Category: Trumpism

  • MIL-OSI USA: 15,000 Attend Congresswoman Stansbury Town Halls Across New Mexico

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)

    ALBUQUERQUE — This week, Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)wrapped up a Town Hall Tour across New Mexico, reaching more than 15,000 New Mexicans across 10 counties and 12 cities and towns with 15 events.

    The Congresswoman traveled across New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, covering a large swath of central New Mexico—holding town halls in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Tijeras, Moriarty, Fort Sumner, Carrizozo, Placitas, Corrales, Roswell, and Ruidoso and Mescalero. She also held virtual and telephone town halls for those who could not make it in person. Rep. Stansbury also consulted and met with a number of Pueblo and Tribal Nations, including those in the district, the All Pueblo Council of Governors and individual Pueblos, the Mescalero Apache Nation, and Navajo Nation Council members.

    “The most important thing Members of Congress can do right now is listen to the people they represent and do their jobs,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01).  “Americans across the country are deeply concerned about what is happening to American democracy, the federal government, and our communities—and they deserve answers. That is why I traveled to every corner of our district to listen to New Mexicans and answer questions. It is my duty to serve the people, and that’s exactly what we’re doing—fighting to protect Social Security, Medicaid, and vital programs our people depend on.”

    Across the district, the same questions were asked in rural, tribal, urban, large, and small communities alike. The top five issues raised by New Mexicans at all fifteen Town Halls included: 

    1. What Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Trump Administration are doing with Americans’ private data, mass firings, the dismantling of agencies, and how it all can be stopped. 
    2. Cuts to Social Security, Medicaid, and other vital programs. 
    3. Attacks on American civil liberties, due process, and the Constitution. 
    4. Attacks on voting rights, including the potential passage of the SAVE Act, and protecting free and fair elections going forward. 
    5. How Congress can protect New Mexicans and continue to fight back. 

    Congresswoman Stansbury now returns to Washington for a three-week Congressional work schedule that will include Republican-led hearings on a large tax and reconciliation package that could impact millions of Americans on Medicaid and food assistance. Congresswoman Stansbury returns armed with feedback and stories from New Mexicans on both sides of the aisle who are deeply concerned about what is happening in Washington. 

    Find photos and videos from the town halls here.  

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stansbury on Trump’s “Skinny” Budget to Congress: The Great Betrayal Continues


    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01)

    22.6% reduction in critical programs threatens millions of American lives, including critical programs for schools, healthcare, the opioid epidemic, clean water, and tribal programs

    WASHINGTON D.C. — Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) released the following statement after President Trump delivered a “skinny” version of his Fiscal Year 2026 President’s Budget request to Congress on Friday: 

    
 “Today, Donald Trump delivered his first President’s Budget request to Congress, and it should tell you everything you need to know about his priorities: that they are all about gutting vital programs over meeting the needs of the American people,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01). “This is the President’s Great Betrayal once again, following on his massive tax package gutting social programs and ongoing tariffs that are driving economic instability and increased costs for the American people. Trump’s budget would gut vital programs by over 22% across all major federal programs—including those crucial to funding our schools, mental and behavioral health programs, clean water and air, and tribal programs. This is America under DOGE. And, I will continue to fight it every step of the way.” 

    Today, President Donald Trump transmitted a FY 2026 “Skinny” Budget to Congress, proposing over $163 billion in cuts, totaling more than a 22% reduction in funding for non-defense discretionary spending, representing cuts across vital federal agencies, including, among many others: 

    • $33.3 billion in cuts (a 26.2% decrease) to the Department of Health and Human Services
    • $33.6 billion in cuts (a 43.6% decrease) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development
    • $5.1 billion in cuts (a 30.5% decrease) for the Department of the Interior, including hundreds of millions in cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
    • $4.535 billion in cuts to the Department of Education’s K-12 Programs and billions more to early childhood education and other programs 
    • $1.065 billion in cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
    • $2.460 billion in cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds 
       

    Among additional cuts that could significantly impact New Mexico and New Mexico’s First Congressional District include: 

    • $617 million in funding cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) serving Tribal and Pueblo Nations (including $107 million in cuts for BIA Public Safety & Justice programs and 187 million in cuts to the Bureau of Indian Education) 
    • The elimination of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). which helps low-income families with heating and utility costs
    • $900 million in cuts to the National Park System 
    • Billions in cuts to infrastructure, clean energy, and Department of Energy programs vital to New Mexico’s economy.

    This FY 2026 Proposal for agency funding cuts follows on the special tax and spending package Trump and the GOP are trying to pass separately through a Budget Reconciliation package this spring. This disastrous package would have catastrophic impacts for the country and NM-01. This tax package includes $7 trillion in giveaways to billionaires and big corporations, including a $314,266 average annual tax cut for the richest 0.1 percent, funded through almost $5 trillion in deficit spending and cuts to vital programs like Medicaid and food assistance.

    Among its impacts for New Mexico’s First Congressional District include:  

    • Healthcare insurance premiums could increase by 60% – 169%  
    • 207,936 people on Medicaid could be at risk of losing health care access and benefits, including 85,960 children under the age of 19 and 22,000 seniors over 65 
    • 153,000 people on SNAP could be impacted in their ability to access benefits that help put food on the table. 
    • 216,669 children who rely on free school lunches could be impacted 
    • 15,721 students in NM-01 on Pell grants could be impacted 

    For a table with more information on these cuts, click here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Garbarino, LaLota Welcome U.S. Secretary of Labor to Long Island for Workforce Development Tour

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Long Island Congressmen Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) and Nick LaLota (R-NY-01) today proudly welcomed U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer to Long Island for a workforce development tour highlighting local training programs and labor partnerships. 

    The tour began at the Local 290 Training Center in Hauppauge, where the Secretary, along with Rep. Garbarino, Rep. LaLota, and key leaders from the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC), observed hands-on training in welding, framing, and acoustical work, and engaged with apprentices in the lecture hall. 

    Following the visit, the delegation traveled to Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood to explore the National Offshore Wind Training Center (NOWTC) partnership, a cutting-edge program preparing local workers for jobs in the emerging offshore wind industry. The group toured specialized training facilities focused on fire awareness, sea survival, and working-at-heights safety.

    “Long Island has long been a leader in workforce innovation, and today’s visit showcased the strong partnerships between labor, education, and government that are building pathways to good-paying jobs for local workers,” said Rep. Garbarino. “From apprentices learning the trades at Local 290 to advanced technical training programs at Suffolk County Community College, these initiatives are not only equipping our workforce with the skills they need — they’re also strengthening Long Island’s economic future. I thank Secretary Chavez-DeRemer for making the trip and recognizing the importance of continued investment in our skilled workforce.”

    ”Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s visit to Suffolk County and her engagement with Long Island’s blue-collar labor leaders highlight the new Republican Party’s commitment to supporting both business growth and hardworking Americans through fair wages, safe working conditions, and expanded opportunities,” said Rep. LaLota. “To keep our region competitive, we must continue investing in workforce development and modern infrastructure. In Congress, I’ll keep fighting for commonsense solutions that strengthen job training, connect workers to good-paying careers, and grow Long Island’s economy from the ground up.”

    “Long Island’s skilled workforce is thriving under President Trump’s leadership, with thousands of new jobs created since he took office. I saw that firsthand today – from top-notch training programs to the small businesses driving local growth. When we invest in skills and opportunity, we empower our men and women to build better lives. I look forward to continuing to work with Congressmen Garbarino and LaLota to advance President Trump’s America First agenda and deliver for American workers,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

    “The Carpenters were honored to host the Secretary and our local members of Congress, and we look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of our members and all blue collar workers across Long Island and throughout New York State. The construction industry is critical to New York’s economy, and our world-class training center ensures that the next generation of carpenters have the skills they need to be successful,” said Anthony Villa, Local 290 Business Manager, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

    The visit brought together leadership from local labor unions, educational institutions, and county agencies, reflecting a collaborative effort to strengthen the pipeline of talent supporting Long Island’s construction, energy, and manufacturing sectors.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Appoints Kyle G. Bumgarner as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Louisville, KY – U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Kyle G. Bumgarner as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546. Bumgarner was formally sworn into the position yesterday by U.S. District Court Chief District Judge Greg N. Stivers.

    “It is the honor of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, said U.S. Attorney Bumgarner. “I would like to thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for entrusting me with this great responsibility, particularly at such an important time for our Nation. Through the talented prosecutors in this Office, we stand committed to fighting the drug epidemic and violence that has ravaged our communities, combating the fraud that has been perpetrated against our institutions, and protecting vulnerable victims that are preyed upon by ruthless criminals. Our goals cannot be achieved without selfless and heroic work from our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers—particularly those on the front lines—who will receive unwavering support from our Office. I accept this role with great enthusiasm and a commitment to making the Western District of Kentucky a safer place for each of us to raise our families and earn a living.”

    Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Bumgarner practiced law in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at Kerrick Bachert, PSC, and served as law clerk to Judge David Bunning of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

    U.S. Attorney Bumgarner is a graduate of Centre College and Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

    The U.S. Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement official in their district, representing the United States in all criminal and civil litigation.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, headquartered in Louisville with staffed offices in Bowling Green and Paducah, and an unstaffed branch in Owensboro, serves 53 Kentucky counties and two military facilities: Fort Knox and Fort Campbell.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky has a mission to fairly and justly prosecute violations of federal criminal law and to represent the United States and its agencies in civil litigation; to educate and inform the public, including victims of crime, about the functions of the justice system and the rights of all citizens; to assume a leadership role in crime prevention through speaking engagements and community involvement; and to conduct federal and local law enforcement training and facilitate cooperation and collaboration among law enforcement agencies.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deluzio Proposal to Boost Innovation in American Commercial Shipbuilding and Jobs Included in Larger ‘SHIPS Act’ Package

    Source: US Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that the core pieces of his 2024 “Shipbuilding Innovation Act” were included in section 501 and 521 of the SHIPS for America Act, the larger bipartisan and bicameral legislative package on shipbuilding that was introduced late last month. Section 501 creates a program for the United States Maritime Administration to invest in U.S shipyards and the construction of U.S. built ships, authorizing a yearly appropriation of $250M through 2035. Section 521 creates a maritime innovation program to advance and accelerate research and development for new technologies and manufacturing processes for the maritime industry. 

    “I’m a proud Navy guy who thinks we ought to make more stuff in America,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I believe we can build up our industrial might for the 21st century, and that means our government needs to do a better job at supporting and funding research and development of new technologies that will give us the competitive edge over countries like China. The shipbuilding Executive Order is a good first step, but we need to do more. I am glad the core components of my Shipbuilding Innovation Act are included in the SHIPS Act.” 

    Over the last 20 years, China’s aggressive shipbuilding subsidies and unfair trade practices—along with American inaction—have made it impossible for the United States to keep up. This has resulted in a massive difference in industrial capacity: China is now capable of producing over 1,000 ocean-going vessels a year, while the United States currently produces fewer than ten. Maritime power is critical to our prosperity and to global peace, which requires staying on the cutting edge of this sector—in both the defense and commercial maritime markets.   

    Congressman Deluzio testified before the U.S Trade Representative in March, where he expressed support of the Section 301 petition initiated by USW, IAM, and other unions seeking to hold China accountable for unlawful and anticompetitive domination of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding sectors.  

    President Donald Trump issued an executive order on April 9, 2025, titled “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.” Its goal is to lay down a foundation for a government-wide effort to revitalize America’s shipbuilding and maritime industries. This executive order aims to promote national security and economic prosperity through significant federal investment in the maritime industrial base and the recruitment, training, and retention of the maritime workforce  

    The bipartisan and bicameral SHIPS Act legislative package introduced last month takes a comprehensive approach to growing America’s shipbuilding industry and Merchant Marines. Along with including Congressman Deluzio’s Shipbuilding Innovation Act, it establishes national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy and will make U.S.-flagged vessels commercially competitive in international commerce, rebuild the U.S. shipyard industrial base, and expand and strengthen mariner and shipyard worker recruitment, training, and retention.  

    Congressman Deluzio is the co-author of the “Make Stuff Here” Agenda, which focuses on supercharging America’s domestic manufacturing, including ending lousy trade deals and boosting domestic manufacturing.  

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smith, Feenstra Urge USTR to Improve Market Access for U.S. Agricultural Products in India

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

    Washington, DC — Last week, Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) led a letter to United States Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer urging improved market access for American agricultural exports – specifically U.S. ethanol, distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) – in India. 

    In their letter, the lawmakers wrote:

    India has publicly expressed its willingness to proceed in high-volume agricultural trade negotiations with the U.S., increasing demand for American farmers. The long-term demand opportunity for DDGS alone could be two million metric tons per year valued at $500 million, which would turn into the second largest export market (behind Mexico). For ethanol, India is already our 3rd largest export destination at 170 million gallons valued at $393 million, however further reducing existing market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. We are encouraged that the United States and India have been making rapid progress so far in negotiations on reciprocal trade, and are hopeful that farmers throughout the United States can benefit from results in the near future related to exports to India of DDGS and SBM, which comply with its strict non-GMO import restrictions.

    President Trump’s America First agenda includes increasing exports of U.S. agriculture products to reduce the trade deficit. Each year, American farmers continue to increase yield per acre with fewer inputs. Since 2010, corn and soybean production have increased by 20 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, commodity prices have dropped by over 30 percent in the past three years, intensifying the need to expand export markets to keep up with increasing supplies. We believe U.S. Ethanol, DDGS, and SBM exports to India represents an easy win for American farmers and will be a terrific way to begin addressing the federal trade deficit through mutually beneficial trade with India.

    The letter is supported by the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Soybean Association.

    This comes as historic advances are made in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with India, the framework of which was announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and USTR in April. Further, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is slated to travel to India, among other countries, this year in efforts to continue discussions to open new markets for agricultural exports.

    Read the full letter here.

    Additional members who signed the letter include: Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Tony Wied (R-WI), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), Ron Estes (R-KS), Mike Carey (R-OH), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Max Miller (R-OH), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Brad Finstad (R-MN), and Mark Messmer (R-IN)

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming Departs from Post

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming announced Tuesday that she has resigned as the head prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri.

    “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the last four and a half years,” Ms. Fleming said. “As a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri, I have had the great fortune of working with some of the most dedicated law enforcement professionals in the country, and I am extremely grateful for the sacrifices they make every day for our safety. They are truly heroes, and it has been an honor to have worked alongside them. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in St. Louis has for years had an excellent reputation within the Department of Justice, which is a testament to the integrity of the committed and hard-working staff. I think they are the best in the country. I would also like to thank our partners in the business community and among religious and community organizations, who were invaluable in our efforts, including the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative,” Ms. Fleming said. “I will dearly miss this job and the people with whom I have worked.”

    Ms. Fleming was appointed by then-Attorney General William P. Barr on December 11, 2020, during the first administration of President Donald J. Trump. She assumed office on December 31, 2020.

    The Eastern District of Missouri leads the nation in gun prosecutions, including carjackers, armed robbers and murderers. Under Ms. Fleming’s leadership, St. Louis became one of a handful of cities in the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative, targeting the ‘worst of the worst’ violent offenders. After former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner resigned in May of 2023, Ms. Fleming signed an agreement that allowed assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute murder cases in St. Louis and assist that office while they made hires to replace a depleted staff. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had long been handling many violent crimes that occurred in St. Louis.

    Ms. Fleming’s prosecutors also trained local and state law enforcement in the investigation of fatal drug overdoses and the possession and sale of machine gun conversion devices. Prosecutors also trained other U.S. Attorney’s offices on how to prosecute juveniles who commit murders during carjackings or robberies.

    Ms. Fleming, who co-chaired the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Working Group, increased the number of prosecutors handling the child exploitation cases to help keep our children safer.

    “United States Attorney Sayler Fleming has been a tremendous law enforcement partner. Under her leadership over the years, our offices have been in lockstep in our efforts to protect our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The FBI cannot effectively accomplish our mission without the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The people of Eastern Missouri are safer thanks to her proactive and aggressive approach to prioritizing fighting violent crime.”

    “U.S. Attorney Fleming made a definitive impact, for the betterment of our communities, in the Eastern District of Missouri,” Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said. “We’re grateful for her partnership over these past 15 years as we worked together to remove violent drug traffickers from our region.  On behalf of the DEA St. Louis Division, I want to thank U.S. Attorney Fleming for her dedicated service and wish her continued success in the future.”

    “We extend our sincere gratitude to U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for her steadfast leadership and unwavering commitment to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Her dedication to combating violent crime and fostering strong partnerships with federal agencies like the ATF has made a lasting impact on public safety throughout the Eastern District of Missouri and beyond. Her service exemplifies integrity, diligence, and the highest standards of public duty.”

    “Sayler Fleming was instrumental in facilitating cooperation between law enforcement agencies and helping to fight crime,” said Mark A. Mossotti, Chief of the Bridgeton Police Department and Chairman of the St. Louis Area Police Chiefs Association. “We have many police departments in the St. Louis area and she was just phenomenal in working with every single one of them.”

    “U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming has been a dedicated partner to the St. Louis region and the law enforcement community,” said St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Tracy. “She has played a key role in SLMPD’s mission to reduce violent crime through her office and leadership.”

    “On behalf of the St. Louis County Police Department, I extend my deepest thanks to U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming for her unwavering commitment to justice. Your leadership has left a lasting mark, and we wish you all the best,” said St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory.

    Ms. Fleming joined the office in August of 2010 from the Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner law firm. She had extensive experience prosecuting and supervising violent crime cases and was the office’s Appellate Chief before becoming U.S. Attorney.

    Ms. Fleming grew up in Charleston, Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Accountancy from Mississippi State University and her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

    Ms. Fleming concluded her service at midnight on Friday to make way for the next U.S. Attorney. Former First Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake will now assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney. U.S. Attorney Drake joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002 in the National Security Unit. He earned his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Missouri.

    The Eastern District of Missouri includes 49 counties and is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW STUDY: Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Cause Over 51,000 Additional Americans to Die Each Year

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    WASHINGTON, June 3 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response to new calculations from Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania finding that more than 51,000 additional Americans will die each year if Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” is signed into law. 

    “Let’s be clear. The Republican reconciliation bill which makes massive cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for huge tax breaks for billionaires is not just bad public policy. It is not just immoral. It is a death sentence for struggling Americans,” Sanders said. “If this bill becomes law, more than 51,000 Americans will die unnecessarily each and every year. That’s not Bernie Sanders talking. That is precisely what experts at Yale and the University of Pennsylvania have found. In other words, when you throw 13.7 million Americans off the health care they have as the CBO has estimated, when you increase the cost of prescription drugs for low-income seniors, and when you make nursing homes throughout America less safe, not only will some of the most vulnerable people throughout our country suffer, but tens of thousands will die. We cannot allow that to happen.” 

    Sanders was responding to projections on the mortality implications of the Republican reconciliation bill he received in a letter today from the Yale School of Public Health and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. The letter estimates that if the Republican reconciliation bill is signed into law, over 51,000 people will die annually. 

    The estimate from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania is based on the annual impact of four policies included in the Republican reconciliation bill:

    • 11,300 more Americans will die as a result of working people losing health coverage from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA);
    • 18,200 more Americans will die as a result of low-income seniors losing subsidies that reduce their prescription drug costs;
    • 13,000 more Americans will die as a result of the elimination of safe staffing requirements in nursing homes; and
    • 8,811 more Americans will die as a result of the failure to extend tax credits for ACA coverage.

    Sanders concluded: “In the wealthiest country in the world, we should be guaranteeing health care to all as a human right, not taking health care away from millions of seniors and working families to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. As the Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I will be doing everything that I can to see that this disastrous bill is defeated.” 

    Read the letter from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania here. 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra, Smith Lead Letter Urging U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to Prioritize Improved Market Access for American Agricultural Exports in India

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) led a letter to U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Representative urging improved market access for American agricultural exports – specifically U.S. ethanol, distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) – in India. 

    In their letter, the lawmakers write that “India has publicly expressed its willingness to proceed in high-volume agricultural trade negotiations with the U.S., increasing demand for American farmers. The long-term demand opportunity for DDGS alone could be two million metric tons per year valued at $500 million, which would turn into the second largest export market (behind Mexico). For ethanol, India is already our 3rd largest export destination at 170 million gallons valued at $393 million, however further reducing existing market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. We are encouraged that the United States and India have been making rapid progress so far in negotiations on reciprocal trade, and are hopeful that farmers throughout the United States can benefit from results in the near future related to exports to India of DDGS and SBM, which comply with its strict non-GMO import restrictions.”

    “President Trump’s America First agenda includes increasing exports of U.S. agriculture products to reduce the trade deficit. Each year, American farmers continue to increase yield per acre with fewer inputs. Since 2010, corn and soybean production have increased by 20 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, commodity prices have dropped by over 30 percent in the past three years, intensifying the need to expand export markets to keep up with increasing supplies. We believe U.S. Ethanol, DDGS, and SBM exports to India represents an easy win for American farmers and will be a terrific way to begin addressing the federal trade deficit through mutually beneficial trade with India,” the lawmakers added.

    The letter is supported by the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Soybean Association.

    This comes as historic advances are made in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with India, the framework of which was announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and USTR in April. Further, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is slated to travel to India, among other countries, this year in efforts to continue discussions to open new markets for agricultural exports. 

    The full letter can be found HERE.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI: Bitcoin Solaris Launches Solaris Nova App, Bringing Mobile Mining to the Masses

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TALLINN, Estonia, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The future of personal finance just got a major upgrade. Bitcoin Solaris has officially launched Solaris Nova App Beta Testing for a selected group of users, a mobile-first crypto mining platform that enables anyone with a smartphone to start earning BTC-S tokens with just a tap.

    The app rollout comes at a time when accessibility and energy efficiency in crypto are more important than ever. By eliminating the need for expensive hardware or technical expertise, Solaris Nova is redefining what mining looks like in the decentralized era.

    A Phone-Based Wealth Engine

    The Solaris Nova App delivers a seamless mining experience across Android, iOS, Windows, and browser platforms. Users can begin mining BTC-S immediately through a simple interface—no ASICs, no rigs, just a smartphone and a desire to participate.

    Key features include:

    • One-click mining with adaptive performance controls
    • Integrated BTC-S wallet
    • Energy-efficiency mode for prolonged battery life
    • Cross-platform support (Android, iOS, Windows, Web)
    • Interactive tutorials for first-time users

    “Solaris Nova makes financial empowerment as easy as opening an app,” said a Bitcoin Solaris spokesperson. “We’re giving users the tools to participate in a decentralized economy—no barriers, no gatekeepers.”

    Mining for Everyone

    The BTC-S Universal Mining model is built for inclusivity. Whether using a low-budget phone or a high-performance PC, Solaris’s optimization engine ensures equitable mining access. The system is designed to foster:

    • Broader decentralization
    • Expanded global reach, including underserved regions
    • Enhanced network security
    • A sustainable mining footprint with 99.95% less energy consumption than traditional models

    The Future of DeFi Doesn’t Run on Hype—It Runs on BTC-S

    And because Bitcoin Solaris uses a hybrid PoW + DPoS consensus, it achieves lightning-fast speeds of up to 100,000 TPS with 2-second finality, while keeping the network both secure and scalable.

    Engineered for Speed and Scale

    Bitcoin Solaris uses a hybrid PoW + DPoS consensus mechanism to deliver lightning-fast transaction speeds—up to 100,000 TPS with 2-second finality—while remaining scalable, secure, and environmentally conscious.

    Core architecture highlights:

    • SHA-256 PoW base for security and miner compatibility
    • DPoS governance layer for rapid confirmation and energy efficiency
    • Daily rotating validators with performance-based slashing
    • Optional zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for privacy
    • Support for smart contracts, tokenization, and DAOs

    This structure allows Bitcoin Solaris to support smart contracts, tokenized assets, DAOs, and more, all running with virtually no friction.

    Reward Model That Works for Everyone

    Bitcoin Solaris’s reward system ensures fair distribution across all participants:

    • 40% to miners
    • 25% to validators
    • 20% to stakers
    • 10% to developers
    • 5% to community initiatives

    Earnings are further optimized through a Contribution Score, which accounts for session time, device type, task complexity, and real-time network demand.

    Why the Presale Is Exploding

    With only around 8 weeks left, the Bitcoin Solaris presale is gaining massive momentum. The current price is $6, set to jump to $7 in the next phase, and then to a $20 launch price. Backed by over 11,000 users and more than $1.8 million raised, it’s being called one of the shortest and most explosive presales in the market.

    It’s no surprise influencers are taking notice. A detailed review by Crypto Legends breaks down why this project is drawing hype from every corner of the Web3 space.

    Final Thoughts: Don’t Watch History—Mine It

    Bitcoin Solaris isn’t just keeping up with the shift toward decentralized finance—it’s leading the charge. With a mobile-first approach, elite performance metrics, and a structure aligned with upcoming regulation and global adoption, it’s more than a coin. It’s a movement.

    President Trump’s executive order is about control and positioning. But your response doesn’t have to be passive. Bitcoin Solaris gives you a way to act—to mine, earn, and build your future—without needing permission.

    For more information:

    Websitehttps://www.bitcoinsolaris.com/
    Telegramhttps://t.me/Bitcoinsolaris
    X: https://x.com/BitcoinSolaris

    Media Contact
    Xander Levine
    press@bitcoinsolaris.com
    Press Kit: Available upon request

    Disclaimer: This is a paid post and is provided by Bitcoin Solaris. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility.Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page.

    Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an “as-is” basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above.

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4762d5d7-71f1-4ecd-84ce-d963ff74876b

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cda13480-fed7-45f1-8abd-7372e262946b

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1df0a7be-4766-4454-9061-7bd745200dbe

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b56611eb-ee69-4834-9e85-110e30998878

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Statement Blasting Trump Budget Cuts to Election Security

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
    While continuing 2020 election denial and conspiracy theories, Trump guts state and local election assistance and cybersecurity funding
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, issued the following statement criticizing the Trump Administration’s budget request that proposes a devastating 40 percent cut to the Election Assistance Commission and the complete elimination of all of its Election Security Grants funding to support state election administration as well as a dangerous 18 percent cut to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the complete elimination of its $40 million Election Security Program. The CISA cuts undermine state and local governments’ ability to fight back against election-related cyber threats and attempted mis- and disinformation. The Trump Administration’s budget also proposes a harmful 14 percent cut to the Federal Election Commission that regulates federal election campaign spending.
    “In today’s threat environment, foreign actors are constantly looking for opportunities to interfere in our elections, and state and local elections offices need cybersecurity funding and support more than ever. It is reckless for President Trump to seek to eliminate federal election assistance while continuing to spread the ‘Big Lie,’ falsely claiming he won the 2020 election, including in the State of California, where he lost three times. Instead of promoting conspiracy theories and relitigating his election losses, the Trump Administration should work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to ensure the 2026 and 2028 elections are readily accessible to all eligible voters and secure from attacks and interference.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Shaheen, Hassan and Congresswoman Goodlander Hear from AmeriCorps Members Facing Trump Administration Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    MANCHESTER – On Monday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander discussed with New Hampshire AmeriCorps members and program directors the importance of national service for both members and their communities, as well as the implications of the Trump Administration’s reckless cuts to AmeriCorps. Members of the Congressional Delegation heard directly from members whose programs have been terminated entirely and from members whose programs are facing budget uncertainty. 
    “Bringing young people together—putting ideology and partisanship aside—to work for our country and our communities is in everybody’s interest, and that’s exactly what AmeriCorps volunteers have done for decades,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s shameful to see the Trump administration making cuts to this bipartisan program that, as we heard at yesterday’s roundtable, continues to fill critical service gaps across the Granite State and gives young people an opportunity to serve their country. How does this save taxpayers money or make our government more efficient?”
    “AmeriCorps members serve our communities and represent the best of New Hampshire, and I was grateful to join them yesterday morning to hear firsthand about the work that they do across our state,” said Senator Hassan. “I remain deeply concerned about the Trump Administration’s arbitrary actions to gut funding and fire the staff that make AmeriCorps possible. These reckless cuts are hurting our communities at a time when we should be supporting national service programs that help people make a difference across our state.”   
    “For decades, Republicans and Democrats have supported and defended AmeriCorps because this truly American program gets important things done for the people of New Hampshire — from our public schools to our public parks to the homes of seniors across our state who rely on AmeriCorps as a lifeline,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “I will continue working with AmeriCorps members and partners from across New Hampshire to use every tool – including tireless advocacy, litigation, and legislation – to defend AmeriCorps today and for generations to come. We will not give up.” 
    Senator Hassan has been voicing her opposition to President Trump’s funding cuts that will harm students, educators, and families across New Hampshire. Last month, Senator Hassan and Congresswoman Goodlander met with educators and school officials in Manchester to discuss the importance of the Department of Education for students and the impact of the Trump Administration’s attacks on public education.
    Last month, Senator Shaheen joined a bipartisan group of 33 former Governors to file an amicus brief in support of the states challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt dismantling of AmeriCorps. She also joined an April bicameral letter to the President expressing opposition to these cuts and urging the Administration to reverse course.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Colleagues Fight to Help Home Renters Continue Receiving Emergency Assistance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), with a bicameral group of his House and Senate colleagues, is calling on Congressional Appropriations leadership to include enough funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program as part of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding legislation. Tens of thousands of Americans depend on this vital program for safe, stable, and affordable housing. The letter comes as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in March that the program will soon run out of money due largely to rents rising at the fastest pace in decades.
    “[Public Housing Agencies] in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve,” wrote the lawmakers. “Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.”
    “The EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness,” continued the lawmakers. “At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties.”
    As of April, this critical program supports 107,000 individuals who are mostly children under five years old, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and domestic violence survivors. Support for the program is especially important as the Trump Administration cuts vital HUD funding and support staff. The EHV program was established in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan. Congress originally authorized $5 billion in funding for 70,000 vouchers through September 2030, with increased flexibilities for public housing authorities that made the program more successful than typical housing vouchers.
    Senator King has long been committed to ensuring Maine people across the state can access safe and affordable housing, as well as working with his colleagues on creative solutions to combat the housing shortage. He recently introduced the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country — including thousands in Maine. Earlier this year, he introduced the bipartisan Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act to expand existing grant program so rural homeowners can create more housing on their property and help ease housing shortfall.
    The full text of the letter is available here and below. 
    +++
    Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chair Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn:
    As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you include funding to ensure that the nearly 60,000 households who are currently being served by the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program do not fall into homelessness.
    During the pandemic, Congress appropriated $5 billion in mandatory funding for the EHV program to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking, access safe, stable and affordable housing during a moment of crisis.
    Since 2021, the success of the EHV program and its design, which includes critical administrative flexibilities that are responsive to a tumultuous housing market, cannot be overstated. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that EHVs are leasing at a rate faster than any previous housing voucher program within HUD and drove unprecedented collaboration among public housing agencies (PHAs), homeless services organizations, and victim services organizations to provide rapid and effective housing assistance to vulnerable populations. PHAs in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve. Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.
    We understand that the Subcommittee must make difficult decisions. However, the EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued support for the most vulnerable Americans.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch, Whitehouse Slam Republicans’ Subcommittee Hearing Attacking an Independent Judiciary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, today released the following statement ahead of a joint Judiciary subcommittee hearing designed to attack district judges and undermine America’s independent judiciary: 
    “Today’s hearing will not be on the level, and it’s important that the public and press do not put falsehoods and rhetoric before the facts. This is not a policy debate—this is yet another Republican attack on an independent judiciary.  
    “Let’s be clear: The reason district judges have enjoined the Trump Administration’s orders is because of unprecedented unlawfulness, not unprecedented judicial behavior. Our colleagues across the aisle are making it clear they are willing to help do Trump’s bidding and protect his unlawful activity at any cost. Republicans can either defend the rule of law and the judiciary, or defend this administration’s agenda and lies—but they cannot do both.” 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Global: Uncertainty at NASA − Trump withdraws his nominee for administrator while the agency faces a steep proposed budget cut

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University

    The vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. AP Photo/Marta Lavandier

    Over the past several days, NASA’s ambitious space exploration plans have experienced major setbacks. First, on May 30, 2025, newly released budget documents revealed the extent of the significant budget and personnel cuts proposed by the Trump administration. Then, just a day later, President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator just days before an expected confirmation vote.

    From my perspective as a space policy expert, these events signal problems ahead for a space agency that now faces stiff competition in space exploration from the commercial sector. Without a leader and facing a fight over its budget, NASA faces an uncertain future, both in the months ahead and longer term.

    Budget problems

    When the Trump administration released a preview of its budget proposal in early May, it was clear that NASA was facing significant cuts.

    After receiving US$24.9 billion for 2025, the president’s proposal would allot NASA $18.8 billion in 2026. After accounting for inflation, this amount would represent NASA’s smallest budget since 1961.

    Space science programs are one of the largest targets of the proposed budget cuts, seeing an almost 50% reduction, to just $3.9 billion. Specific programs targeted for elimination include the Mars Sample Return mission, the currently operating Mars Odyssey and MAVEN missions around Mars, and several missions to Venus.

    Several ongoing and proposed astrophysics programs, including the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, would also end if the proposed budget passes.

    NASA’s human spaceflight programs also face potential cuts. The budget proposes canceling the Space Launch System, the Orion crew vehicle and the Lunar Gateway following the Artemis III mission.

    Artemis III, planned for 2027, would be the first crewed flight back to the lunar surface since 1972. The mission would use the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew vehicle to get there. The proposed Lunar Gateway, a mini-space station in lunar orbit, would be abandoned entirely.

    Instead, the budget proposes to establish a Commercial Moon to Mars program. Under this initiative, NASA would utilize commercial systems such as Blue Origin’s New Glenn and SpaceX’s Starship to put Americans on the Moon and Mars.

    Several Mars missions, including the Mars Sample Return, MAVEN and Mars Odyssey, would be canceled under the proposed budget. It would instead establish a program to work with commercial partners to put humans on the red planet.
    NASA, ESA, Zolt G. Levay (STScI)

    A smaller budget also means a smaller NASA workforce. The budget proposal suggests that the number of NASA employees would be reduced by one-third, from more than 17,000 to 11,853.

    Advocates for space science and exploration have criticized the cuts. The Planetary Society has stated that these cuts to space science represent an “extinction level event” that would all but end NASA’s ability to perform meaningful science.

    Democrats in Congress were also quick to push back on the proposed cuts, arguing that they would hamper the U.S.’s ability to carry out its missions.

    The budget documents released so far are just proposals. Congress must make the final decisions on how much money NASA gets and which programs are funded. While this might be good news for NASA funding, my research has shown that Congress rarely appropriates more money for NASA than the president requests.

    Leadership challenges

    The release of the president’s proposed budget was followed with the news that the president would withdraw his nomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA’s administrator.

    Jared Isaacman, the former nominee for NASA administrator, is a businessman who has been to space on several commercial flights.
    AP Photo/John Raoux, File

    In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”

    Like the budget proposal, news of Isaacman’s withdrawal has also hit the space community hard. Following his nomination, Isaacman won the support of many in the space industry and in government. His confirmation hearing in April was largely uncontentious, with support from both Republicans and Democrats.

    NASA will now need to wait for the president to make a new choice for NASA administrator. That person will then need to go through the same process as Isaacman, with a hearing in the Senate and several votes.

    Given the amount of time it takes for nominations to make their way through the Senate, NASA is likely to face several more months without a confirmed administrator. This absence will come while many of its programs will be fighting for money and their existence.

    The months ahead

    Like many federal agencies right now, NASA faces a tumultuous future. Budgetary and leadership challenges might be the immediate problem, but NASA’s long-term future is potentially rocky as well.

    Since its founding, NASA’s mission has been largely centered on sending humans to space.

    If that role shifts to commercial companies, NASA will need to grapple with what its identity and mission is going forward.

    History provides some insight. One of NASA’s forerunners, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, largely focused on advanced research and development of aeronautical technologies. For instance, NACA researched things such as proper engine placement on airliners as well as advances that helped air flow more efficiently over those engines.

    A new NASA that’s more similar to NACA might continue research into nuclear engines or other advanced space technology that may contribute to the work commercial space companies are already doing.

    Choices made by the Trump administration and Congress in the coming months will likely shape what NASA will look like in the years to come. Until then, NASA, like many government organizations, faces a period of uncertainty about its future.

    Wendy N. Whitman Cobb is affiliated with the US School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Her views are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.

    ref. Uncertainty at NASA − Trump withdraws his nominee for administrator while the agency faces a steep proposed budget cut – https://theconversation.com/uncertainty-at-nasa-trump-withdraws-his-nominee-for-administrator-while-the-agency-faces-a-steep-proposed-budget-cut-258032

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Bannockburn: Ministers must take same approach to protect Loch Lomond

    Source: Scottish Greens

    The Scottish Government must drop the hypocrisy and end Flamingo Land’s destructive mega-resort plans.

    Scottish Government Ministers have used their power to reject a planning application for a horse racing track on the site of the battle of Bannockburn, just days after refusing to do the same with the destructive Flamingo Land mega-resort development at Loch Lomond.

    The Scottish Greens have welcomed the decision to throw out proposals to build a racing track on one of Scotland’s most important historic sites, but have pointed out the hypocrisy from Scottish Government Ministers who last week refused to step in and reject Flamingo Land’s sprawling resort plans for another world-famous location.

    In response to a question about the Loch Lomond application on 22nd May, Planning Minister Ivan Mckee said: “Given the very technical planning issues that are raised in this case and the high level of public interest, I consider that it is appropriate that objective planning judgment is applied. For that reason, I do not intend to recall this appeal.”

    First Minister John Swinney has also refused calls for him to recall and reject the application made by the Scottish Greens, conservation groups and Balloch residents.

    Flamingo Land’s plans had been rejected by the board of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park last September following objections being lodged by the Woodland Trust, Ramblers, National Trust for Scotland, national environment watchdog SEPA and by a record 155,000 objectors, in a campaign spear-headed by Green MSP Ross Greer.

    The Yorkshire theme park operator made an appeal against this decision and two weeks ago a Scottish Government official upheld the appeal, granting permission for the mega-resort to go ahead.

    SNP Ministers have used their powers over the planning process on a number of previous occasions, including to force through the construction of Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course despite it initially being rejected by the local council and strongly opposed by local residents.

    Mr Greer said:

    “Whilst the Bannockburn decision is welcome, it reeks of hypocrisy from a Scottish Government who just last week refused to do the same with Flamingo Land’s destructive plans. That’s despite their damaging mega-resort being at the gateway to our world famous National Park.

    “The Planning Minister needs to explain why he was willing to protect Bannockburn, but not the incredible natural heritage of Loch Lomond.

    “Over 50,000 people have now written to Ivan McKee, calling on him to recall and reject the Flamingo Land development. It’s time for the SNP to stand up for Scotland’s incredible natural heritage, rather than cave in to a greedy theme park operator.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Global: Autocrats don’t act like Hitler or Stalin anymore − instead of governing with violence, they use manipulation

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Daniel Treisman, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles

    Autocrats today tend to govern by manipulation of the public, among other tactics, rather than solely using violence. Nanzeeba Ibnat/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    President Donald Trump’s critics often accuse him of harboring authoritarian ambitions. Journalists and scholars have drawn parallels between his leadership style and that of strongmen abroad. Some Democrats warn that the U.S. is sliding toward autocracy – a system in which one leader holds unchecked power.

    Others counter that labeling Trump an autocrat is alarmist. After all, he hasn’t suspended the Constitution, forced school children to memorize his sayings or executed his rivals, as dictators such as Augusto Pinochet, Mao Zedong and Saddam Hussein once did.

    But modern autocrats don’t always resemble their 20th-century predecessors.

    Instead, they project a polished image, avoid overt violence and speak the language of democracy. They wear suits, hold elections and talk about the will of the people. Rather than terrorizing citizens, many use media control and messaging to shape public opinion and promote nationalist narratives. Many gain power not through military coups but at the ballot box.

    The softer power of today’s autocrats

    In the early 2000s, political scientist Andreas Schedler coined the term “electoral authoritarianism” to describe regimes that hold elections without real competition. Scholars Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way use another phrase, “competitive authoritarianism,” for systems in which opposition parties exist but leaders undermine them through censorship, electoral fraud or legal manipulation.

    In my own work with economist Sergei Guriev, we explore a broader strategy that modern autocrats use to gain and maintain power. We call this “informational autocracy” or “spin dictatorship.”

    These leaders don’t rely on violent repression. Instead, they craft the illusion that they are competent, democratic defenders of the nation – protecting it from foreign threats or internal enemies who seek to undermine its culture or steal its wealth.

    President Donald Trump appears at an Air Force base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15, 2025.
    Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Hungary’s democratic facade

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán exemplifies this approach. He first served from 1998 to 2002, returned to power in 2010 and has since won three more elections – in 2014, 2018 and 2022 – after campaigns that international observers criticized as “intimidating and xenophobic.”

    Orbán has preserved the formal structures of democracy – courts, a parliament and regular elections – but has systematically hollowed them out.

    In his first two years he packed Hungary’s constitutional court, which reviews laws for constitutionality, with loyalists, forced judges off the bench by mandating a lower retirement age and rewrote the constitution to limit judicial review of his actions. He also tightened government control over independent media.

    To boost his image, Orbán funneled state advertising funds to friendly news outlets. In 2016, an ally bought Hungary’s largest opposition newspaper – then shut it down.

    Orbán has also targeted advocacy groups and universities. The Central European University, which was registered in both Budapest and the U.S., was once a symbol of the new democratic Hungary. But a law penalizing foreign-accredited institutions forced it to relocate to Vienna in 2020.

    Yet Orbán has mostly avoided violence. Journalists are harassed rather than jailed or killed. Critics are discredited for their beliefs but not abducted. His appeal rests on a narrative that Hungary is under siege – by immigrants, liberal elites and foreign influences – and that only he can defend its sovereignty and Christian identity. That message resonates with older, rural, conservative voters, even as it alienates younger, urban populations.

    A global shift in autocrats

    In recent decades, variants of spin dictatorship have appeared in Singapore, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Leaders such as Hugo Chávez and the early Vladimir Putin consolidated power and marginalized opposition with minimal violence.

    Data confirm this trend. Drawing from human rights reports, historical records and local media, my colleague Sergei Guriev and I found that the global incidence of political killings and imprisonments by autocrats dropped significantly from the 1980s to the 2010s.

    Why? In an interconnected world, overt repression has costs. Attacking journalists and dissidents can prompt foreign governments to impose economic sanctions and discourage international companies from investing. Curbing free expression risks stifling scientific and technological innovation – something even autocrats need in modern, knowledge-based economies.

    Still, when crises erupt, even spin dictators often revert to more traditional tactics. Russia’s Putin has cracked down violently on
    protesters and jailed opposition leaders. Meanwhile, more brutal regimes such as those in North Korea and China continue to rule by spreading fear, combining mass incarceration with advanced surveillance technologies.

    But overall, spin is replacing terror.

    America too?

    Most experts, myself included, agree that the U.S. remains a democracy.

    Yet some of Trump’s tactics resemble those of informational autocrats. He has attacked the press, defied court rulings and pressured universities to curtail academic independence and limit international admissions. His admiration for strongmen such as Putin, China’s Xi Jinping and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele alarms observers. At the same time, Trump routinely denigrates democratic allies and international institutions such as the United Nations and NATO.

    Some experts say democracy depends on politicians’ self restraint. But a system that survives only if leaders choose to respect its limits is not much of a system at all.
    What matters more is whether the press, judiciary, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, churches, unions, universities and citizens have the power – and the will – to hold leaders accountable.

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivers a speech at a hotel in Madrid on Feb. 8, 2025.
    Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images

    Preserving democracy in the US

    Wealthy democracies such as the U.S., Canada and many Western European countries benefit from robust institutions such as newspapers, universities, courts and advocacy groups that act as checks on government.

    Such institutions help explain why populists such as Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi or Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, although accused of bending electoral rules and threatening judicial independence, have not dismantled democracy outright in their countries.

    In the U.S., the Constitution provides another layer of protection. Amending it requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of the states – a far steeper hurdle than in Hungary, where Orbán needed only a two-thirds parliamentary majority to rewrite the constitution.

    Of course, even the U.S. Constitution can be undermined if a president defies the Supreme Court. But doing so risks igniting a constitutional crisis and alienating key supporters.

    That doesn’t mean American democracy is safe from erosion. But its institutional foundations are older, deeper and more decentralized than those of many newer democracies. Its federal structure, with overlapping jurisdictions and multiple veto points, makes it harder for any one leader to dominate.

    Still, the global rise of spin dictatorships should sharpen awareness of what is happening in the U.S. Around the world, autocrats have learned to control their citizens by faking democracy. Understanding their techniques may help Americans to preserve the real thing.

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

    ref. Autocrats don’t act like Hitler or Stalin anymore − instead of governing with violence, they use manipulation – https://theconversation.com/autocrats-dont-act-like-hitler-or-stalin-anymore-instead-of-governing-with-violence-they-use-manipulation-256665

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Kennedy Visits ORR

    Source: United States of America – Federal Government Departments (video statements)

    “ORR is fiercely devoted to locating the 291,000 children that disappeared during the Biden Administration. The most sacred duty we have is to protect our children and that’s part of the greater drive of the Trump Administration—to restore the moral authority of our country.” – Secretary Kennedy

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | http://www.hhs.gov

    http://www.Twitter.com/HHSGov | http://www.Facebook.com/HHS http://www.Instagram.com/HHSGov
    http://www.LinkedIn.com/company/us-department-of-health-and-human-services

    HHS Privacy Policy: http://www.hhs.gov/Privacy.html

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J8_5WAPa_I

    MIL OSI Video

  • MIL-OSI: Greenbacker delivers first quarter results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Company announces year-over-year increases in IPP revenue, power production, and generation capacity in its operating fleet, as well as construction milestones on largest solar project in New York

    Key Takeaways

    • Against a backdrop of trade policy driven volatility, Greenbacker’s proactive approach to tariff risk management delivered $19 million cost savings on 1 GW solar module order.
    • Company continued construction on largest solar project in New York State to date; the 674 MW Cider solar farm—also GREC’s largest to date—is expected to reach commercial operation in late 2026, generating 1 billion kWh of power in first year of operation.
    • Wind and solar PPA revenue increased 17% year-over-year to $39 million, driving total first-quarter operating revenue of $48 million.
    • Power production increased 14% across combined wind and solar fleets, year-over-year, generating 676 million kWh of power in the first quarter.
    • Operating fleet expanded 3% year-over-year, representing 41 MW of additional total generation capacity, as Company brought online over a dozen new assets.
    • Greenbacker’s assets contributed to a more resilient U.S. clean energy system, delivering homegrown power, driving decarbonization, and supporting the domestic economy.

    NEW YORK, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC (“Greenbacker,” “GREC,” or the “Company”), an energy transition-focused investment manager and independent power producer (“IPP”), has announced financial results for the first quarter of 2025, including year-over-year increases in revenue, operating capacity, and clean energy generation.1

    Greenbacker’s proactive approach to tariff risk management delivered $19 million cost savings

    Greenbacker’s proactive approach to managing exposure to tariff risk continued to deliver measurable results for investors. In late 2024, the Company’s procurement team secured a 1 gigawatt (“GW”) order with one of the world’s largest suppliers of solar modules for use in the construction of assets across its sustainable infrastructure portfolio—including the 674 MW Cider solar farm, Greenbacker’s largest clean energy project to date. As part of the agreement, Greenbacker was able to lock in its access to 1 GW of panels while limiting or eliminating risk on future tariff exposure.

    This forward-looking contract structure when procuring over 960,000 solar modules proved its value through the first quarter of 2025, as financial markets and the energy transition asset class experienced increased volatility driven by uncertainty around the Trump administration’s tariff regime.2

    As of March 31, 2025, the contract generated approximately $19 million in cost savings for Greenbacker, helping to protect returns by ensuring predictable pricing for a substantial volume of critical solar equipment.

    “Greenbacker and other clean energy industry participants have been successfully navigating the evolving trade landscape for over a decade,” said Dan de Boer, Greenbacker’s interim CEO. “The steps we’ve taken to mitigate tariff-related risk across our portfolio deliver results, protect returns, and add stability to our investment platform. This disciplined approach is a core part of how we create long-term value for our investors.”

    Company continued construction on 674 MW Cider solar project, projected to be largest solar farm in New York State when completed in 2026

    After breaking ground on early construction activity late last year, Greenbacker’s utility-scale Cider project continued major construction activities in Genesee County, NY. When complete, Cider is expected to be the largest solar energy project in New York State, where Greenbacker is headquartered.

    This phase of construction centers on key civil and mechanical activities, such as beginning installation of steel pilings and solar module racking systems. Additional phases of construction are expected to ramp up by mid-summer, including installation of electrical wiring and high-voltage utility interconnection infrastructure.

    Over its operational lifespan, Cider is expected to generate approximately $100 million in revenue for local communities through property taxes, host community agreements, and tax benefits—funds that can be used to support critical services and infrastructure, including first responders, area roadways, and local schools. Cider’s construction is expected to support hundreds of clean energy jobs, driving both immediate and long-term economic impact across the region.

    Cider is slated to enter commercial operation in late 2026 and is expected to generate approximately 1 billion kWh of power in its first full year of operation. The project plans to utilize agrivoltaics (dual land use combining photovoltaic production with agricultural practices) as part of a more cost-effective, nature-based approach to vegetation management. Cider will initially host rotational sheep grazing on over 300 acres, with the potential to increase grazing acreage across the project’s operational lifetime.

    Wind and solar PPA revenue increased 17% year-over-year to $39 million, driving total operating revenue of $48 million; wind and solar power production increased 14%

    Greenbacker generated total operating revenue of $47.5 million within its IPP segment during the first quarter of 2025, reflecting strong performance from the Company’s core operating fleet. This was driven by an increase in revenue from Greenbacker’s long-term power purchase agreements (“PPAs”) across both its wind and solar fleets, which together generated $38.8 million—a 17% increase compared to the same period last year, or an additional $5.8 million of revenue.

    First-quarter net loss attributable to Greenbacker in 2025 was $(15.6) million and Adjusted EBTIDA3 was $14.4 million, representing year-over-year changes of 84% and 56%, respectively. The net loss reflected impairment charges resulting from deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, as well as depreciation and amortization, partially offset by a decrease in other operating expenses.

    While total operating revenue represented a 3% year-over-year decline—primarily due to the timing of Renewable Energy Credit (“REC”) revenue recognition in the first quarter of 2024 and the divestment of a non-core asset in April 2024—the underlying power production of Greenbacker’s core fleet remained strong. Notably, the non-core divestiture was a key driver of the Company’s year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA.

    On a year-over-year basis, GREC increased its operating fleet size by 3%, as of the end of the first quarter of 2025, resulting in a 41 MW increase in total operating power production capacity.4 This included placing over a dozen new solar energy assets into commercial operation. In total, GREC’s operating solar and wind portfolios delivered a combined year-over-year power production increase of 14%,5 generating over 676 million kWh of clean energy in the quarter—enough to power approximately 63,000 average U.S. homes for one year.6

             
    GREC Operating Fleet 1Q25 1Q24 YoY
    Increase
    (total)
    YoY
    Increase
    (%)
    Clean power produced by solar assets (MWh) 307,154 266,339 40,815 15%
    PPA revenue generated by solar assets ($M) $ 18.0 $15.3 $2.6 17%
    Clean power produced by wind assets (MWh) 368,957 325,406 43,551 13%
    PPA revenue generated by wind assets ($M) $ 20.8 $17.7 $3.1 18%
    Total clean power generated by wind and solar assets (MWh) 676,111 591,745 84,366 14%
    Total PPA operating revenue generated by wind and solar assets ($M) $ 38.8 $33.0 $5.8 17%
             

    Some figures may not add to stated totals due to rounding. Total clean power generated does not include power generated from the non-core biomass facility during first quarter of 2024, which GREC divested in April 2024, nor does it include assets in which the Company holds a preferred equity position.

    Long-term contracted cash flows with investment-grade counterparties

    As of March 31, 2025, approximately 93% of Greenbacker’s portfolio of assets7 were contracted to sell power to investment-grade counterparties across the most resilient parts of the U.S. economy—including utilities, municipalities, and corporations—under long-term PPAs. The portfolio had approximately 17.3 years of contracted, highly visible cash flows associated with these PPAs, providing a solid foundation to build additional future revenue streams.

    As of March 31, 2025, the Greenbacker operating fleet represented approximately 1.6 gigawatts of total clean power generation and storage capacity, spanning over 30 states, territories, districts and provinces.

    Building a more resilient clean energy future by delivering homegrown power, driving decarbonization, and supporting the domestic economy

    As of March 31, 2025, Greenbacker’s portfolio of energy assets had cumulatively produced more than 12 million MWh of power.8 This clean energy has abated over 8 million metric tons of carbon9 and conserved more than 8 billion gallons of water.10

    Greenbacker’s business operations have driven more than $170 million in spending with U.S.-based manufacturers and suppliers in that period, directly supporting American industry and strengthening domestic supply chains, while advancing homegrown energy deployment.

    To date, Greenbacker’s fleet of operating and pre-operating projects currently support, or are expected to support, thousands of green energy jobs.11

    Additional information regarding the Company’s impact can also be found in Greenbacker’s impact report.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Although Greenbacker believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Greenbacker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in its expectations.

    Private placements are speculative.
    For financial professionals and their accredited investors only. Not for inspection by, distribution to, or quotation to the general public. There are material risks associated with investing in alternative investments including financing risks, general economic risks, long hold periods, and potential loss of the entire investment principal. Potential cash flow, returns, and appreciation are not guaranteed. The shares offered are illiquid assets for which there is not expected to be any secondary market, nor is it expected that any will develop in the future. The ability to transfer shares is limited. Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, GREC has the discretion under certain circumstances to prohibit transfers of shares, or to refuse to consent to the admission of a transferee as a member. Securities offered through WealthForge Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Greenbacker Capital Management LLC and WealthForge Securities, LLC are separate entities.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    In addition to evaluating the Company’s performance on a U.S. GAAP basis, the Company utilizes certain non-GAAP financial measures to analyze the operating performance of our segments as well as our consolidated business. Each of these measures should not be considered in isolation from or as superior to or as a substitute for other financial measures determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, such as net income (loss) or operating income (loss). The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures to supplement its U.S. GAAP results in order to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting its operations.

    Adjusted EBITDA
    Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure, as well as for internal planning purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to management and investors in providing a measure of core financial performance adjusted to allow for comparisons of results of operations across reporting periods on a consistent basis, as it includes adjustments relating to items that are not indicative on the ongoing operating performance of the business.

    Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure used by management that is not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation from or as superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Additionally, our calculations of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

    Funds From Operations (FFO)
    FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure to analyze net earnings from operations without the effects of certain non-recurring items that are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of the business. FFO is calculated using Adjusted EBITDA less the impact of interest expense (excluding the non-cash component) and distributions to tax equity investors under the financing facilities associated with our IPP segment. 

    The Company believes that the analysis and presentation of FFO will enhance our investor’s understanding of the ongoing performance of our operating business. The Company considers FFO, in addition to other GAAP and non-GAAP measures, in assessing operating performance and as a proxy for growth in distribution coverage over the long term.

    FFO should not be considered in isolation from or as a superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

    General Disclosure
    This information has been prepared solely for informational purposes and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security, or to participate in any trading or investment strategy. The information presented herein may involve Greenbacker’s views, estimates, assumptions, facts, and information from other sources that are believed to be accurate and reliable and are, as of the date this information is presented, subject to change without notice.

               
    GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (in thousands, except per share data)
     
      March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024
      (unaudited)      
    Assets          
    Current assets:          
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 103,237     $ 120,057  
    Restricted cash, current 31,949     38,403  
    Accounts receivable, net 28,033     27,103  
    Derivative assets, current 16,064     17,632  
    Other current assets 26,418     28,586  
    Total current assets 205,701     231,781  
    Noncurrent assets:          
    Restricted cash 2,131     3,128  
    Property, plant and equipment, net 2,280,196     2,232,486  
    Intangible assets, net 351,065     362,352  
    Investments, at fair value 75,196     74,136  
    Derivative assets 80,953     98,495  
    Other noncurrent assets 240,587     242,667  
    Total noncurrent assets 3,030,128     3,013,264  
    Total assets $ 3,235,829     $ 3,245,045  
    Liabilities, Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests and Equity          
    Current liabilities:          
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 107,394     $ 69,464  
    Contingent consideration, current 14,675     15,293  
    Current portion of long-term debt 85,969     88,901  
    Current portion of failed sale-leaseback financing and deferred ITC gain 45,868     45,868  
    Other current liabilities 8,034     8,767  
    Total current liabilities 261,940     228,293  
    Noncurrent liabilities:          
    Long-term debt, net of current portion 1,025,804     1,001,654  
    Failed sale-leaseback financing and deferred ITC gain, net of current portion 195,933     201,601  
    Deferred tax liabilities, net 24,495     35,316  
    Operating lease liabilities 195,090     196,911  
    Out-of-market contracts, net 170,749     180,640  
    Other noncurrent liabilities 62,005     59,561  
    Total noncurrent liabilities 1,674,076     1,675,683  
    Total liabilities $ 1,936,016     $ 1,903,976  
    Commitments and contingencies (Note 13. Commitments and Contingencies)          
    Redeemable noncontrolling interests $ 1,851     $ 1,851  
    Equity:          
    Preferred shares, par value, $0.001 per share, 50,000 authorized; none issued and outstanding      
    Common shares, par value, $0.001 per share, 350,000 authorized, 199,176 and 199,326 outstanding as of 2025 and 2024, respectively 199     199  
    Additional paid-in capital 1,774,330     1,773,758  
    Accumulated deficit (600,317 )   (584,733 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive income 33,690     34,937  
    Noncontrolling interests 90,060     115,057  
    Total equity 1,297,962     1,339,218  
    Total liabilities, redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity $ 3,235,829     $ 3,245,045  
               
    GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (unaudited)
    (in thousands, except per share data)
     
      Three months ended March 31,
      2025   2024
    Revenue          
    Energy revenue $ 43,980     $ 44,569  
    Investment Management revenue 3,260     3,931  
    Other revenue 301     668  
    Contract amortization, net 2,921     (2,615 )
    Total net revenue $ 50,462     $ 46,553  
               
    Operating expenses          
    Direct operating costs 23,911     26,990  
    General and administrative 17,046     18,855  
    Change in fair value of contingent consideration     493  
    Depreciation, amortization and accretion 21,628     20,485  
    Impairment of long-lived assets, net and project termination costs 13,665     6,328  
    Total operating expenses 76,250     73,151  
               
    Operating loss (25,788 )   (26,598 )
               
    Interest expense, net (36,566 )   (4,250 )
    Change in fair value of investments, net 990     (566 )
    Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits 10,188      
    Other expense, net 148     125  
               
    Loss before income taxes (51,028 )   (31,289 )
    Benefit (expense) from income taxes 10,374     (3,064 )
    Net loss $ (40,654 )   $ (34,353 )
    Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests (25,068 )   (25,874 )
    Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC $ (15,586 )   $ (8,479 )
               
    Earnings per share          
    Basic $ (0.08 )   $ (0.04 )
    Diluted $ (0.08 )   $ (0.04 )
               
    Weighted average shares outstanding          
    Basic 199,333     198,856  
    Diluted 199,333     198,856  
               
    GREENBACKER RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANY LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
    (unaudited)
    (in thousands)
         
      Three months ended March 31,
      2025   2024
    Cash Flows from Operating Activities          
    Net loss $ (40,654 )   $ (34,353 )
    Adjustments to reconcile Net loss to Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:          
    Depreciation, amortization and accretion 18,707     23,100  
    Impairment of long-lived assets, net 12,665     6,328  
    Share-based compensation expense 3,469     4,806  
    Changes in fair value of contingent consideration     493  
    Amortization of financing costs and debt discounts 2,963     1,661  
    Amortization of interest rate swap contracts (1,693 )   4  
    Change in fair value of interest rate swaps, net 21,741     (9,944 )
    Gain on interest rate swaps, net     (1,410 )
    Change in fair value of investments (990 )   566  
    Deferred income taxes (10,374 )   3,064  
    Interest expense on failed sale-leaseback financing and deferred ITC gain 4,519     4,269  
    Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits (10,188 )    
    Other 1,235     980  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:          
    Accounts receivable (930 )   (826 )
    Current and noncurrent derivative assets     51,269  
    Other current and noncurrent assets 1,085     2,988  
    Accounts payable and accrued expenses (8,875 )   (8,227 )
    Operating lease liabilities (1,771 )   (714 )
    Other current and noncurrent liabilities (541 )   (243 )
    Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (9,632 )   43,811  
    Cash Flows from Investing Activities          
    Purchases of property, plant and equipment (28,564 )   (55,294 )
    Net deposits returned (paid) for property, plant and equipment (390 )   1,314  
    Other investing activities (70 )   (45 )
    Net cash used in investing activities (29,024 )   (54,025 )
    Cash Flows from Financing Activities          
    Shareholder distributions     (22,361 )
    Repurchases of common shares (341 )   (390 )
    Deferred shareholder servicing fees (739 )   (795 )
    Contributions from noncontrolling interests 2,132     1,005  
    Distributions to noncontrolling interests (5,071 )   (3,240 )
    Proceeds from borrowings 58,731     50,920  
    Payments on borrowings (40,054 )   (84,381 )
    Proceeds from failed sale-leaseback     111,453  
    Payments on failed sale-leaseback     (25,080 )
    Payments for loan origination costs (273 )   (1,257 )
    Net cash provided by financing activities 14,385     25,874  
    Net (decrease) increase in Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash (24,271 )   15,660  
    Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash at beginning of period 161,588     187,675  
    Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash at end of period  $ 137,317     $ 203,335  
               

    Non-GAAP Reconciliations

    Adjusted EBITDA

    Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure as well as for internal planning purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to management and investors in providing a measure of core financial performance adjusted to allow for comparisons of results of operations across reporting periods on a consistent basis as it includes adjustments relating to items that are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of the business.

    The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before: (i) interest expense; (ii) income taxes; (iii) depreciation expense; (iv) amortization expense (including contract amortization); (v) accretion; (vi) impairment of long-lived assets; (vii) amounts attributable to our redeemable and non-redeemable noncontrolling interests; (viii) unrealized gains and losses on financial instruments; (ix) gains and losses for asset dispositions; (x) other income (loss); and (xi) foreign currency gain (loss). Additionally, the Company further adjusts for the following items described below:

    • Share-based compensation is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA as it is different from other forms of compensation as it is a non-cash expense and is highly variable. For example, a cash salary generally has a fixed and unvarying cash cost. In contrast, the expense associated with an equity-based award is generally unrelated to the amount of cash ultimately received by the employee, and the cost to the Company is based on a share-based compensation valuation methodology and underlying assumptions that may vary over time;
    • The change in fair value of contingent consideration, which is related to the Acquisition, is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, if any such change occurs during the period. The non-cash, mark-to-market adjustments are based on the expected achievement of revenue targets that are difficult to forecast and can be variable, making comparisons across historical and future quarters difficult to evaluate;
    • Start-up costs associated with new investment strategies is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. The Company evaluates new investment strategies on a regular basis and excludes start-up cost from Adjusted EBITDA until such time as a new strategy is determined to form part of the Company’s core investment management business.
    • Placement fees, including internal sales commissions, related to fundraising efforts based on the capital raised, are excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. By excluding these fundraising-related fees from Adjusted EBITDA, we focus on core operational performance, separate from capital raising efforts, which might vary significantly from period to period.
    • Other costs that are not consistently occurring, not reflective of expected future operating expense and provide no insight into the fundamentals of current or past operations of our business are excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. This includes costs such as professional services and legal fees, and other non-recurring costs unrelated to the ongoing operations of the Company.

    Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure used by management that is not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation from or as superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Additionally, our calculations of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

    FFO

    FFO is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure to analyze net earnings from operations without the effects of certain non-recurring items that are not indicative of the ongoing operating performance of the business.

    FFO is calculated using Adjusted EBITDA less the impact of interest expense (excluding the non-cash component) and distributions to Tax Equity Investors under the financing facilities associated with our IPP segment. The Company excludes these distributions as these are not recorded within Adjusted EBITDA and is therefore not a component of our earnings from operations.

    The Company believes that the analysis and presentation of FFO will enhance our investors’ understanding of the ongoing performance of our operating business. The Company considers FFO, in addition to other GAAP and non-GAAP measures, in assessing operating performance and as a proxy for growth in distribution coverage over the long-term.

    Adjusted EBITDA and FFO should not be considered in isolation from or as a superior to or as a substitute for net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

    The following table reconciles Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC to Adjusted EBITDA and FFO:

         
      Three months ended
    March 31,
    (in thousands) 2025   2024
    Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC $ (15,586 )   $ (8,479 )
    Add back or deduct the following:          
    Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests (25,068 )   (25,874 )
    Benefit (expense) from income taxes (10,374 )   3,064  
    Interest expense, net 36,566     4,250  
    Depreciation, amortization and accretion(1) 18,804     23,235  
    EBITDA $ 4,342     $ (3,804 )
    Share-based compensation expense 3,469     4,806  
    Change in fair value of contingent consideration     493  
    Change in fair value of investments, net (990 )   566  
    Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits (10,188 )    
    Other expense, net (148 )   (125 )
    Loss on asset disposition 13      
    Impairment of long-lived assets, net and project termination costs 13,665     6,328  
    Non-recurring professional services and legal fees 1,689     578  
    Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses(2) 2,596     393  
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 14,448     $ 9,235  
    Cash portion of interest expense (9,408 )   (8,349 )
    Distributions to tax equity investors (3,811 )   (3,277 )
    FFO $ 1,229     $ (2,391 )
               
    (1) Includes contract amortization, net in the amount of $2.9 million and $(2.6) million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which are included in Contract amortization, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations; also includes certain other amortization costs included in Direct operating costs and General and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
               
    (2) Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses include start-up costs which primarily include salaries and personnel related expenses of incremental employees hired in advance to launch new investment strategy initiatives. Given the nature and scale of the related costs and activities, management does not view these as normal, recurring operating expenses, but rather as non-recurring investments to initially develop our new funds. Therefore, we believe it is useful and necessary for investors to understand our core operating performance in current and future periods by excluding the impact of these start-up costs as incurred. Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses also include placement fees, including internal sales commission.
               

    The following table reconciles total Segment Adjusted EBITDA to Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC:

         
      For the three months ended March 31,
    (in thousands) 2025   2024
    Segment Adjusted EBITDA:          
    IPP Adjusted EBITDA $ 22,515     $ 17,291  
    IM Adjusted EBITDA (689 )   (1,160 )
    Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 21,826     $ 16,131  
               
    Reconciliation:          
    Total Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 21,826     $ 16,131  
    Unallocated corporate expenses (7,378 )   (6,896 )
    Total Adjusted EBITDA $ 14,448     $ 9,235  
               
    Less:          
    Share-based compensation expense 3,469     4,806  
    Change in fair value of contingent consideration     493  
    Loss on asset disposition 13      
    Impairment of long-lived assets, net and project termination costs 13,665     6,328  
    Depreciation, amortization and accretion(1) 18,804     23,235  
    Non-recurring professional services and legal fees 1,689     578  
    Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses(2) 2,596     393  
    Operating loss $ (25,788 )   $ (26,598 )
               
    Interest expense, net (36,566 )   (4,250 )
    Change in fair value of investments, net 990     (566 )
    Income from sale-leaseback transfer of tax benefits 10,188      
    Other expense, net 148     125  
    Loss before income taxes $ (51,028 )   $ (31,289 )
               
    Benefit from (provision for) income taxes 10,374     (3,064 )
    Net loss $ (40,654 )   $ (34,353 )
               
    Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests and redeemable noncontrolling interests (25,068 )   (25,874 )
    Net loss attributable to Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC $ (15,586 )   $ (8,479 )
               
    (1) Includes contract amortization, net in the amount of $2.9 million and $(2.6) million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which are included in Contract amortization, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations; also includes certain other amortization costs included in Direct operating costs and General and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
               
    (2) Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses include start-up costs which primarily include salaries and personnel related expenses of incremental employees hired in advance to launch new investment strategy initiatives. Given the nature and scale of the related costs and activities, management does not view these as normal, recurring operating expenses, but rather as non-recurring investments to initially develop our new funds. Therefore, we believe it is useful and necessary for investors to understand our core operating performance in current and future periods by excluding the impact of these start-up costs as incurred. Non-recurring salaries and personnel related expenses also include placement fees, including internal sales commission.
               

    About Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company
    Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability sustainable infrastructure company that both acquires and manages income-producing renewable energy and other energy-related businesses, including solar and wind farms, and provides investment management services to other renewable energy investment vehicles. We seek to acquire and operate high-quality projects that sell clean power under long-term contracts to high-creditworthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. We are long-term owner-operators, who strive to be good stewards of the land and responsible members of the communities in which we operate. Greenbacker conducts its investment management business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenbacker Capital Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. We believe our focus on power production and asset management creates value that we can then pass on to our shareholders—while facilitating the transition toward a clean energy future. For more information, please visit https://greenbackercapital.com.

    About Greenbacker Capital Management
    Greenbacker Capital Management LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser that provides advisory and oversight services related to project development, acquisition, and operations in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability industries. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com.

    Greenbacker media contact
    Chris Larson
    Media Communications
    646.569.9532
    c.larson@greenbackercapital.com

    _______________________________

    1 The financial and portfolio metrics set forth herein are unaudited and subject to change. Data as of March 31, 2025. Total assets and megawatts statistics include those projects where we have contracted for the acquisition of the project pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (“MIPA”).
    2S&P 500 Suffers Worst Month Since 2022—Despite Monday Recovery, Forbes, March 2025.
    3 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company uses as a performance measure, as well as for internal planning purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to management and investors in providing a measure of core financial performance adjusted to allow for comparisons of results of operations across reporting periods on a consistent basis, as it includes adjustments relating to items that are not indicative on the ongoing operating performance of the business. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for additional discussion. Adjusted EBITDA is unaudited. See the Company’s 10-Q filed with the SEC for additional financial information and important related disclosures.
    4 Data as of March 31, 2025. Total assets and megawatts statistics include those projects where we have contracted for the acquisition of the project pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (“MIPA”). The financial and portfolio metrics set forth herein are unaudited and subject to change
    5 Does not include power generated from biomass facility during first quarter of 2024, and also does not include assets in which the Company holds a preferred equity position
    6 Based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s estimate that the average annual amount of electricity used by a U.S. residential electric-utility customer is 10,791 kilowatt-hours (kWh).
    7 Includes both operating and pre-operating clean energy projects within the GREC portfolio.
    8 Since January 2016.
    9 Data is as of March 31, 2025. When compared with a similar amount of power generation from fossil fuels. Carbon abatement is calculated using the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator which uses the Avoided Emissions and generation Tool (AVERT) US national weighted average CO2 marginal emission rate to convert reductions of kilowatt-hours into avoided units of carbon dioxide emissions.
    10 Data is as of March 31, 2025. Water saved by Greenbacker’s clean energy projects is compared to the amount of water needed to produce the same amount of power by burning coal. Gallons of water saved are calculated based on Operational water consumption and withdrawal factors for electricity generating technologies: a review of existing literature – IOPscience, J Macknick et al 2012 Environ. Res. Lett. 7 045802.
    11 Data is as of March 31, 2025. Green jobs calculated using The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) State Clean Energy Employment Projection Support, nrel.gov.

    The MIL Network

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court over mass layoffs of federal employees

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    SAN FRANCISCO, June 3 (Xinhua) — The Trump administration on Monday filed an appeal with the Supreme Court seeking to overturn a federal court’s ban on massive staff cuts and reorganization of federal agencies.

    On appeal, U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer argues that “control over federal agency personnel is fundamental” to the president’s powers, and “the Constitution does not create a presumption against presidential control over agency personnel, and the president does not require specific congressional authorization to exercise” his core constitutional powers.

    On May 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the Trump administration’s appeal, upholding a temporary injunction issued earlier by Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The judge’s order prevents federal agencies and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from making sweeping cuts and reorganizations.

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the massive layoffs and reorganizations would cause serious harm to many areas, including the nation’s food safety system and veterans’ health care, and should therefore be stayed pending litigation.

    On May 9, S. Illston issued a two-week injunction requiring federal agencies to cease enforcing the executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February and a subsequent memorandum issued by OMB. The court ordered agencies to cancel all notices of termination issued pursuant to the order, reinstate employees placed on administrative leave, and compensate them appropriately.

    In her ruling, S. Illston said that D. Trump must get congressional approval to reform federal agencies, which in turn cannot carry out massive reorganizations or layoffs without congressional permission.

    On May 22, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ordered the ban extended indefinitely. The next day, the Justice Department appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Hate speech: Comparing the US and EU approaches – 03-06-2025

    Source: European Parliament 2

    Differences between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) over the regulation of online platforms have taken on a new dimension under the Trump administration. Senior members of the US administration have strongly criticised the EU for ‘limiting free speech’ and have called the EU’s content moderation law ‘incompatible with America’s free speech tradition’. Much of the debate is informed by misconceptions and misunderstandings. The differences between the US and EU hate speech regimes are striking, largely for historical reasons. The First Amendment to the US Constitution provides almost absolute protection to freedom of expression. By contrast, European and EU law curtails the right to freedom of expression. Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which applies to all EU Member States, states that freedom of expressions ‘carries with it duties and responsibilities’. In a democratic society, restrictions may be imposed in the interest, among others, ‘of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others’. EU legislation criminalises hate speech that publicly incites to violence or hatred and targets a set of protected characteristics: race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin. Even though legislation in EU Member States varies widely, many have extended protection from hate speech to additional characteristics. In light of the exponential growth of the internet and the use of social media, the debate about hate speech has essentially become about regulating social media companies. The focus has been on the question of whether and to what extent service providers are responsible for removing hate speech published on social media platforms. The US has opted not to impose any obligation on social media companies to remove content created by third parties, merely granting them the right to restrict access to certain material deemed to be ‘obscene’ or ‘otherwise objectionable’. By contrast, the EU has adopted regulation that obliges companies to remove offensive content created by third parties, including hate speech, once it is brought to their attention. Social media companies also self-regulate, by adopting community guidelines that allow users to flag hate speech and ask for its removal.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Mexico mulls US steel, aluminum tariff threat

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    MEXICO CITY, June 3 (Xinhua) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum met with her economic team on Monday to discuss the latest tariff hike announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House chief plans to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 percent starting Wednesday.

    The Mexican government will await further details of D. Trump’s statement and will provide relevant information, K. Sheinbaum said at her daily morning press conference.

    Since March, Mexico has been negotiating with the United States to obtain certain preferences and avoid high tariffs on steel and aluminum. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smucker Votes in Favor of One Big Beautiful Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lloyd Smucker (PA-16)

    WASHINGTON—Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 215-214.

    “Last November, the American people gave President Trump and the Republican-led Congress a mandate for change. House Republicans today took a critical step to bring the transformative One Big Beautiful Bill closer to final passage. This bill will deliver for the American people by extending tax relief for hardworking families and small businesses, securing our border, unleashing American energy dominance, achieving peace through strength, and critically –making real, measurable reductions in federal spending. This bill secures more savings than any other reconciliation bill in American history – protecting families from both a historic tax hike and the hidden costs of unchecked federal borrowing. Passing this legislation will be a first step in righting our fiscal trajectory and I remain committed to the hard work ahead of addressing our $36 trillion and growing national debt,” said Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11). 

    Click to watch Rep. Smucker’s comments in support of the measure: 

    BACKGROUND ON THE ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT:

    Extending Tax Relief for Hardworking Families and Small Businesses, courtesy of the Committee on Ways and Means

    • Make permanent the lower tax rates and brackets for all taxpayers, the doubled guaranteed Standard Deduction, and the Child Tax Credit, preventing a $1,700 tax hike on PA-11 taxpayers providing for their families.
    • Increase the Child Tax Credit by $500 to combat Bidenflation.
    • Raise annual real wages by $2,100 to $3,300 per worker.
    • Increase real annual take-home pay for a median-income household with two children by roughly $4,000 to $5,000.
    • Provide tax relief for: overtime pay for hourly workers, cut taxes for tipped workers, and provide relief for seniors.
    • Expand and make permanent the 199A small business deduction to 23% – creating over 1 million new Main Street small business jobs and generating $750 billion in economic growth at American small businesses.
    • Protects family farms from the death tax that would threaten future generations of farmers. 

    Securing our Border

    • Makes significant investments in personnel, resources, and technology to maintain operational control of the border and enforce America’s immigration laws, building on President Trump’s administration’s immediate work to make America safer.
    • Hires 18,000 new personnel to enforce America’s immigration laws. 

    Unleashing American Energy Dominance 

    • Acts to ramp up American energy production including by cutting bureaucracy and streamlining permitting processes.
    • Ends wasteful spending and ineffective energy programs including those in the “Green New Deal.” 

    Achieving Peace Through Strength 

    • Invests in America’s arsenal to ensure our selfless servicemen and women continue to be the best equipped fighting force in the world ready to respond to any threat, including targeted investments in improving servicemember quality of life programs.
    • Expands naval capabilities, restocking of American munitions, supporting soldier readiness.
    • Defends America through the creation of a Golden Dome missile defense system and continued funding of nuclear deterrence programs. 

    Reductions in Federal Spending

    • Changes the way that Washington operates, delivering real reductions in federal spending—nearly $1.7 trillion in estimated mandatory savings.
    • Saves hundreds of billions through repeal of provisions in the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” passed during the Biden administration.

    Preserving And Protecting Critical Safety Net Programs and Encouraging Personal Accountability

    • Preserves critical programs like Medicaid for those truly in need.
    • Roots out waste, fraud, and abuse of federal safety net programs to ensure they remain accessible to those in need.
    • Implements and strengthens common sense work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP, ensuring that able bodied unemployed individuals contribute or make efforts to better themselves.
    • Ensures states cannot support illegal immigrants through Medicaid.

    This legislation is fiscally responsible: 

    • The $4.12 trillion estimated cost of the legislation is more than fully offset by:
      • Nearly $1.7 trillion in estimated mandatory savings, slowing the rate of growth of future spending.
      • $2.6 trillion in expected revenue resulting from a growing economy.  

    According to the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the legislation will: 

    • Boost the level of short-run real GDP by 3.3 to 3.8 percent and long-run real GDP by 2.6 to 3.2 percent.
    • Raise annual real wages by $2,100 to $3,300 per worker.
    • Increase real annual take-home pay for a median-income household with two children by roughly $4,000 to $5,000.
    • Save over 4 million full-time equivalent jobs from being destroyed.
    • Facilitate $100 billion of investment in distressed communities.

    The legislation contains provisions authored by Rep. Smucker, including: 

    • Permanent Tax Relief and Certainty for Small Businesses: Permanently increasing and enhancing the small business tax deduction, known as Section 199A of the tax code. Smucker’s Main Street Tax Certainty Act has the support of 187 Members of the House and the legislation has broad support among stakeholders in PA-11 and across the nation.  
       
    • Expanded Support for Individuals with Disabilities Using ABLE Accounts: Smucker’s bipartisan ENABLE Act to allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save and invest in tax-advantaged accounts without jeopardizing their eligibility for essential federal support programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income, is included making these tax provisions permanent. 
       
    • Improved Access to Primary Care: The Ways and Means Committee’s proposals include Smucker’s Primary Care Enhancement Act, which would clarify provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to remove barriers for individuals with Health Savings Accounts from using those funds to access Direct Primary Care, a health care delivery model which provides high-quality care at lower cost for individuals of all ages and incomes across America.

    # # # 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Opposes Partisan Bill That Slashes Health Care, Food Assistance to Benefit Billionaires

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, Representative Sharice Davids released the following statement after voting against President Trump and U.S. House Republicans’ extreme budget that cuts health care and food assistance for hardworking families to pay for tax giveaways for billionaires and ultrawealthy corporations. 

    “This budget is not just out of touch — it’s dangerous, irresponsible, and means higher costs for hardworking Kansans,” said Davids. “It rips health care away from thousands of Kansans, takes food off the tables of hardworking families, all to hand massive tax giveaways to billionaires and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of our neighbors. I introduced common-sense amendments to protect Kansas families, but House Republicans rejected every one of them. I won’t stop pushing for policies that put people first — not politics or powerful donors.”

    Background: 

    President Trump and U.S. House Republicans are pushing a budget that would make the largest cuts to Medicaid and emergency food assistance in American history — all to fund more than $1 trillion in tax giveaways for billionaires. These extreme cuts would gut programs that help Kansans afford food and stay healthy. In response, Davids introduced a slate of amendments aimed at protecting Kansas families and restoring common sense and stability to our economy. Every single one was rejected.

    How This Bill Hurts Kansans: Raising costs on the middle class so billionaires pay less

    • HIGHER Health Care Costs: The Joint Economic Committee estimates that more than 16,000 people in Kansas’ Third District would lose health care coverage under this bill — including 13,000 through the Affordable Care Act and another 3,000 through Medicaid. These cuts would lead to more hospital closures, reduced services, and worse care for all Kansas families, especially in rural communities, where more than half of hospitals are already at risk of shutting down.
    • HIGHER Grocery Costs: In Kansas’ Third District alone, 8,000 households could lose access to the emergency food assistance they rely on through this bill. Also, up to 27,000 grocery stores nationwide may be forced to close due to lost revenue, worsening food deserts, especially in rural communities. These cuts would reduce farm income by more than $30 billion and threaten good-paying jobs.
    • LOWER Taxes for Billionaires: The Republican budget actually raises taxes on the lowest-income families in the country, all while billionaires who already pay next to nothing in taxes get more breaks. This bill shows exactly where U.S. House Republicans’ loyalties lie: not with the hardworking Americans who sent them to Congress, but to Trump and their billionaire donors.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Davids Stands with Kansans to Oppose Devastating GOP Cuts to Medicaid, Food Assistance

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)

    Today, Representative Sharice Davids hosted a virtual press conference to call out the devastating impact of House Republicans’ budget — particularly its deep cuts to Medicaid. The partisan budget, backed by President Trump, would also slash emergency food assistance and programs hardworking Kansans rely on every day to pay for more than $1 trillion in tax giveaways for billionaires and large corporations.

    “We should be focused on cutting waste and making life more affordable for Kansans,” said Davids. “Instead, this partisan budget does the exact opposite — rips away health care and food assistance from the people who need it most. Kansans deserve policies that invest in the middle class, not ones that line the pockets of billionaires at their expense. That’s why I’m fighting to protect Medicaid, preserve critical programs, and stand up for hardworking families across our state.”

    WATCH: Davids hosts press conference with Kansans affected by Republicans’ proposed Medicaid cuts

    At today’s press conference, Davids was joined by Kansans directly impacted by proposed Medicaid cuts in the Republican budget. Mark and Patty Hink spoke about their son Brian, who relies on Medicaid for critical services and medications provided at a disability services provider in Overland Park. Samantha Denzin Armistead shared how her brother Connor, an adult with intellectual disabilities, depends on KanCare’s Home and Community Based Services to attend day programs that give him purpose and stability. Corey Craig, CEO of Monarch Hospice & Palliative Care, provided insight into how these cuts would harm health care providers and seniors across the state.

    President Trump and U.S. House Republicans are pushing a budget that would make the largest cuts to Medicaid and emergency food assistance in American history — all to fund more than $1 trillion in tax giveaways for billionaires. These extreme cuts would force Kansans to pay more to put food on the table and stay healthy.

    • Cuts to Health Care: The Joint Economic Committee estimates that more than 16,000 people in Kansas’ Third District would lose health care coverage under this bill — including 13,000 through the Affordable Care Act and another 3,000 through Medicaid. These cuts would lead to more hospital closures, reduced services, and worse care for all Kansas families, especially in rural communities, where more than half of hospitals are already at risk of shutting down.
    • Cuts to Food Access: In Kansas’ Third District alone, 8,000 households could lose access to the emergency food assistance they rely on through this bill. Also, up to 27,000 grocery stores nationwide may be forced to close due to lost revenue, worsening food deserts, especially in rural communities. These cuts would reduce farm income by more than $30 billion and threaten good-paying jobs.

    To fight back against this reckless and harmful budget that will raise costs, Davids introduced a series of amendments early this morning. Her goal is to protect Kansas families and bring common sense and stability back to our economy and government. Davids’ original amendments include:

    • Health Care
    • Agriculture
      • Animal Disease Protection: Stops job cuts at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, which protects farmers and food from dangerous animal diseases.
      • Tariff Study: Requires the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study how U.S. tariffs hurt farmers, from higher supply costs to lost market access.
    • Research
      • Medical Research Funding: Unfreezes all National Institutes of Health (NIH) research money and protects existing medical research contracts, including at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
      • Science Grants: Makes the National Science Foundation (NSF) keep its promises and funding for science projects already approved and signed, including at public universities in Kansas.
    • Jobs
      • Manufacturing Partnerships: Ensures Kansas Manufacturing Solutions and similar groups keep getting federal support each year.
      • Energy Assistance Program: Saves jobs and funding for the team that runs Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps families pay heating and cooling bills.
      • Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit: Protects the 45X tax credit that domestic manufacturers use to help build clean energy technology and create good-paying jobs.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • Harvard seeks end to US funding cuts, says national security, public health research in peril

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Harvard University asked a federal judge on Monday to issue a summary judgment ruling to unfreeze $2.5 billion in funding blocked by President Donald Trump’s administration, which Harvard said was illegal.

    Harvard’s filing in the U.S. District Court in Boston said that it had received 957 orders since April 14 to freeze funding for research pertaining to national security threats, cancer and infectious diseases and more since the country’s oldest and wealthiest school rejected a White House list of demands.

    Trump has said he is trying to force change at Harvard – and other top-level universities across the U.S. – because in his view they have been captured by leftist “woke” thought and become bastions of antisemitism.

    The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs has set arguments for July 21 on Harvard’s motion for summary judgment, which is a request for a judge to decide a dispute without a trial to determine material facts.

    Harvard sued the Trump administration in April, alleging the funding freeze violated the school’s right to free speech and was arbitrary and capricious.

    In Monday’s court filing, Harvard detailed the terminated grants, including $88 million for research into pediatric HIV, $12 million for increasing Defense Department awareness of emerging biological threats and $8 million to better understand dark energy. The school said ending the funding would destroy ongoing research into cancer treatments, infectious disease and Parkinson’s.

    The Trump administration has opened numerous investigations into Harvard. Some are looking at threats against Jewish students and faculty after pro-Palestinian protests broke out following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli military actions in Gaza.

    Other investigations are probing whether Harvard discriminates based on sex and gender, along with the school’s ties to foreign governments and international students.

    The Trump administration revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students last month, which a judge temporarily blocked after Harvard sued in a separate case.

    Harvard and other universities say Trump’s attacks are threats to freedom of speech and freedom of academics, as well as threats to the schools’ very existence.

    (Reuters) 

  • Russia sets out punitive terms at peace talks with Ukraine

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Russia told Ukraine at peace talks on Monday that it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv gives up big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army, according to a memorandum reported by Russian media.

    The terms, formally presented at negotiations in Istanbul, highlighted Moscow’s refusal to compromise on its longstanding war goals despite calls by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine.

    Ukraine has repeatedly rejected the Russian conditions as tantamount to surrender.

    Delegations from the warring sides met for barely an hour, for only the second such round of negotiations since March 2022. They agreed to exchange more prisoners of war – focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded – and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers.

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described it as a great meeting and said he hoped to bring together Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a meeting in Turkey with Trump.

    But there was no breakthrough on a proposed ceasefire that Ukraine, its European allies and Washington have all urged Russia to accept.

    Moscow says it seeks a long-term settlement, not a pause in the war; Kyiv says Putin is not interested in peace. Trump has said the United States is ready to walk away from its mediation efforts unless the two sides demonstrate progress towards a deal.

    Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who headed Kyiv’s delegation, said Kyiv – which has drawn up its own peace roadmap – would review the Russian document, on which he offered no immediate comment.

    Ukraine has proposed holding more talks before the end of June, but believes only a meeting between Zelenskiy and Putin can resolve the many issues of contention, Umerov said.

    Zelenskiy said Ukraine presented a list of 400 children it says have been abducted to Russia, but that the Russian delegation agreed to work on returning only 10 of them. Russia says the children were moved from war zones to protect them.

    RUSSIAN DEMANDS

    The Russian memorandum, which was published by the Interfax news agency, said a settlement of the war would require international recognition of Crimea – a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 – and four other regions of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. Ukraine would have to withdraw its forces from all of them.

    It restated Moscow’s demands that Ukraine become a neutral country – ruling out membership of NATO – and that it protect the rights of Russian speakers, make Russian an official language and enact a legal ban on glorification of Nazism. Ukraine rejects the Nazi charge as absurd and denies discriminating against Russian speakers.

    Russia also formalised its terms for any ceasefire en route to a peace settlement, presenting two options that both appeared to be non-starters for Ukraine.

    Option one, according to the text, was for Ukraine to start a full military withdrawal from the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Of those, Russia fully controls the first but holds only about 70% of the rest.

    Option two was a package that would require Ukraine to cease military redeployments and accept a halt to foreign provision of military aid, satellite communications and intelligence. Kyiv would also have to lift martial law and hold presidential and parliamentary elections within 100 days.

    Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow had also suggested a “specific ceasefire of two to three days in certain sections of the front” so that the bodies of dead soldiers could be collected.

    According to a proposed roadmap drawn up by Ukraine, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Kyiv wants no restrictions on its military strength after any peace deal, no international recognition of Russian sovereignty over parts of Ukraine taken by Moscow’s forces, and reparations.

    UKRAINE TARGETS RUSSIAN BOMBER FLEET

    The conflict has been heating up, with Russia launching its biggest drone attacks of the war and advancing on the battlefield in May at its fastest rate in six months.

    On Sunday, Ukraine said it launched 117 drones in an operation codenamed “Spider’s Web” to attack Russian nuclear-capable long-range bomber planes at airfields in Siberia and the far north of the country.

    Satellite imagery suggested the attacks had caused substantial damage, although the two sides gave conflicting accounts of the extent of it.

    Western military analysts described the strikes, thousands of miles from the front lines, as one of the most audacious Ukrainian operations of the war.

    Russia’s strategic bomber fleet forms part of the “triad” of forces – along with missiles launched from the ground or from submarines – that make up the country’s nuclear arsenal, the biggest in the world. Faced with repeated warnings from Putin of Russia’s nuclear might, the U.S. and its allies have been wary throughout the Ukraine conflict of the risk that it could spiral into World War Three.

    A current U.S. administration official said Trump and the White House were not notified before the attack. A former administration official said Ukraine, for operational security reasons, regularly does not disclose to Washington its plans for such actions.

    A UK government official said the British government also was not told ahead of time.

    Zelenskiy said the operation, which involved drones concealed inside wooden sheds, had helped to restore partners’ confidence that Ukraine is able to continue waging the war.

    “Ukraine says that we are not going to surrender and are not going to give in to any ultimatums,” he told an online news briefing.

    “But we do not want to fight, we do not want to demonstrate our strength – we demonstrate it because the enemy does not want to stop.”

    (Reuters)

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Issues Statement on Ongoing Tariffs Lawsuit: California Will Keep Fighting on All Fronts

    Source: US State of California

    Monday, June 2, 2025

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

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Bonta today issued a statement after a judge granted California’s request for dismissal to allow it to appeal its case challenging the Trump Administration’s illegal tariffs following a hearing last week. The hearing centered around the Trump Administration’s motion asking that the case be transferred to the Court of International Trade — a motion that California opposed. Rather than transferring the case to the Court of International Trade, California asked the judge to dismiss the case for the purpose of seeking appellate review of the question about where this case should be brought. The dismissal today keeps the case in California and allows California to appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which it plans to do immediately. 

    “Today, our lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s disastrous and illegal tariffs was allowed to remain in California pending our incoming appeal. We strongly believe this case belongs in federal district court and are pleased the court considered our wishes in dismissing this case so we have the opportunity to seek review. Our argument is straightforward: Trump doesn’t have the authority to impose these destructive tariffs — the International Emergency Economic Powers Act simply does not authorize tariffs,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We remain confident in the strength of our case and look forward to continuing to fight for California’s vibrant economy, businesses, workers, and families.”

    On April 16, Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful use of power to impose tariffs without the consent of Congress. Attorney General Bonta and Governor Newsom also filed an amicus brief in the Court of International Trade in Oregon v. Trump, a case challenging President Trump’s illegal imposition of tariffs. The tariffs challenged under California’s current lawsuit are projected to cost California consumers $25 billion dollars and result in the loss of over 64,000 jobs. The totality of the Trump Administration’s tariff regime is expected to cost households approximately $40 billion. 

    A copy of the order can be found here. 

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for June 3, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on June 3, 2025.

    In her memoir, Jacinda Ardern shows a ‘different kind of power’ is possible – but also has its limits
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grant Duncan, Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Relations, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Imagine getting a positive pregnancy test and then – just a few days later – learning you’ll be prime minister. In hindsight, being willing and able to deal with the

    Google’s SynthID is the latest tool for catching AI-made content. What is AI ‘watermarking’ and does it work?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University HomeArt/Shutterstock Last month, Google announced SynthID Detector, a new tool to detect AI-generated content. Google claims it can identify AI-generated content in text, image, video or audio. But there are some caveats. One of them

    What parents and youth athletes can do to protect against abuse in sport
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fanny Kuhlin, PhD candidate in Sport Management (Sport Science), Örebro University Ron Alvey/Shutterstock From the horrific Larry Nassar abuse scandal in United States gymnastics to the “environment of fear” some volleyball athletes endured at the Australian Institute of Sport, abuse in sport has been well documented in

    Astronomers thought the Milky Way was doomed to crash into Andromeda. Now they’re not so sure
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruby Wright, Forrest Fellow in Astrophysics, The University of Western Australia Luc Viatour / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA For years, astronomers have predicted a dramatic fate for our galaxy: a head-on collision with Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbour. This merger – expected in about 5 billion years

    Is the private hospital system collapsing? Here’s what the sector’s financial instability means for you
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yuting Zhang, Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne lightpoet/Shutterstock Toowong Private Hospital in Brisbane is the latest hospital to succumb to financial pressures and will close its doors next week. The industry association attributes the psychiatric hospital’s closure to insufficient payments from and delayed funding

    Trump’s steel tariffs are unlikely to have a big impact on Australia. But we could be hurt by what happens globally
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott French, Senior Lecturer in Economics, UNSW Sydney Shestakov Dymytro/Shutterstock Just one day after the US Court of Appeals temporarily reinstated the Trump Administration’s Liberation Day tariffs of between 10% and 50% on nearly every country in the world, Trump announced tariffs on all US imports of

    Tax concessions on super need a rethink. These proposals would bring much needed reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Economics (modelling), Australian National University fizkes/Shutterstock The federal government has proposed an additional tax of 15% on the earnings made on super balances of over A$3 million, the so-called Division 296 tax. This has set off a highly politicised debate that has often

    The surprising power of photography in ageing well
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tricia King, Senior Lecturer in Photography, University of the Sunshine Coast Marcia Grimm Older adults are often faced with lifestyle changes that can disrupt their sense of place and purpose. It may be the loss of a partner, downsizing their home, or moving to residential aged care.

    What birds can teach us about repurposing waste
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Farrier, Professor of Literature and the Environment, University of Edinburgh Some birds use deterrent spikes to make their nests. Chemari/Shutterstock Modern cities are evolution engines. Urban snails in the Netherlands and lizards in Los Angeles have developed lighter shells and larger scales to cope with the

    Human Rights Watch warns renewed fighting threatens West Papua civilians
    Asia Pacific Report An escalation in fighting between Indonesian security forces and Papuan pro-independence fighters in West Papua has seriously threatened the security of the largely indigenous population, says Human Rights Watch in a new report. The human rights watchdog warned that all parties to the conflict are obligated to abide by international humanitarian law,

    Will surging sea levels kill the Great Barrier Reef? Ancient coral fossils may hold the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jody Webster, Professor of Marine Geoscience, University of Sydney marcobriviophoto.com In the 20th century, global sea level rose faster than at any other time in the past 3,000 years. It’s expected to rise even further by 2100, as human-induced climate change intensifies. In fact, some studies predict

    Pro-Trump candidate wins Poland’s presidential election – a bad omen for the EU, Ukraine and women
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia Poland’s presidential election runoff will be a bitter pill for pro-European Union democrats to swallow. The nationalist, Trumpian, historian Karol Nawrocki has narrowly defeated the liberal, pro-EU mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, 50.89 to 49.11%. The Polish

    Australia’s latest emissions data reveal we still have a giant fossil fuel problem
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Lovell, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney According to Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, the latest emissions data show “we are on track to reach our 2030 targets” under the Paris Agreement. In 2024, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions were “27% below 2005

    What is retinol? And will it make my acne flare? 3 experts unpack this trendy skincare ingredient
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurence Orlando, Senior Lecturer, Product Formulation and Development, Analytical Methods, Monash University Irina Kvyatkovskaya/Shutterstock Retinol skincare products suddenly seem to be everywhere, promising clear, radiant and “youthful” skin. But what’s the science behind these claims? And are there any risks? You may have also heard retinol can

    Pasifika recipients say King’s Birthday honours not just theirs alone
    By Teuila Fuatai, RNZ Pacific senior journalist, Iliesa Tora, and Christina Persico A New Zealand-born Niuean educator says being recognised in the King’s Birthday honours list reflects the importance of connecting young tagata Niue in Aotearoa to their roots. Mele Ikiua, who hails from the village of Hakupu Atua in Niue, has been named a

    Eugene Doyle: Writing in the time of the Gaza genocide
    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle I want to share a writer’s journey — of living and writing through the Genocide.  Where I live and how I live could not be further from the horror playing out in Gaza and, increasingly, on the West Bank. Yet, because my country provides military, intelligence and diplomatic support to Israel

    Decades of searching and a chance discovery: why finding Leadbeater’s possum in NSW is such big news
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Distinguished Professor of Ecology, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Until now, Victorians believed their state was the sole home for Leadbeater’s possum, their critically endangered state faunal emblem. This tiny marsupial is clinging to life in a few pockets of mountain

    In Bradfield, the election is not yet over. What happens when a seat count is ultra close?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graeme Orr, Professor of Law, The University of Queensland Election day was over four weeks ago. Yet the outcome in one House of Representatives remains unclear. That is the formerly Liberal Sydney electorate of Bradfield. In real time, you can watch the lead tilt between Liberal hopeful,

    Is there a right way to talk to your baby? A baby brain expert explains ‘parentese’
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Herbert, Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology, University of Wollongong 2p2play/Shutterstock You might have seen those heartwarming and often funny viral videos where parents or carers engage in long “talks” with young babies about this and that – usually just fun chit chat of no great consequence.

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Hochul Is a Guest on Univision 41

    Source: US State of New York

    arlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on Univision 41 with Mariela Salgado. The Governor spoke on the detrimental effects of the Trump administration’s federal cuts on the State of New York, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and congestion pricing.

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Governor, I think the economy is always a factor. We look from the pandemic; it’s been a cycle that’s been affecting everybody — not only New Yorkers, but the entire country — and there’s uncertainty. You just approved your Budget, it’s been approved. Congratulations about that.

    Governor Hochul: Thank you, thank you.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: There’s a lot of things that people are going to see right away in their pockets. Thinking as a parent, I think about the lunch they’re going to see in schools immediately; more possibilities with child care, that’s something that parents are going to see right away. Beautiful.

    We have to wait for the child credit, and, correct me if I’m wrong, one thing that there’s confusion, and I would like clarification on that, people ask me on the streets — I’m a news reporter, so I’m always on the road, “When are we getting the checks, the inflation checks?” Can you give us clarity on that?

    Governor Hochul: My vision for the State and lifting families up who have been hit so hard with our current economy was to put more money back in their pockets. In fact, I said, “Your family is my fight,” and within that, we decided to focus intensely on affordability. And, as you mentioned, there’s a $1,000 tax credit for every child under the age of four, $500 for older children. So that’s money back in parents’ pockets when they file their taxes next year.

    We have the largest middle class tax cut in the last 70 years — that’s money back in their pockets when they do their taxes; and also covering the cost of school lunches and breakfasts — that’s, on average, about $1,600 per child in each family.

    And you mentioned the inflation rebates, and this is so important. I’ve gone to bodegas, I’ve gone to grocery stores, I’ve gone all over shopping with moms. I’m a mom, I know what it’s like to try to use the coupons and make things stretch. That’s going to be $400 in many family’s pockets — it’s starting this fall.

    So when they’re getting ready for back-to-school shopping or trying to get ready for the holidays. I know that’s an important time. So all of this is being rolled out, but you know what it adds up to? About $5,000 back in families’ pockets at a time when, as you said, the economy is really challenging and people are worried about whether tariffs from the federal administration.

    What does a tariff mean? It’s a tax. It increases the prices of everything. And our residents have been hit so hard with COVID, and inflation and now the worry that there’s going to be — the shelves will be empty when it comes time for Christmas shopping. So families are under duress, stress, and my job as the first Mom Governor is to understand that — I do understand it, but also how can I relieve that stress?

    And so, I’m glad you asked because I want people to know that help is on its way.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: It’s coming now? This fall?

    Governor Hochul: Yes.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: That’s great — people were thinking it was next year. So I’m going to mention tariffs because I was jumping to that too because everything is kind of weaving together. Trump administration being on a legal battle right now trying to impose tariffs in other countries, and this is — even though the court international trade has said that he didn’t have the — he doesn’t have the power to do so to kind of control commerce, but his lawyers claim that there is an emergency at the national level, economic emergency, and it needs to be done and that creates uncertainty, in a way.

    And we would like to know how you feel about that — do you agree with President Trump and do you see any impact in New York State in our economy because of tariffs?

    Governor Hochul: Seeing very much an impact in New York State, and I’ll give you a few examples. First of all, New York City gets much of its produce, it’s a grocery, it’s food from Upstate farmers. Upstate New York farmers are paying more for everything because of the tariffs, so our own products for the grocery store are going to be more expensive.

    People are not coming to our city who are — Canadians are coming from Europe; our tourism is starting to decline and that’s going to help start to affect not just our tourism, but also, people would be shopping in stores and helping the economy get stronger by their sales and sales tax revenues that we collect.

    So we can feel the effect all over that. I think there’ll be a shortage of supplies and shortages of commodities and products that we get from places like China because it’s going to be just too expensive, and either the retailers won’t buy the product and put it on the shelves or the prices will be higher. That’s going to happen as a direct result of the Trump tariffs and I support some targeted tariffs to make sure that we’re not being taken advantage of —

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Right because eventually, wouldn’t more tariffs, the taxes — wouldn’t that help us eventually? As far as income for the United States.

    Governor Hochul: That’s assuming that everything made offshore will come back and be made in the United States — everything. We’re focused on the economy that has good paying jobs, lifts people up, keeps people not struggling around the poverty line, but really helps families be able to pay for their rent and — if they’re able to, fortunate to have a house — pay for the mortgage, and utilities and child care.

    But I don’t see a lot of those jobs coming back here; I really don’t see that happening as a result of this. Just look back to where this economy was back in December, early January. Economists around the world say, “We’re in really good shape right now.” People’s 401-ks were in better shape, people’s savings were better, prices were starting to see a turn downward. And all of a sudden with these tariffs that just sent chaos into the global market, sent chaos into the stores, sent chaos into everyone’s lives, and that’s what we’re trying to process right now, but it’s going to have a very negative impact on New York families. That’s why we’re sounding the alarm about it.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: And the way you do your following Budgets, would that have an impact on your Budget as well?

    Governor Hochul: Yeah, of course. Of course. It’s going to reduce our revenues that come into the State, and we fund $254 billion worth of services — that’s everything from covering Medicaid, which, as you know in Washington, is very much jeopardized.

    Our health care is going to be very negatively impacted, and one out of three New York residents receive Medicaid right now. It’s mostly little kids and senior citizens in nursing homes, and they’re slashing so much money that people are going to lose health care. Some of our safety net hospitals, whether it’s in the Bronx or Brooklyn — where I was yesterday — they’re going to lose the support they need to stay alive, and as a result, even people who are not on Medicaid won’t have a hospital to go to — their services will be cut.

    So there’s this huge ripple effect on everyday lives. It’s going to affect our Budgets when we try to do what we can with less revenue coming in and less money from the federal government. With Medicaid alone, they’re planning to cut $13.5 billion from the State of New York, $3 billion cut from our hospitals. Our hospitals need that federal money and Washington is turning their back on our residents — and basically, it’s Robin Hood in reverse. They’re taking money from the poor to give tax breaks for the very wealthiest and I am so opposed to that and all New Yorkers I believe should stand with us and oppose that.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Well, that was my next question that you mentioned actually, that over seven million New Yorkers are enrolled in Medicaid and about a third are children, as you were talking about. My understanding is that the Big Beautiful Bill is aiming to put new restrictions because the Trump administration really wants to make sure that people are using it accordingly but people are going to lose some of their services. So, what can New York do to help them? Why is it a problem for people to work and have hours put in? Why is that going to cancel their services? Why is that going to leave them without Medicaid?

    Governor Hochul: What the Republicans have done in the House of Representatives and supported by seven Republicans from the State of New York who were voting against the interest of their own constituents — that passed, it has major cuts to Medicaid and it is not just about people working. But we have the majority of people on Medicaid do go out and earn a paycheck every day; it just doesn’t give them enough money, their wages are just too low, and so they need Medicaid. It doesn’t mean they’re not working.

    But, on the other hand, I can’t expect little kids to work; I can’t expect a senior citizen getting care in a nursing home to work. I mean, it’s absolutely unreal. People with disabilities? They can’t work. So they’ve made up this whole dynamic. We’re saying, “We won’t cut your services. We’re just going after the work issue and making them work.”

    That’s not what the challenge is. They’re cutting money to fund tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, and it’s just wrong. It’s cruel and it hurts the most vulnerable. And this program has been in place for over 60 years and it’s lifted people up and gives them the dignity of health care — everybody deserves it. It’s going to create havoc, real problems in the State of New York, because so many people use this primary form of health insurance.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Is there any place from the Budget that you can take to supplement that?

    Governor Hochul: We received $93 billion every year in support from the federal government. There is no state in this country that can make up for all those cuts; and it’s not just Medicaid — it is education cuts, it is child care, it is nutrition programs. At the same time, I’m trying to cover the cost of lunches and breakfast, and put money back in people’s pockets. They’re making it impossible, harder to survive for struggling families, and that is what is so wrong about this and why here in the State of New York, our view is completely different. I know who I’m fighting for — I’m fighting for New York families and families that start out struggling, but are here because they want to live the American dream and get a chance to get ahead. The federal government is standing in our way.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: I have to touch immigration quickly, Governor, because the Trump administration have cut the DPS which was put in by the Biden administration. Hundreds of thousands benefit from that and now we’re seeing ICE agents waiting for people who are trying to do their appointments, hearings and we’re seeing people being arrested. What is your take on that? And also, do you agree this being a tool to deport people? And what do you also think about Mayor Adams’ participation in all the plans that the Trump administration has, because some people are considering that a betrayal to the immigrant community?

    Governor Hochul: What the ICE agents are doing right now is contrary to what Donald Trump said when he was running for office and what Republicans said when they got elected and now control both Houses in Washington. They said they were only going after the “worst of the worst” criminals: serious offenders, the murderers, the rapists. We want those individuals removed and the State of New York will cooperate with ICE in those cases where you show there’s a warrant, or a subpoena or a court order that says, “These individuals have committed these crimes here or in their home country, and all immigrant communities would want them removed to keep us safer.”

    But they weren’t supposed to go after the people that are working in our bodegas, and working in health care — home health care aids — working in agriculture all around the state, just struggling to lift up their own families. And I think it’s important that they’re really tricking, people that are following the rules, were granted legal status with temporary protective status — many Venezuelans, in particular. They came here with the promise of a legal status while they applied for asylum, and now they took that away from them and left them here without a legal basis for being here, and now they’re exposed and vulnerable.

    And those who are checking in, going down to immigration officers and saying, “Here I am. I’m doing what you require me to do as I’m on that path to hopefully receive asylum.” They’re setting up traps for them and I’m so appalled by this that there’s families being separated, people who did nothing, teenagers pulled from their mothers and sent to a country that they were never raised in as older children.

    With respect to the City of New York, I can’t address that. All I know is that our policies in New York State are rock solid. We’ll help you, ICE, with serious offenders, remove them. Someone serves time in a prison for a crime, they’re removed at the end — but short of that? Those who are here to live the American dream, they’re already here.

    Yes, we don’t want open borders. We don’t want open borders, but can we find a path to legitimate citizenship for those who have already arrived? Can we just do that? It shows our compassion. We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbor. That’s a symbol of our values as New Yorkers. And what is happening now — it’s shocking at a scale that people are living in the shadows, living in fear, afraid to go to school, afraid to go to churches, afraid to go shopping and this is not the America people were promised.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: You had a victory with congestion pricing, at least in courts, but you do have a relationship with President Trump. How would you grade that? How is your relationship with him in that issue and other issues?

    Governor Hochul: When the President was first elected, I knew my responsibility was to always put New Yorkers first, and that means at least having an open door, a relationship with the President and his administration on areas where we can find common ground. For example, Penn Station: that is a building that should be magnificent, it should be welcoming, it should be something that we’re proud of, but it takes billions of dollars to renovate it and bring it back to life and I’ve worked with President Trump to get that moving ahead — that is actually happening.

    But there’s areas where I said, “I’ll work on infrastructure and bringing money back to New York, but if you attack our values, everything we stand for as New Yorkers, then I’ll be in conflict with you. I’ll have to stand up and fight against you.” And, so, it’s a complicated relationship. I will work when it’s to the advantage of New Yorkers and good for them, but I’ll also stand up and say, “No, that’s wrong, and we’re not going to cooperate.” So we’ll see how it unfolds over the next few years.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News