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Category: Trumpism

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schakowsky, Markey, Ruiz, Jayapal Introduce Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution Outlining 21st Century Global Health Strategy 

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

    WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25), and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution, to honor Dr. Farmer’s staggering life and legacy and lay out his extraordinary vision for realizing global health equity. This resolution lays out a 21st century global health strategy that proposes spending $125 billion annually on global health aid, reforming aid to focus on building national health systems, and putting an end to the exploitation of impoverished countries to increase their domestic tax base and health spending. This resolution seeks to save over 100 million lives per decade by increasing the flow of money in the global economy. 

    “Dr. Paul Farmer is responsible for transforming the lives of millions and millions of poor and marginalized people around the world, bringing them health care, dignity, and justice. A true visionary, Paul insisted that all people have a right to excellent health care, and he developed the systems to deliver it in places people had written off. Gleaming world class hospitals and locally trained doctors, nurses, and community workers now exist in places like Haiti and Rwanda. Paul was not only a world-renowned leader in global health, but also a precious friend and a tireless organizer, inspiring thousands of people to actively participate in his work. All of us owe him a debt that can only be paid by carrying on his mission and legacy,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “That is why I am introducing the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution alongside my colleagues Senator Markey and Representatives Ruiz and Jayapal. This resolution lays out a 21st Century Global Health Strategy that enshrines Paul’s vision to achieve global universal health care and end unnecessary and preventable deaths. We are the richest country in the world at the richest time in the world. As the Trump Administration rips away lifesaving aid from millions of people, it is more important than ever for those of us who care about global health and justice to rededicate ourselves to building and fully funding a robust global health strategy. Paul called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—a result of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. We can make the choice to end global health inequity, and with Paul’s vision guiding us, we will.” 

    “Dr. Paul Farmer was a health care visionary and revolutionary who understood compassion and care went hand in hand. At a time when global health and well-being are strained, I am proud to introduce this resolution honoring Dr. Farmer and the transformational work he did to deliver health care to people and communities around the world. Health is the first wealth, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that people around the world are healthy, safe, and have access to the resources they need to live and thrive,” said Senator Edward Markey.

    “Dr. Paul Farmer was more than a global health leader, he was my mentor, professor, and dear friend,” said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz. “From my early years at Harvard Medical School to our work together in Boston, Chiapas, Guatemala, and post-earthquake Haiti, he showed me what it means to fight for underserved communities with unwavering dedication. I am honored to help reintroduce this resolution in his memory, as a testament to his extraordinary impact on humanity.” 

    “Dr. Paul Farmer changed global health for the better with his work in impoverished countries, treating infectious diseases and providing high quality care to those who needed it most. He also fundamentally altered the way we think about international aid, and his organizing and movement building has led to millions of people worldwide living healthier and longer lives. As a lifelong organizer and someone who worked in global health for years before coming to Congress, I know the importance of this work and know how devastating Trump and Republicans’ cuts to USAID and other international aid programs are. This resolution outlines a vision for a world in which we tackle the injustice of global health inequities and treat health care as a true human right. It also recognizes that to achieve these goals, we need to democratize the global financial system, including cancelling predatory debt that has often crushed low- and middle-income countries. I’m proud to co-lead it with Representatives Schakowsky and Ruiz,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

    The proposals in the resolution are as follows: 

    • Increase global health aid to $125 billion per year
      • Close the essential universal health care financing gap for low-income countries
      • Allow the U.S. to meet the U.N. aid target of 0.7% GNI for the first time ever
    • Reform global health aid
      • Focus on building national health systems and direct funding to local partners, not the development industry
      • Develop new medical technologies for diseases of poverty and ensure their availability as global public goods
    • Make the global economy more fair, just, and democratic
      • Democratizing the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization, so that poor countries have greater say over decisions that affect their economies and their ability to finance health systems
      • Global debt cancelation for all developing countries that need it
      • Ending harmful licit and illicit financial flows from poor countries—ending global tax havens and illegal practices like trade misinvoicing
      • Supporting global labor rights, such as a global minimum wage

    “In this moment of crisis, we need Paul’s vision for global health justice more than ever. Thankfully, that vision is captured in this resolution. It provides us with a much-needed roadmap for global cooperation based on solidarity and justice by getting to the root causes of unnecessary suffering and death, or what Paul called ‘structural violence’. This includes greatly improving development assistance for health, but also going well beyond aid to address ongoing extractive colonial arrangements, which preclude local investments in health systems,” said Sheila Davis, CEO of Partners in Health.

    As an infectious disease physician, Dr. Farmer earned accolades for treating patients in impoverished countries with high quality care, including those suffering from HIV and cancer. As a medical anthropologist, he was known for popularizing and deepening understandings of “structural violence,” the idea that social systems are designed to impoverish, sicken, and sideline select groups. As chief strategist of Partners in Health, he garnered plaudits for pioneering community-based treatment strategies, building teaching hospitals, and more. Dr. Farmer called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—an effect of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. This resolution embodies that and will serve as a North Star that will guide the movement for global health equity for years to come. 

    In addition to Reps. Schakowsky, Ruiz, and Jayapal, this resolution is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52). 

    In addition to Sen. Markey, this resolution is cosponsored in the Senate by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

    Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security, Health Care

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: On Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power, Shaheen Details Her Senate Floor Effort to Block Trump Tariff Taxes from Taking Effect, Highlights Trade War Harms to Families and Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a top member of the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee, joined Bloomberg TV’s Balance of Power last night to discuss her Senate floor effort to block President Trump’s tariffs from taking effect on August 1 and lead her colleagues in detailing the real harm the Administration’s trade war causes to American families and businesses. Shaheen relayed the concerns she heard from Granite State small businesses during recent visits about the high costs, uncertainty and supply chain challenges posed by the President’s trade war.

    Click HERE to watch Senator Shaheen’s full interview.

    Key quotes from Senator Shaheen:

    • “I went to the floor several months ago with the same unanimous consent request for legislation that I’ve introduced, and the Republican majority objected to that – but I think it’s important to continue to raise the concern. Because every business that I visit in New Hampshire has expressed concern about the tariffs.”
    • “The other thing that I’ve heard from literally every business that I’ve visited is that, as much of a problem as the high tariffs are and the increases in cost, it’s the uncertainty that it means for their business. Because they don’t know what the President’s gonna do. […] So, businesses don’t know how to invest, they don’t know how to plan – and that creates real problems for businesses and the people who work there.”
    • “We just had a hearing in Foreign Relations today on critical minerals in Africa, and the fact that we’re not producing those critical minerals in the United States that we need for the auto industry, for our appliances and virtually everything we do. So we need to do that, but these tariffs aren’t going to help us with those critical minerals. We need to make some of those investments, and we need to have a strategy to do that.”

    Following the interview, Shaheen took to the Senate floor to call for unanimous consent to pass her Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act and highlight the devastating impacts the trade war has on families, small businesses, American manufacturing and key trade partnerships across the world. If Senate Republicans had not blocked the move, Shaheen’s legislation would have clarified that the President does not have the authority to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to level sweeping tariffs.

    Click HERE to watch Shaheen’s remarks in full.

    Senator Shaheen is helping lead efforts in Congress to mitigate the harmful impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. Last week, Shaheen helped introduce bipartisan legislation, Creating Access to Necessary American-Canadian Duty Adjustments (CANADA) Act, that would exempt United States-owned small businesses from the sweeping tariffs imposed on Canadian products. Last month, Shaheen led 30 Senators in filing an amicus brief in a key case, Oregon v. Department of Homeland Security, challenging the Trump Administration’s abuse of emergency powers to impose tariffs. In January, Shaheen introduced the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act.

    In recent months, Shaheen has traveled across the Granite State to discuss the impact of tariffs on New Hampshire’s tourism industry and to visit businesses impacted by President Trump’s trade war including Brueckner Group USA, Colby Footwear, Chatila’s Bakery, C&J, DCI Furniture, Mount Cabot Maple, American Calan Inc. and NH Ball Bearings.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Leads New Hampshire Delegation Letter Urging Air National Guard to Exempt Critical Safety Roles from Planned Reduction to Civilian Employees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), are urging General Steven Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to exempt critical safety roles, including firefighters and air traffic controllers, from its planned 10.7% reduction to federal civilians at the Air National Guard (ANG). More than half of the civilian employees at Pease Air National Guard Base are civilian emergency personnel and air traffic controllers and the proposed cuts could devastate the important role Pease plays in supporting emergency services in the region, including at Portsmouth International Airport.

    In part the delegation wrote, “Of New Hampshire’s 96 Title 5 civilian employees, 51 are firefighters or air traffic controllers. In addition to the Air National Guard, these safety personnel provide services to the Portsmouth International Airport (KPSM) – a critical strategic asset.”

    The delegation continued, “Any reduction to civilian air traffic control in the United States will compound an existing national, potentially deadly, safety issue. In fiscal year 2024, the Army faced its highest mishap rate since 2008; and the Air Force hit its highest in three years in fiscal year 2023. This also comes as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is facing a historic shortage of air traffic controllers – and needs to hire 3,000 more to meet current demand.”

    The delegation concluded, “A misguided and hurried reduction in force in New Hampshire will have long lasting safety and operational impacts not just to our state, but across the country. We urge you to exempt these critical public safety roles from any reduction in force without proper analysis and consultation with Congress.”

    The full text of the letter can be found here.

    Since President Trump took office, the New Hampshire delegation has worked to protect civilian workers that play a critical role in maintaining U.S. national security. In March, the U.S. Department of Defense exempted the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workforce from the civilian hiring freeze, following efforts from Shaheen and the delegation.

    Shaheen continues to advocate for members of the New Hampshire National Guard, including by pressing the National Guard Bureau to exempt New Hampshire from any changes to its personnel who operate and maintain the KC-46. Due to Shaheen’s advocacy, the Guard Bureau granted New Hampshire an extension to implement the policy. The FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a provision from Shaheen that would require the Guard Bureau to grant a similar extension to any state who requests one, and report to Congress on any operational impact of future force re-leveling.

    Congresswoman Goodlander toured Portsmouth Naval Shipyard earlier this week and secured a critical amendment in the House-passed FY 2026 NDAA to help end the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze that’s leaving the shipyard understaffed and risking their essential work.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Secretary Chavez-DeRemer highlights President Trump’s AI Action Plan, pro-worker accomplishments on ‘America at Work’ listening tour

    Source: US Department of Labor

    MYRTLE BEACH, SC – U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer continued her nationwide America at Work listening tour this week starting on the West Coast in Washington state to discuss artificial intelligence, before heading to the East Coast and stopping in South Carolina, where she spoke with business leaders and manufacturers in Florence, Georgetown, Hartsville, Mullins, and Myrtle Beach.

    In Kirkland, Washington, the Secretary met with software developers at ServiceNow to discuss the growing role of artificial intelligence in the workplace. In South Carolina, she visited with manufacturers across multiple industries to hear directly from business leaders and workers about how President Trump’s pro-growth policies are strengthening the American workforce.

    “Every sector of our economy is coming back to life under President Trump’s bold, visionary leadership – from artificial intelligence in Washington state to advanced manufacturing in South Carolina,” said Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. “In just over six months, this President has expanded economic opportunity for hardworking Americans by making historic investments in our workforce through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. I’d like to thank my friend, Congressman Fry, for hosting me in the great state of South Carolina to see the positive impacts of these America First policies firsthand. I’m committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure workers have the tools they need to succeed in America’s new Golden Age.”

    “South Carolina is home to some of the hardest working people in the country, and the One Big Beautiful Bill puts them first – cutting taxes, growing jobs, and investing in the future of our workforce,” said Rep. Russell Fry. “From touring thriving manufacturing facilities, seeing our tourism and hospitality industries in action, and meeting the workers who keep it all running, we saw firsthand how this legislation delivers for South Carolina families and the American people. Thank you to my good friend Secretary Chavez-DeRemer for visiting the Grand Strand and Pee Dee regions of our state to see just how much this bill will mean for South Carolina’s future.”

    Washington

    In Kirkland, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer toured ServiceNow’s offices and met with employees to discuss how they are helping power a new AI boom in the U.S. The Secretary emphasized that the Department of Labor will play a central role in implementing President Trump’s AI Action Plan, which aims to boost AI literacy, invest in skills training, and ensure American workers are equipped to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven economy.

    South Carolina

    In Myrtle Beach, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer joined Rep. Fry for a roundtable discussion with business leaders at the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. They talked about how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is reinvigorating American industry by eliminating taxes on tips and overtime and expanding access to Pell Grants for technical schools so students can be ready to fill in-demand jobs. The Secretary also provided an update on her America at Work tour, reiterating that listening directly to workers is critical to developing policies that put American workers first.

    Following the roundtable, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer visited several local employers that are driving economic growth and job creation:

    • Envirosep, where she met with engineers and technicians developing next-generation heating system technologies designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs.
    • SOPACKO, a manufacturer of ready-to-eat meals for the U.S. military, where she observed how recent investments have strengthened domestic production and bolstered manufacturing capacity to support America’s servicemembers.
    • Buc-ee’s, where she toured the company’s only South Carolina location and saw firsthand how the pride and value of hard work is reflected in top-tier customer service.
    • Stingray Boats, where she visited with workers to learn more about how one of the nation’s leading independent boat builders has been manufacturing high-performance recreational boats for over four decades. 

    At each stop, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer highlighted how President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is creating new pathways to economic prosperity by expanding opportunity and helping more hardworking men and women achieve the American Dream. Learn more about her recent visits to Georgia, Michigan, and Indiana.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Reesetablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test

    Source: US Whitehouse

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to promote the economic, academic, and social benefits of youth sports, fitness, and nutrition, it is hereby ordered:
    Section 1.  Revocation.  Executive Order 13824 of February 26, 2018 (President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition), is hereby revoked.
    Sec. 2.  Amendment.  Executive Order 13265 of June 6, 2002 (President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports), is hereby amended as follows:
    (a) The title is revised to read as follows:  “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test”.
    (b) The preamble is revised to read as follows:  “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to establish the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, it is hereby ordered:”.
    (c) Sections 1 through 5 are revised to read as follows:  
    “Section 1.  Purpose.  As the United States prepares to celebrate its semiquincentennial anniversary in 2026, we must address the threat to the vitality and longevity of our country that is posed by America’s declining health and physical fitness.  For far too long, the physical and mental health of the American people has been neglected.  Rates of obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are at crisis levels, particularly among our children.  These trends weaken our economy, military readiness, academic performance, and national morale.  President Eisenhower recognized this issue when he created the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in response to reports on the poor state of youth fitness in America.  As President-elect, John F. Kennedy famously published an essay titled “The Soft American,” which outlined the imperative for improved health in order to maintain a strong and vital America.  During my first term, I renamed the council the “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition” and directed the development of a National Youth Sports Strategy, among other activities.     
    My Administration has taken decisive action to reverse this health crisis.  In the first month of my second term, I created the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission to restore the urgency of improving the health of Americans.  Now, we build further.  To advance this commitment, I hereby reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test, which shall be administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with the support of the Secretary of Education.
    With this order, I revitalize the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition as a cornerstone of our national health renewal.  In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our great Nation, honor the 70th anniversary of the original President’s Council on Youth Fitness, and showcase America’s continued global dominance in sports.  Over the next 3 years, America will host the Ryder Cup, the President’s Cup, the FIFA World Cup, and the Olympic Games — the world’s premiere sporting competitions.  These events will provide inspiration for all generations of Americans.
    Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of my Administration to:
    (a) prioritize and expand children’s participation in youth sports and active play;
    (b) promote the physical, mental, and civic benefits of daily movement, exercise, and good nutrition; and     
    (c)  engage every sector — public and private, civilian and military — in creating a national culture of strength, vitality, and excellence.
    Sec. 3.  President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. (a)  There is hereby established the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (Council).
    (b)  The Council shall consist of up to 30 members appointed by the President.  Members shall serve for a term of 2 years, shall be eligible for reappointment, and may continue to serve after the expiration of their terms until the appointment of a successor.  The President may designate one or more of the members as Chair or Vice Chair.
    (c)  The President shall designate an Executive Director of the Council who shall manage day-to-day operations; serve as a liaison to the President on matters and activities pertaining to the Council; and oversee engagement with executive departments and agencies, athletic institutions, and community partners.
    Sec. 4.  Functions of the Council.  (a)  The Council shall advise the President concerning progress made in carrying out the provisions of this order and shall recommend to the President actions to accelerate such progress.
    (b)  In advising the President pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the Council shall recommend:
    (i) strategies for reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test, with any appropriate improvements, as the main assessment tool for a Presidential Fitness Award;
    (ii) strategies for the development and promotion of Presidential challenges and school-based programs that reward excellence in physical education;
    (iii) actions to expand opportunities at the global, national, State, and local levels for participation in sports and engagement in physical fitness;
    (iv) bold and innovative fitness goals for American youth with the aim of fostering a new generation of healthy, active citizens;
    (v) campaigns and events that elevate American sports, military readiness, and health traditions;
    (vi) opportunities at the global, national, State, and local levels that expand participation in sports and emphasize the importance of an active lifestyle and good nutrition, which should include partnerships with professional athletes, sports organizations, player’s associations, influential figures, nonprofit organizations, and community groups to inspire all Americans, among other initiatives; and
    (vii) strategies to address the growing national security threat posed by the increasing rates of childhood obesity, chronic diseases, and sedentary lifestyles, which threaten the future readiness of the United States workforce and military.      
    Sec. 5. Administration.  (a)  Each executive department and agency shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of funds, furnish such information and assistance to the Council as it may request.
    (b) Members of the Council shall serve without compensation but may receive travel reimbursement, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as allowed under applicable law (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707), consistent with the availability of funds.
    (c) The Department of Health and Human Services shall provide such funding and administrative and technical support as the Council may require, to the extent permitted by law and as authorized by existing appropriations.
    (d) The Council may, with the approval of the President, establish subcommittees as appropriate to aid in its work.
    (e) The seal prescribed by Executive Order 10830 of July 24, 1959 (Establishing a Seal for the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports), as amended, shall be modified to reflect the name of the Council as established by this order.
    (f) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) (the “Act”), may apply to the administration of any portion of this order, any functions of the President under the Act, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in accordance with the guidelines and procedures issued by the Administrator of General Services.
    (g) In accordance with the Act, the Council shall terminate 2 years from the date of this order, unless extended by the President.
    (h) Executive Order 12345 of February 2, 1982 (Physical Fitness and Sports), as amended, is revoked.”.
    (d) A new section 6 is added to read as follows:
    “Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.”.
    Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
    (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Education.
     
     
     
                                   DONALD J. TRUMP
     
     
     
    THE WHITE HOUSE,
        July 31, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Baldwin Releases Statement on Bipartisan Bill to Fund Labor, Health, and Education Departments for Fiscal Year 2026

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, released the following statement after the full committee advanced her Fiscal Year 2026 funding legislation to the Senate floor. In addition to funding critical programs that the Trump Administration has tried to cut or withhold funding from – including Head Start, the National Institutes of Health, and Job Corps – the bipartisan bill takes further steps to mandate the timely delivery of Congressionally approved funding and adequate staffing levels at federal agencies to carry out the mission of these programs.

    “At the end of the day, my North Star is delivering for the people of Wisconsin. While no one got everything they wanted in this bill, I’m proud to say we found common ground and are doing just that to address the challenges facing working families across the country. From investing in cancer and Alzheimer’s research, to protecting the Department of Education and early education funding, to strengthening my 988 Suicide Lifeline, we came together to deliver for our constituents,” said Senator Baldwin. “This bill not only puts Donald Trump’s budget in the trash, it also reins in this President’s efforts to dismantle and withhold funding for critical programs our constituents rely on. This bill takes on the kitchen table issues families face by addressing childcare costs, connecting more Americans with good-paying jobs, and taking on the mental health and opioid epidemics. While it is not perfect, I look forward to getting it over the finish line on behalf of Wisconsinites who want to see a Washington that works for them.”

    As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Senator Baldwin writes the bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. A summary of the bill is available below.

    Key Points & Highlights – Department of Health and Human Services

    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The bill provides $116.6 billion, an increase of $446 million in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services over fiscal year 2025.

    The bill rejects the Trump administration’s harmful efforts to defund and dismantle critical work that HHS oversees—maintaining important funding for programs across HHS that touch the lives of nearly every American, while providing targeted increases to important bipartisan priorities. The bill includes new requirements to help ensure adequate staffing and the timely awarding of funding to prevent completely unnecessary delays and disruptions in programs that families and communities across the country count on—from child care and Head Start to substance use and mental health—and that support lifesaving research into cures and treatments for devastating diseases.

    Biomedical Research: The bill provides $48.7 billion in discretionary funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—an increase of $400 million to propel lifesaving and life-changing cures and treatments across NIH’s 27 institutes and centers and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

    The bill rejects the catastrophic 40% cut to NIH proposed by President Trump, and instead of slashing funding for biomedical research, includes a:

    • $150 million increase for cancer research;
    • $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s disease research;
    • $30 million increase for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;
    • $30 million increase for the Office of Research on Women’s Health;
    • $25 million increase for ALS research, fully funding the $100 million as authorized by the ACT for ALS Act of 2021;
    • $20 million increase for the IMPROVE Initiative for research on maternal mortality;
    • $12 million increase for BRAIN Initiative research;
    • $10 million increase for diabetes research;
    • $10 million increase for rare disease research;
    • $9 million increase for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network; and a
    • $5 million to implement the National Parkinson’s Project.

    The bill also rejects the Trump administration’s proposal—and illegal efforts—to cap indirect cost rates at 15%, which would devastate biomedical research, and continues a longstanding provision that prohibits NIH from implementing such a cap. The bill also rejects the Trump administration’s misguided elimination of programs across NIH by maintaining funding for HIV vaccine research, training programs that support the next generation of researchers, and the Safe to Sleep campaign, among others.

    The bill also includes, as part of a manager’s amendment, a new provision that would prevent implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s misguided policy for NIH to fund significantly more of its multi-year research grants in one lump sum. This poorly thought-out new policy would significantly cut the number of research grants NIH awards this year and next year—according to NIH’s own estimate, by 40% in fiscal year 2025, reducing the percentage of cancer research grants it will award from 13% to 7%, and Alzheimer’s disease grants from 18% to 6%. OMB’s attempt this week to explicitly and illegally withhold billions in funding and halt all remaining NIH research grants through the rest of the year makes its intentions crystal clear. More needs to be done to protect NIH research programs, but the provision included in this bill is an important step in preventing the Trump administration from decimating the biomedical research enterprise Congress has built in a bipartisan manner over decades, which has long been the envy of the world and drives medical innovation that has saved millions of lives.

    The bill also includes a new authority for NIH to address loopholes in sexual harassment reporting and strengthen accountability by requiring institutions to complete investigations into concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions, even if the alleged perpetrator leaves their current position and is no longer employed by the institution. It provides the NIH Director the authority to decline the transfer of an award to a different institution, helping to close the “pass-the-harasser” loophole. It also provides the NIH Director the authority to share investigation reports on an as-needed basis with any institution that receives NIH funding.

    Child Care and Early Learning Programs: The bill includes $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)—an $85 million increase over fiscal year 2025; and $12.4 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase. Much more needs to be done to address our broken child care system and ensure every working family can find and afford child care, which is critical for businesses and our economy too—but sustained annual increases in these programs are critical in the meantime. The bill also sustains funding for Preschool Development Grants, which President Trump proposed eliminating in his budget request.

    Addressing Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health: The bill sustains funding to address the rising toll of opioid overdoses fueled by fentanyl, maintain access to substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and improve access to mental health services.

    The bill rejects President Trump’s proposed cuts to SAMHSA programs and maintains SAMHSA as its own, independent agency to ensure substance use and mental health remain a priority at HHS. The bill includes targeted increases to SAMHSA programs, including $2.0 billion, a $20 million increase over fiscal year 2025, for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant; $1.6 billion for State Opioid Response grants, a $20 million increase; and $145 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.

    It protects key investments in mental health programs by sustaining funding for the Mental Health Block Grant, Project AWARE, Mental Health Awareness Training, and the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network. The bill also provides $535 million, a $15 million increase over fiscal year 2025, for the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to address continued increases in demand as 988 has been stood up over the last several years, and it restores dedicated funding for the LGBTQ+ youth specialized services line that President Trump eliminated this summer.

    Additionally, it includes approximately $180 million in investments within the Department of Education to address the shortage of school-based mental health professionals and services in our nation’s K-12 schools.

    Essential Health Care Programs: The bill protects investments in health care access and affordability and the health care workforce—maintaining investments in core programs, including $1.86 billion for Community Health Centers and $128.6 million for the National Health Service Corps. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is fully funded, and the bill affirms support for the mission and scientific integrity of the task force. The bill also includes a $9.3 million increase in rural health programs to boost recruitment of health care providers to practice in rural areas and support rural hospitals.

    Importantly, the bill provides a $5 million increase in funding for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Modernization Initiative to strengthen and reform the nation’s organ donation and transplant system. There are more than 100,000 individuals on the organ transplant waitlist, and this initiative, which began during the Biden administration, will allow the OPTN to better serve patients and families and strengthen accountability.

    Public Health: The bill rejects the approximately $4 billion—or 50%—cut to CDC programs proposed by President Trump’s budget request. CDC helps keep Americans safe and healthy by protecting against diseases and supporting states and local communities as they do the same. It also rejects the Trump administration’s haphazard proposal to dismantle CDC, which risks Americans’ health and safety, and requires HHS to support staffing levels to carry out the CDC’s programs.

    The bill also helps support state and local health departments by sustaining critical programs across the CDC, including funding for chronic diseases, the Office of Smoking and Health, injury prevention programs (including firearm injury and mortality research), global health programs, and immunization and infectious disease prevention programs.

    HIV/AIDS: The bill includes $613 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, which provides high-need jurisdictions with prevention and treatment services for people at high risk for HIV transmission. This includes $220 million within the CDC’s Domestic HIV/AIDS Prevention and Research programs to develop and deploy innovative data management solutions, increase access to PrEP, and better detect and respond to HIV clusters, and $128.9 million for the CDC’s global HIV/AIDS program. The bill also provides full funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, including dental services and training for health care practitioners, two initiatives that President Trump sought to eliminate in his budget proposal.

    Women’s Health: The bill sustains funding for reproductive health programs, including Title X and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which President Trump eliminated in his budget proposal. The bill also increases investments in maternal health across CDC and NIH with a $53 million increase for programs that aim to address maternal mental health, prevent pregnancy-related deaths, support best practices to improve maternal health outcomes, and invest in women’s health research. The bill also provides funding for a new initiative to support survivors of sexual assault and creates a new menopause initiative within AHRQ to translate research best practices into clinical practice for women. Importantly, the bill includes increases in funding for the Maternal Mental Health Hotline and maternal health safety initiatives through the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health program.

    Pandemic Preparedness and Biodefense: The bill includes $3.6 billion for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). It sustains funding for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); Project Bioshield; the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS); and Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC) activities to help ensure that critical resources in the public health supply chain—including raw materials, medical countermeasures, and ancillary supplies—are manufactured in the United States. It also includes $4 million to support a new program to improve emergency medical services and trauma care during a public health emergency.

    Administration for Community Living: The bill maintains funding for the Administration for Community Living as its own agency within HHS to help support seniors and Americans with disabilities so they can live and participate fully in their communities. This includes providing $1.1 billion for senior nutrition programs and providing targeted increases for family caregiver programs.

    Home Heating and Cooling Assistance: The bill includes $4.045 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $20 million increase over fiscal year 2025, to help low-income households heat and cool their homes.

    Key Points & Highlights – Department of Education

    Department of Education: The bill provides $79.0 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education.

    The bill rejects the Trump administration’s call to eliminate the Department of Education and maintains funding across the Department, including funding for K-12 formula and competitive grant programs, CTE and adult education programs, federal student aid, postsecondary competitive grants, and civil rights enforcement to provide the resources needed to help schools improve educational outcomes for students and protect all students from discrimination.

    The bill includes new requirements that the Department of Education maintain the staff necessary to ensure it carries out its statutory responsibilities, including carrying out programs and activities funded in this bill in a timely manner. The bill also includes new requirements for the Department of Education to make formula grants available to states and districts on time. While this should be unnecessary, this step prevents any administration from withholding key funding for students and creating chaos for states and schools, which distracts educators from helping kids thrive.

    Supporting Elementary and Secondary Education Students: The bill strengthens investments in foundational formula grant programs for elementary and secondary education and in public schools, teachers, and students—rejecting the $4.5 billion cut and the proposed consolidations in President Trump’s budget request for a new $2 billion block grant program.

    The bill boosts funding for Title I-A grants by $50 million above the fiscal year 2025 level to $18.457 billion. More than 80% of the nation’s school districts receive these funds, and nearly 25 million students go to schools receiving Title I funding. The bill also provides $15.224 billion, an increase of $50 million over fiscal year 2025, for all three IDEA Special Education State grant programs and retains each as a separate program. IDEA state grant programs support more than seven million students and children with disabilities and their families who receive IDEA services through these programs. The bill also includes new guardrails to prevent the administration from moving these formula grant programs to other federal agencies and disrupting the efficient and effective use of federal funds intended to improve outcomes for students.

    The bill also continues current investments, except for a few targeted reductions, across a range of other important formula and competitive grant programs authorized to improve teaching and learning in elementary and secondary schools, rejecting President Trump’s proposed elimination of $1.5 billion in total funding for nine important programs.

    Career and Technical Education (CTE): The bill provides $1.45 billion for CTE grants and $729 million for adult education grants and appropriates such funding to the Department of Education to carry out these programs, rejecting President Trump’s call to eliminate federal support for adult education. The bill includes new provisions requiring both CTE and adult education formula grants to be awarded in a timely way to prevent any administration from withholding these critical funds.

    Higher Education: The bill provides a total maximum Pell Grant award of $7,395 for the 2026-2027 award year, rejecting President Trump’s proposal to cut the Pell grant by over $1000. This coming school year, Pell Grants are expected to help over 7 million students at all stages of life pursue postsecondary education and further their careers. The bill also rejects President Trump’s proposals to eliminate a range of postsecondary education programs.

    Instead, the bill sustains funding for Federal Work Study and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant that provide additional need-based aid to students to help them afford postsecondary education. The bill also includes $65 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership program and $15 million for the Hawkins Centers of Excellence to help educator preparation programs address educator shortages. It also continues other investments available to recruit, develop, and retain an effective and diverse teacher and school leader workforce, including $90 million for the Supporting Effective Educator Development program.

    The bill sustains funding for TRIO at $1.191 billion; $388 million for GEAR UP; $75 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS); a $10 million for the Basic Needs Program; and $40 million for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program to help students prepare for and succeed in post-secondary education. The bill also sustains funding for Title III and V programs that support HBCUs, MSIs, Tribal colleges, and other institutions. President Trump had proposed to eliminate CCAMPIS, TRIO, GEAR UP, International Education, the Basic Needs Program, and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant, among other programs in his budget request.

    The bill also sustains funding for the administration of student aid programs. This funding supports a wide range of activities, including: implementing the FAFSA; disbursing student aid; ensuring services are available to student loan borrowers; implementing more affordable repayment plans; and fixing longstanding issues in student loan forgiveness programs. Finally, the bill includes important requirements to help Congress conduct oversight over the new higher education provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    Protecting Students from Discrimination: The bill rejects President Trump’s proposed cut of $49 million, or one-third of the total budget, for the Office for Civil Rights. Instead, the bill maintains the current budget level of $140 million and requires the Department to support the staffing levels necessary for OCR to fulfill its statutory responsibilities.

    Advancing Education Research, Statistics, and Assessments: The bill maintains current funding of $793 million for the Institute of Education Sciences for all programs and activities of IES funded in fiscal year 2024, rejecting the massive reduction of $532 million or 67% proposed in President Trump’s budget request. The Trump administration’s significant workforce reductions and program delays at IES this year have caused it to fail to meet statutory requirements. The bill requires the Department to support staffing levels necessary for IES and the National Center for Education Statistics to fulfill their statutory responsibilities.

    Key Points & Highlights – Department of Labor

    Department of Labor (DOL): The bill includes $13.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Labor. The bill rejects the harmful cuts proposed by the Trump administration, including the administration’s proposal to block grant our nation’s workforce training programs.

    Workforce Development: The bill includes $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) formula grants, protecting essential investments made in recent years. It includes a new directive requiring DOL to award such funds in a timely manner. It provides $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships and $105 million for YouthBuild. The bill also rejects President Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion for Job Corps. Rejecting President Trump’s proposed cuts for many of these programs and continuing funding for these key workforce development programs will help grow the economy, provide workers with the skills they need to secure good-paying jobs of the future, and help American businesses compete globally.

    Worker Protection: The bill rejects drastic reductions proposed in President Trump’s request and sustains key investments in DOL’s worker protection agencies charged with enforcing requirements for employers to pay workers what they earn and provide safe and healthy workplaces. The bill maintains $191 million in funding for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, which is responsible for, among other things, ensuring private sector employment-based group health plans comply with mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements. The bill also maintains $260 million for Wage and Hour Division to support the Division’s work to recover wages workers are owed and to combat exploitative child labor. Last year, the Division secured more than $273 million in back wages collected and damages for nearly 152,000 workers nationwide.

    The bill also provides $111 million, $41 million more than President Trump’s budget request, for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs to enforce labor provisions of free trade agreements and trade preference programs and combat international child labor and forced labor. Finally, the bill rejects the proposed elimination of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Women’s Bureau, providing $106 million and $23 million, respectively.

    Key Points & Highlights – Related Agencies

    Social Security Administration (SSA): The bill includes $15.0 billion for SSA’s administrative expenses—an increase of $594 million over fiscal year 2025. This is $100 million more than President Trump’s budget request to help address staffing challenges and improve service to the public. The Trump administration has single-handedly created completely unnecessary chaos at SSA that has weakened Americans’ ability to get the benefits they are owed—and it has continually misled the public with easily disproven claims about widespread fraud. Instead of admitting to its lie, SSA has doubled down and pursued poorly planned and implemented policy changes. The American public and the beneficiaries SSA serves have paid the price, with unacceptable wait times to access the benefits and services Americans deserve, and that they have literally earned through a lifetime of work. Instead of chasing conspiracy theories, the administration should focus on actually improving services and addressing service delivery challenges impacting Americans across the country. The resources in this bill will help SSA do just that.

    AmeriCorps: The bill rejects President Trump’s elimination of AmeriCorps and sustains funding for all of AmeriCorps’ grant programs by providing a total of $1.25 billion to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to administer these programs. This bill also includes new provisions requiring any administration to award AmeriCorps state formula funding in a timely way and includes new requirements to ensure CNCS will award competitive grants in a timely fashion, too. The bill will support AmeriCorps members serving in communities across the country and working to address pressing challenges, including responding to natural disasters, assisting in schools, supporting our veterans, promoting economic opportunity, and conserving and protecting the environment.

    Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): As a result of Congressional Republicans’ approval of the Rescissions Act of 2025—the first ever partisan rescissions bill signed into law—no funds are provided in the bill for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the more than 1,500 locally owned public TV and radio stations nationwide that have, for over 50 years, been supported by CPB funds and infrastructure investments. Republicans’ devastating rescissions bill will particularly hurt 120 stations that rely on CPB for more than 25% of their revenue, who are now scrambling to find new sources of support or significantly reduce programming or close in the coming months.

    Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): The bill continues to invest $295 million in the nation’s libraries and museums through programs of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and requires IMLS to fund specified programs and activities at amounts identified in the Committee report.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Statement on Senate Republicans’ Threat to Go Nuclear on Senate Rulebook to Expedite Trump’s Nominees

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Statement on Senate Republicans’ Threat to Go Nuclear on Senate Rulebook to Expedite Trump’s Nominees

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, issued the following statement as Senate Republicans threaten to cave to President Trump and unilaterally rewrite the Senate rulebook once again to expedite the confirmation of Trump’s extreme nominees:

    “Facing Trump’s latest demands to fast track his extreme and blindly obedient nominees, Senate Republicans are considering blowing up the Senate rules yet again.

    “We can and should have thoughtful, bipartisan conversations in the Rules Committee on updating the confirmation process for the future, but Republicans should keep in mind that if they choose to go nuclear — yet again — it will have consequences long beyond Donald Trump’s presidency.”

    Senate Republicans’ willingness to go nuclear on Senate filibuster rules to unilaterally push through Trump’s nominees marks a change from their stance during a bipartisan Senate Rules Committee hearing last year on reforming the Senate confirmation process, which took place before the election. While Democrats emphasized the importance of making any changes to the process ahead of the presidential election to avoid partisan advantage, Senate Republicans turned down the opportunity for bipartisan reform.

    Now that they are in power, Republicans are threatening to go nuclear on the Senate rules for the third time in six months. In May, the Republican majority utilized the nuclear option for the first time to eliminate a legislative filibuster for three joint resolutions on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers issued to California under the Clean Air Act. Last month, Senate Republicans shredded longstanding filibuster rules again by bypassing budget reconciliation restrictions with a fabricated, partisan budget score, abusing Sec. 312(a) of the Congressional Budget Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Condemns Trump Administration’s Threats to Deport DACA Recipients

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Condemns Trump Administration’s Threats to Deport DACA Recipients

    Padilla: “This mass detention and deportation operation will go down in our history as a stain, a dark chapter in our nation’s history, an outrageous moral failure, intentionally caused by this Administration.”

    WATCH: Padilla spotlights the story of Javier Diaz Santana, a long-term DACA recipient cruelly detained by the Trump Administration

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, took to the Senate floor to defend Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) baseless statement that “illegal aliens who claim to be recipients of DACA are not automatically protected from deportations.” Padilla slammed the Trump Administration’s push for DACA recipients to “self-deport,” emphasizing that these long-term residents, who were brought to the country as children, have been working, studying, and living legally in the United States since 2012 and are vital members of American communities.

    He highlighted the story of Javier Diaz Santana, a deaf 32-year-old DACA recipient who was arrested while at the Los Angeles car wash where he has worked hard six days a week for the last five years. Masked immigration officials carrying weapons raided the Temple City car wash, confiscating his ID and handcuffing him, preventing him from communicating. Despite having no criminal record and living in the United States since he was five years old, Javier was taken to El Paso, Texas where he faced the risk of deportation.

    As the Trump Administration indiscriminately targets all immigrants, rather than focusing on violent criminals, including arresting lawful permanent residents and those here with legal protections, Padilla pushed for Republicans to finally come together to protect DACA recipients by passing the Dream Act. Padilla emphasized that Republicans continue to voice support for the Dream Act behind closed doors and vowed to keep fighting to secure permanent protections for DACA recipients. He also blasted the Administration for scapegoating hardworking immigrants and using cruel immigration enforcement as spectacles to distract from their failing policy agenda.

    Key Excerpts:

    • “Colleagues, it feels like every single day the Trump Administration finds new ways to defy the rule of law. They will tear families apart, decimate local businesses, and deceive the public in order to distract from their own failures and scandals. And nowhere has this been clearer than in their cruelty towards immigrants.”
    • “If it was just deportation operations focused on dangerous violent criminals, there would be no discussion, there would be no debate, there would be no disagreement. But that’s not what this Administration is doing. They are going after all immigrants. The vast majority of those that have been arrested and detained and many of those deported, many without due process before being deported, are not convicted criminals.”
    • “The Trump Administration is saying that these young adults who were brought to the United States as children and who have lived here, who have studied here, and who have worked here legally — let me emphasize that: worked here, studied here, lived here legally — since the year 2012, thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, this Administration is saying now that they have no right to be here, that they could be deported, or maybe should be deported at a moment’s notice, or worse, that they should choose to leave their families and their communities for countries that they’ve never known.”
    • “The whole point of DACA is protection from deportation because these are not criminals or some danger to society. These are young people who have lived in the United States for as long as they can remember. These are young adults who, as kids, were on your little league team or in your Girl Scout troop. For God’s sake, they’re part of our communities, and they’re young adults who have now grown up to be lawyers, to be doctors, to be teachers, and who have more love for everything that this country stands for than anyone threatening them in Trump’s Department of Homeland Security.”
    • “This week, the Trump Administration is now telling them that they should be arrested and thrown out of the only home they’ve ever known in an attempt to satisfy Donald Trump’s quest for political points or an arbitrary quota. To the Trump Administration, let me say this: you cannot claim to love our country at the same time you’re trying to destroy our future.”
    • “Don’t tell me the Trump Administration is following the law when we hear cases like this, and don’t tell me that the Administration is only targeting dangerous, violent criminals because the data proves otherwise. … For as tragic and as heartbreaking as Javier’s story is, he’s not alone. There have been more and more stories of DACA recipients being arrested and detained, and the fear is just growing across communities.”
    • “One thing is certain: this mass detention and deportation operation will go down in our history as a stain, a dark chapter in our nation’s history, an outrageous moral failure, intentionally caused by this Administration. Because for all the tough talk, this is not just politics as usual. In fact, when the Dream Act was first introduced over 20 years ago, it was bipartisan, and it enjoyed bipartisan support for most of the last 20 years, and even today, polling shows an overwhelming majority of the American public supports DACA recipients. Yes, both Republicans and Democrats across the country.”
    • “Make no mistake, Americans will not soon forget what this Administration is doing to their neighbors — to their neighbors, to their co-workers, to their friends. Now, this story doesn’t end the way you think it might, because we will continue fighting, not just to stop these outrageous arrests, but we will not rest until we enact real and permanent protections for DACA recipients who contribute so much to our country.”

    Video of Senator Padilla’s floor speech is available here.

    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress for providing long-term undocumented immigrants with pathways to citizenship or permanent legal residence. Last week, Padilla hosted a press conference in Los Angeles alongside immigration advocates, impacted families, and community leaders to announce legislation to expand a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term U.S. residents. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and mass deportation assaults intensified in Los Angeles, Padilla marked the 13th anniversary of the DACA policy by urging Congress to take immediate action to deliver permanent protections for millions of families, parents, and individuals who are increasingly at risk amid President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. He also delivered remarks on the Senate floor ahead of the anniversary, pushing for permanent protections for Dreamers rather than the indiscriminate ICE raids stoking fear in Los Angeles communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Markey Decry Homeland Security’s Surveillance of Angelenos, Violation of Privacy and First Amendment Rights

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, Markey Decry Homeland Security’s Surveillance of Angelenos, Violation of Privacy and First Amendment Rights

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) raised the alarm on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent usage of Predator drones and aerial surveillance against peaceful protesters in Los Angeles. This surveillance is a clear threat to the protesters’ privacy and their constitutional rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

    In their letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the Senators likened DHS’ aerial surveillance to authoritarian regimes controlling dissent and warned of the risks of using this technology to target communities of color. They noted that DHS did not give any justification for its use of the drones, nor any details about what information was collected or how it was used.

    On June 8, during the Los Angeles protests, DHS deployed Predator drones with high resolution cameras capable of identifying individuals in a crowd to fly over protests in Paramount and Los Angeles. The Senators blasted DHS’ usage of the footage to create a dramatic video posted June 10 to X with the caption “WATCH: DHS drone footage of LA rioters. This is not calm. This is not peaceful. California politicians must call off their rioting mob.”

    “Even if the technology were perfectly accurate, this form of surveillance could have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected rights, particularly freedom of assembly and speech. Protesters may fear that showing up at a rally could result in DHS or other government entities logging their names into a government database, sharing records with law enforcement, or even subjecting them to reprisal,” wrote the Senators. “That fear is not theoretical. Authoritarian regimes already use facial recognition to track down dissidents. But even in democratic societies, such tools can disproportionately target and harm communities of color, intensifying existing biases in law enforcement and eroding trust in public institutions.” 

    “The publication of these videos appears to be a violation of the Department’s own requirement limiting the disclosure of video collected on an aircraft to authorized personnel with an authorized purpose,” continued the Senators. “Americans could easily understand the publication of this video as an implicit threat to reveal the identities of protesters, instilling fear in any members of the public who seek to exercise their constitutionally protected rights to speech and assembly.” 

    Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) also signed the letter. 

    The lawmakers requested responses by August 21, 2025, to questions including: 

    • What cameras, radar, or other surveillance equipment were equipped on the Predator drones that flew over Paramount and Los Angeles during the June protests? 
    • Did DHS officials identify any individuals based on information collected by the unmanned aircraft that surveilled the California protests, including in combination with other information or with the assistance of facial recognition technology?  
    • Which agencies and officials requested support from the Predator drones, when was the request made, and when and by whom were they approved?  
    • What data privacy protocols are currently used to govern information captured by aerial surveillance at U.S. protests?  
    • How are DHS staff with access to aerial surveillance data trained on data management protocols? 
    • What was the approval process for publishing videos taken by the Predator drones of the protests in Los Angeles on X? 
    • Has DHS deployed manned or unmanned aircraft systems to photograph, record, or otherwise monitor other protests since January 20, 2025? 

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in criticizing Trump’s unprecedented militarization with the deployment of National Guard troops and active-duty U.S. Marines to respond to overwhelmingly peaceful protests in Los Angeles. Earlier this month, Padilla placed a hold on Trump’s nominee to serve as vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lieutenant General Thomas Carden, until the Trump Administration releases all remaining U.S. military forces from their unjustified deployment to Los Angeles. He also recently introduced the VISIBLE Act to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. Last month, he led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in demanding that President Trump immediately withdraw all military forces from Los Angeles and cease all threats to deploy the National Guard or active-duty service members to American cities.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Secretary Noem,

    In the face of peaceful protests against the Trump administration all across the country — through the public’s exercise of its constitutionally protected rights to assemble and express its views — the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has responded with surveillance and intimidation. For example, DHS deployed at least two Predator drones over the recent protests in Los Angeles, published the collected footage online, and called for local officials to crack down on protestors. This Big Brotherism invades Americans’ privacy and chills the exercise of their constitutional rights. We are writing to request more information on DHS’s use of aerial surveillance at recent protests and to urge DHS to respect the public’s privacy and the First Amendment.

    DHS has disclosed little about its use of Predator drones to surveil protests across the country. On June 8, 2025, flight watchers noticed aircraft without a callsign circling protests in Paramount, California, and downtown Los Angeles for hours. By listening to Air Traffic Control transmission, these observers determined that the aircraft were Predator drones. DHS later confirmed that it had deployed the drones to support “federal law enforcement partners in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” but denied that it was “engaged in surveillance of First Amendment activities.” But DHS has provided no explanation of who specifically requested the support of Predator drones in Paramount and Los Angeles, why that support was needed, what information was collected, or whether drones were deployed during other protests. In other words, DHS is keeping the public in the dark on the important question whether it is conducting aerial surveillance during protests and infringing on Americans’ First Amendment rights.

    Although extraordinary circumstances could justify drone flights over protests, these flights also raise serious concerns about individual privacy and may be intended to intimidate the public and chill free speech rights. As was the case with the Predator drones in Los Angeles, unmanned aircraft are often equipped with high-resolution cameras that can capture images and video of individual protesters within a crowd. DHS could then attempt to use facial recognition technologies to identify those individuals. Facial recognition technologies have known limitations — including reduced accuracy when images are low quality, blurry, obscured, or taken from the side or in poor light — creating serious risks of false identification.

    Even if the technology were perfectly accurate, this form of surveillance could have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected rights, particularly freedom of assembly and speech. Protesters may fear that showing up at a rally could result in DHS or other government entities logging their names into a government database, sharing records with law enforcement, or even subjecting them to reprisal. That fear is not theoretical. Authoritarian regimes already use facial recognition to track down dissidents. But even in democratic societies, such tools can disproportionately target and harm communities of color, intensifying existing biases in law enforcement and eroding trust in public institutions.

    DHS’s own best practices recognize that the use of drones to monitor protests and the retention or publication of images of individuals who are engaged in protest can harm constitutionally protected rights. In particular, in 2013, DHS conducted a privacy impact assessment (PIA) covering the Predator B drone. In that PIA, the Department acknowledged that images and video taken from these drones potentially include images of individuals that can be associated with personally identifiable information. To address the privacy risks with unmanned aircraft, the PIA explained that “the video or other data collected from [Customs and Border Protection] aircraft may only be accessed by authorized personnel with an authorized need to know, and the CBP-held video or other data is controlled through chains of custody and stored in secure locations until it is destroyed.” While this data may be used to support “other DHS components” or “federal law enforcement agencies,” the PIA emphasizes that “each request for information follows a standard process and is reviewed and considered in terms of the requesting agencies’ authorities to receive the sought after information, CBP’s own authority to lend assistance, and CBP’s ability to integrate the information collection into its mission.” Although DHS updated this PIA in 2018 and 2024 to cover tethered and small unmanned aircraft systems, the relevant section and privacy analysis on the Predator drone has not changed.

    But DHS appears to have ignored these requirements in Los Angeles. On June 10, the Department posted a video to X — collected from a drone — overlayed with a dramatic soundtrack and a caption stating “WATCH: DHS drone footage of LA rioters. This is not calm. This is not peaceful. California politicians must call off their rioting mob.”8 The publication of these videos appears to be a violation of the Department’s own requirement limiting the disclosure of video collected on an aircraft to authorized personnel with an authorized purpose. Americans could easily understand the publication of this video as an implicit threat to reveal the identities of protesters, instilling fear in any members of the public who seek to exercise their constitutionally protected rights to speech and assembly.

    Given the serious dangers to individual privacy and free expression from the aerial surveillance of protesters, we request written responses to the following questions by August 21, 2025.

    1. What cameras, radar, or other surveillance equipment were equipped on the Predator drones that flew over Paramount and Los Angeles during the June protests?

    a. Did the drones collect any information on individual protesters?

    b. If so, what information did the drones collect?

    c. What has DHS done with this information?

    2. Did DHS officials identify any individuals based on information collected by the unmanned aircraft that surveilled the California protests, including in combination with other information or with the assistance of facial recognition technology?

    a. If so, how many individuals were identified at the California protests?

    b. Why did DHS seek to identify individual protesters?

    c. Did DHS provide records of the identities of individual protesters to any other agencies or third parties?

    d. How long does DHS intend to maintain records of the identities of individuals at these protests?

    e. Is DHS creating a database of individuals identified at these protests?

    3. Which agencies and officials requested support from the Predator drones, when was the request made, and when and by whom were they approved? Please provide all documents related to the request and approval of these flights.

    4. What data privacy protocols are currently used to govern information captured by aerial surveillance at U.S. protests?

    a. Does DHS still follow the 2013 privacy impact assessment?

    b. If so, how does the aerial surveillance of the Paramount and Los Angeles protests comport with it? If not, why not?

    5. How are DHS staff with access to aerial surveillance data trained on data management protocols?

    6. What was the approval process for publishing videos taken by the Predator drones of the protests in Los Angeles on X? Please provide all documents related to the decision to publish this video.

    7. Has DHS deployed manned or unmanned aircraft systems to photograph, record, or otherwise monitor other protests since January 20, 2025? If so, for each such deployment, please provide:

    a. the date and location of the deployment;

    b. the original request from the state, local, or national agency for this support;

    c. all approval documentation;

    d. the kinds of manned or unmanned aircraft used;

    e. all monitoring equipment on the flights; and

    f. whether any individuals were identifiable, and if so,

    (i) how many were identified,

    (ii) for what purposes,

    (iii) whether that data was provided to any other agencies or third parties,

    (iv) how long DHS intends to maintain the identities of individual protesters, and

    (v) whether DHS is creating a database of protesters identified at these protests.

    Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Kennedy Call for NATO Members to Increase Defense Spending

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in introducing a resolution urging North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries to fulfill their commitments to spend 5% of their GDP on defense.

    “It’s past time for NATO members to pony up,” said Sen. Tuberville. “It’s not the job of the American taxpayers to pay to defend the entire world. Thank God for President Trump who is finally standing up for American taxpayers and fighting to put America First.”

    “NATO is one of the greatest defensive alliances in all of human history,” said Sen. Kennedy.“My resolution commends our allies for their commitment to allocate 5% of their GDP to our shared defense and strongly encourages them to fulfill their promises in good faith. If we want to deter our adversaries, we need real investments in our defense, not bridges that have little, if anything, to do with national security.”

    Sens. Tuberville and Kennedy were joined by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in introducing the resolution.

    Read full text of the resolution here. 

    BACKGROUND:

    The Trump Administration secured a historic win by encouraging NATO member countries to move toward spending 5% of their GDP on collective defense. However, the Hague Summit Declaration allows countries to evade their commitments in two ways: (1) by not specifying that all allies must meet the 5% requirement, and (2) by permitting 1.5% of the total to include spending that is only loosely related to defense. Spain has recently said that it will not be meeting the 5% commitment. Italy has said it may include a bridge to Sicily as part of its non-traditional defense total.

    Specifically, the resolution would:

    • Congratulate President Trump and NATO leadership on this historic agreement,
    • Strongly urge NATO leadership to compel its members to adhere to the 5% commitment, and
    • Call on NATO allies to ensure their non-traditional defense expenditures are legitimate defense spending.

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Risch Introduce Legislation to Protect Firearm Small Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), and 16 other Republican colleagues to introduce the Equal Shot Act. The legislation prohibits the Small Business Administration (SBA) from discriminating against firearm-related businesses.

    “For years, the far left has tried to undermine Americans’ right to bear arms. Under Joe Biden, the Small Business Administration tried to cut off capital to firearm businesses in hopes of forcing them to close. That’s not acceptable for the freest country in the world.  In Alabama, we respect the 2nd Amendment. We respect freedom. And we stand with the small business owners who make our communities stronger and our country safer,” said Sen. Tuberville.“I’m proud to join this fight to ensure that lawful firearm-related businesses get the same opportunities as any other small business—no more picking winners and losers based on a political agenda. As a proud gun owner, I will always fight to protect our Second Amendment rights.”

    Joining Sens. Tuberville and Risch in introducing the Equal Shot Act are U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT).

    Earlier this week, Sens. Tuberville and Risch also introduced the National Shooting Sports Month Resolution recognizing August as National Shooting Sports Month.

    MORE:

    Tuberville Fights for Second Amendment Rights

    Tuberville Continues to Defend Second Amendment Rights
    Tuberville, Barrasso Push for Pro-Growth Tax Reductions, Lower Prices for Small Businesses

    Tuberville Speaks with Trump Defense Nominees on Supporting Small Businesses and Service Academy Oversight

    Tuberville, Colleagues Celebrate Small Businesses During Small Business Week

    Tuberville Fights to Give Small Businesses a Tax Break

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Talks Defense Technology and Shipbuilding with Navy Nominees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Amy Henniger, President Trump’s nominee to be Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Benjamin Kohlmann, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and David Denton, Jr., nominee to be General Counsel of the Department of the Navy during their nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). Sen. Tuberville spoke about the need to improve technology in the defense industry, address the challenges many military members are facing, and the importance of shipbuilding to our national security.

    Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.

    ON SPEEDING UP DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY TESTING:

    TUBERVILLE: “Good Morning. Congratulations to all of you, and thanks for your service. 

    Ms. Henninger, Huntsville, Alabama is a major hub for innovations in hypersonic space warfare and quantum computing, just to name a few. I don’t need to tell you we’re already years behind our adversaries in these critical technologies.

    What would you do to accelerate the testing and evaluation of critical technologies, especially as threats from adversaries, like China, continue to mature?”

    HENNINGER: “Senator Tuberville, thank you for the opportunity to answer this. I am very familiar with Huntsville. I’ve been there many, many times to Redstone. I worked with the Cyber Red Team there, and I agree [that] it is a hotbed of innovation for the country. I appreciate all the smart people down there. And speed is very, very important. And speed with rigor is even better.

    So, there are a number of levers in place right now that DOT&E can encourage the operational test agencies to employ. They include things like shifting left. They include things like taking advantage of training exercises or operational experimentation exercises. They include things like more tightly integrating DT and OT. The issue, in my view, is that those things are becoming our go-to for surge, and they should be everyday baseline in every test we do. So, I would like to see us move beyond surging with manpower and find […] more automated T&E, more digital methods, digital modeling, to speed and facilitate our test and evaluation processes.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Our F-35 program seems to take one step forward and two steps back. How do we fix that?”

    HENNINGER: “Sir, thank you for the question. I’ve been out of the office for four years and […] I’m not tracking exactly what’s going on with the F-35. I haven’t been briefed on it. I know the Block 4 is coming up. I know there’s a lot of classified work on that. I am slightly familiar with it because I worked on it previously. But one of my first steps back into the office would be to come up to speed on all these weapon systems, especially the classified ones that I’ve missed the last four years, and understand where we, where our baseline is and what we’re doing.”

    TUBERVILLE: “You’ll find out pretty quick. Again, it’s a great machine. We just continue to have problems.

    ON WORKFORCE PROBLEMS IN THE MILITARY:

    “Mr. Kohlmann, DOD civilian workforce numbers have exploded in the last two decades while service end strengths have decreased, the tail is eating the tooth and has become an enormous burden to the American taxpayer. Under the previous administration, there were additional protections put in at the request of labor unions to make it harder to fire unperforming employees. What is your plan to fix this bloated bureaucracy?”

    KOHLMANN: “Senator, thank you for the question. Coming from the private sector, there were many opportunities when we had to reassess our workforce to understand if it was at the correct size. I think it is appropriate for government to make similar assessments. I want, if confirmed, [to] get in the seat and understand where the core areas’ priority are and if we have to reshift, reshift allocations of civilian workforce from one area to the other or maybe re-rightsize areas as well. I think holding civilians and military personnel to very high standards and holding them accountable for poor performance is critical to driving the change that we need.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. And also, with a lot of our military bases, brick and mortar is an absolute disgrace. I know […] you’re not going to be over brick and mortar, but we’re going to need your help to fix a lot of that. You know, we’re behind.”

    KOHLMANN: “Senator, the state of how our service members live is critical to both retention and recruitment and I look forward to working with the Secretary of Navy. I know it’s a priority of his to make sure that our service members have the right places to live.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, the quality of life should be a lot better than what it is for a lot of our families. And that’s important for recruiting as we were talking about earlier.”

    ON ADVISING SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN THE NAVY:

    TUBERVILLE: “Mr. Denton, the previous administration flouted the law and used the office [to seek] and many others to advance a political agenda. As the Navy’s top lawyer, can you commit to helping ensure the Navy will follow statute and advise senior leaders in an apolitical manner?”

    DENTON: “Absolutely, Senator.”

    ON SHIPBUILDING:

    TUBERVILLE: “[Do] you see any problems? What do you think will be your number one agenda when you first go into office?”

    DENTON: “Senator, I think that my most important priority, if confirmed, will be supporting Secretary Phelan’s most important priority, which is shipbuilding and getting the battle force back to where it needs to be. That’s going to be a full life cycle effort, throughout the entire acquisition and sustainment process, making sure that we are receiving value for dollar from industry, but at the same time, ensuring that we have the right authorities and the right resources deployed to sustain the fleet and make sure that we have the capabilities that our sailors and marines need to deter and, if necessary, win any fight that might come our way.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.

    Senator Wicker and I like to hear that word ‘shipbuilding,’ don’t we, Senator?”

    WICKER: “Senator Tuberville, I don’t think we could have had a finer answer to that question.”

    TUBERVILLE: “Exactly right.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Further Modifies the Reciprocal Tariff Rates

    Source: US Whitehouse

    RESTRUCTURING GLOBAL TRADE TO BENEFIT AMERICAN WORKERS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order modifying the reciprocal tariff rates for certain countries to further address our exploding, annual U.S. goods trade deficits. This decisive action reflects the President’s continued efforts to protect the United States against foreign threats to the national security and economy of the United States by securing fair, balanced, and reciprocal trade relationships to benefit American workers, farmers, and manufacturers and to strengthen the United States’ defense industrial base.

    • On April 2, President Trump announced an additional 10% tariff on all countries, and for countries with which the United States has large trade deficits, he announced higher additional tariffs individualized to each country, effective April 9.
    • A lot has happened since then. For example: 
      • Several countries have agreed to, or are on the verge of agreeing to, meaningful trade deals and security agreements with the United States.
      • Some countries, through negotiations, have offered terms that, in the President’s judgment, do not sufficiently address the national emergency he declared on April 2.
      • Some countries have not negotiated at all with the United States.
    • Based on this additional information and recommendations from senior officials, among other things, the President has determined that it is necessary and appropriate to modify the reciprocal tariff rates for certain countries.
      • Countries listed in Annex I of the Executive Order will be subject to the tariff specified therein.
      • Countries not listed in Annex I will be subject to a 10% tariff.

    STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S POSITION IN THE GLOBAL MARKET: President Trump has reset decades of failed trade policy. Today’s Order underscores President Trump’s commitment to take back America’s economic sovereignty by addressing the many nonreciprocal trade relationships that impact foreign relations, threaten our economic and national security, and disadvantage American workers.

    • President Trump’s bold trade strategy has yielded historic agreements with major trading partners, unlocking unprecedented investments in the United States and expanding market access for American goods. These deals strengthen America’s economic and security positions and create opportunities for American workers, farmers, and businesses.
      • In a massive deal with the European Union, the EU has agreed to purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion in the United States, all by 2028, while accepting a 15% tariff rate.
      • Japan has agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States to rebuild and expand core American industries, as well as to further open its own market to U.S. exports, all while paying a baseline 15% tariff rate.
      • The United States-United Kingdom trade deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports.
      • Additional trade deals with Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, and others will protect our industries, open foreign markets, and encourage foreign investment in American industries.
    • These investments position the United States as the world’s premier destination for innovation, manufacturing, and economic growth.
    • President Trump is using tariffs as a necessary and powerful tool to put America First after many years of unsustainable trade deficits that threaten our economy and national security. 
    • President Trump encourages businesses to build and manufacture on American soil: as these countries are aware, they will face no tariff if they decide to build or manufacture products in our country.
      • President Trump has committed that the United States will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely to bring back manufacturing jobs for Americans.

    DELIVERING FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: President Trump’s tariff policies have generated significant investment into the United States, strengthening the U.S. economy while addressing unfair trade practices that have disadvantaged American workers for decades.

    • By imposing tariffs on countries with nonreciprocal trade practices, President Trump is incentivizing manufacturing on American soil and defending our industries.
    • With billions in reshoring investments already announced, President Trump is bringing manufacturing jobs back to America, revitalizing communities, and strengthening supply chains.
    • The Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our national security, advance our economic interests, and uphold a system of trade based in fairness and reciprocity.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Amends Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across our Northern Border

    Source: US Whitehouse

    ADDRESSING A NATIONAL EMERGENCY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order increasing the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35%, with the higher tariff set to go into effect on August 1, 2025.

    • Shortly after returning to office, President Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to address, among other things, the public health crisis caused by fentanyl and illicit drugs flowing across the northern border into the United States.
    • Canada has failed to cooperate in curbing the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and it has retaliated against the United States for the President’s actions to address this unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States.
    • In response to Canada’s continued inaction and retaliation, President Trump has found it necessary to increase the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35% to effectively address the existing emergency.
    • Goods qualifying for preferential tariff treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continue to remain not subject to the IEEPA Canada tariffs.
    • Goods transshipped to evade the 35% tariff will be subject, instead, to a transshipment tariff of 40%.

    COMBATING CANADA’S CONTINUED ROLE IN THE OPIOID CRISIS: Given Canada’s continued failure to arrest traffickers, seize illicit drugs, or coordinate with U.S. law enforcement and Canada’s retaliation against the United States for the President’s actions to address the unusual and extraordinary threat to America, further presidential action is necessary and appropriate to protect American lives and the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

    • Mexican cartels are increasingly operating fentanyl- and nitazene-synthesis labs in Canada. 
    • A recent study highlighted Canada’s heightened domestic production of fentanyl, and its growing footprint within international narcotics distribution.
    • Canada-based drug trafficking organizations maintain robust “super labs,” mostly in rural and dense areas in western Canada, some of which can produce 44 to 66 pounds of fentanyl weekly.
    • Fentanyl seizures at the northern border this fiscal year, with two months remaining, have surpassed total seizures of the past three years combined, underscoring Canada’s escalating role in this crisis.
    • The amount of fentanyl seized at the northern border to date this fiscal year could have killed more than 16 million Americans due to the drug’s potency.
    • Canada’s retaliatory trade measures against the United States further complicate bilateral efforts to address this escalating drug crisis.

    PUTTING AMERICA FIRST: President Trump is keeping his promise to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs into the United States.

    • Last November, President Trump promised to “sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff” on their imports “into the United States, and [their] ridiculous Open Borders.”
    • In February, President Trump signed Executive Order 14193 to impose an ad valorem duty rate of 25% on imports from Canada in response to the national emergency.
      • President Trump then provided Canada ample opportunity to curb the dangerous cartel activity and influx of lethal drugs flowing into our country.
    • In March, the President determined that Canada had failed to adequately address the situation and proceeded with the imposition of the 25% tariff.
    • Now, President Trump is taking further action to hold Canada accountable for its continued role in the illicit drug crisis.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta, Coalition Secure Major Win as Education Department Restores Previously Withheld Funding

    Source: US State of California

    Thursday, July 31, 2025

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

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today responded to official confirmation that the U.S. Department of Education has released previously withheld education funding to California. Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt and unlawful decision to freeze this funding earlier this month. 

    “The Trump Administration has officially reversed course on its blatantly illegal, misguided effort to freeze critical education funds weeks before the school year was set to start,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Let’s be clear: This funding should never have been frozen in the first place – that’s why we filed our lawsuit. We’re glad to see the Administration back down from its illegal effort to withhold these funds, but we can’t lose sight of the long-term damage caused by the President’s campaign of chaos and uncertainty. California will not stop fighting to hold the President and his Administration accountable to the law and to protect our children’s educational future.” 

    BACKGROUND

    On June 30, the Trump Administration abruptly and unlawfully froze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education just weeks before the school year in many parts of California is set to start. For decades, California and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for migrant children and English learners; programs that promote effective classroom instruction, improve school conditions and the use of technology in the classroom; community learning centers that offer students a broad range of opportunities for academic and extracurricular enrichment; and adult education and workforce development efforts. 

    On July 14, Attorney General Bonta co-led a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states together in filing a lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction, arguing that the freeze violates federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process, and the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause.  

    On July 25, the California Department of Education (CDE) received notice from ED that beginning the week of July 28, 2025, ED would begin releasing previously impounded federal funds for the current federal and education fiscal year. Yesterday, CDE received Grant Award Notifications confirming that the entirety of the funds is being released. 

    Attorney General Bonta is committed to defending California’s educational institutions and students against the Trump Administration’s illegal attacks. Attorney General Bonta has filed lawsuits challenging the unlawful termination of grant funding for K-12 teacher preparation programs; the mass firings and dismantling of the Education Department; unlawful conditioning of K-12 education funding; and the discontinuation of school mental health grant funding. He’s also secured other relief for California schools including the funding released this week and $200 million in previously awarded education funding to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: Keep the Wins Coming

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins Newsmax to Discuss Trump Trade Deals and the MAHA Movement
    Washington – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Newsmax to discuss President Trump’s trade deal winning streak, where the Canada trade deal stands following their recent stance on Gaza, and American companies joining the MAHA movement.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On Trump trade deals:
    “Great to be with you. Are you tired of winning yet? Another big deal in South Korea. We had a $60 billion trade deficit with them last year, so this is going to help close that gap. With 15% tariff coming in on South Korean products. Guess what this tariff is for U.S. products going in there? Well, it’s zero. But more importantly, what they’re going to remove is their non-tariff barriers and allow us to sell more energy in there. Beyond that, as you all mentioned, is that they’re going to invest in America $350 billion. I think part of this will be used on a ship fund. Right now, very few ships are made in America. I have a feeling President Trump is rallying some finances to start building ships in America again.
    On how Canada’s stance on the Israel and Gaza conflict affects a potential trade deal:
    “Look, I think Americans are tired of the killing in Gaza, that Israel needs to end this war one way or another. We need to stop this famine. I would just ask, and Canada is making this really complicated. They’re hamstringing President Trump. And I would ask our friends in Canada, what type of statehood are they talking about? If you look at Palestinians’ past, they’ve been a failed government. They paid no attention to water, to sewers, to schools, to the economics of their country. I’ve been over there, and it’s a disaster right now. Instead, they focused on chaos, on terrorism, so I don’t think that’s a viable solution right now. Again, I think President Trump, if anyone can solve this, I think it’s going to be President Trump. And what Canada is doing there is not very helpful for the cause.”
    On American companies joining the MAHA movement:
    “Yeah, I think they’re more interested in marketing than they are on making America healthy. And my favorite thing to do is to go into a Starbucks and order an iced latte with almond juice in it. I won’t buy Starbucks, it’s too expensive. But for my wife; she deserves it. When I ask them for the almond juice, they say, well, we don’t have any, and I’ll say, ‘look behind the counter,’ there it is. Oh, the almond [milk]. No, it’s almond juice. Look, I think there’s nothing healthier out there than whole milk, as far as strong nutrients as well. I’m not sure what they’re up to here. I appreciate them hopping on the bandwagon. I’m absolutely committed to making America healthy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Senator Marshall Joins the Sean Spicer Show Live
    Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Sean Spicer on The Sean Spicer Show to discuss the tenure of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the MAHA movement, and whether the Senate will stay or go for the August recess.

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full interview.
    On the economic growth so far in 2025:
    “What did the first thing I go to is our interest rate, and Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell, he’s got to be eating a little bit more crow here, in my humble opinion. You know, maybe he should have decreased the interest rate a quarter point a month ago, a quarter point today, and maybe a half point next month. So I think he’s eating a lot of crow.
    “We’re seeing unemployment stay low. We’re seeing inflation down, grocery, [and] gas prices are stabilized… good GDP, and why? You know, this isn’t just happenstance. I’ve never seen an economy and a country’s attitude turnaround in six months like it has. I think a lot of this goes back to rolling back the regulations and really just a re-establishment of law and order and people having faith in this country once again.”
    On whether Jerome Powell should resign or be fired:
    “So I think they’re going to grow louder, but my advice to the President, if he asked for it, is not to fire Jerome Powell. This guy reminds me of a lame duck coach that’s having three losing seasons. I mean, they’re having a horrible season right now, and he should resign.”
    “[If he fires Jerome Powell tomorrow] I will, absolutely, I’ll support the President’s decision. And I think it’s making the play call, right? Someone has to make the play call, and I’d be okay with that. But if Jerome Powell was a man, he should resign. And again, we just have no confidence in him. The economy has no confidence in him. He served his country, in my opinion, not very well. He’s added to the debt. He continues to have an upside-down balance of economic situation there at the Feds as well. I can’t believe that he’s losing money like he has. What they’ve done with quantitative easing is absolutely criminal. It goes back to 2008.”
    On whether the President has the authority to fire Jerome Powell:
    “You’re the political analyst here. I think we have to think about the political side of this as well. I mean, we can get all the lawyers in and all the king’s men in and give us an opinion, but there’s a huge political risk to this. And that’s if I was his advisor, that’s what I’d be talking to him more about. I think it’s one more reason you would go to Jerome Powell, have my chief go to Jerome Powell, and say, here’s the cause. Why don’t you help us all out here and resign and let the country get down the road? Look at just a new chapter, it’s a new day, this is the dawn of a new golden economic era and safety for this country. And it’s best for him to move along and enjoy his retirement.”
    On the trade deficits with the EU:
    “We haven’t sold a cheeseburger in Europe in maybe forever, certainly in this century, right? And we make the best beef in the world. No one can argue that. No one can replicate it. The cattle industry is what’s keeping our ag sector together right now. We’re struggling with our commodities like wheat and sorghum soybeans. So cattle is driving the agriculture industry right now in the state of Kansas. So selling them cheeseburgers is really important.
    “The other issue is ethanol. 40, 50% of our corn crop goes to making ethanol. We have capacity to do more. So selling it to them is a huge, huge opportunity. And remember, if you put the EU together, they’re the number one trade deficit that we have. It kind of caught me off guard, but China’s, I think, is closer to $300 billion and and the EU’s collectively is about $250 billion. So, between these two countries, between the EU and China, is half of our trade deficit.
    “So I think that agriculture is a great opportunity for us to grow back and to shrink that deficit. And want to emphasize all these deals, it’s not necessarily the tariffs that are important to farmers and ranchers. It’s the non-tariff barriers that the EU uses to keep us from selling American beef into that country.”
    On advocating for both farmers and ranchers and the MAHA movement:
    “Yeah, well, Sean, I feel like my whole life, God has prepared me for this moment. To be a fifth-generation ag kid, and spent 25 years in healthcare, managing a diabetic clinic for pregnant women was a big part of my practice. So, I think I’ve been prepared for this particular moment. And being able to have a great relationship with Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Rollins, with the Secretary of Agriculture, and at the same time know what Kansas farmers and ranchers are doing. And we’re doing so many great things already, and sharing that with the MAHA people and helping them to understand that we’re trying to get there.
    “Look, a Kansas farmer doesn’t want to have to use any more fertilizer or pesticide than they have to. They’re very, very expensive. So we’re developing modern regenerative agriculture practices, where we’re decreasing by 90% the drift of those chemicals leaving the field, and we’re using 60% less, again, through precision agriculture, through modern-day technology. So we’re getting there.
    “And I think just what can we do then on the Ag Committee, to help accentuate the positive, to help these early adapters, to spread that love, so to speak, as well. So I’m spending a lot of time educating MAHA on what we’re doing in agriculture, and kind of focusing on soil health. That healthy soil leads to healthy food, leads to healthy people, so motivating farmers to grow that healthy soil.”
    On processed foods and healthier nutrition in America:
    “I think we have a long way to go on what America chooses to eat, and that would be the ultra-processed food. I think that the boogeyman here is the ultra-processed food. I don’t think it. In my humble opinion, I’ve looked at the studies on plant-based seed oil versus fat from animals, and I don’t think that’s the issue. I know that my MAHA people disagree with me. I think it’s that they’re they happen to be using that seed-based oil in ultra-processed food. I think it’s the salt and the sugar that are in the ultra-processed food that’s the actual problem.
    “I think we’ve made huge strides when it comes to these potential toxins. Right now, we only put down most of these pesticides before we plant the seed. So by the time the seeds coming up… there’s minimal around to actually be left in a residue, which is what they call it. And we’re becoming more and more strict on what we’re doing to measure that residue, whether you’re at the a co-op elevator or whether you’re at the milling plant.
    “My sorghum growers especially have adapted these modern practices where they’re using just minimal, minimal, they’re measuring it, they’re proving that indeed, it’s healthy. And you’re concerned about our waters again – 90% less fertilizer is ever leaving the field by modern-day agriculture. So we’re getting there, Sean, but I’m not nearly satisfied…And remember, we’re we’re dads and grandfathers and mothers and grandmothers first. We happen to be farmers, but we want our children to be healthy as well. We certainly you don’t want to go out and misuse these pesticides. You don’t want to be dipping your fingers in it. You don’t want to be breathing it. You need to be using it with the very strictest of techniques.”
    On the FDA approval process of vaccines and doctor-patient relationships:
    “Yeah, Sean, so I don’t have a single answer. Number one is, this is why I think the relationship between the doctor and the patient is sacred. And each person’s an individual. The advice I gave my parents on the COVID-19 shot was different than the advice I gave my children and for their children as well on the COVID shot. Completely, two different risk factor profiles there as well.
    “My big concern here is when vaccines are made, not in the United States. China does knockoffs, and they don’t have the highest safety standards that we do. You know, just recently, I’m going to give you an example, the GLP one drugs. China has been making a knockoff drug, and then they’re sending it to compounders in the United States. And they may not know it’s a knockoff drug, but 14 people have died from using that compounded GLP one this in the past year. Zero people have died from using US-based FDA-approved drugs. So it’s the impurity that scares the death out of me. On the vaccine, the interaction amongst them scares the death out of me.
    “I’ll give you one example. Secretary Kennedy and myself have both said MMR is the best way to prevent measles, but it’s not given until you’re a year of age. It’s been around forever. It’s proven to be safe, and… Measles can actually kill, especially young kids. So my advice is to get the MMR vaccine at age one.
    “On the other hand, the hepatitis vaccine for a two-day-old or one-day-old… who are the risk of people with hepatitis, right? It would be homosexuals and prostitutes, that type of thing… drug abusers, right? That’s who’s at risk for hepatitis. So I don’t see what is there to gain from giving my two-day-old granddaughter the hepatitis vaccine, let their immune system develop a little bit. So the science is not settled. Sean, it’s never settled. And it’s my job as your doctor to keep try to keep up with that and give you the very best advice I can. Sorry, that’s a long answer.”
    On the August recess and President Trump’s nominees:
    “We were elected to do the work of the people. President Trump, 78 million people voted for him, for him to fulfill his mission and his agenda, we need more of these people approved. Look, Chuck Schumer is jamming us right now. He’s doing things that we never did, people that should be easily confirmed by unanimous consent, not take any time up. So if we stay here this August, it’ll be Chuck Schumer’s fault, just like if we end up in some type of financial shutdown in September. This is Chuck Schumer overreacting to AOC and just the psychotic nature right now of the Democrat Party, if that makes sense.
    “So I’m willing to stay. I want to stay, whatever it takes to get these people confirmed; the Senate needs to do its job. Yes, I want to go home, see family, go out and do our town halls, all those types of things I want to do, but my number one mission right now – got The Big Beautiful Bill done – my number one mission right now is to get these people confirmed.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Environmental Justice Caucus Co-Chairs Duckworth, Booker, Markey Slam Trump Administration for Plan to Eliminate EPA’s Ability to Protect Public Health from Climate Change

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    July 31, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA)—co-chairs of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus—issued the following statement after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced his proposal to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding, a landmark determination that requires the EPA to address greenhouse gas emissions and pollution because of the threat that climate change poses to public health and welfare. By rescinding the endangerment finding, the Trump administration will effectively declaw the EPA, giving big businesses a green light to pollute our air and devastate environmental justice communities.

    “Once again, the Trump Administration is sacrificing our children’s future to protect polluters in the present. Trump and Zeldin are annihilating the key legal foundation that requires our government to act on climate change because it threatens the health of Americans—their repeal of the endangerment finding is ignorant, runs counter to scientific fact and will put lives at risk. Environmental justice communities are particularly threatened by this wrong-headed decision, since they are most exposed to climate impacts and have the fewest resources to protect themselves. The Trump Administration must reverse this decision—it flies in the face of science, the law and our moral responsibility to protect our future.”

    As co-chairs of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, Duckworth, Booker and Markey have long pushed to strengthen and defend environmental justice efforts across the country. Earlier this month, the three condemned Republicans’ cuts to environmental justice grants that were included in Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Betrayal. Earlier this week, Markey held a press conference outside EPA headquarters to rail against the Trump Administration’s plans to rescind the endangerment finding. In March, Duckworth and Booker condemned the Trump Administration for shutting down all of EPA’s environmental justice offices and slashing over 30 EPA regulations that have helped protect our nation’s public health and the environment for decades.

    In February, Duckworth, Booker and Markey—along with U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)—urged EPA Administrator Zeldin to reopen the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), which Duckworth and Booker led the charge to create. Duckworth, Booker and Markey also helped introduce legislation that would permanently codify the Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) in response to Attorney General Bondi’s order eliminating all environmental justice efforts at the DOJ.

    For years, Duckworth and Booker have led the charge pushing for their A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act—the most comprehensive environmental justice legislation in history—which would help achieve health equity and climate justice for all, particularly in underserved communities and communities of color that have long been disproportionately harmed by environmental injustices and toxic pollutants.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Introduces Amendment to Prevent Transfer of Gifted Qatari Jet to Trump After His Presidency Ends

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 31, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday introduced an amendment to the FY26 Defense Appropriations bill that would prevent the luxury jet gifted to President Trump by the Qatari government from being transferred to the Trump presidential library after the president leaves office.

    “President Trump has already corrupted our foreign policy by accepting a $400 million luxury jet from a foreign government, and now he’s asking taxpayers to foot a $1 billion bill to refurbish that jet before he takes it with him for his own personal use. It’s so plainly corrupt and Republicans in Congress should join with Democrats to stop it,” Murphy said.

    Text of the amendment is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Statement on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval on Offensive Weapons Transfers to Netanyahu Government

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 31, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after voting in support of two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval on offensive weapons transfers to the Netanyahu government:

    “The images of children starving to death as a famine unfolds across Gaza shock anyone with a conscience. The situation is completely untenable, and I believe the United States cannot continue to militarily support the Netanyahu government so long as it is refusing to take the necessary steps to urgently alleviate this crisis.

    “My views on the conduct of this war have been clear for some time, but I understand those who have grappled with the urgency of destroying the threat from the terrorist group that perpetrated the October 7th attacks. I understand that Hamas cares nothing for civilians and often intentionally puts them in harm’s way. And finally, I accept that Israel has a profound responsibility to protect the historic homeland of the Jewish people and, given the deep, long history of persecution and extermination of Jewish peoples, feels the need to use extraordinary means to defend themselves in a region where many would deny their very right to exist.

    “But this is a moment where no one—even the most ardent supporters of Israel’s fight against Hamas—can close their eyes. One can support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself while also drawing a line in the sand that starvation can never be used as a weapon of war. Hamas’ lack of humanity cannot become an excuse to allow thousands of children—who play no role in this conflict—to die of hunger.

    “Israel must take immediate action to allow massive amounts of food, water, fuel, and medication to surge into Gaza. Organizations like the UN, the World Food Programme, and their humanitarian partners have proven their capability to deliver aid to Palestinians in need, without diversion to Hamas, but they need full cooperation from the Israeli and U.S. authorities. There are no excuses remaining—the Trump administration must demand action now, before thousands more are needlessly condemned to die.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates

    Source: US Whitehouse

    class=”has-text-align-left”>By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby determine and order:

    Section 1.  Background.  In Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025 (Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff To Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits), I found that conditions reflected in large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States that has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States.  I declared a national emergency with respect to that threat, and to deal with that threat, I imposed additional ad valorem duties that I deemed necessary and appropriate.  

    I have received additional information and recommendations from various senior officials on, among other things, the continued lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships and the impact of foreign trading partners’ disparate tariff rates and non-tariff barriers on U.S. exports, the domestic manufacturing base, critical supply chains, and the defense industrial base.  I also have received additional information and recommendations on foreign relations, economic, and national security matters, including the status of trade negotiations, efforts to retaliate against the United States for its actions to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257, and efforts to align with the United States on economic and national security matters.

    For example, some trading partners have agreed to, or are on the verge of agreeing to, meaningful trade and security commitments with the United States, thus signaling their sincere intentions to permanently remedy the trade barriers that have contributed to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257, and to align with the United States on economic and national security matters.  Other trading partners, despite having engaged in negotiations, have offered terms that, in my judgment, do not sufficiently address imbalances in our trading relationship or have failed to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national-security matters.  There are also some trading partners that have failed to engage in negotiations with the United States or to take adequate steps to align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national security matters.

    After considering the information and recommendations that I have recently received, among other things, I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 by imposing additional ad valorem duties on goods of certain trading partners at the rates set forth in Annex I to this order, subject to all applicable exceptions set forth in Executive Order 14257, as amended, in lieu of the additional ad valorem duties previously imposed on goods of such trading partners in Executive Order 14257, as amended.

    Sec. 2.  Tariff Modifications.  (a)  The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) shall be modified as provided in Annex II to this order.  These modifications shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 7 days after the date of this order, except that goods loaded onto a vessel at the port of loading and in transit on the final mode of transit before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 7 days after the date of this order, and entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, before 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on October 5, 2025, shall not be subject to such additional duty and shall instead remain subject to the additional ad valorem duties previously imposed in Executive Order 14257, as amended.

    (b)  Certain foreign trading partners identified in Annex I to this order have agreed to, or are on the verge of concluding, meaningful trade and security agreements with the United States.  Goods of those trading partners will remain subject to the additional ad valorem duties provided in Annex I to this order until such time as those agreements are concluded, and I issue subsequent orders memorializing the terms of those agreements.

    (c)  As provided in Annex I to this order, the additional ad valorem rate of duty applicable to any good of the European Union is determined by the good’s current ad valorem (or ad valorem equivalent) rate of duty under column 1 (General) of the HTSUS (“Column 1 Duty Rate”).  For a good of the European Union with a Column 1 Duty Rate that is less than 15 percent, the sum of its Column 1 Duty Rate and the additional ad valorem rate of duty pursuant to this order shall be 15 percent.  For a good of the European Union with a Column 1 Duty Rate that is at least 15 percent, the additional ad valorem rate of duty pursuant to this order shall be zero.

    (d)  Goods of any foreign trading partner that is not listed in Annex I to this order will be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 10 percent pursuant to the terms of Executive Order 14257, as amended, unless otherwise expressly provided.  This rate shall be effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 7 days after the date of this order.

    (e)  The HTSUS shall also be modified by continuing to suspend headings 9903.01.43 through 9903.01.62 and 9903.01.64 through 9903.01.76, and subdivisions (v)(xiii)(1)–(9) and (11)‑(57) of U.S. note 2 to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS, until the effective date of the modifications provided in Annex II to this order.  Upon the effective date of the modifications provided in Annex II to this order, to facilitate implementation of the rates of duty provided in Annex I to this order, headings 9903.01.43 through 9903.01.62 and 9903.01.64 through 9903.01.76, which are organized by rate of duty, and subdivisions (v)(xiii) (1)-(9) and (11)-(57) of U.S. note 2 to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS shall be terminated as to future entries and replaced by the new trading partner-specific headings provided in Annex II to this order.

    (f)  Excluding the changes set forth in subsections (a) through (d) of this section, the terms of Executive Order 14257, as amended, shall continue to apply.

    (g)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect Executive Order 14298 of May 12, 2025 (Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates To Reflect Discussions With the People’s Republic of China).

    (h)  The Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Chair of the United States International Trade Commission, shall determine whether any additional modifications to the HTSUS are necessary to effectuate this order and may make such modifications through notice in the Federal Register.

    Sec. 3.  Transshipment.  (a)  An article determined by CBP to have been transshipped to evade applicable duties under section 2 of this order shall be subject to (i) an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 40 percent, in lieu of the additional ad valorem rate of duty applicable under section 2 of this order to goods of the country of origin, (ii) any other applicable or appropriate fine or penalty, including those assessed under 19 U.S.C. 1592, and (iii) any other United States duties, fees, taxes, exactions, or charges applicable to goods of the country of origin.  CBP shall not allow, consistent with applicable law, for mitigation or remission of the penalties assessed on imports found to be transshipped to evade applicable duties.

    (b)  The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Commissioner of CBP, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, shall publish every 6 months a list of countries and specific facilities used in circumvention schemes, to inform public procurement, national security reviews, and commercial due diligence.

    Sec. 4.  Implementation.  The Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the United States Trade Representative, as applicable, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and the Chair of the International Trade Commission, are directed and authorized to take all necessary actions to implement and effectuate this order, consistent with applicable law, including through temporary suspension or amendment of regulations or notices in the Federal Register and by adopting rules, regulations, or guidance, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to implement this order.  Each executive department and agency shall take all appropriate measures within its authority to implement this order.

    Sec. 5.  Monitoring and Recommendations.  (a)  The Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative shall monitor the circumstances involving the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 and shall regularly consult on such circumstances with any senior official they deem appropriate.  The Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative shall inform me of any circumstance that, in their opinion, might indicate the need for further action by the President.  The Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative shall also inform me of any circumstance that, in their opinion, might indicate that a foreign trading partner has taken adequate steps to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257.

    (b)  The Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in consultation with any senior official they deem appropriate, shall recommend to me any necessary additional action if this action is not effective in resolving the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257.

    (c)  The Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative, in coordination with the appropriate senior officials, shall recommend additional action, if necessary, should a foreign trading partner fail to take adequate steps to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 or should a foreign trading partner retaliate against the United States in response to the actions taken to address the emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 or any subsequent order issued to address that emergency.

    Sec. 6.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision of this order to any individual or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other individuals or circumstances shall not be affected.

    Sec. 7.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

    (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

                                 DONALD J. TRUMP

    THE WHITE HOUSE,

        July 31, 2025.

    ANNEX I

    Countries and Territories Reciprocal Tariff, Adjusted
    Afghanistan 15%
    Algeria 30%
    Angola 15%
    Bangladesh 20%
    Bolivia 15%
    Bosnia and Herzegovina 30%
    Botswana 15%
    Brazil 10%
    Brunei 25%
    Cambodia 19%
    Cameroon 15%
    Chad 15%
    Costa Rica 15%
    Côte d`Ivoire 15%
    Democratic Republic of the Congo 15%
    Ecuador 15%
    Equatorial Guinea 15%
    European Union: Goods with Column 1 Duty Rate[1] > 15% 0%
    European Union: Goods with Column 1 Duty Rate < 15% 15% minus Column 1 Duty Rate
    Falkland Islands 10%
    Fiji 15%
    Ghana 15%
    Guyana 15%
    Iceland 15%
    India 25%
    Indonesia 19%
    Iraq 35%
    Israel 15%
    Japan 15%
    Jordan 15%
    Kazakhstan 25%
    Laos 40%
    Lesotho 15%
    Libya 30%
    Liechtenstein 15%
    Madagascar 15%
    Malawi 15%
    Malaysia 19%
    Mauritius 15%
    Moldova 25%
    Mozambique 15%
    Myanmar (Burma) 40%
    Namibia 15%
    Nauru 15%
    New Zealand 15%
    Nicaragua 18%
    Nigeria 15%
    North Macedonia 15%
    Norway 15%
    Pakistan 19%
    Papua New Guinea 15%
    Philippines 19%
    Serbia 35%
    South Africa 30%
    South Korea 15%
    Sri Lanka 20%
    Switzerland 39%
    Syria 41%
    Taiwan 20%
    Thailand 19%
    Trinidad and Tobago 15%
    Tunisia 25%
    Turkey 15%
    Uganda 15%
    United Kingdom 10%
    Vanuatu 15%
    Venezuela 15%
    Vietnam 20%
    Zambia 15%
    Zimbabwe 15%

    [1] For purposes of this Executive Order and its Annexes, “Column 1 Duty Rate” means the ad valorem (or ad valorem equivalent) rate of duty under column 1-General of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).

    ANNEX II

    1. Effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 7 days after the date of the executive order, excluding the day the executive order is signed, subchapter III of chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) is modified as follows:
      • Heading 9903.01.25 of the HTSUS shall be amended by deleting the article description and by inserting “Articles the product of any country, except for products described in headings 9903.01.26–9903.01.33, 9903.02.02–9903.02.71, and 9903.96.01, and except as provided for in headings 9903.01.34 and 9903.02.01, as provided for in subdivision (v) of U.S. note 2 to this subchapter . . . . . . .” in lieu thereof; and
      • Headings 9903.01.43–9903.01.62 and 9903.01.64–9903.01.76 and corresponding subdivisions (v)(xiii)(1)–(9) and (11)–(57) of U.S. note 2 to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS are hereby terminated as to any future entries.
      • Subdivision (v) of U.S. note 2 to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS shall be amended by:
        • Deleting “and 9903.01.43–9903.01.76” each place that it appears and inserting “9903.01.63, and 9903.02.01–9903.02.71” in lieu thereof;
        • Inserting the following new subdivision in numerical sequence at the end of subdivision (v) of U.S. note 2:

    “As provided in headings 9903.02.19 and 9903.02.20, for any good of the European Union subject to a specific or compound rate of duty under column 1-General, the ad valorem equivalent rate of duty of such good shall be determined by dividing the amount of duty payable under column 1-General by the customs value of the good.  For example, if a good were subject to a specific duty of 50 cents per kilogram, and one kilogram of the good were entered with a customs value of $10, then the ad valorem equivalent rate of duty would be obtained by dividing 50 cents by $10, yielding 5 percent.”

    • The following new headings shall be inserted in numerical sequence, with the material in the new heading inserted in the columns of the HTSUS labeled “Heading/Subheading”, “Article Description”, “Rates of Duty 1-General”, “Rates of Duty 1-Special”, and “Rates of Duty 2”, respectively:

    Click here to view Annex II

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn: Senate Must Stay in Session or Change Rules to Break Democrats’ Log-Jam

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) proposed the Senate remaining in session into the month of August or changing Senate rules if Democrats persist in their extreme and unprecedented obstruction of President Trump’s nominees. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

    “I don’t believe, Mr. President, that the Senate should leave town without ensuring that President Trump has his nominees and his team in place.”

    “We find ourselves really in an unprecedented situation where Democrats, rather than picking and choosing the nominees they choose to object to, have simply chosen to object to all of them, forcing us to burn a lot of valuable floor time that we could be using for other more constructive purposes, and delaying President Trump, who after all, won the election last November, the team he’s entitled to govern and carry out his policies.”

    “What our Democratic colleagues are saying is, we will agree to no confirmation votes on Trump nominees during his second term.”

    “Many of these nominees – I think roughly 30 of them – are Senate-confirmed nominees to serve as an ambassador in our embassies around the world.”

    “I don’t have to remind all of us that the world has become a much more dangerous place and, the idea that the United States would not have a Senate-confirmed ambassador in these embassies around the world is simply shooting ourselves in the foot.”

    “China and Russia and our other adversaries, they certainly have their ambassadors working in each of those countries to further their interests, but the idea that the United States would be absent because Senate Democrats simply refuse to confirm these ambassadors is really beyond the pale.”

    “What we’re talking about really are rank-and-file people, who are confirmed by a vote of the Senate.”

    “I personally believe that we should change the law and not require Senate confirmation for many of these positions.”

    “The Democrats simply are mindlessly obstructing the confirmation of these non-controversial, really apolitical nominees.”

    “If we can’t reach some sort of negotiated outcome that is satisfactory to President Trump, then we need to either stay here or change the Senate rules.”

    “Senate Democrats are the ones that brought us to where we are today, and they’re the ones responsible for the blame.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump’s Tariffs are Raising Prices on Hardworking Americans

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

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on President Trump’s global tariffs, which are set to take effect on August 1.

    “Americans have made it crystal clear that lowering prices is their top concern. President Trump and Congressional Republicans continue to break their promise to address the affordability crisis in our country and instead are focused on giving massive handouts to billionaires that are paid for by families who work hard every day.

    “Regardless of how many of Trump’s tariffs go into effect tomorrow, the on-again, off-again whiplash makes it harder for small businesses to manufacture and sell products and for families to afford necessities like groceries, prescription drugs, and energy bills.  Businesses cannot grow this way and families cannot get ahead. Every day, Republicans’ continued silence is costing their constituents.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump’s unlawful CalGuard power grab results in 57% decrease in fentanyl pounds seized

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 31, 2025

    What you need to know: While National Guard soldiers were unlawfully federalized by the President to await mission orders in the Los Angeles area, between May and June, there was a 57% drop in fentanyl pounds seized from those same soldiers who were pulled from their vital public safety assignments.

    Los Angeles, California – While President Trump comes to the realization that his unlawful deployment of the military in Los Angeles has been unnecessary and deeply unpopular, there has been a significant drop in the reported fentanyl seizures by California National Guard members.

    Between May and June, there was a 57% decrease in reported pounds of fentanyl seized at ports of entry along the border by CalGuard’s Counterdrug Task Force. In June, only 260 pounds of fentanyl powder were seized.

    Donald Trump and Stephen Miller took the National Guard off of essential public safety assignments to fulfill a sick power grab within California communities. The federal government has created chaos in our economy and society with its twisted authoritarian tactics. The time for each and every single soldier to come home — and go back to work — now.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Typically, under the Governor’s command, nearly 450 servicemembers are deployed statewide, including at ports of entry, to combat transnational criminal organizations and seize illegal narcotics. CalGuard’s servicemembers dedicated to the state’s Counterdrug Task Force have been reassigned by President Trump to militarize Los Angeles – leaving their highly specialized positions unfilled. The consequences are dire – CalGuard’s efforts help ensure the public safety of communities statewide.

    Guardsmembers are demobilizing 

    Nearly two months after the unlawful federalization of units of the California National Guard, and deployment of almost 5,000 soldiers in the Los Angeles area, all but 300 National Guard members are expected to go home soon. So far, 4,700 soldiers have demobilized or begun demobilizing. The President should allow the remaining soldiers to go back to their families, communities, and civilian professions as doctors, law enforcement and teachers. Earlier this month, 2,000 federalized National Guard members and 700 Marines were called off their mission in Los Angeles.

    Police off the streets, teachers out of classrooms

    Of the 4,000 National Guard members sent to Los Angeles under Trump’s order, their servicemembers have been pulled from essential civilian duties such as medical and first responders, service workers, building trades contractors, law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, civil service and government workers, technology specialists, educators and teachers, and agriculture workers.

    Economic impact of this political theater 

    After the federal government deployed the military unlawfully and began ramping up immigration raids statewide, the number of people reporting to work in the private sector in California decreased by 3.1% — a downturn only recently matched by the period when people stayed home from work during the COVID-19 lockdown.

    Governor Newsom recently met with local restaurant owners in the City of Bell and faith leaders in Downey to discuss the economic impact these indiscriminate immigration actions have had on their small business.

    Trump’s actions have a ripple effect – the state’s economy is likely to contract later this year due to fallout from global tariffs and immigration raids in Los Angeles and other cities that have rattled key sectors, including construction, hospitality, and agriculture, according to a UCLA Anderson forecast. 

    Mass arrests, detentions and deportations in California could slash $275 billion from the state’s economy and eliminate $23 billion in annual tax revenue. The loss of immigrant workers, undocumented and those losing lawful status under the Trump administration, would delay projects (including rebuilding Los Angeles after the wildfires), reduce food supply, and drive up costs. Undocumented immigrants contributed $8.5 billion in state and local taxes in 2022 — a number that would rise to $10.3 billion if these taxpayers could apply to work lawfully.

    End the power grab now

    Community leaders, public officials, veterans and others agree – the federal government’s actions in California not only have a chilling effect on the state’s society and economy, but also continue to undermine the valuable contributions from members of the military while in and out of uniform. 

    Republican and Democratic former governors agree—Trump’s federalization violates the critical balance between state and federal government. Recently, a bipartisan group of 25 former governors filed a brief in support of Newsom v. Trump, urging the court to enforce state sovereignty and block the unprecedented federalization of the National Guard. 

    Retired four-star admirals and generals and former secretaries of the Army and Navy filed another amicus brief outlining the grave risks of Trump’s illegal takeover of the CalGuard. Several veterans and veteran rights’ groups came together to decry Trump’s militarization of California.

    Recent news

    Jul 31, 2025

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    Jul 31, 2025

    News What you need to know: With nearly all National Guard soldiers demobilizing, Governor Gavin Newsom is calling on the President to allow the 300 remaining National Guard soldiers to go home now.  Los Angeles, California – Nearly two months after the unlawful…

    Jul 30, 2025

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    Jul 31, 2025

    What you need to know: While National Guard soldiers were unlawfully federalized by the President to await mission orders in the Los Angeles area, between May and June, there was a 57% drop in fentanyl pounds seized from those same soldiers who were pulled from their vital public safety assignments.

    Los Angeles, California – While President Trump comes to the realization that his unlawful deployment of the military in Los Angeles has been unnecessary and deeply unpopular, there has been a significant drop in the reported fentanyl seizures by California National Guard members.

    Between May and June, there was a 57% decrease in reported pounds of fentanyl seized at ports of entry along the border by CalGuard’s Counterdrug Task Force. In June, only 260 pounds of fentanyl powder were seized.

    Donald Trump and Stephen Miller took the National Guard off of essential public safety assignments to fulfill a sick power grab within California communities. The federal government has created chaos in our economy and society with its twisted authoritarian tactics. The time for each and every single soldier to come home — and go back to work — now.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Typically, under the Governor’s command, nearly 450 servicemembers are deployed statewide, including at ports of entry, to combat transnational criminal organizations and seize illegal narcotics. CalGuard’s servicemembers dedicated to the state’s Counterdrug Task Force have been reassigned by President Trump to militarize Los Angeles – leaving their highly specialized positions unfilled. The consequences are dire – CalGuard’s efforts help ensure the public safety of communities statewide.

    Guardsmembers are demobilizing 

    Nearly two months after the unlawful federalization of units of the California National Guard, and deployment of almost 5,000 soldiers in the Los Angeles area, all but 300 National Guard members are expected to go home soon. So far, 4,700 soldiers have demobilized or begun demobilizing. The President should allow the remaining soldiers to go back to their families, communities, and civilian professions as doctors, law enforcement and teachers. Earlier this month, 2,000 federalized National Guard members and 700 Marines were called off their mission in Los Angeles.

    Police off the streets, teachers out of classrooms

    Of the 4,000 National Guard members sent to Los Angeles under Trump’s order, their servicemembers have been pulled from essential civilian duties such as medical and first responders, service workers, building trades contractors, law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, civil service and government workers, technology specialists, educators and teachers, and agriculture workers.

    Economic impact of this political theater 

    After the federal government deployed the military unlawfully and began ramping up immigration raids statewide, the number of people reporting to work in the private sector in California decreased by 3.1% — a downturn only recently matched by the period when people stayed home from work during the COVID-19 lockdown.

    Governor Newsom recently met with local restaurant owners in the City of Bell and faith leaders in Downey to discuss the economic impact these indiscriminate immigration actions have had on their small business.

    Trump’s actions have a ripple effect – the state’s economy is likely to contract later this year due to fallout from global tariffs and immigration raids in Los Angeles and other cities that have rattled key sectors, including construction, hospitality, and agriculture, according to a UCLA Anderson forecast. 

    Mass arrests, detentions and deportations in California could slash $275 billion from the state’s economy and eliminate $23 billion in annual tax revenue. The loss of immigrant workers, undocumented and those losing lawful status under the Trump administration, would delay projects (including rebuilding Los Angeles after the wildfires), reduce food supply, and drive up costs. Undocumented immigrants contributed $8.5 billion in state and local taxes in 2022 — a number that would rise to $10.3 billion if these taxpayers could apply to work lawfully.

    End the power grab now

    Community leaders, public officials, veterans and others agree – the federal government’s actions in California not only have a chilling effect on the state’s society and economy, but also continue to undermine the valuable contributions from members of the military while in and out of uniform. 

    Republican and Democratic former governors agree—Trump’s federalization violates the critical balance between state and federal government. Recently, a bipartisan group of 25 former governors filed a brief in support of Newsom v. Trump, urging the court to enforce state sovereignty and block the unprecedented federalization of the National Guard. 

    Retired four-star admirals and generals and former secretaries of the Army and Navy filed another amicus brief outlining the grave risks of Trump’s illegal takeover of the CalGuard. Several veterans and veteran rights’ groups came together to decry Trump’s militarization of California.

    Recent news

    Jul 31, 2025

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    Jul 31, 2025

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Foreign Police Forces in NZ – Peace Action opposes establishment of FBI office in NZ

    Source: Peace Action Wellington

    “Peace Action Wellington completely opposes the opening of a US FBI office in Aotearoa New Zealand. The decision by the NZ government to allow a foreign country’s police force to operate here is terrifying.

    This is particularly true given the authoritarian regime in power in the US and the FBI’s behaviour since Trump’s election,” said Valerie Morse, member of Peace Action Wellington.

    “The FBI anti-terrorism units have been involved in numerous raids and arrests of student activists at universities across the US. These brutal investigations have nothing to do with criminal actions by anyone and everything to do with student support for Palestine.”

    “The NZ government’s statement that a key area of collaboration is anti-terrorism is therefore extremely alarming. We have seen the kidnappings and deportations by US federal agents for those involved in nonviolent protests in the US. We want no US policing here.”

    “The FBI is a US domestic police force. Its operation here raises very serious questions about its jurisdiction and powers here. We are concerned that FBI officers may be operating here with complete diplomatic immunity from prosecution and may be carrying firearms.”

    “New Zealand’s most recent public experience with the FBI was the botched raids on Kim Dotcom’s house in 2011. What we learned from that was NZ’s intelligence agencies engaged in illegal surveillance for the FBI, and the charges brought against Dotcom were not even things that are illegal in this country. In short, the entire case, which is still going on, has been one violation of rights after another.”

    “We would like to know if there are other foreign police forces operating here. We expect that there will be widespread opposition to the establishment of an FBI office.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CISA Rolls Out Free, Automated Tool for Fighting Malware

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Anti-malware tool Thorium makes it easier for users to combat evolving threats, another breakthrough tool from CISA

    WASHINGTON – Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced the release of Thorium, an automated platform that allows cyber defenders at lightning speed to assess and combat malware threats in a way that has not been possible before. Created in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, this tool is available through CISA at no cost. 

    When malware threats arise, users in the public and private sector have to react quickly to protect their systems. Thorium allows users to set up a customized and automated platform that is able to quickly analyze the threats and then add or remove tools based on the evolving needs presented by each new threat. Thorium is capable of scheduling over 1,700 jobs per second, and then processing 10 million files per hour for each user. 

    “President Trump and Secretary Noem are getting CISA back on-mission, and the release of CISA’s new anti-malware tool Thorium is the next step towards that goal. Just like individual tools in a toolbox, certain anti-malware systems are meant to be combat specific,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Thorium creates a customizable and automated system that streamlines the analysis and combatting of malware with the proper tools. This new CISA tool optimizes the collaboration between the public sector and the private sector.” 

    Under the Trump Administration, CISA is returning to its core mission of protecting the American homeland in cyberspace. Tools like Thorium, and the processes that develop them, are examples of what the nation’s premiere cybersecurity agency is capable of. 

    For more information and installation instructions, visit Thorium on CISA.gov.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: A Hawaiian epic made in NZ: why Jason Momoa’s Chief of War wasn’t filmed in its star’s homeland

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Duncan Caillard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology

    Jason Momoa’s historical epic Chief of War, launching August 1 on Apple TV+, is a triumph of Hawaiians telling their own stories – despite the fact their film and TV production industry now struggles to be viable.

    The series stars Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) as Kaʻaina, an ali’i (chief) who fights for – and later rises against – King Kamehameha I during the bloody reunification of Hawaii.

    Already receiving advance praise, the nine-episode first season co-stars New Zealand actors Temeura Morrison, Cliff Curtis and Luciane Buchanan, alongside Hawaiian actors Kaina Makua, Brandon Finn and Moses Goods.

    A passion project for Momoa, the Hawaiian star co-created the series with writer Thomas Pa’a Sibbett after years in development. With a reported budget of US$340 million, it is one of the most expensive television series ever produced.

    It is also a milestone in Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) representation onscreen. Controversially, however, the production only spent a month in Hawaiʻi, and was mostly shot in New Zealand with non-Hawaiian crews.

    Momoa has even expressed an interest in New Zealand citizenship, but the choice of location is more a reflection of the troubled state of the film industry in Hawaiʻi. On the other hand, it is a measure of the success of the New Zealand screen industry, with potential lessons for other countries in the Pacific.

    Ea o Moʻolelo – story sovereignty

    Set at the turn of the 19th century, Chief of War tells the moʻolelo (story, history) of King Kamehameha I’s conquest of the archipelago.

    Hawaiʻi was historically governed by aliʻi nui (high chiefs), and each island was ruled independently. Motivated by the threat of European colonisation and empowered by Western weaponry, Kamehameha established the Hawaiian Kingdom, culminating in full unification in 1810.

    The series is an important example of what authors Dean Hamer and Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu have called “Ea o Moʻolelo”, or story sovereignty, which emphasises Indigenous peoples’ right to control their own narrative by respecting the “the inalienable right of a story to its own unique contents, style and purpose”.

    Chief of War is also the biggest Hawaiian television series ever produced. Although Hawaiʻi remains a popular setting onscreen, these productions have rarely involved Hawaiians in key decision-making roles.

    Sea of troubles

    The series hits screens at a time of major disruption in Hollywood, with streaming services upending established business models.

    “Linear” network television faces declining viewership and advertising revenue. Movie studios struggle to draw audiences to theatres. The consequences for workers in the the industry have been severe, as the 2023 writers strike showed.

    Those changes have had a catastrophic impact on the Hawaiʻi film industry, too.

    Long a popular location – Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980, 2010-2020), Magnum P.I. (1980-1988, 2018-2024) and Lost (2004-2010) were all shot on location in Hawaiʻi – it is an expensive place to film.

    Actors, crew and production equipment often have to be flown in from the continental United States, and producers compete with tourism for costly accommodation.

    Kaina Makua as King Kamehameha and New Zealand actor Luciane Buchanan as Ka’ahumanu in Chief of War.
    Apple TV+

    An industry in transition

    These are not uncommon problems in distant locations, and many governments try to attract screen productions through tax incentives and rebates on portions of the production costs.

    New Zealand, for example, offers a 20-25% rebate for international productions and 40% for local productions. Hawaiʻi offers a 22-27% rebate.

    But this is less than other US states offer, such as Georgia (30%), Louisiana (40%) and New Mexico (40%). Hawaiʻi also has an annual cap of US$50 million on rebates.

    To make things even harder, Hawaiʻi offers only limited support for Indigenous filmmakers. Governments in Australia and New Zealand provide targeted funding and support for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori filmmakers.

    By contrast, the Hawaiʻi Film Commission doesn’t provide direct grants to local filmmakers or producers (Indigenous or otherwise). Small amounts of government funding have been administered through the Public Broadcasting Service, but this is now in jeopardy after US President Donald Trump recently cut federal funding.

    The Hawaiʻi screen industry faces a perfect storm. For the first time since 2004, film and TV production has ground to a halt. Many workers now doubt the long-term sustainability of their careers.

    Lessons from Aotearoa NZ

    While there are lessons Hawaiʻi legislators and industry leaders could learn from New Zealand’s example, there should also be a measure of caution.

    The Hawaiʻi tax credit system is out of date. But despite industry lobbying, legislation to update it failed to reach the floor of the legislature earlier this year. New tax settings would help make local production viable again.

    Secondly, decades of investment in Māori cinema have seen it become diverse, engaging and creatively accomplished. Hawaiʻi could benefit from greater direct investment in Hawaiian storytelling, respecting its cultural value even if it doesn’t turn a commercial profit.

    On the other hand, New Zealand has a favourable currency exchange rate with the US which can’t be replicated in Hawaiʻi. And New Zealand film production workers have seen their rights to unionise watered down compared to their American peers.

    But if Hawaiʻi can get its settings right, a possible second season of Chief of War may yet be filmed there, which could mark a genuine rejuvenation of its own film industry.

    Duncan Caillard 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. A Hawaiian epic made in NZ: why Jason Momoa’s Chief of War wasn’t filmed in its star’s homeland – https://theconversation.com/a-hawaiian-epic-made-in-nz-why-jason-momoas-chief-of-war-wasnt-filmed-in-its-stars-homeland-261742

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Friday essay: libertarian tech titan Peter Thiel helped make JD Vance. The Republican kingmaker’s influence is growing

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Luke Munn, Research Fellow, Digital Cultures & Societies, The University of Queensland

    The money is easy to trace. Scroll back through tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s political donations and you’ll soon hit US$15 million worth of transfers sent to Protect Ohio Values, JD Vance’s campaign fund. The donations, made in 2022, are a staggering contribution to an individual senate race, and helped put Vance (Thiel’s former employee at tech fund Mithril Capital) on a winning trajectory.

    But if money matters, so do ideas. Scroll back through Vance’s speeches, and you’ll hear echoes of Thiel’s voice. The decline of US elites (and by extension, the nation) is supposedly a result of technological stagnation: declining innovation, trivial distractions, broken infrastructure. To make the nation great again, Thiel believes, tech should come first, corporates should be unshackled, and the state should resemble the startup. For Vance, who has now risen to the office of US vice-president, a Thiel talk on these topics at Yale Law was “the most significant moment” of his time there.

    Thiel’s influence on politics is at once financial, technical and ideological. In the New York Times, he was recently described as the “most influential right-wing intellectual of the last 20 years”. And his potent cocktail of networks, money, strategy and support exerts a rightward force on the political landscape. It establishes a powerful pattern for up-and-coming figures to follow.

    To “hedge fund investor” and “tech entrepreneur”, Thiel has recently added a new label: Republican kingmaker.

    Who is Peter Thiel?

    Thiel was born in Germany but grew up in the United States, with a childhood sojourn in apartheid South Africa. Max Chafkin’s critical but balanced biography, The Contrarian, claims Thiel was bullied growing up and protected himself by becoming resolutely “disdainful”. He studied philosophy and then law at Stanford, where he founded The Stanford Review, a libertarian–conservative student paper that signalled his early interest in controversial politics and culture wars.

    While difficult to pin down precisely, Thiel’s Christianity shapes his belief in a declining or even apocalyptic world that can only be countered with unapologetic interventions and technological innovations. God helps those who help themselves – but could always use additional help from ambitious tech elites.

    In 1998, Thiel cofounded his first tech company, Confinity, which launched its flagship product PayPal in 1999 and merged with Elon Musk’s X.com in 2000. In 2002, eBay bought PayPal for $1.5 billion and Thiel became a multimillionaire. He invested in several startups, including Facebook, and established his hedge fund, Clarium, and his venture capital firm, Founders Fund.

    In their own ways, each of these developments is a response to Thiel’s thesis that the world is stuck. In his 2011 essay The End of the Future, he decries the “soft totalitarianism of political correctness in media and academia” and the “sordid world” of entertainment. The result is “50 years of stagnation” that has transformed humanity “into this more docile kind of a species”.

    Thiel’s answer is more risk, more tech and more ambition. It’s exemplified most clearly by Palantir Technologies, the data analytics firm he cofounded in 2004.

    Palantir has worked closely with US armed forces and intelligence agencies for 14 years. It is currently working closely with the Trump administration to create a “super-database” of combined data from all federal agencies, and building a platform for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “to track migrant movements in real time”.

    Investing in right-wing politics

    Thiel’s political interventions have ramped up over time. Libertarianism generally takes an arms-length approach to politics in favour of individual freedom and market determination. But even in “purely” financial spaces, politics creeps in.

    Clarium’s macroeconomic approach meant the political landscape had to be factored in: “high-conviction, directional investments based on key drivers of the global economy and fundamental themes underappreciated by the marketplace”.

    If politics, like technology, had stagnated – into a non-choice between similar parties – how could it be “disrupted”? Thiel began making political donations in December 2011, with contributions totalling at least $2.6 million, to the third presidential campaign of Ron Paul, a longstanding conservative congressman in Texas.

    While Paul would ultimately be unsuccessful, Thiel recognised something others had missed. Voters had not been attracted to some idealistic libertarian, as the media portrayed him, but to the old Ron Paul, a neoconservative whose newsletters published in his name in the 1980s and ‘90s suggested 95% of Black men in Washington DC were criminals. (He denied writing them in 2011, calling the statements “terrible”.) His appeal was never “merely” about economic freedom, but about race and class, fear and grievance.

    Donald Trump took this dark undercurrent, a strain that has always underpinned parts of US politics, and ran with it. Dog-whistles were dispensed with in favour of overt claims that most illegal immigrants were rapists, certain Latin American countries were shitholes, women were bitches, and white supremacists were “very fine people”. Trump, noted one article, was “weaponizing the conservative id”.

    In these visions, multiculturalism and progressivism are not just cultural threats, but economic ones. They undermine the ability of company founders to exploit labour, blow past regulations, and obey the brutal logic of the market.

    “A world safe for capitalism is presumably one of monopoly companies and patriarchal networks,” note media scholars Ben Little and Alison Winch in their profile of Thiel. It’s a world “where ‘the multiculture’ has been transformed into racialised domination”.

    Thiel has certainly contributed to the rise of Trump and the new breed of right-wing politicians through his vast wealth. In 2016, Thiel contributed $1.25 million to Trump’s campaign, thinking “he had a 50-50 chance of winning”. This earned him a speaking slot at the Republican convention. But his influence extends beyond mere money.

    Thiel’s endorsement of Trump at the 2016 Republican convention was hugely significant for garnering support. So was his famous declaration there that he was proud to be gay, Republican and American. After Trump won his first term, Thiel continued to be involved. He joined the transition team and recommended aligned individuals for key positions, such as Michael Kratsios, who would become chief technology officer.

    So, Thiel’s support of Trump should be understood as an investment, just like his early investments in PayPal and Facebook. As Chafkin notes, Thiel’s bet on Trump is a wager with high upsides and low risk. Thiel’s outspoken views in favour of “seasteading” (floating independent city-states) and against immigration and women’s emancipation had already alienated the more progressive sectors of Silicon Valley.

    If the bet paid off, Thiel and his empire could benefit handsomely. And this is exactly what has played out. Since Trump has taken office in his second term, Palantir has already netted more than $113 million in federal government spending.

    Palantir: from information to domination

    Palantir’s origin story reflects its blend of technical expertise and political ambition. To combat rising fraud, members of PayPal developed a software tool that could mine vast amounts of transactions and find the connections between them, homing in on a handful of culprits in a deluge of data.

    Thiel was prescient in spinning this core idea from finance to intelligence, where analysts were searching for patterns and anomalies amid the noise – a needle in a haystack. Palantir commercialised and expanded this concept, bringing a leaner, data-driven Silicon Valley approach to a sector dominated by established Washington incumbents.

    Thiel and Palantir chief executive Alex Karp believe Silicon Valley has lost its way, frittering away its vast talents and ingenuity on trivial pursuits: advertising, gaming, social media. For them, the era of ambitious scientific projects and unapologetic military industrial collaborations – the Manhattan Project, the Moon landing — needs to be revived.

    In his book, the Technological Republic, Karp calls for a state that looks more like a startup – lean, technology-driven, and led authoritatively by a founder-like figure who is not afraid to “move fast and break stuff” (the Silicon Valley motto), especially when it comes to dominating enemies and ensuring the safety of a nation’s citizens.

    Palantir, of course, answers this call. It combines machine learning with military spending, data-driven “intelligence” with naked violence. This is most clear in its longstanding collaboration with ICE, which is now carrying out notorious immigration raids at the behest of the Trump administration. “On the factory floor, in the operating room, on the battlefield,” states a recent Palantir recruitment ad placed across US college campuses, “we build to dominate.”

    Palantir’s blueprint has been emulated by a growing array of others. Anduril, Skydio and Shield AI are all founded on developing information technologies for military and intelligence use. Last week, Rune Technologies closed a $24 million Series A round of funding to move warfare logistics away from the “Excel era” and towards AI-augmented tools.

    Answering Karp’s call, these startups are unapologetic in leveraging engineering expertise for more substantial, authoritarian and historically controversial areas.

    Playing the scapegoat

    One of the clearest outlines of Thiel’s political philosophy is laid out in the Straussian Moment, a 30-page essay he published in 2007.

    For Thiel, the spectacular violence of the September 11 terrorist attacks was a wake-up call, rousing the citizenry from that “very long and profitable period of intellectual slumber and amnesia that is so misleadingly called the Enlightenment”.

    Curtis Yarvin.
    David Merfield/Wikipedia, CC BY

    In Thiel’s view, the Enlightenment project – to advance knowledge, cultivate tolerance, and elevate humanity as a whole – rested on a naive understanding of human nature. Like Curtis Yarvin and other influential Silicon Valley political thinkers, he asserts that humanity is brutal and a shift from Enlightenment optimism to Dark Enlightenment pessimism is required.

    It is unsurprising, then, that Thiel looks to René Girard (once called “the new Darwin of the human sciences”) for inspiration; he even organised a symposium at Stanford with Girard in attendance. Girard begins from a bleak view of human nature, a Hobbesian world where life is nasty, brutish and short. For Girard, mimesis or imitation is at the heart of the human. This mirroring quality means violence is always threatening to escalate, to constantly ramp up with no inherent limit.

    To corral this violence, ancient cultures created the scapegoat, a sacrificial system where all-against-all was replaced by all-against-one. Yet the scapegoat is no longer viable – the revelation of Christ is that the scapegoat is an innocent victim.

    Thiel takes Girard’s insights and twists them to his own ends. First, Thiel asserts that even if violence begets more violence, nonviolence is not an option. Enemies must not be allowed to prevail. In the face of uncompromising adversaries, such as the 9/11 attackers, who threaten to dismantle some idealised way of life, preemptively responding to violence is “urgently demanded”.

    Second, Thiel takes the concept of the scapegoat and flips it. In this judo-like manoeuvre, the real victims are not the marginalised or the minority, but the hegemonic class (whites, males, liberals, conservatives), who are being pressured by cancel culture, political correctness, diversity initiatives and so on.

    Shortly after graduating, Thiel coauthored a book, The Diversity Myth, about alleged political intolerance at Stanford. In it, he rails against a rampant multiculturalism that he claims stifles freedom of speech and derails education and entrepreneurialism. Here, scapegoating is weaponised. It’s mobilised toward a conservative advance in the ongoing cultural wars, which are always also political wars.

    Contradiction or evolution?

    Thiel is a walking paradox. He bemoans cancel culture and political correctness, while waging a highly expensive and clearly personal war to bankrupt a media outlet that offended him. (After Gawker printed the “open secret” of Thiel’s gay status in 2007, Thiel funded lawsuits against them until they were shut down.)

    He calls himself a libertarian, but has founded a company that derives millions in contracts from the bloated budgets of the many military agencies (the National Security Agency, the FBI, the US Army) that now comprise the sprawling state.

    He celebrates capitalism and the free hand of the market, but always stresses that the path to business success rests on establishing monopolies with no real competition. He is a German-born immigrant who actively supports technologies (Palantir) and candidates (Trump) that establish xenophobic environments and seek to deport those deemed “other”. And, most personally, he is both a conservative Republican and an openly gay man.

    At a purely logical level, these elements are incompatible. There is a perceived gap between Thiel’s words and actions, a gulf between his ideologies and his activities. For staunch libertarians at Thiel’s companies, his manoeuvrings at the state level make no sense. For queer scholars, Thiel’s exclusionary rather than liberatory politics mean he is a man who has sex with other men, rather than being gay.

    For these critics, both things cannot be true; therefore, some labels, identities and activities are fake, marginal or impossible. Yet one of Thiel’s many lessons is that contradiction is a strength rather than a weakness.

    Thiel’s philosophy, which journalists have called techno-fascism, recalls philosopher Umberto Eco, who described fascism as a “beehive of contradictions” and “a collage of different philosophical and political ideas”. The radical right, in particular, has no problem mashing together many views that at face value should not fit: scavenger ideologies that are opportunistic in grabbing elements that work for them.

    Instead of contradictions, these hybrid forms need to be understood as evolutions. They are tensions, held within the body and the mind of the subject, that push monolithic frameworks like conservatism beyond their existing limits. Thiel’s power – and his political blueprint for others – is insisting you can be a philosophical entrepreneur, an illiberal patriot, and a queer conservative.

    Luke Munn 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. Friday essay: libertarian tech titan Peter Thiel helped make JD Vance. The Republican kingmaker’s influence is growing – https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-libertarian-tech-titan-peter-thiel-helped-make-jd-vance-the-republican-kingmakers-influence-is-growing-261856

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: July 31st, 2025 Heinrich Urges USDA and DOI to Provide Adequate Resources and Support to Wildland Firefighters, Following Reports of Firefighters Cleaning Toilets

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Brooke Rollins and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum following reports that staff reductions have required the deployment of fire personnel to fill administrative gaps, leaving fire crews understaffed and overwhelmed.

    “Wildfire season is well underway, particularly across the Western United States. Much of the West is predicted to experience higher-than-normal fire behavior through October, and 44 large fires are currently uncontained. With wildfire season likely to continue for several more months, I am extremely concerned by reports that staff reductions have required the deployment of fire personnel to fill administrative gaps, leaving fire crews understaffed and overwhelmed,” Heinrich began.

    “According to recent reports, firings, buyouts, and other personnel changes have led to gross understaffing at both the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior responsible for fire prevention and response, forcing firefighters to wear multiple hats,” Heinrich continued. “In addition to carrying out their own duties, firefighters reportedly have been thrown into serving in administrative and janitorial roles—ranging from cleaning campground bathrooms to answering front desk calls to mowing lawns.”

    Highlighting the impacts of the Trump Administration’s Deferred Resignation Program on firefighting preparedness, Heinrich wrote, “As you know, thousands of staff with red cards left the agencies this year due to the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). If those personnel roles and responsibilities now must be filled by firefighters at the height of fire season, then the DRP was not only inefficient but has materially threatened public safety.”

    In light of these concerns, Heinrich requested information from the Administration on firefighter staffing levels and support personnel since January 2025—including assessments of staffing gaps, data comparing current firefighting levels to the 10-year average, the impact of reassignments, and the number of firefighters serving in administrative or custodial roles. Heinrich concluded the letter by noting the Secretaries’ Joint Memorandum committing to work together to “ensure that wildland fire personnel have the resources, training, and support to work under safe conditions and to effectively carry out their wildland fire management mission.”

    “Since then, you have made assurances that you have the appropriate staff to meet current and future wildfire challenges. However, these recent news reports cast doubt on those assurances,” noted Heinrich.

    Read the full letter here and below:

    Dear Secretary Rollins and Secretary Burgum:

    Wildfire season is well underway, particularly across the Western United States. Much of the West is predicted to experience higher-than-normal fire behavior through October, and 44 large fires are currently uncontained. With wildfire season likely to continue for several more months, I am extremely concerned by reports that staff reductions have required the deployment of fire personnel to fill administrative gaps, leaving fire crews understaffed and overwhelmed.

    According to recent reports, firings, buyouts, and other personnel changes have led to gross understaffing at both the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior responsible for fire prevention and response, forcing firefighters to wear multiple hats. In addition to carrying out their own duties, firefighters reportedly have been thrown into serving in administrative and janitorial roles—ranging from cleaning campground bathrooms to answering front desk calls to mowing lawns.

    This situation is the opposite to that described by Chief Tom Schultz in his “Wildfire Priority” memorandum, dated July 16, 2025, relating to making staff with ‘red card’ qualifications available for firefighting duties. As you know, thousands of staff with red cards left the agencies this year due to the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). If those personnel roles and responsibilities now must be filled by firefighters at the height of fire season, then the DRP was not only inefficient but has materially threatened public safety.

    In light of these concerns, please provide responses to the following questions by August 14, 2025:

    1. Since January 20, 2025, have your Departments conducted a review or assessment to understand the extent to which staffing gaps exist for firefighting personnel positions? Have you conducted a similar review or assessment on the staffing gaps for firefighting support staff, such as aircraft inspectors, dispatchers, or public information officers? If so, please provide a copy of those reviews or assessments.

    2. You both have noted that your Departments are on pace to achieve their firefighter staffing goals for 2025, but multiple reports indicate extreme gaps in the staffing levels of firefighters, particularly those with enough experience to lead a crew or direct incident response. Please describe the number of firefighters at each General Schedule pay category for this fire year compared with the 10-year average.

    3. To what extent has the Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3426 “Ensuring National Parks Are Open and Accessible” contributed to the need to assign wildland firefighters to administrative or custodial roles?

    4. Please provide the following data:

    a. The total number of firefighters who have been assigned to administrative or support roles since January 20, 2025. In responding this question, please provide a listing of all non-fire related roles firefighters have been assigned to carry out.

    b. The total number of firefighters who have been assigned to serve in maintenance roles since January 20, 2025.

    c. The total number of fire team support staff who have departed the Department or have agreed to early retirement or entered into a DRP since January 20, 2025. In responding to this question, provide information for each category listed and for each agency.

    In March, you signed a Joint Memorandum committing to work together to “ensure that wildland fire personnel have the resources, training, and support to work under safe conditions and to effectively carry out their wildland fire management mission.” Since then, you have made assurances that you have the appropriate staff to meet current and future wildfire challenges. However, these recent news reports cast doubt on those assurances.

    We look forward to your timely responses to these important questions. Should you have any questions about this request, please contact my staff at (202) 224-4971.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Bills

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Committee approves Defense funding bill in a 26-3 vote — BILL SUMMARY HERE

    Committee approves LHHS bill in a 26-3 vote — BILL SUMMARY HERE

    ***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***

    Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee met for a full committee markup to consider its draft fiscal year 2026 Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations acts.

    “These are not the bills I would have written on my own—but they nevertheless represent serious bipartisan work to make some truly critical investments in families and our country’s future. From defense funding that supports our military and keeps our country safe to funding for health care, child care, schools, seniors, medical research, public health, workforce training and safety—and so many other programs that keep our communities strong,” said Vice Chair Patty Murray in her opening remarks. “So I’m glad this Committee was able to reach a bipartisan compromise to write bills that deliver essential funds to help people, solve problems, and reject so many of the absolutely devastating cuts and so much of the chaos that President Trump is pushing for.”

    Speaking on the path ahead for appropriations, Senator Murray said: “It remains clear as ever to me that we cannot afford to go down the path Trump and Russ Vought want to push us down. Their vision is one where this Committee becomes less bipartisan and less powerful. Where the president and the OMB director call the shots and Republicans in Congress spend their time cutting what they are told to cut, even at the expense of their own constituents. Where instead of securing new investments for folks back home through bipartisan agreements, lawmakers have to plead their case to this administration to unlock funds we’ve already delivered or secure special exceptions for spending cuts. Where biomedical research and education funding gets held up for no reason at all. Where we gut investments in working families while letting Trump’s corruption run rampant.That’s what Trump and Vought want. And we can—and must—reject it.”

    In her opening remarks, Senator Murray also discussed the importance of accountability for this administration as it ignores existing laws and betrays working families nationwide: “I am clear-eyed: the investments we make in these bills today are really only half of the equation. Because the fact of the matter is we have an administration right now that is intent on ignoring Congress, breaking the law, and doing everything it can without any transparency to dismantle programs and agencies that help families. There is no magic bullet that will change that unfortunate reality. Our bills reject devastating cuts—and reject so many of this administration’s absurd proposals—to dismantle the Department of Education, destroy HHS, and more. But I still want to see us to do much more when it comes to demanding accountability, demanding transparency, and demanding the administration actually follow our laws. …. We need more members across the aisle to not only reject these [President Trump’s proposed] cuts but to speak up and speak out against what this administration is already doing to defy our laws and hurt the folks we represent.”

    In a 26-3 vote, the Committee approved the draft fiscal year 2026 Defense appropriations bill.

    “I’m proud of this bipartisan bill. First and foremost, it takes care of our troops with pay raises and quality of life improvements. It also recognizes that we are confronting a world more dangerous today than at any time since the Cold War, and that we all need to sober up, put politics aside, and get to work. This bill focuses on deterring China, and it strengthens our allies—our asymmetric advantage worldwide—from Ukraine to the Pacific to Africa. The strong bipartisan vote is also a powerful rebuke to Trump’s idea that we can run our national security apparatus, or any other part of our nation, on full-year continuing resolutions. I am committed to completing the appropriations process and getting all 12 of these bills across the finish line,” said Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee.

    “Thank you, Chair McConnell and Ranking Member Coons, for working to put together a bill that makes crucial investments in our military—and not just in weapons and infrastructure, though we do have important investments to modernize our military and strengthen our defense base, but we also have investments to support our allies and strengthen partnerships across globe,” said Vice Chair Murray in comments on the bill. “This bill makes crucial investments in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East—and it rejects dangerous Trump cuts to support our allies in Ukraine and the Baltics. And this legislation invests in our most important security asset: our brave men and women in uniform—from a pay increase for servicemembers to robust child care funding to new investments in preventing suicide, and sexual assault, and conducting lifesaving medical research.”

    The following amendments to the bill were considered during today’s mark up:

    • Manager’s package offered by Chair McConnell.
      • Adopted unanimously.
    • Shaheen amendment to prevent the use of taxpayer funds appropriated in this or any other act from being used to operate or modify a Boeing 747-8i from Qatar.
      • Debated; withdrawn.
    • Durbin amendment to prohibit DOD from providing support to DHS on a non-reimbursable basis to conduct immigration enforcement—ensuring that funds provided by Congress for our national defense are used for our national defense.
      • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
    • Murphy amendment to prevent the transfer of any presidential aircraft to a non-governmental entity—ensuring President Trump cannot take the plane gifted by Qatar with him after leaving office and the plane cannot be transferred to a future Trump presidential library.
      • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
    • Merkley amendment to require DOD to produce a report on the use of the chemical 6PPD in the design and production of tires procured by DOD—with a listing of any relevant DOD initiatives researching potential alternatives.
      • Adopted by voice vote.
    • Merkley amendment to prohibit funds provided in any fiscal year 2026 appropriations act from being eligible for rescissions or deferrals under the Impoundment Control Act’s fast-track procedures, ensuring they can only be considered through annual appropriations bills.
      • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.

    A summary of the bill is available HERE.

    Final bill text, report, and adopted amendments are available HERE.

    In a 26-3 vote, the Committee approved the draft fiscal year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

    “At the end of the day, my North Star is delivering for the people of Wisconsin. While no one got everything they wanted in this bill, I’m proud to say we found common ground and are doing just that to address the challenges facing working families across the country. From investing in cancer and Alzheimer’s research, to protecting the Department of Education and early education funding, to strengthening my 988 Suicide Lifeline, we came together to deliver for our constituents. This bill not only puts Donald Trump’s budget in the trash, it also reins in this President’s efforts to dismantle and withhold funding for critical programs our constituents rely on. This bill takes on the kitchen table issues families face by addressing childcare costs, connecting more Americans with good-paying jobs, and taking on the mental health and opioid epidemics. While it is not perfect, I look forward to getting it over the finish line on behalf of Wisconsinites who want to see a Washington that works for them,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

    “This bill rejects Trump’s cuts that would devastate our work to fight substance use disorders, HIV, and pandemics, eliminate women’s health investments like Title X funding and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program and essentially saw CDC in half. It rejects backward proposals from Trump that would hurt our students and workers—like eliminating preschool grants, slashing PELL, gutting public school funding, and ending Job Corps and AmeriCorps. It rejects efforts to gut agencies that protect the rights of patients, students, and workers. And, I’m especially pleased to note it rejects Trump’s 40% cut to lifesaving medical research—and increases the NIH budget by $400 million so that we continue making progress against cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and so much more,” Vice Chair Murray said in comments on the bill. “At the end of the day, this isn’t about rejecting Trump, it is about investing in families—investing in schools, investing in medical research, investing in workforce training, and community health. In fact, this bill even increases funding for crucial programs with new investments to allow the Social Security Administration to actually help people and undo some of the damage Trump and DOGE have so recklessly caused—and increased investments in child care, something I will never stop fighting to make more progress on.”

    The following amendments to the bill were considered during today’s mark up:

    • Manager’s package offered by Chair Capito.
      • Adopted unanimously.
    • Baldwin amendment to restore funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) after Republicans single-handedly rescinded funding for CPB earlier this month.
      • Debated; withdrawn.
    • Durbin amendment to reinstate grants and other awards that have been terminated by the Trump administration at agencies—like NIH—that are funded by the bill—and to require disbursements to be made to payees within 72 hours of a request. The amendment contains an exception for cases of a finding of financial mismanagement, fraud, or malfeasance.
      • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
    • Hyde Smith amendment to require CMS to notify the Committee, conduct an analysis, and consult with States prior to terminating critical access hospital (CAH) status for any hospital that met certain distance requirements prior to the 2022 CMS rulemaking. Senator Durbin and Appropriations Democrats voiced support for updating the amendment to provide better support for all rural hospitals, not just those impacted by the 2022 rules.
      • Adopted in a 16-13 vote.
    • Van Hollen amendment to claw back the $100 million slush fund Republicans provided for Russ Vought’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in their reconciliation bill earlier this month and instead provide $95 million for the Social Security Administration to improve customer service for Americans seeking to access the benefits they are owed.
      • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.
    • Murphy amendment to withhold funds from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights until the Department’s Inspector General certifies that all enforcement actions taken against colleges since January 20 are in accordance with existing laws. Since taking office, President Trump has withheld federal funding from colleges over claims of discrimination on campuses and other infractions. Instead of following established procedures under civil rights laws to thoroughly investigate such claims, President Trump continues to withhold federal funding from certain colleges unless they submit to his administration’s demands.
      • Republicans rejected the amendment in a 15-14 party line vote.

    A summary of the bill is available HERE.

    Final bill text, report, Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) projects, and adopted amendments are available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –