NewzIntel.com

Category: Trump

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Celebrates Big Beautiful Win for Iowans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) released the following statement celebrating the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
    “President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill delivers on what Iowans voted for in November, keeping more money in hardworking folks’ pockets, real border security, and a safer America,” said Ernst. “In addition to the largest tax cut in history for our families, farmers, and small businesses, the bill strengthens the integrity of Medicaid and prioritizes those who truly need help by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. I am proud to have fought to save $100 million for taxpayers over the next decade and eliminated unfair practices in the FAFSA process that held back farm families from investing in their child’s education. I will always fight to improve Iowans’ lives and continue to lead the charge in Washington to reduce reckless spending and put taxpayers first.”
    The Senate unanimously approved Ernst’s Ending Unemployment Payments to Jobless Millionaires Act that will disqualify anyone making a million dollars or more from being eligible for unemployment income support. It is estimated to save taxpayers up to $100 million over the next decade.
    Ernst’s Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act was also included. It will ensure that Iowans will not have to sell off the farm, or their small business, to afford college by restoring the original exemption of all farmland, machinery, and other operational materials from being declared on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
    Ernst also provided certainty for Iowa farmers by raising reference prices to strengthen the farm safety net, improving foreign animal disease prevention, protecting access to affordable crop insurance, prioritizing domestic feedstocks to support biofuel producers, expanding trade opportunities, and permanently extending the death tax exemption to ensure family farms and small businesses can be passed down to the next generation. 
    Ernst was a leading voice in the fight to make the Trump tax cuts permanent to avoid a $4 trillion tax increase and empower small business owners and farmers to invest in themselves through provisions like bonus depreciation, 199-A, and the research and development deduction.
    After the Trump administration busted more than 300 criminals accused of $14.6 billion in health care fraud, Ernst emphasized how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act strengthens and preserves Medicaid for our most vulnerable Americans who need it by targeting waste, fraud, and abuse.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Statement on Senate Passage of Draconian Republican Health Care, Clean Energy Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Senator Markey: “Senate Republicans abdicated their responsibility to the American people.”
    Washington (July 1, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today released the following statement after Republicans voted to pass H.R. 1, Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
    “Today, Senate Republicans abdicated their responsibility to the American people. They acted in service to Trump and billionaires while pursuing the largest cuts to health care, food security, and climate and clean energy in United States history. If these cuts pass into law and even one child goes hungry, one worker loses their job, or one person cannot get lifesaving care, the burden falls on Republicans for their record-setting cruelty.
    “People’s lives and livelihoods should not be treated as expendable. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers should not be forced into financial emergency rooms. Families should not be poisoned by pollution or shoulder higher energy costs, and communities should not be left defenseless against the worsening climate crisis.
    “The fight is not over, but time is running out and inaction will cost lives. That’s why we cannot agonize – we must organize. As this Big Ugly Bill heads to the House of Representatives, we all need to continue to raise our voices even louder to stop Trump and Republicans from tearing health care, food assistance, and a livable future away from millions of Americans.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Statement on Passage of Budget Reconciliation Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after Senate passage of budget reconciliation legislation that advances President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ agenda:
    “This bill delivers the largest tax cut ever for working and middle-class Americans in addition to letting tipped and hourly workers, seniors and families keep more of their hard-earned income. It also eliminates waste, fraud and abuse so assistance programs can continue to serve the vulnerable, and provides transformational funding for border security, national security and energy security. These policies will help responsibly steward taxpayer dollars and make our nation stronger, safer and more prosperous.” 
    Boozman, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, also weighed in specifically on the committee-led provisions to deliver permanent tax relief to America’s farmers and invest in rural communities:
    “We make commonsense reforms to SNAP to ensure the program operates efficiently, is accountable to the taxpayers and helps those who truly need it. There is also good news for hardworking farmers, ranchers and producers who for too long were forced to operate under outdated policies. Our investments in farm country will support the long-term success of family farms and America’s agriculture industry, providing desperately needed and improved risk management tools as well as a modernized farm safety net.”
    Background
    The pro-growth legislation extends the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, preventing the largest tax hike in history and providing additional tax relief to working families and small businesses. Expiration of these cuts would mean a $4 trillion tax increase, including a $2.6 trillion-plus tax hike on households earning less than $400,000 per year. The average Arkansan would avoid paying $2,325 more in taxes under the Senate-passed bill.
    Provisions addressing important tax priorities permanently include:
    Lowering tax rates and removing taxes on tips as well as overtime for millions of workers in addition to a sizable deduction for millions of low- and middle-income seniors;
    Increasing and enhancing the child tax credit and standard deduction claimed by over 90 percent of taxpayers;
    Extending the 20 percent small business deduction and enabling full expensing on capital investment as well as research and development; and
    Keeping the death tax from doubling for farm families and small business owners so they can be passed on to the next generation.
    Click here for more on the tax impact for Arkansans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell on Senate Passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding passage of the Senate version of the Reconciliation Bill:
    “The American people sent President Trump and Republican majorities to Washington with a clear mandate: secure the border, restore peace through strength and American energy dominance, and give working families and small businesses relief from the Biden economy.
    “Our votes today are a step toward fulfilling that duty. We’re bolstering border security, investing in programs that assist our farmers, raising take-home pay for working Kentuckians, and preventing the largest tax hike in American history.
    “In the realm of national defense, there is still more to be done. Reconciliation was an opportunity to make an urgent, additive investment on top of a steadily increasing base budget, not an invitation to offload major annual priorities to a one-time injection of funds. Largely missing this opportunity makes the Congress’ work to secure robust topline defense funding even more important, and I will continue to urge my colleagues and the Administration to meet growing and coordinated threats to America’s security with the resources they demand.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 07/1/2025 Senators Blackburn and Hagerty Praise President Trump’s TVA Nominees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) released the following joint statement after President Trump nominated three Tennesseans, Lee Beaman, Jeff Hagood, and Mitch Graves, to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority:

    “The Tennessee Valley Authority is a critical part of our nation’s energy security, and we are pleased that President Trump has nominated three competent and visionary Tennesseans to the board who will help achieve America’s nuclear renaissance and deliver affordable and abundant energy. These nominees are a strong departure from the Biden-era TVA board which failed to meet the moment. We urge colleagues to swiftly confirm President Trump’s TVA board nominees to make certain the United States leads the world in next-generation nuclear and wins the global race for energy dominance.”

    RELATED

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Statement on Senate Passage of Trump’s Big Beautiful Betrayal of the American People

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:

    “This destructive bill is a big, beautiful betrayal of the American people. President Trump and Senate Republicans are cutting health care and food assistance for working families in order to give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Just as bad, this bill will raise the cost of living for working families by thousands of dollars. It’s outrageous and I will continue fighting to defeat it.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Republican Bill Betrays New Mexico Families by Taking an Axe to Health Care, Nutrition Programs, and Rural Communities

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Luján Holds Senate Floor During Midnight Session 

    WATCH: Luján Introduces Amendment to Save SNAP 

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to pass their partisan budget reconciliation bill: 

    “Senate Republicans just pushed through a budget bill that hurts New Mexican families. In their rush to meet President Trump’s demands, they voted blindly, with no regard for the harm this bill will inflict on all of our constituents.

    “This Republican bill guts health care for children and families, strips food assistance from our neighbors, and puts rural hospitals and grocery stores on the brink of closure – all to hand out massive tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. It also adds more than $3 trillion to the national debt – driving up interest rates across the board, making car loans and mortgages more expensive for families, and raising borrowing costs for small businesses and farmers.

    “This bill is not just bad policy – it’s a failure of leadership and a betrayal of New Mexico families, rural communities, and American values.”

    Senator Luján backed a series of amendments and motions to the Republican reconciliation bill aimed at protecting access to health care and nutrition programs and lowering costs for New Mexicans. Senate Republicans blocked these common-sense proposals from Senator Luján and Senate Democrats. Among those measures:

    Keeping Food on the Table for New Mexicans: 

    Millions of families rely on nutrition assistance programs. Senator Luján led a motion to protect funding for SNAP that ensures New Mexico families and children have access to nutritious food. These programs also support New Mexico’s farmers, ranchers, and local communities that rely on these dollars to keep food on shelves and economies strong. 

    Defending Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act:

    Republicans are trying to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations by ripping away Medicaid coverage from millions of Americans. New Mexico has the highest per-capita Medicaid enrollment in the country, and children, pregnant women, and working families depend on it. Senator Luján supported a motion to strengthen Medicaid and protect health care for New Mexicans.

    Keeping New Mexico Communities Safe:

    Amid a nationwide shortage of police officers, Senator Luján proposed a motion to provide increased resources for local law enforcement by funding the COPS Hiring Program. Senator Luján previously led dozens of his colleagues in calling for additional funding for public safety.

    Protecting New Mexicans from Wildfires:

    As wildfires continue to devastate New Mexico and the West, Senator Luján supported a motion to invest in wildfire prevention and protect our communities from future disasters.

    Protecting Clean Energy Investments:

    As the climate crisis grows more urgent – and Republicans push to gut clean energy programs – Senator Luján supported amendments to safeguard investments in our energy future and reduce costs.

    Lowering Taxes for Small Businesses and the Middle Class: 

    To bring down costs for New Mexico families and small businesses, Senator Luján supported amendments that would provide tax relief to the middle class and small businesses.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Jaishankar urges Quad partners to back India’s zero tolerance policy on terror

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday reiterated India’s right to defend itself against terrorism and urged the Quad to understand this position, as the foreign ministers of the four-nation group gathered for their ministerial meeting.

    “India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right,” he said, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya standing beside him.

    “We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” he emphasised.

    This marks the first Quad ministerial where the four foreign ministers are meeting together following the heinous Pahalgam massacre on April 22, carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists, and India’s subsequent decisive response — ‘Operation Sindoor’.

    Referring to the Pahalgam attack, EAM Jaishankar said, “A word about terrorism in light of our recent experience: The world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated.”

    Counter-terrorism remains a core focus of the Quad agenda.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to host the Quad leaders’ summit later this year, which will include U.S. President Donald Trump, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

    “We have some proposals on how to make that summit productive,” Jaishankar said. “I’m sure our partners do as well. We will discuss them, and I’m confident we can agree on a constructive way forward.”

    “A lot is happening in the world, and I’m sure that our exchange of views will be very valuable for all of us,” he added.

    He underlined that the Quad is committed to a rules-based international order, stating, “It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice — a prerequisite for making the right decisions.”

    The task before the Quad, he said, is “deepening our convergence and expanding our common ground.”

    “In recent months, we have made significant progress in various Quad initiatives,” he said.

    “These include areas like the maritime domain, technology, education, and political coordination.”

    Regarding their current meeting, he added, “We will also be discussing how the functioning of the Quad has been enhanced by streamlining working groups into a more cohesive, nimble, and focused structure.”

    “I value our consultations on various dimensions of the Indo-Pacific,” he concluded.

    — IANS

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Illegally Sharing Californians’ Personal Health Data with ICE

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, leading a multistate coalition, is filing a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to provide unfettered access to individual personal health data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In the seven decades since Congress enacted the Medicaid Act to provide medical assistance to vulnerable populations, federal law, policy, and practice has been clear: the personal healthcare data collected about beneficiaries of the program is confidential, to be shared only in certain narrow circumstances that benefit public health and the integrity of the Medicaid program itself. In today’s lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that the mass transfer of this data violates the law and ask the court to block any new transfer or use of this data for immigration enforcement purposes. 

    “The Trump Administration has upended longstanding privacy protections with its decision to illegally share sensitive, personal health data with ICE. In doing so, it has created a culture of fear that will lead to fewer people seeking vital emergency medical care,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I’m sickened by this latest salvo in the President’s anti-immigrant campaign. We’re headed to court to prevent any further sharing of Medicaid data — and to ensure any of the data that’s already been shared is not used for immigration enforcement purposes.”

    Created in 1965, Medicaid is an essential source of health insurance for lower-income individuals and particular underserved population groups, including children, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, and seniors. The Medicaid program allows each participating state to develop and administer its own unique health plans; states must meet threshold federal statutory criteria, but they can tailor their plans’ eligibility standards and coverage options to residents’ needs. As of January 2025, 78.4 million people were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) nationwide.  

    California’s Medi-Cal program provides healthcare coverage for one out of every three Californians, including more than two million noncitizens. Noncitizens include green card holders, refugees, individuals who hold temporary protected status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients, and others. Not all noncitizens are eligible for federally funded Medi-Cal services, and so California uses state-only funds to provide a version of the Medi-Cal program to all eligible state residents, regardless of their immigration status. 

    A certain amount of personal data is routinely exchanged between the states and the federal government for purposes of administering Medicaid, including verifying eligibility for federal funding. Historically, DHS has acknowledged that the Medicaid Act and other federal healthcare authorities foreclose the use of Medicaid personal information for immigration enforcement purposes. Yet now, the federal government appears to have — without formal acknowledgment — adopted a new policy that allows for the wholesale disclosure and use of state residents’ personal Medicaid data for purposes unrelated to Medicaid program administration. On June 13, 2025, California and other states learned through news reports that HHS has transferred en masse their state’s Medicaid data files, containing personal health records representing millions of individuals, to DHS. Reports indicate that the federal government plans to create a sweeping database for “mass deportations” and other large-scale immigration enforcement purposes.

    The federal government claims it gave this data to DHS “to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them.” But it is Congress that extended coverage and federal funds for emergency Medicaid to all individuals residing in the United States, regardless of immigration status. The states have and will continue to cooperate with federal oversight activities to ensure that the federal government pays only for those Medicaid services that are legally authorized.  

    In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition highlight that the Trump Administration’s illegal actions are creating fear and confusion that will lead noncitizens and their family members to disenroll, or refuse to enroll, in emergency Medicaid for which they are otherwise eligible, leaving states and their safety net hospitals to foot the bill for federally mandated emergency healthcare services.  They may not get the emergency health services they need and will suffer negative health consequences — and even death — as a result. The coalition asks that the court find the Trump Administration’s actions arbitrary and capricious and rulemaking without proper procedure in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, contrary to the Social Security Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Federal Information Security Modernization Act, and Privacy Act, and in violation of the Spending Clause. They ask the court to enjoin HHS from transferring personally identifiable Medicaid data to DHS or any other federal agency and DHS from using this data to conduct immigration enforcement.  

    Attorney General Bonta leads the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washinton in filing the lawsuit. 

    A copy of the lawsuit will be posted online here when available.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: WinnerMining: Are cryptocurrency fluctuations making people panic? No, it’s the business opportunities of cloud mining.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York City, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Against the backdrop of drastic fluctuations in the global economy, cryptocurrencies have become the “number one” investment asset pursued by global investors. In particular, BTC, ETH, and XRP continue to influence the global cryptocurrency market. However, AQUARONE, Steffan Luke, CEO of WinnerMining Co., Ltd., believes that amid the market fluctuations that everyone is worried about, there are business opportunities that cannot be missed.

    “Volatility” turns into business opportunities
    WinnerMining not only prevents market volatility, but also stimulates more active trading. WinnerMining offers a variety of different investment contracts for investors of all levels, allowing them to make investment decisions with confidence.
    Despite the uncertainty of US policies under President Trump, which may affect global cryptocurrencies, WinnerMining can cope with the challenges that may arise in the second half of the year and maintain its leading position in the international cryptocurrency market.
    “WinnerMining has experienced crises, whether it is COVID-19 that disrupts the world, US taxation, or regional political conflicts, and each time it has been able to manage in a professional manner and has good resources and connections in the global crypto market, so our customers will still be taken care of in the best way without being affected by irregular market behavior.”

    What are the advantages of Winnermining?
    1. Fund security: The biggest concern of any investor is fund security. There is no need to worry about it at Winnermining, because Winnermining adopts military-grade double protection and stores funds in cold wallets and the world’s top 10 authoritative banks. And it can protect users from asset loss or inflation problems between conflicts.

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    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Commends Trump Administration for Detaining Chinese Nationals Found Spying on U.S. Navy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    HULL, IOWA – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement commending President Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel for arresting two Chinese nationals found spying on U.S. Navy servicemembers and bases:

    “I commend the Trump administration for arresting two Chinese nationals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party who were spying on U.S. Navy servicemembers and bases. From buying up our farmland to deploying spy balloons in our sovereign airspace, the Chinese Communist Party is no friend of the United States. We will not tolerate foreign espionage that threatens our troops and undermines our national security.”

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Republican Leadership Statement on Senate Passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    WASHINGTON—Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, and Chairwoman McClain released the following joint statement after the Senate’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The House will consider the bill immediately for final passage and put it on President Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July.

    “The House will work quickly to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill that enacts President Trump’s full America First agenda by the Fourth of July. The American people gave us a clear mandate, and after four years of Democrat failure, we intend to deliver without delay.

    “Republicans were elected to do exactly what this bill achieves: secure the border, make tax cuts permanent, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, cut wasteful spending, and return to a government that puts Americans first.

    “This bill is President Trump’s agenda, and we are making it law. House Republicans are ready to finish the job and put the One Big Beautiful Bill on President Trump’s desk in time for Independence Day.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Votes No on Republicans’ Disastrous Tax Bill 

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees, and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, released the following statement after voting in strong opposition against Senate Republicans’ disastrous tax bill:   
    “We have an obligation to put the constituents and hardworking families we represent first. Instead of helping everyday people, Republicans’ tax bill capitulates to President Trump and harms communities large and small. This cruel bill will take us back decades by exacerbating income inequality, ripping away health care, and rolling back progress on climate change. It will also raise costs and weaken the economy. All of this pain has been caused to help pay for tax cuts for the very wealthy—a top priority of President Trump. I am grateful to the few Republicans—Senators Tillis, Paul, and Collins—who voted against this terrible bill,” said Senator Welch. “The irony is all these hardships will be faced by citizens in red and blue states—the pain is bipartisan. It’s outrageous that families will now face untold hardships because of the Trump Administration’s cuts. I voted no on this bill and will fight to reverse these policies in any way I can.”  
    Republicans’ reckless tax and spending bill will block access to health care for 17 million people, rip away vital food assistance for millions, cut clean energy incentives and add a tax to wind and solar energy, raise utility bills and grocery prices, and tank the economy—all to pay for tax cuts for the very wealthy.    
    Senator Welch filed amendments and changes to Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act to strengthen the economy, protect access to health care and nutrition programs, and provide more stability for families and rural communities, including provisions to: 
    Protect Access to Health Care and Support Rural Hospitals:  

    Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to rewrite the bill to prevent harm to rural health care and the fiscal wellbeing of rural hospitals;  

    Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to exempt managed care programs operated by state governments like Vermont from any changes proposed to state directed payments.  

    Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to strike any changes to provider taxes, including changes that would impact states like Vermont with Medicaid expansion;  

    Welch proposed requiring the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to make it easier to verify eligibility for the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits and expand special enrollment periods under certain circumstances. 

    Defend Food Assistance Programs:  

    Welch proposed requiring the Agriculture Committee to strike any cost-shifts of administering SNAP to states, which would kick American families off the food assistance they need and strain state budgets;  

    Welch proposed an amendment to strike administrative cost-shifts for SNAP;  

    Welch proposed an amendment to adjust the Thrifty Food Plan for cities, counties, and regions where the price of food is 10% higher than the national average;  

    Welch proposed an amendment that places a floor on SNAP allotments to households instead of a ceiling;  

    Welch proposed an amendment preserving the standard utility deduction, which cuts administrative red tape and boosts benefits by providing a more accurate portrayal of a household’s available resources for food when determining SNAP eligibility; 

    Welch proposed requiring the Agriculture Committee to rewrite the bill to allow volunteer work to qualify under SNAP’s work requirements.   

    Protect Programs and Government Services:  

    Welch proposed requiring the Finance Committee to rewrite the bill to maintain the energy efficient home improvement tax credit at current levels through 2028;  

    Welch proposed an amendment to strike the repeal of several home energy efficiency tax credits, including credits for home energy, rooftop solar, energy efficient homes for homebuilders, and more;  

    Welch proposed striking language in the bill that would rescind funding for state-based contractor training grants, as required in Welch’s HOPE for HOMES Act, passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act;  

    Welch proposed striking language in the bill that would institute taxes on international remittances.  

    Welch proposed an amendment to dedicate funding for residential reentry centers, which are needed in Vermont;  

    Welch proposed an amendment to dedicate funding for the federal public defenders program, which is currently underfunded. 

    Senator Welch has been an outspoken opponent of the President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Republicans are advancing through reconciliation process without Democratic support. Late Sunday evening, Senator Welch took to the Senate floor to reveal how Republicans’ disastrous tax and spending bill will force millions of working Americans in Vermont, West Virginia, and across the country to lose their health coverage, rip away vital food assistance for more than 42 million Americans, cut clean energy incentives and add a tax to wind and solar energy, raise utility bills and grocery prices, and tank the economy—all to pay for tax cuts for the very wealthy.   
    Welch has slammed the bill for threatening access to health care and cutting food assistance, and has sounded the alarm about how this bill will add more than $4 trillion to the national debt and tank the economy.    

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Budd Votes for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ToDeliver Historic Tax Cuts for North Carolina Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) released the following statement after voting in support of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, historic legislation that lowers taxes for families, makes America safer and more secure, and unleashes economic growth for the future:
    “I voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act because the people of North Carolina deserve more of their hard-earned wages, a more secure border, a reinvigorated military, responsible spending reforms for government programs, and a thriving economy. My colleagues and I fought successfully to protect North Carolina’s tobacco growers to help them stay competitive with China. I am also grateful that this bill included my PELL Act, which will help Americans earn in-demand credentials for rewarding careers. I hope my colleagues in the House quickly get this bill on President Trump’s desk because Americans cannot afford the largest tax increase in our nation’s history,” said Sen. Budd. 
    Here’s How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Directly Benefits North Carolina:
    Provides Unprecedented Tax Relief for Families
    This legislation helps Americans keep more money in their pockets by extending key provisions of President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Preventing the largest tax increase in American history will save the average North Carolinian $2,474 in 2026.
    Working families will receive significant savings with the increase and permanence of the child tax credit, expanded tax credits for paid leave, enhanced 529 savings accounts, and additional childcare access.
    This legislation lowers taxes for seniors relying on Social Security.
    Gives Workers the Tools They Need to Advance Their Careers
    Sen. Budd fought to have his PELL Act included in this legislation, a provision that expands Pell Grant eligibility for high-quality, short-term workforce programs. This would benefit individuals seeking to advance their careers without long-term debt while also providing American businesses with a broader, better-prepared talent pool ready to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.
    Protects North Carolina Agriculture
    Sen. Budd successfully defended tobacco’s eligibility to receive the “duty drawback,” allowing tobacco manufacturers to receive reimbursement for the tariffs they pay on materials used to produce tobacco products that they ship to international markets. This will protect North Carolina growers and prevent the tobacco market from being flooded with cheaper, lower-quality products from China and Brazil.
    This legislation provides serious tax relief for North Carolina farmers by raising the death tax exemption, ensuring family farms can be passed down to future generations, rather than being broken up and sold.
    Unlocks Economic Growth & American Manufacturing
    This legislation will create a renaissance in American manufacturing by delivering full expensing for companies that build new factories and invest in equipment and machinery. This will help create new, good-paying jobs.
    By enhancing the small business deduction and making it permanent, small businesses will be able to hire more workers.
    Increasing deductions for small businesses’ equipment and property will quickly help businesses grow.
    Reduces Government Spending to Preserve & Protect Government Programs
    This legislation contains the first structural reforms to address waste, fraud, and abuse in key government programs like SNAP and Medicaid in over three decades. Slowing the rate of exponential cost increases will result in significant deficit savings and will preserve and protect these programs for future generations.
    Invests in America’s National Defense
    Sen. Budd helped secure funding to boost manufacturing capacity for the next generation of the F-15, the F-15EX, which will sustain the training mission at Seymour Johnson far into the future. 
    This legislation also includes significant funding to enhance America’s air superiority by preventing the retirement of the F-15E aircraft flying out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. 
    America’s troops deserve a pay raise. This legislation increases pay and allowances while making improvements to housing, healthcare, childcare, and education.
    This legislation makes generational investments in our military readiness that will protect the American homeland and deter our adversaries by boosting America’s missile defense by building the “Golden Dome.”
    Sen. Budd worked to secure investments to improve housing at Fort Bragg and Seymour Johnson and funds for restoration and modernization at Camp Lejeune.
    This legislation creates new production lines to scale innovative, cost-effective munitions, so we are no longer shooting $4M missiles at $50,000 drones.
    This legislation makes the largest ever investment in the Coast Guard’s history, which will purchase more than 40 new helicopters and six new C-130J aircraft, which will be serviced at the Aviation Technical Training Center in Elizabeth City. The legislation also funds 17 new icebreakers to protect American interests and 21 new cutters to combat drug runners and human traffickers.
    Keeps America’s Border Secure
    While President Trump’s policies have resulted in a dramatic drop-off of illegal immigration, this legislation also boosts America’s border security by surging funding for 3,000 new Border Patrol agents and 10,000 new ICE agents. The One Big Beautiful Bill also increases funding to finish President Trump’s border wall.
    Ushers in Next-Generation Technologies
    This legislation includes funding for the transformational air traffic control modernization project underway at the FAA. This will quickly update aging and failing technologies to keep Americans safe in the sky.
    This legislation makes a historic amount of spectrum available for commercial use, which will create new jobs and unleash the next generation of wireless technology. This will ensure America remains the premier destination for innovation and help unleash a new area of advanced manufacturing. This will also make the internet faster & more dependable across the country through commercial success stories like 5G, 6G, wi-fi, and private networks using CBRS.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Sanctuary City Policies In Los Angeles, California

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the Los Angeles City Council over policies that Los Angeles enacted shortly after President Donald J. Trump’s reelection to interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of its immigration laws.

    Not only are Los Angeles’s “sanctuary city” policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, Los Angeles’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities contributed to the recent lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism that was so severe that it required the federal government to deploy the California National Guard and the United States Marines to quell the chaos.

    “Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level – it ends under President Trump.”

    “Today’s lawsuit holds the City of Los Angeles accountable for deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The United States Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prohibits the City from picking and choosing which federal laws will be enforced and which will not. By assisting removable aliens in evading federal law enforcement, the City’s unlawful and discriminatory ordinance has contributed to a lawless and unsafe environment that this lawsuit will help end.”

    On her first day in office, Attorney General Bondi instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations, and, where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws, policies, and practices. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal sanctuary city policies across the country, including in New York and New Jersey.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PENSACOLA MAN INCARCERATED FOR NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING & FIREARM POSSESSION

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Marcus Devon Rayford, 42, of Pensacola, Florida was sentenced to 60 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I applaud the substantial efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and help bring this drug trafficker to justice. These offenses are not victimless crimes; the victims are the members of our community who experience the addiction and violence that too often follows from drug traffickers flooding our streets with this poison. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to Take Back America with the aggressive pursuit of drug traffickers victimizing our communities, and that is exactly what my office will continue to do.”

    In January 2024, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives initiated a criminal investigation into an armed drug trafficking organization in Pensacola, Florida. The investigation revealed that Marcus Rayford was a key member within the organization with law enforcement observing him distributing firearms and narcotics on numerous occasions.  In December 2024, state and federal law enforcement executed a search warrant at Marcus Rayford’s residence and located five firearms, cocaine base, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and heroin. 

    These sentences were the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Escambia County Sherriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Sanctuary City Policies In Los Angeles, California

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the Los Angeles City Council over policies that Los Angeles enacted shortly after President Donald J. Trump’s reelection to interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of its immigration laws.

    Not only are Los Angeles’s “sanctuary city” policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, Los Angeles’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities contributed to the recent lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism that was so severe that it required the federal government to deploy the California National Guard and the United States Marines to quell the chaos.

    “Sanctuary policies were the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Jurisdictions like Los Angeles that flout federal law by prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens are undermining law enforcement at every level – it ends under President Trump.”

    “Today’s lawsuit holds the City of Los Angeles accountable for deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The United States Constitution’s Supremacy Clause prohibits the City from picking and choosing which federal laws will be enforced and which will not. By assisting removable aliens in evading federal law enforcement, the City’s unlawful and discriminatory ordinance has contributed to a lawless and unsafe environment that this lawsuit will help end.”

    On her first day in office, Attorney General Bondi instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations, and, where appropriate, to take legal action to challenge such laws, policies, and practices. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal sanctuary city policies across the country, including in New York and New Jersey.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Bipartisan Warren, Scott (Fla.) Letter Questions Biden Defense Secretary’s Decision to Launch Lobbying Firm

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    July 01, 2025
    Austin publicly promised Warren in 2021 he would not become a lobbyist after leaving government service
    “When our highest-ranking government officials and military officers treat their positions as steppingstones to personal enrichment, they corrupt the very institution they swore to defend.” 
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seeking an explanation and further information on his recent decision to start a strategic advisory firm. Austin had publicly promised Senator Warren during his 2021 confirmation process that he would not become a lobbyist after his government service ended. 
    On June 3, 2025, Politico reported that Austin was launching Clarion Strategies, along with other former Biden defense and national security officials, to help clients “navigate geopolitical upheaval…, advancements in defense technology…, [and] global trade shifts and emerging alliances among U.S. adversaries like Russia, China, North Korea and China.” This new venture undermines his promises to Senator Warren to “ensure that the public has no reason to question my impartiality” and “[had] no intent to be a lobbyist.” 
    “The revolving door between the Pentagon and K Street has been spinning for years during both Democratic and Republican administrations. In your case, this move is particularly disappointing because you made a clear promise during your nomination hearing to uphold the public trust,” wrote the senators. 
    Austin’s pledges helped secure similar commitments from other defense nominees, including Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu, and Under Secretary of the Army Gabriel Camarillo. 
    Austin appears to have found a loophole by serving as an “adviser” rather than a registered lobbyist. 
    “[That] undermines the very purpose of the promise that you made to the American people: to close the revolving door of government officials cashing in on their public service by lobbying, advising…” wrote the lawmakers.
    The senators demanded clarity on Austin’s new role by July 14, 2025, including whether he’ll register to lobby on behalf of any company; if any current or prospective clients have contracts with the Defense Department; if he’ll work on behalf of any foreign government; if he’ll recuse from any matters involving any companies he worked with as Defense Secretary; and whether any clients would benefit from his security clearance. 
    As leaders of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senators Warren and Scott held a hearing on the dangers of the revolving door. Both have also introduced legislation to tackle the revolving door, with Senator Warren introducing the Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act and Senator Scott introducing the Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust (BLAST) Act to ban members of Congress from lobbying.
    Senator Warren has long sought to protect servicemembers and national security by pushing defense nominees to resolve their conflicts of interest: 
    In May 2025, Senator Warren pressed Mr. Michael Obadal, nominee for Under Secretary of the Army, on his refusal to divest from major defense contractors.
    In April 2025, Senator Warren secured a commitment from Lieutenant General John D. Caine, President Trump’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not to work for any major defense contractors—or companies affected by his official actions—after leaving government service. 
    In March 2025, ahead of his confirmation vote, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Deputy Defense Secretary Nominee Stephen Feinberg, urging him to recuse himself from all matters related to Ligado Networks, which has a pending $39 billion lawsuit against the DoD. 
    In March 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Emil Michael, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, with concern over his history of inappropriate behavior at work, his attacks on journalists and public accountability, and his ties to technology companies that may seek contracts with the Department of Defense. 
    In February 2025, ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Stephen Feinberg, nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense, pressing him to explain his “serious conflicts of interest” and his track record of mismanagement.
    In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Michael Duffey, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment of the Department of Defense, ahead of his confirmation hearing, with serious concerns about his record, which include violating the law, disregarding Congressional authority, and his involvement in Project 2025. 
    In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Pete Hegseth, nominee for Secretary of the Department of Defense, regarding his ethics conflicts ahead of the Senate’s consideration of his nomination. Mr. Hegseth’s household’s ownership of stock in several defense contractors and his unwillingness to commit to the same post-employment restrictions he previously advocated for were particularly troubling for a prospective Secretary of Defense.
    In March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured ethics commitments from Douglas Schmidt, ahead of his confirmation to be the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) for the Department of Defense.
    In July 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured a commitment from General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., President Biden’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not to become a defense industry lobbyist or receive compensation from a defense contractor for four years after leaving government service. 
    In June 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Andy Kim reintroduced the Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, to limit the influence of contractors on the military, constrain foreign influence on retired senior military officers, and assert greater transparency over contractors and their interaction with DoD.
    In July 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured agreements to four-year recusals from former clients’ and employers’ party matters from then-Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and then-USD(R&E) Heidi Shyu.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Zinke’s Statement on Public Land Sales Removal from the Senate Reconciliation Bill “We defended our San Juan Hill”

    Source:

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, a provision selling millions of acres of public lands was removed from the Senate Reconciliation Bill, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Congressman Zinke had expressed unequivocal opposition to the provision and joined five of his House colleagues in sending a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson stating, “If a provision to sell public lands is in the bill that reaches the House floor, we will be forced to vote no.”

     Congressman Ryan Zinke issued the following statement in response to the removal of the provision:

     TR would be proud. Bully! We defended our San Juan Hill, and we won.

     The SEALs taught me to Never Quit and to always rely on my teammates. Both were keys to our public lands victory. We always had backup plans, and we had the greatest coalition of support I’ve seen. Public lands are not red or blue, they are red, white and blue. They belong to all of us whether we’re from Massachusetts or Montana.

     I greatly appreciate the work of my colleagues in the House and Senate who were leaders either publicly or behind closed doors, particularly Senators Sheehy, Daines, Crapo, Risch, Chairman Simpson, and Speaker Johnson. And Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum who made it clear that mass land sales was not the Trump agenda. They are the Rough Riders.

     I look forward to voting for President Donald J. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill (again) to deliver historic tax cuts for Montanans, strengthen social safety net programs, secure the border for good, and get our country back on track to fiscal sanity.

     Next mission, appropriations!

     Last month, after unrelenting effort from Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01), a similar provision selling more than 450,000 acres of public land was stripped from the House version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,”. The House passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” without public land sales and with Congressman Zinke’s vote.

     Read more about Congressman Zinke removing public land sales from the House Reconciliation Bill here.

     

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Dan Goldman Hosts Roundtable With Young New Yorkers Impacted by Gun Violence

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    Firearms are Leading Cause of Death for America’s Youth 

     

    More Than 17,000 Children and Teenagers Shot Each Year, 4,000 Will Die 

     

    Pictures and Video Available Here 

    NEW YORK, N.Y. — Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today hosted a roundtable with seven young people whose lives and communities have been impacted by gun violence and who have become passionate advocates for change. The participants shared their experiences with gun violence in New York City and discussed the policies they hope to see championed in the fight to end gun violence.  

    “The gun violence epidemic is uniquely American and entirely preventable with commonsense gun regulations and resourced community-based prevention and intervention organizations,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The brave young people who shared their stories with me today can help us tackle the root causes of this epidemic. While Trump and the GOP continue to roll back gun safety regulations and grants, we must aggressively push to invest in the grassroots efforts already making a difference on the ground.” 

    Roundtable participants joined Congressman Goldman to discuss the toll of gun violence in New York City, sharing both their own personal experiences as well as those of their communities. The conversation also highlighted how young advocates want their elected officials to take stronger action– by investing in community resources and enacting commonsense gun safety legislation. 

    Gun violence is the leading cause of death for American youth. More than 17,000 children are shot each year, with over 4,000 young Americans dying tragic and preventable deaths.  Communities of color are particularly impacted by gun violence. Black children and teens are 20 times more likely to die in a gun-related homicide than their white peers.  

    Young people exposed to gun violence often suffer long-lasting physical, psychological, and emotional trauma. These experiences increase the risk of substance abuse, mental health disorders, and even the perpetuation of violent behavior, creating a tragic cycle of violence that affects future generations. The economic toll of these cycles is staggering, with youth violence costing an estimated $122 billion each year in medical expenses, lost employment opportunities, and diminished quality of life due to injury. 

    Evidence-based, community-driven programs have had great success in curbing violence at the local level. For example, Chicago’s Youth Violence Prevention Center reduced local homicides by 17% in one year, even as the city’s overall homicide rate increased. 

    As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Congressman Goldman has been a leading advocate in the fight against gun violence.  

    This month, Congressman Goldman jointly introduced the ‘Firearm Destruction Licensure Act’ alongside Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA). This legislation would close a gun loophole that is allowing firearms designated for destruction to be sold back into American communities and potentially into the hands of bad actors. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wasserman Schultz on Trump’s Tour of DeSantis Everglades Internment Camp

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

    DeSantis’ internment camp puts decades of massive restoration and billions of dollars in Everglades investments at risk. It desecrates the tribal lands it sits upon and wastes hundreds of millions of state funding at a grossly inflated cost.

    Washington DC – U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) released the following statement on President Trump’s planned tour of the costly Gov. DeSantis Everglades prison camp for immigrants:

    “DeSantis’ internment camp puts decades of massive restoration and billions of dollars in Everglades investments at risk. It desecrates the tribal lands it sits upon and wastes hundreds of millions of state funding at a grossly inflated cost. When hurricanes bear down on these flimsy structures at a sacred, environmentally sensitive location, it will either produce costly evacuation boondoggles, or grisly mass casualties. With two million Floridians about to lose health care, Trump and Republicans badly need this wasteful, dangerous, mass misery distraction.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Washington State leads lawsuit against Department of Education’s mental health funding cuts

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE — A coalition of 16 state attorneys general, led by Washington, filed a lawsuit late Monday against the U.S. Department of Education for illegally cutting congressionally approved funding for mental health programs in K-12 schools.

    After the tragic deaths of 19 students and 2 teachers during a mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a bipartisan Congress appropriated $1 billion in order to permanently bring 14,000 mental health professionals into the schools that needed it the most. The programs have delivered. According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), grantees served nearly 775,000 students and hired nearly 1,300 school mental health professionals during the first year of funding. NASP also found a 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-need schools, decreases in absenteeism and behavioral issues, and increases in positive student-staff engagement based on data from sampled programs.

    The Department of Education awarded grants spanning a five-year project period and makes yearly decisions to continue each grant’s funding. As required by its regulations, the Department of Education considered the grantee’s performance when deciding whether to continue funding.

    On April 29, 2025, the Department of Education sent boilerplate notices to grantees claiming On April 29, the Department of Education sent boilerplate notices to grantees claiming that their grants now conflicted with the Trump Administration’s priorities and funding would be discontinued. The Department of Education’s non-continuation decision means that students in at least three educational service districts in Washington, which cover 90 school districts in the northwest part of the state, may no longer have access to critical mental health services starting this fall.

    “School-based mental health programs can be a literal life saver for our students,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “The Department of Education’s decision threatens the safety and well-being of our youth.”

    The attorneys general filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The complaint alleges that the Department of Education’s funding cuts violate the  Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The attorneys general ask a federal judge to rule the funding cuts are illegal and seek an injunction rescinding the non-continuation decision.

    Joining the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

    The complaint can be found here.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

    Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • Trump to discuss Gaza, Iran with Netanyahu at Monday meeting

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will discuss the situations in Gaza and Iran when he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week, adding that he hopes to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza soon.

    Trump plans to meet Netanyahu on Monday. A senior Israeli official, Ron Dermer, has been in Washington this week holding talks ahead of the meeting.

    Trump and Netanyahu worked together on a military operation against Iran’s nuclear sites in June that culminated with American B-2 bombing raids. Trump said the strikes “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear capability, although there remains a debate about the degree of damage done to the Iranian nuclear program.

    Trump said he is hopeful that a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement can be achieved next week between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants in Gaza.

    “We hope it’s going to happen. And we’re looking forward to it happening sometime next week,” he told reporters as he departed the White House for a day trip to Florida. “We want to get the hostages out.”

    Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.

    The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

    Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s post-Oct. 7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza’s entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

    A White House official, asked about Dermer’s scheduled meetings and agenda, said: “Ron Dermer visits the White House regularly.”

    “This will continue as President Trump pursues a path to peace for Israel and Gaza,” the official added. The official did not immediately identify the Trump aides Dermer would see during his visit.

    -REUTERS

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaptur and DeLauro Introduce Bill to Rein in Executive Branch Spending Abuses and Uphold Congressional Appropriations Authority

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)

    Washington, DC — Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, have introduced H.R. 4230 the Appropriations Compliance and Training Act, legislation to restore accountability to the Executive Branch and ensure that Appropriated taxpayer dollars, enacted by Congress and signed into law, are spent in strict accordance with Congressional direction.
     

    “The Power of the Purse rests with Congress. That is established quite clearly in the Constitution, and it has been repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court. This Administration has demonstrated time and again a lack of understanding — or worse, deliberate disregard for the direction Congress provides through the Appropriations process,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). “This is about enforcing the Constitution and safeguarding democracy. We set policy, we provide direction, and we allocate funds. Then, based on those allocations, the Executive Branch must execute — not reinterpret or ignore — what Congress has directed on behalf of the American people. This is not about politics. It is about protecting the constitutional role of Congress, respecting the will of the American people, and ensuring every public dollar is spent lawfully and transparently.”

    “Instead of being laser-focused on the cost-of-living crisis, President Trump is making it worse by illegally stealing resources promised to the American people,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03). “The Trump administration has been lawless from the jump, illegally freezing or taking funding, appropriated in law by Congress, for programs and services across the federal government that help the middle class, the working class, and small businesses and make sure billionaires and big corporations pay taxes. Whether they are a Democrat or a Republican, nobody should be managing American Taxpayers’ hard-earned money if they do not understand the law. This is a common-sense requirement to defend Congress’s power of the purse and reaffirm its constitutional authority over government funding.”

    The bill has already received strong support, with a growing list of cosponsors including Appropriations Committee Members: Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Rep. James Clyburn (SC-06), Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-04), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-02), Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Rep. Marc Pocan (WI-02), Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22), Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. Joe Morelle (NY-25), Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Rep. Frank Mrvan (IN-01), and Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04).

    The Appropriations Compliance and Training Act will require high-ranking federal employees in the Executive Branch to take annual, mandatory training that will ensure their understanding and compliance with Appropriations laws, including the Antideficiency Act and the Impoundment Control Act. These laws clarify Congress’ power of the purse and prohibits the Executive Branch from spending or withholding funds beyond the explicit direction of Congress. The legislation is meant to make sure that all Executive Branch officials clearly understand their legal responsibilities and the potential consequences of violations. It also includes a review of what Congress has directed, through the Appropriations process, for each agency in that year’s funding law.

    A full copy of the H.R. 4230 the Appropriations Compliance and Training Act can be found by clicking here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Republicans Block Duckworth Effort to Protect Veterans and Other Americans from Going Hungry as a Result of Trump’s Big, Beautiful Betrayal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 30, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sought to protect Veterans and many other Americans from going hungry because of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” (BBB) that Senate Republicans are rushing to jam through tonight. Duckworth’s effort would have instructed the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee to change the BBB to ensure it would not reduce or terminate SNAP benefits for Veterans, homeless individuals, former foster youth 24 years of age or younger or for parents with children under 18 years of age, but her proposal was blocked by Senate Republicans on a vote of 49-51.

    “Back when I was in high school, my family struggled. We had no money and some days no food, teetering on the brink of homelessness, never sure what tomorrow would bring. I was only elected Senator… I was only able to become an Army pilot… I probably only was able to finish high school because of basic needs programs like SNAP.

    “Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are trying to snatch away these critical safety net programs like health care and SNAP from countless families—including Veterans, homeless people, former foster youth and many other Americans seemingly for no other reason than cruelty for cruelty’s sake—and to give a tax cut to Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies. I’m pissed off that they would look me in the eye on the Senate Floor and then block this critical proposal to help protect so many Americans from going hungry. It’s shameful.”

    In Fiscal Year 2023, an average of 42.2 million individuals—and about 1 in 5 children—in 22.3 million households participated in SNAP each month. Monthly benefits are already insufficient, and averaged only $211.65 per person and $400.15 per household.

    Under current SNAP rules, most adults aged 18 through 54 without children in their household can receive food benefits for just three months in a three-year period unless they show compliance with a 20-hour-per-week work requirement or prove they qualify for an exemption, such as having a disability—though Veterans, homeless individuals and former foster youth 24 years of age or younger have been exempt from those requirements.

    The Senate bill eliminates these exemptions, terminating SNAP benefits for nearly 300,000 people in these populations. In addition, the SNAP program has long exempted parents from work requirements, but the Senate bill eliminates these exemptions for parents with kids over the age of 13.

    Despite those exemptions continuing under even the House-passed BBB, Senate Republicans are seeking to remove them and limit SNAP benefits to these currently-protected populations. The Senate Republican bill would terminate SNAP benefits for at least 2.87 million people—including 1.2 million Veterans—and reduce benefits for tens of millions more.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: As Vote-A-Rama On Republican Budget Betrayal Hits 24 Hours, Luján Standing Strong for New Mexicans

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Luján Holds Senate Floor During Midnight Session 

    WATCH: Luján Introduces Amendment to Save SNAP

    Washington, D.C. – As the Senate vote-a-rama on the Republican Budget Betrayal hits 24 hours, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) has been on the Senate floor throughout the night fighting for New Mexicans.

    KEY MOMENTS:

    24 Hour Mark of the Vote-A-Rama: Good morning from the Senate steps. We’ve been voting on amendments for nearly 24 hours straight. Senate Republicans still haven’t called a final vote on their budget betrayal because they don’t have the votes. @SenateDems aren’t backing down. No matter how long this takes.

    Standing Up for New Mexicans in the Dark of Night: It’s almost midnight in Washington and we’re still voting on GOP budget amendments. Senate Republicans are flying completely blind — still scrambling to finalize a bill they’ve been rewriting all day (and for months) to meet President Trump’s demands. This process is messy, but this bill is going to be even messier.

    Standing Up Against the Republican Budget Betrayal With Senator Smith: We’re fighting back against this Republican budget betrayal because it’s downright terrible — and devastating for families in New Mexico, Minnesota, and across the country.

    Leading Charge to Save SNAP: Senator Luján delivered a speech on the Senate floor offering an amendment to the Republican budget bill to save the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – to protect food assistance for kids, seniors, and veterans. All but two Republicans voted to keep these devastating cuts in the bill.

    Highlighting Impacts of Republican Betrayal Bill on New Mexicans: Senator Luján took to the Senate floor to deliver a floor speech detailing how the Republican budget bill would devastate New Mexico’s families, farmers and ranchers, and children and seniors.

    LOCAL COVERAGE:

    Source NM: New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján offered a motion to commit the bill back to committee in order to remove all changes related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. It was rejected following a 49-51 vote, though Alaska Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan and Murkowski voted in favor.

    KSFR: According to Lujan, the bill’s cuts to the Affordable Care Act would take health care away from 17 million Americans. New Mexico’s junior senator argued that the bill would also force rural hospitals and grocery stores to close…and said that it would add three trillion dollars to the national debt.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration over Unlawful Discontinuation of School Mental Health Grant Funding

    Source: US State of California

    $200 million of funding intended to support the mental health and well-being of California students is at risk

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced joining a coalition of 16 states, in suing the Trump Administration’s Department of Education over their unlawful decision to discontinue grants awarded through Congressionally-established school mental health funding programs, including roughly $200 million awarded to local education agencies, county offices of education, and universities in California. If allowed to stand, starting this fall, many States’ elementary and secondary schools will lose mental health services critical to students’ well-being, safety, and academic success. The Department had awarded this funding to the nation’s high-need, low-income, and rural schools pursuant to its Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program (MHSP) and its School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program (SBMH). The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington seeks injunctive and declaratory relief to safeguard this critical funding, which fosters safe and supportive learning environments, and supports the well-being of our students. 

    “The Trump Administration’s Department of Education is attempting to rip away funding and projects that support the mental health and well-being of our students – it’s not only immoral, it’s unlawful,” said Attorney General Bonta. “These mental health programs were established by Congress following a wave of tragic and unacceptable school shootings, and they do critical work to ensure students can not only succeed but thrive. The loss of this funding would cause immense harm to California students, especially in our low-income and rural communities. The California Department of Justice will not stand idly by – we’re once again taking the Trump Administration to court, this time to protect the mental health and well-being of our students.” 

    Spurred by episodes of devastating loss from school shootings, Congress established and funded MHSP in 2018 and SBMH in 2020 to increase students’ access to mental health services. MHSP addresses the shortage of school-based mental health service providers by awarding multi-year grants to projects that expand the pipeline for counselors, social workers, and psychologists through partnerships between institutes of higher education and local educational agencies; and SBMH funds multi-year grants to increase the number of professionals that provide school-based mental health services to students through direct hiring and retention incentives. The ultimate goal of the programs is to permanently bring 14,000 additional mental health professionals into U.S. schools.

    The programs have been an incredible success. In their first year, the programs provided mental and behavioral health services to nearly 775,000 elementary and secondary students nationwide. Sampled projects showed real results: a 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-need schools, decreases in absenteeism and behavioral issues, and increases in positive student-staff engagement. Data also showed recruitment and retention efforts are working – in the first year of the programs, nearly 1,300 school mental health professionals were hired and 95% of those hired were retained. Importantly, these newly hired school-based mental health providers were able to create an 80% reduction in student wait time for services.

    In California, 44 local education agencies, county offices of education, and universities are set to lose roughly $200 million. The grants have helped schools hire hundreds of psychologists, counselors, and social workers who have served thousands of students, including in the state’s most economically disadvantaged and rural communities. By all markers, these programs work.

    Despite these successes, on or about April 29, 2025, the Department sent boilerplate notices to grantees, including state education agencies, local education agencies, and institutes of higher education, claiming that their grants conflicted with the Trump Administration’s priorities and would not be continued. The notices claimed the Department intends to reallocate funds based on new priorities of “merit, fairness, and excellence in education,” providing little to no insight into the basis for the discontinuance, while destroying projects years in the making. However, in the press, the Trump Administration admitted that it targeted Plaintiff States’ grants for their perceived diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, which the States argue is not a legal basis for discontinuation. 

    In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the Trump Administration’s decision to discontinue funding through a vague boilerplate notice, without any mention of grantees’ performance, violates the Administrative Procedure Act and is an unconstitutional violation of the Spending Clause and Separation of Powers. If allowed to stand, the Trump Administration’s unlawful decision to discontinue this funding would cause irreparable harm to States that would be forced to lay off school-based mental health service providers, cutting off much-needed mental health services to their rural and low-income schools. Furthermore, it will harm States’ students who have already benefitted from these Programs, making it more challenging for schools to provide services to students who feel abandoned and distrust mental health resources due to the interruption in services caused by the discontinuation.

    In filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

    A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Trump plays with new media says a lot about him – as it did with FDR, Kennedy and Obama

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sara Polak, University Lecturer in American Studies, Leiden University

    There is a strange and worrying parallel between the breakneck speed at which Donald Trump has operated in the first few months of his presidency and the ever-accelerating pace at which information moves on social media platforms. Where in his first term he used Twitter, now, the 47th US president is using his own platform, TruthSocial, to announce changes of direction that are sometimes so fundamental that they change decades of US policy.

    Social media has become a key tool of governing for Trump’s administration. He uses it both to make announcements and to drum up support for those announcements. His social media posts can move the markets and make or break careers. They can even, it seems, stop wars.

    So when he used TruthSocial to announce a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on June 23, giving the two countries a deadline to stop firing missiles, it appears that neither of the antagonists were fully aware of the situation, given they carried on attacking each other. So an all-caps message followed: “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS,” he posted. “BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!” – adding, just in case anyone had any doubt he was serious: “DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”

    Trump’s use of his TruthSocial platform began as he sought to re-establish himself from the political wilderness after the insurrection of January 6 2021. It has now become a tool of his extreme power and his willingness to use (and abuse) it – globally as well as domestically.

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

    He’s the latest in a string of US presidents known for their adroit use of whichever is the medium most guaranteed to connect with the greatest number of people. From Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s adept cultivation of print journalists in the early 20th century through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s comforting use of radio as it gained popularity and John F. Kennedy’s mastery of the rising medium of television, presidents have expanded their reach and influence through adept use of media.

    FDR’s “fireside chats”, broadcast on the radio throughout the US in the 1930s, reached an estimated 80% of the population, showing he understood the key media principle of reach. Roosevelt would address his listeners as “my friends” and Americans came to understand them as seemingly intimate conversations with their president.

    FDR dominated the airwaves at a time when many Americans hardly understood the important role that the federal government played in their own lives – and millions of households were only just getting mains electricity (thanks to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936). But radios were becoming a common mass medium and FDR perfectly understood how to use it. If you listen to the fireside chats, FDR may sound patrician – and at times formal – but his tone is also friendly, thoughtful and reassuring.

    In Germany at around the same time, Adolf Hitler’s massive stadium speeches were very effective for people who were in the stadium and being lifted by the intensity of the crowd and all the carefully thought out visual cues. But when broadcast on radio, Hitler had nothing like Roosevelt’s ability to connect with people on a personal level.

    Roosevelt was hardly the first leader – or even the first US president – to speak on the radio. But he was the first to master the medium. He figured out how to use its potential to deliver a key implicit message: that his government should and did take on a central role in people’s lives.

    Equally, John F. Kennedy can be said to have “discovered” political television. Not just as a medium for political campaigns, debates and speeches – but also for putting across to a mass audience his role as the embodiment of American decency, beauty and masculinity: JFK’s White House as Camelot.

    JFK was considered a master of the fast-growing medium of television.

    Both Roosevelt and Kennedy were in several ways physically disabled and lived with chronic illness, yet through the “new medium” of their time were able to project an image of quintessentially American strength and trustworthiness. In part this was their own doing – but it’s also a testament to the power of the media they used for their time.

    Mastering the medium

    These possibilities of a medium used to its best advantage – for example, to be heard around the US, but still to project a sense of intimacy – have become known as the “affordances” of a medium. The medium afforded Roosevelt space to be authentic without showing his disability. Kennedy appeared young, fit and handsome – even when dependent on painkillers.

    When a new medium is introduced, people start to play around with its affordances – and this applies to politicians too. Political leaders who develop a special aptitude for using the new medium to emphasise their unique style can become particularly successful, as has Donald Trump with his use of social media.

    The US president rose to power helped by his adept use of many of Twitter’s attributes – the imposed brevity of his messages, the ease of retweeting, the tendency for other users to “pile on” (and the user anonymity, which tends to encourage pile-ons) to polarise American public debate.

    Trump was forced off Twitter after the Capitol Hill insurrection of January 6 2021. So he came back with his own platform, TruthSocial, where he can also make the rules. And now he uses the platform to make foreign policy, trumpeting his positions (which can change with bewildering speed) on TruthSocial well before they can be announced by the White House press team, which often has to scramble to catch up.

    When Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan penned his famous phrase: “The medium is the message” in his groundbreaking 1964 study, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, he meant to say that media form and content are not as distinct from one another as one might think and that the form of a medium of communication can shape society as much as its content. In Donald Trump’s use of social media, we are seeing this idea at work.

    Sara Polak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How Trump plays with new media says a lot about him – as it did with FDR, Kennedy and Obama – https://theconversation.com/how-trump-plays-with-new-media-says-a-lot-about-him-as-it-did-with-fdr-kennedy-and-obama-248923

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Peace agreement between the Democratic Party and Rwanda: another mockery

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – “The impression created by the people of Bukavu, exhausted by more than four months of occupation, is one of perplexity and the feeling of being deceived again and again, even if they do not give up hope that something will change on the ground. But what? New reports of killings by the M23 are coming from the city and the province,” said a Church source in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, occupied by Rwandan troops and the M23 movement since mid-February (see Fides, 17/2/2025), commenting on the peace agreement signed on June 27 in Washington by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo under the auspices of the Trump administration (see Fides, 27/6/2025).The agreement provides for the “lifting of Rwandan defense measures” within three months, with the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the neutralization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), founded by former Hutu leaders, linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and viewed by Kigali as an existential threat.The agreement also contains an economic aspect, which has not yet been specified, but which is said to provide for the exploitation of Congolese natural resources by American companies.”Many people were even willing to lose the country’s natural resources to regain peace, but this remains in question,” the Fides source reports. “Because Rwanda, which occupies and exploits the provinces of North and South Kivu under the guise of the M23, does not seem to be affected by the agreement.So, at the moment, nothing is moving forward. Precisely where change is most needed.” “There is one fundamental change that everyone, except those who have changed their colors, is waiting for: the withdrawal of all Rwandan soldiers, who are to return to their homeland. This is not explicitly stated in the agreement; it only speaks of a cessation of hostilities. Even though it cites UN Resolution 2773, which calls for such a return”.”Upon reading, the text seems to me to be full of pitfalls. Another obvious pitfall is the fact that it mentions six times that the FDLR is to be neutralized. As if this were the real problem. It is a pretext, perhaps to avoid having to say out loud to Rwanda: The king is naked and he attacked an independent country. The FDLR are few in number, are repeatedly repatriated, and are completely unsuitable for an attack on Rwanda. But they are suitable to justify the presence of the Rwandan army in Congo.” “And they demand the disarmament of all militias: including this militia, which is of course often disorganized, sometimes infiltrated by bandits, but which, alone or with the few remaining Congolese soldiers, is blocking the advance of the M23. Meanwhile, the occupying forces continue to murder, rape, and humiliate a population that is now starving. You have to experience these things to feel the humiliation of those who ask why they do not know how to feed their children and the helplessness of those who respond: ‘I’m sorry, but we have no money to give you because the banks are closed,’” the source said. “Another pitfall is the return of refugees. There are hardly any Congolese refugees in Rwanda. Rather, there are hordes of self-proclaimed Rwandan refugees just waiting to enter Congo to settle there and continue to nurture the dream of a Greater Rwanda. It is true that reference is made to traditional institutions: they will have to say whether the person is truly from a particular place or not. We shall see,” the report continues. “And what about economic cooperation with a country that continues to plunder everything it can, crossing the borders of the occupied territories? The prospect, as some say, is that Congo will remain the great mine where people suffer and even die for little money, while Rwanda will be the site of refineries, and the large multinationals and the States that support them will be the big winners. With the blessing of their opportunistic friends, the United States. Is it a coincidence that the word ‘justice’ is not mentioned in the document? What about the millions of victims, the dead and the traumatized survivors, the children deprived of schooling, the young people robbed of their youth, the adults deprived of the vital minimum that makes a person’s dignity?None of this would have happened without the pressure from the Congolese authorities, who create the impression that they betrayed their country and their people in order to stay in power,” the source emphasizes. “Congolese civil society, especially in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, had prepared several clarifying documents and addressed them to the highest authorities, expressing their concerns. This was ignored. Nobel laureate Mukwege had raised his voice with a speech that was initially humanitarian and then political, tackling the root causes of the problems. Yet it was as if no one had said anything. The overall impression is therefore a mockery. It is bad to oppress a people. It is even worse to make them believe that you are helping them,” the source concludes. (Agenzia Fides, 1/7/2025)
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: No Tax on Social Security is a Reality in the One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: US Whitehouse

    Under the One Big Beautiful Bill, the vast majority of senior citizens — 88% of all seniors who receive Social Security — will pay NO TAX on their Social Security benefits, according to a brand new analysis from the Council of Economic Advisers.

    • A senior who files as a single taxpayer and receives the current average retirement benefit (approx. $24,000) will see deductions that exceed their taxable Social Security income.
    • Married seniors who both receive the average $24,000 Social Security income — a total of $48,000 in annual income — will also see deductions that exceed their taxable Social Security income.

    This amounts to the largest tax break in history for America’s seniors — and makes sure that after years of earning their Social Security, seniors can save more of their money.

    Promises made, promises kept.

    MIL OSI USA News –