NewzIntel.com

Category: Trumpism

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Johnson Subpoenas FBI for Records on the July 13, 2024 Trump Assassination Attempt

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued a subpoena to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel for records relating to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt of President Donald Trump in Butler, PA. 

    “One year following the assassination attempt of President Trump, the American people still do not have answers to all of their questions about the breakdown of security at the Butler campaign rally and detailed information about the would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks. I had expected the FBI to be more forthcoming with the public and provide my office with the records we have been seeking for months. I am issuing the subpoena to help prompt transparency and I look forward to Director Patel’s full cooperation,” Sen. Johnson stated. 

     The subpoena requires the FBI to provide, in part:  

    • Security camera footage obtained that may identify Crooks’ movements in advance of the shooting;
    • Forensic reports on the assassination attempt, including ballistics, trajectory, explosive, and drone analysis records; and
    • Records about Crooks including documents relating to his social media and email accounts, search history, call logs, and other communications.

    Following the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt, Sen. Johnson immediately began investigating the security failures surrounding the Butler campaign rally. On July 14, 2024, Sen. Johnson wrote to the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security requesting records about Crooks and the security of the event. On July 21, 2024 and July 23, 2024, he released preliminary findings and provided the public updated timelines on July 30, 2024 and on Aug. 29, 2024 regarding law enforcement’s awareness of Crooks.

    On Sept. 25, 2024, Sens. Johnson, Rand Paul, Gary Peters, and Richard Blumenthal released an interim report detailing the security failures at the Butler campaign rally and outstanding requests connected to the assassination attempt.

    The deadline for Sen. Johnson’s subpoena is Aug. 1, 2025. The full text of the subpoena can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Foreign Relations Democrats Demand Answers From Secretary of State Rubio Regarding State Department Layoffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    July 11, 2025

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and his colleagues in writing a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing deep concerns with imminent Reductions in Force (RIFs) at the State Department, and requested answers on the Trump administration’s process for carrying out these layoffs. 
    “RIFs should remain a tool of last resort, and if implemented must be conducted according to long-standing procedures that prioritize transparency and a merit-based process for both career civil service employees and Foreign Service Officers (FSOs). During a time of increasingly complex and wide-spread challenges to U.S. national security, this administration should be strengthening our diplomatic corps—an irreplaceable instrument of U.S. power and leadership—not weakening it. However, RIFs would severely undermine the Department’s ability to achieve U.S. foreign policy interests, putting our nation’s security, strength, and prosperity at risk,” the senators wrote. 
    Since January, the Foreign Service has shrunk by nearly 25 percent and the number of civil service employees has also decreased due to agency closures, early retirement, and buyouts. 
    “While every administration is entitled to set new priorities and engage in reorganization of executive agencies, we are deeply concerned by the breadth of these RIFs and the lack of clarity and transparency of the Department’s RIF process,” the senators continued. 
    The senators requested a response to the following questions by no later than July 18, 2025: 
    RIF Criteria:
    When were RIF lists created, by whom, and against what criteria?
    Is the Department choosing to RIF based on current office assignment rather than globally ranking FSOs and civil servants based on grade and skillsets?  If so, why?
    Are the lists being updated to reflect Permanent Changes in Station (PCS) or curtailments?
    How many veterans and consular coned generalists are included on the list?
    It can take years of training for an FSO or civil servant to master diplomatic and negotiation skills, including obtaining fluency in critical languages. Why are skilled officers, including those with specialized language skills not being reassigned? How will the Department fill these specialized skill and experience gaps?
    Foreign Service Officers:
    Why is the administration preventing FSOs from transferring into critical vacancies?
    Why is the administration preventing candidates who accepted a “handshake” from being paneled to a position they were chosen for based on merit?
    What is the rationale for conducting RIFs before the reorganization takes effect?
    How many vacant FSO positions will there be worldwide after RIFs are processed? How does the Department plan to fill mission critical posts?
    Why is the Department processing RIFs prior to determining the number of vacant positions remaining following your reorganization efforts?
    How is the Department protecting the pipeline of FSOs to ensure no critical skill gaps in the future?
    Civil Service:
    Civil service employees often come to the Department with specialized experience.  How is the Department working to retain critical, hard to replace employees in the civil service?
    How is the Department working to ensure key specialties, knowledge, and personnel are retained and transferred during the reorganization?
    Why is the Department refusing to process any lateral moves by civil service employees who have been offered other civil service positions within the Department?
    If reducing waste, fraud, and abuse is the goal of the reorganization, why is the Department not efficiently allowing these experienced civil service employees to laterally move into vacant positions they were chosen for based on merit?
    If remaining officers are going to be asked to take on additional work, how will they be remunerated for their time and effort? 
    Will the hiring and lateral transition freezes be lifted once RIFs are complete?
      
    Reassignment Process:
    Will there be a competitive reassignment for high-performing, mission-critical personnel following the RIFs?  If so, what is the timeline and criteria for this reassignment process?  How will the Department communicate these details with its employees?
    The letter is cosigned by Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).
    To read the full text of the letter, click here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Administrator Loeffler Joins President Trump to Offer Federal Support in Wake of Texas Disaster

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    KERR COUNTY, TEXAS — Today, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), joined President Donald J. Trump in Kerr County, Texas to offer federal disaster relief after storms devastated the region. Alongside Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and members of Congress, Loeffler met with local leaders and received updates from state emergency management officials.

    “The tragic loss of life in Texas Hill Country is truly heartbreaking – but the strength and the support of this community is clear,” said Administrator Loeffler. “Our commitment extends far beyond today’s visit, and this Administration is mobilizing every available resource to aid in recovery. As President Trump said, the full force of the federal government is behind Texas – including the SBA, where we are already offering disaster loans and on-the-ground support for residents and small businesses. Our prayers remain with the people of Texas, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with them on the road to recovery.”

    As the agency announced earlier this week, SBA disaster relief is now available for Texas small businesses, residents, and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in seven counties. The disaster declaration covers the primary Texas county of Kerr which is eligible for both physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. Small businesses and most PNP organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs: Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kimble, and Real.

    Currently, the SBA has more than 70 staffers on the ground in Texas to assist with disaster recovery. The agency has also opened its first Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Kerr County, where individuals may come to receive hands-on assistance with disaster loan applications:

    SBA Business Recovery Center

    The YES Center at First Presbyterian Church

    823 North Street

    Kerrville, TX 87028

    Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT

    Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT

    Texans affected by the flooding are encouraged to visit www.sba.gov/texas-floods or call SBA’s customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 to learn more about available aid.

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Administrator Loeffler Joins President Trump to Offer Federal Support in Wake of Texas Disaster

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    KERR COUNTY, TEXAS — Today, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), joined President Donald J. Trump in Kerr County, Texas to offer federal disaster relief after storms devastated the region. Alongside Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and members of Congress, Loeffler met with local leaders and received updates from state emergency management officials.

    “The tragic loss of life in Texas Hill Country is truly heartbreaking – but the strength and the support of this community is clear,” said Administrator Loeffler. “Our commitment extends far beyond today’s visit, and this Administration is mobilizing every available resource to aid in recovery. As President Trump said, the full force of the federal government is behind Texas – including the SBA, where we are already offering disaster loans and on-the-ground support for residents and small businesses. Our prayers remain with the people of Texas, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with them on the road to recovery.”

    As the agency announced earlier this week, SBA disaster relief is now available for Texas small businesses, residents, and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in seven counties. The disaster declaration covers the primary Texas county of Kerr which is eligible for both physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. Small businesses and most PNP organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs: Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kimble, and Real.

    Currently, the SBA has more than 70 staffers on the ground in Texas to assist with disaster recovery. The agency has also opened its first Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Kerr County, where individuals may come to receive hands-on assistance with disaster loan applications:

    SBA Business Recovery Center

    The YES Center at First Presbyterian Church

    823 North Street

    Kerrville, TX 87028

    Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT

    Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT

    Texans affected by the flooding are encouraged to visit www.sba.gov/texas-floods or call SBA’s customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 to learn more about available aid.

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Administrator Loeffler Joins President Trump to Offer Federal Support in Wake of Texas Disaster

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    KERR COUNTY, TEXAS — Today, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), joined President Donald J. Trump in Kerr County, Texas to offer federal disaster relief after storms devastated the region. Alongside Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and members of Congress, Loeffler met with local leaders and received updates from state emergency management officials.

    “The tragic loss of life in Texas Hill Country is truly heartbreaking – but the strength and the support of this community is clear,” said Administrator Loeffler. “Our commitment extends far beyond today’s visit, and this Administration is mobilizing every available resource to aid in recovery. As President Trump said, the full force of the federal government is behind Texas – including the SBA, where we are already offering disaster loans and on-the-ground support for residents and small businesses. Our prayers remain with the people of Texas, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with them on the road to recovery.”

    As the agency announced earlier this week, SBA disaster relief is now available for Texas small businesses, residents, and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in seven counties. The disaster declaration covers the primary Texas county of Kerr which is eligible for both physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. Small businesses and most PNP organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs: Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kimble, and Real.

    Currently, the SBA has more than 70 staffers on the ground in Texas to assist with disaster recovery. The agency has also opened its first Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Kerr County, where individuals may come to receive hands-on assistance with disaster loan applications:

    SBA Business Recovery Center

    The YES Center at First Presbyterian Church

    823 North Street

    Kerrville, TX 87028

    Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT

    Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT

    Texans affected by the flooding are encouraged to visit www.sba.gov/texas-floods or call SBA’s customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 to learn more about available aid.

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Administrator Loeffler Joins President Trump to Offer Federal Support in Wake of Texas Disaster

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    KERR COUNTY, TEXAS — Today, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), joined President Donald J. Trump in Kerr County, Texas to offer federal disaster relief after storms devastated the region. Alongside Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, and members of Congress, Loeffler met with local leaders and received updates from state emergency management officials.

    “The tragic loss of life in Texas Hill Country is truly heartbreaking – but the strength and the support of this community is clear,” said Administrator Loeffler. “Our commitment extends far beyond today’s visit, and this Administration is mobilizing every available resource to aid in recovery. As President Trump said, the full force of the federal government is behind Texas – including the SBA, where we are already offering disaster loans and on-the-ground support for residents and small businesses. Our prayers remain with the people of Texas, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with them on the road to recovery.”

    As the agency announced earlier this week, SBA disaster relief is now available for Texas small businesses, residents, and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in seven counties. The disaster declaration covers the primary Texas county of Kerr which is eligible for both physical disaster loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. Small businesses and most PNP organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs: Bandera, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kimble, and Real.

    Currently, the SBA has more than 70 staffers on the ground in Texas to assist with disaster recovery. The agency has also opened its first Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Kerr County, where individuals may come to receive hands-on assistance with disaster loan applications:

    SBA Business Recovery Center

    The YES Center at First Presbyterian Church

    823 North Street

    Kerrville, TX 87028

    Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM CT

    Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT

    Texans affected by the flooding are encouraged to visit www.sba.gov/texas-floods or call SBA’s customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 to learn more about available aid.

    # # #

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “OUR COMMITMENT IS TO MAKE SURE WE FIGHT FOR EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN ACROSS THE COUNTRY”

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

    Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference at CrescentCare, a federally qualified health center in Louisiana, with Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02) and Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) to highlight how Donald Trump’s budget devastates the healthcare of the American people and outline how House Democrats will hold House Republicans accountable for voting to pass their One Big Ugly Law.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here in the great state of Louisiana, in this all-American city. Certainly thankful for the leadership of Congressman Troy Carter, for his partnership and his friendship, standing up, fighting hard each and every day on behalf of the people that he is privileged to represent here in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. Let me thank Alice and the people at CrescentCare for the work that you do on behalf of the people in this community and all across the city and the state to ensure that they have access to high-quality care that is both compassionate and comprehensive. And our commitment is to make sure that we fight for every single person in this state, every single American across the country, to ensure that they can get the high-quality, affordable healthcare that people in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, deserve.

    We believe that access to high-quality and affordable healthcare shouldn’t simply be a privilege available to the wealthy and the well-off. It’s a right. It should be available to every single person in the state of Louisiana, and every single person in this great country. Unfortunately, the One Big Ugly Bill that has been jammed down the throats of the American people represents the largest assault on Medicaid and healthcare in American history. The One Big Ugly Bill will have devastating consequences for the people of Louisiana who rely upon Medicaid to get their health service, to address their medical needs, to be able to live with dignity and respect in a nursing home setting, to have hospitals that are available to them and not closed, particularly in parts of rural Louisiana, and to be able to get the type of compassionate primary care that exists at community-based health clinics like this one. But this struggle is not over. We’re just at the beginning. We’re going to fight hard to make sure that the devastating Medicaid cuts that are now part of this One Big Ugly Law that has been signed can be pushed back—not for Democrats, Independents and Republicans, but for all Americans. That is our struggle. That is our commitment. That is the fight that we are waging on behalf of the people of Louisiana and on behalf of the people of this great country.

    The Louisiana state legislature, in an overwhelming and bipartisan way, passed a resolution, making clear that cuts to Medicaid will be devastating for the people of Louisiana, whether you’re in an urban part of the state, suburban part of the state, a small-town part of the state, a rural part of the state, it will be devastating, these cuts to Medicaid, to the people of Louisiana. The assault on healthcare is unacceptable, unconscionable and un-American. And I’m thankful for the leadership of Congressman Troy Carter in standing up for the people of this great state and helping to work with people from all across the political spectrum to do what is necessary to push back against the cuts that have now been enacted to educate the people of Louisiana and throughout the nation as to how damaging this One Big Ugly Bill will be to their quality of life. But most importantly, to assure everyone that our commitment is to continue to show up and stand up and speak up for your healthcare, for your quality of life, for an America where when you work hard and play by the rules, you can live a good life, have a good-paying job, good healthcare, good housing, good education for your children and, of course, a good retirement. That is our commitment to you, and we will not stop fighting until we can end this national nightmare and bring about an America that is the best version of herself.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “OUR COMMITMENT IS TO MAKE SURE WE FIGHT FOR EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN ACROSS THE COUNTRY”

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

    Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference at CrescentCare, a federally qualified health center in Louisiana, with Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02) and Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) to highlight how Donald Trump’s budget devastates the healthcare of the American people and outline how House Democrats will hold House Republicans accountable for voting to pass their One Big Ugly Law.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here in the great state of Louisiana, in this all-American city. Certainly thankful for the leadership of Congressman Troy Carter, for his partnership and his friendship, standing up, fighting hard each and every day on behalf of the people that he is privileged to represent here in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. Let me thank Alice and the people at CrescentCare for the work that you do on behalf of the people in this community and all across the city and the state to ensure that they have access to high-quality care that is both compassionate and comprehensive. And our commitment is to make sure that we fight for every single person in this state, every single American across the country, to ensure that they can get the high-quality, affordable healthcare that people in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, deserve.

    We believe that access to high-quality and affordable healthcare shouldn’t simply be a privilege available to the wealthy and the well-off. It’s a right. It should be available to every single person in the state of Louisiana, and every single person in this great country. Unfortunately, the One Big Ugly Bill that has been jammed down the throats of the American people represents the largest assault on Medicaid and healthcare in American history. The One Big Ugly Bill will have devastating consequences for the people of Louisiana who rely upon Medicaid to get their health service, to address their medical needs, to be able to live with dignity and respect in a nursing home setting, to have hospitals that are available to them and not closed, particularly in parts of rural Louisiana, and to be able to get the type of compassionate primary care that exists at community-based health clinics like this one. But this struggle is not over. We’re just at the beginning. We’re going to fight hard to make sure that the devastating Medicaid cuts that are now part of this One Big Ugly Law that has been signed can be pushed back—not for Democrats, Independents and Republicans, but for all Americans. That is our struggle. That is our commitment. That is the fight that we are waging on behalf of the people of Louisiana and on behalf of the people of this great country.

    The Louisiana state legislature, in an overwhelming and bipartisan way, passed a resolution, making clear that cuts to Medicaid will be devastating for the people of Louisiana, whether you’re in an urban part of the state, suburban part of the state, a small-town part of the state, a rural part of the state, it will be devastating, these cuts to Medicaid, to the people of Louisiana. The assault on healthcare is unacceptable, unconscionable and un-American. And I’m thankful for the leadership of Congressman Troy Carter in standing up for the people of this great state and helping to work with people from all across the political spectrum to do what is necessary to push back against the cuts that have now been enacted to educate the people of Louisiana and throughout the nation as to how damaging this One Big Ugly Bill will be to their quality of life. But most importantly, to assure everyone that our commitment is to continue to show up and stand up and speak up for your healthcare, for your quality of life, for an America where when you work hard and play by the rules, you can live a good life, have a good-paying job, good healthcare, good housing, good education for your children and, of course, a good retirement. That is our commitment to you, and we will not stop fighting until we can end this national nightmare and bring about an America that is the best version of herself.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEADER JEFFRIES: “OUR COMMITMENT IS TO MAKE SURE WE FIGHT FOR EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN ACROSS THE COUNTRY”

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

    Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference at CrescentCare, a federally qualified health center in Louisiana, with Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02) and Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) to highlight how Donald Trump’s budget devastates the healthcare of the American people and outline how House Democrats will hold House Republicans accountable for voting to pass their One Big Ugly Law.

    LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here in the great state of Louisiana, in this all-American city. Certainly thankful for the leadership of Congressman Troy Carter, for his partnership and his friendship, standing up, fighting hard each and every day on behalf of the people that he is privileged to represent here in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. Let me thank Alice and the people at CrescentCare for the work that you do on behalf of the people in this community and all across the city and the state to ensure that they have access to high-quality care that is both compassionate and comprehensive. And our commitment is to make sure that we fight for every single person in this state, every single American across the country, to ensure that they can get the high-quality, affordable healthcare that people in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, deserve.

    We believe that access to high-quality and affordable healthcare shouldn’t simply be a privilege available to the wealthy and the well-off. It’s a right. It should be available to every single person in the state of Louisiana, and every single person in this great country. Unfortunately, the One Big Ugly Bill that has been jammed down the throats of the American people represents the largest assault on Medicaid and healthcare in American history. The One Big Ugly Bill will have devastating consequences for the people of Louisiana who rely upon Medicaid to get their health service, to address their medical needs, to be able to live with dignity and respect in a nursing home setting, to have hospitals that are available to them and not closed, particularly in parts of rural Louisiana, and to be able to get the type of compassionate primary care that exists at community-based health clinics like this one. But this struggle is not over. We’re just at the beginning. We’re going to fight hard to make sure that the devastating Medicaid cuts that are now part of this One Big Ugly Law that has been signed can be pushed back—not for Democrats, Independents and Republicans, but for all Americans. That is our struggle. That is our commitment. That is the fight that we are waging on behalf of the people of Louisiana and on behalf of the people of this great country.

    The Louisiana state legislature, in an overwhelming and bipartisan way, passed a resolution, making clear that cuts to Medicaid will be devastating for the people of Louisiana, whether you’re in an urban part of the state, suburban part of the state, a small-town part of the state, a rural part of the state, it will be devastating, these cuts to Medicaid, to the people of Louisiana. The assault on healthcare is unacceptable, unconscionable and un-American. And I’m thankful for the leadership of Congressman Troy Carter in standing up for the people of this great state and helping to work with people from all across the political spectrum to do what is necessary to push back against the cuts that have now been enacted to educate the people of Louisiana and throughout the nation as to how damaging this One Big Ugly Bill will be to their quality of life. But most importantly, to assure everyone that our commitment is to continue to show up and stand up and speak up for your healthcare, for your quality of life, for an America where when you work hard and play by the rules, you can live a good life, have a good-paying job, good healthcare, good housing, good education for your children and, of course, a good retirement. That is our commitment to you, and we will not stop fighting until we can end this national nightmare and bring about an America that is the best version of herself.

    Full press conference can be watched here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Sessions to Join President Trump in Kerr County

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17)

    WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17) will join President Donald Trump in Kerr County at the Hill Country Youth Event Center on Friday, July 11, to survey flood damage and ongoing recovery efforts following the recent disaster.

    As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations under the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Congressman Sessions has been closely engaged in federal disaster response efforts across the country, including in Hawaii and North Carolina. Now, as the need has emerged in his home state of Texas, he is working to ensure the Hill Country receives the resources and supported needed to recover.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Minister Tim Hodgson at the Closing Press Conference,  2025 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC), July 11, 2025

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Good afternoon, everyone. Bonjour.

    I want to begin by acknowledging the current wildfire situation in Manitoba, and particularly those from Snow Lake and Garden Hill who have been evacuated. The Canadian Armed Forces are on the ground assisting with these emergencies, and my heart goes out to every person in my home province currently affected. Your federal government is here to support you today and to rebuild with you when that time comes.

    At this pivotal time for Canada — a time when thirteen jurisdictions and the federal government are unified in a way I’ve never seen in my lifetime —  it was a privilege to co-chair my first Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference as Federal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

    Thank you to my co-chair, Gilles Arsenault, for hosting this event — here in the birthplace of Confederation, no less. It’s hard to think of a better place to spend a few Canadian summer days than Charlottetown. 

    Over the past few days, federal, provincial and territorial partners came to the table for honest, forward-looking discussions.

    We also had productive exchanges with national and regional Indigenous leaders, and were privileged to hear their thoughts on how to transform how we think about Indigenous partnership in major projects.

    Let’s be clear: Indigenous Peoples are not just participants in our economy. They are rights holders. They are the original stewards of this land. They are governments. They are builders.

    If we are serious about retooling our economy, then economic reconciliation must be front and centre. 

    From advancing “one project, one review” to reducing duplication and advancing new infrastructure, the goals of this meeting were clear: we need to build faster; strengthen regional economies; advance economic reconciliation and clean growth; enhance Canada’s global competitiveness; and secure our rightful place as an energy and resource superpower.

    If this sounds ambitious, that’s because it is. But one government cannot do it alone. What is clear is we must work together as one Canada.

    On the federal side, to begin making this vision a reality just two weeks ago we passed the One Canadian Economy Act — a nation-building piece of legislation that will ensure Canada builds the strongest economy in the G7.

    It’s an important step toward improving Canadian productivity, growth, economic competitiveness and — crucially — regulatory certainty.

    That is an imperative, and an urgent one at that. 

    Because, let’s face it: Global economies and markets are more volatile than they have been at any time since the Second World War. President Trump’s tariffs are disrupting trade and impacting our natural resources, energy, mining, manufacturing and many other sectors.

    However, despite what the President may say, Canada has many important cards in these negotiations. And several of the most important ones are energy and natural resources. 

    At the G7, it was abundantly clear: Canada has the energy and minerals the world wants.

    That’s why, in Kananaskis, Canada led the way in forming an agreement to take decisive action to respond to supply chain vulnerabilities through the Critical Minerals Action Plan.

    This includes the recently announced Critical Minerals Production Alliance, which will help to mobilize capital, reduce our dependence on non-democratic suppliers and reward countries that, like Canada, mine the right way: with high environmental and labour standards.

    Following on that, at this year’s EMMC, Ministers agreed to identify priority critical minerals projects that could be leveraged by the Critical Minerals Production Alliance. This will further position Canada as a leader in disrupting non-allied dominance in the sector by de-risking projects, enhancing certainty and supporting economically viable production.

    We will also take steps to strengthen mineral titles policies to protect Canada’s mineral potential and national security.

    Finally, all thirteen jurisdictions and Canada agreed to work together to use AI together to strengthen Canada’s geoscience data assets to support critical mineral exploration and attract investment. After all, as the Prime Minister always says, we can give ourselves more than anyone else can take away, and that starts with the minerals beneath our feet. 

    To serve as a model, we partnered today with the Northwest Territories on a pilot project to scan, digitize and analyze drill cores from their collection to highlight new areas of high critical mineral potential, especially in the Northwest Territories’ Slave Geological Province, one of Canada’s most promising regions for mineral exploration and critical mineral development.

    These core scans and their associated data will be made available through a centralized digital platform, helping to reduce exploration risk, re-evaluate existing discoveries, spur investment and accelerate new mineral development — all without further land disturbance.

    We are also having advanced conversations with British Columbia and Ontario, and I expect to have more to share in the coming days on that.

    A key part of our discussions also centred around building major projects. There was consensus that we can — and must — do better together to get things built and grow our economy, both to access new markets and to furnish domestic resilience.

    To keep this momentum going, Energy and Mining Ministers will come together again in the fall to ensure progress on key initiatives, including designating projects of national interest under the One Canadian Economy Act.

    Let me close with this. Canada is, at its core, an energy and mining nation. It touches, in different ways, every single part of this country. 

    In 1858, the first major oil discovery in North America occurred in Oil Springs, Ontario, where James Miller Williams drilled the continent’s first commercial oil well, leading to incorporation of Canada’s first oil company. 

    Forty years later and further west, the Klondike Gold Rush drew tens of thousands north into the Yukon, a place most of the world saw simply as a frigid wilderness. But after less than ten years, the Yukon’s first hydro plant was developed to power the gold dredges near Dawson City. 

    At the time, hydroelectric power was just beginning to spread around the world globally. Yet Canada, with its rushing rivers and glacier-fed lakes, had already begun harnessing water to generate electricity. By 1910, we had become one of the largest producers of hydroelectricity in the world.

    Canadian ingenuity in harnessing hydropower was also taking off in Quebec and powering new industries that changed the face of the province. In 1901, the first ingot of Canadian aluminum was cast at the Shawinigan Aluminum Smelting Complex, the oldest still in existence in North America. Using hydroelectric power, industrial production at this complex on the Saint-Maurice River began a new era of heavy industry and established the long-standing alliance between the hydroelectric and aluminum industries.

    By the 1940s, Canada had added uranium to its growing portfolio, and mines in the Northwest Territories became essential to the Allied nuclear program in the Second World War, supplying uranium under top-secret agreements to support our fight against the Axis powers. Post-war, discoveries of significant deposits in Saskatchewan clinched our spot as a leader in mining and nuclear energy.

    Then came Alberta. It was 1947, and after drilling 133 dry holes in a row, Imperial Oil was about to abandon oil exploration altogether. Leduc No. 1, about 15 kilometres west of Edmonton and more than 80 kilometres from any previous drilling sites, was one of six “last-chance” wells for the company. 

    But when they struck oil there on a chilly February morning, it marked the dawn of Canada’s modern oil era — leading to further discoveries that transformed the province into a major oil producer and moved Canada away from relying on the U.S. and toward self-sufficiency.

    Smaller provinces have played outsized roles in this country’s energy and mining story. Prince Edward Island has emerged as a national leader in renewable power, with 99 percent of power generation on the island coming from wind farms. In fact, there are several times a year when P.E.I .is producing so much renewable energy that a province that has traditionally needed to import power becomes an energy exporter.

    I could go on and speak to how every single one of our thirteen provinces and territories has a story when it comes to energy and natural resources; but I don’t think anyone wants to hear me talk for that long.

    However, the reason I mention all of this is to show how deeply embedded energy and natural resources are in the story of Canada, a country I love deeply.

    That means I see my job as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources as not just about industries but also about national unity.

    As the Prime Minister says, we can give ourselves more than any country can take away.

    Our resources give us tinder and kindling. Our innovation and workers are the fuel. Now, it is time for all thirteen governments to come together and light the match to start the fire.

    To start to build big things again, in a responsible, environmentally conscious way. To use our resources to create prosperity that will lift all boats, so that every single Canadian — no matter where they live — can have a good education, a roof over their head, a stable job and, most importantly, a fair shot.

    We will act. We will deliver. And we will show results — for Canadian workers, for businesses and for communities.

    Canada will no longer be defined by delay but by delivery. Together, we will rise to the challenge.

    Thank you. Merci.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: “This is Groundhog Day!” – Cortez Masto Presses Forest Service Chief on Reversal of Ruby Mountains Speculative Drilling Ban

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
     ***VIDEO AVAILABLE***

    FTPs for TV stations is available here.
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) pressed U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz for answers about the Trump administration’s decision to reopen the Ruby Mountains to speculative oil and gas drilling. She emphasized the broad opposition to this reversal in Nevada. Cortez Masto led the push that resulted in the Biden administration protecting the Rubies from speculative drilling in 2024.
    Sen. Cortez Masto questioned Chief Schultz on why the Forest Service made this sudden reversal on the Ruby Mountains: “The Biden administration announced it was establishing a 20-year administrative withdrawal process to protect Ruby Mountain area from oil and gas leasing. However, this administration, the Trump administration, reversed these protections for the Rubies. […] Let me just be clear: Nevadans don’t want drilling in the Ruby Mountains. So, I’m curious, what production of critical minerals does the Forest Service expect to develop in the Ruby Mountains?”
    Chief Schultz responded, “Typically what happens with leasing of minerals, the Forest Service isn’t out there trying to basically promote a certain activity or not, but it would be made available if someone deemed there was a resource there, that would be available for leasing.”
    In 2019, during President Trump’s first term, the Forest Service had already deemed the Ruby Mountains unsuitable for speculative leasing. Senator Cortez Masto called out the absurdity of Schultz’s suggestion: “But that’s already been done, that is my point. It seems like everything that has been done in the past, including the speculative leasing that has been denied in the past, is being ignored because it was done under a previous administration. It makes no sense. We’re wasting the resources of your men and women […] because this administration thinks they have to start from scratch. […] This is Groundhog Day! I mean, literally, we are repeating this over and over again. What is going on?”
    Senator Cortez Masto has been a champion for Nevada’s great outdoor spaces and public lands. She passed critical legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects public lands in Nevada and across the U.S., and her bipartisan, bicameral legislation to restore Lake Tahoe was passed into law last year. She delivered critical funding to protect Lake Tahoe in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Cortez Masto also helped pass the historic Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law and provides robust funding to preserve and maintain public lands across the country. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Securing Key New Hampshire and National Security Priorities, Shaheen Helps Advance Annual Defense Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    **A top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Shaheen built on her years-long legacy of securing key New Hampshire priorities, as well as measures that address America’s top security challenges**
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, helped advance the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – annual defense legislation that authorizes Pentagon priorities and programs for the next fiscal year. The bill was approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) in a bipartisan vote. 
    As a senior member of SASC, Senator Shaheen’s additions to the defense bill address both America’s top national security objectives, while also enhancing New Hampshire’s role in support of our national defense.
    “With Secretary Hegseth at the helm of the Pentagon, it’s more critical this year than ever that Congress uses the annual defense bill to assert its oversight authority and advance policy to improve the lives of service members. The legislation cleared by the Senate Armed Services Committee this week is not perfect but includes many of my provisions to put guardrails on Secretary Hegseth’s harmful policies, including to protect the shipyard workforce from hiring freezes, ensure President Trump’s trade war isn’t passing the price of defense contracts onto the taxpayer, to make sure promised military assistance continues to flow to Ukraine in their fight for democracy and freedom and protect U.S. basing in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo Pacific.” said Senator Shaheen. “I was also proud to secure provisions that support New Hampshire’s defense industry and good-paying jobs, improve service members’ access to affordable child care and housing, invest in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s capacity and more.”
    The Committee-passed bill now moves to the full Senate before it is conferenced with the U.S. House of Representatives. Below is a summary of top New Hampshire and national security priorities secured by Shaheen in the FY 2026 NDAA.
    Protecting the Public Shipyard Workforce
    Senator Shaheen led a provision to ensure the chaos and confusion that ensued from Secretary Hegseth’s Department of Defense (DoD) civilian hiring freeze does not happen again. The legislation will protect thousands of jobs integral to America’s national security at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and public shipyards across the nation.
    The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a key economic driver in the region, supporting thousands of jobs integral to America’s national security. After calls from Shaheen and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), DoD claimed to have exempted the shipyard workforce from the civilian hiring freeze, but issues persist in implementation. Shaheen’s provision will make this exemption final and addresses hiring delays that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has continued to face.
    Reassuring America’s Allies and Partners
    Standing with Ukraine:
    Senator Shaheen has consistently worked to ensure the delivery of military, humanitarian and economic assistance to Ukraine as they fight for their freedom and democracy amid Putin’s war of aggression.
    The Committee-passed NDAA includes a reauthorization of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, Department of Defense’s authority to equip the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Shaheen also secured language prohibiting the diversion of military equipment obligated for Ukraine after the Pentagon’s misguided decision, since overruled by President Trump.
    The Committee-passed bill also includes Shaheen-authored amendments that allow the continued sharing of U.S. information, intelligence and imagery to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield and prevent cuts to security cooperation funding for U.S. forces in Europe.
    Supporting NATO Allies and Enhancing Global Partnerships:
    Shaheen also secured provisions that send a strong message of commitment to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies and other U.S. partners abroad. Her legislation requires the executive branch to consult with Congress and our NATO Allies before any attempt to abdicate the Commander of U.S. European Command’s dual role of Supreme Allied Commander Europe. This comes after Shaheen pressed senior U.S. military officials on the importance of this U.S. responsibility at NATO. An American general has also served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Forces in Europe since General Dwight Eisenhower assumed the role following the establishment of the NATO alliance.
    The bill includes legislation led by Shaheen requiring the Pentagon to consult with Congress before making changes to U.S. military force posture in Europe and on the Korean Peninsula. U.S. presence in Europe and the Indo Pacific deters adversaries and strengthens our alliances. This legislation will require the Secretary of Defense to certify to Congress that he has consulted the Secretary of State, Director of National Intelligence, senior U.S. military officers in the theaters and officials from regional governments—including NATO Allies, South Korea, Japan and others—before reducing our force presence in Europe or South Korea.
    Shaheen also prevented the further consolidation of U.S. military bases in Syria—a move that helps to prevent a resurgence of ISIS influence in the region following the establishment of a new, post-Assad Syrian government.
    Protecting Defense Supply Chains from Reckless Tariffs
    The bill includes Senator Shaheen’s amendment that would require the Department of Defense to assess the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on the defense supply chain and protect current regulations that are providing relief to small businesses in the defense industrial base.
    Shaheen has been vocal in her concerns about the administration’s trade war and its impacts on America’s national defense and military readiness, including by calling on Secretary Hegseth to address how tariffs are impacting the Department’s purchasing power, weakening supply chains and raising costs on small businesses.  This provision in the NDAA comes after Shaheen’s third annual bipartisan Congressional delegation to the largest trade show in the world, the Paris Air Show, where she heard concerns about the President’s trade war from allies, partners and the defense and civil aerospace industry. Following the Air Show, Shaheen penned an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal..
    Supporting Jobs and the New Hampshire National Guard
    To bolster the civilian defense and national security workforce, Senator Shaheen secured an amendment in line with her Defense Workforce Integration Act. The bipartisan, bicameral Shaheen-led bill would leverage existing programs and best practices within the Department of Defense to address persistent workforce shortages by retaining the talent and motivation of those who desire to serve in uniform but are found to be medically disqualified.
    As co-chair of the bipartisan U.S. Senate National Guard Caucus, Shaheen has long advocated on behalf of National Guard members. To strengthen the National Guard’s ability to protect and aid New Hampshire in times of crisis, Shaheen secured a provision in this year’s NDAA to help the National Guard retain quality commissioned and warrant officers and maintain increased levels of personnel readiness. Specifically, the amendment allows officers and warrant officers to transfer from active status in the Reserves to the Inactive National Guard.
    Confronting the Challenges Posed by PFAS Contamination
    Senator Shaheen successfully added an amendment to respond more quickly to the spread of PFAS contamination at certain military installations and surrounding communities where PFAS are discovered in existing water sources as a result of military activities. The policy requires the Department of Defense to take action to address contamination hotspots and provide safe drinking water to communities while the lengthier remedial investigation process moves forward. Shaheen also secured adoption of an amendment to clarify that DoD can use innovative technologies for destroying PFAS to provide more tools to address contamination.
    Shaheen opposed amendments that were ultimately adopted to rescind the moratorium on PFAS incineration and prohibit the military from procuring a variety of items containing PFAS, including cookware used to prepare food in military galleys and furniture upholstery and carpeting for military installations. These provisions add unnecessary exposure to harmful toxins for service members and their families, increasing their chances of long-term health impacts.
    Shaheen has worked for more than a decade to hold the Department of Defense responsible for remediation of PFAS contamination at military bases and ensure transparency for affected communities. Shaheen spearheaded the first nationwide PFAS health impact study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) that is in its final stages. Shaheen leads efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination. Because of her efforts, Pease served as a model site for the nationwide study. Shaheen has also led efforts to improve the Defense Department’s transparency and engagement with local communities, improve safety of firefighting gear, phase out use of PFAS-laden firefighting foam and expand blood-testing for military firefighters exposed to PFAS. Shaheen also secured record funding to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure to address PFAS contamination in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021.
    Defending and Strengthening Support for America’s Service Members and Their Families
    Addressing Sexual Assault in the Military:
    Senator Shaheen successfully fought for a provision to increase accountability and transparency for investigations into military sexual assault cases. The Committee-passed NDAA includes Shaheen’s amendment requiring the National Guard Bureau to provide an annual report on the number of Guardsmen who participate in Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) training each year.
    Shaheen has championed efforts in the Senate to respond to and address sexual assault in the military. In the FY23 NDAA, she helped secure reforms that expanded the types of sexual misconduct offenses and addressed the role of military commanders’ convening authority power. She played a pivotal role in the adoption of historic reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to address sexual assault in the military, including taking those offenses out of a service member’s chain of command.
    Expanding Access to Child Care for Military Families:
    Shaheen helped secure inclusion of a provision to expand child care access for military families by directing the Department of Defense to support the recruitment and retention of providers in order to build a future child care workforce and make long-term investments in child care providers. The provision also authorizes the Department of Defense to enter into an interagency partnership with a federal agency, such as AmeriCorps, to place national service participants and volunteers trained in education services at military child care centers.
    The provision is based on bipartisan legislation Shaheen co-leads with Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), the Expanding Access to Child Care for Military Families Act, to support workforce development opportunities for child care providers and to add capacity to the child care sector.
    Addressing Service Members and Military Families’ Quality of Life:
    To help service members and their families navigate the nation’s housing affordability crisis, Shaheen secured an amendment in the NDAA to improve DoD’s financial counseling offerings. To ensure service members learn about fees and other costs associated with homebuying, the provision allows Service Secretaries to work with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development certified housing counselors and other qualified counselors to help service members and families.
    Bolstering Mental Health Resources and Responses:
    Shaheen helped secure a provision in line with her National Adverse Childhood Experiences Response Team (ACERT) Grant Program Authorization Act directing the DoD to study and report on establishing a program to address adverse childhood experiences associated with exposure to trauma by connecting law enforcement and first responders with local child specialists and professionals.
    The legislation also includes Shaheen’s amendment to address the shortage of quality, accessible mental and behavioral health care for service members. Her provision requires DoD to assess where there are shortages in providers and the impact of those staffing shortages on service members. 
    Investing in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and New England’s Shipbuilding Workforce
    Senator Shaheen built on her long legacy of support for New England’s shipbuilding industry and workforce, including through authorizing funding and workforce development for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The Committee-approved FY26 NDAA includes full authorization for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) investments at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which will expand the Shipyard’s capacity to maintain America’s fast-attack submarine fleet. As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees, Senator Shaheen helped secure this funding beginning in the fiscal year 2019 funding legislation, which she has continued in ensuing years.
    Shaheen also helped to authorize funding for increased reliability, resiliency and capacity to the existing electric and water utility systems primarily responsible for the nuclear support facilities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Additionally, the bill authorizes $26 million for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art Readiness Center to support the New Hampshire National Guard in Plymouth, New Hampshire.
    In addition, the bill reauthorizes funding for Virginia-class submarines, which are repaired at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Shaheen is a steadfast supporter of the Virginia-class program and is a fierce advocate for Shipyard priorities.
    Shaheen also secured a provision aimed at improving the quality of life and bolstering recruitment and retention of employees at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the country’s three other public shipyards. The Shaheen amendment requires DoD to assess the feasibility, costs and benefits of providing civilian employees with apartment-style or dormitory housing options.  Shaheen also secured report language to encourage DoD to explore the feasibility of low-interest loans for maritime industrial base (MIB) suppliers. 
    Finally, the bill includes Shaheen’s legislation to extend direct hire authority to the Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP), which will give Navy the ability to fill these positions quickly, address workforce delays and reduce delays in submarine construction and maintenance.
    Supporting Americans Affected by Directed Energy Attacks
    Senator Shaheen built on her progress to ensure that all U.S. personnel and their loved ones suffering from anomalous health incidents (AHIs) – also known as “Havana Syndrome” or directed-energy attacks – get the medical attention they deserve. Shaheen successfully secured a provision that encourages the Department of Defense to supply the cross-functional team addressing AHIs with the resources that they need to provide those affected with necessary treatment and timely compensation under the Helping American Victims Affected by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act of 2021. The amendment also urges the Department to redouble its efforts to identify emerging directed energy threats, understand their origin and develop countermeasures to defend against them.
    Shaheen has been a leader in supporting American public servants who have incurred AHIs. In October 2021, President Biden signed legislation Shaheen helped lead, the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA Act), into law. The law authorizes financial support to ensure medical care for those affected by AHIs. In the FY21 NDAA, Shaheen successfully included language to expand a provision in law that she previously wrote to provide long-term, emergency care benefits to all U.S. government employees and their dependents who were mysteriously injured while working in China and Cuba.
    Bolstering Congressional Oversight and Reining in Wasteful Spending
    In this year’s NDAA, Senator Shaheen secured several provisions to assert Congress’s oversight authority over the Trump administration and prohibit wasteful spending, including the use of Department of Defense resources for immigration enforcement activities. The bill requires DoD to notify Congress before using military airlift for immigration enforcement purposes and expands existing notifications to include requests for assistance in support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at Guantanamo Bay. In the first five months of migrant operations at Guantanamo Bay, DoD has already spent over $40 million providing non-reimbursable support to DHS.
    Additionally, Shaheen included language in the NDAA urging DoD not to downgrade the U.S. Naval Hospital at Guantanamo Bay to a clinic. The hospital is the only source of health care for the over 6,000 active duty personnel, DoD civilians, family members, contract personnel and local and foreign national employees stationed at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay (NSGB).
    The provisions come after Shaheen joined a Congressional delegation to Guantanamo Bay in March of this year after the Pentagon refused to answer Congressional oversight questions on its support to DHS’s new migrant operations there.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Shaheen Applauds Inclusion of Her Provision to Safeguard Ukraine Assistance in Committee-Passed Annual Defense Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee, applauded the inclusion of her provision that would put up guardrails to prevent the Pentagon from diverting assistance to Ukraine in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that advanced out of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). The amendment comes after the Pentagon’s misguided decision to divert vital military aid for Ukraine last week and eventual reversal by President Trump.  
    Specifically, Shaheen’s amendment prevents the U.S. Department of Defense from accepting back into stock or diverting equipment that was put on contract for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The Committee-passed bill also includes Shaheen-authored amendments that allow the continued sharing of U.S. information, intelligence and imagery to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield and prevent cuts to security cooperation funding for U.S. forces in Europe.   
    “As Russia continues to pummel Ukraine, it’s absolutely critical that the United States provides Ukraine with the military assistance it has been promised. That’s why it was deeply troubling to see Secretary Hegseth’s unilateral attempt to abruptly halt munitions shipments to Ukraine last week. While the administration ultimately reversed course on this short-sighted decision, it’s clear that Congress needs to establish stronger guardrails to prevent the Secretary from diverting assistance again—Ukrainian lives cannot be vulnerable to short-sighted, unilateral actions.  
    “I was pleased to see my amendment to prohibit the Pentagon from diverting military aid meant for Ukraine clear the Senate Armed Services Committee with bipartisan support. If we’re going to get Putin to the negotiating table, the United States has to uphold its commitment and deliver the equipment we’ve pledged for Ukraine. We must help Ukraine defend its skies and protect civilians from Russia’s continuous aerial assaults. Congress’ support for Ukraine and a lasting peace remains strong, and I look forward to seeing my provision clear the full Senate and then signed into law by the President.”
    The Committee-passed NDAA also includes the following Shaheen-led amendments: 
    To allow the continued sharing of U.S. information, intelligence and imagery to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield and prevent cuts to security cooperation funding for U.S. forces in Europe; 
    To require the executive branch to consult with Congress and NATO Allies before any attempt to withdraw U.S. forces from Europe or abdicate the Commander of U.S. European Command’s dual role of Supreme Allied Commander Europe;  
    To require the Pentagon to consult with Congress before making changes to U.S. military force posture in Europe and on the Korean Peninsula. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Takes Action to Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 21 other attorneys general in defending critical funding from the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for organizations that provide services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. In an amicus brief filed with the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Attorney General James and the coalition argue that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) new requirements that these organizations certify they will not use funding for services that don’t align with the Trump administration’s political agenda are illegal and will endanger vulnerable people. The Trump administration’s targeting of VAWA programs jeopardizes resources for both survivors and law enforcement that have helped dramatically reduce domestic violence since the law took effect in 1994.  

    “For decades, the Violence Against Women Act has helped protect domestic violence survivors and bring their abusers to justice,” said Attorney General James. “This administration’s illegal attempt to play politics with its funds will put the most vulnerable members of our communities in danger. I will continue to fight any reckless policy that puts New Yorkers at risk and makes it harder for our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”

    For the past 30 years, Congress has dedicated funds under VAWA to support training for law enforcement and provide medical care, hotlines, shelters, and services for survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other similar crimes. Under both Democratic and Republican administrations, more than $11 billion has been distributed under VAWA, which has helped dramatically reduce domestic violence by 64 percent.

    As Attorney General James and the coalition note in the brief, VAWA programs have changed the way law enforcement responds to domestic violence by spurring investments in new forensic tools and victim advocates that have helped increase convictions and protect survivors. Every year, VAWA programs help train more than 600,000 professionals – including police officers, prosecutors, judges, and advocates – and provide more than two million individual services to survivors.

    Earlier this year, the Trump administration imposed new conditions on VAWA funds to prohibit organizations that receive these funds from providing vaguely defined “out-of-scope” services, including those that promote so-called “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs” and “gender ideology.” As Attorney General James and the coalition argue in the brief, these conditions will severely undermine public safety by threatening VAWA-funded organizations with prosecution for operating programs that serve the most vulnerable people. Congress has mandated that VAWA funds provide assistance to the LGBTQ community and other vulnerable groups like immigrants without legal status. As Attorney General James and the coalition argue, DOJ’s new conditions contradict Congress’ updates to VAWA that prevent discrimination in its programs. The brief also argues the conditions will affect public safety by making it harder for those in need to get help and inhibiting law enforcement from bringing abusers to justice.

    Attorney General James and the coalition are urging the court to grant a preliminary injunction preventing DOJ’s new guidelines on VAWA funding from being enforced.

    Joining Attorney General James in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Files Brief in Support of Lawsuit Challenging U.S. DOJ’s Unlawful Restrictions on Domestic Violence Funds

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today joined a multistate coalition in submitting an amicus brief in Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence v. Bondi, supporting plaintiffs challenging conditions placed on Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants by the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ). In their brief, the attorneys general argue that the federal government is illegally adding new rules to domestic violence and sexual assault grants that go against the Constitution and threaten vital services for victims.

    “Violence Against Women Act grants provide a critical safety net for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault across California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The Trump Administration’s politically driven restrictions on accessing these grants are not only unlawful, but they also put lives at risk. Survivors deserve support free from discrimination and interference, not confusing mandates that jeopardize their access to help when they need it most.” 

    VAWA grants help provide safe shelters, counseling, legal aid, and other critical support, aiming to serve all eligible victims, regardless of their background. However, U.S. DOJ is now attempting to add confusing new rules to these grants, telling organizations they cannot use funds to “promote gender identity” or “DEI programs,” even while maintaining that organizations must continue to serve all victims and follow anti-discrimination laws. This puts the groups that help victims and survivors in an impossible bind and potentially leaves countless victims without the help they desperately need.

    The plaintiffs, a coalition of domestic violence and sexual assault service providers, argue that these conditions exceed U.S. DOJ’s statutory authority, are arbitrary and capricious, and violate constitutional rights, including the First and Fifth Amendments and the Spending Clause.

    In today’s amicus brief, the attorneys general support the plaintiffs, arguing that preliminary injunctive relief reinstating this funding while litigation continues is in the public interest because:

    • Enforcing conditions on VAWA-funded services for California residents would cause severe harm, particularly in addressing domestic violence and sexual assault.
    • VAWA funds are vital for training law enforcement, improving victim services for underserved populations, and assisting victims with immigration matters. 

    In submitting the brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Rhode Island, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

    A copy of the amicus brief, which is subject to court approval, can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bondi Takes Action to End the Subsidization of Open Borders

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced today a decisive move to help end the subsidization of open borders by taxpayers.

    As noted in the announcement by the White House yesterday, the Attorney General has rescinded a nearly 30-year-old order allowing for the provision of federal benefits to illegal aliens. In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which limits public benefits to citizens and “qualified aliens” who have a legal right to be in the United States. 

    To conform with President Trump’s Executive Order, the Attorney General has now issued an order expressly declining to exempt any programs from PRWORA, revoking overly broad exceptions put in place by Attorney General Reno nearly three decades ago.

    “Previous administrations have acted for decades to undermine the principles and limitations directed by Congress through PRWORA—no longer,”  said Attorney General Bondi. “The Trump Administration’s action will preserve public benefits for American citizens, support the rule of law, and avoid the waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Attorney General Bondi Takes Action to End the Subsidization of Open Borders

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced today a decisive move to help end the subsidization of open borders by taxpayers.

    As noted in the announcement by the White House yesterday, the Attorney General has rescinded a nearly 30-year-old order allowing for the provision of federal benefits to illegal aliens. In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which limits public benefits to citizens and “qualified aliens” who have a legal right to be in the United States. 

    To conform with President Trump’s Executive Order, the Attorney General has now issued an order expressly declining to exempt any programs from PRWORA, revoking overly broad exceptions put in place by Attorney General Reno nearly three decades ago.

    “Previous administrations have acted for decades to undermine the principles and limitations directed by Congress through PRWORA—no longer,”  said Attorney General Bondi. “The Trump Administration’s action will preserve public benefits for American citizens, support the rule of law, and avoid the waste of taxpayer dollars.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Lead Amicus Brief Challenging Trump Administration Abuse of Emergency Powers to Impose Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    July 11, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he is leading Senate and House colleagues in filing an amicus brief in a key case, Oregon, et al., v. Trump, et al., challenging the Trump Administration’s abuse of emergency powers to impose tariffs. 

    The brief opposes the Administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to levy sweeping tariffs as IEEPA is not a tariff statute.

    In June, Wyden and Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Democratic Leader, led 33 senators including Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in filing an amicus brief at an earlier stage of this case urging the immediate suspension of the tariffs imposed under IEEPA. However, the Federal Circuit declined to suspend the illegal tariffs while it considers the merits of the appeal. 

    “This isn’t a close call – IEEPA doesn’t give the president ANY tariff authority, let alone the power to slap sweeping tariffs on products from almost every country on earth,” said Wyden,  Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee,. “The courts should strike down Trump’s illegal tariffs, which are hiking prices for American families and threatening American jobs.” 

    “IEEPA contains none of the hallmarks of legislation delegating tariff power to the executive such as limitations tied to specific products or countries, caps on the amount of tariff increases, procedural safeguards, public input, collaboration with Congress, or time limitations,” the lawmakers wrote. “In the five decades since IEEPA’s enactment, no President from either party, aside from the current President, has ever claimed that IEEPA conferred any authority to impose tariffs.” 

    “Unmoored from the structural safeguards Congress built into actual tariff statutes, the President’s unlawful ’emergency’ tariffs under IEEPA have led to chaos and uncertainty,” the lawmakers continued. 

    “This is dysregulation, not delegation,” the lawmakers concluded. “The President’s actions are not consistent with the lawful power Congress granted in IEEPA in 1977 nor America’s constitutional structure. If the President believes that imposing, removing, or amending tariffs are an appropriate policy measure, Congress has given him tools to pursue those goals. But IEEPA is not one of them. This Court should affirm the CIT’s judgment and hold that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs.”

    In addition to Wyden, this latest amicus brief was led by Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Joe Neguse, D-Colo., Chair of the House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force, Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

    The full text of the brief is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Megabill to Cut Over $6.6 Billion from WA Hospitals

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

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on new data showing that Washington hospitals will lose an estimated $662 million a year, or over $6.6 billion over the next decade, because of Trump and Republicans’ megabill that was signed into law last week.

    “The ripple effects of this law will be felt like a tsunami in Washington’s health care system. These cruel cuts will kick 330,000 Washingtonians off their health coverage. Regardless of what kind of health coverage someone has, they will feel the impact. Hospitals across Washington are estimated to lose over $6.6 billion because of the Apple Health cuts. It will force hospitals and providers to close facilities and scale back services, and insurers to raise insurance premiums across the board.

    “All of this so Republicans can give billionaires another massive tax break.”

    Some of the largest estimated annual cuts in Western Washington include:

    • Over $56 million cut to Harborview Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Over $45 million cut to the University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Nearly $30 million cut to Swedish Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Nearly $29 million cut to Providence Regional Medical Center (Everett)
    • Over $12 million cut to Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Over $11 million cut to Evergreen Health (Kirkland)
    • Over $7.8 million for Overlake Hospital (Bellevue)
    • Over $1.9 million cut to Evergreen Health (Monroe)

    What Washington Health Systems Are Saying:

    “The federal cuts to Medicaid payments are a disaster for hospitals across the country. In Washington State alone, hospital payments for services delivered will be cut by more than $6 billion over the next ten years. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people will lose coverage. There is no way hospitals can absorb this level of cuts in the Medicaid program without impacting everyone’s access to services. Important hospital services will disappear, nurses and doctors will be laid off, and some hospitals are at risk of full closure,” said Jacqueline Barton True, Vice President, Advocacy and Rural Health, Washington State Hospital Association.

    “Medicaid funding is critical to keep hospitals open and operating for all patients. This is especially true for public safety net health systems like UW Medicine. The federal budget reconciliation bill will significantly reduce both patient eligibility for coverage and Medicaid funding going directly to hospitals for daily operations,” said Dr. Tim Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine and Dean University of Washington School of Medicine. “It is not simply Medicaid patients who will be impacted; these cuts will disrupt the financial foundation that supports the entire health care system, reducing resources and access to care for everyone. As Washington state’s largest public hospital system and safety net provider of health care, the loss of Medicaid reimbursements will have a profound impact on UW Medicine’s ability to serve the community and meet our mission of improving the health of the public by treating every patient who needs our care.”

    “From a patient’s perspective, the biggest concerns about the law are the numerous provisions, including significant Medicaid cuts, that will make it harder for patients to get health insurance coverage and keep that coverage. When people lose their coverage, their medical needs don’t go away. Lack of health insurance coverage can end up exacerbating those needs, as patients without insurance genuinely don’t receive the preventive care that they desperately need that keep patients and populations healthy. Patients may even ration food or skip medication altogether. All this adds up to patients who, when they do seek care, will require higher level care—which is also more expensive,” said Jon Duarte, President & CEO, MultiCare Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, CEO, North Sound Region. “In addition, they often enter the health care system through an emergency department, putting increased stress, not only on them, but on other patients in emergency department care as well. In accordance with our mission at MultiCare, we provide care for all who need it, any day, any hour of the day as well, regardless of their ability to pay. When patients lose access to health insurance, hospitals like Overlake will have no choice but to care for those patients and absorb the increased costs associated with providing uncompensated care, creating a financially unintentional and unsustainable situation for health systems. Ultimately, we may have to cut services, causing entire communities to lose important access to care.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Megabill to Cut Over $6.6 Billion from WA Hospitals

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

    Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on new data showing that Washington hospitals will lose an estimated $662 million a year, or over $6.6 billion over the next decade, because of Trump and Republicans’ megabill that was signed into law last week.

    “The ripple effects of this law will be felt like a tsunami in Washington’s health care system. These cruel cuts will kick 330,000 Washingtonians off their health coverage. Regardless of what kind of health coverage someone has, they will feel the impact. Hospitals across Washington are estimated to lose over $6.6 billion because of the Apple Health cuts. It will force hospitals and providers to close facilities and scale back services, and insurers to raise insurance premiums across the board.

    “All of this so Republicans can give billionaires another massive tax break.”

    Some of the largest estimated annual cuts in Western Washington include:

    • Over $56 million cut to Harborview Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Over $45 million cut to the University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Nearly $30 million cut to Swedish Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Nearly $29 million cut to Providence Regional Medical Center (Everett)
    • Over $12 million cut to Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle)
    • Over $11 million cut to Evergreen Health (Kirkland)
    • Over $7.8 million for Overlake Hospital (Bellevue)
    • Over $1.9 million cut to Evergreen Health (Monroe)

    What Washington Health Systems Are Saying:

    “The federal cuts to Medicaid payments are a disaster for hospitals across the country. In Washington State alone, hospital payments for services delivered will be cut by more than $6 billion over the next ten years. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people will lose coverage. There is no way hospitals can absorb this level of cuts in the Medicaid program without impacting everyone’s access to services. Important hospital services will disappear, nurses and doctors will be laid off, and some hospitals are at risk of full closure,” said Jacqueline Barton True, Vice President, Advocacy and Rural Health, Washington State Hospital Association.

    “Medicaid funding is critical to keep hospitals open and operating for all patients. This is especially true for public safety net health systems like UW Medicine. The federal budget reconciliation bill will significantly reduce both patient eligibility for coverage and Medicaid funding going directly to hospitals for daily operations,” said Dr. Tim Dellit, CEO of UW Medicine and Dean University of Washington School of Medicine. “It is not simply Medicaid patients who will be impacted; these cuts will disrupt the financial foundation that supports the entire health care system, reducing resources and access to care for everyone. As Washington state’s largest public hospital system and safety net provider of health care, the loss of Medicaid reimbursements will have a profound impact on UW Medicine’s ability to serve the community and meet our mission of improving the health of the public by treating every patient who needs our care.”

    “From a patient’s perspective, the biggest concerns about the law are the numerous provisions, including significant Medicaid cuts, that will make it harder for patients to get health insurance coverage and keep that coverage. When people lose their coverage, their medical needs don’t go away. Lack of health insurance coverage can end up exacerbating those needs, as patients without insurance genuinely don’t receive the preventive care that they desperately need that keep patients and populations healthy. Patients may even ration food or skip medication altogether. All this adds up to patients who, when they do seek care, will require higher level care—which is also more expensive,” said Jon Duarte, President & CEO, MultiCare Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, CEO, North Sound Region. “In addition, they often enter the health care system through an emergency department, putting increased stress, not only on them, but on other patients in emergency department care as well. In accordance with our mission at MultiCare, we provide care for all who need it, any day, any hour of the day as well, regardless of their ability to pay. When patients lose access to health insurance, hospitals like Overlake will have no choice but to care for those patients and absorb the increased costs associated with providing uncompensated care, creating a financially unintentional and unsustainable situation for health systems. Ultimately, we may have to cut services, causing entire communities to lose important access to care.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Joint Trades Letter re: Expeditious Consideration of DOI Nominees

    Source: Independent Petroleum Association of America

    Headline: Joint Trades Letter re: Expeditious Consideration of DOI Nominees

    Jul 10, 2025 Joint Trades Letter re: Expeditious Consideration of DOI Nominees

    Posted at 17:16h in Letters and Comments by

    Dear Leader Thune, Leader Schumer, Chairman Lee, and Ranking Member Heinrich:

    We write to express our gratitude for the Senate’s confirmation of President Donald Trump’s picks to lead the Department of the Interior (DOI) – Secretary Doug Burgum and Deputy Secretary Katharine MacGregor – and to express our strong support for the expeditious consideration of all remaining DOI nominees who are currently awaiting Senate floor action. …

    Continue Reading

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: San Antonio Man Arrested for Alleged Facebook Threat Against President Trump Ahead of Friday’s Visit to Texas Hill Country

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was arrested Thursday night in San Antonio on criminal charges related to his alleged threat against the President of the United States.

    According to court documents, Robert Herrera, 52, commented on a San Antonio news outlet’s July 10 Facebook post pertaining to President Donald Trump’s planned visit to the Texas Hill Country. Using the handle, “Robert Herrer,” Herrera allegedly commented, “I won’t miss,” along with a photo depicting President Trump surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents immediately after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. The criminal complaint alleges that a separate Facebook poster replied to “Robert Herrer” stating, “you won’t get the chance, I promise,” to which “Robert Herrer” responded to, “I’ll just come for you.” Accompanying that statement, “Robert Herrer” included a photo of an assault rifle and loaded magazines.

    Herrera was arrested the same day and is facing a federal charge of making threats against the President and interstate threatening communications. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for each charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    “This case is an example of great cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement partners committed to taking down anyone who would threaten the life of the President or anyone else,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “I want to thank Chief McManus and his team at SAPD for their swift response to this threat. To be clear, these types of threats will not be taken lightly, and we will always take a swift, aggressive approach, as was done here.”

    “I would like to thank the San Antonio Police Department and the FBI San Antonio Field Office for assisting the U.S. Secret Service in this matter,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Gibson for the U.S. Secret Service San Antonio Field Office. “Investigating threats towards individuals under Secret Service protection are treated as our highest priority. This is one of the countless reasons the Secret Service prides ourselves on forging and maintaining relationships with other law enforcement agencies. As this is an ongoing investigation, the Secret Service will have no further comment on this incident.”

    “While the FBI fully supports and defends every American’s right to free speech, it is important to understand that threatening violence against any individual is not constitutionally protected speech, it is a federal crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “We take all threats to human life with the utmost seriousness, and we urge others to do the same. We would like to thank the United States Secret Service, the San Antonio Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the United States Attorney’s Office for their tremendous partnership in addressing this threat against the President. We urge all members of the public to express their views peacefully and respectfully in a manner consistent with the values that define our nation.”

    “SAPD remains committed to working alongside our federal partners to ensure that threats of violence are taken seriously and addressed quickly,” said Chief William McManus for the San Antonio Police Department. “I want to commend the individual who reported the threatened violence against POTUS. Law enforcement cannot do this job without the assistance of our community.”

    The U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and San Antonio Police Department are investigating the case with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg is prosecuting the case.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Hoyle Joins Oregon Delegation to Urge Release of Critical Fishery Disaster Funding

    Source: US Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04)

    July 11, 2025

    Lawmakers press the Trump Administration to act quickly to unlock $7 million intended to help Oregon’s ocean commercial fishermen recover from significant economic losses from declining salmon populations

    For Immediate Release: July 11, 2025 

    EUGENE, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), alongside U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05) pressed the Trump Administration to release the $7,050,722 that was allocated to Oregon for the catastrophic regional fishery disaster that was declared for the Oregon Chinook salmon commercial ocean fisheries in the state for 2018, 2019, and 2020.

    The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) resubmitted their spending plan for funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Commerce in October 2024, but their final revised application has gone without a response from the Trump Administration for the last several months, delaying much needed funding for Oregon’s fishermen.

    The Oregon lawmakers are urging Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to promptly review and act upon the PSMFC’s application without further delay to help the state’s ocean commercial fishermen and coastal economies recover from the significant toll of declining salmon populations.

    “Oregon salmon and salmon fisheries are an invaluable cultural, economic, and ecological resource in our state. Salmon are highly valued by Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest for cultural, subsistence, and economic benefits,” wrote the lawmakers.

    The impact salmon loss has on Oregon’s economy cannot be understated, as the state’s commercial fishing industry generates more than $640 million in economic activity each year, equivalent to 9,200 jobs.

    The lawmakers pressed this fact to Director Vought: “Additionally, the commercial salmon industry is a significant economic driver for rural communities on the Oregon Coast, generating millions of dollars in economic output. Sadly, our salmon fisheries have faced significant obstacles over the last decade which have resulted in significant fishery declines.”

    As the Oregon delegation continues to hear from concerned constituents in Oregon’s coastal communities and fisheries, they are requesting Director Vought provide responses to the following questions by August 1, 2025:

    1. Does the Office of Management and Budget require additional information to process the application submitted by the PSMFC?

    2. Will the Office of Management and Budget commit to promptly reviewing the application resubmitted by PSMFC in a timely manner and to apportion and obligate funding to the designated amount of $7,050,722 for the declared disaster?

    “We look forward to a timely disbursal of these critical funds to assist Oregon’s commercial salmon industry and await your response,” the lawmakers closed.

    Full text of the Oregon delegation’s letter can be found HERE.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Americans Celebrate the One Big Beautiful Bill’s Transformational Policies

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    A week after President Donald J. Trump signed the historic One Big Beautiful Bill into law, Americans across the country are celebrating its many benefits. From farmers securing their family legacies to service workers gaining financial breathing room, the bill’s bold policies will make a real difference in Americans’ lives.
    In Iowa, fifth-generation farmer Dennis Friest says it “feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders” now that the One Big Beautiful Bill prevents the death tax from hitting his farm: “One of my goals when I started farming was to be able to pass this farm onto the next generation, and I’m doing that. I feel very good about that.”
    In Georgia, a restaurant worker says No Tax on Tips will have countless benefits: “I believe it’s going to generate more spending around the town and maybe even travel in the future, or people can start saving and make bigger purchases along the way. I think it’s great.”
    In California, a waitress says No Tax on Tips will help her save for the future: “Over the previous years, I’ve owed quite a bit — so hopefully this can go into a college fund instead.”
    In South Carolina, Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis says No Tax on Overtime will help his deputies better plan how to spend their money: “They work extremely hard and have an extremely tragic job — every one of them.”
    In Hawaii, a restaurant owner says No Tax on Tips will be a boon for his employees: “I think any amount of money saved will have great impact … that would affect absolutely every non-manager in the house. Everybody’s tipped here.”
    In Nevada, a service worker says No Tax on Tips will make a huge difference for hardworking people like her: “It definitely will be a couple of hundred dollars in our paychecks — which it goes far.”
    In Texas, a fourth-generation farmer says the pro-agriculture provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will be difference-maker: “We definitely need a strong safety net for America’s farmers.”
    In Michigan, a waitress says the extra money as a result of No Tax on Tips will help care for her four children: “It would either go towards them or towards my house bills.”
    In Wisconsin, the vice president of the state’s restaurant association says No Tax on Tips will have a direct impact on peoples’ lives: “Many of our folks are part-time, either supplemental income to the family or are students putting themselves through school … this will help them achieve their goals.”
    In Florida, a Miami bartender says No Tax on Tips will be a big help since tips are 90% of his income: “A little bit more money in the working people’s pocket, and that just allows us the opportunity to get to enjoy our cities a little bit more.”
    In Minnesota, a bartender praises No Tax on Tips: “Any more money on our checks is going to be better — that we don’t have to give to the government.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: On Senate Floor, Murray Slams Rescissions Package, Warning Against Senselessly Abandoning Communities at Home and Leadership Abroad

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    FACT SHEET: Trump’s Rescission Package Would Gut Bipartisan Foreign Policy Investments

    FACT SHEET: Trump’s Rescission Package Would Devastate Local Public Radio, TV Stations Across America

    ICYMI: Vought Refuses to Rule Out More Illegal End-Runs Around Congress & Refuses to Detail How Trump Will Execute Cuts If Rescissions Bill Passes—Murray Urges Congress to Reject Package in its Entirety

    Murray on claims passing the bill is about fiscal responsibility: “You could cut the equivalent of this bill every single day, for an entire year, and it still would not match the cost of the billionaire tax cuts Republicans passed last week.”

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s floor remarks***

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor laying out the devastation President Trump’s rescission package would cause for local news stations nationwide and their emergency preparedness systems and underscoring how it will gut bipartisan foreign policy investments, ceding America’s global leadership—all while doing nothing to get our “fiscal house in order.”

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

    [HYPOCRISY ON DEBTS, DEFICITS, AND “FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY”]

    “Mr. President, last week Republicans made the wrong kind of history. That is because, last week, they passed what may well be the single most expensive piece of legislation in the history of our country—all to help the rich and hurt the poor. This should go in the Guinness Book of World Records.

    “And let’s not forget, the history doesn’t end there. Because they passed the biggest bill in the history of the Senate with the biggest gimmick in the history of the Senate—basically saying that trillions of dollars in tax cuts for billionaires are free.

    “This farce is only getting worse—because do you know what Republicans are turning to now? Do you know what the next order of business in the Senate is? They are going to take up President Trump’s request to slash local news and bipartisan foreign policy investments, in order to ‘balance the debt.’

    “That is a serious case of amnesia. Republicans just saddled the national credit card with a $4 trillion in debt—that’s trillions with a ‘T’—so they could give massive tax breaks to the richest people in the country. And they would have added even more to that debt if they didn’t cut over a trillion in health care and nutrition assistance for millions of Americans.

    “But now that it is passed, now that they’ve saddled the next generation with loads of debt to help billionaire donors, many Republicans want to return to talking now about ‘getting the nation’s fiscal house in order.’

    “Are you kidding me? Do you really think we don’t remember what just happened last week? Well thank goodness for C-SPAN, and we all should review the tape.

    “One week ago, Republicans were pretending trillions in debt for tax giveaways to their corporate buddies and mega donors was nothing—literally nothing.

    “And now, these same Republicans say local news, which provides crucial information in emergencies, is just too expensive to support.

    “Now, these same Republicans say we just can’t afford to continue lifesaving aid that prevents famine and epidemics.

    “Even though—keep in mind—we are talking about a sum total of less than 0.14 percent of our overall federal budget.

    “The irony is almost as rich as the corporate CEOs who made out like bandits in that big, awful, mess Republicans passed last week.

    [DEVASTATING CUTS TO PUBLIC BROADCASTING]

    “And this rescissions package is not just bad because many Republicans are trying to have it both ways on deficits and debt now. It’s just plain ole bad on the substance. These cuts would hurt our communities, and they hurt our country. 

    “Let’s start with local news. Republicans are trying to rip away investments that support over 1,500 local public TV and radio stations. These are stations that serve rural areas, and they give them local news you simply can’t find anywhere else.

    “Coverage that matters to people like what community events are coming up, how the school board is preparing for next year, weather and market reports for our farmers, not to mention emergency alerts when a disaster strikes.

    “You do not have to look hard to find an example of how important it is we get disaster warnings right. When the devastating wildfires hit southern California earlier this year, public radio broadcasts let millions of people know how to stay safe. When Hurricane Helene battered North Carolina, a local public radio station was the only source of information for many people. And, of course, the recent tragedy in Texas, and the flooding in New Mexico.

    “These were incredibly deadly floods—my heart goes out to all the families who are affected, especially those who lost loved ones. And my deep gratitude goes out to the first responders. I’m committed to helping these communities recover. To coming together like we always do as a nation after tragedy.

    “And while we learn more about what they needed, one thing all of our communities need, is strong emergency response systems. And one thing I can tell you, when dangers arise cutting local news stations, silencing trusted sources that can push out important warnings when cell towers fail, and your home internet connection goes out—that won’t make anything better.

    “And Mr. President, don’t even get me started on how this rescissions bill will hurt free, educational programming for countless kids. We’re talking about shows kids and parents love. But after saddling our country with trillions in debt for billionaires, many Republicans are saying there’s just not a penny left for our kids.

    “‘Sorry—we’re going to feed Big Bird to the Fat Cats.’

    “That’s the message Republicans are sending. This isn’t quite how they’d put it on Sesame Street, but America knows that message is brought to you by the letters BS. And it is so dangerously short sighted.

    “Talk to any parent, they will warn you: If Republican cuts end up canceling free, high-quality programming that is thoughtfully developed to get kids thinking and grow their curiosity, there’s an alarming amount of low-quality junk to fill that void. Content that is instead, carefully engineered to keep kids watching, and shorten their attention spans. 

    “Actually, you know what? It makes sense. Maybe getting our kids hooked on brain-rot TV is part of the Republican plan. After all, if our children are watching PBS, they might learn to count. And if our kids learn to count how will Republicans ever convince anyone that trillions of dollars in tax cuts are free?

    [GUTTING BIPARTISAN FOREIGN POLICY INVESTMENTS]

    “I know, let’s not forget President Trump wants Senate Republicans to rip up investments they themselves—they themselves—helped secure to advance America’s global leadership. Apparently being the leader of the free world is now just too expensive.

    “The reality of the matter is that these are investments are investments that pay off for our own country. From supporting American farmers and companies who provide the food assistance that saves lives; to stopping dangerous viruses and epidemics while they are still far overseas before they have a chance to threaten American lives; to preventing conflict, avoiding chaos and crisis that can cause a dangerous spiral; to strengthening our ties with key partners and defending our interests in international organizations.

    “We don’t just make these investments because they are the right thing to do, we do it because it is the smart thing to do for America.

    “But it’s worth saying Mr. President, it’s the right thing to do as well. And it is unthinkably wrong that this president is willing to shell out trillions for some of the richest people in the world, only to turn around and say that less than a penny a day is too expensive to protect hundreds of thousands of little girls from HIV.

    “It is wrong for Republicans to say, ‘oh we’ve got to get those corporate executives a big bonus,’ only to turn around and say: ‘oh we don’t really have to worry about the work our farmers do to help those starving kids.’

    “It is also foolish to think this is just a luxury, or charitable work. Our farmers know better. Americans who contract infectious diseases abroad know better. The companies in our states who work overseas to stabilize conflict-affected communities alongside DOD, they know better. It is bad strategy and a surefire way to hand China the upper hand.

    “But we cannot lose sight of the fact that it is just plain wrong.

    “Let’s be clear, if they cut this funding Republicans will not just be turning America away from the world, they will be turning the world away from America.

    “Do Republicans really want to cause needless suffering, or slash bipartisan funding, and break commitments we already made together to save a quick buck? Is America’s credibility so cheap to them?

    “They talk about peace through strength as if they are carrying on Ronald Reagan’s legacy. Reagan spent about half-a-percent of our GDP on foreign assistance. Today we spend less than half that. 

    “And keep in mind, the cuts proposed here are really, they are a drop in the bucket compared to the tsunami of spending and tax giveaways Republicans just passed. I mean, you could cut every single penny the U.S. has spent of foreign assistance since World War II and it would not add up to the cost of the tax cuts Republicans passed last week.

    [UNDERMINING BIPARTISAN APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS]

    “And that’s all saying nothing about how pushing this through won’t just cut bipartisan investments, it will cut out the heart of the basic principles that make bipartisan deals possible.

    “How are we supposed to negotiate a bipartisan deal if Republicans will turn around and put it through the shredder in a partisan vote. This entire package next week should be rejected outright. There is nothing about it that is serious—except for the threat it poses to our communities.

    “To suggest, even for a second, Republicans are doing this to address the debt is laughable. And I encourage the American people to laugh at anyone who pretends as much. Because you could cut the equivalent of this bill every single day, for an entire year, and it still would not match the cost of the billionaire tax cuts Republicans passed last week.

    “So, to my Republican colleagues, instead of doing Trump’s dirty work, instead of doing Russell Vought’s bidding, let’s do our jobs. Reject these partisan cuts to bipartisan funding, turn our focus squarely to the job ahead—writing bipartisan full funding appropriations bills.

    “And you know what? If there’s a discrete pot of funding that is not being spent well, if there are cuts that makes sense to include, if there are things that need to be updated, things that need to be reformed, let’s a have a conversation about what makes sense to rescind and improve as we write those bills in committee—the way we’ve always done.

    “My Democratic colleagues and I have said for months we are willing to discuss rescissions in our bipartisan spending bills. We have done this in a bipartisan fashion for years—no matter who is in the White House, or which party has had the majority in either chamber. 

    “My commitment to Chair Collins and my colleagues on other side of the aisle remains the same. I’m willing to work with you to include rescissions in our bipartisan spending bills as we continue to work on the fiscal year 2026 process. 

    “Instead of moving forward with this partisan rescission package, let’s reject that package and have these discussions and work together. Let’s move forward on the bipartisan appropriations process and address all of those decision there.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As School Year Nears, Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Demand Trump Admin. End Blockade on Funding for Afterschool Programs, K-12 Schools Across America

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Approximately $30 million for Rhode Island public schools and educational programs is in limbo after the Trump Administration froze federal funding that had previously been approved by Congress.

    Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and twenty-nine colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon demanding the immediate release of nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block last week.

    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks.

    Rhode Island faces the potential loss of nearly $30 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.

    The funding was expected to be disbursed by the federal government on July 1 and impacts every school district across the state.

    Nationwide, school districts have already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.

    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” write the 32 U.S. Senators. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”

    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs nationwide scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”

    They note that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”

    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they write: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”

    The lawmakers also detail how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”

    The Trump administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:

    1. Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    2. 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    3. Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    4. English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    5. Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    6. Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.

    In addition to Senators Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter was also signed by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maize Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:

    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.

    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.

    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as

    just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.

    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.

    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.

    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.

    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.

    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As School Year Nears, Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Demand Trump Admin. End Blockade on Funding for Afterschool Programs, K-12 Schools Across America

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Approximately $30 million for Rhode Island public schools and educational programs is in limbo after the Trump Administration froze federal funding that had previously been approved by Congress.

    Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and twenty-nine colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon demanding the immediate release of nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block last week.

    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks.

    Rhode Island faces the potential loss of nearly $30 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.

    The funding was expected to be disbursed by the federal government on July 1 and impacts every school district across the state.

    Nationwide, school districts have already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.

    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” write the 32 U.S. Senators. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”

    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs nationwide scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”

    They note that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”

    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they write: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”

    The lawmakers also detail how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”

    The Trump administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:

    1. Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    2. 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    3. Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    4. English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    5. Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    6. Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.

    In addition to Senators Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter was also signed by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maize Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:

    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.

    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.

    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as

    just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.

    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.

    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.

    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.

    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.

    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As School Year Nears, Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Demand Trump Admin. End Blockade on Funding for Afterschool Programs, K-12 Schools Across America

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Approximately $30 million for Rhode Island public schools and educational programs is in limbo after the Trump Administration froze federal funding that had previously been approved by Congress.

    Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and twenty-nine colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon demanding the immediate release of nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block last week.

    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks.

    Rhode Island faces the potential loss of nearly $30 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.

    The funding was expected to be disbursed by the federal government on July 1 and impacts every school district across the state.

    Nationwide, school districts have already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.

    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” write the 32 U.S. Senators. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”

    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs nationwide scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”

    They note that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”

    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they write: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”

    The lawmakers also detail how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”

    The Trump administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:

    1. Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    2. 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    3. Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    4. English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    5. Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    6. Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.

    In addition to Senators Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter was also signed by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maize Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:

    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.

    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.

    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as

    just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.

    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.

    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.

    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.

    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.

    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As School Year Nears, Reed, Whitehouse & Colleagues Demand Trump Admin. End Blockade on Funding for Afterschool Programs, K-12 Schools Across America

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Approximately $30 million for Rhode Island public schools and educational programs is in limbo after the Trump Administration froze federal funding that had previously been approved by Congress.

    Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and twenty-nine colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon demanding the immediate release of nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block last week.

    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks.

    Rhode Island faces the potential loss of nearly $30 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.

    The funding was expected to be disbursed by the federal government on July 1 and impacts every school district across the state.

    Nationwide, school districts have already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.

    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” write the 32 U.S. Senators. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”

    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs nationwide scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”

    They note that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”

    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they write: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”

    The lawmakers also detail how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”

    The Trump administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:

    1. Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    2. 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    3. Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    4. English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    5. Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    6. Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.

    In addition to Senators Murray, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter was also signed by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Maize Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:

    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.

    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.

    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.

    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as

    just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.

    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.

    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.

    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.

    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.

    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –