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Category: Trump

  • Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    During a pivotal push by Ukraine to retake territory from Russia in late September 2022, Elon Musk gave an order that disrupted the counteroffensive and dented Kyiv’s trust in Starlink, the satellite internet service the billionaire provided early in the war to help Ukraine’s military maintain battlefield connectivity.

    According to three people familiar with the command, Musk told a senior engineer at the California offices of SpaceX, the Musk venture that controls Starlink, to cut coverage in areas including Kherson, a strategic region north of the Black Sea that Ukraine was trying to reclaim.

    “We have to do this,” Michael Nicolls, the Starlink engineer, told colleagues upon receiving the order, one of these people said. Staffers complied, the three people told Reuters, deactivating at least a hundred Starlink terminals, their hexagon-shaped cells going dark on an internal map of the company’s coverage. The move also affected other areas seized by Russia, including some of Donetsk province further east.

    Upon Musk’s order, Ukrainian troops suddenly faced a communications blackout, according to a Ukrainian military official, an advisor to the armed forces, and two others who experienced Starlink failure near the front lines. Soldiers panicked, drones surveilling Russian forces went dark, and long-range artillery units, reliant on Starlink to aim their fire, struggled to hit targets.

    As a result, the Ukrainian military official and the military advisor said, troops failed to surround a Russian position in the town of Beryslav, east of Kherson, the administrative center of the region of the same name. “The encirclement stalled entirely,” said the military official in an interview. “It failed.”

    Ultimately, Ukraine’s counteroffensive succeeded in reclaiming Beryslav, the city of Kherson and some additional territory Russia had occupied. But Musk’s order, which hasn’t previously been reported, is the first known instance of the billionaire actively shutting off Starlink coverage over a battlefield during the conflict. The decision shocked some Starlink employees and effectively reshaped the front line of the fighting, enabling Musk to take “the outcome of a war into his own hands,” another one of the three people said.

    The account of the command counters Musk’s narrative of how he has handled Starlink service in Ukraine amid the war. As recently as March, in a post on X, his social media site, Musk wrote: “We would never do such a thing.”

    Musk and Nicolls didn’t respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

    A SpaceX spokesperson said by email that the news agency’s reporting is “inaccurate” and referred reporters to an X post earlier this year in which the company said: “Starlink is fully committed to providing service to Ukraine.” The spokesperson didn’t specify any inaccuracies in this report or answer a lengthy list of questions regarding the incident, Starlink’s role in the Ukraine war, or other details regarding its business.

    The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the country’s Ministry of Defence didn’t respond to requests for comment. Starlink still provides service to Ukraine, and the Ukrainian military relies on it for some connectivity. Zelenskiy as recently as this year has publicly expressed gratitude to Musk for Starlink.

    It isn’t clear what prompted Musk’s command, when exactly he gave it, or precisely how long the outage lasted. The three people familiar with the order said they believed it stemmed from concerns Musk expressed later that Ukrainian advances could provoke nuclear retaliation from Russia. One of the people said the shutoff transpired on September 30, 2022. The two others said it was around then, but didn’t recall the exact date. Some senior U.S. officials shared Musk’s concerns that Russia would make good on threats to escalate, one former White House staffer told Reuters.

    Musk’s order was an early glimpse of the power the magnate now wields in geopolitics and global security because of Starlink, a fast-growing satellite internet service that barely existed early this decade and now provides connectivity even in remote areas of the world. Even before his brief role as financial backer and advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, the success of Starlink – and the unrivaled connectivity it offers across the planet – had given Musk increasing influence with political leaders, governments and militaries worldwide.

    Musk’s sway in military affairs in Washington and beyond – through Starlink’s dominance in satellite communications and SpaceX’s clout in space launches – has reached a dimension previously limited to sovereign governments, alarming some regulators and lawmakers. “Elon Musk’s current global dominance exemplifies the dangers of concentrated power in unregulated domains,” Martha Lane Fox, a member of Britain’s upper house of parliament, said during a debate earlier this year. The parliamentarian is a businesswoman and former board member at Twitter, the social media site that Musk acquired in 2022 and rebranded as X.

    “Its control,” Lane Fox said of Starlink, “rests solely with Musk, allowing his whims to dictate access to vital infrastructure.”

    Musk’s political influence, and his massive business with the U.S. federal government, are now being put to the test. Since leaving his role advising Trump, Musk has publicly feuded with the president, announced plans to create a new political party, and criticized a signature spending bill that he said will expand the budget deficit and destroy jobs. Trump, for his part, has threatened to end government contracts and subsidies for Musk’s companies, including lucrative new defense projects.

    Whatever the reason for Musk’s decision, the shutoff over Kherson and other regions surprised some involved with the Ukraine war – from troops on the ground to U.S. military and foreign policy officials, who after Russia’s full-scale invasion that February had worked to secure Starlink service for Ukrainian forces. Panicked calls by Ukrainian officials during the outage to seek information from Pentagon counterparts, five people familiar with the incident said, were met with few explanations for what could have caused it.

    The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment. Reuters couldn’t determine whether White House or Pentagon officials after the shutdown had any exchanges with Musk over the outage.

    The Kherson episode is distinct from an earlier report of an incident that purportedly occurred that same September, involving Crimea just to the south, and raised concerns about Musk’s ability to influence the conflict in Ukraine.

    In his 2023 biography of Musk, author Walter Isaacson reported that the tycoon had ordered Starlink to disable coverage in Crimea, which Russia had annexed from Ukraine after a 2014 invasion that the international community condemned as illegal. Musk, Isaacson wrote, believed a planned Ukrainian attack on Russian vessels in the Crimean port of Sevastopol could prompt nuclear retaliation.

    After the book was published, Musk denied a shutdown, saying that there had never been coverage in Crimea to begin with. He said he had, rather, rejected a Ukrainian request to provide service ahead of Kyiv’s planned attack. Isaacson later conceded his account was flawed. A spokesperson at Isaacson’s publisher declined to comment or make him available for an interview.

    SpaceX also said in 2023 that it had taken unspecified steps to prevent Ukraine from using Starlink for certain activities, including drone attacks. “Our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes,” Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s president, said at a conference in Washington in February of that year. “There are things that we can do, and have done” to prevent it, she added, without providing further detail.

    Reuters couldn’t determine if the shutdown affecting Kherson was among the steps she was referring to. Shotwell didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article.

    Following the start of the Kherson shutdown, word of an outage emerged in some media reports. At the time, it wasn’t clear to those who lost connectivity whether a technical problem, sabotage or some other factor was responsible. Early in the war, Russia had orchestrated a large cyberattack that disrupted service of another satellite operator, Western officials have said, creating suspicions around any outage and leaving a void quickly filled by Starlink. Russia has denied it conducts offensive cyberattacks.

    As of April 2025, according to Ukrainian government social media posts, Kyiv has received more than 50,000 Starlink terminals. Easily transported and deployed, the pizza-box-sized devices communicate with thousands of SpaceX satellites now circling the globe. An initial batch of terminals was provided to Ukraine by SpaceX itself. Further terminals have arrived from donors including Poland, the United States and Germany.

    This account of the outage, and the growing dependence on Musk by governments and militaries worldwide, is based on interviews with more than three dozen people with knowledge of SpaceX’s operations and the company’s technology. These people included current and former employees, U.S. and European military officials, and senior politicians and diplomats.

    The reporting puts a spotlight on Musk’s control of services now critical to countries including the U.S., which has about $22 billion in contracts with SpaceX. Underscoring the point himself during his recent dispute with Trump, Musk threatened to decommission a SpaceX spacecraft the U.S. now relies upon to transport astronauts and critical cargo.

    His threat, later retracted, unnerved attorneys at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who felt forced to explore whether Musk’s warning could be considered a notice of contract termination, according to two people familiar with the matter. NASA didn’t respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

    “There needs to be some contractual assurances” that Musk won’t cut off services to the U.S. government, said Lori Garver, a former deputy administrator of the agency. “We will need to consider how comfortable the U.S. will be at putting SpaceX in the critical path on national security.”

    As countries increasingly rely on tech companies for everything from cyber defense to data storage, the question of dependence on one or a few dominant service providers will apply to other nations, too. “Governments have to think through what that means,” said Marcus Willett, former deputy head of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters intelligence agency and now a senior adviser to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank.

    “WE NEED ASSURANCES”

    SpaceX is the first company to establish an extensive network of communication satellites in low-Earth orbit, a region of space that is closer to the planet than areas where such satellites historically reside. The proximity of satellites that now make up the company’s constellation allows Starlink to offer space-based wireless connectivity that is faster than any previously available.

    Starlink on Thursday suffered a rare global outage of several hours, the company said, because of an internal software problem. A Ukrainian military commander in a social media post said “Starlink is down across the entire front,” updating the post two and a half hours later to say connectivity had returned.

    With more than 7,900 satellites now in orbit, SpaceX has become the world’s largest satellite operator. Its devices, which relay signals among each other to create a network that communicates with the ground, account for about two-thirds of all active satellites in space, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.

    Starlink began rolling out service in 2020 and now has more than six million customers in over 140 countries, territories and markets, according to a June Starlink social media post. Novaspace, a consulting firm near Paris, estimates that Starlink in 2025 will generate about $9.8 billion in revenue for SpaceX, or about 60% of the company’s income. SpaceX is privately held and doesn’t disclose financial information, but Musk recently said he expects the rocket company to post revenues of about $15.5 billion this year.

    Rivals are scrambling to get in on the market.

    OneWeb, a European service owned by Eutelsat, a French company, is the furthest along, boasting about 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Amazon this year launched its first satellites for Project Kuiper, a $10 billion effort to compete. China is developing multiple networks, including a state-backed venture known as SpaceSail.

    Still, Starlink has made much of its first-mover advantage. Its terminals, priced as low as a few hundred dollars for standard models, are known for being affordable and easy to use. “There is no existing system right now to replace Starlink,” said Grace Khanuja, an analyst at Novaspace, the consultancy near Paris.

    Compared to the geostationary satellites historically used for communications, the sheer number of SpaceX satellites helps make Starlink less vulnerable to jamming and attacks. Its far reach makes it valuable in remote and hostile terrain – from battlefields to airspace to high seas. In Ukraine, it has facilitated activities including communications, intelligence and drone piloting.

    Some Western militaries not engaged in conflict are also using the service. Britain’s armed forces, for instance, three years ago began using Starlink for “welfare purposes,” including personal communications for troops, the Ministry of Defence said in response to a freedom of information request. The ministry said it has fewer than 1,000 Starlink terminals and doesn’t employ them for sensitive military communications. Spain’s navy is also using Starlink, but only for recreation and leisure of troops, a spokesperson said.

    “That will change,” said Chris Moore, a retired air vice-marshal in the British military, speaking about high-speed space-based connectivity. Moore also worked as a OneWeb executive and is now a defense industry consultant. Satellites in low-Earth orbit, he said, offer too many advantages for militaries to ignore, especially for modern developments such as drone warfare, a signature element of the Ukraine conflict.

    Some leaders are leery.

    In Taiwan, ever wary of conflict with China, officials have expressed concern about Musk’s extensive business interests on the mainland, including a major factory for Tesla, the electric vehicle company he controls. Eager for communications backups in the event of war, Taiwan is developing its own low-Earth orbit satellite network. Taiwanese officials have said the government could partner with Amazon’s Kuiper, too.

    Spokespersons for the Taiwanese government said it welcomes international satellite providers but that Starlink hasn’t applied for a license in Taiwan. They didn’t respond to questions about Taipei’s relationship with Musk.

    In Italy, the government is evaluating whether to employ Starlink for secure communications among the government, defense and other officials. But some officials, including President Sergio Mattarella, remain unconvinced by SpaceX’s assurances that its service would be secure and free from meddling by Musk. “More than Musk’s word, we need assurances that we can’t be shut down, and especially that he can’t access the data,” said a person familiar with the views of the president, who is an influential figure with the armed forces.

    Poland, a major donor to Ukraine, told Reuters it employs Starlink as well as other military and commercial satellite systems. A mix of providers, Polish officials have said, offers the most security, even if at high cost.

    “In peacetime, you want the best product at the best price,” Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in response to a question from Reuters at a press conference in April. “In wartime, you want redundancy. You want security. You want duplicated systems, so that if one fails, you can still use the other.”

    “THERE WAS NOT A CONNECTION”

    Even before the conflict began, documents reviewed by Reuters show, SpaceX had already been in discussions with the U.S. government about providing Starlink in Ukraine. Rollout began after Russian troops crossed the border on February 24, 2022.

    Two days later, Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister in Ukraine, requested Musk’s help. “We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations,” he wrote on Twitter.

    Musk responded in 10 hours. “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” he tweeted. “More terminals en route.”

    Poland was also instrumental in the early days of the war, shipping thousands of terminals to Ukraine shortly after the invasion. Warsaw this year said it has purchased about 25,000 Starlink terminals for the effort – roughly half the total now in Ukraine – and that it is paying the subscription costs to keep them connected. So far, it has spentabout $89 million on Starlink for Ukraine.

    The equipment has made a critical difference for Ukraine.

    Day-to-day bureaucracy has also benefited. Early in the conflict, Ukraine stored state data in the cloud and relied on Starlink to access it, helping keep some government operations running. “We wouldn’t be anywhere without Starlink,” said Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain until 2023. “The whole state was preserved.”

    On the battlefield, Ukraine quickly deployed Starlink to enable front-line troops to communicate with commanders. The service also allowed drone operators to transmit surveillance video streams and locate and attack Russian targets. Reuters couldn’t establish just when such attacks may have become a concern for Musk or SpaceX.

    By September 2022, a major Ukrainian counteroffensive was underway. Kyiv’s forces were pushing back into territories, including Kherson, that Russia had captured. The drive threatened Russian supply lines, prompting Moscow to threaten the West, including oblique references to Starlink.

    That month, in a statement to the United Nations, Russia noted the use of “elements of civilian, including commercial, infrastructure in outer space for military purposes.” It warned that “quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation.”

    It isn’t clear whether Russia has tried to attack any Starlink facilities. Musk has said, however, that Moscow has repeatedly sought to block its connectivity. “SpaceX is spending significant resources combating Russian jamming efforts,” Musk wrote on X last year. “This is a tough problem.”

    The Kremlin declined to comment on whether it has sought to interfere with Starlink. The Ministry of Defence didn’t respond to a request for comment. Starlink isn’t licensed for either civilian or military use in Russia.

    As Ukraine’s counterattack intensified, Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 21, 2022, ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, Russia’s first since World War II. He also threatened to use nuclear weapons if Russia’s own “territorial integrity” were at risk.

    Around this time, Musk engaged in weeks of backchannel conversations with senior officials in the administration of President Joe Biden, according to three former U.S. government officials and one of the people familiar with Musk’s order to stop service. During those conversations, the former White House staffer told Reuters, U.S. intelligence and security officials expressed concern that Putin could follow through on his threats. Musk, this person added, worried too, and asked U.S. officials if they knew where and how Ukraine used Starlink on the battlefield.

    Soon after, he ordered the shutdown.

    Reuters couldn’t ascertain the full geographic extent of the outage, but the three people familiar with the stoppage said that it covered regions that had recently been taken by Russia. Starlink coverage prior to the order, they said, had been active up to what had been Ukraine’s border with Russia before the full-scale invasion.

    Taras Tymochko, a Ukrainian military signals specialist stationed in the Kherson region at the time, said an outage disrupted communications for troops, including colleagues on the front, for several hours. “If you were using Starlink to provide surveillance of the front line, you pretty much would be blind,” said Tymochko, who is now a consultant to Come Back Alive, a non-governmental organization that procures military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces.

    Maryna Tsirkun, a drone expert at Aerorozvidka, an aerial reconnaissance organization that works closely with the Ukrainian military, was also in southern Ukraine at the time. Starlink signals failed as Ukrainian troops began to push toward terrain seized by Russia, she told Reuters. “When we started to proceed there was not a connection,” she said. The outage she and colleagues experienced lasted several days.

    On October 3, Musk angered Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials by tweeting a suggestion that locals in regions annexed by Russia vote on whether they should remain a part of Ukraine. A day later, Musk tweeted his concern about the conflict spiraling. “I still very much support Ukraine,” he tweeted, “but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world.”

    Three days later, following one media report about a Starlink outage, Musk tweeted that “what’s happening on the battlefield, that’s classified.” He added that SpaceX by the end of 2022 was on track to spend $100 million on Ukraine. Although the Polish and U.S. governments by then had begun donations of their own, the billionaire complained about the cost of the equipment and services SpaceX was providing.

    SpaceX “cannot fund the existing system indefinitely,” Musk wrote in a mid-October post. The next day, in another tweet, he reversed course. “To hell with it,” he wrote, “we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”

    After the outage, Kyiv worked to charm Musk.

    In November 2022, Fedorov, the government minister, publicly expressed trust in the service. Months later – just after Shotwell, the SpaceX president, said the company had taken steps to prevent Ukraine from using Starlink for drone attacks – Fedorov in an interview with a Ukrainian news site recognized Starlink’s ability to “geofence” coverage, selectively limiting signals in some areas.

    By February 2023, however, Starlink was fully functional in Ukraine, he said. “All the Starlink terminals in Ukraine work properly,” Fedorov told Ukrainska Pravda, the news site. Fedorov, who recently assumed the title of first deputy prime minister, didn’t respond to a request for comment about Ukraine’s use of Starlink in the war.

    In mid-2023, the U.S. Department of Defense signed an agreement with SpaceX to pay for Starlink coverage in Ukraine. Terms of the contract weren’t disclosed, but Quilty Space, a Florida-based research firm, said the Pentagon has an ongoing $537 million agreement with SpaceX to provide satellite communications to Ukraine. It’s not clear whether SpaceX is still footing the bill for any equipment or connectivity.

    As the war has evolved, so has Ukraine’s use of Musk’s technology.

    Ukrainian drone specialists and Prystaiko, the former ambassador to Britain, said some attack devices, including maritime and bomber drones, now have Starlink antennas fitted to them. The antennas, in the case of sea drones, help operators guide the devices and view video feeds to classify targets, said Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at Royal United Services Institute, a London-based defense think tank.

    It’s uncertain whether such use contravenes SpaceX’s desire that Starlink not be employed for offense.

    Ukraine continues to explore alternatives that could complement or back up Starlink if the service became unavailable, a senior government official told Reuters. Ukraine’s government has expressed interest in European satellite projects, European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Reuters. That includes GOVSATCOM, an EU project to pool satellite resources from member states and industry to provide services to governments, he said.

    Privately, though, some Ukrainian officials say the existing alternatives to Starlink have limitations. “It takes time, it takes money,” the senior government official told Reuters. With Starlink, he added, “we have a working system.”

    Musk himself has boasted of Starlink’s importance to Kyiv. “My Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” he wrote on X in March. “Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.”

    (Reuters)

     

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s low-altitude economy posed for trillion-yuan boom, expert says

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

    A low-altitude aircraft developed by Beijing-based technology company JZX is displayed at the 24th China Internet Conference in Beijing, July 23, 2025. [Photo by Liu Sitong/China.org.cn]

    China’s low-altitude economy is on the cusp of significant expansion, with experts predicting the sector will soon be worth over 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion). This projection was a key topic at a forum hosted by the Internet Society of China (ISC) at the 24th China Internet Conference in Beijing on July 25, where discussions centered on the rapid growth and future development of this emerging industry. 

    Dai Wei, deputy secretary-general of the ISC, said the low-altitude economy has become an important and emerging area for global competition. This growing international interest is evident, with U.S. President Donald Trump having signed an executive order on June 6 to promote the development of emerging technologies such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Dai added that developing the industry will require support from digital and smart technologies, including artificial intelligence.

    Yang Jun, founder and director of ShenSi Lab — a research facility that focuses on low-altitude flight solutions — provided insights into the healthy development of the sector. He pointed out that the low-altitude industry was designated as a strategic emerging sector at the Central Economic Work Conference in 2023, along with bio-manufacturing and commercial aerospace.

    Yang predicted the sector will be worth 1 trillion yuan by the end of this year and 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035, or more, driven by ongoing major infrastructure projects, including new takeoff and landing sites, telecommunications equipment and navigation systems.

    However, the sector faces new challenges compared to traditional high-altitude flight, due to complex airflows in low-altitude space affecting flight control and route planning.

    To address these issues, Yang’s team began constructing a troposphere wind tunnel in 2022, which has been operating for nearly a year. The wind tunnel uses digital twin technology to digitize meteorological data, integrating it with traditional telecommunications equipment.

    Xu Heyuan, chief expert at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said low-altitude flight, as a new mode of transportation, could help drive economic development in remote and less accessible areas, aiding poverty alleviation efforts. Xu said the sector is also a new driving force for industrial transformation and has a long industrial chain, involving innovation in both aviation and information technology.

    The ISC, established in 2001, has worked to promote exchange and cooperation within the internet sector. The organization actively supported the low-altitude economy by coordinating dialogue for technology development, commercial applications and industry collaboration. The society plans to set up a dedicated working committee for the low-altitude sector to connect policymakers, research institutions and enterprises.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Unlawfully Withholding Public School Funding, Trump Admin. Melts & Unfreezes K-12 Public School Funds

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, welcomed the Trump Administration’s decision to relent in the face of public opposition and finally release nearly $6 billion in federal funding for K-12 schools and adult education programs that it had been unlawfully withholding for weeks.
    Instead of disbursing the federal funds on July 1, the Trump Administration abruptly informed states the day before that it would withhold nearly $7 billion that public schools were counting on, forcing school districts nationwide to scramble and plug serious budget holes. Some schools were forced to decide between laying off teachers or ending after school programs in the coming weeks.
    The Trump funding freeze on K-12 public school dollars put about $30 million in federal education funding for Rhode Island at risk for this coming school year. The frozen funds represented 7.6 percent of the entire U.S. Department of Education’s budget for fiscal year 2025.
    Frustrated and alarmed by the unlawful withholding of this federal money for after-school programs, summer learning, teacher training, adult literacy, and other programs, state lawmakers and public educators across the political spectrum spoke out against the Trump Administration’s education funding freeze and urged them to change course.
    “President Trump tried to shortchange students, but elected officials, educators, and communities across the country spoke up and forced the Trump Administration to relent. School districts were left scrambling trying to figure out if they could afford to pay for student services that had already been funded. The Trump White House put those funds in limbo and needlessly left many local school budgets in the lurch. The Trump Administration’s poor management inflicted real stress on schools, teachers, and communities. It’s inexcusable. Students deserve better and elected leaders should be working to strengthen schools, not causing needless partisan chaos,” said Senator Reed.
    Today, without explanation, the Trump Administration finally relented and confirmed it will disburse this funding in the coming days, including:
    Title II-A for professional development: $2.19 billion
    Title IV-A for student support and academic enrichment: $1.38 billion
    Title III-A for English-learner services: $890 million
    Title I-C for migrant education: $376 million
    Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants: $715 million
    Senator Reed repeatedly called on President Trump to release the funding, joining colleagues on both sides of the aisle in demanding the funds flow.
    Reed has also strongly opposed the Trump Administration’s plans to cut federal investments in education by 15 percent.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Piero Cipollone: Interview with Delo

    Source: European Central Bank

    Interview with Piero Cipollone, conducted by Miha Jenko on 10 July 2025

    26 July 2025

    Mr Cipollone, the ECB is actively exploring the digital euro, the project was launched in July 2021. What are your arguments in favour of the introduction of a digital currency? Is it just a must, something that is necessary in the era of fast-paced digitalisation and of many alternative payment systems and cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins?

    We definitely think that it’s a must, because we need to solve a fundamental problem.

    Central banks do one fundamental thing: they offer a means of payment to the public. Both for retail, day-to-day transactions, and for the wholesale transactions of banks. At the retail level, we provide cash and we will continue to do so. With cash you can pay throughout the euro area in almost every shop. Paying with cash is one of the fundamental freedoms people have.

    However, cash can not be used for a growing part of our day-to-day transactions: we all shop online, but to do that we cannot use cash. And Europeans increasingly prefer to use digital rather than physical means of payments. Today, there is no equivalent of cash for these transactions and we still do not have a European solution to pay digitally throughout the euro area for all our needs and occasions. As a result, we depend on non-European private payment service providers to perform such a basic activity in our life as paying.

    By issuing a digital euro that has exactly the same functions as cash but is digital, we would allow central banks to provide a means of payment to the public to enable them to pay in those cases where physical cash cannot be used. Essentially, we are preserving people’s freedom to pay with public money: cash would be made available in both physical and digital form. And because the digital euro would be legal tender like banknotes and coins, it would be accepted for any digital payments.

    What is the current situation on the way to the digital euro? How do you see the progress made and are you satisfied with the preparations so far?

    There are two dimensions here.

    The first dimension relates to the technical preparations for the digital euro, which is the responsibility of the ECB and euro area central banks. We are progressing on all technical aspects of the project and we are on schedule.

    The second dimension is the legislative process, which will define the digital euro’s regulatory framework. On this side, progress has also been made but the legislation still needs to be finalised. We hope the legislative process can be completed as soon as possible so that we can reflect the choices of the legislators in the development of the digital euro. At the same time we understand that this is a complex project. Both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU – which brings together the ministers from each country – need to fully understand and take ownership of this process.

    In short, while we hope that things move faster on the legislative side, we are making good progress on the technical side.

    Do you feel political support from the European legislators? What is the mood among the politicians?

    At the summit in March, European leaders clearly stated that “accelerating progress on a digital euro is key,” notably to support a competitive and resilient European payment system and contribute to Europe’s economic security. Some details have yet to be agreed upon and we are dealing with them. But we have the highest possible support, and the Heads of State have told us that we need to go ahead with this. For us this is very strong encouragement to continue.

    But what about the people? Europeans eventually expect that the digital euro will provide the highest standards of quality, security, privacy and usability in payment systems. How is all that achievable in the near future?

    This is what we have been working on since we started the digital euro project in 2021. It is a complex project but we have very capable people both at the ECB and at national central banks. We have been identifying the best technical solutions to ensure the greatest degree of simplicity, speed, security and privacy.

    Let me take the example of privacy. The digital euro will provide the highest level of protection.

    First, people will have the possibility to use the digital euro offline, something that so far no digital payment solution offers. In terms of privacy, this will be as good as cash. Only the payer and the recipient will know about the transaction, and no one else.

    Second, when it comes to privacy for the online use of the digital euro, we at the central bank will only see a code for the payer and the payee. By law, we will not be able to identify the participants to the transaction.

    Let me give you another example. We are working on the technical side to provide the very best user experience and we are designing the system so that it is ready for innovation.

    In particular, we are giving banks and payment service providers the possibility to leverage on the digital euro’s technical platform to develop new services that are not yet available today. For instance, we are exploring conditional payments. As of today, users can only link a payment to time: “Pay this person at this point in time.” But users could decide to make a payment conditional on other events, and this would improve people’s lives.

    Here is an illustration. We are experimenting across Europe, conducting tests with users, start-ups, universities, banks. One of the proposed projects involves buying tickets for trains or planes – currently, if you want to get reimbursed in case of delays, you have to go through a lot of hassle. With the digital euro, it would be possible for the payment to be made only if, say, the train arrives on time. This means that the payment is made only if the service is provided in full.

    On the other hand, we know that many Europeans still love cash. For example, in May this year, the Slovenian Parliament even initiated official proceedings to introduce the right to use cash into our constitution. What is your message to the people who are sceptical about using any form of digital money?

    My answer is simple: you will continue to be able to use physical cash. Cash will always be available and everyone will be able to use it. As I said, we are committed to providing cash to society. And we strongly support the legislative proposal by the European Commission to strengthen the mandatory acceptance of cash.

    Moreover, we are designing a digital euro to be a digital form of cash: simple, free, inclusive, protecting privacy and accepted throughout the euro area. In any case, it will only provide an additional option: we will not force anyone to use it. We are guided by one objective: protecting people’s freedom to decide how to pay.

    What about the very young people, the new generations, who frequently use mobile devices? Will you prepare any solution for them?

    We are testing and analysing user solutions and organising focus groups to see people’s preferences. We are asking people about their priorities and how they would use the digital euro. We want to make sure that the product is simple to use and that everyone can understand it. This is the key point: people don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “I’d love to pay for something” – they pay because they want to buy things. So, payments need to be as simple, fast and as reliable as possible. And because the digital euro will be legal tender, you will know that you have a solution you can use to pay wherever digital payments are accepted, in a simple way, by placing your phone next to the payment device. And that you don’t have to worry whether the shop will accept your card or mobile payment app.

    So is the basic idea that the main instrument for executing digital euro payments will be mobile phones and devices?

    We will also provide physical cards to include people who are technologically less savvy or do not have mobile devices. We want to be as inclusive as possible.

    By the end of this year the ECB’s Governing Council will decide whether to move on to the next phase of preparations. What will be the key considerations taken into account in that crucial decision?

    We will assess where we stand in our technical preparations. At the same time, we will look at the discussion at the political level. We will look at whether the circumstances are developing in favour of issuing the digital euro.

    It seems to me that there are important reasons for us to proceed with the project. Political leaders have expressed strong support and even asked us to accelerate progress. We are also seeing a growing public interest. People are telling us that they will use the digital euro if it is available. People understand the importance of having a digital form of cash in cases where it is not possible to use physical cash or where they prefer to pay digitally.

    Who are the main stakeholders you communicate with?

    We’re engaging with everyone – consumers, merchants, payment service providers, policymakers. We see a lot of support.

    For example, consumers are very interested and ask us to ensure that the digital euro will be simple, free for basic use, inclusive.

    Merchants are also very supportive because having an alternative to international card payments would reduce the high fees they pay for digital payment transactions. So they expect a reduction in costs, and they want to be sure that the digital euro will be easy to integrate with existing payment solutions. We recently had a meeting in Frankfurt with representatives of European merchant associations. Their main request was: do it, do it fast and do it simple!

    Banks and payment service providers understand the importance of strategic autonomy. They want to be reassured that there won’t be excessive deposit outflows from bank accounts to the digital euro. In fact, this is not a big risk because the digital euro, as I said, is intended for payments rather than as a store of value. The digital euro will not be remunerated, so we do not expect people to keep high amounts in their digital euro wallet, and in any case there will be a holding limit. Furthermore, even if people do not have enough funds in their digital euro wallet, they will be able to pay with digital euro through a link to their bank account. So again, there will not be a need to keep high amounts in the digital wallet. We are also discussing with banks how to ensure the use of the digital euro within their IT systems in a cost-effective and less burdensome way, and how they will be compensated for the costs they incur. Banks seem to understand the importance of the project.

    Currently, we are living in a very different world compared with two or three decades ago, when the euro project was designed and then launched into the lives of Europeans in the form of coins and banknotes on 1 January 2002. That was the biggest cash changeover in history. And presumably, we are heading to the euro digital changeover in the near future. When will we be able to pay with the digital euro?

    Technically, we will be ready to launch in the next two-and-a-half to three years after the legislation is in place. So a lot depends on the adoption of the legislation. We cannot finalise the digital euro development until the legislation is adopted.

    So we are talking about the year 2028 or 2029?

    Yes, from 2028 onwards. But it really depends on the legislative process. Just an example to help people understand. We are still discussing whether people will be able to have one or several wallets. Technically, this means a completely different design and a different degree of complexity. We cannot finalise the technical specifications until we know what the legislation requires of us. That is why the current timeline very much depends on the legislation being adopted.

    And should the legislation be adopted only at the EU level or also by the national parliaments?

    No, just at the European level. We need the Council and the Parliament to adopt their positions and sit down together with the Commission to agree on a final text.

    Will the digital euro also be used in the countries that haven’t adopted the euro yet?

    No, the digital euro is for the residents of the euro area and for people who travel to the euro area. If a country that is in the EU but outside of the euro area wants to allow its citizens to use the digital euro, it needs to have an agreement between the ECB and its central bank. For countries outside the EU, an agreement is needed with both the government and the central bank.

    In an interview for Expansión in March this year you pointed out that there is a growing sense of urgency as “the situation outside the euro area is a source of pressure and demands greater consideration of the risks we face in payments as a result of our fragility and our extreme dependence on foreign providers”. What kind of risks do you refer to?

    We are currently in a situation where as many as two-thirds of card payments are processed by non-European companies. When you pay by card, our banking sector and payment service providers pay them fees. In addition, mobile payments are expanding their market share and when you pay with a mobile device, banks are losing fees and data. And we know that stablecoins – which are mostly denominated in dollars – are coming, which could take deposits away from banks. This would be a further step toward a deeper dependency of Europe on foreign providers.

    This dependency is a concern for the central bank, as the resilience of payment systems is one of the mandates of central banks. We want to make sure that Europeans can pay independently of other regions of the world, so that we have the means to lead a normal life even if something happens outside the euro area. Right now, we do not have that certainty.

    Yes, we are facing many new geopolitical and economical challenges, many of them coming from the other side of the Atlantic or from China. Given this new context, how could the digital euro boost EU competitiveness and enhance its strategic autonomy, as you’ve just mentioned?

    What I wish to say is that we should be masters of our own destiny. Regardless of what happens. We wish to fix the problem we have. We have had a common currency for 25 years, but when we wish to use it online, we depend on somebody else. This is a concerning situation. And we need to fix it. Just to give you an example: if we do the digital euro, this means that Europe will have a unified infrastructure and a common standard for payments. Payment service providers are very innovative. For example, in Slovenia you have flik and they tell me that it is a very good solution for paying…

    Yes, it is great for small payments.

    So why cannot flik expand outside Slovenia? It is a good solution and people can use it, but the difficulty is the standards. If you have different standards in different countries, it is very difficult for small companies to expand abroad, even if they are very innovative. It is like having to face different languages. But if you have one single standard, one language in common, it is much easier for you to sell your product. That is what we should care about: creating an environment where our companies can compete, grow and become big.

    In an article you wrote in the economics journal Bancaria, you pointed out that digital payments stand at the intersection of information technology and finance. Could you elaborate a little more on that?

    When we discuss and compare ourselves to the United States in the long run and look at the sectoral composition of productivity, we see that the distance between the United States and us is mainly visible in those two sectors: IT and finance. They both have one fundamental characteristic: economies of scale are key, allowing you to increase your productivity. Our companies cannot grow because they operate in a fragmented market. Even if you invent something in Slovenia in these two sectors, it is very difficult to expand your business abroad because of market fragmentation. And you cannot reap the benefits of your increased activity.

    So we need to ensure that our companies in these two fields can easily expand and take advantage of the EU’s single market. A study by the International Monetary Fund, which has been replicated several times, says that the non-tariff barriers that continue to hamper trade within the EU are equivalent to a tariff of 44% for goods and more than 100% for services. So it is important that those two sectors expand as much as possible in Europe, and to do so we need to address remaining barriers within the Single Market. For those two sectors, finance and IT, and for activities at their intersection – such as digital payments – economies of scale are essential to grow and thrive.

    What is the experience of the countries that have already introduced their digital currencies so far? Could we eventually learn something from them?

    The most advanced digital project so far is the Chinese one. But this is a completely different context in terms of rules, for example, a different level of privacy for digital wallets.

    So we focus on addressing the needs of the euro area and the preferences of Europeans, for instance on privacy. It is also very important that the system is very resilient to fraud – that is of great importance to citizens, and is a point that European consumer organisations have placed particular emphasis on.

    In fact, a number of central banks outside the euro area are looking at the progress we are making and reaching out to learn from our work. We in the euro area have a particular sense of urgency because the fragmentation of our payments landscape along national lines is inconsistent with our monetary union and does not allow to reap the full benefits of the Single Market. A digital euro would unify European payments.

    How do you see the ECB’s latest interest rate decision this Thursday (24 July)? What is the rationale behind it? Could we expect more rate cuts in 2025?

    Inflation is at our 2% target and the economy has proven resilient so far in a challenging global environment, but we still face considerable uncertainty, notably in relation to the trade outlook. Against this background, we have decided to leave rates unchanged.

    Trade disruptions make it harder to assess recent data. In the first quarter, the economy grew more strongly than expected, largely because firms frontloaded exports and capital goods investment ahead of expected tariff hikes. In contrast, private consumption growth moderated and the savings rate increased.

    In September – and later this year – we will have more information, which will feed into revised macroeconomic projections. We will then reassess our stance, in line with our data-dependent and meeting-by-meeting approach. In particular, we will be in a better position to assess the trade situation and look through the volatility generated by frontloading effects. This will allow us to better discern the underlying momentum in the economy and its implications for the inflation outlook.

    For now, we see conflicting signals. Weak consumer confidence points to subdued consumption growth in the short term, while continued uncertainty and the unwinding of frontloading effects could weigh on business investment and exports. At the same time, the labour market has so far remained resilient, even as labour demand weakens, and real incomes are rising even as wage growth gradually moderates. Over time, higher public investment in defence and infrastructure is expected to support economic activity. Overall, we continue to see risks to economic growth as tilted to the downside, but the outlook for inflation is more uncertain than usual. In particular, we will need to see how prices in the euro area are affected by trade disruptions – including their impact on supply chains as well as on trade diversion that is already resulting in higher euro area imports from China.

    After ten rate hikes between September 2022 and September 2023, the ECB has lowered borrowing costs eight (or nine) times since last June. What lessons has the ECB learnt from addressing the inflation in the past four years?

    I can tell you the two key lessons I take from the recent episode. First, when sudden inflationary shocks occur, inflation dynamics may change, because there is so-called non-linearity in the system. Inflation can accelerate very fast, especially because firms tend to change prices much faster than we expected. They take many small steps, but frequently. This acceleration is very important and we must take this non-linearity into account.

    Second, the recent inflation spike has confirmed the benefits of keeping inflation expectations under control. If you are able to anchor inflation expectations to your target level, the system will also adjust to this in a soft way. This way the implications of your monetary policy for the real economy may be less severe once you bring inflation expectations back to your target and you can bring back interest rates to lower levels earlier once the inflationary shock unwinds. Keeping inflation expectations close to our 2% inflation target is very important, and it’s one of the principles that we stressed a few weeks ago in our updated monetary policy strategy.

    In this context: what are the main risks to the euro area inflation outlook? Are they to the upside or to the downside right now and why?

    In our latest forecast, in June, we assessed that these risks are really balanced and are tilted neither to the upside nor to the downside. We now see an additional appreciation of the euro and a slight increase in energy costs. The overall assessment therefore stays the same. At that time, we also saw higher trade tensions and some concerns for the global economic outlook, which has so far been resilient. Overall, it seems to me that the June assessment can be confirmed and that inflation expectations are balanced.

    And finally: what lies ahead for the euro area in the context of rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainties, fractured multilateral rules, Trump’s tariffs, increased defence challenges and spending? How to address all these issues and challenges and what should be the role of the ECB in this more complicated and changed world?

    We have one fundamental mission: price stability. So we take all these factors into account and design the monetary policy to make sure that inflation stays at our target level. Price stability and financial stability create the conditions for people and businesses to take their decisions in a stable context, with as little uncertainty as possible. This is the role of the ECB – to provide, within our mandate, a macroeconomic environment that fosters long-term investment and reduces uncertainty for people when taking decisions. That is our key contribution.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US to send nearly 200 letters to trading partners on tariffs, says Trump

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

    The United States will send close to 200 letters to its trading partners on trade tariffs in the coming days, U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday.

    Speaking to reporters before his departure for the United Kingdom, Trump said, “When that letter goes out, that’s a deal, and we’ll be sending maybe almost 200 of those letters out.”

    The letters will mean “they have a deal. It’s done. They pay that tariff, and that is a contract essentially,” said Trump, claiming that he would keep the tariffs “minimal.”

    The United States has recently sent dozens of letters to trading partners threatening to impose import tariffs starting Aug. 1.

    After the U.S. tariff policy announcement on April 2, the Trump administration has softened its stance on import tariffs over turmoil in financial markets and worries about high inflation risks.

    Many countries have voiced strong opposition to the U.S. unilateral tariff measures.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy on Trump’s College Sports EO: A Shameless Giveaway to NCAA Bosses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 25, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order on college athletics:

    “Trump’s executive order has nothing to do with protecting college sports. This is about protecting the profits of the NCAA bosses, shielding them from antitrust accountability, and weaponizing an NLRB that’s soon to be stuffed with Trump loyalists to block athletes from having a seat at the negotiating table. The multibillion-dollar college sports industry simply would not exist without the labor of college athletes, and it’s a self-serving lie to claim that athletes that dedicate thousands of hours every year training, traveling, and playing are amateurs without the right to unionize and collectively bargain. Trump’s shameless giveaway to the NCAA is bad news for the health, safety, and livelihoods of these athletes and further proof that the only people he’s looking out for are his billionaire buddies.”

    This week, Murphy introduced in the U.S. Senate the College Athlete Right to Organize Act (CARO), legislation to codify the right of college athletes to unionize and collectively bargain for fair compensation and better working conditions. Murphy also introduced the College Athlete Economic Freedom Act  to expand and codify the right of college athletes to be fairly compensated for the use of their Name, Image, and Likeness.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Joins Senate Colleagues in Calling On Administration to Conduct Independent, U.S.-led Investigation Into Death of American Citizen in West Bank

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined 28 of his Senate colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on the Administration to conduct an independent investigation into the death of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, an American citizen recently killed near the West Bank town of Sinjil. The senators pointed to the repeated lack of accountability in the deaths of other American citizens killed in the West Bank since January 2022, including Shireen Abu Akleh, Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee. The senators also asked for an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of these six other Americans.

    “We write with grave concern regarding the brutal killing of a Palestinian-American, Saifullah Kamel Musallet, near the West Bank town of Sinjil, on July 11, 2025. The U.S. government must conduct a credible and independent investigation into his death and hold all perpetrators accountable. Protecting and supporting U.S. citizens abroad is one of the foremost responsibilities of the U.S. government. The United States Government has failed to secure accountability for the killing of respected Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, or any of the other five American citizens – Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee – killed in the West Bank since January 2022. Following the Trump Administration’s sudden revocation of all U.S. sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank, the first five months of 2025 have seen the highest rate of settler attacks in years and the killing of another American. We urge you to pursue a different approach,” wrote the senators.

    “Saifullah Kamal Musallet is the seventh American citizen killed in the West Bank since January 2022 — and the fifth in just the last nineteen months. The killings of these Americans in the West Bank have been met by a lack of accountability from the Netanyahu government and an inability to secure justice by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to incidents where civilians have been killed in the West Bank, including Americans,” they continued.

    “The Netanyahu government has failed to hold anyone accountable for any of these seven killings of Americans and the United States government has failed in its responsibility to protect American citizens overseas and demand justice for their deaths,” the senators noted.

    “It is long past time for the U.S. government to demand accountability in these killings of Americans. To that end, we urge you to immediately launch an independent investigation into the brutal killing of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, including the circumstances that blocked ambulances from reaching him. We also ask that you provide us with an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of the six other Americans who have been killed since January 2022, and provide us with a briefing on actions you are taking to ensure accountability for their deaths and to prevent future killings of Americans in the West Bank,” the senators closed.

    U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Ben Lujan (D-N.M.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) also signed the letter.

    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below.

    Dear Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi,

    We write with grave concern regarding the brutal killing of a Palestinian-American, Saifullah Kamel Musallet, near the West Bank town of Sinjil, on July 11, 2025. The U.S. government must conduct a credible and independent investigation into his death and hold all perpetrators accountable. Protecting and supporting U.S. citizens abroad is one of the foremost responsibilities of the U.S. government. The United States Government has failed to secure accountability for the killing of respected Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, or any of the other five American citizens – Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee – killed in the West Bank since January 2022. Following the Trump Administration’s sudden revocation of all U.S. sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank, the first five months of 2025 have seen the highest rate of settler attacks in years and the killing of another American. We urge you to pursue a different approach.

    Saifullah Kamal Musallet is the seventh American citizen killed in the West Bank since January 2022 — and the fifth in just the last nineteen months. The killings of these Americans in the West Bank have been met by a lack of accountability from the Netanyahu government and an inability to secure justice by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to incidents where civilians have been killed in the West Bank, including Americans.

    Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Florida, was visiting family in the West Bank when he was beaten to death by extremist Israeli settlers during a settler attack on the town of Sinjil. Reports indicate that ambulances could not reach the injured for more than two hours, with eyewitness accounts stating that settlers and Israeli forces impeded ambulance access. In April of this year, a 14-year-old boy from New Jersey, Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee, was also killed in the West Bank. Amer was reportedly shot at the entrance to Turmus Ayya by Israeli security forces. Reports suggest that Amer was shot a total of 11 times and two other Americans were also shot in the incident.

    Last year, three other U.S. citizens were killed in the West Bank, including two teenagers. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour were both 17-year-old U.S. citizens visiting their families in the West Bank when they were shot and killed in separate incidents. In both cases they were shot in the head while they were traveling in vehicles. The third U.S. citizen killed in the West Bank last year was Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old American citizen raised in Seattle who, according to reports, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier from a distance of 200 meters.

    The Netanyahu government has failed to hold anyone accountable for any of these seven killings of Americans and the United States government has failed in its responsibility to protect American citizens overseas and demand justice for their deaths.

    It is long past time for the U.S. government to demand accountability in these killings of Americans. To that end, we urge you to immediately launch an independent investigation into the brutal killing of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, including the circumstances that blocked ambulances from reaching him. We also ask that you provide us with an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of the six other Americans who have been killed since January 2022, and provide us with a briefing on actions you are taking to ensure accountability for their deaths and to prevent future killings of Americans in the West Bank.

    We respectfully ask for a response within two weeks.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Cortez Masto Successfully Push Trump Admin to Release Nearly $7 Billion in K-12 Education Funding, Including for Nevada

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) announced that, following their push, the Trump Administration has released nearly $7 billion in K-12 education funding that had been abruptly frozen by the U.S. Department of Education. This funding includes nearly $60 million for Nevada schools, which were needed to fund after-school programs, English language instruction, special education, and teacher training. 
    “Our schools depend on federal resources to support students, train teachers, and maintain critical services,” said Senator Rosen. “This critical education funding was approved by both parties and should never have been withheld by the Trump Administration. I’m proud to have successfully fought back against this harmful freeze and ensure these funds are back in our classrooms where they belong.”
    “President Trump’s decision to withhold $60 million in critical funding for Nevada’s schools was reckless and cruel,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I am glad that the administration listened to our demands to release the funds that our classrooms rely on. I will continue to work with Senator Rosen to prevent Trump chaos from wreaking havoc on our education system and hurting kids in the Silver State.”
    Senator Rosen and Cortez Masto have been staunch advocates for Nevada’s schools and students. Both Senators have called out President Trump for his attempts to destabilize public education nationwide by shuttering the Department of Education, and Senator Rosen  joined an amicus brief opposing the Trump administration’s unconstitutional effort. Senator Rosen has also helped introduce legislation, cosponsored by Senator Cortez Masto, to fully fund special education programs—ensuring Nevada’s students with disabilities receive the support and resources they need to thrive in school.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray, Commerce Director Nguyễn, WA Clean Energy and Business Leaders Highlight How Clean Energy Cuts in Republican Law Will Raise Energy Costs, Kill Jobs in WA State

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Elimination of clean energy tax credits in Republican legislation recently signed into law could cost WA over $8.7 billion, raise household electricity costs by 12 percent; cost 21,800 jobs in Washington state

    ***WATCH FULL EVENT HERE; PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE***

    Washington, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion at the Seattle City Light Denny Substation in downtown Seattle with Washington State Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn and labor, clean energy, and business leaders to discuss how cuts to critical clean energy tax credits in President Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act—which was recently signed into law—will raise energy prices for Washington state households, kill thousands of clean energy jobs, and put billions of dollars in new investments for Washington state projects at risk.

    Joining Senator Murray for the event were Joe Nguyễn, Director, Washington Department of Commerce; Dawn Lindell, CEO of Seattle City Light; Christine Reid, Political Director for IBEW 77; Gregg Small, Executive Director of Climate Solutions; and Brandon Provalenko, General Manager of Western Solar in Bellingham.

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act rapidly phases out critical clean energy tax credits that Democrats passed in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and will slow the construction of solar, wind, and battery projects, which made up over 90 percent of new electricity connected to the grid last year. So far in Washington state, the clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act have generated at least $978 million in new private-led investment across seven energy manufacturing facilities in the state. $8.75 billion in outstanding investments to 27 facilities in Washington are at risk under the cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The U.S. Climate Alliance estimates 21,800 Washingtonians will lose their jobs by 2030 due to the reconciliation bill’s cuts to clean energy and manufacturing tax credits, and Washington households will face a $115 annual increase in their energy bills by 2029. The legislation threatens Washington’s energy security and electric grid reliability by stifling renewable energy development at a time of soaring electricity demand. A one-pager from Energy Innovation on how the energy provisions in the Republican bill will affect Washington state is HERE.

    “The fact is, we need clean and renewable energy now more than ever. It’s critical to secure our grid, tackle the climate crisis—and lower costs! That’s why I worked hard to secure clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. Then, Trump and Republicans came in like a wrecking ball—with truly shortsighted and destructive cuts. The harm to our clean energy sector is really immense,” Senator Murray said. “It’s an uphill battle to reverse so much damage, but I am not going to stop fighting. Everyone should know, Trump and Republicans are trying to make even more cuts to clean energy right now in our government funding bills. I’m using every bit of leverage I have as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee to fight back and reject these cuts. And I’m using my voice—and urging everyone to use theirs as well—to shine a spotlight on what these shortsighted, damaging policy changes mean for businesses and families.”

    “This is an attack on Washington’s workers, our economy, and our values. It threatens the jobs we’ve built, makes energy more expensive for families, and puts our competitiveness at risk. These tax credits have brought real investment and real savings to communities across our state. Gutting them now would do real damage — and Washington won’t stand by and let it happen,” said Joe Nguyễn, Director for the Washington Department of Commerce.

    “The passing of the Reconciliation Bill directly impacts City Light and its customers by removing critical clean energy tax credits and incentives necessary for public and private investment in new renewable energy and energy efficiency projects,” said Dawn Lindell, General Manager and CEO, Seattle City Light. “It strips away essential support needed to keep pace with load growth forecasts. Every new megawatt of generation we add will cost significantly more than our current energy portfolio. These are costs that we must now pass on to our customers in the electric rates.”

    “At a time when we have rapidly rising energy costs and increased needs for power due largely to AI and data centers, we need more energy than ever,” said Gregg Small, Executive Director of Climate Solutions. “Renewables like solar and wind and batteries are the cheapest and fastest energy that we can build. We need to double down and accelerate the building of these resilient power sources. The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress’ policies do the exact opposite, increasing energy costs for everybody and making it much more likely we will have blackouts at critical times.”

    “IBEW 77’s highly trained workforce stands ready to meet the clean energy challenge of the future. Our members—experienced in every facet of utility work, from generation, transmission, safe delivery, and all of the critical supporting classifications—have the skills, adaptability, and drive to build and maintain the advanced energy infrastructure our communities need. But the reduction in clean energy projects threatens this progress. When projects stall, it’s not just jobs at risk—it’s the pace of innovation and the reliability of our energy system that suffers. Our union believes we need to keep building. Investing in clean energy isn’t about today’s economy alone; it’s laying the foundation for a safer, more resilient, and more sustainable future,” said Christine Reid, Political Director for IBEW 77.IBEW 77 is one of the largest outside utility locals in the country, representing about 8,800 members across 34 Washington counties, Northern Idaho, and parts of Montana. Overall, IBEW represents over 20,000 workers in WA state alone. “Our members are on the front lines of energy infrastructure, ensuring the lights stay on and our communities remain connected and safe. In short, these cuts make it harder for new workers to enter the field and for the industry. Our IBEW members are trained and ready to build. We need to build now.”

    “This bill will accelerate rising energy costs across Washington, every household and business will feel it in their utility bills,” said Brandon Provalenko, General Manager of Western Solar in Bellingham and a member of the Washington Solar Energy Industries Association (WASEIA). “Fewer families will go solar, fewer small businesses will reduce or eliminate their bills, and we’ll face a slower, more expensive path to producing the power we need to meet our state’s growing energy demand. That’s the wrong direction, especially when solar and storage remain the fastest, cleanest, and most cost-effective solution on the table.”

    The cuts to clean energy tax credits in the legislation come at the same time as Trump and the Department of Energy’s decision to illegally cut investments provided by Congress to support the research and development of wind and solar energy, in defiance of legislation President Trump himself signed into law in March. In fiscal year 2024, Congress provided $137 million for the Department of Energy to support wind energy initiatives and provided $318 million to support solar energy. The fiscal year 2025 full-year CR that House Republicans wrote, and President Trump signed into law continued these fiscal year 2024 funding levels. But in a spend plan made public by DOE, the Trump administration revealed it is steering hundreds of millions of dollars designated by Congress to support wind and solar energy to other, favored industries—jeopardizing critical progress and ceding ground on key energy solutions of the future—among other harmful cuts. Instead of funding wind energy initiatives at $137 million, the administration is funding them at $29.8 million (a 78 percent cut), and instead of funding solar initiatives at $318 million, it is funding them at $41.9 million (an 87 percent cut).

    Senator Murray has held constant recent events—including multiple events in Washington state—to sound the alarm on Republicans’ devastating reconciliation bill and encourage constituents to raise their voices and call on their Members of Congress to oppose the legislation. Senator Murray and Democrats forced Republicans to take dozens of tough votes over a nonstop 30-hour “vote-a-rama,” which came after Democrats forced a full reading of every word of Republicans’ 940-page bill. Senator Murray spoke repeatedly on the Senate floor during debate over the bill, laying out in detail the harm the legislation would cause. Senator Murray also spoke out repeatedly on the Senate floor against Republicans’ use of a depictive so-called “current policy baseline” to hide the true cost of their deficit-busting tax cuts for billionaires.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Smith Calls for Humanitarian Aid into Gaza

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adam Smith (9th District of Washington)

    “Israel must take immediate action and work with all possible humanitarian aid organizations to rush critically needed food and other supplies to the people in Gaza. The level of the crisis there demands emergency action. Israel’s new arrangement on delivering aid simply is not working. Israel must take all possible steps to facilitate a surge of aid into Gaza. Additionally, the United Nations and other international aid organizations must work with Israel to resolve their differences and work together so all parties can maximize the capacity of humanitarian efforts. 

    “It is unconscionable that Hamas continues to block a negotiated ceasefire, refusing both to surrender their illegitimate power in Gaza and to release the hostages that should never have been taken in the first place. It is also unconscionable that Hamas siphons off critically needed food and supplies intended for the people of Gaza and uses it instead to prop up their terrorist organization, while at the same time fighting their war against Israel by embedding themselves into the civilian population.

    “But given all of this, right now it falls to Israel to take the steps necessary to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe facing the civilian population in Gaza. I urge President Trump and his administration to work with Israel to implement a ceasefire and dramatically increase the flow of aid into Gaza. I believe we can both continue to support Israel in their effort to defend themselves against Hamas, Iran and others in the region who continue in their efforts to attack and destroy Israel, and work immediately to relieve the suffering of the people in Gaza.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kamlager-Dove Statement on Dire Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)

    WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove released the following statement on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza:

    “I am horrified by the escalating food and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the civilian population is facing starvation and over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access aid in recent months. 

    “Following the Netanyahu government’s decision to lift its aid blockade on Gaza in late May, it quickly became evident that the new Trump-backed aid distribution model is costing innocent lives, not saving them. While the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation may have been established to address concerns about aid diversion, reducing the number of aid distribution sites from 400 to four—and restricting essential assistance like medicine and malnutrition treatment—has only exacerbated the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

    “Let me be clear: food must never be weaponized. The current aid distribution model cannot meet the growing needs of Palestinian civilians. The U.S. must support a humanitarian aid delivery system that adheres to international standards and ensures Palestinian civilians receive the lifesaving assistance they need. 

    “Trump cannot claim to be the ‘President of Peace’ if this humanitarian catastrophe only continues to worsen on his watch. For the sake of both the U.S. and Israel’s national security—and our collective humanity—Trump must prioritize securing a ceasefire to end this horrific war, return the hostages, stop the suffering of the Palestinian people, and establish a pathway to lasting peace in the region.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley to Introduce Legislation Sending Rebate Check to Every Working American

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Friday, July 25, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will introduce legislation to send a rebate check to every working American. President Trump voiced support for this policy as recently as this morning when he discussed record-breaking tariff revenue.

    “Working people need relief now,” Senator Hawley tweeted. “They’ve earned it. Let’s return their money to them asap.”

    Senator Hawley has long advocated for working Americans and has introduced legislation to protect unionized blue-collar workers. Senator Hawley also successfully fought to include direct payments in COVID-19 relief packages during the pandemic. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Van Hollen, 28 Senators Call on Administration to Conduct Independent, U.S.-Led Investigation into Death of American Citizen in West Bank

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    The Senators wrote, “We write with grave concern regarding the brutal killing of a Palestinian-American, Saifullah Kamel Musallet, near the West Bank town of Sinjil, on July 11, 2025. The U.S. government must conduct a credible and independent investigation into his death and hold all perpetrators accountable. Protecting and supporting U.S. citizens abroad is one of the foremost responsibilities of the U.S. government. The United States Government has failed to secure accountability for the killing of respected Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, or any of the other five American citizens – Omar Assad, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, and Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee – killed in the West Bank since January 2022. Following the Trump Administration’s sudden revocation of all U.S. sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank, the first five months of 2025 have seen the highest rate of settler attacks in years and the killing of another American. We urge you to pursue a different approach.”

    “Saifullah Kamal Musallet is the seventh American citizen killed in the West Bank since January 2022 — and the fifth in just the last nineteen months. The killings of these Americans in the West Bank have been met by a lack of accountability from the Netanyahu government and an inability to secure justice by the U.S. government. These failures have contributed to an unacceptable culture of impunity when it comes to incidents where civilians have been killed in the West Bank, including Americans,” they continue.

    The Senators note, “The Netanyahu government has failed to hold anyone accountable for any of these seven killings of Americans and the United States government has failed in its responsibility to protect American citizens overseas and demand justice for their deaths.”

    “It is long past time for the U.S. government to demand accountability in these killings of Americans. To that end, we urge you to immediately launch an independent investigation into the brutal killing of Saifullah Kamel Musallet, including the circumstances that blocked ambulances from reaching him. We also ask that you provide us with an update on the status of any investigations into the killings of the six other Americans who have been killed since January 2022, and provide us with a briefing on actions you are taking to ensure accountability for their deaths and to prevent future killings of Americans in the West Bank,” the Senators close.

    In addition to Senators Booker and Van Hollen, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elzabeth Warren (D-MA), Marie Cantwell (D-WA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

    To read the full text of the letter, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Secures District Court Decision Reaffirming Nationwide Injunction in Birthright Citizenship Lawsuit

    Source: US State of California

    Friday, July 25, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    Ruling follows SCOTUS decision sending consideration of nationwide injunction back to lower courts 

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s decision confirming the nationwide scope of its preliminary injunction in the multistate lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order seeking to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. The court concluded that “no workable, narrower alternative to the injunction issued originally would provide complete relief to the plaintiffs in this case.”

    “Today’s decision leaves in place a nationwide injunction in our lawsuit challenging the President’s executive order attempting to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship while litigation continues,” said Attorney General Bonta. “It also reaffirms what we’ve argued from the start: Our states are harmed if those born in the United States are deprived of the right to citizenship. And it is unrealistic and infeasible to recognize the citizenship of those born in some states, but not others. We are pleased that the district court agreed. We will continue to fight to make sure this unconstitutional, anti-American executive order is blocked for good.”

    A copy of the court’s decision is available here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lawmakers Across Political Spectrum Warn Trump’s K-12 Funding Freeze is Already Harming Students and Schools Nationwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Lawmakers, school districts, state leaders, and attorneys general are all sounding the alarm that President Trump’s unconstitutional withholding of $6.8 billion – including about $30 million for Rhode Island — in federal funds that Congress appropriated for K-12 education programs is harming students, teachers, and public schools nationwide.

    Despite a July 1 disbursement date enshrined in federal law, President Trump is withholding key federal K-12 funds for states and local school districts under the auspicious guise of an “ongoing programmatic review.” Trump’s abrupt freeze of this critical public school funding and adult education investment came just ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s six Republican-appointed justices clearing the way for the downsizing of the U.S. Department of Education at President Trump’s behest.

    U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) recently called on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to release the $6.8 billion in funds for K-12 schools that the Trump Administration is withholding. Yesterday, ten Senate Republicans backed that call by sending a letter urging the Trump Administration to change course to avoid disrupting essential school services, such as summer instruction, teacher training, and after-school programs, as well as adult education programs that are critical to success in the workplace.

    Attorneys General from 24 states — including Rhode Island — are also pushing back against President Trump’s efforts to undermine public schools by filing a lawsuit describing the freeze on funds as both unconstitutional and “debilitating” to states just weeks ahead of a new school year.

    Due to the budget uncertainty caused by President Trump’s war on public education, officials have noted that some statewide education programs have already been forced to close their doors completely due to the loss of funds. Both Democratic and Republican Governors and state education chiefs in Arizona, Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and more have rebuked Trump’s education funding freeze.

    “President Trump is needlessly causing budgetary chaos and making it harder for public schools to budget for the coming academic year. Furthermore, he taking away opportunities for working class people to build their skills, advance economically, and meet employers’ needs. I appreciate my ten Republican colleagues speaking up, but frankly, more Republicans should actively oppose this unconstitutional impoundment. School districts responsibly budgeted months in advance and now President Trump is needlessly making it harder for them to hire, support, and retain good teachers. Schools are now left scrambling through no fault of their own and forced into difficult staffing and programmatic cuts,” said Senator Reed.

    Reed also noted: “In addition to freezing these funds and dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, Trump’s 2026 budget proposal would cut federal education funding by 15 percent. It would cut off opportunities for students and set back America’s future workforce. President Trump allocated so much money to tax windfalls for billionaires that he is now trying to shortchange K-12 students.”

    According to an analysis from New America: “The 100 school districts that would see the worst losses per pupil are heavily concentrated in Republican-represented Congressional districts (91, compared with nine in Democrat-represented Congressional districts).”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Senators Call on Netanyahu to Immediately Change Course in Gaza

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), Ranking Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), and Ranking State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriator Brian Schatz (D-HI) released the following joint statement urging the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza:

    “Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling and unconscionable. This week, more than 100 NGOs—including Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam—warned of mass starvation spreading across Gaza. Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nearly 3-month blockade of humanitarian assistance, three-quarters of the population is facing emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger.

    “The handful of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of this starving population. Widespread problems have made GHF aid delivery chaotic and dangerous, leading to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. Yet the Trump Administration recently approved $30 million for GHF, overriding established procedures and waiving consultation with Congress.

    “While some established humanitarian organizations have been allowed to resume very limited operations, a number of restrictions and security challenges prevent them from fully functioning. To make matters worse, this week’s expansion of Israel’s military operation into central Gaza for the first time in the conflict has put at risk these few remaining operations. Moreover, the UN estimates that nearly 88 percent of Gaza is no longer accessible to civilians, leaving approximately two million people confined to a troublingly small remaining area.

    “Meanwhile, hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, including American citizens, and three out of four Israelis are calling for an end to this war. Last September, the IDF assessed that Hamas had been largely defeated militarily from its peak strength when it heinously attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and is now effectively a “guerilla terror group.” As we know from our own experience following the attacks of September 11, 2001, there is no solely military solution to defeating a terrorist group. Continuing this war with no discernable end is not in Israel’s national security interest, and the lack of a viable “day after” plan has been a glaring mistake.

    “We call on the Trump Administration to use its considerable leverage to press Prime Minister Netanyahu to:

    • Reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that releases the hostages as soon as possible.
    • Support a surge in humanitarian assistance that provides both a sufficient amount of humanitarian aid and credible mechanisms for effective distribution, including the verification and monitoring of assistance to ensure equitable distribution and to prevent Hamas from diverting assistance. Established humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme have the experience and ability to renew their delivery of assistance without civil unrest. We must allow them to do their jobs.
    • Dramatically reform or shut down the Gaza Humanitarian Fund and resume support for the existing UN-led aid coordination mechanisms in Gaza with enhanced oversight to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need.
    • Establish a “day after” plan for Gaza where Hamas does not retain power, Israel disavows annexation of the West Bank and further integrates into the region, a reformed Palestinian Authority is fostered and empowered, and regional partners are included in rebuilding.
    • Create a framework for a viable path back to a two-state solution that will allow the Israeli and Palestinian people to live side by side in security, dignity, and prosperity.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 25th, 2025 After Republicans’ Cuts Threaten Rural Healthcare, Heinrich & Luján Demand Transparency on Trump Administration’s Inadequate Rural Health Slush Fund & Backroom Deals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with 12 of their Democratic colleagues, to demand accountability from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on how the rural health slush fund will be distributed to states and what guidance will be considered in this decision:

    In a letter to Mehmet Oz, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Senators demanded clarity on how the rural health slush fund will be distributed across the country. Earlier this month, Senate Republicans passed their “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” which delivered devastating cuts to the U.S. health care system – slashing funding by over $1 trillion dollars, the largest cut to healthcare in history. To try and cover up the damage of these cuts, they included a $50 billion rural health slush fund. However, this temporary fund only accounts for 5 percent of the cuts, which will have devastating, irreversible impacts. Perhaps even more alarming is the potentially blatant political distribution of this fund, underscoring the importance of accountability as to how CMS plans to award this money to states.

    “We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal. In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims. As states, patients, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers brace for devastating cuts, we urge you to provide straightforward, detailed answers on how you plan to administer these funds,” the Senators wrote. “Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members’ votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the Big, Ugly Betrayal. Several Members of Congress have already touted your promises about the funding their states and districts will receive from the rural health slush fund.”

    Moreover, there are many questions about how the funds will be distributed. Shortly after the passage of the “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” Republican Senators took to “X” (formerly known as Twitter) to celebrate specific money for their states to support rural hospitals. Senator Britt (R-AL) tweeted: “the Senate just amended the Big Beautiful Bill to invest over $500M in Alabama’s rural hospitals.” Senator Husted (R-OH) said: “I’m proud to have secured $1.3 billion in funding for rural hospitals across Ohio—because every Ohioan deserves access to quality care close to home.” Senator Cassidy (R-LA) even noted an inequity, tweeting: “We secured a $50 billion fund to support rural hospitals. Louisiana is set to receive about 2% of that money, despite having only 1% of the U.S. population—a double share.” Since CMS has yet to release the criteria for how the funding will be awarded, there are questions about if this slush fund constituted a political pay-off.

    Additionally, the Senators noted the hasty and ill-conceived wording of the fund, which leaves it open to abuse, fraud, and re-appropriation.

    “Not only does the Republican rural health slush fund provide a meager amount of funding that fails to plug the $1 trillion hole caused by the Big, Ugly Betrayal, the fund is drafted in such a vague and open-ended manner that it is not even guaranteed to support rural health care. States are not required to use this funding to support rural hospitals or other rural health care providers. In fact, states can use funds to pay any health care providers, support technology-driven efforts like wearable devices, or fund unproven models of care that have nothing to do with rural health,” the Senators continued. “Further, there are no parameters outlined in the legislative language for how CMS should award, distribute, or rescind funding from the rural health slush fund, making it even more susceptible to abuse.”

    To combat this apparent political giveaway, the Senators demanded answers on several questions, including:

    • When will CMS provide guidance to states on criteria for an application?
    • Will they commit to clear defined criteria before distributing these funds, and an appeals process related to funding award decisions?
    • Will CMS prioritize rural providers receiving these funding awards?
    • How will CMS define proper vs improper use of funds and accountability for how CMS will hold states accountable for improper use?
    • What states/districts has the Trump administration already promised funding to?

    In addition to Heinrich, Luján, Schumer, and Wyden, other Senators who signed on to the letter include Senators Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Durbin (D-Ill.), Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kim (D-N.J.), Markey (D-Mass.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Padilla (D-Calif.), Sanders (I-Vt.), Smith (D-Minn.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Warren (D-Mass.).

    The full text of the letter can be seen here and below.

    Dear Administrator Oz:

    As you know, the Republican reconciliation bill cuts funding to the U.S. health care system by over $1 trillion, and will devastate communities nationwide, with disproportionate, negative impacts on health care access in rural America. To cover up the harms of these catastrophic cuts, Trump and Republicans stood up a temporary $50 billion rural health slush fund. This meager investment amounts to just five percent of the Big, Ugly Betrayal’s largest health care cuts in history.

    We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal. In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims. As states, patients, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers brace for devastating cuts, we urge you to provide straightforward, detailed answers on how you plan to administer these funds.

    Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members’ votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the reconciliation bill. Several Members of Congress have already touted your promises about the funding their states and districts will receive from the rural health slush fund. Before the Big, Ugly Betrayal was even signed into law, Senator Husted celebrated the $1.3 billion he claims is promised to rural hospitals in Ohio, and Senator Hawley said the bill will give $1 billion to rural hospitals in Missouri.

    Other reports suggest you promised to send funding from the rural health slush fund to districts in Pennsylvania that are not even rural. The Trump Administration’s explanation that this fund can and will be used for more than rural areas was a key fact that swayed Republicans to vote for the bill. The rural health slush fund appears to be nothing more than a political parachute to pay off members of Congress for their unpopular votes.

    Rural communities will suffer greatly because of the health care cuts enacted in the Republican reconciliation bill. One-third of all rural hospitals are already at risk of closing, and the bill will force over 330 rural hospitals to reduce service lines, convert to other types of hospitals with fewer services, or close altogether. The Big, Ugly Betrayal makes no meaningful investments in rural hospitals, rural health centers, and other rural health care providers, which have some of the most fragile operating margins in the nation, and often are the largest employers and economic engines of their communities.

    Not only does the Republican rural health slush fund provide a meager amount of funding that fails to plug the $1 trillion hole caused by the reconciliation bill, the fund is drafted in such a vague and open-ended manner that it is not even guaranteed to support rural health care. States are not required to use this funding to support rural hospitals or other rural health care providers. In fact, states can use funds to pay any health care providers, support technology-driven efforts like wearable devices, or fund unproven models of care that have nothing to do with rural health.

    Further, there are no parameters outlined in the legislative language for how CMS should award, distribute, or rescind funding from the rural health slush fund, making it even more susceptible to abuse. There is no clear definition of an appropriate state application for the rural health slush fund, CMS is not required to follow a clear formula for distribution of funds, and there are no guardrails on how CMS should claw back funding from states in cases of inappropriate use. Without more clarity, this rural health slush fund is vulnerable to the very abuse of taxpayer spending that Republicans purport to care about.

    To provide states, rural hospitals, and other health care providers clarity on the available use of funding from the rural health slush fund in advance of the December 31, 2025 deadline for CMS to approve or deny state applications, we request that you provide a staff-level briefing on the parameters of this fund as well as detailed, written responses to the following questions by August 15, 2025:

    1. When will CMS provide states with guidance on the components that should be included in an appropriate state application for funding from the fund?

    a) Will CMS provide guidance to states on applications for use of funds that are required to be distributed equally among states with an approved application?

    b) Will CMS provide guidance to states on applications for use of funds that are not required to be distributed equally among states?

    2. What percentage of program funding will CMS allocate to rural health care providers?

    a) How will CMS ensure that states use this federal funding to benefit rural hospitals and other health care facilities, providers, and patients?

    b) What is the breakdown of funding that CMS anticipates allocating across the different categories of eligible providers?

    c) How will CMS make sure that states use the funds for purposes that support the financial viability of rural hospitals and other health care providers, including by providing funding to address high fixed costs and low volumes, improve health care workforce retention and recruitment in rural areas, and replace aging infrastructure?

    3. The Big, Ugly Betrayal outlines several metrics that CMS may consider when distributing funding to states. How will CMS apply these metrics—the number of people who live in rural communities, the number of rural health facilities in a state, and the number of Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) in a state—when distributing funding to states?

    4. Will CMS commit to make the formula for awarding and distributing funds to states public before making any commitments to states and before formally distributing funding?

    5. Will CMS commit to creating a public website outlining state applicants for funding, the funding formula and criteria for distributing funds, and approved state applications?

    6. How will CMS define and determine improper uses of funding? How will CMS monitor funds to ensure appropriate spending and use?

    7. Will CMS commit to establishing an appeals process for states to provide an opportunity to contest decisions made on award, distribution and/or clawback of funding?

    8. Given the ongoing hiring freeze at CMS, it appears that the agency cannot hire more people to distribute this funding. How will CMS use the $200 million in implementation funding tied to the rural health slush fund?

    a)Will CMS hire a third party to administer this fund?

    b) If yes, has CMS already committed to a hire a specific third party to administer this fund and, if so, which vendor?

    9. What other states or districts have Trump Administration officials already promised funding from the rural health slush fund to? Which states and districts have received this promised funding?

    While this taxpayer-supported rural health slush fund is wholly insufficient to plug the massive hole created by the Big, Ugly Betrayal including the 15 million people expected to lose insurance coverage, it is critical that CMS move with urgency to provide clarity to rural communities, states, hospitals, and other health care providers about the fund. We look forward to your prompt response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 25th, 2025 After Republicans’ Cuts Threaten Rural Healthcare, Heinrich & Luján Demand Transparency on Trump Administration’s Inadequate Rural Health Slush Fund & Backroom Deals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with 12 of their Democratic colleagues, to demand accountability from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on how the rural health slush fund will be distributed to states and what guidance will be considered in this decision:
    In a letter to Mehmet Oz, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Senators demanded clarity on how the rural health slush fund will be distributed across the country. Earlier this month, Senate Republicans passed their “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” which delivered devastating cuts to the U.S. health care system – slashing funding by over $1 trillion dollars, the largest cut to healthcare in history. To try and cover up the damage of these cuts, they included a $50 billion rural health slush fund. However, this temporary fund only accounts for 5 percent of the cuts, which will have devastating, irreversible impacts. Perhaps even more alarming is the potentially blatant political distribution of this fund, underscoring the importance of accountability as to how CMS plans to award this money to states.
    “We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal. In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims. As states, patients, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers brace for devastating cuts, we urge you to provide straightforward, detailed answers on how you plan to administer these funds,” the Senators wrote. “Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members’ votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the Big, Ugly Betrayal. Several Members of Congress have already touted your promises about the funding their states and districts will receive from the rural health slush fund.”
    Moreover, there are many questions about how the funds will be distributed. Shortly after the passage of the “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” Republican Senators took to “X” (formerly known as Twitter) to celebrate specific money for their states to support rural hospitals. Senator Britt (R-AL) tweeted: “the Senate just amended the Big Beautiful Bill to invest over $500M in Alabama’s rural hospitals.” Senator Husted (R-OH) said: “I’m proud to have secured $1.3 billion in funding for rural hospitals across Ohio—because every Ohioan deserves access to quality care close to home.” Senator Cassidy (R-LA) even noted an inequity, tweeting: “We secured a $50 billion fund to support rural hospitals. Louisiana is set to receive about 2% of that money, despite having only 1% of the U.S. population—a double share.” Since CMS has yet to release the criteria for how the funding will be awarded, there are questions about if this slush fund constituted a political pay-off.
    Additionally, the Senators noted the hasty and ill-conceived wording of the fund, which leaves it open to abuse, fraud, and re-appropriation.
    “Not only does the Republican rural health slush fund provide a meager amount of funding that fails to plug the $1 trillion hole caused by the Big, Ugly Betrayal, the fund is drafted in such a vague and open-ended manner that it is not even guaranteed to support rural health care. States are not required to use this funding to support rural hospitals or other rural health care providers. In fact, states can use funds to pay any health care providers, support technology-driven efforts like wearable devices, or fund unproven models of care that have nothing to do with rural health,” the Senators continued. “Further, there are no parameters outlined in the legislative language for how CMS should award, distribute, or rescind funding from the rural health slush fund, making it even more susceptible to abuse.”
    To combat this apparent political giveaway, the Senators demanded answers on several questions, including:
    When will CMS provide guidance to states on criteria for an application?
    Will they commit to clear defined criteria before distributing these funds, and an appeals process related to funding award decisions?
    Will CMS prioritize rural providers receiving these funding awards?
    How will CMS define proper vs improper use of funds and accountability for how CMS will hold states accountable for improper use?
    What states/districts has the Trump administration already promised funding to?
    In addition to Heinrich, Luján, Schumer, and Wyden, other Senators who signed on to the letter include Senators Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Durbin (D-Ill.), Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kim (D-N.J.), Markey (D-Mass.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Padilla (D-Calif.), Sanders (I-Vt.), Smith (D-Minn.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Warren (D-Mass.).
    The full text of the letter can be seen here and below.
    Dear Administrator Oz:
    As you know, the Republican reconciliation bill cuts funding to the U.S. health care system by over $1 trillion, and will devastate communities nationwide, with disproportionate, negative impacts on health care access in rural America. To cover up the harms of these catastrophic cuts, Trump and Republicans stood up a temporary $50 billion rural health slush fund. This meager investment amounts to just five percent of the Big, Ugly Betrayal’s largest health care cuts in history.
    We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal. In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims. As states, patients, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers brace for devastating cuts, we urge you to provide straightforward, detailed answers on how you plan to administer these funds.
    Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members’ votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the reconciliation bill. Several Members of Congress have already touted your promises about the funding their states and districts will receive from the rural health slush fund. Before the Big, Ugly Betrayal was even signed into law, Senator Husted celebrated the $1.3 billion he claims is promised to rural hospitals in Ohio, and Senator Hawley said the bill will give $1 billion to rural hospitals in Missouri.
    Other reports suggest you promised to send funding from the rural health slush fund to districts in Pennsylvania that are not even rural. The Trump Administration’s explanation that this fund can and will be used for more than rural areas was a key fact that swayed Republicans to vote for the bill. The rural health slush fund appears to be nothing more than a political parachute to pay off members of Congress for their unpopular votes.
    Rural communities will suffer greatly because of the health care cuts enacted in the Republican reconciliation bill. One-third of all rural hospitals are already at risk of closing, and the bill will force over 330 rural hospitals to reduce service lines, convert to other types of hospitals with fewer services, or close altogether. The Big, Ugly Betrayal makes no meaningful investments in rural hospitals, rural health centers, and other rural health care providers, which have some of the most fragile operating margins in the nation, and often are the largest employers and economic engines of their communities.
    Not only does the Republican rural health slush fund provide a meager amount of funding that fails to plug the $1 trillion hole caused by the reconciliation bill, the fund is drafted in such a vague and open-ended manner that it is not even guaranteed to support rural health care. States are not required to use this funding to support rural hospitals or other rural health care providers. In fact, states can use funds to pay any health care providers, support technology-driven efforts like wearable devices, or fund unproven models of care that have nothing to do with rural health.
    Further, there are no parameters outlined in the legislative language for how CMS should award, distribute, or rescind funding from the rural health slush fund, making it even more susceptible to abuse. There is no clear definition of an appropriate state application for the rural health slush fund, CMS is not required to follow a clear formula for distribution of funds, and there are no guardrails on how CMS should claw back funding from states in cases of inappropriate use. Without more clarity, this rural health slush fund is vulnerable to the very abuse of taxpayer spending that Republicans purport to care about.
    To provide states, rural hospitals, and other health care providers clarity on the available use of funding from the rural health slush fund in advance of the December 31, 2025 deadline for CMS to approve or deny state applications, we request that you provide a staff-level briefing on the parameters of this fund as well as detailed, written responses to the following questions by August 15, 2025:
    1. When will CMS provide states with guidance on the components that should be included in an appropriate state application for funding from the fund?
    a) Will CMS provide guidance to states on applications for use of funds that are required to be distributed equally among states with an approved application?
    b) Will CMS provide guidance to states on applications for use of funds that are not required to be distributed equally among states?
    2. What percentage of program funding will CMS allocate to rural health care providers?
    a) How will CMS ensure that states use this federal funding to benefit rural hospitals and other health care facilities, providers, and patients?
    b) What is the breakdown of funding that CMS anticipates allocating across the different categories of eligible providers?
    c) How will CMS make sure that states use the funds for purposes that support the financial viability of rural hospitals and other health care providers, including by providing funding to address high fixed costs and low volumes, improve health care workforce retention and recruitment in rural areas, and replace aging infrastructure?
    3. The Big, Ugly Betrayal outlines several metrics that CMS may consider when distributing funding to states. How will CMS apply these metrics—the number of people who live in rural communities, the number of rural health facilities in a state, and the number of Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) in a state—when distributing funding to states?
    4. Will CMS commit to make the formula for awarding and distributing funds to states public before making any commitments to states and before formally distributing funding?
    5. Will CMS commit to creating a public website outlining state applicants for funding, the funding formula and criteria for distributing funds, and approved state applications?
    6. How will CMS define and determine improper uses of funding? How will CMS monitor funds to ensure appropriate spending and use?
    7. Will CMS commit to establishing an appeals process for states to provide an opportunity to contest decisions made on award, distribution and/or clawback of funding?
    8. Given the ongoing hiring freeze at CMS, it appears that the agency cannot hire more people to distribute this funding. How will CMS use the $200 million in implementation funding tied to the rural health slush fund?
    a)Will CMS hire a third party to administer this fund?
    b) If yes, has CMS already committed to a hire a specific third party to administer this fund and, if so, which vendor?
    9. What other states or districts have Trump Administration officials already promised funding from the rural health slush fund to? Which states and districts have received this promised funding?
    While this taxpayer-supported rural health slush fund is wholly insufficient to plug the massive hole created by the Big, Ugly Betrayal including the 15 million people expected to lose insurance coverage, it is critical that CMS move with urgency to provide clarity to rural communities, states, hospitals, and other health care providers about the fund. We look forward to your prompt response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Demands Trump Admin Stop Withholding Funding for Labs that Protect Food Supply to Prevent Disease Spread and Price Hikes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is leading her colleagues in demanding that the Trump Administration release withheld funding for labs that are dedicated to early detection, response, and control of animal diseases and outbreaks. If these labs do not get their funding by the end of July, the risk of food contamination increases, threatening the safety of our domestic food supply chains, restricting American farmers’ access to markets, and driving up grocery prices across the country. Wisconsin is one of seventeen states that host a Level 1 National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratory.

    “Barring the labs from doing their jobs risks a major disease outbreak which would exacerbate the stress on our nation’s farmers and food supply, ultimately driving up food costs for American consumers. Now is not the time for confusion and uncertainty; OMB must allow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expend these funds and protect the American agricultural sector from disease spread,” wrote the Senators in a letter to Office of Management and Budget Secretary Russell Vought. 

    Every Level 1 laboratory, spread across 17 states, relies on federal funding to support personnel and operations. If OMB fails to immediately release funding, operations at these facilities will be severely impaired, or even halted entirely, when their current funding expires at the end of July 2025.

    This letter was co-signed by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Gary Peters (D-MI).

    Full text of the letter is available here and below.

    Director Vought:

    We write to you today to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) release the funds designated for Level 1 laboratories within the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) that are currently being withheld. These funds are dedicated for early detection, response and control of animal diseases and outbreaks. Withholding these funds threatens the safety of our domestic food supply chains, restricts American farmers access to international markets, and could cause a rapid increase in food costs for Americans.

    As Senators representing states that host Level 1 NAHLN laboratories, we have seen firsthand the vital role these facilities play in safeguarding farmers, workers and agricultural operations. The laboratories are on the frontlines of identifying and containing highly contagious and economically devastating animal diseases, including highly pathogenic avian influenza, foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, and the New World screwworm. These diseases pose enormous risks, but the longstanding funding of NAHLN labs, and their coordination with farmers and ranchers, has successfully mitigated the impact of many disease outbreaks thus far.

    Each Level 1 laboratory, spread across 17 states, relies on $250,000 in annual infrastructure funding to support personnel and operations. By withholding over half of these funds, approximately $2.65 million in total, OMB is putting these laboratories in a grave position. If OMB fails to immediately release funding, operations at these facilities will be severely impaired, or even halted entirely, when their current funding expires at the end of July 2025.

    NAHLN funds are a key component to our ability to rapidly detect and respond to animal disease outbreaks, maintain international trade, and conduct biosecurity measures. Barring the labs from doing their jobs risks a major disease outbreak which would exacerbate the stress on our nation’s farmers and food supply, ultimately driving up food costs for American consumers. Now is not the time for confusion and uncertainty; OMB must allow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expend these funds and protect the American agricultural sector from disease spread.

    We strongly urge OMB and USDA to work together to immediately release the remaining 58% of funding before the July 31 deadline to ensure operational continuity of Level 1 NAHLN laboratories. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Announces Bill to Reopen Lawful Pathway to Legalization, Countering Trump’s Cruel Mass Deportation Agenda

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Announces Bill to Reopen Lawful Pathway to Legalization, Countering Trump’s Cruel Mass Deportation Agenda

    WATCH: Padilla pushes back against indiscriminate ICE raids and the militarization of Los Angeles
     
    A one-pager on the Registry bill is available here.

    LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, hosted a press conference in Los Angeles alongside immigration advocates, impacted families, and community leaders to announce legislation to expand a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term U.S. residents. Amid the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate immigration enforcement in California and across the country, the bill would offer a forward-looking, strategic update to our outdated immigration system to counter President Trump and Stephen Miller’s demonization of undocumented immigrant communities.

    Padilla’s Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 would update the existing Registry statute of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by adjusting the Registry date to meet current circumstances so that an immigrant may qualify to apply for lawful permanent resident status if they have lived in the U.S. continuously for at least seven years before filing an application, do not have a criminal record, and meet all other current eligibility requirements to receive a green card.

    This overdue update would provide a much-needed pathway to a green card for more than 8 million people, including Dreamers, forcibly displaced citizens (TPS holders), children of long-term visa holders, essential workers, and highly skilled members of our workforce, such as H-1B visa holders, who have been waiting years for a green card to become available. According to 2023 FWD.us estimates, if the undocumented individuals covered in this bill eventually became citizens, they would contribute approximately $121 billion to the U.S. economy annually and about $35 billion in taxes.

    Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is co-leading the legislation in the Senate, and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

    “Americans know there’s a better path forward than the Trump Administration’s cruel scapegoating of hardworking immigrants and fearmongering of California communities,” said Senator Padilla. “We believe that if you’ve lived here for over seven years, paid taxes for years, contributed to your community for years, and you don’t have a criminal record, then you deserve a pathway to legalization. My bill is a commonsense fix to our outdated immigration system and the same kind of reform that Republican President Ronald Reagan embraced four decades ago, calling it a ‘matter of basic fairness.’ This legislation creates no new bureaucracies or agencies — it’s simply an update to a longstanding pathway to reflect today’s reality and provide a fair shot at the American Dream for millions of Dreamers, TPS holders, and highly skilled workers who have faced delays and uncertainty for decades.”

    “Recently, we have seen devastating arrests of immigrants who have spent their lives in this country, building communities and families in the United States, without any due process. Most have never committed any crime. Protections for these hard-working individuals are long overdue. It’s common sense that immigrants who pose no safety threat and contribute to our country should be able to call America home with certainty; additionally, it’s also common sense that the small percentage of undocumented immigrants who do commit violent crimes should be removed. Expanding the registry pathway to citizenship is a practical solution to provide stability to immigrants who have worked and contributed to our country for years. It’s part of the solution, and I look forward to working to pass this bill into law,” said U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    “When Donald Trump ran for president, he pledged to deport violent criminals. Instead, masked, heavily-armed agents, often refusing to identify themselves, are aggressively, sometimes violently, targeting day laborers, busboys, farmworkers, and some of the hardest-working people in this country. It’s outrageous and deserves the condemnation of every Member of Congress. We need to control our borders, but we also need a straightforward reform solution for those who have resided peacefully for a long time in America,” said Representative Lofgren. “My colleagues and I are reintroducing our registry legislation to simply update a historically-bipartisan provision that provides lawful permanent resident status to vetted immigrants who have been a part of our communities for years. Providing stability to our communities and our workforces – versus terrorizing them – will make our country stronger.”

    The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

    Section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the Registry, gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the discretion to register certain individuals for lawful permanent resident status if they have been in the country since a certain date and meet other requirements. Section 249 was first codified in 1929 and Congress has modified it four times, most recently during the Reagan Administration in 1986. No changes have been made since 1986, and the cutoff date for eligibility remains January 1, 1972 — more than 50 years ago.

    Specifically, the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 would:

    • Amend the existing Registry statute by moving the eligibility cutoff date so that an immigrant may qualify for lawful permanent resident status if they have been in the U.S. for at least seven years before filing an application under Registry.
    • Preempt the need for further congressional action by making the eligibility cutoff rolling, instead of tying it to a specific date, as it is now.

    Padilla continues to lead the charge to pass commonsense immigration reforms that strengthen communities, protect long-term residents, and unlock America’s economic potential. He was joined today by community members impacted by the Trump Administration’s cruel immigration raids, including Alejandro Barranco — a veteran and the son of Narciso, who was violently detained by masked Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Orange County.

    “As the son of a hardworking immigrant, I never imagined our family’s story would become national news. Yet the violent and unjust treatment my father endured on June 21st is one that countless others are experiencing across this country. My father, a man who has spent over 30 years working to provide for our family, was beaten and detained by men with no identification—simply for doing the work that makes this country great. This attack wasn’t just on him; it was on every immigrant who has ever sacrificed for the American dream. It’s long overdue for this country’s broken immigration system to be fixed, or more families will continue to be torn apart. I stand with leaders like Senator Padilla to fight for a pathway to citizenship for people like my dad, whose contributions make America stronger,” said Alejandro Barranco.

    “I ask the American people: if you trust us to pick your crops, help build your homes, take care of your children and elderly parents, play with sons and daughters in the same sports teams, why won’t you trust us to be part of the American dream? A path to citizenship is the only solution that will protect us and the nation. Only a path to citizenship will allow us to live free in this our home, the United States of America,” said Angelica Salas, Executive Director for Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).

    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress for providing long-term undocumented immigrants with pathways to citizenship or permanent legal residence. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and mass deportation assaults intensified in Los Angeles, Padilla marked the 13th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy by urging Congress to take immediate action to deliver permanent protections for millions of families, parents, and individuals who are increasingly at risk amid President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. He also delivered remarks on the Senate floor ahead of the anniversary, pushing for permanent protections for Dreamers rather than the indiscriminate ICE raids stoking fear in Los Angeles communities. Padilla previously introduced the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, which would create a pathway to citizenship for immigrant essential workers, including Dreamers, as his first bill in Congress.

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in criticizing Trump’s mass deportations and unprecedented militarization and escalation of tensions by deploying National Guard troops and active-duty U.S. Marines to respond to overwhelmingly peaceful protests in Los Angeles. He recently introduced the VISIBLE Act to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. He also led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus last month in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty service members to American cities. Padilla spoke on the Senate floor following his forcible removal from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference, where he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed after attempting to ask a question.

    Video of Senator Padilla’s opening remarks from today’s press conference can be viewed here and downloaded here. His closing remarks are available to watch here and can be downloaded here.

    Additional photos from today’s event can be found here.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Larsen Releases Statement on Department of Education Releasing Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

    Larsen Releases Statement on Department of Education Releasing Funding

    Everett, W.A., July 25, 2025

    Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

    “Kids deserve to have the support they need to learn, and teachers deserve to have the resources they need to do their jobs. That’s why I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to demand the Trump administration reverse its irresponsible and illegal decision to withhold billions of dollars from students and teachers across the country, including roughly $12 million from Northwest Washington state. Today, the Administration backed down and released the money.

    “In the coming weeks, I am meeting with local school districts to hear about how budget cuts and layoffs at the Department of Education are impacting our communities. I will continue to fight for the release of other federal funding that has been irresponsibly and illegally held up.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Joins Britt, Colleagues in Advocating Critical NIH Research Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Katie Britt (R-AL), joined by twelve of their Republican colleagues, called on White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought to disburse appropriated funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help cure disease, advance health, protect biomedical innovation, benefit the economy and compete with adversaries like Communist China.

    Specifically, Boozman and colleagues requested the administration implement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, which President Trump signed into law earlier this year. This legislation contains critical funding to support NIH initiatives across a range of research areas, including but not limited to cancer, cardiovascular disease and rare pediatric disorders.

    “We are concerned by the slow disbursement rate of FY25 NIH funds, as it risks undermining critical research and the thousands of American jobs it supports. Suspension of these appropriated funds – whether formally withheld or functionally delayed – could threaten Americans’ ability to access better treatments and limit our nation’s leadership in biomedical science. It also risks inadvertently severing ongoing NIH-funded research prior to actionable results,” wrote the senators.

    “We share your commitment to ensuring NIH funds are used responsibly and not diverted to ideological or unaccountable programs,” the senators continued. “We are confident Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya are well positioned to uphold gold standard research by ensuring that NIH awards are grounded in transparency, scientific merit, and a clear alignment with national interests.”

    Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Todd Young (R-IN) co-signed Boozman and Britt’s letter to Director Vought.

    Full text of the letter can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pettersen Joins Call Demanding Answers from Federal Agencies on DOGE Cut

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brittany Pettersen (Colorado 7th District)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) joined a call to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), demanding answers about the impacts that mass firings, or reductions in force (RIFs), will have on casework processing for constituents. 

    Casework is a crucial service provided by congressional offices for constituents to raise their concerns with tax refunds, Social Security payments, passports, and other benefits that they are owed from federal agencies. After recent layoffs, congressional caseworkers are receiving bounce-back emails and no-replies from federal agencies leaving many cases delayed and unresolved.

    “My office has heard from countless seniors, families, and small businesses who can’t get anyone at the IRS or Social Security Administration to pick up the phone,” said Rep. Pettersen. “Our seniors, communities, and families rely on Social Security to put a roof over their heads, pay for their medications, and for basic needs. Any issues with these benefits can impact people’s health, safety, and wellbeing. It’s unacceptable people have been unable to get a hold of anyone to help at these taxpayer-funded agencies. The reckless destruction of our federal workforce makes it so that people cannot get access to the benefits they rely on or get answers to their questions – I’m deeply worried about the reprehensible impact on our communities but especially on our seniors who live on a fixed income. We’re here to support them and advocate for them any way that we can.”

    Earlier this year, the Social Security Agency rolled out its plan to cut an estimated 7,000 jobs nationwide, raising concerns about staffing and capability of disbursing retirement and disability benefits. Additionally, the Trump administration has pushed to cut as much as 50% of staff from the IRS. These deep staffing cuts threaten to delay or disrupt critical services, leaving seniors without timely access to their benefits and taxpayers without the support they need to navigate the system.

    Rep. Pettersen joined 50+ House Democrats in letters to the IRS and SSA. The full text of the letter to the IRS can be found HERE and full text of the SSA can be HERE. 

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    To access downloadable, high-quality photos, click here. To stay up-to-date on what Pettersen is doing in Congress, follow her on Twitter here, Facebook here, or Instagram here. Residents can also sign-up for her e-newsletter subscription here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister’s statement on U.S. antidumping duties

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, has released the following statement in response to the softwood lumber antidumping duties announced by the United States:

    “U.S. President Donald Trump has made it his mission to destroy Canada’s economy, and the forestry sector is feeling the full weight of this.

    “It is no secret, the sector — one that employs tens of thousands of workers in our province — has faced years of uncertainty, driven by ongoing trade disputes, global market pressures, and the compounding effects of climate change. Now, we face further challenges, with rising unfair and unjust duties imposed by the United States. 

    “These duties are nothing more than a tax on middle-class Americans trying to build or rebuild a home. They are hurting people on both sides of the border, with the forestry sector being unfairly targeted.

    “Let me be clear: we will not stand by while Donald Trump tries to rip paycheques out of the hands of hard-working people in B.C.

    “We’re going to fight for our workers, our communities and the future of this sector. Not just to protect jobs, but to build a future where forestry workers and their families thrive for generations to come.

    “Premier David Eby is at the table with other premiers federally discussing our Team Canada approach and response. In B.C., I will be convening my Softwood Lumber Advisory Council to advise and support our government’s response and strategy.

    “I have appointed former deputy minister to the premier, Don Wright, as a strategic advisor on softwood lumber, to ensure B.C.’s interests are well represented, and to help us align with federal and cross-provincial efforts.

    “We will continue to take action to address the challenges the forestry sector is facing because this is about more than lumber; it’s about people and place. By working together with industry, First Nations and communities, we can build a resilient and sustainable forest economy that works for people, protects our resources, and ensures long-term prosperity for everyone in B.C.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders Announces Vermont Will Receive Nearly $20 Million in Withheld Public Education Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    BURLINGTON, Vt., July 25 — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced it would release nearly $20 million in public education funding for Vermont that it had illegally withheld, as part of nearly $5.5 billion that was held back nationwide.

    A total of $26.1 million will now be available for schools in Vermont as a result of Sanders’ efforts.

    On June 30, just one day before states expected to receive the funds, the Education Department sent a three-line email notifying states that $6.88 billion in public education funding would be illegally withheld. This decision received strong opposition from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress — including a letter led by Sanders and Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) alongside 32 Democratic senators, and a letter from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and nine Republican senators demanding the release of these funds.

    Last week, the department released a portion of these funds for summer and after-school programs — $6.5 million in Vermont and $1.3 billion nationally — as a result of Sanders’ demands that the Trump administration release the funds. That funding supports nearly 100 after-school and summer programs in Vermont serving 11,000 students.

    “Let’s be clear: Today the administration solved a problem of its own making by finally releasing funding for our public schools that it illegally and unconstitutionally withheld,” Sanders said.

    “I am glad these funds will finally get to schools to offer critical services — including support for students learning English, professional development for educators, and mental health services in the classroom. We as a nation must do much, much more to support our public schools,” Sanders continued. “I will continue to do everything in my power as Ranking Member to ensure the Department administers these funds in accordance with the law and without additional strings attached.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After GOP Cuts Threaten Rural Healthcare, Luján and Heinrich Demand Transparency on Administration’s Inadequate Rural Health Slush Fund and Backroom Deals

    US Senate News:

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

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), joined Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with 12 of their Democratic colleagues, to demand accountability from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on how the rural health slush fund will be distributed to states and what guidance will be considered in this decision:

    In a letter to Mehmet Oz, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Senators demanded clarity on how the rural health slush fund will be distributed across the country. Earlier this month, Senate Republicans passed their “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” which delivered devastating cuts to the U.S. health care system – slashing funding by over $1 trillion dollars, the largest cut to healthcare in history. To try and cover up the damage of these cuts, they included a $50 billion rural health slush fund. However, this temporary fund only accounts for 5 percent of the cuts, which will have devastating, irreversible impacts. Perhaps even more alarming is the potentially blatant political distribution of this fund, underscoring the importance of accountability as to how CMS plans to award this money to states.

    “We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal. In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims. As states, patients, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers brace for devastating cuts, we urge you to provide straightforward, detailed answers on how you plan to administer these funds,” the Senators wrote. “Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members’ votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the Big, Ugly Betrayal. Several Members of Congress have already touted your promises about the funding their states and districts will receive from the rural health slush fund.”

    Moreover, there are many questions about how the funds will be distributed. Shortly after the passage of the “Big, Ugly Betrayal,” Republican Senators took to “X” (formerly known as Twitter) to celebrate specific money for their states to support rural hospitals. Senator Britt (R-AL) tweeted: “the Senate just amended the Big Beautiful Bill to invest over $500M in Alabama’s rural hospitals.” Senator Husted (R-OH) said: “I’m proud to have secured $1.3 billion in funding for rural hospitals across Ohio—because every Ohioan deserves access to quality care close to home.” Senator Cassidy (R-LA) even noted an inequity, tweeting: “We secured a $50 billion fund to support rural hospitals. Louisiana is set to receive about 2% of that money, despite having only 1% of the U.S. population—a double share.” Since CMS has yet to release the criteria for how the funding will be awarded, there are questions about if this slush fund constituted a political pay-off.

    Additionally, the Senators noted the hasty and ill-conceived wording of the fund, which leaves it open to abuse, fraud, and re-appropriation.

    “Not only does the Republican rural health slush fund provide a meager amount of funding that fails to plug the $1 trillion hole caused by the Big, Ugly Betrayal, the fund is drafted in such a vague and open-ended manner that it is not even guaranteed to support rural health care. States are not required to use this funding to support rural hospitals or other rural health care providers. In fact, states can use funds to pay any health care providers, support technology-driven efforts like wearable devices, or fund unproven models of care that have nothing to do with rural health,” the Senators continued. “Further, there are no parameters outlined in the legislative language for how CMS should award, distribute, or rescind funding from the rural health slush fund, making it even more susceptible to abuse.”

    To combat this apparent political giveaway, the Senators demanded answers on several questions, including:

    • When will CMS provide guidance to states on criteria for an application?
    • Will they commit to clear defined criteria before distributing these funds, and an appeals process related to funding award decisions? 
    • Will CMS prioritize rural providers receiving these funding awards?
    • How will CMS define proper vs improper use of funds and accountability for how CMS will hold states accountable for improper use? 
    • What states/districts has the Trump administration already promised funding to?

    In addition to Luján, Heinrich, Schumer, and Wyden, other Senators who signed on to the letter include Senators Alsobrooks (D-MD), Blumenthal (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Gillibrand (D-NY), Kim (D-NJ), Markey (D-MA), Merkley (D-OR), Padilla (D-CA), Sanders (I-VT), Smith (D-MN), Van Hollen (D-MD), and Warren (D-MA).

    The full text of the letter can be seen here and below.

    Dear Administrator Oz:

    As you know, the Republican reconciliation bill cuts funding to the U.S. health care system by over $1 trillion, and will devastate communities nationwide, with disproportionate, negative impacts on health care access in rural America. To cover up the harms of these catastrophic cuts, Trump and Republicans stood up a temporary $50 billion rural health slush fund. This meager investment amounts to just five percent of the Big, Ugly Betrayal’s largest health care cuts in history. 

    We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal. In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims. As states, patients, hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers brace for devastating cuts, we urge you to provide straightforward, detailed answers on how you plan to administer these funds.

    Republicans in Congress hastily developed the rural health slush fund to buy their members’ votes and give their caucus political cover for voting for the reconciliation bill. Several Members of Congress have already touted your promises about the funding their states and districts will receive from the rural health slush fund. Before the Big, Ugly Betrayal was even signed into law, Senator Husted celebrated the $1.3 billion he claims is promised to rural hospitals in Ohio,[1] and Senator Hawley said the bill will give $1 billion to rural hospitals in Missouri.[2]

    Other reports suggest you promised to send funding from the rural health slush fund to districts in Pennsylvania that are not even rural.[3] The Trump Administration’s explanation that this fund can and will be used for more than rural areas was a key fact that swayed Republicans to vote for the bill.[4] The rural health slush fund appears to be nothing more than a political parachute to pay off members of Congress for their unpopular votes.   

    Rural communities will suffer greatly because of the health care cuts enacted in the Republican reconciliation bill. One-third of all rural hospitals are already at risk of closing, and the bill will force over 330 rural hospitals to reduce service lines, convert to other types of hospitals with fewer services, or close altogether.[5] The Big, Ugly Betrayal makes no meaningful investments in rural hospitals, rural health centers, and other rural health care providers, which have some of the most fragile operating margins in the nation, and often are the largest employers and economic engines of their communities. 

    Not only does the Republican rural health slush fund provide a meager amount of funding that fails to plug the $1 trillion hole caused by the reconciliation bill, the fund is drafted in such a vague and open-ended manner that it is not even guaranteed to support rural health care. States are not required to use this funding to support rural hospitals or other rural health care providers. In fact, states can use funds to pay any health care providers, support technology-driven efforts like wearable devices, or fund unproven models of care that have nothing to do with rural health.

    Further, there are no parameters outlined in the legislative language for how CMS should award, distribute, or rescind funding from the rural health slush fund, making it even more susceptible to abuse. There is no clear definition of an appropriate state application for the rural health slush fund, CMS is not required to follow a clear formula for distribution of funds, and there are no guardrails on how CMS should claw back funding from states in cases of inappropriate use. Without more clarity, this rural health slush fund is vulnerable to the very abuse of taxpayer spending that Republicans purport to care about.

    To provide states, rural hospitals, and other health care providers clarity on the available use of funding from the rural health slush fund in advance of the December 31, 2025 deadline for CMS to approve or deny state applications, we request that you provide a staff-level briefing on the parameters of this fund as well as detailed, written responses to the following questions by August 15, 2025:

    1. When will CMS provide states with guidance on the components that should be included in an appropriate state application for funding from the fund? 
    1. Will CMS provide guidance to states on applications for use of funds that are required to be distributed equally among states with an approved application?
    2. Will CMS provide guidance to states on applications for use of funds that are not required to be distributed equally among states?
    3. What percentage of program funding will CMS allocate to rural health care providers?
    1. How will CMS ensure that states use this federal funding to benefit rural hospitals and other health care facilities, providers, and patients?
    2. What is the breakdown of funding that CMS anticipates allocating across the different categories of eligible providers?
    3. How will CMS make sure that states use the funds for purposes that support the financial viability of rural hospitals and other health care providers, including by providing funding to address high fixed costs and low volumes, improve health care workforce retention and recruitment in rural areas, and replace aging infrastructure?  
    1. The Big, Ugly Betrayal outlines several metrics that CMS may consider when distributing funding to states. How will CMS apply these metrics—the number of people who live in rural communities, the number of rural health facilities in a state, and the number of Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) in a state—when distributing funding to states?
    2. Will CMS commit to make the formula for awarding and distributing funds to states public before making any commitments to states and before formally distributing funding? 
    3. Will CMS commit to creating a public website outlining state applicants for funding, the funding formula and criteria for distributing funds, and approved state applications? 
    4. How will CMS define and determine improper uses of funding? How will CMS monitor funds to ensure appropriate spending and use?
    5. Will CMS commit to establishing an appeals process for states to provide an opportunity to contest decisions made on award, distribution and/or clawback of funding?  
    6. Given the ongoing hiring freeze at CMS, it appears that the agency cannot hire more people to distribute this funding. How will CMS use the $200 million in implementation funding tied to the rural health slush fund? 
    1. Will CMS hire a third party to administer this fund?
    2. If yes, has CMS already committed to a hire a specific third party to administer this fund and, if so, which vendor?
    3. What other states or districts have Trump Administration officials already promised funding from the rural health slush fund to? Which states and districts have received this promised funding?

    While this taxpayer-supported rural health slush fund is wholly insufficient to plug the massive hole created by the Big, Ugly Betrayal including the 15 million people expected to lose insurance coverage, it is critical that CMS move with urgency to provide clarity to rural communities, states, hospitals, and other health care providers about the fund. We look forward to your prompt response.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Appropriations Committee Advances Interior And Transportation, Housing, & Urban Development Funding Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin, Duckworth

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    July 25, 2025
    The Senate Appropriations Committee passed Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing, & Urban Development, & Related Agencies government funding bills
    SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, as well as for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in the appropriations bills, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations process.
    “It is the responsibility of Congress to fund our government programs and agencies through the appropriations process. Rather than rely on continuing resolutions, I hope that we can prioritize a true bipartisan process to pass these funding bills through the Senate in a timely process,” said Durbin. “While the Trump Administration continues to drain resources from critical programs, I will fight for the funding and support for the programs Illinoisans rely on.”
    “Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s what these bipartisan funding bills do,” Duckworth said. “Appropriating federal funding is the primary role of Congress, and it’s critical this responsibility remains in the legislative branch. I’m proud I was able to help secure critical support for projects throughout Illinois that help modernize our state’s infrastructure, clean up our water, improve accessibility and more.”
    The two funding bills include the following Illinois priorities secured by Congressionally Directed Spending requests:
    Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
    · City of Chester, Chester, Illinois. $1.2 million to the City of Chester to help fund the Route 150 water main replacement.
    · City of Markham, Markham, Illinois. $1.5 million to the City of Markham to help fund water system infrastructure improvements.
    · Infrastructure Improvements, Lockport, Illinois. $250,000 to the Bonnie Brae Forest Manor Sanitary District to fund water main infrastructure improvement projects.
    · Lead Service Line Replacements, Chicago, Illinois. $2 million to the City of Chicago to replace more than 200 lead service lines. Chicago has more lead service lines than any other municipality in the country and the majority of properties in Chicago receive their water from lead service lines.
    · Lead Service Line Replacements, Macomb, Illinois. $1 million to the City of Macomb to replace lead drinking water service lines in various locations throughout the City.
    · PFAS Remediation, Rockford, Illinois: $1 million to Winnebago County to help fund water infrastructure upgrades to address PFAS contamination in Rockford.
    · Stormwater and Flooding Mitigation Project, Carbondale, Illinois. $1.5 million for the City of Carbondale to replace storm sewer piping. The failing pipes cause frequent flooding during significant rain events and is also causing pavement failures on an arterial street that is heavily traveled.
    · Wastewater Improvements, Paris, Illinois. $500,000 to the City of Paris to help fund wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
    · Water Main Extension, Winnebago County, Illinois. $600,000 to Winnebago County to extend a water main to provide water to additional areas of the County.
    · Water Main Improvements, Park Forest, Illinois. $1.45 million to the Village of Park Forest to replace the highest priority water main.
    · Water Main Replacement, Springfield, Illinois. $900,000 to the City of Springfield to replace a water main on South Seventh Street in downtown Springfield. The water main was installed in 1931 and has had 27 breaks and is need of replacement. The main serves the historic downtown Springfield area, including Lincoln’s Home National Historic Site Visitor Center, the Illinois State Police Memorial Park, Springfield Clinic, and the Elijah Iles House.
    · Well Reconstruction and Water Treatment, Machesney Park and Roscoe, Illinois. $1 million to North Park Public Water District for the reconstruction of Roscoe and Machesney Park’s well to accommodate PFAS treatment. This funding will ensure continued access to a reliable source of safe, plentiful, and affordable drinking water for the communities of Machesney Park and Roscoe in Winnebago County, Illinois.
     
    Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
    · Accessibility Upgrades, Chicago, Illinois. $750,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago to help fund accessibility upgrades at the Boys and Girls Club True Value in Little Village.
    · Affordable Housing, Edwardsville, Illinois. $1 million to Home First Housing to help expand affordable housing units in Edwardsville.
    · Affordable Housing, Joliet, Illinois: $1 million to Volunteers of America Illinois to help fund the expansion of Hope Manor Village Joliet’s housing development initiative.
    · Capital Improvements, Chicago, Illinois. $500,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago to make capital improvements at the Bartlett J. McCartin Boys & Girls Club in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago.
    · City of Marseilles, Marseilles, Illinois. $1.5 million to the City of Marseilles to help fund the Sycamore Street Bridge rehabilitation.
    · Construction of the National Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, Chicago, Illinois. $2.5 million to Illinois Institute of Technology to fund construction of a facility to serve as the National Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (NIAM). The NIAM on IIT’s Bronzeville Campus will train more than 4,000 students in advanced manufacturing fields through in-person instruction and online curricula.
    · Economic Hub Project, Carbondale, Illinois. $693,000 to Carbondale Community Arts, Inc. (d.b.a. Artspace 304) to make facility improvements for an economic hub.
    · Equipment Upgrades, Chicago, Illinois. $722,000 to Navy Pier Inc. to upgrade the Pier’s surveillance apparatus to ensure the safety of the Pier’s guests and businesses.
    · Environmental Justice Institute, Chicago, Illinois. $900,000 to People for Community Recovery to help fund the development of the Hazel M. Johnson Institute for Sustainability and Environmental Justice.
    · Facilities Improvements and Technology Upgrades, Carbondale, Illinois. $500,000 to Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) Center for Teaching Excellence to revitalize learning spaces at the SIU campus and community colleges throughout Southern Illinois.
    · Facility Improvements, Springfield, Illinois. $450,000 to the Lincoln Presidential Foundation for facility improvements at the Visitor Center at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
    · Fire Truck, North Chicago, Illinois. $861,000 to the City of North Chicago to purchase a new fire truck, as the City’s current fire truck has exceeded its useful life by nearly 10 years.
    · Food Security Project, Hamilton, Illinois. $2.5 million to the City of Hamilton to establish a rural health village, in partnership with Memorial Hospital, to address food insecurities in the region by offering meal subscription/prescription programming, home-delivered meals, and more.
    · Infrastructure Developments, Chicago, Illinois: $1.6 million to North Lawndale Catalyst Impact Initiative, Inc. to help fund infrastructure developments in Chicago’s North Lawndale community.
    · Infrastructure Updates, Mascoutah, Illinois. $4 million to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport to help fund infrastructure upgrades at airport.
    · Land Remediation, Will County, Illinois. $3 million to the State of Illinois, in coordination with the State of Michigan, to remediate 3.6 acres of land on the bank of the channel of the Des Plaines River needed for construction of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Interbasin Project.
    · Station Improvements, Macomb, Illinois. $134,000 to the Illinois Department of Transportation to make improvements to Macomb’s Amtrak Station, including HVAC upgrades, electrical work, and painting.
    · Supportive Housing Development, Arlington Heights, Illinois. $750,000 to Full Circle Communities for construction of a housing development to support veterans and people with disabilities.
    · Track Reconstruction Design, Chicago, Illinois. $2 million to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to fund design of track reconstruction of CTA’s Blue Line Forest Park Branch from Western Avenue to Lathrop Avenue, a roughly 6.5-mile section of the line. This reconstruction is needed in order to improve safety and on-time performance of the Forest Park Branch.
    · Trail Extension, Normal, Illinois. $1.9 million to the Town of Normal to fund engineering and construction of a trail connection. This will close a gap in pedestrian and bicycle accommodations between the existing Constitution Trail network and major employers located in west Normal, and promote safe multimodal travel by separating pedestrians and cyclists from motor vehicles.
    · Transit Improvements; Vermilion County, Williamson County, and Jackson County; Illinois. $3.711 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation to fulfill ongoing transit needs, including vehicle and equipment purchases, maintenance, and other improvements for transit agencies serving Carbondale, Marion, and Danville.
    · Transitional Shelter, Chicago, Illinois. $650,000 to BEDS Plus, Inc. to help fund the expansion of transitional shelter services at BEDS Plus Inc.
    · Transportation Center Pedestrian Access Improvements, Normal, Illinois. $1.6 million to Connect Transit to improve pedestrian access to the City of Bloomington’s Downtown Transportation Center.
    · Unhoused Population Support, Carbondale, Illinois: $2 million to the City of Carbondale to help fund the development of a new homeless center facility in Carbondale.
    · Workforce Accelerator Program, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to the North Lawndale Employment Network to transform a vacant lot across the street from its workforce development campus to offer an agricultural and environmental workforce accelerator program.
    · Youth Mentoring, Springfield, Illinois. $1 million to The Outlet Mentoring Program to help fund the development of a youth mentoring center in Springfield.
     
    The two funding bills include additional Illinois priorities secured through the programmatic appropriations process:
    Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
    Department of Interior
    Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
    Plant Conservation Activities. $20.6 million for conservation activities and includes language supporting BLM’s continued support of the Seed Strategy, the interagency Native Plant Materials Development Program, the Seeds of Success program, the Plant Conservation Alliance, and regional native plant materials development programs.
    o Urban and Community Forestry (Chicago Region Trees Initiative). Includes language prioritizing multi-organizational collaborations to support conservation and offset climate change for urban and community forestry grants.
    o Migratory Bird Management Program, Incidental Take. Includes language supporting an incidental take authorization program for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which will help bird species that are experiencing population decline.
     
    National Park Service
    New Philadelphia National Historic Site. Includes language directing the National Park Service to ensure park operation begins in a reasonable timeframe for the newly established New Philadelphia site.
    Springfield Race Riot Site. Includes language directing the National Park Service to work with the community to complete the Foundation Document for the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument and provide for park planning.
    Land and Water Conservation Fund
    Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. Includes language supporting federal land acquisition by the National Fish and Wildlife Service for the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
    Environmental Health Program. $30.5 million for the program and includes language that sets aside $1 million for addressing PFAS contamination in the Great Lakes.
     
    Environmental Protection Agency
    Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF). $1.6 billion to provide critical investments that create jobs, repair crumbling wastewater infrastructure, and protect public health and environmental quality. Ten percent of CWSRF may be used as grants to address lead exposure.
    Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF). $1.13 billion to help water systems and states to ensure clean and safe drinking water is reliably delivered to communities. Fourteen percent of DWSRF may be used as grants to address lead exposure.
    EPA Compliance. $97.7 million to enable EPA and co-regulators to undertake inspections and other monitoring activities to determine if regulated entities are complying with environmental statutes as well as applicable regulations and permit conditions.
    EPA Enforcement. $284.9 million to ensure consistent and fair enforcement of all major environmental statutes and numerous regulations implementing each of those statutes. Includes report language supporting EPA in addressing PFAS contamination through National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives and incorporating Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) in settlements.
    Bubbly Creek. Includes report language on the inclusion of the restoration Bubbly Creek in EPA’s Lakewide Management Plan (LAMP) and directs EPA to maximize its partnerships and resources to ensure no further delays.
    Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). $368 million for GLRI and includes report language to allow funds from the program to be used for projects in the Chicago River Watershed. Congress established the GLRI to provide funding to states, tribes, local governments, and federal agencies to protect the Great Lakes. The program has provided $4 billion since 2010 to fund projects that restore habitat, fight invasive species, clean up toxic pollution, and reduce pollution runoff.
    Lake Explorer II Support Vessel Decommission. Includes language regarding the importance of EPA replacing the Great Lakes research vessel Lake Explorer II so the agency may continue uninterrupted water quality and biological monitoring of the Great Lakes.
    Coal Combustion Residual Permit Program. Includes language requesting $9 million for federal and state permitting programs for coal combustion residuals (CCR, coal ash).
    Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development
    Department of Transportation
    Capital Investment Grants (CIG). $1.95 billion for grants to fund the extension and improvements of existing transit systems. This amount would fully fund the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension Project for FY26.
    Protections for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension Project. Includes language protecting Chicago’s FY26 allocation of $350 million and requiring disbursement within 120 days of enactment.
    Amtrak. $2.43 billion in nationwide funding to support Amtrak operations, with $1.57 billion for the National Network.
    BUILD (formerly RAISE) Grants. $250 million to fund innovative transportation projects that will create jobs and have a significant impact on the nation, a region, or a metropolitan area.
    Passenger Rail Grant Programs. The two rail grant programs were reauthorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and address gaps in supporting and growing our nation’s rail infrastructure:
    Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grants. $151.52 million for the CRISI program.
    Federal-State Partnerships for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant (FSP) Program. $75 million for FSP grants for capital improvement projects that expand or establish intercity passenger rail service.

    Midwest Rail Commission Study. Includes report language directing GAO to examine the establishment of a federally authorized commission for the purposes of developing a long-term delivery strategy for Midwest rail. The study would identify lessons learned from the establishment of the Northeast Corridor Commission that could be applied to a Midwest Rail Commission, it also would examine any Federal resources necessary to establishment of the commission.
    FRA Rail Research & Development Center of Excellence (COE). Supports the FRA’s intent to use no less than $2.5 million of its and development funding for the FRA COE, which Durbin established in IIJA and secured funding for in FY22, FY23, and FY24 (FY25’s full-year CR did not have a report, so the COE was not funded in the CR). The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was competitively selected to host the COE.
    Blocked Crossings Causes & Solutions Identification. Includes report language directing the FRA to include in its annual report potential solutions and best practices to improve safety, mobility, and emergency response capabilities at highway-rail crossings. This would require the FRA to consider technology’s potential role in detecting the highest risk areas and to explore what role train length plays in blocked crossings, among other measures.
    Emergency Response Blocked Crossing Reports. Includes report language urging the FRA to require states receiving track inspection funding to require first responders to report verified blocked crossing incidents to the FRA’s blocked crossings portal, which you established through previous appropriations legislation. It also directs the FRA to continue working with stakeholders to identify root causes of blocked crossings and identify meaningful solutions.
    Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). $22.4 billion for the FAA. This includes $13.8 billion for FAA operations and $4 billion for facilities and equipment. This funding will allow the FAA to hire 2,500 additional air traffic controllers; improve air traffic control facilities, equipment, and systems; improve the aircraft certification process; improve hazardous materials transport oversight, and more.
    Airport Improvement Program. More than $4 billion for airport improvement grants for capital improvements at the nation’s airports, including investments that emphasize capacity development, safety improvements, and security needs.
    Digital Alert Technologies. Includes report language urging National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to deploy digital alert technologies, with local law enforcement, that can provide up-to-date information about dynamic road conditions to drivers.
    NHTSA Rulemakings. Includes language directing NHTSA to continue to provide quarterly briefings on the status of all major rulemakings to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. In 2023, DOT implemented a key provision of Durbin and Duckworth’s Protecting Roadside First Responders Act by proposing a rule to require automatic emergency braking (AEB) on all new cars and light trucks, and finalizing this rule in April 2024. The provision, which was passed in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, aims to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and injuries. According to NHTSA, the rule could save more than 360 lives and prevent more than 24,000 injuries each year. The Trump Administration has delayed the effective date of this rule.
    Automated Track Inspections. Includes no less than $21.6 million to support the FRA’s fleet of advanced inspection vehicles that accompany its field inspectors to validate the railroads’ inspection programs and advance research priorities, with a special emphasis on routes transporting passengers and hazardous materials.
    Department of Housing and Urban Development
    HEAL Initiative Pilot Program. Includes $5 million to support efforts underway between HUD and HHS to provide direct technical assistance to communities leveraging programs like Medicaid to cover and provide housing-related supportive services and behavioral healthcare. Includes report language acknowledging that several studies have demonstrated that interventions based on social determinants of health can help support housing permanency.
    Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. $295.6 million to provide funding to state and local governments to develop cost-effective ways to reduce lead-based paint hazards.
    Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). $529 million to help cities and states address the housing crisis facing people living with HIV/AIDS.
    Homeless Assistance Grants. $4.5 billion to provide funding to state and local governments for emergency shelters, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, and other crisis response programs.
    Housing Counseling. $57.5 million to enable housing counseling organizations to provide foreclosure prevention counseling, mortgage counseling before and after purchase, rental counseling, homelessness prevention counseling, and fair housing education.
    Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). $86.36 million to provide resources to nonprofit fair housing organizations that tackle discrimination and predatory lending and ensure that our nation’s fair housing laws are enforced.
    Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). $3.1 billion to provide states and localities with resources to meet the needs of low-income communities, including housing rehabilitation, supportive services, public improvements, and economic development projects.
    Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). $1.25 billion to provide state and local governments the funding necessary to provide affordable housing in low-income communities.
    Public Housing Capital and Operating Funds. $3.2 billion for Capital Funds and $4.87 billion for Operating Funds. This includes $30 million for emergency capital needs; $10 million for safety and security measures, with report language supporting safety and security improvements to protect tenants; and $65 million for lead remediation grants.
    Section 8 Tenant-Based Rental Assistance. $37.35 billion for Section 8 Tenant-Based rental assistance. This includes $429 million for new Tenant Protection Vouchers, $15 million to expand the HUD-VASH program, and $30 million for new Family Unification Program vouchers.
    Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) and Rural Capacity Building Program (RCB). $13 million for SHOP and $5 million for RCB. Both programs support affordable housing in rural communities.
    Section 4 Capacity Building Program. $49 million for Section 4 Capacity Building Program. This program allows HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country.
    Choice Neighborhoods Program. $40 million to provide funding for the transformation, rehabilitation, and replacement of distressed public and HUD-assisted housing, as well as support for communities working to revitalize neighborhoods of concentrated poverty.
    Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. $156.4 million to provide funding for an asset-building program to serve more households, both within already-established Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher FSS Programs
    Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NeighborWorks). $158 million to create opportunities for Americans to live in affordable and safe homes by providing community development organizations in all fifty states with financial resources and counseling services.
    -30-
     
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Calls Out Cuts To Medicaid, Student Loan Caps For Medical Students At SIU Medical School

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    July 25, 2025
    SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined educators and health care professionals at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to discuss the Trump Administration’s cuts to Medicaid and medical research, and the impact recent caps to student loans will have on medical students.
    “Earlier this month, President Trump and Republicans in Congress slashed health care to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans in our nation,” said Durbin. “The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act will also make it more difficult for medical students to pay for their education at a time when we need more doctors, especially in rural communities and downstate Illinois.Students, providers, and patients here at SIU and across our state are already seeing the impacts of this disastrous bill. We cannot give up, and I’ll continue to fight for access to health care and education for all Illinoisans.”
    “Capping graduate loans for future doctors while slashing safety-net funding is a one-two punch to rural health in America,” said Dr. Haneme Idrizi, SIU Pediatrician and Associate Dean for Student Affairs. “Cutting loan access now will shrink the physician pipeline at a time when many rural counties already face serious shortages in primary care, psychiatry, and pediatrics. Senator Durbin’s consistent support for rural pipeline programs and loan forgiveness initiatives shows he gets it—our rural future depends on today’s students being able to afford the path to medicine.”
    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will slash $1 trillion in funding from Medicaid and more than $300 billion from the Affordable Care Act over the next decade. As a result, up to 500,000 Illinoisans could lose their health care coverage. Federal Medicaid spending in Illinois also will be reduced by a projected 19%, leading to 30,000 lost health jobs, rural hospital closures, and nursing home closures.
    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also will cap graduate student loans at $20,500 per year with a lifetime borrowing limit of $100,000, and cap professional student loans, like medical school loans, at $50,000 per year with a $200,000 lifetime borrowing limit. Loan limits could force students to turn to the private loan market or discourage low- and middle-income students from pursuing a medical degree.
    Today, Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent letters to every hospital in Illinois to gather information about how they anticipate this Republican-passed law will impact their services and workforce.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Reed, Durbin, Shaheen, Coons, and Schatz Call on Trump Administration to Engage Netanyahu to Immediately Change Course in Gaza

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON —Today, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) joined with Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-DE), and Ranking State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriator Brian Schatz (D-HI) to release the following statement urging the Trump Administration to press Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course in its war in Gaza:
    “Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling and unconscionable. This week, more than 100 NGOs—including Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam—warned of mass starvation spreading across Gaza. Following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s nearly 3-month blockade of humanitarian assistance, three-quarters of the population is facing emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger. 
    “The handful of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of this starving population. Widespread problems have made GHF aid delivery chaotic and dangerous, leading to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. Yet the Trump Administration recently approved $30 million for GHF, overriding established procedures and waiving consultation with Congress.  
    “While some established humanitarian organizations have been allowed to resume very limited operations, a number of restrictions and security challenges prevent them from fully functioning. To make matters worse, this week’s expansion of Israel’s military operation into central Gaza for the first time in the conflict has put at risk these few remaining operations. Moreover, the UN estimates that nearly 88 percent of Gaza is no longer accessible to civilians, leaving approximately two million people confined to a troublingly small remaining area.    
    “Meanwhile, hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, including American citizens, and three out of four Israelis are calling for an end to this war. Last September, the IDF assessed that Hamas had been largely defeated militarily from its peak strength when it heinously attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and is now effectively a “guerilla terror group.” As we know from our own experience following the attacks of September 11, 2001, there is no solely military solution to defeating a terrorist group. Continuing this war with no discernable end is not in Israel’s national security interest, and the lack of a viable “day after” plan has been a glaring mistake. 
    “We call on the Trump Administration to use its considerable leverage to press Prime Minister Netanyahu to:
    Reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that releases the hostages as soon as possible.
    Support a surge in humanitarian assistance that provides both a sufficient amount of humanitarian aid and credible mechanisms for effective distribution, including the verification and monitoring of assistance to ensure equitable distribution and to prevent Hamas from diverting assistance. Established humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme have the experience and ability to renew their delivery of assistance without civil unrest. We must allow them to do their jobs. 
    Dramatically reform or shut down the Gaza Humanitarian Fund and resume support for the existing UN-led aid coordination mechanisms in Gaza with enhanced oversight to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in need.
    Establish a “day after” plan for Gaza where Hamas does not retain power, Israel disavows annexation of the West Bank and further integrates into the region, a reformed Palestinian Authority is fostered and empowered, and regional partners are included in rebuilding.
    Create a framework for a viable path back to a two-state solution that will allow the Israeli and Palestinian people to live side by side in security, dignity, and prosperity.”
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Face of Widespread Blowback, Trump Admin Finally Releases Education Funds It’s Blocked for Weeks—Forcing Layoffs, Program Closures, & Needless Chaos

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Senator Murray responds after raising alarms bells for weeks
    ICYMI: Senator Murray Demands All Remaining Education Funds Blocked By Trump Get Released Immediately
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after the Trump administration finally relented and gave notice it will release the remaining $5.5 billion in federal funding for K-12 schools and adult education programs that it has been blocking for weeks:

    “Instead of spending the last many weeks figuring out how to improve after-school options and get our kids’ reading and math scores up, because of President Trump, communities across the country have been forced to spend their time cutting back on tutoring options and sorting out how many teachers they will have to lay off.
    “There is no good reason for the chaos and stress this president has inflicted on students, teachers, and parents across America for the last month, and it shouldn’t take widespread blowback for this administration to do its job and simply get the funding out the door that Congress has delivered to help students.
    “This administration deserves no credit for just barely averting a crisis they themselves set in motion. You don’t thank a burglar for returning your cash after you’ve spent a month figuring out if you’d have to sell your house to make up the difference.
    “It’s time for President Trump, Secretary McMahon, and Russ Vought to stop playing games with students’ futures and families’ livelihoods—and end their illegal assault on our students and their schools.”

    The Trump administration’s decision to withhold nearly $7 billion dollars in funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the, in many cases, massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. Over the last few weeks, school districts have made clear they will have to end afterschool programs and lay teachers off, told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have been forced to lay off staff.
    Today, the Trump administration finally relented and confirmed it will get this funding out, as the law requires, after weeks of creating panic and stress for schools and families alike.
    Here are the funding streams President Trump blocked for weeks—all of which are programs he requested to eliminate in his budget request:
    $2.19 billion: Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    $1.33 billion: 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    $1.38 billion: Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    $890 million: English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    $376 million: Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    $715 million: Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.
    These funds typically flow on July 1st of every year—but the Trump administration let states and stakeholders know on July 1st that it would not be moving the funding. It failed to provide any rationale, with the Department of Education directing questions to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and it has still failed to articulate an acceptable reason for withholding the funds.
    Senator Murray immediately called on Trump to release the funding, led her colleagues in demanding the funds flow, and last week, objected to fast-track consideration of President Trump’s nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the Department of Education while the funding blockage continues. When the Trump administration moved but one fraction of the blocked funds last Friday, she called on Trump to immediately move the rest.

    MIL OSI USA News –