NewzIntel.com

Category: Health

  • MIL-OSI USA: The One, Big, Beautiful Bill delivers on President Trump’s promises to the American people. It secures massive tax cuts for American families and businesses, complete border security, a supercharged economy, and accountability in taxpayer-funded programs,

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Dale Strong (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Dale W. Strong (AL-05) issued the following statement after final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill delivers on President Trump’s promises to the American people. It secures massive tax cuts for American families and businesses, complete border security, a supercharged economy, and accountability in taxpayer-funded programs, while reducing out-of-control government spending,” said Representative Dale Strong.  

    “From our space, defense, and manufacturing sectors to our working families, farmers, and small business owners — all of North Alabama will benefit from President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill,” continued Strong.  

    ALABAMA WINS

    Marshall Space Flight Center

    • $4.1 billion for two Space Launch System rockets for the Artemis IV and V missions through Fiscal Year 2029
    • $20 million for Orion and integration of Orion with SLS
    • $100 million for construction and infrastructure projects at Marshall Space Flight Center

    Rural Healthcare

    • Locks in Alabama’s 6% hospital provider tax rate  
    • $50 billion national fund to support rural health through 2030, with $500 million in funding for Alabama in formula dollars alone  

    Farmers and Agriculture

    • Delivers much-needed enhancements in the farm safety net – including higher reference prices that reflect the current agricultural economy
    • Expands access to more affordable crop insurance while making it more responsive to risk

    National Defense  

    • $25 billion for the Golden Dome which Redstone Arsenal will play a significant role in supporting
    • $150 billion for defense spending through 2034, including $19 billion to restock America’s arsenal  

    Tax Cuts for Families and Small Businesses

    • Prevents a 22% tax hike for the average worker
    • Take-home pay for a family of 4 increases by $7,600-$10,900 per year  
    • No tax on tips, overtime pay, and made in America car loan interest
    • Additional tax relief for seniors

    AMERICA FIRST WINS
     

    Border Security Investments

    • 701 miles of primary wall and construction, and 900 miles of river barriers
    • Increases funding to ICE for transportation and mass deportation operations  
    • 3,000 new Border Patrol agents, 5,000 new Office of Field Operations customs officers

    Restores Fiscal Sanity

    • Cuts waste, fraud abuse of programs to preserve them for people who truly need them
    • Implements work requirements for able-bodied Americans without young dependents to receive SNAP and Medicaid  
    • Ends Medicaid benefits for 1.4 million illegal immigrants
    • Repeals Biden-era Green New Deal agenda  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Andrea Salinas Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Scam

    Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

    Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) released the following statement following the House Passage of Republicans’ Tax Scam

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) released the following statement following the House Passage of Republicans’ Tax Scam:

    “I voted no on this big, ugly betrayal because it increases costs for working families and hurts seniors, veterans, and children in Oregon and across the country. At a time when Americans are already struggling to make ends meet, this bill will increase costs, strip away health care, take food off the table of working families and increase energy costs for all Americans—all to give tax breaks to large corporations and billionaires. I was proud to stand up for hardworking Oregonians and vote against this bill.

    “For Oregonians, the damage is immediate and severe. The bill slashes hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid, known in our state as the Oregon Health Plan. These cuts could shutter rural hospitals, nursing homes, and health centers, leaving all Oregon families with higher health care costs and rural patients with little to no access to care.

    “This package also threatens nutrition assistance for the almost 800,000 people in our state who count on SNAP to put food on the table. The cuts would make this the single largest rollback of food aid in American history and would hurt Oregonians who rely on SNAP as well as local farmers and grocers. And the cuts would extend beyond SNAP to threaten food assistance programs like Meals on Wheels. This is cruel, plain, and simple.

    “Not only does this bill increase costs for families, it’s also a fiscal disaster. It adds $5 trillion to our national debt, further jeopardizing our bond rating and our children’s future. For a party that claims to care about cutting the debt, it’s clear Republicans care more about kicking working families when they’re down.

    “This bill is a betrayal of the values we hold in Oregon. I will never support legislation that asks our working families to sacrifice, for the sole purpose of enriching the wealthiest Americans. This bill isn’t about fiscal responsibility – it’s a tax giveaway to the ultra-wealthy, paid for by gutting healthcare and SNAP programs that our communities rely on to survive and thrive.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Andrea Salinas Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Scam

    Source: US Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06)

    Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) released the following statement following the House Passage of Republicans’ Tax Scam

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) released the following statement following the House Passage of Republicans’ Tax Scam:

    “I voted no on this big, ugly betrayal because it increases costs for working families and hurts seniors, veterans, and children in Oregon and across the country. At a time when Americans are already struggling to make ends meet, this bill will increase costs, strip away health care, take food off the table of working families and increase energy costs for all Americans—all to give tax breaks to large corporations and billionaires. I was proud to stand up for hardworking Oregonians and vote against this bill.

    “For Oregonians, the damage is immediate and severe. The bill slashes hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid, known in our state as the Oregon Health Plan. These cuts could shutter rural hospitals, nursing homes, and health centers, leaving all Oregon families with higher health care costs and rural patients with little to no access to care.

    “This package also threatens nutrition assistance for the almost 800,000 people in our state who count on SNAP to put food on the table. The cuts would make this the single largest rollback of food aid in American history and would hurt Oregonians who rely on SNAP as well as local farmers and grocers. And the cuts would extend beyond SNAP to threaten food assistance programs like Meals on Wheels. This is cruel, plain, and simple.

    “Not only does this bill increase costs for families, it’s also a fiscal disaster. It adds $5 trillion to our national debt, further jeopardizing our bond rating and our children’s future. For a party that claims to care about cutting the debt, it’s clear Republicans care more about kicking working families when they’re down.

    “This bill is a betrayal of the values we hold in Oregon. I will never support legislation that asks our working families to sacrifice, for the sole purpose of enriching the wealthiest Americans. This bill isn’t about fiscal responsibility – it’s a tax giveaway to the ultra-wealthy, paid for by gutting healthcare and SNAP programs that our communities rely on to survive and thrive.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Newhouse Statement on Passage of H.R. 1

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Dan Newhouse (4th District of Washington)

    Headline: Newhouse Statement on Passage of H.R. 1

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) released the following statement upon final House passage of the Senate-amended H.R. 1. The legislation, which passed 218-214 now goes to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. 

    “At the start of this Congress, we made a commitment to reduce government spending, keep taxes low for hard working Americans, and make reforms to federal assistance programs to ensure their long-term sustainability. This is by no means a perfect bill, but it delivers on our commitment while benefiting farmers, families, and small business owners across central Washington. 

    H.R.1 prevents the largest tax hike in American history, increases the Child Tax Credit, and unleashes American energy production to lower costs and reduce inflation. It makes the largest-ever investment in border security and makes our nation safer by strengthening our military. I was able to secure continued investment in our current and future nuclear energy fleet, which is vital to the Tri-Cities and the surrounding region. 

    We include major portions of the Farm Bill to deliver critical assistance for our farmers and ranchers, including my long-time priority of doubling the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program to open new markets for our ag exports. I worked with House Leadership not once, but twice, to successfully prevent the sale of our public lands in this bill. 

    We are protecting Medicaid and SNAP for those who truly need it by requiring part-time work requirements for able bodied adults without dependents and establishing a $50 billion fund for our rural hospitals. By reducing improper payments to deceased individuals and defunct providers, we are ensuring there are more funds for the low-income individuals, families, and seniors who rely on the program. I am committed to keeping our rural hospitals open, and I will utilize my position on the House Appropriations Committee to do just that. 

    Working families, small businesses, rural hospitals, and farmers across Central Washington have been at the top of my mind throughout this process. For weeks since we first passed H.R. 1, I have heard from my constituents about the legislation’s benefits and downsides, and I have truly given serious thought to the legislation. This was a hard, thoroughly considered vote that I believe will benefit the people of my district.” 

    The following are provisions in H.R. 1 that Rep. Newhouse worked to secure.  

    Market Access for Farmers and Ranchers 

    • Doubles funding for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program to give Central Washington producers the upper hand in global markets.

    Nuclear Energy Tax Credits Preservation 

    • Protects the small nuclear reactor project in Richland.
    • Allows advanced nuclear projects to utilize the Production Tax Credit (45Y) and Investment Tax Credits (48E) once they have commenced construction.
    • Maintains the Nuclear Power Production Tax Credit (45U) through 2031 for existing nuclear reactors. 

    Protections for Rural Hospitals 

    • Commitments that funds from the Rural Health Transformation program will support rural hospitals in Washington state. 

    H.R. 1 delivers an economy that is pro-growth, pro-worker, pro-family, and pro-business:  

    • Makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent, preventing the largest tax hike in American history on the middle class.
    • Removes taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security for seniors.
    • Makes permanent the 20 percent Small Business Tax Deduction, delivering $250 million in GDP growth and 5,000 jobs to Washington’s Fourth District annually.

    H.R. 1 makes historic investments into the agriculture industry:  

    • Increases the coverage level and affordability of certain crop insurance policies used by specialty crop producers.
    • Provides more affordable crop insurance for beginning farmers and ranchers for the first ten years of farming.
    • Expands access to standing disaster programs and conservation programs.
    • Improves the livestock programs to be more responsive to drought and predation and expands producer eligibility for the tree assistance program.

    H.R. 1 makes the largest investment into border security in American history: 

    • Funds over 700 miles of border wall at the southwest border.
    • Funds 3,000 new Border Patrol agents and 5,000 new Customs and Border Protection officers.
    • Invests in cutting-edge technology to combat the flow of fentanyl across the border.

    H.R. 1 makes common-sense reforms to Medicaid to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability: 

    • Work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents to work, volunteer, or pursue further education 80 hours per month to receive benefits.
    • Prevents illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits.
    • Ensures the program will continue to efficiently serve eligible participants who truly need it.
    • Establishes the Rural Health Transformation Program at $50 billion to states and to covered facilities including a wide array of small, rural, and Medicare-dependent hospitals, rural health clinics, community mental health centers, opioid treatment programs, and more.

    H.R. 1 reforms the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to support recipients and end abuse of the program: 

    • Saves taxpayers nearly $200 billion through reforms to SNAP that ensure the program works the way Congress intended by reinforcing work, rooting out waste, and instituting long-overdue accountability incentives to control costs.
    • Implements modest state cost-share for SNAP to ensure states manage program resources responsibly.
    • Incentivizes correcting error rates in SNAP payments by allowing states with an error rate below six percent to be exempt from paying the cost-share for benefits.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Mike Levin Votes “Hell No” on the Big Ugly Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

    July 03, 2025

    Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement after voting “Hell No” on the Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill that will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance, cut food assistance, and raise energy prices:

    “I’ve been saying it for months – this is the worst bill that the House has voted on during my time in Congress.

    “I’ve made sure my Republican colleagues know exactly what their vote in support of this legislation means. The numbers are dire. Health care coverage ripped away from 17 million Americans. Food assistance for 42 million threatened. Home electricity bills increasing over $400 dollars a year.

    “However, we must all remember the consequences of the bill go far beyond statistics. During a visit to a community health care clinic in Encinitas, I heard from a father whose children with autism will suffer when Medicaid is gutted. At one of my town halls, a single mom from Oceanside who works in our local schools shared how her children with special needs are dependent on every SNAP dollar they receive. During that same town hall, a community member involved with San Diego Community Power explained exactly how this bill’s provisions meant to boost Big Oil will drive up our electric bills, particularly as tens of millions of families across the country already struggle to keep the lights on.

    “These terrible consequences aren’t a secret; Mike Johnson and House Republicans have heard the same stories. They know that people will die just so that they can finance tax breaks for their ultrawealthy donors. It’s shameful that they’re so eager to bow to Donald Trump that they don’t care what they’re doing to working families.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Griffith Statement on Appointment to Health Subcommittee Chair

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

    Griffith Statement on Appointment to Health Subcommittee Chair

    U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie selected U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) to serve as Chairman of the Committee’s Health Subcommittee. Congressman Griffith issued the following statement:

    “I am excited to take on the role as the Health Subcommittee Chairman for the House Energy and Commerce Committee! I look forward to continuing the work of former Chairman Buddy Carter and wish him well in all his endeavors. Further, I am committed to advancing Chairman Guthrie’s priorities. 

    “I have had the pleasure of working closely with Chairman Guthrie on many health care related issues, particularly while I chaired the Oversight Subcommittee.

    “I will remain on the Environment Subcommittee, where I will support Chairman Palmer as we look for reauthorization of numerous important environmental programs.”

    BACKGROUND

    As part of the July 3 announcement, Congressman Gary Palmer will take over as Chairman of the Environment Subcommittee.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grothman Celebrates Historical Wins in the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah 6th District Wisconsin)

    Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06) celebrated major victories today following the House passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a landmark reconciliation bill that advances President Trump’s America First agenda, delivers crucial tax relief, and reins in waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government. 

    The legislation protects Americans from devastating tax increases by making President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent. Without action, families in Wisconsin’s Sixth District were facing an average $1,486 tax hike. By locking in the cuts, this bill protects the paychecks of hardworking Americans and ensures they keep more of their hard-earned money. It also eliminates taxes on tips and overtime pay, delivers additional tax relief for seniors, and strengthens the economy for middle-class families. 

    In addition to economic relief, the bill strengthens national security by fully funding President Trump’s border wall system and increasing immigration enforcement. It restores commonsense work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving taxpayer-funded benefits, ensuring safety-net programs like Medicaid are preserved for those who truly need them. 

    The bill includes Congressman Grothman’s FEHB Protection Act, which imposes new verification measures and audits on the Federal Employees Health Benefits program to remove ineligible beneficiaries, a reform projected to save taxpayers more than $2 billion.  

    It also includes parts of Grothman’s CREATE JOBS Act, including extending the bonus depreciation provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, preserving full expensing for research and development investments, and applying neutral cost recovery to manufacturing commercial structures through 2029. These provisions will fuel job creation, support American manufacturing, and foster economic innovation.  

    “The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill is a historic victory for Americans, as we’ve avoided the largest tax hike in our nation’s history,” said Grothman. “The American people gave us a mandate after four years of failure under President Biden to revive prosperity in our country. I’m proud to stand with Congressional Republicans and President Trump to deliver a bill that works in the best interests of Americans. The One Big Beautiful Bill strengthens our government programs for the people they were intended to serve, while rooting out the waste, fraud, and abuse that have plagued our systems for far too long. Hardworking Americans will see the benefits of our commonsense conservative policies. I was proud to vote yes to help move America toward further greatness.” 

    U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) proudly serves the people of Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Q&A: Medicaid Reforms Strengthen Safety Net

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
    Q: Why did Congress seek fiscal integrity changes to the Medicaid program?
    A: Six decades ago, Congress added Title XIX to the Social Security Act that created a health care safety net for low-income individuals and families, with primary emphasis on dependent children and their moms, individuals with disabilities and low-income seniors. Since 1965, state governments administer the public health insurance program with cost-sharing from the federal government. Over the years, eligibility expansions and loopholes accelerated expenditures that placed a greater burden on the federal budget. The federal share of Medicaid spending has increased from 60 percent in 1991 to about 74 percent in 2023. Throughout my service on the Senate Finance Committee, which has legislative and oversight jurisdiction of the Medicaid program, I’ve led bipartisan efforts to ensure the most vulnerable populations are served, particularly child and maternal care  — including families with children with complex medical conditions — as well as foster and adopted youth. I’ve also supported efforts to strengthen fiscal accountability measures in this federal safety net, such as the passage of my bipartisan Right Rebate Act. Without robust fiscal integrity, the strings of this safety net would unravel at the seams and put an unsustainable and unfair burden on the taxpayer. Just consider, between 2015 and 2024, the amount of improper federal Medicaid payments reached $560 billion. Some estimates suggest that figure exceeds $1 trillion. Americans deserve better fiscal stewardship over their tax dollars and the program’s intended and most vulnerable recipients deserve to know this safety net is strong enough to meet their health care needs. Every dollar lost to waste and mismanagement is one less health care dollar for nursing home residents, low-income moms and foster youth.
    Q:  How does the Senate-passed budget bill strengthen the Medicaid program?
    A:  With fiscal responsibility top of mind, the Senate bill includes integrity measures to help ensure Medicaid continues to serve vulnerable Americans in our local communities. Specifically, common sense measures are designed to reduce duplicate enrollment; ensure deceased individuals and health care providers don’t remain enrolled; reduce payments for erroneous excess provider payments; and require states to check twice yearly if an individual is eligible to be on Medicaid, instead of screening once a year. In addition, stronger oversight will save billions by establishing robust verification for individuals receiving premium tax credits through the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. If a recipient gets more subsidies than allowed, that excessive subsidy must be returned. Through my oversight of taxpayer dollars, I advised the U.S. Treasury Inspector General last year that excessive payments weren’t being recouped to the federal treasury. I discovered more than 40 percent of excessive federal marketplace subsidy payments ran to the tune of more than $10 billion going back a decade. Clawing back these payments will save tens of billions of dollars.
    Also, the bill establishes a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program to ensure hospitals, nursing homes, community health care centers and other rural providers can continue serving their communities and improve care. The Rural Health Transformation Program will improve access to care and health outcomes. It also establishes Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied adults age 64 or under, with reasonable exemptions for individuals with disabilities, seniors, pregnant women, children, caregivers and others. Able-bodied adults will have to complete a minimum of 80 hours of work a month by working, job training, going to school or volunteering. In addition, the bill allows states to offer home and community-based services (HCBS) to a broader range of individuals, such as those with developmental disabilities, while ensuring it doesn’t negatively impact those already eligible, and it enables interim HCBS coverage while newly eligible individuals develop their full care plan.
    The Senate also prioritizes Medicaid for Americans, not people who broke our laws to enter the country illegally. Our bill ends federal financial support under Medicaid for those who don’t have verified citizenship, nationality or legal immigration status. These program integrity provisions for Medicaid and other health care programs will save over $500 billion, according to a non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate. Despite orchestrated efforts to mischaracterize our program integrity measures with fearmongering and misinformation, the Senate took a big step to save Medicaid for people the program is intended to serve.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Construction Begins on Two New Group Homes for Youth in Saskatoon

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on July 3, 2025

    Youth in Saskatoon experiencing mental health challenges or facing addiction will soon have additional access to safe, supportive housing. The Government of Canada, Government of Saskatchewan, and other funding partners are supporting EGADZ to expand its Retreat Homes program through a $1.5 million investment to construct two five-space group homes that will provide 24-hour care, cultural support, and a youth-centred recovery program for male and female youth.  

    “This investment is about delivering for vulnerable youth in Saskatoon who need safe and supportive places to call home,” Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said. “By working together with EGADZ and our community partners, we are helping to build places of safety, stability and healing. These new group homes will offer young people the support they need to recover, rebuild and look forward to a brighter future.” 

    Contributions toward the construction of the two new group homes include a $650,000 investment from the Government of Saskatchewan; $400,000 from the Government of Canada through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, with funding managed by the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership; a $250,000 private donation from local philanthropists Wally and Colleen Mah; and $200,000 from EGADZ’s own general reserves. This shared investment reflects a strong, collective commitment to improving outcomes for youth in crisis.

    “In Canada, no one should get left behind—every young person deserves a safe place to call home,” Federal Secretary of State for Rural Development Buckley Belanger said. “This project addresses an urgent need in Saskatoon by providing a lifeline for youth in need of help. It is a critical investment in their lives and in the future of our community.” 

    The Retreat Homes will serve youth experiencing mental health and/or addictions challenges who require additional supports to promote stabilization and recovery. Members of the Youth Advisory Team are directly contributing to the design and operations of the program, ensuring youth voices remain central to the services provided.  

    “I am proud that we are partnering with EGADZ to provide mental health support for young people in Saskatoon,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr said. “This new housing will help youth access the services and resources they need to improve their quality of life.” 

    These homes will be part of the expanded Retreat Home program operated by EGADZ, a community-based organization dedicated to helping youth in vulnerable situations.  

    “On behalf of EGADZ and the Youth Advisory Team, we are happy to be bringing forward different housing options to assist youth in care,” EGADZ Executive Director Don Meikle said. “We are confident our new way of assisting youth will continue to be successful.”   

    EGADZ currently operates two other group homes dedicated to youth with mental health and addictions needs; the Garden of Hope and the existing Retreat Home. The two new homes will allow for an expansion in services while maintaining continuity of care at current facilities.  

    Construction is underway on the two new group homes in Saskatoon. Once complete, the Ministry of Social Services and the Saskatchewan Health Authority will each provide approximately $694,000 annually to support operations. 

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    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Gaza: Israel turns seeking aid into a deadly trap for starving Palestinians – further evidence of genocide

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Evidence suggests the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was designed to deflect international pressure while serving as another tool in Israel’s campaign of genocide

    Testimonies from healthcare workers and displaced people reveal a horrifying picture of acute starvation and desperation in Gaza

    ‘With no aid getting in, you feel like as a hospital you only patch up the wound but eventually it will burst again’ – Dr. Maarouf in Gaza

    ‘Not only has the international community failed to stop this genocide, but it has also allowed Israel to constantly reinvent new ways to destroy Palestinian lives in Gaza and trample on their human dignity’ – Agnès Callamard

    Evidence gathered by Amnesty International shows that, more than a month after introducing its militarised aid distribution system, Israel continues to use the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip – deliberately imposing conditions intended to destroy Palestinian life, as part of its ongoing genocide.

    Testimonies from medical staff, parents of malnourished children, and displaced Palestinians struggling to survive reveal a horrifying picture of acute starvation and desperation in Gaza.Their accounts provide further evidence of the catastrophic impact of Israel’s ongoing restrictions on life-saving aid, its deadly militarised aid system, mass forced displacement, relentless bombardment, and the systematic destruction of essential infrastructure.

    By continuing to prevent the UN and other key humanitarian organisations from distributing certain essential items including food parcels, fuel and shelter within Gaza and by maintaining a deadly, dehumanising and ineffective militarised ‘aid’ scheme, Israeli authorities have turned aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate starved Palestinians. They have also deliberately fueled chaos and compounded suffering instead of alleviating it. The aid delivered is also way below the humanitarian needs of a population that has been experiencing almost daily bombings for nearly two years.

    Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said:

    “Israel’s genocide has continued unabated in Gaza including creating a deadly mix of hunger and disease pushing the population past breaking point.

    “In the month following Israel’s imposition of a militarised ‘aid’ scheme run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured either near militarised distribution sites or en route to humanitarian aid convoys.

    “As the occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have access to food, medicine and other supplies essential for their survival. Instead, Israel has continued to restrict the entry of aid and impose its suffocating cruel blockade and even a full siege lasting nearly 80 days. This must end now. Israel must lift all restrictions and allow unfettered, safe, and dignified access to humanitarian aid throughout Gaza immediately.”

    Amnesty interviewed 17 internally displaced people (10 women and seven men) as well as the parents of four children hospitalised for severe malnutrition, and four healthcare workers, across three hospitals in Gaza City and Khan Younis in May and June.

    Devastating impact on children

    Even before the imposition of a total siege on 2 March, slightly but insufficiently eased 78 days later, Israel’s deliberate and calculated decision to destroy Palestinians had a particularly devastating impact on young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

    Since October 2023 at least 66 children have died as a direct result of malnutrition-related conditions. This figure does not include the many more children who have died as a result of preventable diseases exacerbated by malnutrition.

    The victims include a four-month-old baby, Jinan Iskafi, who tragically died on 3 May due to severe malnutrition. According to her medical report, which was reviewed by Amnesty, Jinan was admitted to the Rantissi pediatric hospital due to severe dehydration and recurrent infections. She was diagnosed with Marasmus, a severe form of protein-energy malnutrition, chronic diarrhoea, and a suspected case of immunodeficiency. The pediatrician treating her told Amnesty that she required a specific lactose-free formula, which was not available due to the blockade.

    Gaza’s decimated health sector, already overwhelmed with the volume of injuries, is struggling to deal with the influx of infants and children hospitalised for malnutrition. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of 15 June, a total of 18,741 children were hospitalised for acute malnutrition since the beginning of the year.

    The vast majority of children suffering from malnutrition, however, cannot reach any hospital due to displacement orders and heavy bombardment and ongoing military operations.

    Numbers barely scratch the surface of the suffering in Gaza

    Accounts from healthcare workers and displaced people paint an even more harrowing picture. Susan Maarouf, a nutritional expert at the Nutrition unit in the Patient Friend Benevolent Society hospital in Gaza City, supported by the organization MedGlobal, said that in June 2024 the hospital opened a dedicated department for children aged six months to five years to manage cases of severe malnutrition. 

    Maarouf said:

    “Back then, Gaza City and the North Gaza governorate were hit by malnutrition [as a result of the tight blockade]. But this year for us, the situation began to drastically get worse again in April. Since then, out of approximately 200-250 children we have screened daily for malnutrition, nearly 15% showed signs associated with severe or moderate malnutrition.”

    In the worst cases visible signs include pale skin, hair and nail loss, and alarming weight loss. She expressed the profound helplessness of offering nutritional advice amid severe shortages of food, with fruit, vegetables and eggs only available at exorbitant prices, if at all:

    “In an ideal world, I would recommend the parents to provide the child with nutritious food, rich with protein. I would advise that they maintain a hygienic environment for their children; I would stress the importance of clean water… In our situation… any recommendation you give … sometimes you feel like you are rubbing salt into these parents’ wounds.”

    Dr. Maarouf described the relentless cycle of malnutrition stating that in some cases children were re-hospitalised after being discharged:

    “We treated one little girl, aged six, for nutritional oedema, she had severe protein deficiency when she came in early May; with the treatment we gave her she showed signs of improvement, including gaining weight, becoming livelier… unfortunately she was recently admitted again because her condition relapsed. Like most families in Gaza, her family is displaced, they live in a tent, they have to rely on the lentils or rice they get from the community kitchen. It’s a cycle. With no aid getting in, you feel like, as a hospital, you only patch up the wound but eventually it will burst again.”  

    Doctors have also warned that the lives of newborn babies are at risk amid acute shortages of baby formula milk, especially for children with lactose-intolerance or other allergies.

    One doctor said:

    “There is a milk crisis in Gaza overall. Also, we notice that new mothers, because they themselves are not eating properly or because of the panic, trauma and anxiety, are unable to breastfeed. So, to secure baby formula at all is a struggle. But if your child has allergies, it’s almost impossible to find special formula in any of Gaza’s hospitals and for infants the failure to secure special baby formula can be a death sentence.”

    At Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Dr. Wafaa Abu Nimer confirmed the dire situation, reporting that by 30 June, nine children were still being treated for malnutrition-related complications at her facility alone. She described the scenes they have witnessed over the past two months as “really unprecedented” with severe cases of nutritional oedema or marasmus, muscle wasting. She also said that some are additionally suffering from injuries due to explosions from which they haven’t recovered.

    Dr. Abu Nimer said that since Israel’s new aid distribution scheme began there has been no signs of improvement in the situation with hundreds of children screened for malnutrition on a daily basis in their pediatric emergency room. Mass displacement orders issued to the Khan Younis governorate in May made Nasser hospital out of reach for thousands of displaced families.

    Dr. Abu Nimer described to Amnesty how the impact on children extends beyond the physical:

    “One girl whose hair fell out almost completely as a result of nutritional oedema, kept asking me ‘doctor, will my hair grow again? Am I [still] beautiful?’. Even if these children recover completely, the scars will always remain with them. Medically we know that malnutrition amongst infants and small children may have long-term cognitive and developmental effects, but I don’t think enough attention is being given to the mental health and psychological impact [of starvation and war] on children and parents.”

    She also conveyed the exhaustion felt by medical staff:

    “We as doctors are also exhausted, we are malnourished ourselves, most of us are also displaced and live in tents, yet we do our best to offer medical care, provide nutrient supplements and as much support as we can. We try to save lives, we try to alleviate the suffering, but there is very little we can do after discharge.”

    Weaponised aid

    While Israeli authorities continue to impose their unlawful blockade on the entry of aid and commercial supplies into the occupied Gaza Strip, hundreds of aid trucks remain stuck outside Gaza, waiting for an Israeli permit to enter.

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that as of 16 June, 852 trucks for UN and international humanitarian organisations – the majority of which carry food supplies – remain stuck in Al-Arish in Egypt, yet to receive a permit from the Israeli authorities to enter Gaza. The partial easing of the total siege on 19 May did not include easing restrictions on certain critical supplies, such as fuel and cooking gas, which have not been allowed into Gaza since 2 March. Without fuel, there’s no electricity so vital life-saving medical equipment cannot function.

    Only a trickle of the extremely limited aid allowed by Israel into Gaza reaches those in need. It is either distributed through the inhumane and deadly militarised scheme run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or it is offloaded by desperate starved civilians, and in some cases, organised gangs. This grim reality is compounded by Israel’s deliberate destruction or denial of access to life-sustaining infrastructure, including some of Gaza’s most fertile agricultural land and food production sources, like greenhouses and poultry farms. 

    The World Food Programme and local organisations were for the first time permitted to distribute flour in Gaza City on 26 June. The relatively smooth distribution that took place with thousands waiting their turn and no reported injuries is a damning indictment of Israel’s militarised Gaza Humanitarian Foundation scheme.  All the evidence gathered, including testimonies which Amnesty is receiving from victims and witnesses, suggest that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was designed to placate international concerns while constituting another tool of Israel’s genocide. 

    Agnès Callamard added:

    “Not only has the international community failed to stop this genocide, but it has also allowed Israel to constantly reinvent new ways to destroy Palestinian lives in Gaza and trample on their human dignity.

    “States must cease their inertia and live up to their legal obligations. They must exercise all necessary pressure to ensure Israel lifts immediately and unconditionally its awful blockade and ends the genocide in Gaza. They must end any form of contribution to Israel’s unlawful conduct or risk complicity in atrocity crimes. This requires immediately suspending all military support to Israel, banning trade and investment that contribute to Israel’s genocide or other grave violations of international law.

    “States should also adopt targeted sanctions, through international and regional mechanisms, against those Israeli officials most implicated in international crimes and cooperate with the International Criminal Court, including by implementing its arrest warrants.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: In Dialogue with Spain, Experts of the Human Rights Committee Commend Measures Making Abortion More Accessible, Ask about Accountability for Past Rights Violations and Overcrowding in Migrant Reception Centres

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Human Rights Committee today concluded its consideration of the seventh periodic report of Spain on how it implements the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  Committee Experts commended revisions to the State’s abortion law promoting increased access, while raising issues concerning its efforts to address accountability for past human rights violations and overcrowding in offshore migrant reception centres.

    A Committee Expert said there had been positive changes in legislation on sexual and reproductive health and voluntary termination of pregnancy, with the removal of requirements for parental consent and the mandatory three-day reflection period.

    Another Committee Expert said serious human rights violations were committed during the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.  Did the 2022 law on democratic memory overturn the 1977 law on amnesty?  How many high-ranking officials had been tried and sentenced for crimes committed during the dictatorship?

    A Committee Expert said that in Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands, migrants had been forced to sleep on the streets due to the lack of capacity in reception centres.  The Committee had also received disturbing reports about overcrowding and abuse of unaccompanied children in detention, particularly in the Canary Islands.  What progress had been made in redistributing migrants held in the Canary Islands to other areas of Spain?

    Marcos Gómez Martínez, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva and head of the delegation, presenting the report, said Spain remained firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. Since the presentation of the previous report in 2015, Spain had adopted important legislative, institutional and political measures to strengthen the protection of human rights in the country, in particular civil and political rights.

    Mr. Gómez Martínez said Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory consolidated the right to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of the Civil War and the dictatorship.  A national census of victims, a map of graves and a State plan for exhumations had been created, with the participation of the autonomous communities and civil society.

    The delegation added that work was underway to create a DNA database of disappeared individuals.  There was a unit in the Prosecutor’s Office that specialised in identifying the whereabouts of disappeared persons, and an information service for persons affected by the kidnapping of babies, which facilitated access to birth certificates and genetic records.

    In response to the influx of arrivals to the Spanish islands, particularly in the Canary Islands, the Government was working to strengthen resources and support access to the asylum procedure, the delegation said.  It had opened four large reception centres on the Canary Islands, and had moved some asylum seekers from the Canary Islands to Madrid to allow them to submit asylum applications.  Detainment in migrant holding centres was a last resort.

    In concluding remarks, Mr. Gómez Martínez thanked the Committee for the dialogue and the quality of its questions.  The full guarantee of civil and political rights was an ongoing process.  The Committee helped the State party to guarantee these rights domestically.

    Changrok Soh, Committee Chairperson, in concluding remarks, said the dialogue had addressed key topics related to implementation of the Covenant. The Committee urged the State party to implement its recommendations to strengthen implementation of the Covenant.

    The delegation of Spain was made up of representatives of the Ministry of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation; Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts; Ministry of the Interior; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Equality; Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration; Ministry of Youth and Children; and the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

    The Human Rights Committee’s one hundred and forty-fourth session is being held from 23 June to 17 July 2025.  All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  Meeting summary releases can be found here.  The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

    The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m., Thursday 3 July to begin its consideration of the second periodic report of Haiti (CCPR/C/HTI/2).

    Report

    The Committee has before it the seventh periodic report of Spain (CCPR/C/ESP/7).

    Presentation of the Report

    MARCOS GÓMEZ MARTÍNEZ, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva and head of the delegation, said Spain remained firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights.  Since the presentation of the previous report in 2015, Spain had adopted important legislative, institutional and political measures to strengthen the protection of human rights in the country, in particular civil and political rights.

    In June 2023, the second national human rights plan (2023-2027) was approved, which expanded the protection of political and civil rights; incorporated the equality of women and men, as well as non-discrimination; and advanced measures to guarantee the universality of human rights for all people. There was a structure responsible for monitoring and supervising implementation of the plan, which followed up on the opinions and recommendations of the human rights treaty bodies.  The plan recognised the importance of the national human rights institution, the Ombudsman, as an independent institution, with its own resources and competences in the field of human rights monitoring.

    Spain had made significant progress in the fight against discrimination.  In 2023, a law was approved that guaranteed of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, eliminating the requirement of medical intervention for changing information on sex in the civic registry, as well as the age requirement.  Conversion therapies and unnecessary surgical interventions on intersex people under 12 years of age were also prohibited.

    Law 15/2022 facilitated the creation of the Independent Authority for Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination.  The criminal framework against hate crimes had also been strengthened, expanding the recognised causes of discrimination, including age, social exclusion and ethnicity.  The Attorney General’s Office had consolidated a network of prosecutors specialising in hate crimes and discrimination, and specific police units were created for prevention and investigation.

    The Strategy for Equality, Inclusion and Participation of the Gitanos [Spanish Romani] (2021-2030) had been renewed, with specific measures addressing education, employment, health, housing, essential services, poverty, and gender equality.  In addition, studies and awareness-raising campaigns on racism and xenophobia had been promoted, and the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia had been strengthened, as had the Council for the Elimination of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination.  Judicial mechanisms for dealing with victims of hate crimes had been strengthened, as well as the detection and reporting of hate speech on social networks, including a specific protocol to combat it online.

    In 2024, Spain took a decisive step towards the effective recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities through the reform of article 49 of the Constitution.  The new wording guaranteed that all persons with disabilities could exercise their rights in conditions of freedom and equality.  In addition, in Spain the right to vote was fully guaranteed to all persons with disabilities.

    Organic Law 10/2022 on the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom expanded prevention, care and reparation measures.  Within the Ministry of the Interior, the National Office against Sexual Violence was created in 2023.  Organic Law 1/2023 guaranteed access to voluntary termination of pregnancy free of charge, including for minors and women with disabilities.  Organic Law 8/2021 on the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against violence strengthened the framework for the protection of minors. 

    In July 2023, Spain approved the new protocol for the forensic medical examination of detainees.  In 2022, the Ministry of the Interior created the National Office for Human Rights Guarantees, a body responsible for ensuring compliance with national and international standards against torture by the State security forces.

    Spain’s prison population had decreased in recent years and detention conditions had improved, including through increased access to health and care for people with disabilities and a reduction of the use of mechanical restraints. Incommunicado detention was applied on an exceptional basis and could not be applied to minors under 16 years of age.  In Temporary Stay Centres for Immigrants, specific modules had been set up for women and families, eliminating situations of overcrowding.

    A contingency plan implemented since 2022 called on child protection services in all the country’s territories to take in unaccompanied minors.  Royal Decree Law 2/2025 implemented urgent measures to guarantee the rights and best interests of migrant children and adolescents. The Government was preparing a Royal Decree that set minimum quality standards in terms of reception centres’ size, resources and accessibility.  

    Law 2/2023 regulated the protection of people who reported regulatory breaches and created the Independent Authority for the Protection of Whistleblowers.  This was one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Democracy of 2024, which aimed to expand and improve the quality of Government information, and strengthen the transparency and accountability of the media, the legislative branch and the electoral system.  

    Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory consolidated the right to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of the Civil War and the dictatorship.  A national census of victims, a map of graves and a State plan for exhumations had been created, with the participation of the autonomous communities and civil society.

    Spain reiterated its commitment to the international human rights system and to the effective implementation of the Covenant.  

    Questions by Committee Experts

     

    A Committee Expert said reports revealed positive steps had been taken by the State party, however challenges remained in implementing the Convention.  Was there an oversight mechanism assessing implementation of the Committee’s recommendations and Views?  What was the jurisprudence of the State’s courts regarding the Committee’s Views? The Supreme Court had issued a decision asserting the binding nature of human rights treaty bodies’ Views.  Was this decision being applied?  Could the delegation give some examples of court cases that had referenced the Covenant?

    The 2022 law on equality, which recognised the right of all persons to non-discrimination, had no bearing on the legislation on immigration, which inhibited access to public services for migrants.  Would the State party address this issue?  There had been major delays in the establishment of the proposed Authority for Equal Treatment; when would this be completed?  What was the status of the proposed Organic Act against Racism?

    The Criminal Code did not address hate crimes based on language, political opinion or economic status. How did the State party tackle such hate crimes?  There had been a disturbing rise in hate crimes recently; how was the State party working to prosecute and prevent these crimes?

    What remedies had the State party provided for newborns and intersex children subjected to unnecessary medical treatments?  The State party had made steps forward in promoting self-determination of gender with the adoption of the recent law on the topic, however this did not recognise the rights of non-binary persons.  Did the State party plan to amend the law to recognise non-binary persons? Had it considered expanding the options for declaring sex in the civil registry beyond simply “male” and “female”?

    Another Committee Expert said that Spain had concluded its first national action plan on human rights.  How did the consultative commission work with the Ombudsperson’s Office to assess implementation of the plan?  The Ombudsperson’s Office had “A” status under the Paris Principles.  What efforts had been made by the State to implement the recommendations of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions to strengthen the role of                               Ombudsperson?  Was the Ombudsperson mandated to investigate complaints of torture and ill-treatment by security forces?

    There had been positive changes in legislation on sexual and reproductive health and voluntary termination of pregnancy, with the removal of requirements for parental consent and the mandatory three-day reflection period.  How did the State party promote access to abortions for women with disabilities and minority women?  What measures would the State party take to address conscientious objections by doctors to abortions?  How did the State party fight against obstetric violence?

    Serious human rights violations were committed during the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship.  Positive progress had been made with the 2022 law on democratic memory, but the right to truth, justice and reparation of the family members of victims had not been guaranteed and the Law of Amnesty of 1977 had not been overturned.  Did the 2022 law overturn the 1977 law on amnesty?  Were there efforts to overturn the law on State secrets related to the Franco dictatorship?  There had been a proposal to create a DNA database of babies stolen during the dictatorship.  How many high-ranking officials had been tried and sentenced for crimes committed during the dictatorship?  What would the makeup of the proposed Truth Commission be, and how would it promote access to truth, justice and reparation for victims of historical human rights violations?

    One Committee Expert welcomed the strategy for equality and inclusion for the Gitanos, and institutions set up to tackle discrimination and racism.  The quality of education provided to Gitano people was lower than that of the rest of the population, and the community had lower employment levels. What measures were in place to address these issues?  The Council for the Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination had recommended increasing persons from diverse backgrounds in public institutions and measures to redress discrimination.  Had the State party implemented these recommendations?  What measures were in place to prevent discrimination against people of African descent?

    Law enforcement officials reportedly continued to engage in discriminatory identity checks.  Did the State party plan to adopt a law explicitly prohibiting racial and ethnic profiling?  Challenges to proving discrimination resulted in underreporting of racial and ethnic profiling.  Who investigated such reports and how were perpetrators held accountable?  Internal accountability mechanisms lacked transparency and data was not publicly available.  How were people disciplined for infractions?

    The Committee was concerned by the reported increase in hate speech in Spain, particularly neo-fascist hate speech, and a reduction in the budgets of Government mechanisms to combat this phenomenon.  How would the State party tackle this issue?  The Committee was also concerned by the rise in hate crimes against minorities. The State party had launched several initiatives to tackle hate crimes, but their effects appeared to be limited. How was the State party collecting data on and working to ensure the implementation of measures to tackle hate crimes?

    A Committee Expert welcomed Organic Law 10/2022 and other measures to tackle gender-based violence.  There had been an increase in femicides, and women faced barriers in reporting violence.  What measures were in place to ensure implementation of Law 10/2022?  What resources had been allocated to services for victims of violence and programmes tackling gender-based violence?  Were there oversight mechanisms that monitored the treatment of women in courts?  How was the State party tackling online discrimination against women and gender biases in artificial intelligence tools?

    Another Committee Expert welcomed recent amendments to the Criminal Code removing an article that justified forced sterilisation in certain circumstances.  Had past cases of forced sterilisation been exempt from prosecution by this article?  What measures had the State party taken to ensure specialised training for health workers related to the prohibition of forced sterilisation?

    Acts of torture in Spain were subject to a statute of limitations if they did not qualify as crimes against humanity.  Were there plans to amend the definition of torture to bring it in line with international standards and remove the statute of limitations?  Time bars prevented many victims of past political violence in Basque accessing remedies and justice.  How was this issue being addressed?  What steps had been taken to identify and prosecute historic allegations of torture?  The State party did not make video recordings of interrogations; would it consider making such recordings?

     

    Responses by the Delegation

     

    The delegation said Spain had implemented the recommendations in the Views issued by the Committee and all treaty bodies.  The Views being implemented were referred to in the preambles of the relevant laws.  The Supreme Court and lower courts applied the provisions of these Views in their interpretations of Spanish law.  A July 2024 Royal Decree established a monitoring committee tasked with drafting follow-up reports on the implementation of the Views of treaty bodies.

    The Ombudsperson had the mandate to submit recommendations to the Government related to complaints it received, including complaints from the Spanish autonomous communities.

    There were no limitations on foreigners’ access to the police to report human rights violations.  The immigration law suspended deportation procedures involving victims of trafficking and minors.  Foreigners were assisted in criminal proceedings, and all victims were treated equally before the law, regardless of their migration status. New immigration regulations implemented this year protected foreign victims of crimes, who were permitted to live and work in Spain.  There were specific norms for victims of sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking in persons.

    Implementation of the law on racism and intolerance continued to be a priority.  There had been delays in implementation of the draft law on equal treatment.  The chair of the independent authority on equal treatment had been appointed and the body was fully operational.

    A Royal Decree of 2024 promoted equality and non-discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals, and the Government planned to adopt State strategies for the inclusion of this group.  A mechanism had been set up for reporting hate crimes against this community. Spanish laws prohibited conversion therapy.  The State party had made progress in conducting a study on non-binary people.

    Organic Law 1/2023 strengthened inclusion for women with disabilities.  All women could access voluntary interruption of pregnancy from 16 years of age, including women with disabilities.  The State party was promoting access to abortion services in autonomous communities.  Each autonomous community needed to ensure that they had sufficient personnel to promote access to abortions.  The Organic Law set out concrete measures to eradicate obstetric violence.  Autonomous communities ensured that health care centres could report malpractice.  Legal exceptions which allowed for sterilisation of persons with disabilities without their consent had been removed in 2020.  Specialised training on legislation related to abortion and sterilisation was being provided to medical staff.

    Spain had a decentralised governance structure, and the Central Government did not have the authority to address some issues that were the purview of autonomous community governments. 

    The law on democratic memory sought to ensure victims’ right to truth.  It would be implemented in line with international law.  The law on investigations into human rights violations occurring during the Civil War and dictatorship had established a Centre of Memory. Court cases involving crimes occurring during the Civil War had failed due to the statute of limitations.  The Prosecutor’s Office had worked to create a DNA database of victims of these human rights violations.  Autonomous communities’ laws on historical violations were being challenged by the State in the Constitutional Court.  Spain had a law on transparency and a working group was seeking to expand transparency in access to information involving historic rights violations.  Parliament was addressing cases of children stolen during the dictatorship, and the law on democratic memory recognised these rights of these children.

    The State party had a national strategy on the Gitanos, which promoted social inclusion, equal opportunities and empowerment of this group, as well as their access to education, housing and healthcare services.

    The State party had conducted an analysis on racism and xenophobia to inform related policies.  It had established strategies promoting the inclusion of migrants.  The national action plan on preventing racism and xenophobia ran until 2026 and had already achieved tangible results.  The State party had been working with the European Commission to monitor and address online hate speech, and was drafting a strategy to address hate speech in sport.  Artificial intelligence was used in social networks to fight discrimination; it had led to increased detections of hate speech.  Data was collected on different forms of hate speech, including in sport. A working group was developing strategic plans promoting the inclusion of ethnic minorities.  Spain had been issuing subsidies to civil society organizations working to prevent hate speech and hate crimes.  The State party was promoting coordination between the police and other agencies to ensure the reporting of hate crimes.

    The Ministry of Interior had a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech and hate crimes.  There had been a rise in reports of these crimes, but this indicated that barriers to reporting had been addressed.  Police officers had been trained in combatting hate speech.  The State had implemented measures for protecting the Gitanos from hate speech.

    There was a robust legal framework governing police checks.  The police had committed to guaranteeing public security. There was an internal oversight body that investigated complaints related to racial profiling.

    Some 1.5 billion euros had been invested in the State Pact, and responsibilities for its implementation had been delineated.  Under the Pact, the State was working to combat all forms of violence against women.  The Constitutional Court had granted all victims of sexual aggression the right to appeal court cases.  There were 51 shelters for victims of violence, who also had access to compensation.  Budget had been allocated to improving care in rural areas.  Measures had been implemented to combat macho attitudes.  There was a comprehensive victim protection system that ensured appropriate protections for victims.  A campaign on psychological violence would be carried out by the State party this year.  Systems had been set up within the Ministry of the Interior to address sexual and gender-based violence.

    The definition of torture in the Criminal Code was not fully aligned with that of the Convention against Torture. However, the Code and other legislation sufficiently addressed the crime of torture, and did not need to be amended. The Code provided for the non-application of the statute of limitations for crimes of torture that were deemed to be crimes against humanity.  The statute of limitations was 15 years; this was sufficient time for the prosecution to act. Police practices needed to be aligned with international standards.

    Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts

    One Committee Expert welcomed specific measures to address online hate speech and hate speech at sporting events.  What measures were in place to address other forms of hate speech?

    Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on the legal status of the Committee’s recommendations regarding compensation; national policies promoting sexual and reproductive health education; whether the 2022 law on memory brought an end to the amnesty imposed by the 1977 amnesty law; how the State party reconciled its obligations to guarantee access to justice and the concordia laws being adopted by the autonomous communities; measures to repeal amnesty laws to deal with enforced disappearance and to adopt a State plan for search and identification of the disappeared; and the legal framework on public access to archives on historic human rights violations.

    Experts also asked questions on whether the State party was considering adopting a law on racial profiling; the functions to be carried out by the body mandated to implement the recommendations of treaty bodies; whether all foreigners who were victims of serious crimes were provided with residency permits; whether the State’s efforts to prevent forced sterilisation were sufficient; the role of the Office of Human Rights Guarantees in implementing international standards on preventing torture; and investigations into numerous reports of torture and excessive use of force in a 2017 incident in Catalonia.

     

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said persons could go before the courts to claim financial compensation based on treaty bodies’ Views and recommendations.

    Spain had an educational curriculum on sexual and reproductive health, which promoted mutual respect and the prevention of violence.  The Ministry of Education and Health was also providing online training on sexual and reproductive health for teachers and families.

    The concordia laws drafted by three autonomous communities had been challenged in the Constitutional Court.

    Video recordings of interrogations could be used in certain kinds of investigations; however, they could not be used when they undermined investigations.

    There had been a clear drop in hate speech crimes, from over 2,000 cases in 2023 to 1,900 in 2024.  This had been influenced by training provided to public officials and civil society on hate speech.  The number of cases of hate speech against the Gitanos had also fallen over this period.  There were laws on police ethics; if police did not abide by these laws, they were sanctioned and could possibly be released from service.

    The right to truth, reparation and non-repetition was enshrined in the law on democratic memory.  A map of disappeared persons had been created, and work was underway to create a DNA database of disappeared individuals. There was a unit in the Prosecutor’s Office that specialised in identifying the whereabouts of disappeared persons.  In one cemetery, the remains of up to 120 victims of human rights violations from the Civil War had been found.  There was an information service for persons affected by the kidnapping of babies, which facilitated access to birth certificates and genetic records.

    The police oversight body within the Ministry of Justice took actions in response to reports of police misconduct and conducted preventative activities.  It complemented internal police oversight units.

    A 2024 Royal Decree regulated the second national human rights plan, which included a measure establishing a commission for following up on the recommendations of human rights treaty bodies. It addressed all of Spain, including the autonomous communities.

    Last year, the Constitutional Court decided that the 2022 law on democratic memory did not affect the 1977 amnesty law.  The 1977 law provided a broad amnesty to those persons who were arrested under the dictatorship, as part of the transition from the dictatorship to a democracy.  Court rulings extended the amnesty to victims of forced labour and military personnel. The prosecutor’s office was opening investigations into alleged cases of human rights violations which had taken place in the dictatorship-era.  The aim of the investigations was to provide redress to victims.  Thus far, around 7,000 human remains had been identified and more would be exhumed soon.

    The Commission for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was working with the private sector, unions and civil society to promote equality.  It held events related to racism, conducted studies and aided victims of racial discrimination.  Its funds had been increased in 2023, allowing it to expand its remit, which had led to an increase in reports of discrimination.

    Legal amendments had been made to make forced sterilisation a crime in all circumstances.  Since the amendments were enacted, there had been no reports of forced sterilisation.  The Government had held an event in which it offered an apology to victims.  The National Council for Disabilities was working to rectify this historic harm and support the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls with disabilities.

    Questions by Committee Experts

     

    A Committee Expert said the national preventive mechanism had identified material deficiencies in the oldest prisons, a dearth of psychiatric and healthcare professionals, and the use of mechanical subjugation.  How had authorities responded to these observations?  Electric shocks had been used against detainees as part of a study on aggressiveness.  Why was this allowed and how would the State party prevent repetition?

    Isolation was used in prisons, with prior authorisation for up to 14 days, with the possibility of extension. Why did the State party maintain this regime of incommunicado detention?  Had it seriously considered the possibility of its elimination? Legislation allowed for incommunicado detention of minors aged 16 to 18.  Would the State cease this practice?  There were no laws establishing maximum time limits for incommunicado detention; would limits be established?

    Were there alternatives to migratory detention?  To what extent were they applied?  What measures had the State party taken to respond to reports of ill-treatment of migrant children by officials in holding facilities?

    One Committee Expert said Spain was a country of destination and transit for migrants.  What was the nature and scope of the ongoing study on trafficking in persons?  What challenges remained in harmonising regional legislation on trafficking?  Was there a timeline for the adoption of the draft anti-trafficking law?  What did it cover?  Was the State party considering developing a more comprehensive national referral mechanism?

    Spain had no formal age determination procedure for migrants.  Would this be developed?  There were reports of abuse in migrant reception centres and of minors being held with adults.  How did the State party ensure that unaccompanied minors received legal assistance, protection and family reunification opportunities?

    To what extent was legislation on slander and libel compatible with international standards?  Was the State party considering decriminalising defamation? What was the rationale for maintaining the defamation law?  The transparency law did not cover judicial bodies and did not impose penalties on public officials for non-compliance.  Was the current legal system sufficient for securing transparency in public information? What measures were in place to promote increased application of the law?

    Between 2017 and 2020, at least 65 Catalan politicians, activists, and public figures had reportedly been targeted with Pegasus spyware, allegedly linked to the National Intelligence Centre, and there had been no investigations into these reports.  Did the State party intend to launch investigations into these allegations?  The 2024 amnesty law granted amnesty to individuals involved in recent pro-independence activities in Catalonia.  What progress had been made in applying the law?  What was the impact of the recent Constitutional Court ruling on the law?  Was the law compatible with international standards?

    A Committee Expert said migrant intake facilities could detain migrants for up to 60 days.  Did the State party provide consistent access to medical care and legal support for migrants in these centres?  In Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands, migrants had been forced to sleep on the streets due to the lack of capacity in reception centres.  The Committee had also received disturbing reports about overcrowding and abuse of unaccompanied children in detention, particularly in the Canary Islands.  What progress had been made in redistributing migrants held in the Canary Islands to other areas of Spain?

    There were long wait times for the assessment of asylum applications; there were over 240,000 applications pending as of 2024.  How was this being addressed?  There were pushbacks at the border preventing migrants from entering the State, forcing them to swim or jump fences.  At least 15 migrants had died in an incident in a border area in 2014, and 23 had died in 2022.  What measures were in place to prevent deaths of migrants and promote effective and timely investigations of deaths?  When would the State party cease the practice of pushbacks?  A 2022 agreement with Morocco authorised Spain to send migrants back to Morocco.  How did the State party ensure that migrants who were sent back to Morocco had the right to apply for asylum?

    Another Committee Expert said the public security act of 2015 had a dissuasive impact on the activities of journalists and human rights defenders.  The Constitutional Court had issued a decision stating that the prohibition to film officials needed to be limited to cases where there was a threat to the official.  What measures were in place to amend the law in line with the Constitutional Court’s ruling? Did the State party still use the dangerous practice of undercover police agents?  The offence of glorification of terrorism had been used in 2024 against two Palestinian activists.  What was the status of proposed reforms to restrict the application of this offence?

    Limited progress had been made in combatting corruption in the judiciary.  In 2025, after five years of deadlock, an agreement was reached on establishing the General Council of the Judiciary.  Was fully operational?  How would the State party ensure that it functioned independently?  Judges and prosecutors had gone on strike this week to protest recent judicial reforms, fearing that it would harm their independence.  What was the purpose of these reforms?

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said there were shortages of medical professionals in prisons.  Healthcare was the mandate of the autonomous communities, but the Central Government continued to provide resources to support healthcare.  Remote doctors were always available, and the State coordinated with the police to facilitate transfers of inmates to hospitals in cases of medical emergencies. Rosters for nurses and other medical professionals in prisons had been 95 per cent completed.

    Experimentation on inmates was prohibited, but voluntary scientific studies could be conducted in prisons.  Mechanical subjugation, such as the use of handcuffs, straps and tranquilisers in extreme cases, was regulated in the law on penitentiaries.  All guarantees were in place to ensure legality and proportionality in the use of these devices.  These devices were used as a last resort.

    The European Council had not established infractions related to Spain’s use of incommunicado detention.  Persons in incommunicado detention needed to be visited twice daily by medical authorities and visits by consular authorities were not restricted.  Legislation on incommunicado detention was fully aligned with European standards.  The State’s isolation regime had received the support of the Council of Europe’s torture body.  Typically, isolation was used for short periods of a few minutes or hours to prevent conflicts.

    The Government had conducted a study on trafficking in persons in 2024; its results had been published online.  The study identified that there were around 9,000 women in prostitution at risk of being trafficked.  A draft bill had been developed that sought to prevent trafficking and ensure support for victims.  A public hearing on the bill had been concluded, and it would go through the legislature in September.  The bill would establish a national referral mechanism.  Several training courses for the security forces promoted identification of trafficking victims using objective, streamlined criteria.

    Detainment in migrant holding centres was a last resort, applied only in cases of irregular residency.  Migrants could be held for up to 72 hours in these centres.  The legal regime for these centres aligned with that of detention in police centres. Detainees had the right to food and drinks.  The average occupation rate in these centres did not exceed 30 per cent.

    Between November 2023 and January 2024, there had been a mass arrival of asylum seekers at Madrid Airport.  Holding rooms at the airport were expanded and a room for women and girls was established.  The Government had expedited the processing of asylum claims for these people. 

    There had been an influx of arrivals to the Spanish islands, particularly in the Canary Islands, during the last two years.  In response, the Government was working to strengthen resources and support access to the asylum procedure.  A specific plan to support minors had been developed.  The Government had opened four large reception centres on the Canary Islands.  One centre that opened in 2023 had housed more than 37,000 people to date.

    The Government was committed to defending child migrants’ rights; it had developed a protection framework for these children.  Royal Decree 2/2025 introduced measures to ensure the best interests of the child in cases of irregular migration, regulating when unaccompanied minors could be welcomed by autonomous communities.  The State party was trying to redistribute these minors across the territory to ensure that the capacities of communities were not exceeded.  A draft Royal Decree on minimum standards had been developed, which would ensure a basic level of care for migrant children, establish training for officials on migrant children’s rights and support migrants’ inclusion in communities.  There were minors who wished to be considered as adults so that they could work in the country.  Specialised prosecutors had established standard criteria for determining migrants’ age.  A draft bill would amend civil procedures to establish a formal age determination process, including the assumption that migrants were minors until proven otherwise.

    Spain worked in step with European instruments in regulating its border in national territories bordering Africa. Investigations into the cases of migrant deaths in 2022 were ongoing.

    In 2020, the criteria evaluated by judges when determining acts that glorified terrorism were revised.  In all prosecuted cases of acts of glorification of terrorism, limits on the freedom of expression had been exceeded. 

    The Organic Law on the protection of citizens’ safety was an administrative law that did not have a criminal aspect.  There had been an increase an administrative sanctions after the implementation of this law, which related to restrictions on the freedom of movement implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The law was currently being revised by the parliament.

    There were women’s penitentiaries in Spain, and large prison facilities had wings that were exclusively for women.  The penitentiary administration had developed programmes that supported women after their release from prison.

    In June 2024, an agreement was reached on the appointment of magistrates to Spanish courts, which resulted in the filling of 120 vacancies. Strikes by prosecutors and judges were related to the appointment process.  Individuals could lodge complaints with oversight mechanisms regarding issues with transparency in the judiciary.  These mechanisms ensured that prosecutors and judges did not have links to political groups.  Specialised units had been established in the prosecutor’s office that were fighting public corruption, and draft laws on transparency in the public administration had been developed.

    Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts

     

    Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on reasons why police officers found guilty of human rights violations had not had their medals withdrawn; the treatment of people of African descent in Spain; efforts to investigate human rights violations involving migrants at the border more seriously; the number of autonomous communities involved in accommodating unaccompanied minors; efforts to standardise the process of determining minority across regions and increase the efficiency of the assessment process for minors’ asylum applications; how the State party had given effect to the national preventive mechanism’s recommendations regarding mechanical constraints; the law that determined the maximum duration of solitary confinement; the justification for the incommunicado detention regime; why the Constitutional Court had empty posts; and reforms that would be made by the forthcoming Organic Law on the judiciary.

    Responses by the Delegation

    The delegation said legal provisions were in place that allowed for the withdrawal of medals from officers who were found guilty of human rights violations.

    Tackling discrimination against people of African descent was a high priority for the State party.  It had developed policies and awareness raising campaigns that promoted the rights of this group.

    The Ministry of the Interior had moved some asylum seekers from the Canary Islands to Madrid to allow them to submit asylum applications.  Deportations to Morocco were processed in line with Spanish law.  Communities that shared a land border with Africa were saturated.  The budget for asylum processing had been significantly increased recently but was still not sufficient.  A draft bill had been developed to ensure that communities with the greatest demand were given greater priority in budgeting.  The State presumed that migrants subject to age determination procedures were minors until proven otherwise.

    Activities by undercover agents and “infiltrators” were regulated by State legislation.  They were mandated to gather information that contributed to public safety.

    There were around 300 cases in which had been necessary to use mechanical or chemical restraints between 2018 and 2025.  The use of such restraints was always filmed.

    Detainees who committed specific crimes, such as terrorist crimes or crimes related to organised crime, were subjected to the incommunicado detention regime.  Some 390 people, including 15 women, had been subjected to the regime.  There was a five-day maximum duration for such detention.

    Closing Statements

    MARCOS GÓMEZ MARTÍNEZ, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the dialogue and the quality of its questions.  The full guarantee of civil and political rights was an ongoing process.  The Committee helped the State party to guarantee these rights domestically.

    CHANGROK SOH, Committee Chairperson, said that, over the past two days, the dialogue had addressed key topics related to implementation of the Covenant. The Committee commended progress in several areas, but was concerned by issues in other areas.  It urged the State party to implement its recommendations to strengthen implementation of the Covenant.  Mr. Soh closed by thanking the delegation for its participation and all those who had contributed to the dialogue.

    ____________

    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

    CCPR25.014E

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Dev Sangvai Releases Statement on the U.S. House Passage of the Senate Reconciliation Bill

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Secretary Dev Sangvai Releases Statement on the U.S. House Passage of the Senate Reconciliation Bill

    Secretary Dev Sangvai Releases Statement on the U.S. House Passage of the Senate Reconciliation Bill
    hejones1

    Today, the U.S. House passed the Senate reconciliation bill. The bill includes significant changes to federal funding for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and other public health and social support programs. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing the final legislation to determine its full impact on the state and its residents. NCDHHS will provide additional information as more details become available and will remain focused on serving the people of North Carolina.  

    In response to the bill’s passage, NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai released the following statement regarding the impact of the legislation on North Carolinians. 

    “Today’s passage marks a significant moment with real consequences for North Carolina. While the full impact will become clearer in the coming weeks, we already know that it will result in billions of dollars being taken out of our state’s economy and will undermine the health of North Carolinians.  

    This bill includes major changes to Medicaid and SNAP – programs that provide vital support to millions of North Carolinians. There will be a significant reduction in federal funding for services that are core to the well-being of individuals and families across North Carolina. These cuts not only impact the people that rely on them directly but also strain the systems and communities that hold us all together.  

    The mission of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services remains unchanged – we will continue to work to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians. This moment presents real challenges, and while our ability to offset these losses may be limited, our resolve is not. We will continue this work with determination, and compassion and a focus on the people we serve.”

    Jul 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DOJ/FTC Host Listening Session on Lowering Americans’ Drug Prices Through Competition

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    “…I know that these topics touch many other people and businesses in America, and we want to hear from you because we work for you at the end of the day. If you have concerns about specific anti-competitive practices, please reach out to the DOJ and FTC directly or through the healthy competition complaint center: HealthyCompetition.gov”

    -Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Abigail Slater

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Kenya’s largest hospital gets EIB Global support to bolster and green its energy supply

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    The European Investment Bank’s development arm (EIB Global) will help Kenya’s largest hospital expand and green its energy supply. EIB Global will advise Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi on the installation of a solar-power system.

    The goal of the project is to meet growing demand for electricity at the hospital while increasing its energy independence and reducing its carbon footprint.

    EIB Global will offer the assistance in partnership with German development agency (GIZ) through a grant of 7.3 million Kenyan shillings (€50,000) from a multi-donor initiative run by the World Bank and EIB for cities – the Cities Climate Finance Gap Fund. The support will cover technical studies and a financial assessment regarding the planned installation of the photovoltaic (PV) system.

    The hospital, which is also the largest public health centre in East Africa, has a capacity of 2,400 beds and serves about 2 million patients annually. High grid costs in Kenya are straining the budget of the hospital and power outages are forcing it to rely on diesel generators that meet only about 65% of demand, leaving critically ill patients at risk.

    “Our goal is a climate smart future,” said EIB Regional Hub for East Africa Head Edward Claessen.  “We are committed to supporting Kenyatta National Hospital in its transition to green electricity. The forthcoming technical studies will lay the ground for successful implementation of the PV system.”

    Under the support agreement, GIZ experts will carry out the technical and financial evaluations for implementation and maintenance of the solar-power system.

    Kenyatta National Hospital intends to direct savings on energy bills resulting from the planned PV system to areas such as purchasing medical supplies, hiring more staff and upgrading facilities.

    “We are grateful to the European Investment Bank, GIZ and the City Climate Finance Gap Fund for their support through this technical assistance programme,” said Kenyatta National Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Evanson Kamuri. “This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainable healthcare delivery. By integrating energy efficiency and climate-smart solutions, Kenyatta National Hospital is not only enhancing operational resilience but also setting a benchmark for environmentally responsible healthcare infrastructure in the region.”

    The EIB Global and GIZ support will lead to concrete recommendations to the hospital on attaining reliable and efficient power supply through the planned PV system. The studies will assess the hospital’s current energy-consumption patterns, evaluate the feasibility of integrating the planned PV system into the hospital power grid, provide financial modelling for installation and maintenance and address regulatory questions.

    The European Investment Bank, through the Cities Climate Gap Fund support cities in the early stages of project development by assessing the actual challenges, understanding the risks and designing fit-for-purpose solutions that resonate with their goals for a climate- smart future.

    Background information

    About EIB Global

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.  

    EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of Global Gateway. EIB Global aims to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027 — around one-third of the overall target of this EU initiative. Within Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the EIB Group closer to people, companies and institutions through offices across the world. High-quality, up-to-date photos of the organisation’s headquarters for media use are available here.

    About Gap Fund:

    The Cities Climate Finance Gap Fund is a multi-donor fund, implemented by the World Bank and the EIB in collaboration with GIZ and other city networks. Gap Fund provides much-needed funding for early-stage technical assistance and capacity building so that cities from low- and middle-income countries can operationalise their climate action plans, develop robust project concepts, and access climate finance resources. Since its establishment in 2020, it has supported 183 cities in 67 countries.

    On 20 September 2023, the governments of Germany and Luxembourg announced new funding of € 50 million  for the City Climate Finance Gap Fund (Gap Fund) with an additional €5 million on the horizon, these resources will support the development of low-carbon and climate-resilient urban investments and will nearly double the fund’s capitalization, bringing it to €105 million, making it one of the largest early-stage technical assistance funds for cities and climate.

    Kenya’s largest hospital gets EIB Global support to bolster and green its energy supply

    ©EIB
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    Kenya’s largest hospital gets EIB Global support to bolster and green its energy supply

    ©EIB
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Jim Costa Votes against the Largest Medicaid and SNAP Cuts in History

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) released the following statement after voting against the partisan Republican budget, H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Big-Ugly Bill. “Republicans had six months to work with Democrats on a bipartisan, responsible budget. Instead, they’ve chosen to put billionaires and big corporations first at the expense of the people of the San Joaquin Valley. Healthcare is essential as the majority of the people that I represent rely on Medicaid, Medicare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These vital safety nets ensure families can access food, healthcare, and stable housing. But this bill guts those services and puts rural hospitals at risk of closure, while adding $4 trillion to the deficit. That’s not fiscal responsibility—it’s a direct attack on the communities I represent,” said Congressman Costa.
    BACKGROUNDThe Senate passed its version of the bill despite bipartisan opposition by a vote of 51-50, advancing legislation originally passed by House Republicans in May 2025. The budget bill is moving through budget reconciliation, a fast-track process that allows Congress to pass fiscal legislation with a simple majority in the Senate.The Senate’s bill goes even further in slashing vital support for American families. It strips more than $1.3 trillion from Medicaid, SNAP, and subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while adding an estimated $4 trillion in debt to the deficit. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will cause 17 million Americans to lose their coverage and increase costs for low-income Medicaid recipients.Data from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and House Budget Democrats found that the One Big-Ugly bill threatens the well-being and health of the people of the San Joaquin Valley:

    End health coverage for millions — Slashes over $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, resulting in at least 17 million Americans losing their insurance. 

    51,233 people in Costa’s district will lose Medicaid (Medi-Cal) coverage, including seniors, children, and those with disabilities. Costa’s district is the second-highest dependent congressional district in California. 
    9,700 people in Costa’s district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  

    Cut SNAP at historic levels — Cuts nearly $200 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest cut in the program’s history. 

    35,000 people in Costa’s district will lose SNAP benefits – the highest dependent congressional district in California. 

    Put rural hospitals and clinics at risk — Cuts funding for community health centers, nursing homes, and hospitals like Community Medical Centers (CMC) and Adventist Health that rely heavily on Medicaid to serve low-income and elderly patients. 
    Defund Planned Parenthood – Strips all federal funding from Planned Parenthood, leaving many women with nowhere to go for cancer screenings and prenatal care.

    Congressman Costa introduced multiple amendments to protect Valley families—proposals to preserve year-round Medicaid coverage for 775,000 children, restore wildfire prevention funding, preserve SNAP benefits, and ensure that those on SNAP can still receive assistance to pay their home energy bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Every Republican voted against it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Jim Costa Votes against the Largest Medicaid and SNAP Cuts in History

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) released the following statement after voting against the partisan Republican budget, H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Big-Ugly Bill. “Republicans had six months to work with Democrats on a bipartisan, responsible budget. Instead, they’ve chosen to put billionaires and big corporations first at the expense of the people of the San Joaquin Valley. Healthcare is essential as the majority of the people that I represent rely on Medicaid, Medicare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These vital safety nets ensure families can access food, healthcare, and stable housing. But this bill guts those services and puts rural hospitals at risk of closure, while adding $4 trillion to the deficit. That’s not fiscal responsibility—it’s a direct attack on the communities I represent,” said Congressman Costa.
    BACKGROUNDThe Senate passed its version of the bill despite bipartisan opposition by a vote of 51-50, advancing legislation originally passed by House Republicans in May 2025. The budget bill is moving through budget reconciliation, a fast-track process that allows Congress to pass fiscal legislation with a simple majority in the Senate.The Senate’s bill goes even further in slashing vital support for American families. It strips more than $1.3 trillion from Medicaid, SNAP, and subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), while adding an estimated $4 trillion in debt to the deficit. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill will cause 17 million Americans to lose their coverage and increase costs for low-income Medicaid recipients.Data from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and House Budget Democrats found that the One Big-Ugly bill threatens the well-being and health of the people of the San Joaquin Valley:

    End health coverage for millions — Slashes over $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, resulting in at least 17 million Americans losing their insurance. 

    51,233 people in Costa’s district will lose Medicaid (Medi-Cal) coverage, including seniors, children, and those with disabilities. Costa’s district is the second-highest dependent congressional district in California. 
    9,700 people in Costa’s district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  

    Cut SNAP at historic levels — Cuts nearly $200 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest cut in the program’s history. 

    35,000 people in Costa’s district will lose SNAP benefits – the highest dependent congressional district in California. 

    Put rural hospitals and clinics at risk — Cuts funding for community health centers, nursing homes, and hospitals like Community Medical Centers (CMC) and Adventist Health that rely heavily on Medicaid to serve low-income and elderly patients. 
    Defund Planned Parenthood – Strips all federal funding from Planned Parenthood, leaving many women with nowhere to go for cancer screenings and prenatal care.

    Congressman Costa introduced multiple amendments to protect Valley families—proposals to preserve year-round Medicaid coverage for 775,000 children, restore wildfire prevention funding, preserve SNAP benefits, and ensure that those on SNAP can still receive assistance to pay their home energy bills through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Every Republican voted against it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Announces Convictions and Sentencings of Members of Massive Retail Theft Ring

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the convictions and sentencings of members of a massive retail theft operation in New York City, including its ringleader Roni Rubinov, who stole and resold millions of dollars in goods from 2017 to 2022. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Grand Larceny Division recovered more than $3.8 million in stolen goods from Rubinov, along with more than 550 stolen gift and cash cards and over $300,000 in cash. Rubinov was convicted of Enterprise Corruption and sentenced to two and a half to seven and a half years in state prison. He forfeited approximately $2.1 million and must pay additional restitution of over $3.1 million. 35 other members of the crime ring have also been convicted.

    “This crime ring organized bands of shoplifters to rob stores throughout our city, putting both businesses and everyday New Yorkers in danger,” said Attorney General James. “Roni Rubinov and his associates ran a massive scheme to steal millions of dollars of goods and resell them online for big profits, but our investigation has brought them to justice. I thank the NYPD and all our law enforcement partners for their hard work to keep our communities safe.

    “This was a large-scale, organized theft operation that deeply affected New York City businesses and residents, especially those still struggling to recover from the pandemic,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “These convictions and sentences underscore the NYPD’s commitment to holding accountable any network that exploits vulnerable communities for profit. I thank the NYPD investigators, HSI, and the Attorney General’s Office for their partnership in helping secure justice in this most important case.”

    A multiyear investigation led by OCTF and NYPD found that Rubinov and his accomplices, Yuriy Khodzhandiyev and Rafik Israilov, directed thieves to steal merchandise and gift cards from New York City retailers. The thieves brought the stolen goods to Rubinov’s New Liberty Loans Pawn Shop, located at 67 W 47th Street, and to Romanov Gold Buyers, Inc., located at 71 W 47th Street. Rubinov’s employees, Akasya Yasaroglu, Lyudmila Yushuvayev, Zamira Shaganova, Erica Zambrano, and Ramdass Ramkissoon, then purchased the stolen goods at steep discounts and resold them for profit on an eBay store called Treasure-Deals-USA.

    Once the stolen property was purchased by Rubinov or his employees, it was stored at one of the locations in midtown Manhattan. It was then regularly transported by Fathi Negadi to Rubinov’s residence and Rubinov’s stash house, both located in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Other members of the crime ring inventoried and organized the stolen property at the stash locations in Queens and then posted the items for sale on Romanov’s eBay store. Once the posted items were purchased, they were transported back to 71 W 47th Street to be packaged and shipped.

    Additionally, OCTF and NYPD uncovered that Rubinov procured New York City Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards and benefits from boosters in exchange for cash. Rubinov directed Khodzhandiyev, Yasaroglu, and Shaganova to verify whether the boosters’ personal EBT cards or accounts had active balances and to subsequently purchase the EBT cards from the boosters in exchange for cash. Rubinov then used these EBT cards to purchase groceries for his family.

    The investigation also found that Rubinov reinvested almost 60 percent of his eBay gross proceeds into the enterprise. Specifically, Rubinov and his employees reinvested funds for various illicit business expenses, such as cash withdrawals which paid boosters for stolen property, payments made to Rubinov’s employees, and marketing campaigns. These types of payments and expenses were the foundation of Rubinov’s enterprise, which enabled him to continue to purchase and resell stolen property, and which perpetuated the flow of illicit proceeds into Rubinov’s PayPal and bank accounts.

    Rubinov was convicted of Enterprise Corruption and sentenced to two and a half to seven and a half years in state prison. He has forfeited approximately $2.1 million and must pay additional restitution of over $3.1 million. Additional defendants who have been convicted are:

    • Yuriy Khodzhandiyev, 39, of Queens County was convicted of Attempted Enterprise Corruption and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    •  Rafik Israilov, 56, of Queens County was convicted of Attempted Enterprise Corruption and sentenced to five years of probation.
       
    • Akasya Yasaroglu, 26, of New York County was convicted of Attempted Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. Her sentence is pending.
       
    •  Lyudmila Yushuvayev, 46, of Queens County was convicted of Attempted Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and received a conditional discharge.
       
    • Erica Zambrano, 43, of New York County was convicted of Money Laundering in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Ramdass Ramkissoon, 64, of Queens County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation.
       
    • Zamira Shaganova, 33, of Kings County was sentenced to Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree and received a conditional discharge.
       
    • Ana Balaceanu, 40, of Queens County, was convicted of Money Laundering in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Charles Harman, 58, of Erie County was convicted of Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree and received a conditional discharge.
       
    • Patrice Collins, 67, of New York County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Jerard Iamunno, 39, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree. His sentence is pending.
       
    • Lance Fair, 31, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and sentenced to one to three years in prison.
       
    • Cayla Roman, 23, of New York County was convicted of Attempted Scheme to Defraud in the first degree and received a conditional discharge.
       
    • Kathleen Ragusa, 42, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Gregory Roosa, 49, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree and sentenced to one to three years of state prison.
       
    •  Jordan Cavaliero, 39, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and sentenced to one to three years of state prison.
       
    •  Thomas Nicholas, 33, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and sentenced to one to three years of state prison.
       
    • Eveylon Ferguson, 33, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and received a sentence of time served.
       
    • Kevin Ruthenbeck, 35, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and sentenced to one to three years of state prison.
       
    • Justin Pepchinski, 43, of New York County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to one year in jail.
       
    •  Daniel Weber, 36, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree and sentenced to one year of probation.
       
    • Patrick Casey, 41, of New York County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to one and a third to four years of state prison.
       
    •  Shawn Herald, 40, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    •  James Bilis, 32, of Hudson County, New Jersey was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree and sentenced to one to three years of state prison.
       
    • Samantha Cotroneo, 30, of Hudson County, New Jersey was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Herman Ellis, 48, of New York County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to one and a half to three years of state prison.
       
    • Chris Plamondon, 31, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to one year in jail.
       
    • Joshua Dvorin, 33, of New York County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to one year in jail.
       
    • Reagan Callihan, 41, of New York County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to one year in jail.
       
    • Sharif Warner, 45, of Kings County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the First Degree and sentenced to one to three years of state prison.
       
    • Chase Bunt, 33, of Ulster County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to one year in jail.
       
    • Michael Morris, 26, of Kings County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Jabari Smith, 31, Kings County was convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree and received a conditional discharge.
       
    • Alonzo Roberts, 30, of Kings County was convicted of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and sentenced to three years of probation.
       
    • Jacqueline Alessi, 34, of Suffolk County was convicted of Welfare Fraud in the Fourth Degree and sentenced to three years of probation and paid $3,053.93 of restitution.

    OCTF thanks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s El Dorado Task Force II — Major Frauds Group Special Agents Michael MacDonald and Kathleen Corbett for their long-term assistance on this investigation. OCTF also thanks the Organized Retail Crime teams from Macy’s, CVS Pharmacy, Rite-Aid, and Lowe’s for their ongoing assistance during this investigation, including Rite Aid Manager of Organized Retail Crime & Special Investigations John Moore; Macy’s Senior Organized Retail Crime Investigator Israel Herrera; Lowe’s Regional Investigations Manager Amanda Hobert; and CVS Health Director, Organized Retail Crime & Corporate Investigations Ben Dugan. OCTF also thanks the Human Resources Administration (HRA) for their assistance in the welfare fraud portion of this investigation.

    OCTF and NYPD also utilized the investigative resources provided by eBay and PayPal and thank both eBay and PayPal law enforcement liaisons.

    This joint OCTF-NYPD investigation was directed by OCTF Detective Brian Fleming, Detective Mary Laspina, NYPD Detective Vincent Catalano, NYPD Detective Brian Deighan, and Retired Sergeant Michael Korabel. OCTF Detectives Fleming and Laspina are under the supervision of Detective Supervisor Paul Grzegorski and Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Andrew Boss. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes.

    During the active investigation, NYPD Detective Catalano was under the supervision of Retired Sergeant Michael Korabel and Retired Lieutenant Michael Burke of the Grand Larceny Division. NYPD Detective Catalano is currently under the supervision of Sergeant Eve Persaud and Lieutenant Gabriel Zambrano of the Grand Larceny Division. The Captain is Tawee Theanthong and the Deputy Inspector is Nicholas Fiore.

    The money laundering portion of this investigation was directed by OCTF Detective Rachel Muzichenko, under the supervision of OCTF Supervisor Detective Cheryl Munoz. OCTF Detective Muzichenko received support from New York National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, Criminal Analyst Sandro Di Geso; OAG Forensic Audit Section Principal Auditor Investigator Meaghan Scotellaro; and OAG Forensic Audit Section Chief Auditor Kristen Fabbri.

    The case is being prosecuted by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney Brandi S. Kligman, with support from former OCTF Legal Support Analysts Stephanie Tirado and Christine Cintron and current OCTF Legal Support Analyst Madeline Rosen, under the supervision of OCTF Downstate Deputy Bureau Chief Lauren Abinanti. Nicole Keary is the Deputy Attorney General in Charge of OCTF. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. Both the Investigations Division and the Division for Criminal Justice are overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on House Passage of “Big, Ugly Betrayal” Cutting Health Care & SNAP for WA State Families to Fund Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    In Washington state, at least 328,695 people will lose health care under Republican bill; 900,000 Washingtonians could see SNAP benefits reduced or eliminated; 14 rural hospitals will be at risk of closure
    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Senate Republicans’ Passage of Big, Ugly Bill
    ICYMI: In Senate Floor Speech, Murray Rails Against Republican Bill That Rips Away Health Care, Nutrition Assistance, Abortion Access & Balloons National Debt to Fund Tax Cuts for Billionaires; VIDEO HERE
    ICYMI: On Senate Floor, Murray Again Slams Republicans for Using Deceptive Tactics to Hide True Cost of Deficit-Busting Tax Cuts for Billionaires
    ICYMI: Republicans Block Murray Amendment to Stop Republicans’ Big Ugly Betrayal Bill From Defunding Planned Parenthood
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on House Republicans passing the partisan Republican reconciliation bill—the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”—by a vote of 218-214 on Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday, Senator Murray voted against the legislation in the Senate; where it passed 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance voting with Republicans to break the tie. The legislation now heads to President Trump’s desk.
    “Republicans’ Big, Ugly Betrayal Bill is the largest transfer of wealth from people who have the least, to the people who have the most, in our nation’s history. This bill is un-American and flat-out wrong.
    “It’s impossible to overstate how devastating the Republican legislation will be for the millions of struggling families who will pay for these billionaire tax breaks with deep cuts to their health care and nutrition benefits, while getting essentially nothing in return. 17 million Americans will lose their health insurance under this bill, including more than 328,000 people in Washington state who rely on Apple Health and Affordable Care Act coverage. 40 million Americans will see their grocery costs go up as the SNAP benefits they rely on to feed their families disappear. By defunding Planned Parenthood, this bill is a step toward Republicans’ dystopian plan for a Backdoor Nationwide Abortion Ban where women can’t get the health care they need, no matter what state they live in.
    “Republicans’ bill also makes detrimental and utterly shortsighted cuts to clean energy tax credits, raising families’ energy bills and eliminating millions of manufacturing jobs across the country. Countless farmers in Eastern and Central Washington are relying on these tax credits to help power their farms, and these cuts will raise their energy costs and undermine their ability to expand their businesses and invest back in their communities.
    “Republicans chose to ignore every warning about how terrible this bill really is and force it through, over the objections of Democrats and even members of their own party, for no other reason than because Trump said so. In the end, the American people will have their voices heard and will show Republicans exactly how they feel about this monstrous bill at the ballot box.”
    Senate passage came after an overnight “vote-a-rama” where Democrats forced Republicans to take dozens of tough votes on a wide array of issues, from protecting rural hospitals to preserving food assistance for families to extending expiring tax credits that help millions of families afford health care. And the nearly 30-hour vote-a-rama came after Senate Democrats forced more than 10 hours of debate and a full reading of every word of Republicans’ 940-page bill. During vote-a-rama, Senator Murray put forward an amendment to strike a provision of the legislation that achieves anti-abortion extremists’ long-sought goal of “defunding” Planned Parenthood by cutting off Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving federal Medicaid funding for the care they provide for millions of low-income women across the country—including birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and wellness exams. Republicans blocked the amendment, 51-49.
    On Sunday, Senator Murray delivered a lengthy speech on the Senate floor where she laid out in detail how Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will rip away health care from millions of Americans, shutter the doors of hospitals and health care clinics across the country, make the largest cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance in history, and blow up the national debt—all so Republicans can fund massive tax breaks for billionaires. Murray also spoke out repeatedly during debate on the Senate floor against Republicans’ use of a so-called “current policy baseline” to hide the true cost of their deficit-busting tax cuts for billionaires.
    Republicans’ 940-page bill, which they released in the dead of night, cuts more than $900 billion from Medicaid—$100 billion more than the House bill. That means about 17 million Americans will lose their health care, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and more than 300 rural hospitals and over 500 nursing homes could close because of the legislation. The legislation makes the largest cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history and will rip away nutrition assistance entirely from more than 5 million Americans and shift tens of billions of dollars in costs to states. The legislation also increases the debt by nearly $4 trillion dollars—nearly a trillion more than the House bill. About two in three Americans oppose the bill.
    In Washington state, 1.95 million people rely on Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid program, and over 300,000 Washingtonians access coverage through the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace (Washington Healthplanfinder). The Joint Economic Committee estimates that at least 328,695 people in Washington state would lose their health insurance under the Republican legislation—that includes 198,050 people who would be kicked off Medicaid and 108,262 people who would lose their coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Among other things, Republicans’ bill would institute work reporting requirements for Medicaid, which have been proven not to increase employment and just strip health care coverage from people who are already working or exempt—this would put more than 620,000 Washingtonians at risk of losing their health care coverage or having it delayed. Fourteen rural hospitals in Washington state would be at risk of closure under the Republican bill. The legislation also “defunds” Planned Parenthood for the next year, threatening the closure of up to 200 health centers across the country—90 percent of them in states where abortion is legal. 11 percent of Washington state residents rely on SNAP, and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services estimated that more than 900,000 people across the state could their see SNAP benefits reduced or eliminated under the House bill—the Senate bill is just as extreme.
    Senator Murray has held constant recent events—including multiple events in Washington state—to sound the alarm on Republicans’ devastating reconciliation bill and encourage constituents to raise their voices and call on their Members of Congress to oppose the legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Gabe Vasquez Statement on How Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill Hurts New Mexico

    Source: US Representative Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-02)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Republican reconciliation bill, which slashes programs that support working families, children, seniors, and rural communities across New Mexico in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.

    “Republicans just chose to pass a bill that will make life harder and more expensive for the American people. They chose the billionaire class over the working class. The pain this will cause will echo for generations,” said Vasquez. “When millions lose their health care, local hospitals close, utility bills skyrocket, and kids are left hungry, New Mexicans will remember today as the day Republicans sold them out to billionaires.”

    What this bill means for NM-02:

    • Over 110,000 New Mexicans at Risk of Losing Health Care : This Republican bill will cut support for Medicaid, jeopardizing benefits for more than 110,000 patients across New Mexico – 40,000 of those in Rep. Vasquez’s district.
    • Eight Rural Hospitals Serving Residents of NM-02 at Risk of Closing: Carlsbad Medical Center, Socorro General Hospital, Mimbres Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital, Lincoln County Medical Center, and three other nearby hospitals that serve residents of Rep. Vasquez’s district are at risk of having to reduce services or close their doors completely due to health care provisions in the Big Ugly Bill. Expectant mothers in Hatch will go without critical prenatal support, grandparents in Silver City will lose access to long-term care, and kids in Hobbs will need to travel farther for emergency surgeries.
    • More Kids Will Go Hungry: Republicans have chosen to slash $180 billion from SNAP and nutrition assistance benefits, meaning over 175,000 New Mexicans could lose access to vital food assistance programs as a result.
    • Utility Bills to Soar by 25% Annually: The cuts to clean energy tax credits imposed by this bill could force New Mexicans to pay more than $500 more per year to keep the lights on. 
    • Supporters of the bill say it will usher America into an age of fiscal responsibility, but it won’t. It will increase the national debt by as much as $5 trillion dollars to fund tax cuts to the wealthy.

    Additional Republican priorities at the expense of New Mexicans’ health care: 

    • Special tax exemptions for whaling-boat captains
    • Tax exemptions to purchase firearm silencers
    • Spending $85 million for a pet project to move Space Shuttle Discovery to Texas
    • An unreasonable tax increase for poker players, legal sports bettors, and casino patrons 
    • Rescinds tax credit for lowering air pollution near schools 

    As a first-generation Mexican-American who was raised along the border, Rep. Vasquez knows firsthand how these cuts will make life harder for working class people across New Mexico as they try to make ends meet each month. He will continue to advocate for a fair economy and government that works for everyone — not just the ultra-wealthy.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Gabe Vasquez Statement on How Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill Hurts New Mexico

    Source: US Representative Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-02)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Republican reconciliation bill, which slashes programs that support working families, children, seniors, and rural communities across New Mexico in order to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.

    “Republicans just chose to pass a bill that will make life harder and more expensive for the American people. They chose the billionaire class over the working class. The pain this will cause will echo for generations,” said Vasquez. “When millions lose their health care, local hospitals close, utility bills skyrocket, and kids are left hungry, New Mexicans will remember today as the day Republicans sold them out to billionaires.”

    What this bill means for NM-02:

    • Over 110,000 New Mexicans at Risk of Losing Health Care : This Republican bill will cut support for Medicaid, jeopardizing benefits for more than 110,000 patients across New Mexico – 40,000 of those in Rep. Vasquez’s district.
    • Eight Rural Hospitals Serving Residents of NM-02 at Risk of Closing: Carlsbad Medical Center, Socorro General Hospital, Mimbres Memorial Hospital, Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital, Lincoln County Medical Center, and three other nearby hospitals that serve residents of Rep. Vasquez’s district are at risk of having to reduce services or close their doors completely due to health care provisions in the Big Ugly Bill. Expectant mothers in Hatch will go without critical prenatal support, grandparents in Silver City will lose access to long-term care, and kids in Hobbs will need to travel farther for emergency surgeries.
    • More Kids Will Go Hungry: Republicans have chosen to slash $180 billion from SNAP and nutrition assistance benefits, meaning over 175,000 New Mexicans could lose access to vital food assistance programs as a result.
    • Utility Bills to Soar by 25% Annually: The cuts to clean energy tax credits imposed by this bill could force New Mexicans to pay more than $500 more per year to keep the lights on. 
    • Supporters of the bill say it will usher America into an age of fiscal responsibility, but it won’t. It will increase the national debt by as much as $5 trillion dollars to fund tax cuts to the wealthy.

    Additional Republican priorities at the expense of New Mexicans’ health care: 

    • Special tax exemptions for whaling-boat captains
    • Tax exemptions to purchase firearm silencers
    • Spending $85 million for a pet project to move Space Shuttle Discovery to Texas
    • An unreasonable tax increase for poker players, legal sports bettors, and casino patrons 
    • Rescinds tax credit for lowering air pollution near schools 

    As a first-generation Mexican-American who was raised along the border, Rep. Vasquez knows firsthand how these cuts will make life harder for working class people across New Mexico as they try to make ends meet each month. He will continue to advocate for a fair economy and government that works for everyone — not just the ultra-wealthy.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Culbokie ELC rated very good in latest Care Inspectorate Inspection report

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    The Highland Council welcomes the positive Care Inspectorate Inspection report following a recent unannounced inspection visit to Culbokie Primary School Nursery, Dingwall.

    Following the inspection, Culbokie Primary School Nursery received the following:

    • How good is our care, play and learning? – 5 Very Good
    • How good is our setting? –  5 Very Good
    • How good is our leadership? – 5 Very Good
    • How good is our staff team – 5 Very Good

    Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “The recent unannounced inspection at Culbokie Primary School Nursery from the Care Inspectorate received an outstanding report, reflecting the professionalism, dedication and commitment of the caring staff at the setting to create an inclusive, safe and nurturing ethos for all pupils attending.

    “The report found significant strengths in aspects of the care provided and how these supported positive outcomes for children, the child centred approach by all staff, with supportive and highly skilled leadership and robust quality assurance processes that enable Culbokie Nursery to deliver high quality care and support tailored to meet children’s and families’ needs.

    “I’d like to congratulate the staff at Culbokie Primary School Nursery for their continued dedication and ‘full marks’ inspection report.”

    Key messages from the report:

    Staff were warm, caring and nurturing in their approaches to support children. As a result, children felt confident and secure.

    • Staff use skilled interactions to support children’s developing early literacy, language and numeracy skills.
    • The nursery was warm and welcoming, and furnished to a high standard which gave children a strong message that they mattered.
    • Robust quality assurance processes allowed focussed and meaningful opportunities for the manager and staff to review and monitor various aspects of the service.
    • The staff team had high aspirations for all children, and this was evident in the care and support they received, in both nursery and breakfast club settings.

    3 Jul 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Norcross Votes ‘NO’ on Trump’s Big Ugly Bill to Rip Healthcare and Food Assistance Away from Americans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

    WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ) voted against President Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, which would result in the largest cuts to healthcare and food assistance in American history.  

    “I voted an emphatic ‘NO’ on President Trump’s Big Ugly Bill to rip healthcare and food assistance away from millions of seniors, veterans, and working families,” said Congressman Donald Norcross. “This bill marks the largest cuts to healthcare and food assistance in American history, and people will die as a result of this catastrophic legislation. Seventeen million Americans stand to lose their health insurance, 42 million could lose their food benefits, and countless Americans will lose their jobs. In America, we’re supposed to stand up for one another, not kick people when they’re down. This bill is a betrayal of our most fundamental values: freedom, compassion, and basic human decency.” 

    The Big Ugly Bill Breakdown: 

    • Provides more than $5 trillion in tax breaks, which will primarily benefit billionaires.  
    • Guts Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 Trillion. 
      • 17 million Americans will lose their health insurance. 
      • Threatens the closure of more than 300 rural hospitals and more than 500 nursing homes. 
    • Triggers $535 billion in Medicare cuts through a process known as sequestration, which occurs when trillions of dollars are added to the deficit. The process would require hundreds of billions in automatic payment cuts to Medicare providers, threatening patient access to care. 
    • Allows states to impose 90-day lockout periods on kids who get their healthcare through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)—subjecting them to arbitrary periods where they are uninsured. 
    • Cuts SNAP by 20 percent, while forcing states to cover more of SNAP’s cost 
      • 42 million Americans risk having their food assistance taken away or reduced. 
    • Raises Americans’ utility bills and eliminates good-paying jobs by gutting energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 
    • Increases the deficit by $3.4 trillion. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AFSCME’s Saunders: We will hold every elected official accountable who voted to betray working families

    Source: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after Congress passed the budget reconciliation bill, which massively defunds public services and devastates communities nationwide to give billionaires tax cuts:

    “The passage of this bill is a betrayal of working families nationwide. It is a slap in the face to nurses, care providers, school bus drivers, special needs educators and other public service workers who have dedicated their lives to serving our communities. To satisfy the greed of their mega-donors, anti-worker elected officials voted to rob working families of their health care and life-sustaining public services to hand over trillions in tax cuts to the richest people on earth.

    “Because of this bill, children will go hungry. Seniors will lose access to long-term care. 17 million people, including veterans and their families, will lose their health care. People will die from preventable causes, and hundreds of thousands of workers will lose their jobs.

    “Let’s be clear: this debt-exploding budget will wreak havoc. States, cities, towns and schools will face a fiscal crisis due to these extreme cuts, putting all public services on the chopping block. Hospitals and nursing homes will close, depriving entire communities of care, especially in rural areas. The price of health care for workers with employer coverage will rise by nearly $2,000 annually for families. Cuts to clean energy investments will kill good union jobs and raise energy bills. During a time of rising costs, this budget doesn’t just fail the middle class; it pushes families out of it, trapping millions in cycles of poverty.

    “We will not sit back while Congress sells our futures to billionaires. Income inequality has continued to skyrocket. CEOs are paid nearly 300 times what the average worker is paid, and billionaires’ wealth is already growing exponentially. To unrig the system and build a country that rewards work over wealth, working people will keep organizing. We will organize to defend our jobs, our dignity and our safety at work. We will organize to protect our retirement and Social Security. And we will organize to hold every elected official accountable who voted to betray working families and hurt our communities.

    “We face tough times ahead, but when working people stand together, we have the power to reclaim what was stolen and build a better future for our families.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Becca Balint on Passage of Devastating Republican Tax and Spending Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL)

    Washington, D.C. – Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) released the following statement on the passage of the Republican tax and spending bill that guts Medicaid, food assistance and other critical programs that Americans rely on. The Republican budget includes over $800 billion in cuts that will decimate Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. These cuts put rural hospitals at risk of immediate closure. It will kick nearly 17 million Americans off their health insurance and throw at least 4 million people off food assistance, all to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and massive corporations. All Democrats voted no.

    “This Republican budget is far and away the cruelest piece of legislation I’ve seen in my career. It’s an utter moral failure,” saidRep. Becca Balint. “This bill will leave people without food, without healthcare, without options to keep their families afloat. That’s the painful reality of this bill. It comes after the poorest among us to give to the richest, while Americans are already struggling to put food on the table, afford medications, and pay rent in an economy rigged against working people.” 

    “I’m horrified to see the Republican party almost unanimously support propping up billionaires at the expense of their own communities. It’s sickening and speaks to their vision for America. But I’m not giving up hope. It’s going to take all of us fighting together to work to reverse some of the worst policies passed today.”

    Republicans’ reckless tax and spending bill will:

    • Add over $3.9 trillion to the national debt, a $1 trillion increase over the House-passed bill.
    • Kick nearly 20 million people off their health insurance and increase health care insurance costs for everyone.
      • Medicaid is the largest single-payer of maternity care in the United States, covering an estimated 40% of births. One in five women, and nearly half the country’s children, are covered by Medicaid. 
    • Defund Planned Parenthood. The bill prohibits health clinics from accepting Medicaid funds for family planning and reproductive health care services if they provide abortions. The destruction of Planned Parenthood’s critical family planning and reproductive health care clinics will cost taxpayers $52 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and close 200 clinics. 
    • Cut to nutritional assistance jeopardizing SNAP for 40 million people including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, 4 million people with disabilities and 1.2 million veterans.   
      • Block future increases to the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines SNAP benefits.
    • Increases household energy costs by an average of $400 and will lead to millions of jobs lost and $197 billion in lost wages.
    • Cut clean energy incentives and add a tax to wind and solar energy. 
    • Spend more than $150 billion in funding for Trump’s cruel immigration enforcement agenda which breaks down our legal immigration system, deports people without due process and has turned its back on asylum seekers and refugees.

    Rep. Becca Balint is a member of the House Budget Committee. Throughout the budget process, Rep. Balint has offered amendments to protect Social Security and reduce health insurance costs. Her amendments to prevent the House of Representatives from considering legislation that would cut Social Security benefits, increase the retirement age, or privatize Social Security were all rejected by Republicans in the House Budget and Rules Committees. This week, Rep. Balint filed amendments to: 

    • Prohibit funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain individuals on the basis of their protected speech, 
    • Stop cuts to Medicaid funding that would close rural hospitals and community health centers,
    • Increase funding for the Rural Hospital Transformation Program to $100 billion to keep hospital doors open,  
    • Remove red tape and protect access to care for individuals seeking substance use treatment or mental health care. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nadler Statement on Opposing Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill” and Its Cruel Betrayal of New Yorkers

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

    WASHINGTON, DC — This afternoon, after Republicans tried to hide the cruelty of their agenda by debating the bill in the dead of night, I proudly cast my vote against Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill—because no one should be forced to lose health care, go hungry, or see their child priced out of college in order to fund permanent tax cuts for Republican donors and the ultra-wealthy.

    This bill is a historic betrayal of working Americans. It delivers the largest transfer of wealth from low-income families to the ultra-rich in our nation’s history, slashing incomes for the bottom sixty percent of earners while adding $4 trillion to the deficit, the largest increase ever passed by Congress. Republicans claim this was their only chance to extend tax cuts for the middle class. That’s false. They could have done it without gutting health care and food aid, and without adding to the deficit, if they had the courage to ask billionaires to pay their fair share.

    It strips health care from over 17 million people, including 1.5 million New Yorkers, as part of $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts nationwide. In New York alone, hospitals are projected to lose over $8 billion in funding, forcing closures, service reductions, and the elimination of programs for children, seniors, and people with chronic illnesses. Nursing homes and community health centers face similar threats. The bill also attacks reproductive freedom by blocking Medicaid patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood health centers, cutting off cancer screenings, contraception, STI testing, and preventive care for millions who have nowhere else to turn. It also functions as a backdoor abortion ban, threatening to shut down one in four abortion providers nationwide. By some estimates, it could also result in more than $500 billion in cuts to Medicare.

    It slashes $2.1 billion a year from New York State and local governments by shifting SNAP costs onto them, gutting food aid for 300,000 households across our state. Families already struggling to afford groceries will see their benefits cut by an average of $220 per month, slashing support to less than $5 per day. One in seven New Yorkers relies on SNAP. And by stripping that funding, the bill threatens access to free and reduced-price school meals, forcing more children to learn on an empty stomach.

    It doesn’t stop there. The bill ends Pell Grants for 1.4 million students, eliminates income-driven repayment, and caps student borrowing, effectively slamming the door on higher education for students who can’t pay upfront. Medicaid cuts will also force states to raid education budgets just to keep health systems afloat. Campuses will close. Students will drop out. Our country needs more nurses, teachers, and engineers, not fewer. But this bill will shrink our skilled workforce and leave the U.S. less competitive in the global economy.

    It also decimates our clean energy economy, tearing up solar and wind projects, repealing tax credits, and eliminating key climate protections. It hands public lands back to Big Oil and halts progress toward energy independence. Experts warn it could cost 840,000 clean energy jobs in just five years. And families will pay the price. In New York alone, household energy bills will rise by $1.3 billion annually by 2030, $2.5 billion by 2035, and $12 billion over the life of the bill.

    Meanwhile, Republicans are spending $170 billion to ramp up family detention, mass deportations, and border militarization, giving ICE a bigger budget than the entire Canadian military. It’s unconscionable to spend billions expanding ICE’s surveillance and detention machine while slashing school lunches for children and ripping Medicaid away from cancer patients.

    Even the few crumbs Republicans offered to working families, like temporary SALT relief and short-term tax breaks on tips and overtime, expire after just four years. Yet the tax cuts for billionaires are permanent. Republicans continue to tout these short-term provisions as evidence they’re helping the middle class, but every so-called benefit for working Americans disappears quickly, while every giveaway to the ultra-wealthy is forever. And here’s the kicker: if Republicans had done nothing at all, the SALT cap would have expired this December. Instead, they passed a bill that leaves New Yorkers worse off.

    For months, I’ve been fighting this bill and listening to New Yorkers and people across the country who will suffer because of it. And behind these numbers are real lives. Patricia, 83 years old, lives in poverty in New York and relies on Medicaid just to get to her doctor. She told me, “I have no transportation other than help from Medicaid. I also live on only my Social Security and SNAP. If I lose this precious help, I will be homeless and surely die.” That’s the real cost of these cuts. I think of the father who told me he may have to sell his house to afford chemo for his child. I think of the senior who rationed insulin last winter to keep the heat on. This awful bill makes the rich richer and leaves everyone else behind.

    And to my Republican colleagues: come November 2026, you’ll have to answer for this vote. You’ll have to explain to the families who lost their health care, to the parents who lost child care, and to the students who lost their futures why you turned your backs when they needed you most. Because when hospitals close, when grocery bills spike, when classrooms empty and jobs disappear, your constituents will remember exactly who was responsible.

    I voted no because I came to Congress to fight for the people I serve, not to sell them out to further enrich the ultra-wealthy. And I will do everything in my power to shield New Yorkers from the harm this bill threatens to unleash, from pushing back against these cuts to working with local leaders to protect access to health care, food, education, and opportunity. New Yorkers deserve better. The American people deserve better. And I will never stop fighting to deliver for them.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Republican Megabill Betrays American Families

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

    Republican Megabill Betrays American Families

    Bill raises health care, food, energy costs while increasing debt by $4 trillion

    Washington, D.C., July 3, 2025

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement after voting against the Republican budget legislation.

    “Republicans made one fundamental promise to Americans – they would lower costs, and this big, ugly bill is the ultimate betrayal of that promise. It will make America more expensive by taking away health coverage, increasing hunger, and raising energy bills for millions of households. Lives and livelihoods will be put at risk because of the dangerous health care cuts in this legislation. The most outrageous and immoral part is that this is all so billionaires and large corporations can get yet another massive tax break.

    “It is clear who Republicans stand with, and it is not working families. Republicans know full well the consequences of this bill, but at every opportunity to show courage and stand up for their constituents, they always fall in line behind Donald Trump.”

    Impacts of Legislation

    • Medicaid and ACA Coverage: Nearly 17 million Americans would lose Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplace health coverage, including nearly 330,000 Washingtonians.
    • Medicare: Triggers over $500 billion in automatic Medicare cuts due to the huge cost of the bill.
    • Abortion: Prohibits funding for plans that cover abortion services on ACA health marketplaces, including state-based exchanges like the Washington Health Benefits Exchange. The bill also prohibits Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding, further limiting access to health services like cancer screenings and annual physicals.
    • Food Assistance: $300 billion would be cut from food assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which covers over 880,000 Washingtonians.
    • Energy Bills: Increases energy bills by more than $110 per year on average by repealing cost-saving clean energy tax credits.
    • Child Tax Credit: 22 million children would be left out of receiving the full Child Tax Credit because of Republican income requirements, including over 400,000 kids in Washington, while wealthier families receive the full benefit.
    • Cost: Estimated to add over $4 trillion to the national debt.

    The bill now goes to President Trump to sign. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Scott Peters Votes NO on Disastrous Republican Tax Plan

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District of California)

    Washington, D.C – Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) voted against the Republican tax plan to cut healthcare and food assistance for millions of vulnerable Americans to pay for tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations that don’t need them. The Republican plan would kick 17 million people off their Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health plans, according to an analysis by the independent Congressional Budget Office. The bill also cuts short programs that encourage clean energy development that would produce enough energy to power 227 million homes. This will increase electricity bills by up to 29% and cost millions of construction jobs. And the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has found that the bill could add more than $4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.

    After the House voted 218-214 to pass the measure, Representative Peters released the following statement:

    “Today, Congressional Republicans put President Trump’s cruel, reckless agenda above the good of the American people. They will have to answer to the people they represent on how forcing millions off their health coverage will make America healthy again, how higher energy prices, fewer jobs, and more pollution will help our communities, and how they can support the biggest ever addition to the national debt.

    “All of this is to pay for tax cuts for people and corporations that don’t need them. We can all agree that to get our fiscal house in order, there should be compromise and shared sacrifice. But this partisan bill asks only those with the least to sacrifice while giving tax breaks to those with the most. It is obscene.

    “The fight for more affordable and accessible healthcare, a cleaner environment, and responsible fiscal policy is not over. I will continue to work to minimize the harm of this disastrous bill on San Diegans.”

    Read more about Rep. Peters’ opposition to the bill here.

    CA-50 Medicaid Facts: 

    • 156,100 people in the district rely on Medicaid for health coverage—that’s 20 percent of all district residents. 
      • 34,700 children in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
      • 17,700 seniors in the district are covered by Medicaid. 
      • 64,900 adults in the district have Medicaid coverage through Medicaid expansion—that includes pregnant women who are able to access prenatal care sooner because of Medicaid expansion, parents, caretakers, veterans, people with substance use disorder and mental health treatment needs, and people with chronic conditions and disabilities. 
    • At least five hospitals in the district had negative operating margins in 2022. These hospitals would be especially hard-hit by cuts to Medicaid. For example: 
      • Scripps Mercy Hospital had a negative 25.3 percent operating margin—and nearly 22 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
      • Sharp Coronado Hospital had a negative 3.5 percent operating margin—and over 36 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
      • University of California San Diego Medical Center had a negative 2.4 percent operating margin—and nearly 19 percent of its revenue came from Medicaid. 
    • There are 54 health center delivery sites in the district that serve 529,944 patients. 
    • Those health centers and patients rely on Medicaid—statewide, 69 percent of health center patients rely on Medicaid for coverage. 
    • Health centers will not be able to stay open and provide the same care that they do today, with more uninsured and underinsured patients. They are already operating on thin margins—in 2023, nationally, nearly half of health centers had negative operating margins. 
    • Medicaid cuts put health centers at risk, including: 
      • Family Health Centers of San Diego 
      • Neighborhood Healthcare 
      • North County Health Project 
      • San Diego American Indian Health Centers 
      • St. Vincent De Paul Village 

    Representative Peters is the co-author of the Fiscal Commission Act, legislation to create a bicameral and open-door commission to tackle our nation’s long-term debt, help us avoid automatic and across-the-board cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and secure a more prosperous future for our children. 

     

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orange County Man Charged in Federal Complaint Alleging He Helped $270 Million Medi-Cal Scam Involving Medication Reimbursement

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man has been charged via federal criminal complaint with submitting over an 11-month span nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs containing generic ingredients that were not medically necessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients, the Justice Department announced today.

    Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange, is charged with health care fraud, a felony that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

    Randall made his initial appearance in United States District Court in Los Angeles on Friday and was ordered jailed without bond. His arraignment is scheduled for July 17.

    Today’s announcement was made as part of the Justice Department’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.

    Demonstrating the significant return on investment that results from health care fraud enforcement efforts, the government seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. As part of the whole-of-government approach to combating health care fraud announced today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it successfully prevented more than $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the Takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the Takedown.

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    “Public health programs are designed to help the sick and needy, not to help unscrupulous individuals pad their pockets,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Working with our federal and state law enforcement partners, we will continue to crack down on those who cheat taxpayers via health care fraud.” 

    According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Randall, Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and Patricia Anderson, 57, of West Hills, took advantage of Medi-Cal’s suspension of its requirement that health care providers obtain prior authorization before providing certain health care services or medications as a condition of reimbursement. The suspension of the prior authorization requirements was part of an ongoing transition of Medi-Cal’s prescription drug program to a new payment system.

    Through a business called Monte Vista Pharmacy, Randall and his co-schemers exploited Medi-Cal’s prior authorization suspension by billing Medi-Cal tens of millions of dollars per month for dispensing high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic drugs through Monte Vista Pharmacy. Some prescription medications purportedly were to treat pain and included Folite tablets, a vitamin available over the counter.

    Normally, these high-cost reimbursement medications would have required prior authorization under Medi-Cal’s old payment system. Medication involved in this scheme was medically unnecessary, frequently was not dispensed to patients, and procured by kickbacks. 

    From May 2022 to April 2023, Monte Vista billed Medi-Cal more than $269 million and was paid more than $178 million for 19 expensive, non-contracted drugs containing low-cost, generic ingredients that were not medically necessary, not provided, or both.

    Randall and others then laundered their illicit proceeds by transferring the proceeds of the Medi-Cal fraud scheme to a third party to pay kickbacks to Anderson, to promote the fraud scheme and to conceal and disguise the transfers from detection by law enforcement.

    A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    Relatedly, Anderson was charged in a two-count information charging her with health care fraud for her role in the scheme which was unsealed last week. Mekail pleaded guilty to criminal charges in August 2024 and awaits sentencing.

    The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the FBI, and the California Department of Justice are investigating this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Roger A. Hsieh of the Major Frauds Section and Assistant Chief Niall M. O’Donnell and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling asset forfeiture matters in this case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Statement on Trump Administration Illegally Withholding $108 Million From Virginia Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Trump Administration missed a key deadline to distribute $6.2 billion in federal K-12 funding, including $108 million for Virginia schools, to support teacher training, after school programming, mental health resources, and more:
    “Virginians know that high-quality public schools and the well-being of our children are critical to the Commonwealth’s future and economic success. The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold over $6 billion in funding that Congress appropriated for schools across the country, while pushing for a disastrous megabill that slashes programs Virginians rely on to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, tells you everything you need to know about their priorities. This move will devastate our students, especially those in our rural communities. We demand that the Administration immediately provide Virginia schools with the $108 million in funding we voted to secure, and urge all of Virginia’s leaders to do the same.”
    The $108 million being withheld from Virginia represents over 12 percent of the Commonwealth’s total K-12 funding.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Health Science, Swinburne University of Technology

    AAP Image/The Conversation, CC BY

    Concussion in sport continues to make headlines, whether it be class actions, young men flocking to the highly violent “RunIt” activity or debate about whether Australian rules football should remove the “bump” once and for all.

    Bringing this weighty issue to greater prominence are the former athletes who bravely share their long-term health struggles after careers in sport – cognitive impairments, mental health issues or concerns about neurodegenerative disease, specifically chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

    Yet for all the progress made by many sports in recent years, it feels like we still have not fully grasped the understanding of CTE – or maybe we don’t want to.

    Remind me again, what is CTE?

    CTE is a neurodegenerative brain disease, just like dementia, motor neurone disease (MND) and Parkinson’s disease.

    Expert groups agree on the links between traumatic brain injury and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (and other dementias), and the growing evidence of links to MND and Parkinson’s.

    People who have never had a traumatic brain injury can still regrettably suffer from these diseases. However, while CTE is rare in the general population, those with a history of repetitive impacts to the brain are more at risk.

    These impacts may not be diagnosed brain injuries or concussions, but rather non-concussive impacts (smaller hits that do not produce signs or symptoms of concussion).

    Contrary to anecdotal opinion, an athlete’s concussion history is not the crucial variable in risk and severity of CTE.

    Emerging international evidence, including my own recently published studies, show the risk of developing CTE (and its severity) is linked to exposure: the age a person starts full contact sport and the length of a playing career.

    The grey area of concussion, CTE and mental health

    Currently, CTE cannot be diagnosed in living people.

    However in understanding the progression of the disease in those who have passed away with CTE, families have described signs and symptoms including cognitive impairments such as:

    • Parkinsonism
    • memory loss
    • trouble with planning and organising tasks
    • impulsive behaviours
    • anger and irritability
    • emotional instability
    • substance misuse
    • suicidal thoughts/behaviour.

    While these signs and symptoms can overlap with those we associate with mental health, this does not necessarily mean the affected person had “mental health concerns”.

    The continued awareness in men’s mental health is a good thing broadly but it has sometimes misappropriated CTE as a mental health issue. For example, some fundraising games in the names of athletes who have died with CTE are being channelled to mental health charities and institutes, confusing the wider community.

    Consequently two recent tragic stories, one from the family of deceased former AFL player Shane Tuck and the other from Amanda Green, the widow of the late NRL player and coach Paul Green, needed to be told.

    Their stories contradicted widely held beliefs in the media and among fans that Tuck or Green were suffering with a psychiatric disease prior to their untimely deaths. In fact, they had CTE.

    An uncomfortable conversation

    So, why aren’t we talking about CTE more?

    The answer is, unfortunately it is an inconvenient truth.

    Considering CTE is entirely preventable if we remove exposure risk of repetitive hits to the head, the solution is to further modify many of our most popular sports to make head impacts much rarer.

    There is sizeable opposition to this idea.

    “Now is not the time to discuss such ‘political’ issues,” is the response I usually get from academics and colleagues involved in these sports, and even football loving friends, when I try to raise awareness.

    This continued hesitation only slows the science of CTE further.

    If an athlete’s family has been courageous in donating their brain to the Australian Sports Brain Bank and CTE has been found, the standard response from sports organisations is:

    the (insert sport here) takes athlete health and wellbeing as its greatest priority […] the (insert sport here) has implemented strict concussion protocols and continues research into athletes’ brain health.

    Even a Senate parliamentary inquiry has done little to change the situation.

    In fact, while most sports have tried to become safer through rule changes, progress more broadly has plateaued or even regressed in recent years.

    Take one recent example in the NRL, when some in the rugby league community made light of the multiple concussions suffered by Victor Radley. After playing his 150th game, he posed smiling with a t-shirt detailing the number of concussions he had suffered during his career. His club, the Sydney Roosters, posted the photo on Instagram before it was later removed.

    Even more worrying is a new controversial activity called “RunIt”, which involves two men running full speed at each other with the intention of knocking over (or more aptly knocking out) the opponent.

    A recent death of a New Zealand teenager playing RunIt has highlighted the dangers.



    Read more:
    Head knocks and ultra-violence: viral games Run It Straight and Power Slap put sports safety back centuries

    What more can be done?

    With the help of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, experts around the world, including myself, have produced a CTE prevention protocol. This does not mean banning any sports but rather modifying components that will reduce exposure risk.

    Here are five ideas I believe would make a difference.

    1. Reducing contact loads in training, particularly in pre-season training.

    2. Modify contact sports for children until the age of 14. This potentially removes six to eight years of incidental and unnecessary hits to kids’ heads. They can still play and learn all the fundamental motor skills and enjoy the psychological benefits of sport before graduating to the full version of the game at 14.

    3. Influential media commentators need to upskill themselves around CTE and to not be afraid to mention CTE rather than deferring to “concussion protocols”.

    4. Medical and allied health practitioners do not regularly screen for concussion or contact sport playing history when assessing a patient who is struggling with movement disorders, chronic headaches/fatigue or cognitive/behavioural impairments. Repetitive head impact history should be screened just like alcohol and drug use history.

    5. When an athlete suddenly and tragically dies, we need to include, along with emergency help lines, information for help and support for those unsure about CTE.

    Unfortunately, if we don’t have the political will to acknowledge CTE and act, more families will be grieving tragic deaths of athletes. These families may not even be aware of CTE.

    This does not make me anti-sport, but pro-athlete. Let’s all become pro-athlete for the sake of our sports and the people who play them.

    Alan Pearce is currently unfunded. Alan is a non-executive director for the Concussion Legacy Foundation (unpaid position) and Adjunct research manager for the Australian Sports Brain Bank (unpaid position). He has previously received funding from Erasmus+ strategic partnerships program (2019-1-IE01-KA202-051555), Sports Health Check Charity (Australia), Australian Football League, Impact Technologies Inc., and Samsung Corporation, and is remunerated for expert advice to medico-legal practices.

    – ref. I’ve seen the brain damage contact sports can cause – we all need to take concussion and CTE more seriously – https://theconversation.com/ive-seen-the-brain-damage-contact-sports-can-cause-we-all-need-to-take-concussion-and-cte-more-seriously-259785

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –