge you to stop these firings and retain IHS probationary staff.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Prohibits Federal Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools

    Source: The White House

    PROHIBITING COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATES IN SCHOOLS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to prohibit federal funding for COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools.

    • The Order bars federal funds from being used to support or subsidize an educational service agency, state education agency, local education agency, elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccination to attend in-person education programs.
    • The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services must issue guidelines for compliance and provide a plan to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including a report on non-compliant entities and a process for preventing federal funds from supporting educational entities that impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

    PUTTING AN END TO GOVERNMENT OVERREACH: President Trump is committed to protecting personal freedoms and ensuring that Americans’ education isn’t conditioned on unnecessary government mandates.

    • Some schools and universities have recently enforced or continue to enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates, making access to education contingent upon students’ COVID-19 vaccination status.
    • These mandates pressure students into making COVID-19 vaccine decisions based on government coercion, rather than on their own informed choices.
    • Studies consistently show that children and young adults have an incredibly low risk of developing a severe illness from COVID-19.
    • With COVID-19 vaccine mandates threatening educational opportunities for students, parents are being forced into a difficult position: comply with a controversial mandate or risk their child’s educational future.

    PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: President Trump is dedicated to ensuring that American students are not forced to choose between their education and their medical freedom.

    • President Trump is fulfilling his campaign promise: “I will not allow schools to impose COVID vaccine mandates…”
    • In President Trump’s first week in office, he reinstated service members who were dismissed for refusing the COVID vaccine, with full back pay and benefits.
    • President Trump is as a staunch advocate for parental rights, ensuring families have the primary role in shaping their children’s educational journey, free from undue bureaucratic mandates.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Commission for Social Development Concludes Annual Session, Recommending Adoption of 4 Resolutions by Economic and Social Council

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    The Commission for Social Development concluded its 2025 annual session today, recommending four resolutions, including a text on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, to the Economic and Social Council for their adoption.

    “The call to address systemic challenges, including poverty, hunger and social exclusion, resonates more powerfully than ever before,” said Krzysztof Maria Szczerski (Poland), Chair of the Commission, as he delivered closing remarks for the session.  Discussions during this session highlighted the centrality of gender equality, human rights and the promotion of social cohesion, he noted, adding that ensuring equitable access to health, education, decent work and housing is fundamental to creating just and inclusive societies. 

    The second World Summit for Social Development to be held in November in Doha represents a vital opportunity to reset global priorities and renew our collective resolve.  “As we prepare for this landmark event, it is essential that we remain steadfast in our pursuit of structural reforms,” he went on to say, emphasizing the need to promote quality employment, eliminate barriers to technology and create resilient social protection systems.

    E/CN.5/2025/L.7

    The Commission approved the draft resolution “Future organization and methods of work of the Commission for Social Development” (document E/CN.5/2025/L.7) without a vote, forwarding it to the Council.

    By the text, the Council would decide that the priority theme for the sixty-fourth session of the Commission, which shall allow it to contribute to the work of the Council, will be “Advancing social development and social justice through coordinated, equitable and inclusive policies”.

    E/CN.5/2025/L.5

    The Commission also approved, without a vote, the draft resolution “Social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development” (document E/CN.5/2025/L.5), recommending its adoption by the Economic and Social Council.

    By the text, the Council would, recognizing that New Partnership for Africa’s Development programmes have become the cornerstone of development in the continent, urge African Governments to fast-track the implementation of the revised Africa Health Strategy for the period 2016–2030 and stress the importance of improving maternal and child health.  It would encourage Member States to continue to provide capacity-building support to African countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes. Further, it would encourage African countries to accelerate actions for eradicating extreme poverty, provide decent jobs and tackle the climate emergency by investing in a sustainable, inclusive and just transition. 

    E/CN.5/2025/L.4

    Acting without a vote, the Commission approved the draft resolution “Strengthening solidarity, social inclusion and social cohesion to accelerate the delivery of the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development as well as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (document E/CN.5/2025/L.4) and recommended its adoption by Council.

    By the text, the Council would recognize the need for strengthening international cooperation to provide necessary financial assistance, technical support and capacity-building to developing countries for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Reaffirming that eradicating poverty in all its forms is the greatest global challenge, it would encourage States to invest in programmes for poverty eradication and the promotion of equitable and universal access to basic services and resilient infrastructure, including healthcare services, education, safe drinking water and sanitation and affordable housing.

    E/CN.5/2025/L.6

    The Commission approved the draft resolution “Modalities for the fifth review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002” (document E/CN.5/2025/L.6), sending it to the Council.

    The text would have the Council decide that the procedure for the fifth review and appraisal of the Madrid Plan of Action will follow the set procedure of the fourth review and appraisal exercise, and the global review and appraisal will be held by the Commission on the third day of its sixty-sixth session, in 2028.  It would also request the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its sixty-fifth session, in 2027, a report, including an analysis of the preliminary findings of the fifth review and appraisal exercise, and at its sixty-sixth session, in 2028, a report, including the conclusions of the fifth review and appraisal exercise.

    E/CN.5/2025/L.3

    The Commission also adopted the draft resolution “Policies and programmes involving youth” (document E/CN.5/2025/L.3) without a vote.

    The text would have the Commission urge States to ensure that youth issues are adequately addressed in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and promote the full and effective participation of young people and youth-led and youth-focused organizations in decision-making processes. Relatedly, it would call on donors to actively contribute to the United Nations Youth Fund to facilitate the participation of youth representatives from developing countries in UN activities, considering the need for greater geographical and gender balance of youth representation, as well as to accelerate the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth.  In this regard, it would request the Secretary-General to take appropriate action to encourage contributions to the Fund.

    In other business, the Commission nominated Olivier de Schutter (Belgium) and Graziella Moraes Silva (Brazil) to serve as members of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development for the additional term from the date of confirmation by the Economic and Social Council to 30 June 2027, and Jenina Joy Chavez (Philippines) for a four-year term from the date of confirmation by the Council to 30 June 2029.

    The Commission also adopted the provisional agenda and documentation for its sixty-fourth session (document E/CN.5/2025/L.1) and the draft report of its sixth-third session (document E/CN.5/2025/L.2).

    Following the closure of the sixty-third session, the Commission opened its sixty-fourth session, electing Khrystyna Hayovyshyn (Ukraine) as Chair, and Céline Pierre Fabre (Haiti) and Stefano Guerra (Portugal) as Vice-Chairs.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, King Join Reintroduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Help Prevent Mass Violence

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to reintroduce the EAGLES Act to help prevent acts of mass violence. The bill, named after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mascot and introduced on the seventh anniversary of the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, would expand the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to include a greater focus on preventing targeted violence, including school violence.

    “No child should feel unsafe in the classroom, and we must take action to ensure that schools are a secure place for students, teachers, and staff,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan legislation would strengthen research and training to prevent targeted violence, including threats to schools, helping educators and law enforcement better identify risks early and respond effectively.”

    “Too many communities in Maine and all across the country have been devastated by mass acts of violence. Whether it’s at school, the supermarket, or church, Americans deserve to feel safe while going about their daily lives. The bipartisan EAGLES Act would expand the capabilities of the National Threat Assessment Center so we can better prevent mass violence and senseless tragedies. This is a proactive, commonsense step forward in combatting public threats and I thank my colleagues for coming together to help keep our communities safe,” said Senator King.

    The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center was created in 1998 to develop evidence-based indicators for various types of targeted violence, including school violence. NTAC’s findings can then be used to develop best practices and training to prevent future acts of violence. Since 2002, the Secret Service has conducted hundreds of training operations for more than 198,000 school administrators, teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, school resource officers and other public safety partners. The EAGLES Act reauthorizes and expands NTAC, allowing it to scale its threat assessment operations, with a particular focus on school safety.

    In addition to reauthorizing the Center and expanding their research and education capabilities, the bill establishes a national program on targeted school violence prevention and provides additional resources for research and training. Through the bill’s school safety initiative, the NTAC will coordinate trainings and plans with the Departments of Justice and Education. The bill also requires the Secret Service to provide periodic progress reports to Congress.

    Along with Senators Collins and King, and lead sponsors Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), the EAGLES Act is cosponsored by Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE). Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23).

    The legislation is endorsed by Make Our Schools Safe, School-Based Health Alliance, National Fraternal Order of Police, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Association of School Resource Officers, National Association of Secondary School Principals, Safe Schools for Alex, Stand with Parkland, Everytown for Gun Safety, Safe and Sound Schools, National Sheriff’s Association, Sergeants Benevolent Association, and The American Psychological Association.

    The complete text of the bill can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Grassley Lead Reintroduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Mass Violence

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Seven years after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, lawmakers continue bipartisan push for changes to prevent future violence

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) led bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to reintroduce the EAGLES Act to prevent acts of mass violence. The bill, named after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mascot and introduced on the seventh anniversary of the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, would expand the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) to include a greater focus on preventing targeted violence, including school violence.

    The NTAC provides research and training for behavioral threat assessment and targeted violence, including school shootings and other public threats. The legislation creates a national program on targeted school violence prevention and expands the NTAC’s research and training on school violence and its dissemination of information on school violence prevention initiatives.

    “School shootings have devastated communities across the country, including in Nevada,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan legislation will help our law enforcement stop these violent attacks before they occur, so families can send their children to school without fear.”

    “Effective behavioral threat assessments and early interventions can stop deadly ideas from becoming tragic acts,” said Senator Grassley. “Our bill would enable the Secret Service to share their unique tools and expertise with school safety partners across the country, building safer communities. While we cannot undo past tragedies, we can work together to honor the memories of those we’ve lost and prevent future violence.”

    The legislation is supported by Make Our Schools Safe, School-Based Health Alliance, National Fraternal Order of Police, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Association of School Resource Officers, National Association of Secondary School Principals, Safe Schools for Alex, Stand with Parkland, Everytown for Gun Safety, Safe and Sound Schools, National Sheriff’s Association, Sergeant Benevolent Association, and The American Psychological Association.

    The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) was created in 1998 to develop evidence-based indicators for various types of targeted violence, including school violence. NTAC’s findings can then be used to develop best practices and training to prevent future acts of violence. Since 2002, the Secret Service has conducted hundreds of training operations for more than 198,000 school administrators, teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, school resource officers and other public safety partners. The EAGLES Act reauthorizes and expands NTAC, allowing it to scale its threat assessment operations, with a particular focus on school safety.

    In addition to reauthorizing the Center and expanding their research and education capabilities, the bill establishes a national program on targeted school violence prevention and provides additional resources for research and training. Through the bill’s school safety initiative, the NTAC will coordinate trainings and plans with the Departments of Justice and Education. The bill also requires the Secret Service to provide periodic progress reports to Congress.

    The full text of the legislation can be found here, and a summary of the bill can be found here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has pushed to reduce gun violence, including through expanding background checks and other commonsense gun violence prevention measures. She has led bipartisan legislation in the Senate to permanently ban bump stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic firearms to increase their rate of fire and effectively operate as fully automatic weapons. She voted to pass the bipartisan Safer Communities Act to close the so-called “boyfriend loophole.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray: Trump Move Undermining Vaccines Is Straight-Out Pro-Sickness

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and a former local school board member, released the following statement in response to President Trump signing an Executive Order barring federal funding from schools and universities with COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

    “This continues to show that President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are just straight-out pro-sickness. It is entirely unconscionable, and unethical. Vaccine requirements are not new, nor are the exceptions that have long existed. Schools and states decide their vaccine policies, often after consulting public health officials, and should never be asked to sacrifice student safety for federal funding. This executive order undermines confidence in the COVID vaccine, and this fact-free, anti-vaccine policy, along with Republicans’ full endorsement of a vaccine skeptic as our nation’s top health official, will dangerously turbocharge distrust in lifesaving vaccines across the board—despite all the evidence showing they are safe. Let’s also be clear: an administration that talks a big game about empowering local communities to make decisions for themselves is now creating a sweeping and dangerous new mandate—telling every school in America to pick between funding to keep teachers on the job and keeping students safe.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Wins Come All Day Under President Donald J. Trump

    Source: The White House

    It was another week filled with endless wins for the American people under President Donald J. Trump.

    Here are only a few of the many victories from the past week:

    • President Trump brought home an American citizen wrongfully detained in Russia and another American detained in Belarus — the tenth and eleventh hostages freed since he took office.
      • Michael McFaul, U.S. Ambassador to Russia under President Obama, reacted to Marc Fogel’s release and said: “Hallelujah! Fantastic news! Praise be to President Donald Trump … This is just fantastic news for anybody who cares about patriotic Americans.”
    • President Trump restored a 25% tariff on steel imports and elevated the tariff to 25% on aluminum imports to protect these critical American industries from unfair foreign competition.
      • The Steel Manufacturers Association released a statement applauding “President Trump for putting the American steel industry and its workers first by imposing a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports. President Trump understands that America’s steel industry is the backbone of our economy. A thriving domestic steel industry is critical to U.S. national, energy and economic security.”
      • The president of the Aluminum Association said: “We appreciate President Trump’s continued focus on strong trade actions to support the aluminum industry in the United States.”
      • Colorado Springs-based, family-owned Western Steel, Inc., praised the move: “What we hope that the tariffs will bring is some sort of stability to U.S. pricing. It allows a little bit more money to be made … on the intermediate level like us.”
    • President Trump unveiled a plan for fair and reciprocal trade, making clear to the world that the United States will no longer tolerate being ripped off.
      • The Renewable Fuels Association said: “The Brazilian tariff on U.S. ethanol now stands at 18 percent and has virtually eliminated all market access for U.S. ethanol producers. We thank President Trump for taking this action and hope this reciprocal tariff will help encourage a return to free and fair ethanol trade relationship with Brazil.”
    • President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in pursuit of finally securing peace.
    • President Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who announced the Kingdom will accept 2,000 sick children from Gaza “as quickly as possible.”
    • President Trump joined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce new deals between the two countries on immigration, trade, energy, and artificial intelligence.
    • The Department of Energy approved the first liquefied natural gas project since the prior administration banned LNG exports last year.
    • President Trump declared all foreign policy must be conducted under the President’s direction, ensuring career diplomats reflect the foreign policy of the United States at all times.
    • President Trump paused enforcement of the overregulation of American business practices abroad, which negatively impacted national security.
    • Hamas agreed to free additional Israeli hostages after President Trump declared “all hell is going to break out” if the terrorist group delayed.
    • Taiwan pledged to boost its investment in the United States amid President Trump’s tariffs.
    • President Trump received his highest ever approval rating in a CBS News poll — with 70% of Americans agreeing he is keeping his promises.
    • President Trump attended Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, becoming first sitting President to do so and bringing back tradition of pre-Super Bowl interviews.
    • Illegal border crossings have hit lows not seen in decades.
    • Hundreds of illegal aliens from Venezuela were repatriated back to their own country on Venezuelan-owned planes.
    • Illegal aliens have started turning around in droves amid the Trump Administration’s crackdown on dangerous illegal immigration.
    • The Department of Homeland Security “clawed back” tens of millions of dollars in funds paid by rogue FEMA officials to house illegal aliens in luxury New York City hotels.
    • President Trump instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to stop production of the penny, which costs 3.69 cents to make.
    • Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins were confirmed by the Senate — continuing the Trump Administration’s rapid pace of confirmations.
    • President Trump signed an executive order barring COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools that receive federal funding.
    • President Trump established the National Energy Dominance Council to advise on achieving energy dominance.
    • President Trump established the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which redirects the national focus to promoting health rather than simply managing disease.
    • President Trump signed an executive to end the use of paper straws.
    • President Trump shut down the Biden-era “Climate Corps” work program.
    • President Trump secured the resignations of 75,000+ federal workers, or approximately 3.75% of the federal workforce, in an effort to eliminate inefficiency at taxpayer expense.
    • President Trump commenced his plan to downsize the federal bureaucracy and eliminate waste, bloat, and insularity — including an order that agencies hire no more than one employee for every four employees who leave.
    • The Trump Administration ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, which funneled cash to left-wing advocacy groups — to halt operations.
    • President Trump ended the wasteful Federal Executive Institute, which had become a training ground for bureaucrats.
    • President Trump ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard following years of woke ideologies infiltrating U.S. service academies.
    • Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth restored Fort Liberty, North Carolina, to “Fort Bragg,” in honor of a World War II hero.
    • President Trump instructed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to terminate Biden-era regulations restricting water flow and mandating inadequate lightbulb standards.
    • President Trump proclaimed “Gulf of America Day” after the Department of the Interior officially changed the name on its mapping databases.
      • Google Maps and Apple Maps both updated their apps to reflect the new name.
    • The Department of Justice filed suit against the State of New York and its elected officials over their willful failure to follow federal immigration law.
    • The Environmental Protection Agency canceled tens of millions of dollars in contracts to left-wing advocacy groups and announced an investigation into a scheme by Biden EPA staffers to shield billions of dollars from oversight and accountability.
    • The Department of Education announced an investigation into the Minnesota State High School League and California Interscholastic Federation for violation of federal anti-discrimination law by allowing men to compete in women’s sports.
    • The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered 2,400 additional records on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which were never provided to the board tasked with reviewing and disclosing the documents. The discovery happened due to President Trump’s executive order calling for the declassification of JFK assassination documents.
    • The Department of Veterans Affairs implemented a new flag policy to promote the prominence of the American flag and ensure consistency among its facilities.
    • President Trump was unanimously elected as Chairman of The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and fired a slew of the Center’s board members over their obsession with perpetuating radical ideologies.
    • U.S. crude oil stockpiles continued to rise, which they have done every week since President Trump took office.
    • Chicago Lurie Children’s Hospital paused sex change surgeries for minors in response to President Trump’s executive order ending the radical practice.
    • Taxpayer-funded PBS closed its DEI office and Disney dropped two of its DEI programs after President Trump’s executive order reining in such discriminatory practices.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Saint Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of New York Agrees to Pay $29M to Resolve Alleged False Claims Act Violations

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    SVCMC Inc., formerly known as Saint Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of New York (Saint Vincent), has agreed to pay $29 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly retaining erroneously inflated payments received from the Department of Defense for healthcare services provided to retired military members and their families.

    Saint Vincent is one of six health plans participating in the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) program, which is a federal health insurance program funded by the Defense Health Agency (DHA), a component of the Department of Defense. Under the USFHP program, DHA pays Saint Vincent capitated rates to provide healthcare services to military personnel, retirees, and their families. The complaint alleged that, in 2012, Saint Vincent learned that errors had been made in the calculation of the capitated rates resulting in substantial overpayments to Saint Vincent and the other five USFHP plans over the preceding four years. According to the government’s complaint, instead of notifying the government of the overpayments or repaying the funds, Saint Vincent, along with the other five USFHP plans, took steps to conceal the existence of the overpayments from DHA, continued to submit invoices at the inflated payment rates, and conspired to avoid paying the money back. Today’s settlement resolves the government’s claims against Saint Vincent.

    “Those who receive public funds, including participants in government health care programs, must return funds to which they are not entitled,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Together with our partners across the federal government, we will hold accountable those who knowingly violate this obligation to the American taxpayers.”

    “I want to thank the Justice Department for resolving this case on behalf of TRICARE and the Defense Health Agency,” said Dr. David C. Krulak, Director, TRICARE Health Plan, DHA. “Providing excellent health care to our 9.5 million beneficiaries worldwide is essential to maintaining force readiness and keeping our promise to our family members and retirees, while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars at the same time.”

    The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Jane Rollinson and Daniel Gregorie in the District of Maine. From 2007 to 2015, Ms. Rollinson worked at Martin’s Point Health Care, one of the health plans participating in the USFHP program, including as its Interim Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Gregorie was a consultant to the CEO and Board of Martin’s Point Health Care and later served on its Board of Trustees. Under the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The United States may intervene and proceed with the case, as it did here. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Rollinson v. Martin’s Point Health Care, Inc., No. 2:16-cv-00447-NT (D. Me.). As part of today’s settlement, Ms. Rollinson and Mr. Gregorie will receive $5.655 million. The United States is continuing to pursue the remaining claims in this case.

    The resolution of this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, with assistance from the DHA.

    The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The matter was handled by Fraud Section Attorneys Diana Cieslak and Evan Ballan and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Lizotte and Sheila Sawyer for the District of Maine.

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Saint Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of New York Agrees to Pay $29M to Resolve Alleged False Claims Act Violations

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    SVCMC Inc., formerly known as Saint Vincents Catholic Medical Centers of New York (Saint Vincent), has agreed to pay $29 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly retaining erroneously inflated payments received from the Department of Defense for healthcare services provided to retired military members and their families.

    Saint Vincent is one of six health plans participating in the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) program, which is a federal health insurance program funded by the Defense Health Agency (DHA), a component of the Department of Defense. Under the USFHP program, DHA pays Saint Vincent capitated rates to provide healthcare services to military personnel, retirees, and their families. The complaint alleged that, in 2012, Saint Vincent learned that errors had been made in the calculation of the capitated rates resulting in substantial overpayments to Saint Vincent and the other five USFHP plans over the preceding four years. According to the government’s complaint, instead of notifying the government of the overpayments or repaying the funds, Saint Vincent, along with the other five USFHP plans, took steps to conceal the existence of the overpayments from DHA, continued to submit invoices at the inflated payment rates, and conspired to avoid paying the money back. Today’s settlement resolves the government’s claims against Saint Vincent.

    “Those who receive public funds, including participants in government health care programs, must return funds to which they are not entitled,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Together with our partners across the federal government, we will hold accountable those who knowingly violate this obligation to the American taxpayers.”

    “I want to thank the Justice Department for resolving this case on behalf of TRICARE and the Defense Health Agency,” said Dr. David C. Krulak, Director, TRICARE Health Plan, DHA. “Providing excellent health care to our 9.5 million beneficiaries worldwide is essential to maintaining force readiness and keeping our promise to our family members and retirees, while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars at the same time.”

    The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Jane Rollinson and Daniel Gregorie in the District of Maine. From 2007 to 2015, Ms. Rollinson worked at Martin’s Point Health Care, one of the health plans participating in the USFHP program, including as its Interim Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Gregorie was a consultant to the CEO and Board of Martin’s Point Health Care and later served on its Board of Trustees. Under the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The United States may intervene and proceed with the case, as it did here. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Rollinson v. Martin’s Point Health Care, Inc., No. 2:16-cv-00447-NT (D. Me.). As part of today’s settlement, Ms. Rollinson and Mr. Gregorie will receive $5.655 million. The United States is continuing to pursue the remaining claims in this case.

    The resolution of this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, with assistance from the DHA.

    The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The matter was handled by Fraud Section Attorneys Diana Cieslak and Evan Ballan and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Lizotte and Sheila Sawyer for the District of Maine.

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal, Colleagues Tell Trump: Hands Off Medicare And Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), joined 30 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Donald Trump demanding the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) make no cuts to Medicare and Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. This follows reports that Elon Musk and DOGE officials gained access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), which administers Medicare and Medicaid.

    In 2024, 68 million seniors and people with disabilities relied on Medicare coverage for essential health care, including hospital visits, screenings for cancer, diabetes, and depression, and prescription drugs. Nearly 80 million Americans relied on Medicaid, making it the largest public health insurance program in the United States.

    “We write to say no to Elon Musk and DOGE, and demand hands off Medicare or Medicaid,” the lawmakers wrote. “We strongly oppose any efforts by Musk – or anyone else in your administration – cutting or damaging these vital programs. Medicare and Medicaid must not be raided to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Every cut risks Americans paying more, waiting longer, and wading through more insurance red tape for care. Every cut risks hospitals and community health centers struggling harder to keep their doors open and forcing health providers and workers out of their jobs.”

    They added: “We continue to fight for a health care system that works better for all Americans, so they experience lower costs, shorter wait times, and receive better care. But your Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE have already made that harder. Your Administration is already responsible for the shut-down of Medicaid portals across all 50 states, disruptions to vital health care communication, closures of community health centers, and significant delays in funding for life-saving health research. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will only serve to deepen the harm.”

    The lawmakers concluded: “It is dangerously unacceptable that an unelected Musk and his unqualified acolytes have access to sensitive CMS systems and are ready to bypass Congress to make life and death decisions affecting millions of Americans. No one asked for this lawless approach to our critical government health care systems. We urge you to stop this threat to Americans’ health care, now.”

    U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.),  Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also signed the letter. 

    The full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

    Dear President Trump:

    We write with alarm at recent actions by your Administration that put Medicare and Medicaid at risk – threatening access to care for 140 million Americans. On February 5, Elon Musk and representatives of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gained access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that administers these vital programs. Masquerading as a false crusade against waste, fraud, and abuse, Musk appears intent to break the programs that seniors, people with disabilities, children, and families rely on to get their health care. We write to say no to Elon Musk and DOGE, and demand hands off Medicare or Medicaid. We strongly oppose any efforts by Musk – or anyone else in your administration – cutting or damaging these vital programs. Medicare and Medicaid must not be raided to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.

    Medicare and Medicaid are lifelines for millions of Americans. In 2024, 68 million seniors and people with disabilities seniors relied on Medicare coverage for essential health care, including hospital visits, screenings for cancer, diabetes, and depression, and prescription drugs. Nearly 80 million Americans relied on Medicaid, making it the largest public health insurance program in the United States. Medicaid provides funding to states for services at nursing homes, hospitals, rural health clinics as well as home health services, addiction and mental health services, and family planning. Americans rely on Medicaid for pregnancy and childbirth, as well as long-term services and supports to care for people with disabilities, older adults, and chronically ill Americans.

    But now, DOGE is invading CMS, posing immeasurable risks to Americans’ health care. DOGE representatives, with no training or expertise, could make unilateral, politically motivated decisions to target both beneficiaries and health care providers while blocking access to care and essential payments for services. Every cut risks Americans paying more, waiting longer, and wading through more insurance red tape for care. Every cut risks hospitals and community health centers struggling harder to keep their doors open and forcing health providers and workers out of their jobs.

    We continue to fight for a health care system that works better for all Americans, so they experience lower costs, shorter wait times, and receive better care. But your Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE have already made that harder. Your Administration is already responsible for the shut-down of Medicaid portals across all 50 states, disruptions to vital health care communication, closures of community health centers, and significant delays in funding for life-saving health research. Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will only serve to deepen the harm.

    It is dangerously unacceptable that an unelected Musk and his unqualified acolytes have access to sensitive CMS systems and are ready to bypass Congress to make life and death decisions affecting millions of Americans. No one asked for this lawless approach to our critical government health care systems. We urge you to stop this threat to Americans’ health care, now.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Improving Health Access Through the Black Church

    Source: US State of New York

    February 14, 2025

    Albany, NY

    Governor Kathy Hochul today announced increased funding for United Way of New York City to support the expansion of Choose Healthy Life, a program dedicated to increasing access to health services in underserved communities through the Black church. The expanded initiative will add 10 Choose Healthy Life–funded churches in New York State to the 20 existing churches in New York City, bringing critical health services and wellness programs to five New York cities: Albany, Buffalo, Newburgh, Rochester and Syracuse. The Governor announced that Choose Healthy Life is receiving nearly $5 million, a $1.5 million increase over the prior fiscal year to fund the expansion which affirms her commitment to improving health outcomes in Black communities. Additionally, the Governor proposes adding another $1 million in her FY26 Executive Budget, bringing the total funding amount to $5.9 million over the lifespan of the program.

    “Black churches play an indispensable role in neighborhoods across New York State: connecting people with services and resources that enrich their lives and our communities as a whole,” Governor Hochul said. “Your family is my fight — that’s why I’m committing new funding to expand Choose Healthy Life and the critical health and wellness services they provide.”

    Choose Healthy Life National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council Co-Chair Rev. Al Sharpton said, “Governor Hochul’s unwavering leadership in advancing the health and safety of New York’s most underserved neighborhoods deserves our deepest gratitude. Her partnership with Choose Healthy Life exemplifies the bold action required to save lives.”

    [embedded content]

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    Governor Hochul made the announcement at Choose Healthy Life’s (CHL) Inaugural Summit which convened CHL clergy leaders, faith-based health navigators and elected officials from across New York State. The convening included the newest Upstate church pastors and navigators that are part of the expansion.

    In partnership with UWNYC, the 20 CHL churches in New York City have been highly successful in addressing persistent health disparities by serving over 100,000 individuals through the Black church. Guided by the clergy, an individual is chosen from each church community and trained to serve as a full-time health navigator. These trusted health navigators have been central to successfully serving nearly 9,000 individuals for social determinants of health needs, providing over 6,000 individuals with Blueprint for Wellness screening reports documenting their health status, and generating over 900 referrals for social support services.

    Choose Healthy Life was founded in 2021 amid the COVID pandemic and grew to fund 120 churches across 13 states. New York, with 30 churches, has more CHL churches than any other state.

    The newly participating churches in CHL’s expanded efforts include:

    • Albany: Macedonia Baptist Church, Metropolitan Baptist Church
    • Buffalo: First Shiloh Baptist Church, True Bethel Baptist Church
    • Newburgh: AME Zion of Newburgh, One Accord Christian Church
    • Syracuse: People’s AME Zion, Tucker Missionary Baptist Church
    • Rochester: New Bethel CME, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church

    Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State agenda is aimed at enhancing resources for families in New York, helping them build a strong foundation for their children. The Governor’s bold proposals and investments include:

    • putting New York on a path towards universal child care;
    • providing universal free school meals;
    • investing $110 million in child care capital funding;
    • advancing a nation-leading birth allowance — the New York State BABY Benefit;
    • expanding access to infertility treatments;
    • and distributing free diapers and other supplies to the families of nearly 100,000 babies.

    Your family is my fight — that’s why I’m committing new funding to expand Choose Healthy Life and the critical health and wellness services they provide.”

    Governor Hochul

    United Way of New York City President and CEO Grace Bonilla said, “Nearly three million people in New York City, which represent half of working-age households, do not earn enough to cover their basic needs, making access to healthcare a challenge. Choose Healthy Life is a critical program that addresses this crisis, ensuring that families, especially those historically overlooked, have access to screenings, vaccinations, and early interventions that can prevent serious health issues. We are honored that our success in New York City has yielded an additional investment by Governor Hochul, allowing us to partner with our sister United Way agencies across the state to deliver health services to New Yorkers in some of the most vulnerable cities in our state. Through these services, we are working toward lasting, systemic change to create a healthier, more equitable future for all New Yorkers.”

    Choose Healthy Life Founder and Board Chair Debra Fraser-Howze said, “This new chapter in Choose Healthy Life’s mission would not have been possible without the continued investment from Governor Hochul and the invaluable support of United Way of New York City. Choose Healthy Life is successful because of the strong collaboration that exists with clergy, government, and community leaders to carry forward our shared vision of healthier communities.”

    Choose Healthy Life Executive Director Rev. Kimberly L. Williams said, “New York has been a shining example of what can be accomplished when you provide Black churches with the resources to bring about change. Together with Governor Hochul and United Way of New York City, we’re transforming health outcomes for underserved communities across the state. By offering free health screenings, community wellness programs, access to vaccinations, and much more, Choose Healthy Life is lifting up families and empowering individuals to take charge of their own health.”

    Choose Healthy Life New York State Clergy Leader Rev. Jacques Andre DeGraff said, “The expansion of Choose Healthy Life across the state is a monumental step forward in our mission. This anointed partnership brings both the best of faith and science together ensuring that our dedicated health navigators can be effective on the front lines.”

    Embedded Flickr Album

    About United Way of New York City:

    For 87 years, United Way of New York City has been at the forefront in the fight to drive equity and ensure dignity for all New Yorkers, no matter their zip code. They unite by mobilizing the best ideas, relevant data, internal and external experts and resources. United Way of New York City maximizes impact by coordinating and aligning service providers, companies, local government and New Yorkers to help families eliminate barriers and gain the agency to improve their lives for the better. To learn more, visit unitedwaynyc.org.

    About Choose Healthy Life:

    Choose Healthy Life (CHL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to health services through the Black church by funding, establishing and training a trusted faith-based health navigator to educate, deliver and connect the community to much-needed health services. Founded in 2021, CHL funded 120 churches across 13 states. Since then, CHL has hosted over 9,000 events, vaccinated, tested and distributed self-test kits to over 350,000 individuals, and screened over 20,000 for comprehensive health risks. Today, CHL’s health navigators are focused on addressing the underlying lack of access to health services in their respective communities, to help individuals take control of their health. For more information, visit choosehealthylife.org.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno Man Charged in Assault on Minor at a Veterans Affairs Facility

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Daryl Vinson, 65, of Fresno, charging him with assault and abusive sexual contact on a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, on July 23, 2024, Vinson assaulted the minor at the Veterans Affairs Central California Health Care System in Fresno by touching her breast, pressing his mouth on her mouth and inserting his tongue in her mouth. Vinson is not employed at the facility.

    If you have information related to this case or believe you may be a victim, please submit a tip online or call 1-800-488-8244.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs Police and Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arin C. Heinz is prosecuting the case.

    If convicted, Vinson faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Kehoe Appoints Associate Circuit Judge for 21st Judicial Circuit, Fills Four Boards and Commissions Vacancies

    Source: US State of Missouri

    FEBRUARY 14, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe appointed a new Associate Circuit Judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit and filled four vacancies on various boards and commissions.

    Justin W. Ruth, of University City, was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for Saint Louis County in the 21st Judicial Circuit.

    Mr. Ruth is a principal attorney at Riezman Berger, PC. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. He is also an active member of several bar associations, including the Missouri Bar, St. Louis County Bar, and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, where he has previously held leadership roles. Ruth was previously appointed by the Supreme Court of Missouri as a member of the OCDC Disciplinary Committee for Region XL. Mr. Ruth will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Nancy Watkins McLaughlin.

    Alfred Brandt, of Linn, was appointed as a member of the State Milk Board.

    Mr. Brandt was previously the owner of Brandt Dairy Farms, and has been a member of the State Milk Board since 2009, serving as the president from 2011 to 2024. He is also an active member of the Holstein Association USA Board and the St. George Parish Council. Previously, he served as President of Missouri Dairy and was a member of the Midwest Dairy Board for the MO-KAN division. Mr. Brandt holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Lincoln University.

    Louise Secker, of Joplin, was appointed to the Missouri Community Service Commission.

    Ms. Secker is a licensed real estate salesperson for Keller Williams Realty Elevate. She previously served as the Director of Development for Lafayette House in Joplin, Missouri. Beyond her professional career,  Ms. Secker has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, holding leadership roles on the boards of Jasper County CASA, the Joplin Regional Community Foundation, and the Mount Hope Cemetery. She is also serves on the steering committee for One Joplin Collaborative and is an active member of the Friends of St. Avips, a nonprofit organization that supports fundraising efforts for the Spiva Center for the Arts.

    Jennifer Keller, of Lee’s Summit, was appointed as a member of the State Committee of Psychologists.

    Ms. Keller is a licensed psychologist and serves as Senior Director of Behavioral Health – Counseling Clinics and Psychology at University Health. She is also the Section Chief of Psychology and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine. She holds a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, has completed an APA-accredited Pre-Doctoral Internship and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy. With extensive experience in clinical psychology and behavioral health, Ms. Keller has held key leadership positions, including Preadolescent Program Director and Clinical Coordinator of Counseling. Since 2005, she has been an active member of the American Psychological Association and, since 2017, has served on the Missouri Psychological Association’s Evidence-Based Practice Committee.

    Timothy Flora, of Ellisville, was appointed to the Missouri State Board of Private Investigators and Private Fire Investigator Examiners.

    Mr. Flora is the President and Certified Licensed Polygraph Examiner at Mid-West Protective Service, Inc., with over 40 years of experience in law enforcement, investigation, and fire safety. He holds a Master of Arts in Legal Studies from Webster University, a Bachelor of Science in Management from Tarkio College, and a Criminal Justice Certificate from Northeast Missouri State University. Mr. Flora has served in key leadership roles, including Director of the Metro West Fire Protection District and Chairman of the Central County Emergency 911 Dispatch Center. He has been a board member of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis since 2005, and currently serves on the St. Louis County Fire Standards Commission.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Entire Democratic Caucus To Raise Alarm Over Trump Administration Pushing Illegal, Indiscriminate Funding Cuts To NIH, Derailing Lifesaving Medical Research

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    February 13, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)  today joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), as well as the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine America’s biomedical research infrastructure and setting progress back generations.  The steps the Trump Administration has taken would create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions nationwide, threaten to undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, and could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars while threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    “As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others.  President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks.  In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research.  While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds,” the lawmakers wrote.

    Last week, NIH announced it would set the maximum reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15 percent—creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country.  This move would dismantle the biomedical research system and stifle the development of new cures for disease.  It won’t produce cost savings—it will just shift costs to states who can’t afford to pay the difference.  Importantly, this action by the Trump Administration is illegal—Congress’ bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill prohibits modifications to NIH’s indirect costs.

    “This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on.  The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the Senators wrote.  On Monday, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the NIH rate cut and set a hearing for February 21.

    The Senators’ letter points out that, in addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023 and every dollar the NIH invests in research generates almost $2.50 in economic activity. 

    “The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country.  Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications ‘pause’ enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work.  These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments.  These disruptions do not just slow research—they cost lives,” the Senators continued.

    “Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration.  We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted,” the lawmakers wrote.

    The letter was signed by the entire Senate Democratic caucus.  In addition to Duckworth, Durbin and Murray, U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signed onto the letter.

    The copy of the letter is available below:

    February 13, 2025

    Dear Secretary Kennedy,

    We write to express our serious concern with the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine the nation’s biomedical research infrastructure and set us back generations. The steps the Trump Administration has taken will create a serious funding shortfall for research institutions nationwide, threaten to undermine progress on lifesaving scientific advancements, could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars, and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. 

    As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs in cancer treatment, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation, among many others. President Trump has wreaked havoc on the nation’s biomedical research system in recent weeks. In his first several days in office, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze, communications freeze, ban on travel, and cancellation of grant review and advisory panels that are necessary to advance research. While some of these efforts have been reversed, they continue to cause confusion and miscommunication among researchers and recipients of NIH funds.

    Just last week, NIH announced an illegal plan to cap indirect cost rates that research institutions rely on. In capping indirect cost rates at 15 percent for NIH-funded grants, this policy would cut funding essential for conducting research, such as operating and maintaining laboratories, equipment, and research facilities. This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly.

    These confusing and harmful policy changes threaten patient safety. The strength of the American research enterprise – recognized as the best in the world – is built on Congress’ bipartisan commitment to supporting essential research infrastructure. This funding, which Congress has long appropriated on a bipartisan basis, fuels groundbreaking medical discoveries and cements the United States’ position as the global leader in biomedical research.

    In addition to the stifling impact on discovering new cures and ripping away treatment from those who need it, changes to NIH policy and communications threaten jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with everyone from custodians, to research trainees, to scientists facing potential layoffs. NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023. Every dollar the NIH invests in research generates almost $2.50 in economic activity. These reckless policy changes not only threaten biomedical innovation and research, but also the livelihoods of thousands of workers in every state across the nation.

    The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications “pause” enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research – they cost lives.

    The NIH plays a critical role in our nation’s efforts to fund scientific advancements that improve health and save lives. Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted.

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Senator Reverend Warnock Underscores Importance of Lowering Health Care Costs in Speech Opposing RFK Nomination to Lead HHS  

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    WATCH: Senator Reverend Warnock Underscores Importance of Lowering Health Care Costs in Speech Opposing RFK Nomination to Lead HHS  

    On Wednesday evening, Senator Reverend Warnock held the Senate floor for nearly an hour to bring attention to the danger of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

    During his speech, Senator Reverend Warnock highlighted Mr. Kennedy’s refusal to support lowering health care premiums and inconsistent views on supporting low-income Georgians’ access to coverage

    Senator Reverend Warnock also addressed Mr. Kennedy’s disturbing comments and long-held beliefs that threaten health care costs, quality, and access for Americans

    Senator Reverend Warnock also used the speech to highlight personal stories from Georgians who would be impacted by Mr. Kennedy’s potential poor stewardship of HHS

    Senator Reverend Warnock: “Mr. Kennedy won’t work to lower Georgians’ health care costs or increase access to health care for my constituents who are caught right now in the health care coverage gap”

    Above: Senator Reverend Warnock speaks on the Senate floor in opposition to Mr. Kennedy’s HHS nomination

    Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday evening, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate highlighting his opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

    During his nearly hour-long speech, Senator Warnock highlighted how Mr. Kennedy would not stand in the way of Washington Republicans’ attempt to raise Georgians’ health care premiums to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The Senator highlighted Mr. Kennedy’s inconsistent positions on providing Georgians’ access to health care.

    “I asked him, yes or no, if he supports Congress extending these [premium] tax credits, which lower Americans’ premiums, something he told me was a priority for him [during their private meeting]. Suddenly, Mr. Kennedy could not give me a yes or no answer,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“I wonder why?

    “He told me in private that he cared about health care. He said he was aware that these tax credits were set to expire at the end of the year,” continued the Senator.“He said he wanted to lower health care costs. When I asked him whether he would support Congress extending these tax credits, the crusader, all of a sudden, became a politician and couldn’t give me a yes or no answer. That’s not a good sign. It’s a pretty simple question to the nominee to run the federal agency tasked with protecting the health of all Americans, do you support lowering health care premiums and keeping millions of people insured? That question, apparently, was a bit too challenging for Mr. Kennedy, so if a nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services cannot tell me if he supports preventing Georgians’ health care costs from spiking… I cannot support his nomination.”

    Watch Senator Warnock’s speech HERE.

    Below key excerpts from Senator Warnock’s speech:

    “Mr. President,

    “I rise today in strong opposition to the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To lead the Department of Health and Human Services.”

    “It’s no overstatement for me to say that it’s hard for me to imagine a nominee less qualified that would actually be presented for the job of HHS secretary. Robert F. Kennedy, not only does he not pass muster, this is not even close. I still can’t believe we’re even having this discussion. He is a conspiracy theorist who is so focused on his conspiracy theories, when you think of what we need the HHS secretary to do, Robert F. Kennedy is a hazard to our health.”

    “Certainly we can do better than this. He’s just manifestly unqualified. I don’t know how else to put it.”

    […]

    “Mr. Kennedy won’t work to lower Georgians’ health care costs or increase access to health care for my constituents who are caught right now in the health care coverage gap. I’m so proud that in my first few months in the Senate, I was able to play a critical role in passing the American Rescue Plan, which, among other things, lowered Georgians’ health care premiums by hundreds of dollars on average. It is, quite frankly, the kind of thing that makes this job worth it to me. Being able to help ordinary folks.”

    “That tax cut literally helped bring health care into reach for tens of thousands of Georgians and millions of Americans. These tax cuts are so critical that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that the number of Americans without health care would grow by 3.8 million in just one year, in just one year, 3.8 million without health care if the premium subsidies that we now enjoy were allowed to expire. We know that that would impact thousands of Georgians who have only recently been able to receive health care coverage.”

    “If these tax credits are allowed to expire, a 45-year-old in Georgia with $62,000 annual income would see premiums go up by $1,414 a year. A 60-year-old couple in Georgia with an $80,000 annual income would see their premiums go up by a staggering $18,157 a year. Can you imagine someone making $80,000 a year, 60-year-old couple, and all of a sudden their health insurance for the year goes up by more than $18,000? We know what that is. That’s the difference between having health care coverage and not having it at all.”

    “Nearly one-third of Americans have less than $500 in savings in their bank account, and so these folks don’t have that kind of extra dough. They don’t have that kind of extra cash on hand to pay for something that is vitally necessary, and we don’t know, we never know when we will really need our health insurance.”

    “So, every single day, as we watch the games that Washington politicians play — for me, this is no game. I often say that if we would center ordinary people, we have a chance at getting the public policy right. If we will center people rather than politics, we might manage to get the right policy.”

    […]

    “I asked the nominee for HHS, what do you think about this? Mr. Kennedy told me when I met him privately in my office that he wanted to work with President Trump to lower health care premiums. I said, good.”

    “That’s why I was deeply troubled when I questioned Mr. Kennedy on his support for these tax credits in his hearing in front of the Senate Finance committee, I asked him, yes or no, Mr. Kennedy, are you aware that the premium subsidies that help save Georgians and average of $531 a month are set to expire at the end of the year? He said, yes, he is aware. Then I asked him, yes or no, if he supports Congress extending these tax credits, which lower Americans’ premiums, something he told me was a priority for him. Suddenly, Mr. Kennedy could not give me a yes or no answer. I wonder why?”

    “He told me in private that he cared about health care. He said he was aware that these tax credits were set to expire at the end of the year. He said he wanted to lower health care costs. When I asked him whether he would support Congress extending these tax credits, the crusader all of a sudden became a politician and couldn’t give me a yes or no answer. That’s not a good sign.”

    “It’s a pretty simple question to the nominee to run the federal agency tasked with protecting the health of all Americans, do you support lowering health care premiums and keeping millions of people insured? That question apparently was a bit too challenging for Mr. Kennedy, so if a nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services cannot tell me if he supports preventing Georgians’ health care costs from spiking and keeping people like Cassie Cox on her health care plan, I cannot support his nomination.”

    “I don’t work for him. I don’t work for the insurance companies. I work for Cassie Cox and the other Georgians like her.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Ahead of Potential Workforce Cuts, Senator Reverend Warnock Spotlights Importance of the CDC in Speech Opposing RFK Nomination to Lead HHS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    WATCH: Ahead of Potential Workforce Cuts, Senator Reverend Warnock Spotlights Importance of the CDC in Speech Opposing RFK Nomination to Lead HHS

    On Wednesday evening, Senator Reverend Warnock gave nearly an hour-long Senate floor speech opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
    Senator Reverend Warnock’s speech came just a day before the Trump Administration announced a 10 percent cut to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff, roughly 1,300 employees
    During his speech, Senator Reverend Warnock highlighted the importance of the Georgia-based CDC and the agency’s work to protect the nation from health, safety, and security threats
    The speech follows the recent news that the Trump Administration directed federal health agencies to pause public health communications with hospitals, doctors, and the public
    The Senator’s work to champion the CDC continues the legacy of Georgia Republican Senator Isakson, who worked to expand and invest in the CDC
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “As a senator from the great state of Georgia, I’m very proud that I represent the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. […] The CDC does lifesaving work to control disease outbreaks, to ensure our food and our water are safe, to keep our brave servicemembers abroad safe, and to prevent leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes”

    Above: Senator Reverend Warnock  speaks in Defense of the CDC
    Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday evening, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate highlighting his opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). During his nearly hour-long speech, Senator Warnock highlighted Mr. Kennedy’s lack of qualifications and troubling conspiracy theories about the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which could hurt the state’s economy and hinder research from bird flu, to maternal health, to cancer.
    Senator Warnock’s speech was just a day before the Trump Administration announced a 10 percent reduction of CDC employees. Terminating nearly 1,300 employees, which is part of the administration’s plans to get rid of all probationary employees. Senator Warnock remains committed to using any tools at his disposal to stop cuts to programs and agencies that impact the lives of everyday Americans.
    “The moment at which you put the CDC and Nazi death camps in the same statement, and you’re the secretary nominee for HHS, Houston, Georgia, America, we have a problem,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“And that problem is Robert Kennedy.
    Last year, the Senator visited the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency’s efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases. During Mr. Kennedy’s nomination hearing in committee, Senator Warnock spoke at length defending the importance of the CDC which employs over 10,000 hardworking Georgians.
    “Last June, I visited the CDC, carrying on the spirit of my predecessor in my seat, my friend, the late Republican Senator Johnny Isakson,” continued Senator Warnock. “Johnny Isakson was a good man. We didn’t agree on everything, but he was just a good human being. And he was a fierce advocate for the CDC. And I’m honored to carry on that tradition in his memory, because he understood, as do I, that the CDC again is saving us from so many bad things that we don’t even see. 
    The Senator highlighted that:
    For everyone one job hired at the CDC, three jobs are created. 
    Students come from all over the world to study at Georgia research institutions because of its proximity to the CDC. The Center hosts over 125,000 visitors on its campus every year. 
    The CDC invests hundreds of millions of dollars into Georgia organizations and institutions to partner on research. 
    For every dollar the CDC spends, Georgia’s economy sees $2 in growth. 
    If the CDC were a business, it’d be the 7th largest business in the state.
    Watch Senator Warnock’s speech  HERE.
    Below key excerpts from Senator Warnock’s speech:
    “Mr. President,
    “I rise today in strong opposition to the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To lead the Department of Health and Human Services.”
    “It’s no overstatement for me to say that it’s hard for me to imagine a nominee less qualified that would actually be presented for the job of HHS secretary. Robert F. Kennedy, not only does he not pass muster, this is not even close. I still can’t believe we’re even having this discussion. He is a conspiracy theorist who is so focused on his conspiracy theories, when you think of what we need the HHS secretary to do, Robert F. Kennedy is a hazard to our health.”
    “Certainly we can do better than this. He’s just manifestly unqualified. I don’t know how else to put it.”
    […]
    “As a senator from the great state of Georgia, I’m very proud that I represent the Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC. Which was created nearly 80 years ago to prevent the spread of malaria across our countries. The CDC does lifesaving work to control disease outbreaks, to ensure our food and our water are safe, to keep our brave servicemembers abroad, safe, and to prevent leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.” 
    […]
    “The CDC employs 10,000 Georgians and their work is so critical for every American. But in addition to that, the CDC has a great economic impact on Georgia as well. For every one job at the CDC, three jobs are created. One job at the CDC creates three jobs in the Georgia economy. […] If the CDC were a business, it would be the seventh largest business in my state.”
    […]
    “Last June, I visited the CDC, carrying on the spirit of my predecessor in my seat, my friend, the late Republican Senator Johnny Isakson. Johnny Isakson was a good man. We didn’t agree on everything, but he was just a good human being. And he was a fierce advocate for the CDC. And I’m honored to carry on that tradition in his memory, because he understood, as do I, that the CDC again is saving us from so many bad things that we don’t even see. 
    […]
    “I spoke with researchers and medical professionals who are already working to address bird flu, which possesses a danger to our poultry farmers and our grocery prices. Can I tell you, I spent time with those CDC workers, they’re not the enemy, as some have tried to paint these federal workers in recent days. Shameful.
    “They didn’t deserve to get a blanket memo encouraging them, whoever they are, no matter what job they hold, to just resign. They’re the wall. They’ve been protecting us. They’re the reason we’re able to go to sleep at night and not even think about certain things. It’s hard to get credit for saving people from the bad stuff they don’t even see.”
    […]
    “You can slice and dice these words [RFK’s past comments about the CDC] all you want. The moment at which you put the CDC and Nazi death camps in the same statement, and you’re the secretary nominee for HHS, Houston, Georgia, America, we have a problem. And that problem is Robert Kennedy.”
    “And god help us if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle cannot get past partisan politics, cannot find the courage to stand up to Donald Trump and say no to Robert Kennedy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Scott Introduces Trump Dept. of Education Nominee Linda McMahon at Confirmation Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Co-Chair of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, introduced Linda McMahon at her confirmation hearing before the HELP Committee. McMahon is President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of the Department of Education.

    “I can’t think of a more important civil rights issue today than public education and the education of our kids. I can’t think of a better person to take on that challenge than someone I had confidence [in] when she was the administrator of the SBA. I can’t think of someone better to take on this challenge than someone that took a regional company, WWE, and made it into the global powerhouse that it is today – the co-founder, the chief executive, Linda McMahon. I can’t think of someone better to do the job than someone, who served her own State Board of Education, who was a trustee at Sacred Heart University, and who led the policy initiatives at the America First Policy Institute. That would be Linda McMahon,” Senator Scott said in part.
    Watch Senator Scott’s full remarks here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –