NewzIntel.com

Category: Elon Musk

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Cohen Says Rescissions Bill is “Good for Russia, China and Undertakers”

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

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today spoke from the House floor and then voted against the $9.4 billion rescissions bill that cuts already Congressionally appropriated money for public broadcasting (PBS and NPR) and foreign aid, including support for poor children through UNICEF.

    In his floor remarks during debate on the bill, Congressman Cohen responded to Republican members who had made false claims, and said in part:

    “There will be people who will die. This bill is good for Russia and China and undertakers because it’s going to have people dying. Bill Gates says this is the richest man in the world – Musk – taking advantage of, and killing, the poorest children in the world. They’re not going to be getting the PEPFAR program created by George Bush. They’re not going to get the sustenance they need that’s rotting in ships right now. Don’t end it; mend it. This is a terrible bill. This is Musk’s bill on drugs.”

    See the floor remarks here.

    The measure passed on a vote of 214 to 212.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Costa Slams Bill That Risks Farm Exports and Silences Valley PBS, KVPR

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

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) voted against H.R. 4 – Rescissions Act of 2025, which would revoke $9.8 billion in approved federal funding by Congress. The bill cuts global food aid programs that support U.S. farmers who export food, and it threatens public broadcasting relied on by millions of households. 
    “You don’t reduce the deficit by slashing programs that work—you do it by investing wisely and cutting where it counts,” said Costa.“While Republicans cheer $9.8 billion in so-called savings, their broader agenda balloons the deficit by $3 trillion. This bill would knee-cap tools to advance U.S. interests abroad, pull the rug out from under our farmers and silence trusted local news sources like Valley PBS and KVPR that our communities rely on.” 
    BACKGROUND 
    The Rescissions Act of 2025 is a legislative package introduced by the Trump Administration in partnership with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It proposes to rescind $9.4 billion in federal funding already approved by Congress, using a rarely invoked process known as a budget rescission. 
    Under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the President may propose rescissions to cancel budget authority previously enacted by Congress. While the law provides this authority, rescission packages are rarely used and passed. Historically, Presidents from both parties have submitted rescission proposals, but Congress has only approved a handful of them.  
    Republicans are celebrating the $9.8 billion in proposed “savings,” yet their Big, Ugly Bill would add at least $3 trillion to our debt. This rescissions package seeks to rescind more than $8 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which funds global food aid programs supporting market development for California farmers. These programs help purchase commodities like almonds, grapes, and citrus for export to address global hunger, which generates an estimated $2 billion in annual revenue for American agriculture, feeding the world while generating good will towards the United States. 
    In addition, it would rescind $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, of which roughly 70% of this funding sustains local NPR and PBS stations across America. This would impact Valley PBS and KVPR-Valley Public Radio, which provide trusted news, educational programming, and emergency information to families across the region. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Joined by Constituents Who Rely on Medicaid and SNAP, Senator Murray Slams Republicans’ “Big Ugly Betrayal” for Gigantic Cuts to Programs That Washingtonians Depend on to Meet Basic Needs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington State Standard: Thousands in WA at risk of losing food benefits under GOP bill in Congress

    NEW: Estimates show Republican cuts would result in 16 million people losing health care — including over 300,000 people in WA state

    ***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL FROM EVENT HERE***

    ***FULL VIDEO OF PRESS CONFERENCE HERE***

    Seattle, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a press conference laying out how Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act would be catastrophic for people across Washington state who rely on Medicaid, Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Senator Murray was joined by health care providers and constituents in Washington state who stand to lose the health care and nutrition benefits they or their patients rely on under the legislation, which Republicans are seeking to pass through the reconciliation process—which requires only a simple majority of votes in each chamber of Congress. The legislation passed the House on May 22nd and is now being considered by the Senate.

    “If Republicans pass this monstrosity into law, billionaires like Trump and Musk are going to make away like bandits while struggling families are going to have their entire world turned upside down. They are going to lose health care. They are going to lose food assistance. They are going to see costs go up and support they rely on go away,” Senator Murray said at the press conference today. “When it comes to health care, we are talking about 16 million people getting kicked off their insurance—from 8 million people Republicans will cut off from Medicaid with new paperwork, to 4 million who will lose ACA coverage due to Republican sabotage, to another 4 million who are going to lose coverage if Republicans refuse to extend tax cuts…In Washington state, this Republican disaster would take health care away from over 300,000 people minimum—200,000 from Medicaid alone…And again, I can’t emphasize enough: Republicans want to cut families off from SNAP and Medicaid—programs that give people a hand up in hard times—so they can give enormous hand outs to the richest people and biggest companies in the country. As someone who knows what it is like to have your family fall on hard times, as someone whose family relied on food stamps briefly, as someone whose parents used to say they ‘crawled’ to Medicare—you can bet I am going to fight like hell to make sure this bill goes nowhere except the trash bin. I know this won’t be an easy fight. But it is not an impossible fight, and it is absolutely an important one.”

    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). New estimates released last week by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that Republicans’ legislation will kick 16 million people off their health insurance—between the drastic cuts to Medicaid and the sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and refusal to expand tax credits Democrats passed to lower health insurance premiums. The Joint Economic Committee estimates that at least 306,312 in Washington state would lose their health insurance under the Republican bill—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, according to a recent analysis. The legislation would also “defund” Planned Parenthood, threatening the closure of up to 200 health centers across the country.

    In addition, Republicans’ reconciliation bill includes sweeping cuts to SNAP that would force between $95 million and $477 million in new costs onto Washington state. 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 Republicans’ bill.  

    “I work in the Urgent Care. Most ERs and Urgent Cares are bursting at the seams. If Medicaid is cut, more children will not be able to see a doctor for appropriate preventative care or timely care for illnesses and injuries. Those kids then come see me. They are sicker than they would have been. Asthma that could have been managed with a simple inhaler ends up with a child on oxygen in the intensive care unit. A mild infection that could have been treated with oral antibiotics becomes a major infection requiring hospitalization and IV treatment. This is costly, inefficient, and worst of all—completely avoidable,” said Dr. Lelach Rave, Interim Executive Director of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Cuts to Medicaid also ripple across the system. Pediatric specialty departments are already closing in some hospitals. Waitlists are growing, and not just for Medicaid kids—for all children, regardless of insurance coverage. Rural areas are especially hard-hit, and once a service disappears, it’s incredibly difficult to bring it back. This isn’t just a policy debate. It’s about real children. Real families. Real consequences. Medicaid cuts are not abstract budget line items. They are barriers to care, obstacles to safety, and roadblocks to children growing up healthy and whole.”

    “I am deeply concerned about the impact Medicaid cuts will have on our patients directly, and on the ability of our hospitals and clinics to continue to provide life-saving and life-changing care. Health insurance changes the lives of people every day. I have to believe that if national leaders supporting this bill could see what I see every day in the clinic and the hospital, they would move past the cruelty of these proposed cuts and prioritize the dignity and care that all humans deserve,” said Dr. Margaret Isaac, Medical Director of the Adult Medicine Clinic and Co-Site Director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

    “My son has benefited exponentially from the support he has received through his Medicaid coverage. As conversations swell around cuts to Medicaid, my concerns swell for him,” said Sarah Brantley, the mother of a 34-year-old son, Paul—an avid sports fan and artist—who was born with developmental delays and on the autism spectrum, and relies on Medicaid for critical services. “Access to the features of this program have created opportunities for him to not only overcome intense medical and developmental challenges but, in fact, to thrive. He has found a sense of purpose and a place of pride in his community through supported employment opportunities and community inclusion. As his live-in provider, I am able to support his daily health, hygiene, and safety in his own home, thereby helping him prevent setbacks while preserving his dignity. His life has literally been saved by the interventions of Medicaid. Moreover, he has found community and empowerment in the journey. He has grown to have a sense of self pride and confidence I never dreamed possible for my son.”

    “I am a Medicaid success story,” said MomsRising memberBronti Lemke, a single mom with a six-year-old son in Tacoma who is working toward her Bachelor’s degree. Medicaid and SNAP have been critical sources of support for her family as she pursues her education and works to build financial security for her family. “I was an addict and Medicaid – known as Apple Health here in Washington – provided the care, medications, and treatment that helped me get clean. Now, I am about to collect a degree from community college and I’ll be enrolling at UW, Tacoma this fall. Medicaid covered my son’s birth and we rely on it for preventive and routine care. I also rely on SNAP to feed my family, as food prices skyrocket. It terrifies me that Republicans in Congress are poised to slash these two programs and I don’t understand why anyone thinks more tax cuts for billionaires is more important than food and health care for families like mine. I want Congress to make child care more affordable, invest in schools, and continue supporting the health care and food we need.”

    “It’s been really difficult to find a path out of homelessness. Not a lot of places will hire you without a degree, and the ones that will don’t pay enough to live on—and you can forget about health insurance. Because you’ve also got to think about the physical toll that 15 years of living outside takes on your body. About 2.5 years ago I was walking up a hill when I noticed that my calves were swelling. I didn’t think much of it at first but then my toes started to turn purple and eventually I was in so much pain I couldn’t walk. It got to the point that I thought I might not make it through this past winter—the cold made my legs a hundred times worse than before. It’s honestly hard to put that sort of pain into words. But I made it, thanks to my partner Brandie. All winter she gathered our wood, cooked all our meals, kept hand warmers on my feet. She got me to the other side of that winter. And she got me through that front door at the health clinic where I was finally able to get on Medicaid and get some care,” said Jeff Towle, a father, partner, and devoted Seahawks fan who is one of the nearly two million people in Washington state who relies on Medicaid for health care. “It was a very long time coming. And thank God for that, because it turns out I’d been walking a pretty high wire. I’d been living with deep vein thrombosis and an irregular heartbeat, two conditions that can kill, and I had no idea. It’s that simple: without Medicaid I’d be in a world of hurt. In fact I might not even be here today—in an apartment of my own, in this beautiful place that I love, finally starting to heal. Medicaid has helped give me another chance. The battle’s not over–I just had surgery on my legs yesterday, my second procedure, and my surgeon thinks there’s a good chance I’ll need another. They say I may have to stay on blood thinners for the rest of my life. And so having Medicaid is not a matter of convenience for me. It’s a matter of survival. That’s true for me, and it’s true for millions of other Americans who need this program. Don’t count us out.”

    “I am opposed to the Medicaid cuts being considered in Congress, including the additional copays that are being discussed. I’ve relied on safety net programs since 2001 when I was a passenger in a car accident that injured my spinal cord and took me out of the workforce. I raised my three grandkids with my SSDI, since we lost my daughter, their mother Tiffany, who passed away in 2007 after losing her health care when she lost her job. Her story was the essential story in the passage of the Affordable Care Act from President Obama. Without Medicaid, we would not have been able to get the care we needed. I’m worried that if these cuts go through that my family and millions of other families like ours will lose access to their health care,” said Gina Owens, a member of Washington Community Action Network, and a single grandmother raising her three grandkids who all rely on Medicaid. “It deeply saddens me that my family and I have struggled to do the right thing for all of these years, only to have Congress tell us that we will need to pay higher copays out of our fixed income. A few dollars may not sound like much to the majority of people, but to many like me, it can be the difference between going hungry or having our electric bill cut off. I’ll call it like it is, cuts and increasing copays are robbing from the poor to give to the rich. Our country has so much wealth, there are enough resources for everyone to have their needs met.”

    “Four years ago, I was able bodied working, had a full-time job. I was working for the federal government,” said Janelle Smith Dozier, who relies on SNAP and Social Security benefits to help make ends meet. “It was while at work where I got very dizzy and couldn’t hardly walk, couldn’t hardly think straight. I ended up going to the doctor and discovered I had a brain condition that required brain surgery. After the brain surgery, three months later, I had back surgery, and a year later, had another back surgery. So, I went from working full time, to becoming medically retired in my fifties and not knowing what to do. I had to not only get medically retired from work, I had to apply for disability through Social Security. All of these are foreign and new to me. I didn’t even know how they work because I was in my fifties and never thought I would be at that point. So, I ended up having to apply for food stamps. And to be honest with you, pride got in the way, and I didn’t want to do it, because I was always an able-bodied person who could take care of myself and my family. I ended up getting food stamps, and my Social Security hadn’t kicked in, so I was basically living off of $500 no income… Now I’m in a position almost four years later, and my Social Security and my benefits have kicked in. I’m still making less than $20,000 compared to almost $60,000, so it’s a huge, huge gap. The food stamps have always helped me. They have helped me and my family actually. The food bank has helped me with the space between getting the food stamps and my food supply running out, like three [weeks] into the month. Without the food stamps, I would have to dip into my Social Security and my retirement, which is pretty much tied up into taking care of myself outside of food, which would leave me with hardly no money to live on. Food stamps have helped me survive. They have helped my family survive.”

    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered at today’s press conference, are below and HERE:

    “Well, good morning and welcome, and thank you to everyone that is here for this really important opportunity to talk about what is happening, coming at us from the President and the Republican Congress that is going to impact absolutely everybody.

    “We’re going to see more people who are sick, more people who are starving, or tax breaks for the wealthiest people in the country. That is what the Republican agenda is.

    “That is heart of the Big Ugly Betrayal they are moving heaven and earth to pass into law. And that is exactly what we are here to raise the alarm.

    “We’re hearing a lot of empty Republican lies about their bill right now, a lot of desperate spin. That’s because the reality is catastrophic.

    “If Republicans pass this monstrosity into law, billionaires like Trump and Musk are going to make away like bandits, while struggling families are going to have their entire world turned upside down. They are going to lose health care. They are going to lose food assistance. They are going to see costs go up and support they rely on go away.

    “When it comes to health care, we are talking about 16 million people getting kicked off their insurance. From eight million people Republicans will cut off from Medicaid with new paperwork and red tape, to four million who will lose ACA coverage due to Republican sabotage, to another four million who are going to lose coverage if Republicans refuse to extend health care tax credits.

    “That’s right. Republicans will do whatever it takes to extend tax cuts for big corporations and the richest of the rich. They will kick folks off their health care, shut down rural hospitals, take food off families’ tables—right off kids’ plates—you name it.

    “But when it comes to health care tax credits Democrats passed for everyday Americans, when it comes to extending relief that is saving millions of families thousands of dollars a year? Crickets. Republicans simply can’t be bothered.

    “In Washington state, this Republican disaster would take health care away from over 300,000 people minimum—200,000 from Medicaid alone. And yet, the Republicans whose constituents have the most to lose here—the people representing the areas most reliant on Medicaid, representing the people who are going to be hit the hardest, are full steam ahead on this! I hope everyone will ask them why, because I can’t figure out for the life of me.

    “Voting for this bill is voting to kick seniors out of nursing homes. It is voting to shut down hospitals in rural areas. It is voting to take coverage away from kids with disabilities.

    “But Republicans aren’t content to leave families without health care—they want them to go without food!

    “Their Big Ugly Betrayal would make the biggest cut to SNAP in history—we’re talking around a quarter of a trillion dollars cut over the next ten years. It should be obvious, but that would be devastating for our country.

    “From saddling states with unprecedented costs, to saddling families with even more red tape—the outcome is going to be less families getting SNAP benefits, and more kids going hungry.

    “In Washington state alone, Republicans’ bill would put 150,000 people across our state at risk of losing food benefits. And the new red tape is even targeted at some of our most vulnerable families, because it expands work requirements to apply to seniors and parents with kids in school. That’s who Republicans want to take food away from.

    “And again, I can’t emphasize enough: Republicans want to cut families off from SNAP and Medicaid—programs that give people a hand up in hard times—so they can give enormous handouts to the richest people and biggest companies in the country.

    “As someone who knows what it is like to have your family fall on hard times, as someone whose family relied on food stamps briefly, as someone whose parents used to say they ‘crawled’ to Medicare—you can bet I am going to fight like hell to make sure this bill goes nowhere—except the trash bin.

    “I know this won’t be an easy fight. But it is not an impossible fight, and it is absolutely an important one.

    ‘Because we saw what happened in 2017, when Republicans tried to rip away health care, when they tried to throw basic support for families into the wood chipper. The American people stood up. They shared their stories. They said, we do not want this. And their voices were heard. That effort failed.

    “And I am going to do my darnedest to make our voices heard once again. I am going to make sure every Republican considering this bill cannot get off the hook trying to ignore exactly what they are voting for, and who they are voting against.

    “And, to that end, I am joined today by some people who know, personally, from their work, and from their own experience—just how important these programs are, and just how catastrophic Republicans’ Big Ugly Betrayal would be.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Spotlights How Trump Administration’s Attacks on Food Aid Programs Exacerbate Global Hunger 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, this week joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, for a forum entitled “The Role of Foreign Assistance in Supporting American Farmers and Protecting American Agriculture.” At the forum, Senator Welch examined how the Trump Administration’s continued attack on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), other governmental agencies, and federally-supported foreign assistance organizations have exacerbated global hunger. 
    “What strikes me is that there’s a fair amount of humility in folks who work in an organization—through Republican and Democratic administrations—where you have this expertise because you understand that you have to have institutions and structures to be able to sustain a food delivery system. Everything from how farmers grow, to averting pests, to coming up with delivery mechanisms to get food to people who need it,” said Senator Welch.  
    “One of the things that’s so disturbing to me about what is happening and the way it’s happening is that we’re destroying the capacity at every step along the way. And it’s not as though you can flip a switch and those people who have expertise suddenly are going to come back.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks below: 

    “Vermont farmers—all farmers—they love to feed people…And now, it’s my understanding that we actually have food that is available for distribution, but it’s sitting in warehouses because of the cuts that have been made, so that the people who can take the food from the warehouse, outside of the doors of the warehouse, and put it on a table for hungry children to eat were not there—is that true?” asked Senator Welch.  
    Sarah Charles, Former Assistant to the Administrator for Humanitarian Assistance at USAID, testified: “It is certainly my understanding that the career staff that are left at USAID have been working furiously around the clock—even knowing that they’ve been fired—to find ways to get that food into the hands of partners that can use that food. The food is there…it has been bureaucratic process, after bureaucratic process, after bureaucratic process.”  
    Senators Welch, Shaheen, and Klobuchar were joined at the forum by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).  
    Senator Welch has been a leading voice in pushing back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle and defund key federal agencies and food programs. Earlier this week, Senator Welch slammed the Trump Administration’s reckless request to rescind $9.4 billion in Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 and 2025 congressionally-appropriated funds, which provide vital support to Americans through public broadcasting and radio networks and promote U.S. global leadership.  
    Last month, Senator Welch led 29 of his Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution calling on the Trump Administration to use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to bring an end to the blockade of food and lifesaving humanitarian aid to address the needs of civilians in Gaza.   
    In February, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to speak on President Trump and Elon Musk’s unconstitutional actions to dismantle USAID and called on Congress to protect the agency, which has played an indispensable role in protecting the interests, security, and reputation of the United States around the globe. Senator Welch also sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding an urgent response to the baseless mass-firings of over 5,500 federal employees at USAID. 
    Senator Welch also joined colleagues in introducing the Foreign Assistance Accountability and Oversight Act, legislation to expand congressional oversight of foreign assistance decision-making by requiring the State Department’s Director of Foreign Assistance to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Last Congress, Senator Welch led the introduction of the Streamlining International Food Assistance Act to strengthen the United States’ ability to address global hunger by allowing USAID to use funds from the Food for Peace (FFP) food aid program to provide donations of U.S. commodities, alongside cash transfers and other forms of assistance, in an effort to better assist food insecure communities.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Warren Questions Trump Treasury Secretary on Hypocrisy of Adding to National Debt to Pay for Tax Giveaways for Rich

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 13, 2025
    Video of Exchange (YouTube)
    Washington, D.C. — At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent on Republicans’ hypocrisy on raising the deficit with Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
    Senator Warren highlighted the hypocrisy of Secretary Bessent’s support for cutting crucial social programs to decrease the national debt, while also supporting adding trillions to the deficit to give billionaires and giant corporations tax cuts. 
    Secretary Bessent, with no evidence, said he believed the tax bill would decrease the deficit. 
    Senator Warren pointed out that “[e]very credible, independent expert agrees that Trump and the Republicans’ ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will add trillions to the national debt and would not even come close to paying for itself…Even Elon Musk and the Wall Street Journal are criticizing the bill for ballooning the national debt.”  
    The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has revealed the Republican tax bill would increase the deficit by $3 trillion. Secretary Bessent said only that he “[doesn’t] agree with the CBO.” 
    “[W]hy is the national debt so very important that you’re trying to kick 16 million people off their health insurance, but increasing the national debt doesn’t seem to matter if you’re cutting taxes for billionaires and billionaire corporations?” Senator Warren asked. 
    Bessent attempted to downplay the health care cuts by saying the “figure is overstated by 5.1 million,” and falsely claimed Medicaid is granted to undocumented people. 
    “[T]he part that troubles me the most is that the Secretary is deeply worried about the deficit and is willing to knock 16 million, or as he says, ‘merely 11 million,’ people off their health care [because it] matters so much, but it doesn’t matter so much if you’re cutting taxes for billionaires…I think that’s wrong,” concluded Senator Warren.
    Transcript: Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget for the Department of Treasury and Tax ReformSenate Finance CommitteeJune 12, 2025 
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So I want to ask about the Republican “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which will knock about 16 million off their healthcare coverage and cut programs that keep groceries cheaper for millions of families, in order to try to pay for about $4 trillion in tax giveaways, that are mostly going to be sucked up by millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations. 
    So, Secretary Bessent, I’d like to start with a very simple question: will this bill increase or decrease the deficit?
    Mr. Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury: There are varying scoring on that, Senator Warren.
    Senator Warren: You’re the Secretary of the Treasury, so I’m asking you: what is your view? Will this bill increase or decrease the deficit? 
    Secretary Bessent: It is my view that over the ten-year window, it will decrease. 
    Senator Warren: You know, do you have anybody who agrees with you on this? 
    Secretary Bessent: Yes, ma’am.
    Senator Warren: Let me ask my question. 
    Secretary Bessent: Okay. 
    Senator Warren: Every credible, independent expert agrees that Trump and the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will add trillions to the national debt and would not even come close to paying for itself. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Penn Wharton Budget Model, and the Yale Budget Lab all agree on this, and they are looking at ten-year windows, thank you. So do the conservative Tax Foundation and Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget—conservative groups. 
    Even Elon Musk and the Wall Street Journal are criticizing the bill for ballooning the national debt. The only people who are saying publicly that it is not going to add to the national debt are you, Donald Trump, the Republicans in Congress. Do you have an independent group that has put forward numbers that disagrees with all of these conservative groups and disagrees with the Wall Street Journal on this? 
    Secretary Bessent: Well, Senator, it’s interesting to see you aligned with Elon Musk, but if I might—
    Senator Warren: You’re no more shocked than I am. 
    Secretary Bessent: If we want to take the full Congressional Budget scoring, they predict, and I don’t agree with their methodology, they predict a $2.4 trillion deficit, but— 
    Secretary Warren: Okay, so the answer to the question is yes.
    Secretary Bessent: No, no, no. But may I finish? They include that, but they’ve also scored $2.8 trillion in tariff income. So even, even in Washington, D.C. math, that is a $400 billion surplus.
    Senator Warren: Okay, so let me make sure I understand. This bill, you admit, will increase the deficit by $2.4 trillion, but you think there will be another bill and another set of agreements that somehow materialize. Haven’t materialized so far, don’t have any statutory authority, but that will make up the difference. 
    So the answer to the original question, will this bill increase or decrease the deficit? I think you just said it will increase. This bill increases the deficit, is that right? 
    Secretary Bessent: I will use all the CBO scoring, and you can’t take one without the other. I don’t agree with the CBO.
    Senator Warren: One is the law that we are scoring, the bill that is in front of us. We don’t have a tariff bill in front of us to score. Mr. Secretary, let me go on to the second question. You have said that government spending is, quote, “out of control.” You have also called government spending, quote, “unsustainable.” In fact, in the name of fiscal responsibility, you’re working with the Republicans on this “big, beautiful bill” to pass the biggest cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in American history. 
    So, Mr. Secretary, help me understand here: why is the national debt so very important that you’re trying to kick 16 million people off their health insurance, but increasing the national debt doesn’t seem to matter if you’re cutting taxes for billionaires and billionaire corporations?
    Secretary Bessent: Well, first of all, a huge portion of this goes to family-owned businesses that are passed through entities that are below that level, Senator, and I am sure you share my goals of Main Street prosperity.
    Senator Warren: You know, I’m glad to do tax cuts for people of modest means. The question I’m asking is, why does the deficit not matter to you when we’re talking about knocking 16 million people off their health care? But it matters not—It does matter to you if we’re knocking people off their health care, but not if—
    Secretary Bessent: Well, first of all, that figure is overstated by 5.1 million. That is an amount not attributable to provisions in this bill. 
    Senator Warren: So you think it’s okay to knock ten million people off. 
    Secretary Bessent: Well, first of all, let’s set that straight. Work requirements account for 8 million of CBO’s claim number. Again, we’re creating an economy that promotes and rewards—
    Senator Warren: So it’s clear, Secretary Bessent, you don’t want to answer the question.
    Secretary Bessent: Senator, I am answering. 
    Senator Warren: No, you’re not. 
    Secretary Bessent: And what I want is for Medicaid to be used for mothers and children as it was meant, not for 1.4 million illegal aliens, not for able-bodied people—
    Senator Warren: Medicaid is not used for people who are not documented. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say here the part that troubles me the most is that the Secretary is deeply worried about the deficit and is willing to knock 16 million, or as he says, “merely 11 million,” people off their health care—matters so much, but it doesn’t matter so much if you’re cutting taxes for billionaires, then it’s okay to run up a big deficit. I think that’s wrong.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trump revokes California’s nation-leading electric vehicle mandate

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

    U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 12, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    U.S. President Donald Trump moved on Thursday at a White House signing ceremony to eliminate California’s nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, upending the strict rules that had become a template for states across the nation to realize their greenhouse gas ambitions.

    “We officially rescue the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating California’s electric vehicle mandate, once and for all,” Trump said at the Oval Office alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin.

    During the ceremony, Trump signed a congressional resolution that overturns a California state rule that would have phased out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The state makes up about 12 percent of the U.S. population. Its rule has also been adopted by 11 other states and Washington, D.C. The resolution was approved by Congress last month and aims to quash the country’s most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars.

    Trump also signed measures to overturn state policies curbing tailpipe emissions in certain vehicles and smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks.

    This was “a long-sought victory for some carmakers and oil companies that attacked the rules as unachievable,” said Bloomberg News in its report about the signing, adding that the resolutions Trump signed repeal waivers granted under former President Joe Biden allowing California to set automobile pollution standards that are more stringent than federal requirements.

    Environmentalists have decried Trump’s vows to unwind rules to spur electric vehicle sales — a fixture of his reelection campaign — as an assault on essential protections to help avert the worst effects of climate change, added the report.

    California quickly announced it will challenge the move in court, with California’s attorney general holding a news conference to discuss the planned lawsuit before Trump’s signing ceremony ended at the White House.

    “The move takes place against the backdrop of worsening relations between Trump and Gov, Gavin Newsom, with the president ordering the military to quell unrest in Los Angeles over immigration raids,” noted Politico about the development. “It also comes as Tesla CEO and former White House adviser Elon Musk clashed with Trump last week over electric vehicle policies.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal Statement on GOP Rescissions Package

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

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement regarding the Republican rescissions package, which passed the House of Representatives 214-212. 

    “A rescission package means going back on your word. Let me be clear: Congress and Congress alone has the power to appropriate funding. What is happening here is that Donald Trump and Elon Musk took illegal actions to cut Congressionally appropriated funding, so now Trump’s minions in Congress are going back and cleaning up for him. This is a thinly veiled attempt to sidestep court orders that have demanded the Trump Administration reinstate illegally gutted funding. 

    “The cuts to USAID have already killed an estimated 300,000 people around the world and are undermining the United States’ global leadership. This is funding for food and medicine for children, maternal health care programs, and for clinics that treat survivors of gender-based violence. It accounts for less than one percent of our federal spending and stops diseases before they reach our border, and helps to stabilize countries, preventing conflict before it starts. 

    “And the cuts to public broadcasting are a direct attack on free press in this country. In many rural communities, these stations are the only reliable sources of local news, critical weather alerts, and educational programming for kids. These stations not only keep people informed but also employ thousands of people in communities across the country. 

    “These cuts are not only bad for the American people but further erode our checks and balances in this country and the powers of Congress defined in the Constitution. Trump’s yes-men are rubber stamping his agenda and cutting away at the fabric of our democracy in doing so.”

    Issues: Arts & Education, Foreign Affairs & National Security

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Members Frankel, Shaheen, Schatz, Meeks Statement on Recissions Package Cuts to Foreign Assistance

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

    Washington, DC – Today, Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, and Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, in issuing the following statement concerning the recissions package sent to Congress by the Trump administration, which would cut $8.3 billion in foreign assistance, including $900 million in cuts to global health programs, as well as cuts to democracy assistance, economic and development assistance, and economic and energy support for Ukraine and other states affected by Russia’s illegal invasion:

    “The cuts to U.S. foreign assistance in the White House’s recissions package undercut key American national security interests and risk our country’s safety and prosperity. Our soft power toolkit helps prevent conflict and promote democracy and stability. The draconian DOGE cuts that President Trump and Elon Musk have put in place have been justified through misleading claims that ignore the harm to America and global death toll that have resulted from their actions. Their claims about fiscal responsibility are laughable in the context of President Trump’s push at all costs to pass a budget that adds $2.4 trillion in deficits while stripping millions of Americans of their health care,” said the Members.

    “When America retreats from the world, China and Russia advance. And when our adversaries take our place, America is weaker and more vulnerable. Our manufacturers and workers get boxed out of export markets by unfair economic competition from China. And vulnerable populations around the world, suffer from severely restricting access to HIV treatment and prevention services to forcing food ration cuts in refugee camps.

    “That is the legacy of DOGE’s impact on America’s foreign policy infrastructure and soft power. Our country in retreat in the face of great power adversaries. Our global influence diminished. And the poorest of the poor globally being left to die because of slipshod cuts by tech dilettantes.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DeGette Statement on Passage of Steep White House Cuts

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Diana DeGette (First District of Colorado)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO–01) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 4, Donald Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions package to codify cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

    “House Republicans handed Donald Trump and Elon Musk everything they wanted. They’re gutting foreign aid, zeroing out public broadcasting, and cutting off lifelines for the world’s most vulnerable —all programs that have been historically bipartisan.

    “USAID’s life-saving humanitarian programs help mothers survive childbirth, prevent infectious disease outbreaks, and deliver critical HIV/AIDS treatment. Because of the $8.3 billion in cuts, millions of people across the world will die. It is estimated that cuts from DOGE have already led to the deaths of 300,000 people—most of them children.

    “Here at home, the Republican majority is zeroing out federal support for PBS and NPR. Why? Because Trump doesn’t like their factual reporting. These cuts will cause millions of Americans to lose access to local news, essential emergency alerts, and educational programming.

    “As the Senate considers deep cuts to other essential programs, like Medicaid, it is particularly outrageous that the House is voting to weaken American institutions here and abroad.” 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL CONTINUE TO BEHAVE LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN A RECKLESS RUBBER STAMP FOR DONALD TRUMP’S EXTREME AGENDA”

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

    Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference where he emphasized that Democrats will continue to push back on the extremism being unleashed by House Republicans and the out-of-control Trump administration that is hurting American communities and our national security. 

    LEADER JEFFRIES: From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have made clear that we will work with anyone in this town who is interested in making life better for the American people. House Democrats believe that America is too expensive. We’re committed to lowering housing costs, childcare costs, grocery costs, insurance costs and utility costs. There are far too many people in the United States of America who are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. That should not happen in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.

    Republicans and Donald Trump spent all of last year promising to lower the high cost of living. They haven’t done a damn thing to do it. Not a single thing. Trump promised that costs in America would go down on day one. Costs aren’t going down, they’re going up. Inflation is on the way up. Our credit rating as a country has been downgraded. The bond markets are having an adverse reaction to Trump’s presidency. The Trump tariffs are going to increase costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars a year. Donald Trump and House Republicans are crashing the American economy and are driving us toward a recession.

    Yet House Republicans, later on this afternoon, are going to put forward a reckless rescissions package. It’s going to undermine America’s national security, hurt our ability to protect the American people in terms of their health, their safety and their well-being, including by going after a George W. Bush bipartisan initiative that has saved thousands, actually, hundreds of thousands, actually, millions of lives across the world by combating the HIV and AIDS crisis. And yet Republicans want to rip billions of dollars away from America’s efforts to keep her people safe and secure to satisfy some extreme ideological crusade related to a deeply unpopular effort formerly led by Elon Musk to devastate the American way of life.

    And in all likelihood, every single House Republican, despite the claims that there’s some anxiety, will cave to Donald Trump and vote for the reckless Republican rescissions package. House Republicans aren’t interested in functioning like a separate and co-equal branch of government and holding the Trump administration accountable for its extremism. House Republicans will continue to behave like nothing more than a reckless Rubber Stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda just like they did yesterday. And they’ll do the same thing today in voting to cut programs that are important when it comes to protecting the health, the safety, the national security and the economic well-being of the American people.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Stansbury Press Trump on Musk’s and DOGE’s Failures, Offer Recommendations to Cut Waste, Lower Costs Without Hurting Middle-Class Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 12, 2025

    Lawmakers’ recommendations would save U.S. government more than $2 trillion over next decade while making everyday Americans better off; provide stark contrast to Republican bill that would cut health coverage for millions

    “Mr. Musk’s efforts at DOGE were never truly about cutting waste….DOGE pushed reckless policies that gutted essential services and ousted experienced civil servants, all while reducing oversight and increasing profits for Mr. Musk’s companies.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee for Delivering on Government Efficiency, wrote to President Donald Trump, pressing him on Elon Musk’s and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s failures to cut government waste and lower costs. The lawmakers laid out a set of recommendations that would, in stark contrast to Republican proposals, eliminate $2 trillion in wasteful government spending without slashing critical government programs and causing economic chaos.

    The letter follows a public feud between Trump and Musk, which began shortly after Musk’s departure from the White House. It also comes as Republicans jam through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts for the rich, paid for by massive cuts to Americans’ health care coverage.

    “It is time to eliminate the real waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, rather than ravaging programs that keep Americans safe, secure, and healthy just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations,” wrote the lawmakers. “You should learn from Elon Musk and DOGE’s mistakes, end your attacks on critical federal programs, and instead act on these recommendations.”

    The lawmakers highlighted DOGE’s failure to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse — instead, Musk’s approach increased costs and suffering for Americans. DOGE’s “wall of receipts” included significant errors and misinformation. Musk’s efforts to gut up to 10% of the federal workforce were found to have created “exponentially larger waste.” When DOGE did make cuts to the federal budget, they seemingly ran afoul of the law.

    “In a futile search for fraud in the wrong places, and an ill-informed effort to slash the federal workforce, DOGE has imposed more costs on American taxpayers than it has saved, all while helping Elon Musk’s business empire and DOGE employees’ pockets,” wrote the lawmakers.

    As an alternative to DOGE’s failures, the lawmakers offered recommendations to reduce wasteful government spending, eliminate unfair loopholes and giveaways to the wealthiest Americans, make the government more efficient and effective, and save taxpayers at least $2 trillion over the next decade.

    “Although Mr. Musk and DOGE have failed at achieving their purported savings goals, you could choose to end this government waste while avoiding dangerous cuts to important federal programs,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The lawmakers’ recommendations include: cracking down on healthcare profiteering, negotiating better contracts for the Department of Defense, saving on education programs, cutting waste and abuse in the federal tax code, keeping the federal government’s cloud and other IT markets competitive, and reducing waste in unnecessary federal arrests and detention programs.

    “Our recommendations would save the U.S. government more than $2 trillion over the next decade. Meanwhile, your tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy would cost U.S. taxpayers $4 trillion over the same period,” concluded the lawmakers. “It is time to eliminate the real waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, rather than ravaging programs that keep Americans safe, secure, and healthy just to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.”

    In April, Senator Warren and Representative Stansbury introduced the SGE Ethics Enforcement & Reform (SEER) Act, a bill to strengthen transparency and ethics requirements for Special Government Employees (SGEs). The bill would have reined in Elon Musk while he was in the SGE role by restricting certain SGEs from officially communicating with agencies and offices that regulate or contract with large companies owned by the SGE.

    To mark 130 days of Elon Musk’s government service as an SGE, Senator Warren recently published a report detailing 130 acts of Musk’s corruption. While serving as an SGE and leading DOGE, Musk maintained extensive financial conflicts of interest through his ownership of or stake in several private and publicly traded companies including Tesla, SpaceX, X and xAI, the Boring Company, and Neuralink.

    Senator Warren first wrote to Musk in January with 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade. She has identified numerous instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in government during her twelve years in Congress and repeatedly called out unsustainable spending, abusive practices and programs, and government contractors that line their pockets at taxpayers’ expense.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Joins Faith Leaders at Vigil to Decry Cruel Cuts to Working Families in GOP Tax Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Joins Faith Leaders at Vigil to Decry Cruel Cuts to Working Families in GOP Tax Bill

    Senator Reverend Warnock joined national faith leaders on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to bear witness to the GOP tax bill that would reward the wealthiest Americans with tax cuts while targeting the most vulnerable with cuts to health care
    “Pentecost Witness for A Moral Budget” brought together faith leaders, policymakers, and activists to pray, speak up on behalf of marginalized Georgians and Americans, and advocate for a moral budget
    In his remarks, Senator Warnock recalled how he was arrested in 2017 protesting the last GOP reconciliation bill, only to be back again as a U.S. Senator fighting for working families in this latest legislative fight  

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) spoke out against cruel cuts to working families in the GOP tax bill during a gathering on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with clergy and faith leaders moved by a moral conscience. The gathering, dubbed “Pentecost Witness for A Moral Budget”, was aimed at speaking up for the country’s most vulnerable—the very people the Senator’s faith calls on him to protect. The Senator and faith leaders decried how vulnerable Georgians and Americans are under real and dire threat in a moment that serves as a test to both their faith and our democracy. As the legislation text stands currently, the GOP tax bill being rammed through Congress by Washington Republicans would cut $800 billion from Medicaid, leaving 16 million more Americans uninsured, including an estimated 750,000 Georgians. 

    “I came to the Capitol in 2017 when they were trying to pass a tax cut for the wealthiest of the wealthy. […] I got arrested that day. Here I am, eight years later, having transformed my agitation into legislation, my protest into public policy. But I’m here today because I still know how to agitate. I still know how to protest. I’m not a Senator who used to be a pastor. I’m a pastor in the Senate. And so, here’s what we have come to do today. If this budget were an EKG, it would suggest that many of my colleagues have a heart problem. And we have gathered today to perform moral surgery because our children deserve better. They are talking about waste, fraud, and abuse. There is not enough waste, fraud, and abuse to cut $800 billion from Medicaid. That means some people will not get covered. Seniors, and veterans, and children. $300 billion out of SNAP. That means they are taking food out of the hungry mouths of children in order to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut,” said Senator Warnock at the faith-based rally.

    Faith leaders and policymakers attending the gathering were praying, testifying, storytelling, reading Scripture verses about people experiencing poverty in the Bible and standing for justice, as well as advocating for a moral budget.

    The public witness event was led by Reverend Jim Wallis, the founding Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice, as well as Reverend Adam Taylor of Sojourners and Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner with the National African American Clergy Network. Senator Warnock was also joined by Senate colleagues Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). 

    A transcript of Senator Warnock’s remarks can be found below:

    Hello everybody. Thank you all so very much for standing on the Capitol steps in this moral moment in America. And I have to tell you that as I stand here today with my friend Jim Wallace, and with the Reverend Barbara Williams Skinner, and so many others, this feels like deja vu. 

    Because they were trying to pass a reconciliation bill in 2017 during the first Trump administration. And when they were trying to pass that bill, I was not a United States Senator. I came to the Capitol in 2017 when they were trying to pass a tax cut for the wealthiest of the wealthy. I came with clergy, including the Reverend Barbara Williams Skinner. And as I stood there, I said then what I want to say today: that a budget is not just a fiscal document, it’s a moral document. Show me your budget, and I’ll show you who you think matters and who does not. Who you think is dispensable. 

    And we stood there in 2017 making the same point. I was with the Reverend Doctor William Barber, and I said, “Which one of us is getting arrested today? You or me?” I got the short straw. I got arrested that day. And the Capitol police, they were professional, they didn’t mishandle me, and they deserve credit for doing what we asked them to do. But what they didn’t understand that day as they said, “Pastor, if you don’t stop praying, if you don’t stop singing in the rotunda of the Capitol, we’re going to have to arrest you.” What they didn’t understand is that I had already been arrested. My mind and my imagination and my heart had been arrested by the heartbeat of children who should not lose their food and who should not lose their health care in order to give wealthy people a tax cut. 

    And so they arrested me that day in 2017. Here I am, eight years later, having transformed my agitation into legislation, my protest into public policy. But I’m here today because I still know how to agitate. I still know how to protest. I’m not a Senator who used to be a pastor. I’m a pastor in the Senate. And so, here’s what we have come to do today. If this budget were an EKG, it would suggest that many of my colleagues have a heart problem. And we have gathered today to perform moral surgery because our children deserve better. They are talking about waste, fraud, and abuse. There is not enough waste, fraud, and abuse to cut $800 billion from Medicaid. That means some people will not get covered. Seniors, and veterans, and children. $300 billion out of SNAP. That means they are taking food out of the hungry mouths of children in order to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut. And the folks who vote for this will be in someone’s church next Sunday. I have a scripture for them: Away with your noise. Away with your songs. I will not hear them. I hate your festivals. I hate your solemn gatherings. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

    God is not impressed by you quoting scripture. God is not impressed by you showing up to church on Sunday. The acid test of your faith is the depth of your commitment to the least and left out of God’s hungry children. In closing, and nobody believes a Baptist preacher when he says in closing, let me just say this to you: in this dark moment in our country, we know what they are trying to do to Medicaid. We know what they are trying to do to SNAP. We know what they are trying to do to federal workers. We know there are starving people abroad right now—children—through their cuts to USAID. But there is something else they are doing that is even more sinister. They are trying to weaponize despair. They are trying to convince you that they have already won and so you need not fight. This is what you must resist. You must resist the despair that is so deep that you stop fighting. Because when we fight, we win. Are you ready to stand up in this moral moment? Are you ready to stand up for our children? Are you ready to stand up for the elderly? Are you ready to stand up for the seniors and those who are struggling? Are you ready to stand up for the best in the American spirit? So let’s stick together, let’s pray together, let’s work together, let’s fight together. Truth crushed to Earth will rise again.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boyle Grills Secretary Bessent Over Cost of Trump’s Budget Bill in Ways & Means Hearing

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brendan Boyle (13th District of Pennsylvania)

    WASHINGTON, DC — In today’s Ways and Means Committee hearing, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the staggering cost of the Republican budget bill.

    Boyle warned that Trump’s plans would add $3 trillion to the deficit while kicking 16 million people off their health care and slammed the administration’s trade policies that led the World Bank to slash growth projections.

    A full transcript and video are below: 

     

     (Click for video of remarks as delivered.)

    Congressman Boyle’s full remarks and questions as delivered:

    Congressman Boyle: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous pork-filled spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it. You know you did wrong. You know it.” Those were the words of your former White House colleague and good friend Elon Musk.

    Another: “This spending bill contains the largest increase in debt ceiling in US history. It is the debt slavery bill. A new spending bill should be drafted that doesn’t massively grow the deficit and increase the debt ceiling by $5 trillion.”

    Why do you believe Mr. Musk is right or wrong?

    Secretary Bessent: You’d have to ask Mr. Musk.

    Congressman Boyle: Well, take the substance of what he said. Does it not add trillions of dollars, your bill to the deficit and debt?

    Secretary Bessent: It is not my belief that it does. It may be his, he could speak for himself.

    Congressman Boyle: But of course, it’s not just Mr. Musk, it is the Congressional Budget Office. It is conservative leaning groups like Tax Foundation, Cato, left-leaning groups, and nonpartisan groups like CBO and JCT. So this bill has actually united the left, the right, and the center all saying it massively increases deficit and debt, but they’re all wrong and you’re right?

    Secretary Bessent: Congressman, I think that there are a, are a range of outcomes that I think that many do not include the pro growth measures, just as they were wrong with the original TCJA, and that has proven to be a resounding success. Just as, I don’t know if you were here to vote for the IRA, the CBO scoring on that, it has been three to four times more expensive.

    Congressman Boyle: So, it’s curious to me because you spent decades as an executive at George Soros’ hedge fund being very successful, making billions of dollars. Back then you would always rail against deficit and debt. What happened?

    Secretary Bessent: I, again, that it is smart spending, that what are we spending for?

    Congressman Boyle: Tax cuts that mostly go to billionaires such as yourself while throwing 16 million people off their healthcare coverage.

    Secretary Bessent: Well, I, I would dispute that 16 million. I think you’re conflating a lot of numbers.

    Congressman Boyle: No, it’s the — excuse me, reclaiming my time — those aren’t my numbers. Just to be clear, as you know, it’s the Congressional Budget Office projection.

    Secretary Bessent: I think you’re adding up a, a lot of numbers that shouldn’t be added.

    Congressman Boyle: Excuse me. I am adding two specific numbers. The cuts CBO found coming to Medicaid — no, we’re entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts and not our own numbers. The CBO shows that 10.9 million will lose their health care coverage from the Medicaid cuts and another 5.1 million will lose their healthcare coverage due to the ACA cuts. 10.9 plus 5.1 is 16 million.

    Secretary Bessent: So, so you are adding numbers.

    Congressman Boyle: Yes. Correctly.

    Secretary Bessent: Do, do you support Medicaid for illegal aliens? 1.4 million.

    Congressman Boyle: I’m asking the questions, not you, although you’ll be happy to know that my home state commonwealth of Pennsylvania, actually they check your citizenship status before you can enroll in Medicaid.

    Congressman Boyle: But I understand why you’re wanting to divert and change the subject. Let me move, since we’ve taken up already most of my time, the World Bank yesterday had a shocking growth projection. They slashed their growth projection for the United States by upwards of 40%. I’m just curious, do you agree or do you think they’re wrong as well, because they specifically cited the trade uncertainty caused by your administration, the administration that you serve as Secretary of the Treasury, as being the primary reason why they’ve had to slash their growth projection to the lowest since 2008.

    Secretary Bessent: Congressman, you kindly cited the success that I may or may not have had in my previous career, but I could tell you I would not have had it if I followed World Bank projections.

    Congressman Boyle: So, it is interesting that you believe all of these groups are wrong. From your former colleague, Elon Musk, to left leaning groups, to right leaning groups, to center groups, to the World Bank, everything is going hunky dory. The reality is, I can see why you would have that opinion. You as a billionaire will reap the rewards of this tax cut while 16 million Americans will lose their health coverage. That is the sad reality of the situation.

    Secretary Bessent: We could look at the, who would be most harmed if these tax cuts expire?

    Congressman Boyle: Well, you’ll be happy to know that on this Democratic side of the dais, through an 18 hour markup, every single Democratic member voted to extend the tax cuts for everyone making under a billion dollars.

    Congressman Boyle: I see my time has expired. I yield back.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Pingree Slams Proposed Republican Cuts to VA and Shipyard Resilience During Appropriations Bill Markup

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

    Today, during the House Appropriations Committee’s markup of the Fiscal Year 2026 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree blasted Republicans’ proposed funding cuts, speaking out against glaring issues in the bill, including giving DOGE unfettered access to the VA and ignoring critical resilience efforts for Maine’s public shipyards. A summary of the bill is available here.  [embedded content]
    Click here to watch Pingree’s opening remarks; Watch the full markup here.

    Pingree’s full remarks are copied below.

    Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

    I am extremely disappointed to see the damage to the vital funding for the MilCon-VA bill that is done in this bill before us today.

    Just to mention a few things. You’ve heard people talking about the 80,000 proposed staffing cuts [at the VA], which is absolutely a way to move forward to privatizing our veterans’ medical care. This cuts veterans’ and families’ access to reproductive health care and has many more problems that we’ll have a chance to address in our amendments that will be coming soon.

    But I want to talk about a couple of specific impacts that we will see in Maine. The first one is called Installation Resilience funding—a $30 million cut. Now it’s kind of a wonky term, but it will mean a lot to our state.

    For those of you who don’t know, I am blessed to have the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in my district. Luckily, there’s no one in here from New Hampshire, because sometimes they think it’s a New Hampshire shipyard. But it’s very clearly in Maine, even if it’s called Portsmouth. It is in Kittery, Maine, and it is a vital military facility where we overhaul, repair, and modernize our U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered subs—specifically, the Los Angeles and Virginia class.

    This shipyard, for you history buffs, was established in 1800, and the first ship they built was a 74 gun warship called the USS Washington in 1814. It was a vital shipyard during World War II, where we constructed 75 submarines and had up to 25,000 people there working every day.

    Now, I’m very grateful to this committee for consistently investing in upgrades and improvements in the drydock and modernization of facilities there. But you should know that when you build on the coast—any of your coast, my coast, the West coast—it is not stable. And if you were in Maine in 2024, just a year ago in November, we had two severe storms that wiped out about 50% of our working waterfronts. And even this year, there has been some of the greatest sea level surges in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard recorded in all time.

    So, what happens then? It risks flooding of our nuclear submarines. You can imagine how expensive and delicate this operation is.

    This year, they had to use sheets of plywood to keep the dry docks from flooding. The millions and millions of dollars you have invested are now being kept safe with some sheets of plywood. Why would we spend millions of dollars in the SIOP (Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Project) to modernize these facilities, if we’re not going to spend a measly $30 million for resilience funding?

    It just doesn’t make any sense. You know why? Because resilience is one of those prohibited words. Perhaps it’s woke. Perhaps it means climate change. So, for the sake of some prohibited words and things that people think don’t actually matter, we are not going to protect our essential investment. Now, as you can imagine, I could go on and on, but I do want to mention one more thing.

    The staffing cuts that are being proposed, and have already happened, whether it’s through the DOGE or the deferred resignation—by the way, that deferred resignation that Elon Musk thought up means that you let people out of their jobs, say, “Go ahead, go home, don’t go to work,” but we’ll keep paying you till September—and we can’t fill those vital positions.

    So, all those people who thought, huh, maybe I should take the buyout because I might get fired are sitting home wishing they were at work, getting paid. And we are spending the taxpayers’ dollars for people to do nothing. I am lucky to represent a VA clinic. I also have Togus, a medical facility in my district. And I want you to know the number one call that we get from veterans who call in for constituent service—and I know you all do a lot of veterans’ services in your offices, too—is the wait times for VA appointments. It used to be about 17 days, which is a long time to wait, but most recently we heard from a vet who was recently separated and waited 63 days to get to that appointment. You tell me it’s not going to get worse if we layoff 80,000 more people.

    The need is there. These cuts are shameful. The damage we’re doing in this bill will be shameful. I’m sorry. I can’t support it. And I yield back my time.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The big Musk v Trump break-up: what the polls say about who the public thinks won

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Paul Whiteley, Professor, Department of Government, University of Essex

    Many people thought that the close relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk would end badly, since they both have the hubris that comes from success and power. One is arguably the most powerful politician in the world and the other the richest man.

    That said, most people were not prepared for the rapid breakdown in their relationship and the slanging match that took place after Musk spectacularly fell out with the US president. This was magnified by the fact that both have their own influential social media sites (X and Truth Social) and so the divorce was very, very public.

    More recently Musk has rowed back on the comments he made about Trump after leaving his role as a “special government employee” of the administration, and says he went “too far”. But Trump might have a long memory for grievances, so it remains to be seen if the relationship can be patched up.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    What do the American people think? The chart below shows the percentage of respondents with favourable and unfavourable opinions of Trump and Musk in the most recent US Economist/YouGov poll completed on June 9 after the row blew up.

    It is clear that the most people think that Trump won the contest, giving him a favourability gap (% favourable minus % unfavourable) of minus 10% compared with Musk’s gap of minus 23%.

    What Americans think of Trump and Musk after their row:


    Author’s graph based on Economist polling., CC BY-SA

    The demographics of these favourability judgements are particularly interesting. After the row, around 49% of men thought favourably of Trump, compared with 38% of women, continuing a trend that shows more male than female support for the president. But the gender gap for Musk is even wider with 43% men and only 27% women having a favourable view of the billionaire, making the gap 11% for Trump and 16% for Musk.

    Another interesting demographic is age. Some 35% of 18-to-29 year olds favour Trump (the lowest number of any age group), compared with 30% who favour Musk. The equivalent figures for the over 65s are 45% favouring Trump and 37% Musk. The age divide is wide, with young Americans disliking both more than older Americans, but it is not as wide as the gender gap.

    The income figures and attitudes to both are surprising. A total of 38% of those with incomes less than US$50,000 (£36,700) a year favour Trump, compared with 51% of those with incomes between US$50,000 and US$100,000. The surprise is that only 42% of those with incomes greater than US$100,000 favour Trump, making affluent Americans closer to the low-income group than to the middle-income group in attitudes to the president.

    The equivalent figures for Musk are 32% favourable in the US$50,000 group, 39% in the US$50,000 to US$100,000 group and 36% in the US$100,000+ group, which gives a similar picture.

    If we look at the voting record of the survey respondents in the presidential elections last year, 86% of Trump voters still have a favourable view of him, compared with only 5% of Harris voters. In comparison 67% of Republican voters are favourable to Musk, compared with 10% of Democrats. Equally, 81% of Conservatives favour Trump compared with 67% who favour Musk.

    Looking at the overall picture Musk is the loser in the row as far as the American public are concerned, and this may in part explain his apparent contrition.

    The price of Tesla shares (US$) since the presidential election:


    Author’s graph based on data from Yahoo finance., CC BY

    Overall though, Trump has been gradually losing support on his job approval since the election and the polling shows that 43% of respondents approve and 52% disapprove of his performance as president.

    We don’t have equivalent figures for Musk, but if we take the stock market price of Tesla shares as a guide to his approval ratings this has declined rapidly over time as the chart shows. On December 17 last year the price was US$480 (£353) per share, compared with US$332 per share on June 11 2025. This represents a fall of about 30%. The dramatic dip at the end of the series is an indicator of how markets have reacted to the spat between them.

    Following his public break-up with Trump, Musk’s other major company, Space X, is also likely to face fallout. It is a private company and so does not have a share price, but it is heavily dependent on contracts from the US government to keep going. It seems likely that the flow of contracts for space projects is likely to dry up following the row with Trump, as the president has suggested.

    Overall, Musk has paid a heavy price for becoming such a visible Trump supporter and subsequently falling out with him. And, so far, the public appears to be on Trump’s side.

    Paul Whiteley has received funding from the British Academy and the ESRC.

    – ref. The big Musk v Trump break-up: what the polls say about who the public thinks won – https://theconversation.com/the-big-musk-v-trump-break-up-what-the-polls-say-about-who-the-public-thinks-won-258841

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • White House says Trump ‘acknowledges’ Elon Musk’s apology

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The White House confirmed on Wednesday that former President Donald Trump has acknowledged an apology from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, suggesting a potential easing of recent tensions between the two high-profile figures.

    In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “The President acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning and he is appreciative of it. We are continuing to focus on the business of the American people.”

    Leavitt also clarified that, contrary to earlier speculation, there are currently no active efforts to review Musk’s government contracts. “Currently no efforts have been made on that front as far as I’m aware,” she said.

    According to CNN, Musk personally called Trump on Monday night and later issued a public statement on Wednesday, expressing regret over comments made on social media that had sparked a public fallout.

    The apology reportedly followed a private conversation on Friday involving Musk, Vice President JD Vance, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, during which the disagreement was discussed at length.

    Sources cited by CNN said that several prominent Republican lawmakers and Trump allies have been encouraging Musk to reconcile with the former President. They are also urging him to support a key legislative proposal dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a major domestic policy initiative currently facing resistance in the Senate.

    Musk, once considered one of Trump’s closest allies in the tech world, continues to maintain ties with members of the former President’s inner circle. In recent days, those relationships have been used to facilitate dialogue, with aides reportedly engaging Musk through phone calls and text messages to ease tensions.

    While Musk is said to be receptive to reconciliation, he has reportedly expressed reservations about the bill’s lack of spending cuts—a concern he raised during conversations with Republican lawmakers.

    Although the situation remains fluid, the mutual acknowledgment and continued communication suggest the potential for renewed cooperation between Trump and one of the country’s most influential tech leaders.

    —IANS

  • MIL-OSI China: Musk backs off from feud with Trump

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

    U.S. multibillionaire and high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk stepped back from his explosive feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, writing on X that he regrets some of his posts about his onetime ally and that they went “too far.”

    Early Wednesday morning, he posted “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”

    “Musk’s break with a president whom he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect appeared to put an end to his influence in the White House and prompted concerns about effects on his companies,” noted the Los Angeles Times in its report about the development. As a major government contractor, Musk’s businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution, and Trump has already threatened to cut Musk’s contracts.

    Musk earlier deleted a post in which he claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president’s association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, other posts that irritated Trump, including ones in which Musk called the spending bill an “abomination” and claimed credit for Trump’s election victory, remained live.

    On Sunday, Trump told NBC that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warned that Musk could face “serious consequences” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warnock Fires Up Medicaid Advocates, Fights to Protect Health Care Access for 16 Million Americans 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Warnock Fires Up Medicaid Advocates, Fights to Protect Health Care Access for 16 Million Americans 

    Senator Reverend Warnock inspired a passionate crowd at the “Save Medicaid”  rally

    The current version of the Republican tax bill will kick 16 million Americans off their health care, and raise the cost of care for everyone

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) fired up health care advocates from across the country at the “Save Medicaid Rally” underscoring the dangers of cuts to Medicaid proposed in the Washington Republicans’ tax bill. The rally was organized by Popular Democracy in coordination with American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), Caring Across Generations, Planned Parenthood, SEIU, ACLU, and other national organizations.

    The Senator’s remarks come as the Senate is currently deliberating over Washington Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, President Trump’s tax bill that provides billions in tax breaks for billionaires by cutting health care for 16 million Americans.

    “What he [President Trump] wants to do is unpopular. I don’t blame him for wanting to change the subject. He wants to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, kick people off of coverage, disabled people, children, the working class. He wants to kick all of them off of health care. He wants to cut $300 billion out of SNAP just to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut,” said Senator Warnock during the rally. “No wonder he’s trying to change the subject, but we’re going to hold them accountable, and we will not be distracted. We will not be distracted, and we will not be divided.”

    Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the health care coverage gap in Georgia. Most recently, Senator Warnock published a newreport, “Healthy People, Healthy Economy” finding that placing bureaucratic red tape between working people and their health care will lead to hospital closures, job loss, and economic slowdown. In addition to pushing for solutions to close the coverage gap, Senator Warnock led a delegation of Georgia lawmakers in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide tools to Medicaid non-expansion states like Georgia to help them protect health care access for Medicaid enrollees who lose eligibility after the end of the public health emergency declaration. Senator Warnock also adamantly opposed Dr. Mehmet Oz’s consideration to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), for his lack of commitment to protecting Medicaid services.

    Senator Warnock’s remarks during the Save Medicaid Rally are HERE and below:

    “The question is: Who are we? And what do we want in a moment like this? I don’t know about you, but I want a country and a vision that embraces all of us.”

    “So I’m proud to be here with you in this moral moment. I represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate. I’m deeply honored that they would send me. You know, it’s a real honor for the people of your state to say that, since we care about our children and we want the best for them. We care about our mothers and our fathers as they deal with the blessings and the burdens of aging, because we believe that everybody ought to have health care and every child ought to have a chance. Since all of us can’t go to Washington, D.C., we’re going to send you. We’re going to trust that in rooms of power, you will remember who sent you there. You will remember your covenant that you have with the people that you represent. I think about that every single day, but every time I come and speak at a rally like this, I am reminded that long before I came to the Senate, long before I represented Georgia in these halls of Congress, the last time the Trump administration was pushing forward a reconciliation bill, the year was 2017, and I was here not as a senator. I was here as an agitator.”

    “In 2017, they were focused on cutting health care. They wanted to kick people off of their health care. Y’all remember that? They were trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They said, repeal and replace, but they didn’t have anything to replace it with. And I was here that day as an activist, pastor. Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where I still serve. And we were gathered in the rotunda of the Capitol, praying and singing. [There] were clergy from various faith traditions all across our country, and the Capitol police came and they said, pastors, ‘if you don’t disperse because you can’t sing and pray in this rotunda over here, we’re going to have to arrest you.’ What they didn’t understand is that I had already been arrested. My mind and my heart and my imagination had been arrested by this idea that we are much better than this and that the wealthiest country on the planet can afford to provide basic health care to all of its citizens.”

    “So they arrested me that day, and I thought it was a small price to pay, but in the years since, the people of Georgia have seen fit to send this guy who was used to fighting from the outside to work on the inside, and that’s what our fight has to be about y’all. It has to be an inside fight and an outside fight. Are you ready to make it happen?! We got to fight on the inside, and we got to fight on the outside.”

    “Because I live in Atlanta, I get to walk around and rub shoulders with giants all the time. I was John Lewis’ pastor. Xernona Clayton, another lieutenant of the Movement, who Dr. King – she’s short – he used to call her ‘Big’ she’s a member of my church. Dr King’s sister, up until two years ago when she passed away, she was always sitting on the second row while I was preaching. Can you imagine preaching in front of Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister every Sunday? But Andrew Young, who’s in his 90s, is still with us. Let’s hear for Andy Young. But I want you to hear me today. Andy Young tells me this great story. He says that after they passed the Civil Rights law of 1964, Dr. King went to see the President, and he didn’t go to the President just to say, thank you for passing the Civil Rights bill. He went to the President to say, ‘Now what we really need right now is a voting rights bill. My people are not able to vote in the South.’ And so LBJ said, ‘Martin, I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t do that right now. I had to expend so much political capital just to get that Civil Rights bill over the finish line.’ He said, ‘I don’t have the power to do that right now. So, they left the White House. The staff was feeling all demoralized and dejected, Andy Young among them, they said, ‘Doc, what are we going to do? The President says he doesn’t have the power.’ And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, with a shrug, said, ‘Well, if the President doesn’t have the power, I guess we’re going to have to go and find him some, we’re going to have to go and give the President the power that he needs to do what needs to be done.’ And that’s why they went to Selma. Selma was the answer on the outside for what they weren’t able to do on the inside.”

    “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you? I’m trying to tell you that I need you on the streets while I’m fighting in the suites, you have to create the context for change. And hear me, and I know you all know this, but you’ve got to spread the word. You have to do it through peaceful means of protest. Otherwise, you lose your moral credibility, you lose your voice. You cannot allow yourself to look like that which you deplore.”

    “Isn’t it a sad irony that Donald Trump is talking about he may have to invoke the insurrection clause? Imagine that the insurrectionist President wants to invoke the insurrection clause, but we cannot allow ourselves to look like him, because he is trying to divide us. He is using our military, men and women, and service members as pawns in a sad and cynical political game. He does not respect the military. How many veterans do we have out here? Raise your hand. I know we got folks who serve. Give our veterans a great big round of applause. Donald Trump does not respect our service members. He calls them suckers. He calls them losers, and now he wants to use them in his sad and cynical political game. He wants them to show up on the streets in war gear because he’s trying to convince American citizens that we are at war with one another. Well, I’ve got news for Donald Trump. We are not at war with other American citizens. We are at war against bigotry. We are at war against xenophobia. We are at war against a sad policy that would take food out of the mouths of hungry children in order to give a tax cut to billionaires. That’s what we’re fighting against.”

    “Are you ready to stand up in these streets?!”

    “Are you ready to fight for health care?!”

    Are you ready to fight for human dignity?!”

    “We need you in this moment, and so tell our young sisters and brothers, […] I’m serious, tell our young activists that Donald Trump wants nothing more than to be able to call martial law. He wants the story to be about police cars burning. Don’t burn police cars. We need law enforcement every now and then; we’ve got to challenge them, but we need law enforcement. We must not become like him. Do you understand what I’m saying? Because he wants to change the subject, and I don’t blame him. What he wants to do is unpopular. I don’t blame him for wanting to change the subject. He wants to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, kick people off of coverage, disabled people, children, the working class. He wants to kick all of them off of health care. He wants to cut $300 billion out of SNAP just to give people like Elon Musk a tax cut. No wonder he’s trying to change the subject, but we’re going to hold them accountable, and we will not be distracted. We will not be distracted, and we will not be divided.”

    “We’re focused, right!?”

    “We’re ready, right?!”

    “We know the work that is in front of us, and we know that it’s not about the people in power. It’s about the power that’s in the people. So, stand up today and stand up tomorrow and stand up the next day and stand up the next month, and keep on standing until every child has a chance and every American has health care and we push toward a greater future. God bless everyone.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A reversal in US climate policy will send renewables investors packing – and Australia can reap the benefits

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Professor, Australian National University

    President Donald Trump is trying to unravel the signature climate policy of his predecessor Joe Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act, as part of a sweeping bid to dismantle the United States’ climate ambition.

    The Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, is a A$530 billion suite of measures that aims to turbocharge clean energy investment and slash emissions in the US. Once hailed as a game-changer for the global clean energy transition, it set in train a fierce international competition for renewable energy investment.

    But the policy is now hanging by a thread, after the US House of Representatives last month narrowly passed a bill to repeal many of its clean energy measures.

    Should the bill pass the Senate, billions of dollars in renewables investment once destined for the US could be looking for a new home. Now is the time for the Albanese government to woo investors with a bolder program of climate action in Australia.

    The Trump administration is seeking to wind back Biden’s signature climate policy.
    Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Climate Power 2020

    What is the Inflation Reduction Act?

    The Inflation Reduction Act passed US Congress in 2022. It legislated billions of dollars in tax credits for solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and geothermal plants, among other technologies.

    It included around A$13 billion in rebates for Americans to electrify their homes, tax credits of almost A$11,000 to electrify their cars, and billions more to establish a “green bank” and target agricultural emissions.

    The money flowed. Last year, almost A$420 billion was invested in the manufacture and deployment of clean energy – double that in 2021, the year before the legislation passed.

    Even in the first quarter of this year, under a Trump presidency, A$103 billion was invested in clean energy tech – an increase on the first quarter results of 2024. Electric vehicle manufacturing projects, especially batteries, were standout performers.

    Then US president Joe Biden in August 2023, celebrating the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. The policy aimed to turbocharge the clean energy transition.
    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    But then came the proposed repeal. The Trump administration wants to gut tax credits for clean energy technologies. The measures passed the House of Representatives and must now clear the US Senate, where the Republicans have a margin of three votes.

    Initial modelling suggests the bill, if passed, could derail clean energy manufacturing in the US – including in Republican states where new projects were planned.

    The potential economic damage has sparked concern even among Trump’s own troops. Some Republicans last week reportedly urged the scaling back of the cuts, despite voting for the bill in the House.

    Opportunities for Australia

    After the IRA was enacted, many countries followed the US’ lead – including Australia’s Albanese government, which legislated the A$22.7 billion Future Made in Australia package.

    So how will Trump’s unravelling of the policy affect the rest of the world?

    The economic impacts are still being modelled. Some studies suggest the US could cede A$123 billion in investment to other countries.

    The US axing of tax credits for battery and solar technology paves the way for nations such as China and South Korea to capitalise – given, for example, they already dominate battery manufacturing.

    Australia should be doing its utmost to attract investors that no longer see the US as an option. Our existing policies are a start, but they are not sufficient.

    In February this year, Labor increased the investment capacity of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation – Australia’s “green bank” – by A$2 billion. But more will be needed if the government is serious about crowding-in private investment in low-emission technologies exiting the US.

    The government would also be wise to remove incentives that increase fossil fuel use. This includes the diesel fuel rebate, which encourages the use of diesel-powered trucks on mine sites. Fortescue Metals this week announced a push for the subsidy to be wound back – potentially providing the political opening Labor needs.

    What about nuclear?

    Trump has also promised a “nuclear renaissance”, signing four executive orders designed to reinvigorate the US nuclear energy industry.

    But those measures are likely to fail, just as Trump’s 2016 promise to revive the coal industry never eventuated.

    In fact, his cuts to the Loan Programs Office – which helps finance new energy projects including nuclear – threaten to undermine the viability of new nuclear plants. The office has been the guarantor for every new US nuclear plant this century, bar one.

    If the US is struggling to scale up its existing nuclear industry, this does not bode well for the technology’s hopes in Australia. Here, the prospect of a nuclear energy policy still appears alive in the Coalition party room, even though the technology remains politically unpopular, and the economics don’t stack up.

    What’s next?

    Predicting US climate and energy policy is a fool’s errand, given the potential IRA repeal, flip-flopping tariff announcements and daily social media tirades from Trump, including a social media bust-up with former ally Elon Musk over the merits of the repeal itself.

    Stepping back from the politics, we cannot ignore the climate harms flowing from a walk-back on US climate action.

    The US is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As climate change reaches new extremes, the policy vacuum created by Donald Trump must urgently be filled by the rest of the world.

    Christian Downie receives funding from the Australian Research Council

    – ref. A reversal in US climate policy will send renewables investors packing – and Australia can reap the benefits – https://theconversation.com/a-reversal-in-us-climate-policy-will-send-renewables-investors-packing-and-australia-can-reap-the-benefits-258388

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ernst Legislation to Stop Billions in Bogus Payments

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is codifying one of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) largest cost savings actions to identify and stop fraudulent and improper payments after more than $160 billion occurred in Fiscal Year 2024.
    The Delivering On Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act enacts a strict anti-fraud process before the government is allowed to spend a dime to effectively eliminate improper payments and safeguard tax dollars. The bill also requires annual verifications of payment accuracy for ongoing transactions and increases transparency by requiring the public disclosure of every payment on the USASpending.gov website.
    Here is some of the coverage:
    New York Post | GOP senators push to cement core Musk-inspired DOGE savings at Treasury
    “A group of Republican lawmakers is pushing to cement some of the core reforms enacted at the Treasury by President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
    Fox News | DOGE will go on: Hill pork hawk says rooting out government waste will continue after Elon
    “The bill’s name also signaled that the Senate, too, would continue its Musk-inspired work long after the mogul has left.”
    Politico | GOP senators look to codify DOGE operations of Treasury payment systems
    “Congressional DOGE Caucus Chairs Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) will introduce legislation next week to codify changes that the cost-cutting operation once led by Elon Musk made to the Treasury Department’s payments system.”
    Breitbart | Sen. Joni Ernst: Bureaucrats ‘Asleep at the Wheel,’ Let Fraudsters Take $79 Billion in Coronavirus Aid Without Using Basic Safeguard to Prevent Fraud
    “Following the release of the report, Ernst introduced a bill, the DOGE in Spending Act, on Friday that would require basic questions to be asked to eliminate improper payments government-wide.”
    Daily Wire | DOGE Caucus Introduces Bill Aimed At $162 Billion In ‘Improper Payments’
    “The bill comes the same week that the government’s COVID watchdog released a report titled “Pre-Award Vetting Using Data Analytics Could Have Prevented Over $79 Billion in Potentially Fraudulent Pandemic Relief Payments.’”
    Daily Caller | Joni Ernst Introduces First Major DOGE Bill That Could Save Taxpayers
    “The legislation, the Delivering On Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Spending Act, would mandate compliance provisions from a March 25 executive order by President Donald Trump that instituted new procedures to prevent fraudulent payments, including validating recipients of payments and also by coding the payments with information linking them to budget items.”
    Washington Examiner | Congressional DOGE Republicans move to codify protections against fraudulent payments
    “Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL) introduced the Delivering On Government Efficiency in Spending Act, which would codify reforms by the DOGE, forcing the Treasury Department to implement a new system providing more information for payments.”
    Townhall | Ernst and Bean Unleash DOGE Spending Act to Crack Down on Waste, Support Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
    “DOGE Caucus Chairs Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL) are teaming up to introduce a commonsense bill that would codify one of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) most significant cost-cutting measures.”
    National Review | Republican Lawmakers Introduce DOGE Legislation to Combat Billions in Wasteful Spending
    “Ernst and Bean’s legislation codifies sections three and four of President Trump’s executive order, “Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Waste, Fraud, and Abuse,” designed for Treasury to verify agency payment information and implement the verification process.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Torres Slams HUD Budget for Abandoning Disaster Survivors and Slashing Housing Aid for Families, Veterans

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    June 10, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — At today’s House Appropriations THUD Subcommittee hearing, Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) pressed HUD Secretary Turner over the Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which slashes the agency’s funding by more than 50%—gutting disaster recovery, housing assistance, and HUD’s workforce amid a worsening national housing crisis.

    “California sends $83 billion more to the federal government than we get back—yet it’s our veterans, working families, and seniors being asked to sacrifice. Who exactly do you think deserves to lose their housing, Mr. Secretary,” said Torres. “After historic floods and wildfires, HUD is walking away from the communities that need help most. Zero dollars for disaster recovery is not just neglect—it’s reckless. This budget fails the very people HUD was created to serve.”

    The proposed FY26 HUD budget includes:

    • $0 for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and disaster recovery aid
    • A 44% cut to homelessness and affordable housing programs
    • A 51% cut to HUD’s overall budget
    • Layoffs for more than 2,000 HUD employees under the Elon Musk-backed “DOGE” task force

    Torres warned these cuts will increase homelessness, delay recovery efforts, and strip communities of critical housing support. She also blasted the Administration’s shift toward a state-administered rental assistance model, calling it a “federal cop-out” that dumps responsibility onto under-resourced local governments.

    As the author of the Thriving Communities Act and a longtime champion for housing justice, Torres has fought to expand affordable housing near transit, reduce pollution, and deliver investments to high-need communities. In fiscal year 2023, she secured $100 million for the Department of Transportation’s Thriving Communities initiative and $5 million for HUD to coordinate planning and housing development.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Norton Says Chatbots Are No Replacement for Federal Workers

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said in today’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (COGR) hearing on artificial intelligence that chatbots are no replacement for federal workers, as demonstrated by the current state of the Social Security Administration, where senior citizens now face 98-minute wait times to speak with customer service.

    “AI is a tool that can empower our public servants, but it is not a substitute for passionate and committed federal workers,” Norton said. “As a direct result of the interference with the Social Security Administration, senior citizens now face 98-minute wait times to speak with customer service, crowded lobbies at field offices, and being turned away from scheduled appointments because the agency simply does not have the employees to perform its mission. Poor customer service is not efficiency; it is failing to uphold the government’s responsibility to our constituents.

    “As we discuss the use of artificial intelligence in government, we must have people at the center of the conversation, including the people we represent and the federal workers who serve our country.”

    Norton’s remarks follow.

    Federal Workers Cannot Be Replaced By Chatbots

    Government must leverage the best technology possible to meet the ever-changing needs of the people it serves.

    From the creation of a national postal service to the discoveries that led to the internet, the federal government has a long history of embracing new technology to better deliver for our constituents. 

    But our north star must always be service to the American people—not tax breaks for billionaires or backroom deals to benefit the richest man in the world at the public’s expense. 

    As we discuss the use of artificial intelligence in government, we must have people at the center of the conversation, including the people we represent and the federal workers who serve our country.

    AI is a tool that can empower our public servants, but it is not a substitute for passionate and committed federal workers.

    Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have gutted so much of the federal workforce, firing tens of thousands of people under the guise of greater efficiency.  But Americans know better:  They see the negative impacts every day.

    As a direct result of the interference with the Social Security Administration, senior citizens now face 98-minute wait times to speak with customer service, crowded lobbies at field offices, and being turned away from scheduled appointments because the agency simply does not have the employees to perform its mission.  Poor customer service is not efficiency; it is failing to uphold the government’s responsibility to our constituents.

    Now, the Social Security Administration wants to cut an additional seven thousand employees and somehow use AI to handle calls from seniors.  That does not work, because I know that when my constituents have a problem with their Social Security, they would rather talk to a person than a computer program. The Department of Government Efficiency cuts are wreaking havoc in our communities, and it will take years to clean up the mess Elon Musk left behind.

    Thank you.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Musk apologizes but the bromance is over: What network science tells us about the Trump-Musk breakup

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Anthony Bonato, Professor of Mathematics, Toronto Metropolitan University

    The proverbial gauntlet has been thrown down. The friendship and partnership between United States President Donald Trump and “special government employee” Elon Musk has collapsed in spectacular fashion.

    On X on June 3, Musk posted about the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”

    An argument ensued, and two days later, Trump called Musk “CRAZY” on Truth Social. The fight escalated and Trump’s slur was followed by Musk’s suggestion the president should be impeached and alleging he appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files.

    These Musk posts in particular were seen as a step too far by many in Trump’s circle, even after the Tesla CEO deleted them.

    Trump and Musk’s storied bromance contributed to one of the greatest comebacks in American presidential history, with Trump winning a second term despite his numerous legal troubles. Musk actively campaigned for Trump, contributing more than $250 million to his re-election bid.

    While we can only speculate about what exactly went wrong between the world’s most powerful man and the world’s richest, their feud reveals a potentially highly impactful disruption in American politics. It also illustrates what happens when social networks fall apart and the impact those types of fissures have on social structures.

    Enter Zachary’s Karate Club

    Feuds between political figures are nothing new, and neither are fissures in social groups. The latter has been studied for decades by network scientists who measure the strength of ties between people.

    Networks, consisting of nodes and links, appear everywhere. They measure interactions and provide us with another lens through which to view the world. For example, we can consider networks of neurons in our brains, networks of banking transactions, or likes and follows on social media.

    Over three years from 1970 to 1972, Temple University anthropologist Wayne Zachary studied the social network of 34 members in a university karate club. He observed a split between the club’s instructor and its administrator. What ensued was a partition of the club into factions, centred on the two respective leaders. Zachary referred to this as fission within the group in his 1977 paper.

    “Communities” in a social network are groups of like-minded individuals who are more likely to interact with one another than those outside the group. Think of a community as a clique in a high school, with separate groups of teenagers who are into football, members of the math club or fans of Taylor Swift.

    The Zachary Karate Club network is a well-cited and early example of the emergence of two distinct communities from one. The network became a popular example of community structure in networks after its use by physicist Michelle Girvan and network scientist Mark Newman in 2002.

    How the split could affect voters

    The split between Trump and Musk echoes the split in the Zachary Karate Club network. While the Karate Club network is much smaller than the the 160 million-plus group of likely U.S. voters, it does suggest the kind of polarization that can occur when powerful individuals go their separate ways.

    Imagine each voter as a node, with two nodes linked if they voted for the same presidential candidate. That would split voters into two main groups: one that voted Republican and the other that voted Democrat, with a smaller group comprising the roughly three million people who voted for independent candidates like Jill Stein in 2024.

    U.S. presidential elections can be razor-close, as was the case with George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000. Even a minor split among voters can upend the results. For example, in the 1992 presidential election, independent candidate Ross Perot garnered almost 19 per cent of the popular vote, which likely siphoned off Republican votes and contributed to George H.W. Bush’s loss.

    On June 5, Musk polled X about creating a new political party — The America Party. Within hours, about 80 per cent of 1.3 million people who took his poll supported his idea.

    That party could fracture the traditional voting base of Republicans and Democrats, leaving the fate of the White House uncertain for the foreseeable future. While die-hard MAGA voters will likely always support Trump, tech-savvy millennial and Gen Z voters may be more receptive to Musk’s disruptive third-party aspirations.

    Friends and enemies

    Social networks adhere to two core principles that govern ties between individuals. These principles are well accepted and are also common sense.

    The first is the adage that friends of friends are more likely to be friends. Given Musk’s strong past ties to Trump, followers of Musk would more likely consider voting for Trump.

    The second and equally important principle is that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That could be bad news for Republicans, as independent-leaning voters who don’t like Trump but voted for him in 2024 may consider supporting the hypothetical “America Party.”

    Another possibility is that the feud ends — Musk is already expressing regrets, saying his posts about Trump “went too far.” That could go a long way to reversing the fissure, though it may not ease the hard feelings that could linger among either Musk or Trump fans.

    We can view both Trump and Musk as powerful attractors who influence the social network of U.S. voters.

    While the majority of Democrats may reject the policies and ideology of both men, the 49.9 per cent of Americans who supported Trump in 2024 could splinter.

    Because this is the official final term of Trump’s presidency, Musk could also support Vice President JD Vance or another Republican frontrunner, dropping his musings about a third party altogether.

    Whatever happens next — just like everything else in the Trump presidency — network science tells us it won’t be predictable.

    Anthony Bonato receives funding from NSERC.

    – ref. Musk apologizes but the bromance is over: What network science tells us about the Trump-Musk breakup – https://theconversation.com/musk-apologizes-but-the-bromance-is-over-what-network-science-tells-us-about-the-trump-musk-breakup-258554

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: THOMPSON, COLLEAGUES, VETERANS SHARE HOW CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS’ POLICIES ARE HARMING VETERANS’ CARE

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

    Norfolk, VA – Today, the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee held a hearing on the impacts of the Trump Administration proposed policies and DOGE cuts for veterans. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), a Vietnam war combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, testified alongside committee Co-Chairs Congresswomen Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Nanette Díaz Barragán (D-CA). The committee heard from policy experts, healthcare providers, and veterans on how Congressional Republican schemes make it more difficult to plan, access care, and utilize critical programs across the federal government.  

    “Since his first day back in office, the President has gone after our nation’s veterans. The President has fired thousands of veterans and VA staff, taken a sledgehammer to the PACT Act serving veterans exposed to toxic substances, and canceled hundreds of contracts for programs supporting veterans’ mental health and addressing veteran homelessness. Make no mistake: This administration is making our veterans, their families, and the American people worse off,” said Rep. Mike Thompson.  
     
    “Today, I heard a clear message from veterans, healthcare leaders and VA workers: President Trump’s agenda is making it harder for veterans and their families to receive the care they need,” said Rep. Kelly. “The Trump administration has fired over 6,000 veterans who are federal workers, implemented hiring freezes in the VA hospital system and cut mental healthcare for veterans. These attacks against the brave men and women who served our country in uniform are undignified and disrespectful.” 
     
    “Our veterans served our country and have earned the care and benefits they were promised,” said Rep. Barragán. “Yet, Donald Trump and House Republicans have fired thousands of veterans, canceled contracts for programs to end veteran homelessness and prevent veteran suicide, frozen hiring new staff at the VA, and cut programs that provide health care and education — all so that they can line the pockets of their billionaire donors. House Democrats will continue to put our veterans over billionaires, fight back against Trump and House Republicans, and work to keep America’s commitment to our veterans.”  
     
    Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), who hosted the field hearing in his district said, “Today’s hearing highlighted the ways President Trump, Secretary Collins and Congressional Republicans have harmed our nation’s veterans by firing veterans, weakening the VA, and slashing Medicaid. I was proud to host my colleagues in Hampton Roads, home to one of the largest veterans’ populations in the country. I look forward to continuing to work together to protect America’s veterans from these attacks and ensure they receive the quality health care they earned.”  
       
    “As Ranking Member on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I hear heartbreaking stories of our veterans being fired or denied and delayed from receiving their hard-earned benefits and services,” said Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). “Trump and Republicans are breaking our promise to America’s veterans, letting Elon Musk’s DOGE cut benefits and healthcare our veterans earned while carrying out the largest firing of veterans in American history.”  
     
    This year, the Steering & Policy Committee has held hearings on Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security Small Business, and Veterans. Each one shared personal stories of how everyday Americans are being harmed by this administration. The Steering & Policy Committee will continue to hear, collect, and share more stories from across the nation in the months ahead.  
     
    The full video of today’s hearing can be found here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Musk says he regrets some posts he made about Trump

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Billionaire Elon Musk said on Wednesday he regrets some of the posts he made last week about U.S President Donald Trump as they went “too far”.

    Trump and Musk began exchanging insults last week on social media, with the Tesla TSLA.O and SpaceX CEO describing the president’s sweeping tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination.”

    Trump said on Saturday their relationship was over but has since said that he would not have a problem if Musk called and wished him well.

    “I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X.

    He did not say which specific posts he was talking about.

    Tesla shares in Frankfurt were up 2.44% after Musk’s post.

    Since the dispute began, Musk has deleted some social media posts critical of Trump, including one signaling support for impeaching the president.

    Sources close to Musk had said his anger has started to subside, and that they believe he may want to repair his relationship with Trump.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pallone demands Trump Admin action on lifeguard, maintenance shortages at Sandy Hook

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

    NJ 6th District Congressman calls on Trump’s Interior Secretary to disclose staffing plans, lifeguard coverage by June 30

    Sandy Hook, New Jersey — With New Jersey’s beach season now in full swing, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) is sounding the alarm over dangerous staffing shortages at Sandy Hook in the Gateway National Recreation Area. In a letter sent today to Trump’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Pallone demanded answers on why the National Park Service is failing to hire the lifeguards, maintenance staff, and other essential personnel needed to safely operate the beaches and facilities at Sandy Hook this summer.

    “For months, the Department of Interior has been blocking information regarding the consequences of new staffing policies from reaching Congress. This unprecedented situation extends to the staff of National Park Service units, who you have forbidden from communicating with Congressional offices without express permission from DOI headquarters – approval which never arrives. I am gravely concerned about the ramifications of the Trump Administration’s policies on Sandy Hook’s future as a place for safe recreation in a clean, natural environment,” Pallone wrote.

    Pallone’s letter cites multiple troubling factors behind the current staffing crisis:

    • Trump’s January 20 executive order freezing all federal hiring;
    • Cuts to National Park Service permanent and probationary staff ordered by Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency”;
    • Deferred resignation offers made to remaining permanent staff.

    Worse, the Interior Department has blocked basic information about staffing levels from reaching Congress — preventing oversight of whether the beaches and public facilities at Sandy Hook can be safely visited.

    “The government should protect the ability of parks such as Sandy Hook to serve Americans and contribute to the tourism economy, not create potentially dangerous and filthy conditions in the parks by failing to hire the necessary lifeguards and maintenance staff to clean bathrooms during the busiest season of the year. It is shameful to deprive American taxpayers of their right to the services their hard-earned dollars are paying for, in this case, the services provided by the National Park Service that preserves and steward natural resources for families to enjoy,” Pallone continued.

    In his letter, Pallone demanded Interior provide a full accounting of current staffing levels, beach openings, lifeguard coverage, and facility maintenance at Sandy Hook no later than June 30 before the Independence Day holiday – and called for immediate action to fill any staffing gaps.

    A copy of the full letter is linked here and available below: 

    Dear Secretary Burgum, 

    I write to express my urgent concern and to demand answers regarding the historically low staffing at the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area (NRA) at the start of the summer beach season. For months, the Department of Interior (DOI) has been blocking information regarding the consequences of new staffing policies from reaching Congress. This unprecedented situation extends to the staff of National Park Service (NPS) units, who you have forbidden from communicating with Congressional offices without express permission from DOI headquarters – approval which never arrives.  

    I am gravely concerned about the ramifications of the Trump Administration’s policies on Sandy Hook’s future as a place for safe recreation in a clean, natural environment. These include President Trump’s misguided January 20thExecutive Order freezing all hiring of Federal employees, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts to NPS permanent and probationary staff, and the deferred resignation offers made to permanent staff.[1] From the limited public information available, it’s clear the cumulative impact of these policies have left Gateway NRA with a skeleton crew to run the fourth-most visited NPS unit in the country. If the Trump Administration is so proud of these unlawful and chaotic changes, you should not be so secretive about their outcome.

    This vacuum of information has created confusion and concern in our community. My constituents and the two million other Americans that visit Sandy Hook for a respite from the summer heat and from their busy lives deserve to know whether the park is ready to accept visitors for safe recreation.[2] The high levels of visitation that Sandy Hook experiences in the summer months are why the park needs to be fully staffed with year-round and seasonal employees. 

    Historically, despite warnings not to swim, there have been drowning incidents at Sandy Hook when the beaches are not open and fully staffed with lifeguards. We cannot let this situation repeat itself this summer, though I am concerned your disregard for the vital health and safety roles that NPS staff play may result in tragedy at Sandy Hook. 

    American families from across New Jersey, New York, and surrounding states flock to Sandy Hook’s beautiful beaches and recreational areas every summer to enjoy fishing, swimming, camping, and biking, among other activities.3 These visitors rely on Sandy Hook for their summer vacations, and their visits generate significant contributions to New Jersey’s economy.[5]

    To rectify this outrageous lack of information on whether the Gateway National Recreation Area is prepared for basic operations at Sandy Hook this summer, please provide written responses to the questions below by Monday, June 30, 2025: 

    1.      How many total staff currently work at Gateway NRA compared to this time last year?

    2.      How many total staff have been assigned to work at the Sandy Hook unit compared to this time last year?

    3.      How many seasonal employees have been hired at Sandy Hook for the summer season compared to this time last year?

    4.      How many permanent and seasonal positions are currently unfilled? 

    5.      Which Sandy Hook beaches will be open during the 2025 summer season? What are the dates and hours of each beach’s public access? 

    6.      Which Sandy Hook beaches will have lifeguards this summer? What are the dates and hours that each beach will have a lifeguard? How many total lifeguards will work this year compared to last year? 

    7.      Will there be staff to maintain facilities, including restrooms, at the Sandy Hook unit throughout the summer season? 

    8.      How many staff will be there to collect admission at the entrance to the park compared to this time last year? 

    For decades, I have proudly advocated to keep the beaches and facilities at the Sandy Hook Unit safe, clean, and accessible for all Americans and ensure it continues to be a place of safe harbor for the wildlife which bring delight to visitors. The National Park Service must hire qualified staff in a timely manner and clearly communicate the Sandy Hook’s ability to host the American public. Instead of working against Congress, I hope we can work together to ensure Sandy Hook, Gateway NRA, and the entire National Park Service continue to thrive for generations to come.

    Please contact my office immediately with an update on this important issue and formally reply by the date requested. 

    Sincerely, 

    FRANK PALLONE, JR. 

    Member of Congress

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ranking Member McCollum: House Democrats Expose How Republicans’ Defense Funding Bill Undermines Military Readiness

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn)

    WASHINGTON — During today’s House Appropriations subcommittee markup of the 2026 Defense funding bill, House Democrats highlighted how the bill undermines democracy at home and abroad and includes harmful policy riders that divide our nation.

    For fiscal year 2026, the bill provides $831.5 billion, which is equal to current funding levels and $1.3 billion above the Administration’s fiscal year 2026 request.

    Republicans have included language directing the Department of Defense to determine $7.75 billion in cuts to amounts listed in the bill. This jeopardizes every program other than intelligence activities. If made uniformly, it would reduce everything by approximately 1 percent, which would mean cuts of almost $2 billion for troop pay, over $2 billion for troop readiness, $409 million for health programs, $5 million each for Israel and Jordan, and over $2 billion for the procurement and modernization of weapons systems. At a time when the Trump Administration is already illegally stealing from American communities by refusing to spend funds, it is unfathomable that the Appropriations Committee would allow the administration to unilaterally make nearly $8 billion in cuts to defense investments.

    The legislation:

    • Weakens Ukraine and empowers Russia by eliminating support for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
    • Undermines democracy at home and abroad by allowing disinformation and extremist views to flourish.
    • Limits women’s access to abortion by preventing service personnel from traveling to seek reproductive health care
    • Harms our military readiness with divisive provisions that undermine morale and fail to support our service personnel, by:
      • Continuing DOGE and the Administration’s cuts to vital civilian positions;
      • Attacking the LGBTQ+ community with hateful policies; and
      • Banning funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

    From Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Betty McCollum’s (D-MN-04) opening remarks as prepared for delivery:

    “The Defense Appropriations Act is an incredibly complex piece of legislation that needs to be written the right way: With the president’s budget, and with thoughtful analysis by the Department of Defense. There are consequences to not following this process. We may end up buying too many of one platform, wasting precious taxpayer dollars. We may end up buying too little of another – leaving a gap in our defense capabilities. When we do not see the budget request, we fail to maximize the buying power for the taxpayer. It is unfortunate that President Trump put us in this situation. Our service members and America’s tax paying public deserve better.”

    From Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro’s (D-CT-03) opening remarks as prepared for delivery:

    “Rather than working with House Democrats to strengthen our national security and prioritize the issues that matter most to our men and women in uniform, House Republicans are abandoning our allies, undermining democracy at home and abroad, and failing to support our servicemembers. Despite broad support in Congress for helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s brutal invasion, they empower Vladimir Putin by failing to include $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The majority’s bill holds the door open for disinformation created by America’s enemies rather than allowing the Department of Defense to counter the threat, allowing extremism and propaganda to proliferate across the Internet and media landscape. The bill continues House Republicans’ attacks on the right of women to seek an abortion, and the rights of minorities to be protected from discrimination, while destroying the Department’s efforts to build a more inclusive, effective, and modern military. And the bill weakens the Department by continuing the Administration’s reckless and indiscriminate cuts to vital civilian personnel, and yielding to DOGE and Elon Musk.”

    A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Defense bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. The full text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Tesla’s public robotaxi rides set for tentative June 22 start, CEO Musk says

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Tesla tentatively plans to begin offering rides on its self-driving robotaxis to the public on June 22, CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday, as investors and fans of the electric vehicle maker eagerly await rollout of the long-promised service.

    Musk has staked Tesla’s future on self-driving vehicles, pivoting away from plans to build a cheaper EV platform, and much of the company’s valuation hangs on that vision.

    But commercializing autonomous vehicles (AV) has been challenging with safety concerns, tight regulations and soaring investments, and many have been skeptical of Musk’s plans.

    “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk said in a post on X in response to a question from a user about public robotaxi rides that the EV maker plans to first offer in Austin, Texas.

    Musk also said starting June 28, Tesla vehicles will drive themselves to a customer’s house from the end of the factory line.

    A successful robotaxi launch is crucial for Tesla as sales of its EVs have softened due to rising competition and a backlash against Musk’s embrace of far-right political views in Europe, and his recent work for U.S. President Donald Trump before their public falling out.

    Musk has promised a paid robotaxi service in Austin starting with about 10-20 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate in a limited area and under remote human supervision.

    The company then plans to expand operations to other U.S. states later in the year, including California which has stringent AV regulations.

    “Austin >> LA for robotaxi launch lol,” Musk said on X, in an apparent reference to the southern Californian city of Los Angeles.

    Tesla has been testing its self-driving vehicles on public streets in Austin, Musk said last month. Earlier on Tuesday, Musk re-posted a video on X that showed a Model Y making a turn at an Austin intersection with no human driver and the word “Robotaxi” written on it, and followed closely by another Model Y.

    The vehicles were using a new version of Tesla’s advanced driver assistance software, called Full Self-Driving (FSD), Musk said in a separate X post.

    Little else is known about Tesla’s robotaxi service, including where it will operate, the extent of remote supervision and how the public can use the service.

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Slams Trump’s Unprecedented Mobilization of Marines and National Guard in LA, Pushes for Permanent DACA Protections

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Slams Trump’s Unprecedented Mobilization of Marines and National Guard in LA, Pushes for Permanent DACA Protections

    WATCH: Padilla: “Immigrants are not political pawns for his agenda. Just as servicemembers … are not political pawns for his agenda.”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, spoke on the Senate floor to condemn President Trump’s move to federalize the California National Guard and mobilize U.S. Marine Corps elements, sending 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles. Padilla delivered remarks ahead of the 13th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, pushing for permanent protections for Dreamers rather than indiscriminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

    Padilla called out President Trump for trying to scapegoat immigrants to distract from Republicans’ unpopular billionaire-first budget bill, which would deliver tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working families. As part of this manufactured crisis, Trump has caused a chaotic escalation of the conflict in Los Angeles while ignoring fundamental due process rights.

    • “Time and time again, we’ve seen one of the most frequently called plays out of the Trump playbook. When everything else is going wrong, shift the narrative, scapegoat immigrants, blame immigrants for whatever your failure is at the moment.”
    • “Well today, between his failing trade wars that are raising the cost of living on working families across the country, to his losses in federal court and delays in Congress on their efforts to give billionaires even bigger tax breaks, and even the embarrassing breakup recently with his former BBFF, billionaire best friend forever, Elon Musk, it’s safe to say that Donald Trump is grasping for anything he can do to change the narrative, to distract us of the damage that his political agenda is going on.”
    • “In order to distract the country from his failures and his efforts to ‘flood the zone,’ Donald Trump is expanding his deportation agenda far beyond the focus and targeting of violent and dangerous criminals that he claimed would be the strategy.”
    • “He’s so desperate to show quick results that he’s even throwing due process rights out the window for so many. The due process rights, by the way, that I know most of you, if not all of you, should agree are paramount, foundational to our democracy.”

    Padilla emphasized that the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration enforcement in Los Angeles is deeply personal for him, and that he would keep fighting against Trump’s mass deportation agenda and demonizing of immigrant communities.

    • “It’s personal for me not just because Los Angeles is home — I was born and raised in Los Angeles — but as a proud son of immigrants, I know the true story of the vast majority of immigrants and immigrant families in Los Angeles, throughout California and throughout the country.”
    • “But instead of honoring those contributions … Donald Trump is manufacturing a crisis to once again, not just distract us, but divide us. And just as he’s always done, he’s using immigrants to do it.”
    • “So I can’t help but speak up and remind us, immigrants are not political pawns for his agenda. Just as servicemembers — women and men — are not political pawns for his agenda.”

    As the nation approaches the 13th anniversary of the DACA program, Padilla pushed his Republican colleagues to finally pass permanent protections for DACA recipients, including over 160,000 in California alone. He highlighted that most Dreamers have been contributing to our communities and economy for years, and underlined that if DACA ended, it could cost the country nearly $650 billion while potentially cutting over 400,000 workers.

    • “As we should be celebrating the 13th anniversary of DACA this week, hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients and Dreamers are actually now worried that they are at risk, at further risk. That they could be next as President Trump struggles to find enough violent criminals to detain and deport to meet a campaign promise. Since he can’t get his numbers there, he’ll look elsewhere. So I want to take this moment to make very clear: Dreamers are our neighbors. Dreamers are our loved ones.”
    • “These are young people who are Americans in every sense of the word, except for one important piece of paperwork. … Yet because of Congressional Republicans’ refusal to act, Dreamers live at a minimum in a constant state of uncertainty, but oftentimes in a constant state of fear. They deserve better. Mr. President, they deserve permanent protections.”
    • “If through the President or through Republicans’ actions in Congress, you were to take away work authorization for hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients, that’s reducing our workforce at a time when we’re trying to grow the workforce and grow the economy.”
    • “I’m talking about Dreamers who work as teachers, as caregivers, as nurses and doctors, as construction workers, as food service workers, and so many other key industries for our economy. And they’re hardworking community members who pay taxes just like the rest of us and just want a chance to work hard and raise a family in the country that they love. They deserve peace of mind, the piece of mind to know that they are safe here at home.”

    Padilla concluded by pushing his colleagues to pass the DREAM Act to finally provide permanent protections for Dreamers who have long contributed to our economy and communities, yet are forced to live in uncertainty.

    • “For my Republican colleagues who may be caught up in the heat of the moment and trapped in this anti-immigrant rhetoric in our current political climate on the right, I’ll say this: Dreamers make our communities better. Dreamers make our economy stronger. And Dreamers make our nation stronger.”
    • “The DREAM Act is a commonsense bill that has enjoyed bipartisan support. So I urge you to join me in supporting the DREAM Act now and giving these young people the certainty and the protections that they deserve, and strengthen our nation in the process.”

    Video of Padilla’s full remarks is available here.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in calling out the Los Angeles ICE raids and Trump’s misguided mobilization of the National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps. Earlier today, Padilla and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) demanded answers regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to deploy approximately 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Padilla also spoke on the Senate floor today to blast President Trump for manufacturing a crisis by launching indiscriminate ICE raids across Los Angeles and deploying the National Guard and active-duty servicemembers to the region. Yesterday, Padilla, Schiff, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded answers from top Trump Administration officials regarding the arrest and detention of David Huerta, President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California and SEIU-United Service Workers West. Padilla has joined national and local TV and radio broadcasts in the past few days to condemn the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration enforcement in Los Angeles and across the country.

    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress for immigration reform. To commemorate the 12th anniversary of DACA, Padilla joined immigration advocates, DACA recipients, and other lawmakers to urge Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and call on former President Biden to protect Dreamers and long-term undocumented communities through executive action. He previously joined his Senate colleagues and directly impacted immigrant youth leaders for a press conference calling on Republicans in Congress to work with Democrats to pass permanent protections for DACA recipients after the 5th Circuit’s 2022 ruling left these recipients in limbo.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 10th, 2025 Heinrich Presses USDA Secretary on Threats to Public Health and Safety Following DOGE Actions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins on the harmful impacts of the “Department of Government Efficiency’s” (DOGE) actions on the United States Forest Service (USFS). The letter stresses the USFS’ operational failures that are occurring due to new layers of red tape required by DOGE, such as accumulating garbage at recreational sites and a lack of firefighting equipment in preparation of wildfires.
    “I write to express deep concern regarding the devastating impact of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) actions at the United States Forest Service (USFS). New layers of red tape installed by DOGE have created dysfunction, confusion, and uncertainty at the agency,” Heinrich began. “Elon Musk and DOGE promised to make government more efficient and to root out waste. Instead, their actions have made the agency less efficient, and as a result, critical supplies are missing and garbage is piling up across the National Forest System.” 
    USFS manages more than 30,000 recreation sites around the country. Recreation on the National Forest System draws in 160 million visitors annually, which contributes over $13 billion to the economy and supports more than 160,000 jobs. As a result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14222, DOGE is now required to approve new or extended contracts at the Forest Service, even for routine activities or critical supplies.
    Heinrich continued, “Contracts for janitorial services that previously received approval in mere days are now reportedly taking a month or longer to complete. The delay has led to garbage piling up at recreation sites and toilets going uncleaned or unemptied. The threat to public health and safety from contracting delays is not limited to custodial services. The additional levels of review mandated by DOGE have also reportedly slowed down or halted wildfire preparedness efforts, including the acquisition of firefighting equipment and helicopters.”
    “Despite your assurances, it is clear that massive staff reductions, coupled with operational delays at USFS, have left the agency ill-prepared to meet the many challenges brought on by the summer months,” Heinrich pressed, citing Rollins’ recent comments at an event with Secretary Burgum, where she expressed that her agency is taking the fire season very seriously, and that federal wildland firefighters are ready to respond. 
    Heinrich concluded the letter by requesting detailed answers from Rollins on the Forest Service’s current contracting and procurement procedures, including approval timelines, personnel involved, and the status or justification for contract modifications, terminations, or denials related to firefighting and support services.
    Read the full letter here and below:
    Dear Secretary Rollins:
    I write to express deep concern regarding the devastating impact of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) actions at the United States Forest Service (USFS). New layers of red tape installed by DOGE have created dysfunction, confusion, and uncertainty at the agency. Elon Musk and DOGE promised to make government more efficient and to root out waste. Instead, their actions have made the agency less efficient, and as a result, critical supplies are missing and garbage is piling up across the National Forest System.
    As you know, USFS manages more than 30,000 recreation sites around the country where Americans hike, bike, picnic, camp, fish, and engage in other recreational activities. Nearly 160 million people visit the National Forest System annually. A visit to our public lands not only improves visitors’ physical and mental health, but also provides access to cultural and heritage opportunities that build community and a sense of national pride. The economic benefits associated with the National Forest System are equally as pronounced. Outdoor recreation on the Nation Forest System alone contributes over $13 billion to the economy and supports more than 160,000 jobs. Despite the clear benefits of a fully-functioning USFS, DOGE has undermined the agency at every turn and prevented USFS from carrying out its core responsibilities.
    According to a recent report, USFS has suffered significant operational failings since DOGE personnel arrived at the agency. New processes instituted by DOGE have led to lengthy approval times for contracts, significantly diminishing the agency’s ability to meet basic functions and needs. Contracts for janitorial services that previously received approval in mere days are now reportedly taking a month or longer to complete. The delay has led to garbage piling up at recreation sites and toilets going uncleaned or unemptied.
    The threat to public health and safety from contracting delays is not limited to custodial services. The additional levels of review mandated by DOGE have also reportedly slowed down or halted wildfire preparedness efforts, including the acquisition of firefighting equipment and helicopters. Firefighting operations are extremely equipment intensive and must often set up in remote locations. Operational flexibility and contracting speed are therefore critical to successful firefighting efforts and public safety.
    You appeared with Secretary Burgum at an event last month and said, “[w]e are taking this fire season very seriously, and our federal wildland firefighters are prepared to respond.” Despite your assurances, it is clear that massive staff reductions, coupled with operational delays at USFS, have left the agency ill-prepared to meet the many challenges brought on by the summer months.
    In light of these concerns, I request responses to the following questions by June 24, 2025:
    1. According to recent reporting, the process for getting new procurements or contracts approved has changed several times. Please describe in detail the process for getting new procurements approved at the agency. In responding to this question, please include the following:
    a. The amount of time typically needed to receive approval.
    b. How many personnel are required to approve procurements or contracts related to routine equipment replacement or maintenance.
    c. Whether the approval chain includes the General Services Administration or other personnel outside the Forest Service.
    2. Please describe in detail the process for getting modifications to existing contracts approved.
    a. The amount of time typically needed to receive approval.
    b. How many personnel are required to approve procurements or contracts related to routine equipment replacement or maintenance.
    c. Whether the approval chain includes the General Services Administration or other personnel outside the Forest Service.
    3. In February 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14222 establishing requirements for new and existing contracts.9 Please provide the following information:           
    a. The EO states, “[e]ach Agency Head, in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, shall conduct a comprehensive review of each agency’s contracting policies, procedures, and personnel.  Each Agency Head shall complete this process within 30 days of the date of this order and shall not issue or approve new contracting officer warrants during the review period, unless the Agency Head determines such approval is necessary.” Have you completed this process? Did you determine any contract approvals were necessary during the review period?                b. The EO states, “[f]ollowing the review specified in subsection (c) of this section, and prior to entering into new contracts, each Agency Head shall, in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, issue guidance on signing new contracts or modifying existing contracts to promote Government efficiency and the policies of my Administration. The Agency Head may approve new contracts prior to the issuance of such guidance on a case-by-case basis.” Did you approve any new contracts or modifications prior to the issuance of guidance? 
    4. Please provide a list of all Department contracts for goods and services DOGE has identified for termination or renegotiation. In responding to this question, please provide the following information:
    a. A description of each contract DOGE has identified for termination or renegotiation and the current status.
    b. DOGE’s justification for terminating or renegotiating the contract.
    5. Since January 20, 2025, has the Department terminated or recompeted any contract for goods and services? If so, please provide the following information for each contract terminated or recompeted:
    a. A description of the contract terminated or recompeted.
    b. The reason the Department terminated or recompeted the contract.
    6. Since January 20, 2025, has the Department entered into any new contracts for goods and services? If so, please provide detailed information.
    7. Since January 20, 2025, has the agency received any complaints from staff about lengthy times to get janitorial services contracts approved or awarded? If so, please explain.
    8. DOGE reportedly denied funding to continue using smoke detection devices called “sniffers.” The agency also reportedly got rid of support for a platform used by firefighters to acquire equipment and track critical supplies.10 Are these reports accurate? If so, please explain your rationale.
    9. Is DOGE approval required each time contracted fire aviation assets are mobilized for water or fireretardant drops?
    10. Is DOGE approval required for each contract for locally-owned equipment that the Forest Service can mobilize through individual contracts with farmers and ranchers, such as bulldozers and backhoes?
    11. Is DOGE approval required for fire camp contractors, such as caterers, medical personnel, or providers of portable toilets and showers?
    Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my staff at (202) 224-4971.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –