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Category: Trump

  • MIL-OSI USA: On 3rd Anniversary of Roe Being Overturned, Markey Joins Senate Dems in a Bill to Restore Abortion Access Nationwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Women’s Health Protection Act comes as Trump and Congressional Republicans move to restrict a woman’s right to choose and toward a national abortion ban

    Washington (June 24, 2025) – On the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025, legislation to guarantee access to abortion everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. Put together, Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on Americans’ reproductive rights is a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.   

    President Trump appointed the Supreme Court Justices who ruled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to overturn Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent. Since the Dobbs decision, 19 states have banned abortion or severely restricted women from being able to access the procedure, leaving one in three American women without access to safe, legal abortion care. Additionally, state legislatures across the country have introduced hundreds of bills to include medically unnecessary restrictions that limit access to abortion care.

    In his second term, President Trump has continued to relentlessly attack reproductive rights, including freezing Title X funding for clinics that offer reproductive care, cutting Biden-era emergency abortion protections, pardoning anti-abortion extremists, and fighting to defund Planned Parenthood. Additionally, the House-passed Republican budget bill kicks 16 million people off their health insurance and defunds Planned Parenthood – threatening the closure of 200 health centers across the country and putting access to vital reproductive care for millions of families at risk.

    The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal rights for patients and providers to protect abortion access. Specifically, the Women’s Health Protection Act would:

    • Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.
    • Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.
    • Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.

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

    Full text of the bill is available here. A one-pager on the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey Joins Booker, Jayapal, Barragán to Reintroduce Legislation Removing Barriers to Health Care for Immigrants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (June 24, 2025) –  Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) along with U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44) to introduce the Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act, bicameral legislation that removes cruel and unnecessary barriers to health care for immigrants of all statuses. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

    Immigrants are significantly more likely than U.S. Citizens to be uninsured, leaving them at a higher risk for both adverse health and financial consequences. Of the nearly 151 million people aged 15-49 in the United States, 14.6 million people—almost one in 10—are noncitizen immigrants.

    “Trump and Republicans are working to rip health care coverage away from millions, including immigrant communities that are already too often left uninsured and vulnerable due to their immigration status. We must expand health care access for all and eliminate the discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant families and communities from seeking the health care they need,” said Senator Markey.

    “Everyone deserves access to comprehensive, affordable, quality care, and the HEAL Act lifts unnecessary barriers to medical care for immigrants,” said Senator Booker.  “A more equitable health care system will help create healthier communities and ensure that all families, regardless of immigration status, have access to the care they need.” 

    “Health care is a human right that must be accessible to everyone — regardless of immigration status,” said Representative Jayapal. “As a proud immigrant myself, I know that the HEAL Act is a necessary first step to allow more people across America to access the health care they need to live, making all of our communities healthier. As Republicans in Congress work to strip health coverage away from millions of Americans and further decimate our already broken immigration system, we’re working to ensure everyone in this country is able to see a doctor when they need it.”

    “Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on your immigration status,” said Representative Barragán. “Healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s time we break down the needless barriers that keep immigrant families from the care they need to survive and thrive. The HEAL Act is a step toward addressing racial health disparities and expanding quality healthcare to everyone in our communities.”

    “Withholding health care from immigrants is cruel and doesn’t make our communities safer or healthier,” said Senator Warren. “While the Trump administration continues playing political games with immigrant families, Democrats are fighting to make sure a person’s immigration status doesn’t prevent them from getting life-saving care.”

    “As the Trump Administration guts access to health care and basic services for immigrant communities, breaking down barriers to health care for immigrants isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s critical for protecting our public health and economy,” said Senator Padilla. “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world not despite immigrants, but because of their contributions to our workforce. Everyone deserves access to affordable, quality health care no matter their immigration status, and I will keep fighting to continue expanding coverage for these hardworking members of our communities.”

    “Health care is a human right—regardless of a person’s immigration status. With this critical legislation, we remove cruel, unnecessary barriers preventing immigrants from receiving the care they need to survive and thrive. By providing access to quality care and treatment, we strengthen our communities and bolster our nation’s public health,” said Senator Blumenthal.

    To see the full list of endorsing organizations, click here. 

    “Rep. Jayapal and Sen. Booker continue to be courageous and powerful champions for immigrant communities by reintroducing the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act. While immigrant families are currently being attacked and torn apart, this bill promotes a vision for what we want for our collective future. A future that supports immigrant communities by removing long standing systemic barriers to health coverage to help our communities access affordable health care. We are especially grateful that Sen. Booker and Rep. Jayapal are introducing this critical legislation today as we mark three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion. That decision has disproportionately harmed immigrant communities, for whom abortion bans, misinformation, and the threat of being detained and separated from our families has increased the barriers that keep us from getting the health care we need,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We urge Congress to protect immigrant communities and pass this bill,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

    “The reproductive justice movement teaches us that true justice means being able to have children, not have children, and raise our families in safe, supportive communities. None of that is possible without health care. In a country that has always been shaped by immigrants, we cannot keep allowing people and families, including the Asian American immigrants who make up more than a quarter of immigrants in the U.S., to be shut out from basic health care because of harmful, outdated policies. These are our mothers, our sisters, and our neighbors. The HEAL Act tears down the barriers facing our communities and reaffirms that everyone deserves the right to care, regardless of background, income, or immigration status,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).

    “For too long, our health care system has denied immigrants equitable access to health insurance, fueling deep and unconscionable health inequities,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program. “The big ugly reconciliation bill before Congress threatens to lock even more immigrant families out of vital and often lifesaving coverage, widening those inequities. The National Health Law Program is proud to endorse the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act, which offers a better vision for the future: dismantling xenophobic health insurance barriers and fostering health equity and reproductive justice for all,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney, The National Health Law Program.

    “Everyone deserves access to health care, no matter who they are or where they come from. It is unacceptable and cruel that many are denied affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive health care because of their immigration status. Amid the ongoing attacks on our immigrant communities and our health care, I thank Reps. Jayapal and Barragán and Senator Booker for reintroducing this critical bill that would break down unjust barriers to care for our immigrant families,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

    “As a physician, I’ve witnessed the barriers immigrant families face when trying to access health care. Insurance coverage is a cornerstone of meaningful access; without it, care remains out of reach for too many. At a time when attacks on immigrant communities are escalating, we must act now to ensure that everyone—regardless of status—has the right to timely, compassionate, and comprehensive health care. That’s why I join physicians across the country in calling for a swift passage of the HEAL Act. Expanding health coverage to immigrant communities ensures they receive the care they deserve, regardless of their immigration status. Health is a human right and no one should be excluded from receiving healthcare. Congress must pass HEAL – our patients are counting on it,” said Dr. Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG, President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health.

    “With immigrant families under constant attack, it’s more important than ever to work toward a better, more inclusive future when everyone can get the care we all need. We are proud to champion the HEAL Act – a critical step toward that better future,” said Adriana Cadena, Campaign Director, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition.

    “Now more than ever, it is critical to affirm that everyone—including immigrants—should have access to health care coverage. Immigrants already face many restrictions to such care and an onslaught of attacks on them and their families’ health and well-being, ranging from the fear created by the Administration’s mass deportation efforts to the deeply harmful budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration. The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is a critical step in moving us back in the right direction by giving children and families access to the health care they need to thrive. CLASP is grateful to Representative Jayapal and Senator Booker for their leadership in promoting a vision that supports health care for all,” said Wendy Cervantes, Director, Immigration and Immigrant Families, CLASP.

    “A community’s health and well-being depend on ensuring all of us have access to the affordable health care we need, regardless of immigration status. The HEAL Act would remove harmful barriers to care for millions and benefit all of us. At a time when immigrant communities across the country are facing a barrage of attacks, we commend Representative Jayapal for continuing to champion a vision and policies that help everyone in our communities,” said Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center.

    The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act will:

    1. Restore enrollment to full-benefit Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to all federally authorized immigrants who are otherwise eligible by removing the 5-year waiting period and outdated list of “qualified immigrants” for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility;
    2. Remove discriminatory Medicare restrictions based on length of stay in the U.S. for many lawful permanent residents (LPR);
    3. End the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces
    4. Ensure access to public and affordable coverage for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients;
    5. Create a state option to expand Medicaid and CHIP to immigrants regardless of immigration status.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Israel says new missiles from Iran after ceasefire

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

    A missile trace is seen from the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, on June 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Israel said on Tuesday it had identified missiles from Iran, shortly after the Israeli authorities said it had accepted a ceasefire proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

    According to local media reports, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed Israeli military to “respond forcefully” after Iranian missile fire.

    The latest escalation came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel had accepted a ceasefire proposed by Trump and had achieved its war goals against Iran.

    According to a statement by the office of Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu declared that Israel had achieved its goal of removing Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile threat.

    Iran’s Press TV said earlier Tuesday that ceasefire begins following waves of Iranian attacks on Israel.

    Trump had earlier announced that a ceasefire between the two sides would begin around 0400 GMT, with Iran expected to halt its operations first.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier that there was no “agreement” on a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. However, he suggested Iran would be prepared to halt further retaliation if Israeli attacks stopped by 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT).

    “If Israel stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 a.m., Iran has no intention of continuing its response afterwards,” Araqchi wrote in a post on X, adding that “the final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”

    Hours earlier, a senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran had not received any formal ceasefire proposal from the United States and saw no reason to halt hostilities.

    “At this very moment, the enemy is committing aggression against Iran, and Iran is on the verge of intensifying its retaliatory strikes, with no ear to listen to the lies of its enemies,” the official was quoted as saying. He added that remarks from U.S. and Israeli leaders would be seen as a “deception” intended to justify further attacks on Iran.

    The conflicting narratives raised questions about the implementation and durability of any potential ceasefire. It remained unclear whether the reported deal had been communicated through diplomatic channels, or whether either side intended to follow the terms.

    Trump announced Monday evening that Israel and Iran have reached a formal agreement to implement a complete and total ceasefire, marking what he called the end of the “12-Day War.”

    In a post on his Truth Social platform Monday, Trump said the ceasefire will initially last 12 hours, during which the opposing sides will maintain a posture of “peace and respect.”

    “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will,” Trump wrote, “I would like to congratulate both countries … on having the stamina, courage, and intelligence to end what should be called ‘THE 12 DAY WAR.’”

    Calling the agreement a breakthrough that “could have saved the Middle East from years of destruction,” Trump ended his announcement with a sweeping message of unity: “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: US stocks jump on news of Middle East ceasefire

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

    U.S. stocks surged Tuesday as investors welcomed the news of a ceasefire agreement that could bring an end to the Middle East conflict which has unsettled markets in recent weeks.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 507.24 points, or 1.19 percent, to 43,089.02. The S&P 500 added 67.01 points, or 1.11 percent, to 6,092.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 281.56 points, or 1.43 percent, to 19,912.53.

    Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with technology and financials leading the gainers by adding 1.61 percent and 1.50 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy and consumer staples led the laggards by losing 1.51 percent and 0.03 percent, respectively.

    U.S. President Donald Trump, who first announced the Iran-Israel ceasefire late Monday, said Tuesday morning that both countries had violated the deal overnight, but he emphasized that the agreement remained in effect. The fragile truce helped ease investor anxiety over a potential escalation, fueling a broad rally across sectors.

    “The key event for the market was how quick and limited the U.S. involvement was, as well as the ‘weak’ response from Iran which was essentially a choreographed fireworks display for domestic consumption,” said Jon Brager, portfolio manager at Palmer Square Capital Management. “So even if the ceasefire results in occasional flare-ups, the market has decided this risk is now in the rearview mirror and the focus probably returns to tariffs and fiscal policy.”

    Markets also drew support from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony to Congress. Powell said the Fed could cut interest rates “sooner rather than later,” even as he stressed the need to monitor the effects of tariff-driven inflation. The dovish tone reinforced investor expectations that the central bank remains flexible in its response to evolving economic conditions.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. consumer confidence index dropped by 5.4 points in June to 93.0, down from 98.4 in May, according to The Conference Board. The decline reflects increased consumer unease about current business conditions and the short-term outlook, as optimism about future income, job prospects, and business activity all declined. Despite the weakening sentiment, markets shrugged off the data as geopolitical relief and the prospect of rate cuts took precedence.

    Mega-cap technology stocks extended gains from Monday. Broadcom rose 3.94 percent, while Nvidia added 2.59 percent. Amazon climbed 2.06 percent, and Alphabet and Meta Platforms each rose more than 1 percent. Microsoft gained 0.85 percent, and Apple edged lower. Still, Tesla slipped 2.35 percent, giving back part of Monday’s sharp rally after the company launched its driverless robotaxi service in Austin. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Jayapal, Barragan Reintroduce Legislation to Remove Barriers to Health Care for Immigrants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) along with U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44) introduced the Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act, bicameral legislation that removes cruel and unnecessary barriers to health care for immigrants of all statuses. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

    Immigrants are significantly more likely than U.S. Citizens to be uninsured, leaving them at a higher risk for both adverse health and financial consequences. Of the nearly 151 million people aged 15-49 in the United States, 14.6 million people—almost one in 10—are noncitizen immigrants.

    “Everyone deserves access to comprehensive, affordable, quality care, and the HEAL Act lifts unnecessary barriers to medical care for immigrants,” said Senator Booker.  “A more equitable health care system will help create healthier communities and ensure that all families, regardless of immigration status, have access to the care they need.” 

    “Health care is a human right that must be accessible to everyone — regardless of immigration status,” said Representative Jayapal. “As a proud immigrant myself, I know that the HEAL Act is a necessary first step to allow more people across America to access the health care they need to live, making all of our communities healthier. As Republicans in Congress work to strip health coverage away from millions of Americans and further decimate our already broken immigration system, we’re working to ensure everyone in this country is able to see a doctor when they need it.”

    “Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on your immigration status,” said Representative Barragán. “Healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s time we break down the needless barriers that keep immigrant families from the care they need to survive and thrive. The HEAL Act is a step toward addressing racial health disparities and expanding quality healthcare to everyone in our communities.”

    “Withholding health care from immigrants is cruel and doesn’t make our communities safer or healthier,” said Senator Warren. “While the Trump administration continues playing political games with immigrant families, Democrats are fighting to make sure a person’s immigration status doesn’t prevent them from getting life-saving care.”

    “As the Trump Administration guts access to health care and basic services for immigrant communities, breaking down barriers to health care for immigrants isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s critical for protecting our public health and economy,” said Senator Padilla. “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world not despite immigrants, but because of their contributions to our workforce. Everyone deserves access to affordable, quality health care no matter their immigration status, and I will keep fighting to continue expanding coverage for these hardworking members of our communities.”

    “Trump and Republicans are working to rip health care coverage away from millions, including immigrant communities that are already too often left uninsured and vulnerable due to their immigration status. We must expand health care access for all and eliminate the discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant families and communities from seeking the health care they need,” said Senator Markey.

    “Health care is a human right—regardless of a person’s immigration status. With this critical legislation, we remove cruel, unnecessary barriers preventing immigrants from receiving the care they need to survive and thrive. By providing access to quality care and treatment, we strengthen our communities and bolster our nation’s public health,” said Senator Blumenthal.

    To see the full list of endorsing organizations, click here. 

    “Rep. Jayapal and Sen. Booker continue to be courageous and powerful champions for immigrant communities by reintroducing the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act. While immigrant families are currently being attacked and torn apart, this bill promotes a vision for what we want for our collective future. A future that supports immigrant communities by removing long standing systemic barriers to health coverage to help our communities access affordable health care. We are especially grateful that Sen. Booker and Rep. Jayapal are introducing this critical legislation today as we mark three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion. That decision has disproportionately harmed immigrant communities, for whom abortion bans, misinformation, and the threat of being detained and separated from our families has increased the barriers that keep us from getting the health care we need,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We urge Congress to protect immigrant communities and pass this bill,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

    “The reproductive justice movement teaches us that true justice means being able to have children, not have children, and raise our families in safe, supportive communities. None of that is possible without health care. In a country that has always been shaped by immigrants, we cannot keep allowing people and families, including the Asian American immigrants who make up more than a quarter of immigrants in the U.S., to be shut out from basic health care because of harmful, outdated policies. These are our mothers, our sisters, and our neighbors. The HEAL Act tears down the barriers facing our communities and reaffirms that everyone deserves the right to care, regardless of background, income, or immigration status,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).

    “For too long, our health care system has denied immigrants equitable access to health insurance, fueling deep and unconscionable health inequities,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program. “The big ugly reconciliation bill before Congress threatens to lock even more immigrant families out of vital and often lifesaving coverage, widening those inequities. The National Health Law Program is proud to endorse the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act, which offers a better vision for the future: dismantling xenophobic health insurance barriers and fostering health equity and reproductive justice for all,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney, The National Health Law Program.

    “Everyone deserves access to health care, no matter who they are or where they come from. It is unacceptable and cruel that many are denied affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive health care because of their immigration status. Amid the ongoing attacks on our immigrant communities and our health care, I thank Reps. Jayapal and Barragán and Senator Booker for reintroducing this critical bill that would break down unjust barriers to care for our immigrant families,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

    “As a physician, I’ve witnessed the barriers immigrant families face when trying to access health care. Insurance coverage is a cornerstone of meaningful access; without it, care remains out of reach for too many. At a time when attacks on immigrant communities are escalating, we must act now to ensure that everyone—regardless of status—has the right to timely, compassionate, and comprehensive health care. That’s why I join physicians across the country in calling for a swift passage of the HEAL Act. Expanding health coverage to immigrant communities ensures they receive the care they deserve, regardless of their immigration status. Health is a human right and no one should be excluded from receiving healthcare. Congress must pass HEAL – our patients are counting on it,” said Dr. Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG, President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health.

    “With immigrant families under constant attack, it’s more important than ever to work toward a better, more inclusive future when everyone can get the care we all need. We are proud to champion the HEAL Act – a critical step toward that better future,” said Adriana Cadena, Campaign Director, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition.

    “Now more than ever, it is critical to affirm that everyone—including immigrants—should have access to health care coverage. Immigrants already face many restrictions to such care and an onslaught of attacks on them and their families’ health and well-being, ranging from the fear created by the Administration’s mass deportation efforts to the deeply harmful budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration. The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is a critical step in moving us back in the right direction by giving children and families access to the health care they need to thrive. CLASP is grateful to Representative Jayapal and Senator Booker for their leadership in promoting a vision that supports health care for all,” said Wendy Cervantes, Director, Immigration and Immigrant Families, CLASP.

    “A community’s health and well-being depend on ensuring all of us have access to the affordable health care we need, regardless of immigration status. The HEAL Act would remove harmful barriers to care for millions and benefit all of us. At a time when immigrant communities across the country are facing a barrage of attacks, we commend Representative Jayapal for continuing to champion a vision and policies that help everyone in our communities,” said Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center.

    The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act will:

    1. Restore enrollment to full-benefit Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to all federally authorized immigrants who are otherwise eligible by removing the 5-year waiting period and outdated list of “qualified immigrants” for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility;
    2. Remove discriminatory Medicare restrictions based on length of stay in the U.S. for many lawful permanent residents (LPR);
    3. End the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces
    4. Ensure access to public and affordable coverage for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients;
    5. Create a state option to expand Medicaid and CHIP to immigrants regardless of immigration status.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Jayapal, Barragan Reintroduce Legislation to Remove Barriers to Health Care for Immigrants

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) along with U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44) introduced the Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act, bicameral legislation that removes cruel and unnecessary barriers to health care for immigrants of all statuses. The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Edward Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

    Immigrants are significantly more likely than U.S. Citizens to be uninsured, leaving them at a higher risk for both adverse health and financial consequences. Of the nearly 151 million people aged 15-49 in the United States, 14.6 million people—almost one in 10—are noncitizen immigrants.

    “Everyone deserves access to comprehensive, affordable, quality care, and the HEAL Act lifts unnecessary barriers to medical care for immigrants,” said Senator Booker.  “A more equitable health care system will help create healthier communities and ensure that all families, regardless of immigration status, have access to the care they need.” 

    “Health care is a human right that must be accessible to everyone — regardless of immigration status,” said Representative Jayapal. “As a proud immigrant myself, I know that the HEAL Act is a necessary first step to allow more people across America to access the health care they need to live, making all of our communities healthier. As Republicans in Congress work to strip health coverage away from millions of Americans and further decimate our already broken immigration system, we’re working to ensure everyone in this country is able to see a doctor when they need it.”

    “Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on your immigration status,” said Representative Barragán. “Healthcare is a basic human right, and it’s time we break down the needless barriers that keep immigrant families from the care they need to survive and thrive. The HEAL Act is a step toward addressing racial health disparities and expanding quality healthcare to everyone in our communities.”

    “Withholding health care from immigrants is cruel and doesn’t make our communities safer or healthier,” said Senator Warren. “While the Trump administration continues playing political games with immigrant families, Democrats are fighting to make sure a person’s immigration status doesn’t prevent them from getting life-saving care.”

    “As the Trump Administration guts access to health care and basic services for immigrant communities, breaking down barriers to health care for immigrants isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s critical for protecting our public health and economy,” said Senator Padilla. “California is the fourth-largest economy in the world not despite immigrants, but because of their contributions to our workforce. Everyone deserves access to affordable, quality health care no matter their immigration status, and I will keep fighting to continue expanding coverage for these hardworking members of our communities.”

    “Trump and Republicans are working to rip health care coverage away from millions, including immigrant communities that are already too often left uninsured and vulnerable due to their immigration status. We must expand health care access for all and eliminate the discriminatory policies that prevent immigrant families and communities from seeking the health care they need,” said Senator Markey.

    “Health care is a human right—regardless of a person’s immigration status. With this critical legislation, we remove cruel, unnecessary barriers preventing immigrants from receiving the care they need to survive and thrive. By providing access to quality care and treatment, we strengthen our communities and bolster our nation’s public health,” said Senator Blumenthal.

    To see the full list of endorsing organizations, click here. 

    “Rep. Jayapal and Sen. Booker continue to be courageous and powerful champions for immigrant communities by reintroducing the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act. While immigrant families are currently being attacked and torn apart, this bill promotes a vision for what we want for our collective future. A future that supports immigrant communities by removing long standing systemic barriers to health coverage to help our communities access affordable health care. We are especially grateful that Sen. Booker and Rep. Jayapal are introducing this critical legislation today as we mark three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion. That decision has disproportionately harmed immigrant communities, for whom abortion bans, misinformation, and the threat of being detained and separated from our families has increased the barriers that keep us from getting the health care we need,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. “We urge Congress to protect immigrant communities and pass this bill,” said Lupe M. Rodríguez, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

    “The reproductive justice movement teaches us that true justice means being able to have children, not have children, and raise our families in safe, supportive communities. None of that is possible without health care. In a country that has always been shaped by immigrants, we cannot keep allowing people and families, including the Asian American immigrants who make up more than a quarter of immigrants in the U.S., to be shut out from basic health care because of harmful, outdated policies. These are our mothers, our sisters, and our neighbors. The HEAL Act tears down the barriers facing our communities and reaffirms that everyone deserves the right to care, regardless of background, income, or immigration status,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF).

    “For too long, our health care system has denied immigrants equitable access to health insurance, fueling deep and unconscionable health inequities,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program. “The big ugly reconciliation bill before Congress threatens to lock even more immigrant families out of vital and often lifesaving coverage, widening those inequities. The National Health Law Program is proud to endorse the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act, which offers a better vision for the future: dismantling xenophobic health insurance barriers and fostering health equity and reproductive justice for all,” said Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney, The National Health Law Program.

    “Everyone deserves access to health care, no matter who they are or where they come from. It is unacceptable and cruel that many are denied affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive health care because of their immigration status. Amid the ongoing attacks on our immigrant communities and our health care, I thank Reps. Jayapal and Barragán and Senator Booker for reintroducing this critical bill that would break down unjust barriers to care for our immigrant families,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

    “As a physician, I’ve witnessed the barriers immigrant families face when trying to access health care. Insurance coverage is a cornerstone of meaningful access; without it, care remains out of reach for too many. At a time when attacks on immigrant communities are escalating, we must act now to ensure that everyone—regardless of status—has the right to timely, compassionate, and comprehensive health care. That’s why I join physicians across the country in calling for a swift passage of the HEAL Act. Expanding health coverage to immigrant communities ensures they receive the care they deserve, regardless of their immigration status. Health is a human right and no one should be excluded from receiving healthcare. Congress must pass HEAL – our patients are counting on it,” said Dr. Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG, President and CEO, Physicians for Reproductive Health.

    “With immigrant families under constant attack, it’s more important than ever to work toward a better, more inclusive future when everyone can get the care we all need. We are proud to champion the HEAL Act – a critical step toward that better future,” said Adriana Cadena, Campaign Director, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition.

    “Now more than ever, it is critical to affirm that everyone—including immigrants—should have access to health care coverage. Immigrants already face many restrictions to such care and an onslaught of attacks on them and their families’ health and well-being, ranging from the fear created by the Administration’s mass deportation efforts to the deeply harmful budget reconciliation bill currently under consideration. The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is a critical step in moving us back in the right direction by giving children and families access to the health care they need to thrive. CLASP is grateful to Representative Jayapal and Senator Booker for their leadership in promoting a vision that supports health care for all,” said Wendy Cervantes, Director, Immigration and Immigrant Families, CLASP.

    “A community’s health and well-being depend on ensuring all of us have access to the affordable health care we need, regardless of immigration status. The HEAL Act would remove harmful barriers to care for millions and benefit all of us. At a time when immigrant communities across the country are facing a barrage of attacks, we commend Representative Jayapal for continuing to champion a vision and policies that help everyone in our communities,” said Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center.

    The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act will:

    1. Restore enrollment to full-benefit Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to all federally authorized immigrants who are otherwise eligible by removing the 5-year waiting period and outdated list of “qualified immigrants” for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility;
    2. Remove discriminatory Medicare restrictions based on length of stay in the U.S. for many lawful permanent residents (LPR);
    3. End the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces
    4. Ensure access to public and affordable coverage for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients;
    5. Create a state option to expand Medicaid and CHIP to immigrants regardless of immigration status.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing on CENTCOM and EUCOM Nominees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    Watch Video Here

     

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a hearing to consider the nominations of two senior military officers to lead U.S. Central Command, and U.S. European Command.

     

    In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker praised our service members for their skill and proficiency in carrying out the Operation Midnight Hammer mission to degrade Iran’s nuclear weapon capability. The Chairman also emphasized the consequential threat environments in the CENTCOM and EUCOM theaters of operations and stressed the importance of alliances in achieving peace through strength.

     

    Read Senator Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered.

     

    The committee meets today to consider the nominations of Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, to be Commander, United States Central Command, and Lieutenant General Alexus G. Grynkewich, to be Commander, United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. I welcome our nominees and their families, and I thank them for their continued willingness to serve our nation.

     

    I want to begin my remarks by recognizing the remarkable skill, courage, and professionalism displayed by the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who participated in Operation Midnight Hammer over the weekend.

     

    President Trump was right to authorize the mission to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and address this longstanding threat to the United States. Our commander-in-chief gave Ayatollah Khamenei every chance to negotiate peacefully. The Iranian leader, however, rejected our President’s entreaties. He instead chose to continue his pursuit of a nuclear weapon and support of terrorism rather than a peaceful resolution that would have benefited the Iranian people. To be clear, the situation the Iranian regime finds itself in today is entirely of its own making.

     

    I know members of this committee will have questions about Operation Midnight Hammer and the administration’s Iran policy. I do remind my colleagues there will be a classified briefing for all senators later today with senior administration officials to address many of these questions.

     

    If confirmed, Admiral Cooper will assume command of CENTCOM in the midst of a seismic shift across the Middle East. These changes were precipitated by Hamas’ barbaric attack against Israel on October 7th, 2023. Since then, Iran’s conventional military capabilities have been severely degraded, Hezbollah’s leadership has been decimated, and Hamas has been crushed. Iran’s longtime political ally in the region – Syria’s Bashar Assad – is out of power and in exile.

     

    Iran and its terrorist allies are weaker than they have been in decades, but the job is not done.

     

    We must do all we can to support the defense of Israel and ensure that American forces in the region have what they need. I hope to hear Admiral Cooper’s unclassified assessment of recent developments and his description of the force posture and force protection requirements CENTCOM needs in order to contend with Iran, its proxies, and other threats emanating from the region.

     

    Lastly, we must not lose sight of the continuing threat posed by radical Islamist terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. Although weakened, ISIS and al-Qaeda remain intent on killing Americans. I am interested in Admiral Cooper’s testimony about the current capabilities of terrorist groups in the region and what CENTCOM’s counterterrorism strategy should be in order to counter this threat.

     

    Now as to General Grynkewich — If confirmed, he will take command of EUCOM and NATO at a time of war and great uncertainty. Vladimir Putin continues to remind the West that Russia remains a determined enemy, one which is willing to use force to vindicate long-held grievances and to violate international law. The Russian dictator’s invasion of Ukraine has rained death and destruction upon a democratic people and serves as a warning to the world that the military threat from Russia is as relevant today as it ever has been.

     

    Indeed, earlier this month, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that “Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.” He added that Putin’s war economy “produces more munitions in three months than the whole of NATO produces in a year.” Of course, Russia is not just a danger to our NATO allies. Russia also directly threatens the homeland. Its nuclear arsenal is sized and postured to destroy the United States. The members of this committee are keen to hear General Grynkewich’s views of the threat Russia poses, as well as his plans to counter it.

     

    The United States faces a dauting challenge: We must deter, and if necessary, defeat two nuclear peer adversaries. That task highlights the important role allies play in our security. President Trump deserves considerable credit for dramatically increasing allied burden sharing, which has helped to renew NATO’s purpose. NATO is now actively debating a commitment for members to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense.

     

    Amid this encouraging development, there are some in the Pentagon that believe the U.S. must draw down our military presence in Europe. This thinking bewilders most of us on this committee, given Russia’s aggression and the renewed willingness of allies to share our collective defense burden.

     

    Our presence in Europe helps deter Russia. It also has additional benefits, including enabling and assisting our military operations in the CENTCOM and AFRICOM areas of operation. That support is vital, especially now, as tensions once again rise in the Middle East.

     

    With that I look forward to our hearing today, and I turn to my colleague and friend, Ranking Member Reed.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing on CENTCOM and EUCOM Nominees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    Watch Video Here

     

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a hearing to consider the nominations of two senior military officers to lead U.S. Central Command, and U.S. European Command.

     

    In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker praised our service members for their skill and proficiency in carrying out the Operation Midnight Hammer mission to degrade Iran’s nuclear weapon capability. The Chairman also emphasized the consequential threat environments in the CENTCOM and EUCOM theaters of operations and stressed the importance of alliances in achieving peace through strength.

     

    Read Senator Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered.

     

    The committee meets today to consider the nominations of Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, to be Commander, United States Central Command, and Lieutenant General Alexus G. Grynkewich, to be Commander, United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. I welcome our nominees and their families, and I thank them for their continued willingness to serve our nation.

     

    I want to begin my remarks by recognizing the remarkable skill, courage, and professionalism displayed by the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who participated in Operation Midnight Hammer over the weekend.

     

    President Trump was right to authorize the mission to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and address this longstanding threat to the United States. Our commander-in-chief gave Ayatollah Khamenei every chance to negotiate peacefully. The Iranian leader, however, rejected our President’s entreaties. He instead chose to continue his pursuit of a nuclear weapon and support of terrorism rather than a peaceful resolution that would have benefited the Iranian people. To be clear, the situation the Iranian regime finds itself in today is entirely of its own making.

     

    I know members of this committee will have questions about Operation Midnight Hammer and the administration’s Iran policy. I do remind my colleagues there will be a classified briefing for all senators later today with senior administration officials to address many of these questions.

     

    If confirmed, Admiral Cooper will assume command of CENTCOM in the midst of a seismic shift across the Middle East. These changes were precipitated by Hamas’ barbaric attack against Israel on October 7th, 2023. Since then, Iran’s conventional military capabilities have been severely degraded, Hezbollah’s leadership has been decimated, and Hamas has been crushed. Iran’s longtime political ally in the region – Syria’s Bashar Assad – is out of power and in exile.

     

    Iran and its terrorist allies are weaker than they have been in decades, but the job is not done.

     

    We must do all we can to support the defense of Israel and ensure that American forces in the region have what they need. I hope to hear Admiral Cooper’s unclassified assessment of recent developments and his description of the force posture and force protection requirements CENTCOM needs in order to contend with Iran, its proxies, and other threats emanating from the region.

     

    Lastly, we must not lose sight of the continuing threat posed by radical Islamist terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. Although weakened, ISIS and al-Qaeda remain intent on killing Americans. I am interested in Admiral Cooper’s testimony about the current capabilities of terrorist groups in the region and what CENTCOM’s counterterrorism strategy should be in order to counter this threat.

     

    Now as to General Grynkewich — If confirmed, he will take command of EUCOM and NATO at a time of war and great uncertainty. Vladimir Putin continues to remind the West that Russia remains a determined enemy, one which is willing to use force to vindicate long-held grievances and to violate international law. The Russian dictator’s invasion of Ukraine has rained death and destruction upon a democratic people and serves as a warning to the world that the military threat from Russia is as relevant today as it ever has been.

     

    Indeed, earlier this month, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that “Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.” He added that Putin’s war economy “produces more munitions in three months than the whole of NATO produces in a year.” Of course, Russia is not just a danger to our NATO allies. Russia also directly threatens the homeland. Its nuclear arsenal is sized and postured to destroy the United States. The members of this committee are keen to hear General Grynkewich’s views of the threat Russia poses, as well as his plans to counter it.

     

    The United States faces a dauting challenge: We must deter, and if necessary, defeat two nuclear peer adversaries. That task highlights the important role allies play in our security. President Trump deserves considerable credit for dramatically increasing allied burden sharing, which has helped to renew NATO’s purpose. NATO is now actively debating a commitment for members to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense.

     

    Amid this encouraging development, there are some in the Pentagon that believe the U.S. must draw down our military presence in Europe. This thinking bewilders most of us on this committee, given Russia’s aggression and the renewed willingness of allies to share our collective defense burden.

     

    Our presence in Europe helps deter Russia. It also has additional benefits, including enabling and assisting our military operations in the CENTCOM and AFRICOM areas of operation. That support is vital, especially now, as tensions once again rise in the Middle East.

     

    With that I look forward to our hearing today, and I turn to my colleague and friend, Ranking Member Reed.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Secures Decision Blocking the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Withholding of Billions in Funding for EV Charging Infrastructure

    Source: US State of California

    Tuesday, June 24, 2025

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

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington blocking the Trump Administration from unlawfully withholding billions of dollars in funding approved by bipartisan majorities in Congress for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.  

    “It is no secret that the Trump Administration is beholden to the fossil fuel agenda. The administration cannot dismiss programs illegally, like the bipartisan Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program, just so that the President’s Big Oil friends can continue basking in record-breaking profits,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are pleased with today’s order blocking the Administration’s unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach.” 

    Background

    In 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. One provision of the IIJA appropriated $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula program to facilitate a national network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the states, making clean cars accessible and convenient for more consumers and markets. 

    On Day One of his administration, President Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to immediately stop releasing certain funds appropriated through the IIJA, including $5 billion that Congress appropriated for electric vehicle charging stations under NEVI. Following that directive, the Federal Highway Administration effectively halted the NEVI program by, among other things, illegally withholding billions in funds that Congress had directed to the states for building EV infrastructure.

    Last month, Attorney General Bonta, alongside California Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Energy Commission, co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to ensure the proper flow of NEVI funds. Today’s court order blocks the Trump Administration’s action while the case continues through litigation.  

    A copy of the court order can be found here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Senator Marshall Celebrates the Third Anniversary of the Dobbs Decision

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Tuesday, the third anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), released the following video praising their decision to allow states to be free to stand up for their values and the defense of life.
    The fight for life is never over, and this week the Senate will vote on the reconciliation bill, which will deliver the largest pro-life wins since the Dobbs decision: a 10-year prohibition on federal Medicaid funding from going toward abortion providers who receive more than $800,000 in taxpayer dollars. The largest target of this prohibition would be Planned Parenthood, which receives $2 million a day in taxpayer funding while performing 400,000 abortions annually.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch the video.
    Background:

    Full video transcript below:
    “Good morning from the steps of the Supreme Court. Three years ago today, the landmark Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade.
    “For nearly half a century, Roe imposed a one-size-fits-all mandate denying states the freedom to reflect their communities’ values. Dobbs changed all that, restoring power to Kansans and Americans nationwide to protect life.
    “This victory was made possible by the bold leadership of President Trump, who promised to defend the unborn and who appointed justices to uphold that commitment.
    “As an OBGYN, I had the privilege and honor to deliver over 5,000 babies. Protecting life has always been my calling, long before I ever stepped foot in DC.
    “Now, since Dobbs, the pro-life movement has surged forward: states have passed laws safeguarding the unborn, and crisis pregnancy centers have expanded, providing hope, counseling, and resources to nearly 800,000 women last year alone. 
    “But our work is far from done. This week, the Senate takes [up] the President’s reconciliation bill – a historic moment for the pro-life cause. This legislation includes the most significant pro-life victory since Dobbs: a 10-year ban on Federal Medicaid funding for abortion providers receiving over $800,000 in taxpayer money.
    “Now, who is the primary target? Planned Parenthood, who pockets over $2 million daily. They perform over 4,000 abortions each day, over a third of all abortions across America.
    “When President Trump signs this bill into law, we will defund America’s largest abortion provider, striking a powerful blow for the unborn.
    “The fight to protect life never ends. Today, on the anniversary of Dobbs, I am proud to stand here, just steps from the Supreme Court, and carry this battle forward across the street, on Capitol Hill.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Senator Marshall Celebrates the Third Anniversary of the Dobbs Decision

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – On Tuesday, the third anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), released the following video praising their decision to allow states to be free to stand up for their values and the defense of life.
    The fight for life is never over, and this week the Senate will vote on the reconciliation bill, which will deliver the largest pro-life wins since the Dobbs decision: a 10-year prohibition on federal Medicaid funding from going toward abortion providers who receive more than $800,000 in taxpayer dollars. The largest target of this prohibition would be Planned Parenthood, which receives $2 million a day in taxpayer funding while performing 400,000 abortions annually.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch the video.
    Background:

    Full video transcript below:
    “Good morning from the steps of the Supreme Court. Three years ago today, the landmark Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade.
    “For nearly half a century, Roe imposed a one-size-fits-all mandate denying states the freedom to reflect their communities’ values. Dobbs changed all that, restoring power to Kansans and Americans nationwide to protect life.
    “This victory was made possible by the bold leadership of President Trump, who promised to defend the unborn and who appointed justices to uphold that commitment.
    “As an OBGYN, I had the privilege and honor to deliver over 5,000 babies. Protecting life has always been my calling, long before I ever stepped foot in DC.
    “Now, since Dobbs, the pro-life movement has surged forward: states have passed laws safeguarding the unborn, and crisis pregnancy centers have expanded, providing hope, counseling, and resources to nearly 800,000 women last year alone. 
    “But our work is far from done. This week, the Senate takes [up] the President’s reconciliation bill – a historic moment for the pro-life cause. This legislation includes the most significant pro-life victory since Dobbs: a 10-year ban on Federal Medicaid funding for abortion providers receiving over $800,000 in taxpayer money.
    “Now, who is the primary target? Planned Parenthood, who pockets over $2 million daily. They perform over 4,000 abortions each day, over a third of all abortions across America.
    “When President Trump signs this bill into law, we will defund America’s largest abortion provider, striking a powerful blow for the unborn.
    “The fight to protect life never ends. Today, on the anniversary of Dobbs, I am proud to stand here, just steps from the Supreme Court, and carry this battle forward across the street, on Capitol Hill.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell, Outdoor Rec Reps All Say America’s Public Lands Are Not For Sale

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    06.24.25

    Cantwell, Outdoor Rec Reps All Say America’s Public Lands Are Not For Sale

    Senate could vote later this week on proposal to force sale of millions of federally-owned acres across Western states, including iconic hiking, climbing, hunting spots

    WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, joined the mayor of Boise, professional climbers, a leader from outdoor gear retailer REI, and a spokesperson for a hunting and angling advocacy group for a virtual press conference to push back on the GOP’s plans to force the sale of millions of acres of public lands as part of a budget bill likely to be voted on by the full Senate later this week.

    “The proposal we see so far would mandate a sale of 2 to 3 million acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land all across the West, and it would make up to 250 million acres of public lands eligible to be sold. Every Western state, that is, except for Montana — because … somehow there’s a ‘Big Sky Swindle’ in the deal,” Sen. Cantwell said. “We’re here to say that we want our public lands protected. We want to be able to continue to hike, fish, hunt and do as much as we can. We don’t want hunters to face a ‘no trespassing’ sign on lands that they’ve hunted on for generations. We don’t want anglers to be blocked from world-class fishing grounds. We don’t want places that climbers and hikers and outdoor recreationists have gone to for years, all of a sudden, to be turned into luxury resorts or golf courses. They are at their highest and best use, and they are beautiful places that have been preserved for all of the American people to enjoy.”

    “The representatives voting for this are in deeply red — oftentimes — places, because that’s where BLM and national forest land is, and that’s where I spend the majority of my time,” said professional climber Tommy Caldwell. “They’re going to change the character of the places they care the most about, and it’s really their constituency that’s going to suffer the most.”

    “I’m looking out of my office right now at two distinct areas that are put at risk with this proposal to sell off public lands,” said Boise Mayor Lauren McLean. “And for over 20 years, we have a legacy of putting forward ballot measures to protect these lands, so that they’re saved in perpetuity for generations after us. But the system that our residents have created that’s right up against our downtown core is at risk.”

    The Senate Republican proposal comes as part of a larger Trump Administration push to privatize public lands. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has stated on multiple occasions that public lands should be recognized as valuable assets on the nation’s balance sheet and potentially used to generate revenue. Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order that described the nation’s natural resources and public lands as a “sum of asset value,” in the context of establishing a “Sovereign Wealth Fund.”  Subsequently, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, proposed greenlighting the sale of over 250 millions of acres of public lands, which could constitute the “largest single sale of national public land in modern history.”  While last night the Senate Parliamentarian rejected Lee’s opening gambit, deeming the proposal ineligible under budget reconciliation process rules, Lee responded, “I’m doing everything I can to support President Trump and move this forward.” He promised, “We’re just getting started.”

    The original version of the bill would have required the federal government to sell or transfer at least 0.5% and up to 0.75% of land owned by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, or between 2.1 million and 3.2 million acres. The proposal would have also established a process for potential purchasers, states, and local governments to nominate federal land to be sold, endangering more than 250 million acres across 11 states, with public lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming eligible for sale. A political side deal exempted any sales of federal land in Montana. Senator Lee has indicated he has submitted a revised proposal to the parliamentarian, which may exclude Forest Service lands and modify the eligibility of Bureau of Reclamation parcels, but the legislative text detailing the size and scope of any proposed land sales will remain fluid and is unlikely to be finalized or available for public review until shortly before the Senate votes on the measure.

    Sen. Cantwell is strongly opposed to selling off federal lands. In a committee hearing on June 10, she took U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to task over the administration’s alarming budget proposal for the Department of the Interior: “We’re all amazed that you seem to be putting forth a budget that is basically saying, ‘I don’t want to acquire. I want to actually sell public lands,’” she said.

    Sen. Cantwell was joined at today’s virtual press conference by:

    • Lauren McLean, Mayor of Boise
    • Susan Viscon, REI-Co-op Executive & Outdoor Industry Association Board Member 
    • Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

    Video of today’s virtual press conference is available HERE; a transcript is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: UN political chief calls for diplomacy to ensure peaceful nature of Iran’s nuke program

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

    The UN Security Council holds a meeting on non-proliferation at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo on Tuesday called for diplomacy and dialogue to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.

    In a briefing to the Security Council on the implementation of its Resolution 2231, which endorses the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, DiCarlo regretted that with less than four months left until the termination of its provisions, the objectives of the resolution and those of the Iran nuclear deal have yet to be fully realized.

    Resolution 2231 expires on Oct. 18, 2025.

    The nuclear deal, adopted in the summer of 2015 to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program would be exclusively peaceful, has faced many challenges since its inception, including the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement in 2018 during Donald Trump’s first term of office as U.S. president, said DiCarlo.

    Over the last few months, participants of the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), increased their efforts to identify a way forward for full implementation of the plan. In addition, Iran and the United States engaged in five rounds of bilateral talks, facilitated by Oman, said DiCarlo. “Regrettably, neither of these initiatives produced a way forward to ensuring the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.”

    The military escalation between Israel and Iran since June 13 and U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday (New York time) complicated prospects for achieving full implementation of Resolution 2231. Iran’s strikes on Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar further exacerbated insecurity in an already tense region, she said.

    Monday’s announcement by the United States, in coordination with Qatar, of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran is a significant achievement that potentially pulls Iran, Israel and the region back from the brink, she said.

    At the heart of this conflict is the nature of Iran’s nuclear program. Following the deadly clashes of the past 12 days, the ceasefire agreement is an opportunity to avoid a catastrophic escalation and achieve a peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear issue, she said. “Diplomacy, dialogue and verification remain the best option to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and to bring about concrete economic benefits to the people of Iran.”

    The United Nations stands ready to support all efforts that advance peace, dialogue and stability in the region, she said. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA:  On Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Being Overturned, Rosen Helps Introduce Bill to Restore Abortion Access Nationwide

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senate colleagues in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine Roe protections in federal law and restore women’s reproductive freedom. Specifically, this bill would help overturn and prevent extreme abortion bans and reproductive care restrictions that are putting at risk the lives of women in states across the country.
    “Women deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions without interference from politicians,” said Senator Rosen. “Since Roe was overturned, we’ve seen the dangerous consequences of extreme anti-choice bans that put women’s lives at risk and gut access to critically-needed health care. Women have died because of this. I’m proud to help introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore Roe and protect the right to reproductive care.”
    Senator Rosen has been a fighter for women’s reproductive rights, taking action to safeguard access to essential health care for women. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen joined Senate colleagues in introducing the Right to Contraception Act, aimed at federally guaranteeing the right to obtain and use contraceptives and shielding providers who prescribe and offer them. Senator Rosen has also condemned the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind federal guidance that required hospitals to provide emergency abortions.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders discuss Middle East conflict before ceasefire

    RNZ Pacific

    Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says the Middle East conflict was one of the discussions of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Suva this week — and Pacific leaders “took note of what is happening”.

    The Post-Courier reports Marape saying the “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran was based on high technology and using missiles sent from great distances.

    “In the context of MSG, the leaders want peace always. And the Pacific remains friends to all, enemies to none,” he said.

    He said an effect on PNG would be the inflation in prices of oil and gas.

    Yesterday morning, US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire had been agreed  between Israel and Iran, and so far it has been holding in spite of tensions.

    Australia had stepped in to help Papua New Guinea diplomats and citizens caught in the Middle East.

    Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko confirmed last week that a group was to be evacuated through Jordan.

    There had been six diplomats in lockdown at the PNG embassy in Jerusalem awaiting extraction.

    Meanwhile, a repatriation flight for Australians stuck in Israel had been cancelled.

    ABC News reported that it was the second day repatriation plans were scrapped at the last minute because of rocket fire. A bus meant to take people across the border into Jordan was cancelled the previous day.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy on rescissions: “All the president is asking us to do is cut the spending porn from the budget.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    Watch Kennedy’s comments here.

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

    On reconciliation:

    “We’re working hard on reconciliation. I suspect we’re going to have a bill before us here in a few days. It’s very important, it does a lot. . . . If we pass this bill, it will be the largest tax cut in the history of America. But the converse is also true. If we don’t pass this bill, it will be the largest tax increase on the American people in the history of America. 

    “So, there are two doors here. Door number one: Pass it. Largest tax cut in the history of America. Door number two: Don’t pass it. Largest tax increase—$4.3 trillion. That’s how much taxes will go up on ordinary Americans. Not just the rich. I know they’re going to tell you that. It’s just the rich. No, it’s not. It’s ordinary Americans. It’s every American.

    “If we don’t pass this bill, you raise taxes $4.3 trillion on 300-plus million Americans, and you watch this economy go down like a fat guy on a seesaw. We don’t have a choice.”

    On rescissions:

    “The president has sent to us a rescission package. It’s $9.4 billion, as you know, Mr. President. The president is asking us to remove spending that Congress appropriated for areas in foreign aid and for public broadcasting. I want to talk about the foreign aid part. 

    “We’re going to have plenty of time to debate whether we ought to agree with the president, but I want the American people to understand the type of spending porn that the president is asking to take out of Congress’ budget.

    “The Honorable Jodey Arrington, who is a congressman—a damned good one too—he’s chairman of the House Budget Committee. The congressman put together just a few items in the foreign aid spending provisions that the president is asking us to remove. This list is illustrative. It’s not exhaustive.

    “I just wanted to point a couple of these programs out. Again, this is spending the president is asking us to revoke. You be the judge, folks. It’s your money. The American people can decide whether we ought to spend their money on this or take it out, as the president has requested.

    “I know Congress is not blameless, believe me. But we didn’t approve these specific items of expenditure. We approved the amounts and the general subject areas, like foreign aid. The bureaucrats did the rest.

    “I didn’t know there was any such thing as an environmentally unfriendly reproductive health decision. $167,000 the bureaucracy has spent or is proposing to spend on free education and health care to migrants in Ecuador and Venezuela. $67,000 to provide insect powder to children in Madagascar.

    “Mr. President, have you ever had insect powder? Don’t answer that. I don’t think I’m even supposed to be asking you under the Senate rules. But I haven’t had it. . . . The bureaucracy wants to spend $5.1 million to strengthen the ‘resilience of LGBTQ global movements, and the president asked us to take it out. $833,000 for services for transgender people, sex workers, and their clients and sexual networks in Nepal. $643,000 for LGBTQIA programs in the western Balkans. $567,000 for LGBTQIA programs in Uganda. $33,000 for being LGBTQIA in the Caribbean.

    “In the area of the climate, Mr. President, the bureaucrats want to spend—and President Trump wants us to take it out—$6 million appropriated for net-zero cities in Mexico, $2.1 million for climate resilience in Southeast Asia, Latin America and east Africa, $416,700 for climate adaptation, including growing coral reefs, in the Caribbean. $500,000 for Rwanda to buy electric buses. Your money. $8,000 to promote vegan food in Zambia. . . . The bureaucracy wants to spend $1 million on voter ID programs in Haiti. If you know anything about Haiti, it’s a mess. They’re not about to have elections any time soon. $889,000 for electoral reforms and voter education in Kenya.

    “In the area of media arts and culture, the bureaucracy proposes to spend $6 million to support media organization and civic life in Palestine, and $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street.

    “This is just a taste, Mr. President. This list is illustrative, it’s not exhaustive. So when you see us debating whether we should reduce the federal budget by $9.3 billion, which the House has already decided to do and now it’s our turn, and I say—which I have repeatedly said and will continue to say—is that all the president is asking us to do is cut the spending porn from the budget.

    “You can make up your own mind. It’s your money. If you think we ought to be spending the money on this, encourage us to vote no, but if you think you could spend this money of yours better than the bureaucracy could or we could spend on our kids or our roads or our health care, then encourage us to vote yes.”

    Watch Kennedy’s speech here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “WHAT IS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RUNNING AWAY FROM?”

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

    Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference with Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar where they demanded that the American people receive answers from the Trump administration on how they plan to avoid another deadly war in the Middle East.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Article I, Section VIII, Clause XI of the United States Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. The Trump administration undertook an offensive military strike in the Middle East and chose to ignore the constitutional requirement to get approval from the United States Congress. The American people deserve to know the facts and the truth, as it related to the decision to strike Iran without securing congressional approval. What was the imminent nature of the threat to the safety and security of the American people that justified the strike that took place?

    What was the result of the military strike in terms of potentially setting back the Iranian nuclear program and their aspirations? We agree that Iran should never be permitted to become nuclear-capable. Iran is a sworn enemy of the United States of America and a sworn enemy of our allies, including Israel and Jordan. But there are real questions that need to be answered so that the American people have a full understanding of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Is it, in fact, the case that Iran’s nuclear program has been completely and totally obliterated?

    There apparently are reasons to believe that that was a blatant misrepresentation made by Donald Trump to the American people. That’s one of the questions that needs to be answered by the Trump administration. What are they running away from? Why was this briefing, which is already days late, postponed? Why is the Trump administration playing political games on questions of war and peace that relate directly to the safety and security of the American people? We’re ready to undertake our constitutional responsibility on behalf of the American people on these serious issues, which include the need to get an answer to the question as to what is Donald Trump’s plan to avoid another costly and deadly war in the Middle East, which the American people want no part of, Democrats, independents and Republicans.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Hoyle Statement on Vote to Table Impeachment

    Source: US Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04)

    June 24, 2025

    For Immediate Release: June 24, 2025 

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) released the following statement after her vote on today’s motion to table impeachment: 

    “My position on the strikes in Iran has been clear. My constituents, regardless of party, do not want to send their children or their tax dollars to another forever war in the Middle East. That said, I voted to table the motion to impeach because there is no viable path to impeachment at this time. Impeachment is one of the most serious actions Congress can take, and it shouldn’t be used as a symbolic gesture or partisan spectacle.”

    Background

    Since coming to Congress in 2022, Rep. Hoyle has been an outspoken critic of presidential abuses of Congressional War Powers by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

    In 2023, Rep. Hoyle voted against the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in part due to concerns about War Powers authorities. She offered amendments to:

      • Prohibit U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen unless authorized by Congress;

      • End unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Syria;

      • And to repeal the 1991, 2001, and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs), citing their misuse by presidents of both parties who use them to unilaterally engage in foreign wars.

    • In 2023, Rep. Hoyle spoke out against President Biden’s use of unauthorized military strikes.

    • In January 2024, Rep. Hoyle was among the first Democratic Congresspeople to speak out against President Biden’s unilateral decision to launch strikes in Yemen.

    • In April 2025, Rep. Hoyle joined Rep. Jayapal (D-WA) and Rep. Khanna (D-CA) to lead 30 of her colleagues in calling out President Trumps unilateral decision to launch strikes in Yemen.

    • In June 2025, Rep. Hoyle was one of 14 original cosponsors of Rep. Khanna’s (D-CA) and Rep. Massie’s (R-KY) Resolution to require President Trump to seek Congressional authorization before engaging in strikes on Yemen.

    • Following President Trump’s unilateral decision to strike Iran on Saturday, June 21, 2025, Rep. Hoyle released a statement condemning the action as unconstitutional act.

    Congressional War Powers are clearly outlined by U.S. law:

    1. After a declaration of war by Congress;

    2. After a specific statutory authorization from Congress;

    3. Or in a national emergency created by an attack on the U.S.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sullivan, Cramer, & Messmer Introduce New GOLDEN DOME Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

    06.24.25

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Representative Mark Messmer (R-Ind.)— members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees—hosted a press conference today with their colleagues announcing the introduction of their legislation, the Ground and Orbital Launched Defeat of Emergent Nuclear Destruction and Other Missile Engagements (GOLDEN DOME) Act. The GOLDEN DOME Act authorizes more than $23 billion to begin developing a modernized, layered homeland missile defense system that can counter, detect, track, and defeat existing and evolving threats as envisioned by President Donald Trump in his January 27, 2025 executive order.

    Click here or the image above to watch the full press conference.

    “The escalating missile threats we’ve witnessed from the Iranian terrorist regime and the rapidly evolving missile threats from Russia and China demonstrate why we need to develop a robust, modernized missile defense system to protect the entire country—which the GOLDEN DOME Act will do,” said Sen. Sullivan. “The three prongs of successful policy in D.C. are presidential leadership, appropriated funding and comprehensive authorizing legislation. We have all three of these elements behind this historic Golden Dome initiative. President Trump has, for years, going back to his first term, driven the vision of a layered, open architecture missile defense system. Congress is stepping up with a down payment appropriation of $25 billion in the reconciliation bill. And now, we are introducing the GOLDEN DOME Act to cement this vision in law. The GOLDEN DOME Act will incorporate space-based sensors and new intercept technologies, significantly expand and modernize existing infrastructure, like the ground-based missile interceptor fields at Alaska’s Fort Greely and North Dakota’s PARCS radar system, and enhance all-domain awareness to counter, detect, track, and defeat potential missile threats. The great State of Alaska has been—and will continue to be—the cornerstone of our missile defense system. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to get this important legislation to President Trump’s desk to better secure the homeland.”

    “Our adversaries have developed more advanced long-range weapons over the last couple of decades, posing a significant threat to our national security,” said Sen. Cramer. “We have to act in order to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape. Senator Sullivan and I introduced the GOLDEN DOME Act to build a layered missile defense system, which protects our homeland from catastrophic attacks from modern missiles. Our bill puts the legislative muscle behind President Trump’s executive order to support his innovative vision of protecting our great nation from current and future threats. The Golden Dome is great for America, great for North Dakota, and great for Alaska. The time is now to prioritize the defense of the United States by modernizing our missile defense infrastructure.”

    “In a world where hostile adversaries like Russia and China present an ever-present nuclear threat, America must stand ready to prevent nuclear weapons from harming our citizens,” said Rep. Messmer. “The Golden Dome Act fulfills President Trump’s initiative to keep America safe with this state of the art missile defense shield.”

    Specifically, the GOLDEN DOME Act is focused on enhancing the all-domain awareness of the U.S missile defense system, bolstering the capacity of U.S. missiles and drones to defend against threats from rogue nations as well as near-peer nations, and accelerating the development of new capabilities to keep pace with future threats, particularly from hypersonics and cruise missiles.

    This legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Tim Scott (R-SC).

    The introduction of the GOLDEN DOME Act was also reported on in an exclusive story today by Charles Creitz in Fox News Digital.

    ‘Golden Dome’ comprehensive weapons defenses in the works as lawmakers make Trump dream a reality

    By: Charles Creitz

    June 24, 2025

    EXCLUSIVE –With the Iran situation intensifying, senators will put forward a bill Tuesday that creates the “Golden Dome” missile defense system modeled off Israel’s Iron Dome that President Donald Trump asked for at the beginning of his term.

    Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., came together to craft the Ground & Orbital Launched Defeat of Emergent Nuclear Destruction and Other Missile Engagements (Golden Dome) Act, a $21 billion congressional authorization split among more than two dozen individual defensive strategies.

    It comes after Trump ordered in January that a defense system be realized in response to the “threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks.” Trump later confirmed his plan to seek construction of the Golden Dome at a May White House appearance with Sullivan.

    “The escalating missile threats we’ve witnessed from the Iranian terrorist regime and the rapidly evolving hypersonic, cruise missile and drone threats from Russia, China, and other adversaries demonstrate why we need to develop a robust, modernized missile defense system to protect the entire country—which the Golden Dome Act will do,” Sullivan told Fox News Digital.

    “The three prongs of successful policy in D.C. are presidential leadership, appropriated funding and comprehensive authorizing legislation.”

    Trump’s order cited former President Ronald Reagan’s so-called “Star Wars” plan to build laser-based nuclear defense systems against the Soviet Union, while Sullivan and Cramer took a big step Tuesday toward creating something even more comprehensive.

    Similar to “Star Wars,” the Golden Dome plan calls for the development and deployment of space-based weapons sensors, as well as research into another orbital component, Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

    Sullivan’s state of Alaska is home to some of North America’s most important extant defense systems, particularly at Clear Space Force Base near Fairbanks and Fort Greely in Delta Junction.

    The latter is home to Alaska Army National Guard members who provide “operational control and security for the nation’s ground-based interceptors,” according to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy. There are about 80 interceptors at-the-ready at Fort Greely.

    The Golden Dome plan builds on such defenses, by creating, maintaining and/or revitalizing other sites as well, including the Cobra Dane – a land-based “passive electronically scanned array” radar system positioned in the Aleutian Chain.

    “Alaska is a big part of [missile defense] because the location is sort of perfect,” Trump said. As both the easternmost and westernmost state in the union, Alaska is also the commercial and defensive gateway to Asia, state officials have noted.

    …..

    “We have to act in order to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape. Senator Sullivan and I introduced the GOLDEN DOME Act to build a layered missile defense system, which protects our homeland from catastrophic attacks from modern missiles,” Cramer said.

    Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., who will lead companion legislation in the House, added that the U.S. “must stand ready to prevent nuclear weapons from harming our citizens.”

    Click here to read the full article.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal, Democratic Caucus Introduce Bill to Restore Abortion Access Nationwide on 3rd Anniversary of Roe Being Overturned

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    June 24, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, joined the entire Democratic caucus in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025, legislation to guarantee access to abortion everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans. The bill’s introduction comes as the Trump Administration further attacks a woman’s right to choose and Congressional Republicans barrel ahead with a bill that defunds Planned Parenthood. Put together, Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on Americans’ reproductive rights is a backdoor national abortion ban, ripping away millions of women’s access to abortion care and right to control their bodies.   

    “In the three years since Roe was overturned, newly enacted, draconian abortion bans have put women’s lives at risk all over the country. Women – not politicians or radical right-wing judges – should be in charge of decisions about their health care, but Donald Trump and Republicans are hellbent on chipping away at women’s reproductive rights so they can eventually pass a nationwide abortion ban. This legislation would stop Republicans from turning back the clock on women’s freedom in this country and restore the right to reproductive health care,” said Murphy.

    “This issue is about more than health care; it is about women’s rights, individual rights, and human rights. The foundation of the Women’s Health Protection Act is simply the right to make your own health care decisions. Three years after Dobbs, American women don’t have that right. Today, thanks to Republican lawmakers and conservative courts, a woman in America might walk into an ER and faint, bleeding, and be refused treatment. That woman might die,” said Blumenthal. “By restoring abortion access and implementing basic protections against medically unnecessary restrictions on health care, the Women’s Health Protection Act overturns the death sentence handed down by Dobbs.”

    President Trump appointed the Supreme Court Justices who ruled in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case to overturn Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent. Since the Dobbs decision, 19 states have banned abortion or severely restricted women from being able to access the procedure, leaving one in three American women without access to safe, legal abortion care. Additionally, state legislatures across the country have introduced hundreds of bills to include medically unnecessary restrictions that limit access to abortion care.

    In his second term, President Trump has continued to relentlessly attack reproductive rights, including freezing Title X funding for clinics that offer reproductive care, cutting Biden-era emergency abortion protections, pardoning anti-abortion extremists, and fighting to defund Planned Parenthood. Additionally, the House-passed Republican budget bill kicks 16 million people off their health insurance and defunds Planned Parenthood – threatening the closure of 200 health centers across the country and putting access to vital reproductive care for millions of families at risk.

    The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal rights for patients and providers to protect abortion access. Specifically, the Women’s Health Protection Act would:

    • Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.
    • Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.
    • Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.

    U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the bill.

    Full text of the bill is available HERE. A one-pager on the bill is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: In Floor Speech, Warren Slams Trump’s War in Iran, Exposes 10 Ways Big Beautiful Bill Increases Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 24, 2025
    “American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.”
    Video of Floor Speech (YouTube)
    Washington, D.C. — In a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) underscored the recklessness of President Trump’s decision to bomb Iran and highlighted ten ways Republicans’ ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ raise costs for American families.  
    “We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon…But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran,” said Senator Warren.
    “American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on,” she continued. 
    Senator Warren also called out the hypocrisy of President Trump’s promise to lower costs “on Day 1” while instead he has been working to rip health care away from over 16 million people to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. She then highlighted ten ways the bill would raise costs for families, from rent to groceries to prescription drug prices. 
    “But what makes the bill worse is that the money you lose doesn’t pay down the national debt or help us rebuild our roads and bridges. The money you lose will be handed directly to a handful of giant corporations and billionaires in the form of new tax giveaways,” said Senator Warren. 
    Senator Warren called for her Republican colleagues to stand up for American families and say no to the dangerous bill. 
    “We still have time to stop it—and that’s exactly what we should do. Democrats will vote NO. We just need a few courageous Republicans, people who care more about working people instead of billionaires, to join us and stop the Big Beautiful Betrayal from passing,” she concluded. 
    Transcript: Floor Speech on Iran, ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’U.S. Senate FloorJune 24, 2025
    As Prepared for Delivery
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Bombing another country is an act of war.
    And last week, Donald Trump launched an attack that could spin the United States into another endless war in the Middle East. 
    What followed from that decision can only be described as pure madness.
    Trump declared total victory. Iran threatened retaliation. Americans in the region were forced to shelter in place. Trump’s own team admitted no one knows where the nuclear materials are and what nuclear capacity Iran may still have. Trump called for regime change. And then last night, for a moment, we hoped and believed there was a ceasefire, only for us to wake up to frantic posts on social media by the president begging both sides to stop shooting missiles and rockets at each other.
    Today the Deputy commander of Central Command could describe nothing about what kind of contingency plans the Defense Department was making or even whether they did—or didn’t—have plans for U.S. boots on the ground. And the classified briefing scheduled for right now so that all the senators can ask questions about what has happened and what is currently happening in Iran has just been scrapped for another 48 hours. 
    There is no grand plan. There is no careful effort to develop a responsible U.S. foreign policy to keep us all safe. Once again, Trump serves up chaos—dangerous chaos that threatens the long-term security of the American people. 
    New reporting by CNN and the New York Times suggest Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran failed to destroy its nuclear program. The media reports highlight that the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months.
    A few months – while risking another war in the Middle East. 
    We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon. We are committed to that. But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran. 
    That is what we need right now: for all sides to come to the table to build an agreement that’s sturdy and that cements lasting peace. 
    But Trump’s reckless action, backed by many Republicans in Congress, makes it more likely this crisis escalates into a deadly cycle of violence.
    Trump’s reckless action puts American lives at risk.
    Trump’s reckless action risks initiating another endless war that could last months – or even decades – as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    We have the power to put a stop to this madness now. Senator Kaine has introduced a War Powers Resolution to stop Donald Trump from turning these Iran bombings into another endless war in the Middle East.
    American families don’t need another war – they need good jobs and lower prices, and that is what we should be focused on.
    When Donald Trump ran for President, he promised over and over that he would lower costs “on Day 1.” His words—on Day 1. After he was elected, and he was told that his policies would drive up costs, Trump said he “couldn’t care less.” 
    Now we’re at Day 154, and costs are up. Families are paying more for gas. More for housing. More for electricity. Prices are even going up on baby strollers — or as Donald Trump calls it, “the thing you carry the babies around in.” Yes, Donald Trump, the man of the people. 
    So logically, right now, Republicans in Congress are ramming through Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” A bill that’s not designed to bring down costs, but that will rip health care away from over 16 million people and hand that money over to every billionaire CEO who paid to be in the front row of Trump’s inauguration.
    For anyone who is watching, I’m here today to read into the record ten ways Trump and Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will make your life more expensive:
    One, your utility bills may go up. The Republicans’ bill will get rid of investments we’ve made in clean energy. We need that energy, and the Republican bill takes our country backwards. It also means that the price of electricity will go up for American families like yours.
    Two, your rent could go up. How? Republicans are trying to block state and local governments from fighting schemes that predatory housing companies use to artificially jack up the price of rent.
    Three, if you’re a kid from a working-class family and don’t have the money to write one check to pay for college, Republicans will make that even more expensive for you. That’s right – Republicans are cutting Pell Grants.
    Four, Republicans are making your student loan payments go up. Independent experts explain that by changing how student loan repayment plans work, Republicans could raise your student loan payments by an average of $400 a month.
    Five, Republicans are making it more expensive to go to medical school. I can’t believe I have to say this, but rich kids shouldn’t be the only people who can become doctors. But this bill would limit how much you can take out in loans to go to medical school.
    Six, Republicans are making the cost of groceries go up. They are cutting food assistance – or SNAP – by nearly $200 per person per year. More than seven million people will have less help, including more than four million people who will lose their food assistance altogether.
    Seven, Republicans are increasing the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans. By demanding that states require higher copays for prescription drugs – from $4 to $35 – the cost of a prescription will go up nearly 900% for low-income people on Medicaid.
    Eight, Republicans will send your Affordable Care Act premiums skyrocketing, pushing them up by thousands – and in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars every year. 
    Nine, Republicans’ will drive up the cost of private health insurance. More than half of all Americans get their insurance from their employer. When a portion of the uncompensated care is shifted to private insurers, experts estimate that the costs to your family will increase by hundreds of dollars a year. 
    Ten, Republicans are ripping health insurance away entirely from 16 million people. For those people who will be uninsured, the cost of essential services like X-rays and blood tests will go up. A trip to the emergency room, if God forbid there’s an accident, could mean they go bankrupt.
    That’s just ten ways this bill could raise your costs. That’s bad. But what makes the bill worse is that the money you lose doesn’t pay down the national debt or help us rebuild our roads and bridges. The money you lose will be handed directly to a handful of giant corporations and billionaires in the form of new tax giveaways. Yes, Republicans are stealing your health care to pay for Jeff Bezos’ third yacht.
    And at the same time working families are worried about war and are scraping together enough money to put food on the table, Jeff Bezos is already celebrating by renting out Venice for his ten-million-dollar wedding.
    With control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, this is what the Republicans decided to do with their power: drive up your costs and rip health care coverage from millions of people. 
    Really, imagine that: the Republicans have virtually unlimited power, and they want to use it to kick newborn babies out of the hospital and take wheelchairs away from people with disabilities – all so they can give that money to their billionaire friends and corporate donors. 
    It’s sickening. And I am angry.
    I’m angry because I believe that it isn’t just rich kids who should be able to afford a trip to the hospital when they fall down and break an arm.
    Because I believe it isn’t just babies from wealthy families who should be able to see a pediatrician when they get an ear infection.
    Because I believe it isn’t just parents who are Wall Street bankers who should be able to pay for cancer treatment for their kids.
    Our nation is better than that.
    My Republican colleagues should feel ashamed. Experts have run the numbers. Fifty-one thousand more people will die a year – unnecessarily – if the Republican bill becomes law. 
    The Republican reaction? Senator Joni Ernst proclaimed, “well, we’re all going to die.”
    And as recently as today, Senator Mitch McConnell is telling Republicans behind closed doors that their party can take a sledgehammer to Medicaid and ignore people’s concerns because quote “they’ll get over it.”
    Really?
    Seniors in nursing homes who get kicked to the curb won’t “get over it.”
    Little kids who find their mom or dad on the kitchen floor after they couldn’t afford insulin won’t “get over it.”
    Parents who rely on Medicaid to take care of their kid with a disability won’t “get over it.”
    Because make no mistake: people won’t stop getting sick—they’ll just stop getting care. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in a red state or blue state, either. 
    And no, if Senate Republicans cut Medicaid, we will not get over it. We will hold you accountable at the ballot box. 
    But this bill isn’t law. We still have time to stop it—and that’s exactly what we should do. Democrats will vote NO. We just need a few courageous Republicans, people who care more about working people instead of billionaires, to join us and stop the Big Beautiful Betrayal from passing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Pressure From Social Security War Room, SSA Confirms Has Not Recategorized Employees as “Schedule F”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 24, 2025

    Warren underscores concerns with potential reclassification of Social Security workers to on strip civil service protections, pave way for mass firings

    Text of SSA Response (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – In a response to a recent letter from U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano confirmed that SSA has not yet reclassified any frontline SSA workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. The confirmation follows pressure from the lawmakers, who sounded the alarm on SSA’s plans to recategorize critical employees, stripping them of their civil service protections and making it easier to fire them without cause.

    “Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify Social Security staff was always about laying the groundwork to fire frontline workers without reason and replace them with DOGE lackeys — ultimately making it harder for Americans to access their services and benefits,” said Senator Warren. “We’ve kept up the pressure to make sure Trump and Bisignano don’t move forward with this reckless plan, and we’ll keep sounding the alarm.”

    Shortly after Commissioner Bisignano was sworn in, the lawmakers pressed him on reported plans to recategorize thousands of Social Security workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. 

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employees that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.

    “SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.

    Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Pressure From Social Security War Room, SSA Confirms Has Not Recategorized Employees as “Schedule F”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 24, 2025

    Warren underscores concerns with potential reclassification of Social Security workers to on strip civil service protections, pave way for mass firings

    Text of SSA Response (PDF) | Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – In a response to a recent letter from U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano confirmed that SSA has not yet reclassified any frontline SSA workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. The confirmation follows pressure from the lawmakers, who sounded the alarm on SSA’s plans to recategorize critical employees, stripping them of their civil service protections and making it easier to fire them without cause.

    “Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify Social Security staff was always about laying the groundwork to fire frontline workers without reason and replace them with DOGE lackeys — ultimately making it harder for Americans to access their services and benefits,” said Senator Warren. “We’ve kept up the pressure to make sure Trump and Bisignano don’t move forward with this reckless plan, and we’ll keep sounding the alarm.”

    Shortly after Commissioner Bisignano was sworn in, the lawmakers pressed him on reported plans to recategorize thousands of Social Security workers as Schedule F policy-making employees. 

    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed “Schedule F” as a new category of government employees that have “important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties.” Schedule F workers are employed at-will, meaning they can be fired at any point and do not have the same rights that protect federal government employees from termination absent “misconduct, neglect of duty, (and) malfeasance.” Additionally, it is not clear that Schedule F employees are included in collective bargaining units or eligible for union representation.

    “SSA’s broad reclassification of employees under seemingly false pretenses appears to be a deliberate effort to allow DOGE to purge SSA of the employees who work dutifully to make sure Americans receive their earned benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.

    Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Colleagues Highlight Trump Administration Hypocrisy on National Debt While It Guts IRS, Pushes Giant Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. 

    In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.

    However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.

    Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.

    Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.

    “Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. 

    “These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded. 

    The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025. 

    A copy of the letter is available here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Colleagues Highlight Trump Administration Hypocrisy on National Debt While It Guts IRS, Pushes Giant Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. 

    In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.

    However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.

    Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.

    Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.

    “Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. 

    “These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded. 

    The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025. 

    A copy of the letter is available here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Colleagues Highlight Trump Administration Hypocrisy on National Debt While It Guts IRS, Pushes Giant Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long regarding the hypocrisy of their claims that they want to cut the deficit while simultaneously slashing the IRS workforce and cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy. 
    In June last year, Secretary Bessent said he was “alarmed by the size of [the government’s] deficit,” and publicly championed a plan to cut the annual deficit from 6.4 percent of GDP to three percent. In an interview in April, Deputy Treasury Secretary Faulkender reiterated that the Administration’s intent is to “bring the deficit down.” When pressed by senators in written questions, Secretary Bessent affirmed his commitment to lowering the deficit to three percent of GDP by the end of President Trump’s term.
    However, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, an extension of the 2017 Republican tax bill, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, would add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years, adding more debt to the nation’s balance sheet in three decades than ever before.
    Additionally, earlier this year, the Trump administration began reductions in force at the IRS, including a plan to reduce IRS employee headcount by 40 percent. Tens of thousands of workers have left the agency since President Trump’s inauguration. The IRS division that audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy has already lost 38 percent of its employees and had its funding rescinded by President Trump and Congressional Republicans. Even before these massive layoffs, IRS audits were already at a 23-year low.
    Treasury Secretary Bessent last week took a victory lap, touting increased IRS revenue in the most recent filing season — but planned mass layoffs at the IRS did not go into effect until after the post-filing season, meaning the impacts of significant Trump Admin staffing cuts are not reflected in revenue for the 2025 season. The planned layoffs, spearheaded by Bessent, will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. If IRS staffing levels are nearly halved, as the Administration has promised, these cuts could drive up the deficit and lead to $2.4 trillion in lost revenue over the next decade.
    “Further cutting IRS staff means less staff to monitor wealthy tax cheats and collect the tax revenue that will help offset our budget deficit,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    Continued layoffs will also significantly damage the agency’s customer service capacity. When reductions in force began at the IRS this spring, personnel essential to the tax filing season operations were required to continue working until mid-May, which limited the impact of staffing losses on tax revenue for the 2025 season. But the continuing layoffs at the IRS will kneecap the agency’s ability to do its basic job. 
    “These actions are inconsistent with your public commitments to meaningfully reduce the federal deficit and will undo the improvements made to the IRS’s taxpayer services,” the lawmakers concluded. 
    The senators requested an explanation for the administration’s cuts to the IRS and the agency’s plans to retain adequate levels of customer service by June 30, 2025. 
    A copy of the letter is available here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nadler Statement on Dobbs Anniversary

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) issued the following statement on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion:

    “Three years ago today, six Justices on the Supreme Court issued a decision that overturned nearly half a century of settled law and ripped away a constitutional right that millions of Americans had relied on: the right to access abortion care.

    The consequences have been devastating. In the wake of Dobbs, 22 states have enacted bans or severe restrictions on abortion, resulting in deeply troubling violations of individual rights and medical ethics. In Georgia, for example, a woman who had been declared brain dead while pregnant was kept on life support for months against her family’s wishes, not because of medical necessity, but because of the state’s abortion law.

    These harms are not incidental. They are the predictable result of the Republican Party’s coordinated campaign to roll back reproductive freedom. President Trump, who appointed the justices responsible for the Dobbs decision, has since taken additional steps to undermine access to care. He has pardoned individuals convicted of violence against abortion providers, withheld federal funding from reproductive health care providers, and rescinded guidance that ensured pregnant patients could receive emergency medical care. Trump is also targeting mifepristone, a safe and effective abortion medication used in more than half of all abortions nationwide, by seeking to restrict access even in states where abortion remains legal.

    Congressional Republicans are following his lead. House Republicans’ recently passed a dangerous reconciliation bill that would kick 16 million people off of their health coverage by slashing Medicaid. Medicaid allows millions of Americans to access birth control, family planning services, prenatal care, and other essential services. The same bill would also defund Planned Parenthood, which provides routine care to millions of patients each year.

    The American people overwhelmingly support the right to make personal health care decisions without political interference. Yet Republican leaders continue to pursue a national abortion ban, regardless of the consequences for women, families, and our most basic freedoms.

    I remain firmly committed to restoring the protections once guaranteed by Roe, to defending reproductive rights, and to ensuring that every individual, no matter where they live, can make their own health care decisions free from government intrusion.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PHOTO RELEASE: Secretary Kristi Noem Observes Repatriation Flight of Criminal Illegal Aliens in Panama

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Removing illegal aliens from Panama saves U.S. taxpayer dollars and helps stop the flow of illegal aliens to the U.S.

    PANAMA – Today, Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia. Deportees included aliens convicted of drug trafficking, sex crimes and aggravated robbery. 

    This deportation program creates drastic savings for U.S. taxpayers— costing about half as much in U.S. taxpayer dollars to remove an illegal alien from Panama compared to the removal process from the U.S. 

    Secretary Noem extended a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Panama, originally signed on July 1, 2024. This extension allows continued U.S. funding—including an additional $7 million commitment—for the Panamanian government’s deportation flights and supports Panama’s efforts to curb illegal immigration across the continent, including southbound migration from the United States. Under this understanding, 2,044 migrants without legal grounds to remain in Panama were deported to 23 countries between August 2024 and June 2025. 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help keep violent criminal illegal aliens from entering the U.S. 

    The agreement, along with President Trump’s strong leadership, has contributed to the closure of the Darién region to illegal migratory flows into Panama en route to the United States. Under President Trump, migration through Panama’s Darien Gap, a dangerous pathway illegal aliens use to get to the U.S. southern border, is down 99%.

    Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia 

    These flights send a clear message to the world: If you come to either the U.S. or Panama illegally, you will be caught, arrested, and removed 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. and save U.S. taxpayer dollars 

    Secretary Noem met with Panamanian President Mulino and other government officials where they discussed ways the U.S. and Panama can continue our partnership to halt illegal immigration 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PHOTO RELEASE: Secretary Kristi Noem Observes Repatriation Flight of Criminal Illegal Aliens in Panama

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Removing illegal aliens from Panama saves U.S. taxpayer dollars and helps stop the flow of illegal aliens to the U.S.

    PANAMA – Today, Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia. Deportees included aliens convicted of drug trafficking, sex crimes and aggravated robbery. 

    This deportation program creates drastic savings for U.S. taxpayers— costing about half as much in U.S. taxpayer dollars to remove an illegal alien from Panama compared to the removal process from the U.S. 

    Secretary Noem extended a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Panama, originally signed on July 1, 2024. This extension allows continued U.S. funding—including an additional $7 million commitment—for the Panamanian government’s deportation flights and supports Panama’s efforts to curb illegal immigration across the continent, including southbound migration from the United States. Under this understanding, 2,044 migrants without legal grounds to remain in Panama were deported to 23 countries between August 2024 and June 2025. 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help keep violent criminal illegal aliens from entering the U.S. 

    The agreement, along with President Trump’s strong leadership, has contributed to the closure of the Darién region to illegal migratory flows into Panama en route to the United States. Under President Trump, migration through Panama’s Darien Gap, a dangerous pathway illegal aliens use to get to the U.S. southern border, is down 99%.

    Secretary Noem observed a repatriation flight of illegal aliens from Panama and Colombia 

    These flights send a clear message to the world: If you come to either the U.S. or Panama illegally, you will be caught, arrested, and removed 

    This partnership underscores the importance of our partner countries to help remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the U.S. and save U.S. taxpayer dollars 

    Secretary Noem met with Panamanian President Mulino and other government officials where they discussed ways the U.S. and Panama can continue our partnership to halt illegal immigration 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Pettersen Joins Bipartisan War Powers Resolution

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

    Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) joined two War Powers resolutions reaffirming that only Congress – as outlined in the Constitution – has the authority to declare war, while ensuring the U.S. retains the ability to defend itself from an imminent threat. 

    “These resolutions reaffirm what our Constitution makes very clear: only Congress has the power to authorize war – not a single person. 

    “Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons is in the best interest of America, Israel, and the world. Unfortunately, it was Donald Trump who withdrew us from the Iran nuclear deal. Because of his diplomatic failure, Iran now has 60% enriched uranium, which is very near weapons grade, and does pose an existential threat. 

    “While I recognize the urgency, I am deeply concerned that Trump completely circumvented Congress, endangered American servicemembers and diplomats in the region, and put our national security at risk. 

    “Donald Trump, Congress, and the administration must work together to keep the American people safe, de-escalate tensions, and seek peace wherever possible while supporting our ally, Israel.”

    Pettersen joined two War Powers resolutions: H. Con. Res. 38, led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), and H. Con. Res. 40, introduced by Reps. Greg Meeks, Jim Himes, and Adam Smith, the Ranking Members of the House Foreign Affairs, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Armed Services Committees, respectively.

    MIL OSI USA News –