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Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch, Booker, Colleagues Introduce Honor Farmer Contracts Act

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 15 of his Democratic colleagues in introducing the Honor Farmer Contracts Act, legislation to release illegally withheld funding for all contracts and agreements previously entered into by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  
    President Trump’s USDA has refused to make reimbursement payments to fulfill signed contracts, without any indication of when or whether farmers will be paid the money they laid out and are owed. Farmers and the organizations that serve them operate on tight margins. This legislation would require the USDA to pay farmers all past due payments as quickly as possible to prevent them from having to shut down their operations.   
    “Let’s get one thing straight: the Trump Administration is illegally stiffing our farmers, refusing to reimburse them for funding they’ve been promised. Trump pulled the rug right out from underneath farmers’ feet. Our farmers made these agreements in good faith, and Trump’s decision to go back on his word will hurt Vermont farmers and cause irreversible damage to local food programs across the country,” said Senator Welch. “Our farmers work hard, and they’re already working on the knife’s edge to keep their farm up and running. Our legislation ensures that the Trump Administration holds up its end of the bargain and supports our farmers.” 
    “Farmers across the country have been in limbo ever since the USDA froze previously signed agreements and contracts, with many facing catastrophic consequences if these freezes continue,” said Senator Booker. “USDA’s refusal to pay what is owed to farmers and the organizations that support them is theft, plain and simple. It’s a critical time of year for farmers and ranchers. They should be doing what they love – feeding our communities, not worrying about unpaid contracts. This legislation will fix that by forcing USDA and the Trump Administration to hold up their end of the deal.” 
    “Over the last two months, farmers, ranchers, and rural communities have been left in limbo – waiting for the USDA to honor its promises,” said Representative Vasquez. “The Honor Farmer Contracts Act is about restoring trust and keeping our word to the hardworking people who feed America. When farmers sign contracts, they expect the government to follow through. It’s that simple. This bill will immediately unfreeze critical funding, ensure farmers are paid for their work, and reopen essential USDA offices that were shuttered without notice. This legislation is standing up for rural America, protecting family farms, and strengthening our food system. Let’s do right by our farmers – because when they thrive, we all do.” 
    When farmers successfully apply to USDA programs and then spend their own dollars in reliance upon signed contracts with the agency, they rightfully expect that they will receive reimbursement. Similarly, farmer-serving organizations—which farmers rely upon to connect to local markets and implement practices that make them more productive and less resource intensive—are facing imminent funding crises from not being reimbursed for completed or in-progress contracted work. If not quickly made whole, these organizations will be forced to make agonizing decisions to lay off staff and stop helping farmers, destroying years of progress in advancing local food systems.  
    The Honor Farmer Contracts Act would: 

    Require USDA to unfreeze all signed agreements and contracts; 
    Require USDA to make all past due payments as quickly as possible; 
    Prohibit USDA from cancelling agreements or contracts with farmers or organizations providing assistance to farmers unless there has been a failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement or contract. 
    Prohibit USDA from closing any Farm Service Agency county office, Natural Resources Conservation Service field office or Rural Development Service Center without providing 60 days prior notice and justification to Congress.  

    Organizations endorsing the Honor Farmer Contracts Act include the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, New England Farmers Union, American Agriculture Movement, American Grassfed Association, Farm Action Fund, Farm Aid, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, National Young Farmers Coalition, Rural Coalition, and more. Read the full list of organizations endorsing the bill here.  
    “On Farm Aid’s hotline, we’re hearing from farmers and farmer-serving organizations who have frozen and canceled federal funding, and we know these are only a few of the thousands from around the country,” said Hannah Tremblay, Farm Aid’s policy and advocacy manager. “USDA’s withholding of payments owed under signed, lawful contracts is causing turmoil across our food system–and it couldn’t come at a worse time. As farmers plan their growing season, uncertainty is among the most dangerous elements they have to grapple with. The effects of this funding freeze are likely to compound and severely impact all aspects of our food system – from seed and soil, to farmer and consumer. Farm Aid fully supports the Honor Farmer Contracts Act to end this unlawful freeze now!” 
    “During the last several months, countless farmers, and the community-based organizations who serve them, have had their livelihoods thrown into doubt as USDA has deliberated whether or not to honor its own legal contracts,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Policy Director. “The Honor Farmer Contracts Act unequivocally reiterates a bedrock principle – USDA must honor its own word, and swiftly meet its legal obligations to farmers and organizations by immediately releasing funding on all signed contracts. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition thanks Senator Booker and all Members standing alongside farmers in asking USDA to honor its commitments.” 
    In addition to Sens. Welch and Booker, the Honor Farmer Contacts Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02) will introduce companion legislation in the House. 
    Read and download the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks on Finance Committee’s Investigation into Pfizer’s Tax Scheme: “What we’re talking about today proves that the suspicion that Vermonters have about things being rigged—they’re right.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, this week took to the Senate Floor to highlight the Senate Finance Committee’s new report that found Pfizer, which generated $20 billion in U.S. sales of prescription drugs in 2019, reported zero taxable U.S. income by claiming 100% of its profits were earned overseas. Pfizer’s scheme enabled the pharmaceutical giant to dodge billions in U.S. taxes. 
    “What did we find out with the Wyden report? We found that a major United States pharmaceutical company was able to make sales of $20 billion of its product in 2019 and report zero in income. Zero in profits here in this country. What that ultimately means is that what Pfizer paid on its taxes—despite this extraordinary profit—they paid less than a mail room clerk pays in Social Security. They paid less than the pharmacist at the drugstore who dispenses the prescriptions. They paid less than the delivery drivers who may have brought these prescriptions to a person’s home. They paid less than the employees of Pfizer, whether it was a lab technician or a clerk or anyone at that company,” said Senator Welch. 
    “This is really shocking, but if any of us wonder why everyday folks, who are showing up to do their job in all of the places of employment—in your state and mine—and then at the end of the month, despite all their hard work, are having trouble paying the utility bill. And they just wonder: is this system rigged? They’re right, And Exhibit A is what has been exposed in this report by the Senate Finance Committee and Senator Wyden.” 
    Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 
    The Senate Finance Committee’s investigation into Pfizer, led by Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), also revealed that Pfizer signed nondisclosure agreements for special tax deals with the governments of Singapore and Puerto Rico to conceal information how the company conspired to evade billions in taxes from Congressional investigation.   
    The full report containing new findings on Pfizer’s tax dodging scheme is available here. Pfizer joins the growing number of extraordinarily wealthy Big Pharma companies that report minimal or no U.S. profits on tax returns despite American patients providing their largest customer base. 
    Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:   
    Senate Committee on Finance   
    Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit   
    Senate Committee on the Judiciary
    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution   
    Senate Committee on Rules & Administration  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Cleaver Lead 100+ Democrats in Condemning HUD Field Office Cuts, Urging Reinstatement of Civil Servants

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Cleaver Lead 100+ Democrats in Condemning HUD Field Office Cuts, Urging Reinstatement of Civil Servants

    San Francisco Regional Office among HUD offices rumored to be closing
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.-05) led more than 100 Democrats in the Senate and House in condemning staffing cuts and potential closures of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Field Offices across the country. In a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, the lawmakers pushed him to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who were illegally fired from the Department and condemned reports that HUD is considering the illegal closure of nearly two-thirds of field offices nationwide.
    The rumored HUD cuts include San Francisco’s Regional Office, which would leave California with only one operational field office. Field offices provide critical housing services, and staffing reductions at this scale will cripple HUD’s ability to perform its basic responsibilities and legal obligations. HUD only recently rebuilt its workforce after a 20 percent drop between 2012 and 2019, and further cuts threaten disaster recovery efforts while delaying urgently needed housing development.
    Earlier this year, Senator Padilla sounded the alarm that these wide-ranging cuts would hamper HUD’s ability to support vulnerable communities and address the housing and homelessness crises.
    “We write to express concern about reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering closing nearly two-thirds of the Department’s field offices, leaving most states and the District of Columbia without critical sites or staff,” wrote the lawmakers. “These reports follow the unlawful mass termination of probationary federal employees, HUD’s announcement that employees at GS-13 and below in the Office of Field Policy and Management would be terminated, and reports that the Department plans to cut its agency-wide workforce by at least half.”
    “We strongly urge HUD to maintain existing field offices with adequate staffing levels and to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who have been illegally terminated,” continued the lawmakers.
    By law, HUD is required to have at least one field office in every state to process mortgage insurance applications, yet the Trump Administration’s plan would leave 34 states without a field office. Additionally, HUD must conduct and publish a cost-benefit analysis before implementing any “plan for the reorganization of any regional, area, insuring, or other field offices of the Department.”
    In addition to Padilla and Cleaver, the letter was also signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.-08), and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    Representatives Gabe Amo (D-R.I.-01), Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio-03), Sanford Bishop (D-G.-02), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio-11), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Troy Carter (D-La.-02), Sean Casten (D-Ill.-06), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Jim Costa (D-Calif.-21), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), Danny Davis (D-Ill.-07), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Dwight Evans (D-Penn.-03), Cleo Fields (D-La.-06), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.-02), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-13), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Al Green (D-Texas-09), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.-06), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-04), William Keating (D-Mass.-09), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Timothy Kennedy (D-N.Y.-26), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio-01), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.-04), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.-04), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.-08), Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.-03), James McGovern (D-Mass.-02), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.-05), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.-08), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.-04), Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.-01), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.-02), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-05), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.-02), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.-07), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.-05), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), David Scott (D-Ga.-13), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.-07), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio-13), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.-02), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.-15), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.-25), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.-05), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.-24) also signed the letter.
    Senator Padilla believes everyone deserves access to affordable and safe housing and recognizes the need to drastically increase the affordable housing stock to address the homelessness crisis facing California and the country, including to support disaster victims. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles fires, Padilla introduced the bipartisan Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act to expedite, expand, and improve temporary housing available to victims of disasters like wildfires and storms. Last year, he announced the reintroduction of his Housing for All Act, a comprehensive approach to invest in proven, locally-developed solutions to address the homelessness and affordable housing crises.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Turner:
    We write to express concern about reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering closing nearly two-thirds of the Department’s field offices, leaving most states and the District of Columbia without critical sites or staff. These reports follow the unlawful mass termination of probationary federal employees, HUD’s announcement that employees at GS-13 and below in the Office of Field Policy and Management would be terminated, and reports that the Department plans to cut its agency-wide workforce by at least half. We urge you to immediately reverse any plans to implement these short-sighted and illegal efforts that undermine the ability of HUD to accomplish its mission and legal obligations.
    The United States faces a severe fair and affordable housing and homelessness crisis. HUD is the Federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address America’s housing needs, improve and develop communities, and enforce fair housing laws, deeply impacting millions of families across the nation. HUD field offices collect local data to inform policymaking, administer and oversee department programs, manage and distribute funding, enforce department regulations and policies, provide guidance and support to local stakeholders, and play a critical role in developing and maintaining local relationships that ensure the success of initiatives and projects. In many cases, state and local stakeholders operate with limited capacities and require HUD assistance. HUD currently has at least one field office in every State and the District of Columbia to help implement the Department’s important mission at the local level.
    Reports that HUD is planning the illegal closure of field offices are extremely concerning. HUD is expressly required by law to maintain a field office in every state. Federal law also requires HUD to conduct and publish a cost-benefit analysis before implementing any “plan for the reorganization of any regional, area, insuring, or other field office of the Department.” This analysis is required to include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the impact on the local economy, an estimate of the effect of reorganization on the availability, accessibility, and quality of services provided, and credible evidence substantiating the impact of reorganization on department costs. These legal requirements are designed to protect the Department and the nation, including taxpayers, HUD’s business, nonprofit, and government partners, thousands of patriotic civil servants, and millions of families who rely on the services that HUD field offices provide.
    In last year’s report on top management challenges, the HUD Office of Inspector General noted that HUD “still faces capacity challenges that affect its ability to oversee grantees, contractors, and financial services counterparties; provide high-touch technical assistance; and modernize its programs and IT systems.” Despite this reality, a February 11, 2025, Executive Order directed agency heads, including HUD, to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIF).” A subsequent memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to agency heads directed each agency to submit Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans to OMB and OPM by Thursday, March 13, 2025.
    We strongly urge HUD to maintain existing field offices with adequate staffing levels and to fully and immediately reinstate civil servants who have been illegally terminated. We also ask for responses to the following information request no later than Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
    1. Please provide a copy of any formal analysis conducted by HUD’s Office of General Counsel regarding HUD’s plans to close field offices, including an analysis of how such plans align with existing legal requirements that HUD maintain an office in each state.
    2. Please provide a copy of the cost-benefit analysis of field reorganizations required at 42 U.S.C. 3535 that HUD has conducted as part of its plans to close field offices. Please indicate when this analysis will be published in the Federal Register and detail any additional actions the agency has already taken to alter, reduce, or reorganize field offices.
    3. Please provide any formal analysis HUD has performed regarding the impact of reported office reductions on the Department’s ability to:
    a. Collect data used to inform HUD’s policy decisions and department strategies.
    b. Administer, monitor, and oversee complex programs including ensuring compliance with regulations and policies.
    c. Manage and distribute federal funding and ensure these funds are used appropriately.
    d. Enforce department policies related to fair housing, including investigating complaints related to violations of the Fair Housing Act.
    e. Provide technical assistance to local and state agencies, non-profit organizations, and other department stakeholders.
    f. Conduct public outreach including educating the local community and developing partnerships with local organizations to address housing and community development challenges.
    4. Please identify the DOGE Team Lead at HUD and the name and employing agency of all DOGE Task Force members working under the team leader.
    5. Please provide a copy of all HUD and DOGE documents reflecting any plans to reduce, alter, or eliminate HUD programs, functions or offices.
    6. Please provide a copy of all HUD and DOGE documents reflecting any staff reduction that has already taken place and future staff reduction plans by program office and further disaggregated by field office and Washington, DC headquarters. Indicate whether the Department plans to eliminate or backfill each impacted position.
    7. Please provide copies of HUD’s formal Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans as submitted to OMB.
    We thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Leads Push Demanding Trump Rescind Illegal Anti-Voter Executive Order

    US Senate News:

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

    Senators to Trump: “Requirements in this illegal order would likely disenfranchise millions of American voters…places a variety of other process burdens on voters, especially married women, rural residents, and low-income voters, and communities of color.”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on President Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order that would disenfranchise millions of Americans.

    “This unlawful directive exceeds your authority over an independent agency and would likely disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters by creating barriers to voting, while also inviting chaos into state voter registration processes – including by inappropriately sharing Americans’ data with the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),” wrote the Senators. “Under the Constitution and existing law, this Executive Order cannot be implemented. Sadly, we are not surprised at your continued efforts to undermine our free and fair elections. From welcoming foreign election interference in our elections, to supporting the January 6 insurrection, to promoting baseless election conspiracy theories, your dangerous rhetoric has undermined public confidence in our election system.”

    The proof of citizenship requirements in the executive order would restrict the right to vote for millions of Americans given the burden it creates to obtain these documents. Nearly half of all American citizens do not have valid passports, and millions more have a legal name that differs from other government-issued documents, including up to 69 million married women whose birth certificates no longer match their legal name.

    The Senators emphasized that the order runs counter to the constitutional foundation that elections are to be primarily administered by the states. They also sounded the alarm on the order’s attempt to empower the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review state voter registration lists, other state records, and various federal databases, with the power of subpoena.

    “Voting by noncitizens is already a federal crime and, despite unsubstantiated claims to the contrary, is extremely rare. By interjecting DOGE into the process, this order would interfere with states’ maintenance of voter registration lists, compromising voters’ personal information,” continued the Senators.

    “The new federal voter registration requirements in this illegal order would likely disenfranchise millions of American voters. Millions of Americans do not have passports and many face challenges obtaining other documents that would be required by this order, if it was ever implemented,” concluded the Senators. “This order also places a variety of other process burdens on voters, especially married women, rural residents, and low-income voters, and communities of color.”

    In addition to Senator Padilla, the letter is also signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    In a statement earlier this week, Senator Padilla condemned Trump’s unlawful attempt at a Presidential power grab through his anti-voter executive order.

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear President Trump,

    We write to demand that you immediately rescind your recent Executive Order “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” This unlawful directive exceeds your authority over an independent agency and would likely disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters by creating barriers to voting, while also inviting chaos into state voter registration processes – including by inappropriately sharing Americans’ data with the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

    Under the Constitution and existing law, this Executive Order cannot be implemented. Sadly, we are not surprised at your continued efforts to undermine our free and fair elections. From welcoming foreign election interference in our elections, to supporting the January 6 insurrection, to promoting baseless election conspiracy theories, your dangerous rhetoric has undermined public confidence in our election system.

    This order runs counter to the constitutional foundation that elections are to be primarily administered by the states. The Federal role in elections is focused on helping states with the costs and technical challenges and ensuring that the right to vote is appropriately protected. This order places new mandates on the states and inserts new federal interference in state voter registration processes by federal agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. We expect state and local election administrators of both parties to have significant legal and operational concerns about this order.

    One of the most disturbing aspects of this illegal order is Sec. 2(b)(iii), which attempts to empower DHS and the DOGE Administrator to review state voter registration lists, other state records and various federal databases, with the power of subpoena. Voting by noncitizens is already a federal crime and, despite unsubstantiated claims to the contrary, is extremely rare. By interjecting DOGE into the process, this order would interfere with states’ maintenance of voter registration lists, compromising voters’ personal information. This effort by DOGE is similar to your 2017 Executive Order that established the “Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity” that sought voter files from states and was rejected by 44 states and the District of Columbia. If this provision were implemented, it would allow Elon Musk and DOGE to recreate this effort to purge state voter databases, preventing the participation of eligible American voters.

    The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was created as an independent, evenly balanced agency in the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which was enacted on an overwhelming bipartisan basis. The EAC receives appropriations from Congress to support states with the growing financial and technical challenges of administering elections in thousands of jurisdictions across the nation on a nonpartisan basis. This order lacks the authority to place new conditions on Congressionally appropriated funding or order the EAC require documents that many eligible Americans do not have in order to register to vote in federal elections.

    The new federal voter registration requirements in this illegal order would likely disenfranchise millions of American voters. Millions of Americans do not have passports and many face challenges obtaining other documents that would be required by this order, if it was ever implemented. This order also places a variety of other process burdens on voters, especially married women, rural residents, and low-income voters, and communities of color.

    For these reasons, we must urge you to rescind this illegal order.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Former Health Department Leaders, Sound Alarm on Trump and RFK Jr. Gutting HHS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: At Press Conference on HHS Cuts, Senator Murray Slams Trump Plans to Push Out Thousands of Health Workers, Gut Essential Services

    ***WATCH HERE; DOWNLOAD VIDEO HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, held a virtual press conference with former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, former CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, and Seattle & King County Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan, in response to President Trump’s plans to push out roughly 20,000 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and hollow out the Department, which is responsible for protecting Americans’ health and delivering essential health and social services.

    Yesterday’s announcement follows weeks of mass firings and chaos at HHS that has prevented the Department from executing its mission to protect people’s health, and an onslaught of detrimental policies that are halting lifesaving biomedical research and more. HHS announced yesterday that it plans to cut its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 (a 25% reduction) through a combination of mass firings and buy-outs and remake HHS without thoughtful consideration and partnership with Congress. 

    “Yesterday, President Trump and RFK Jr. announced a major reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services. Long story short—they may as well be renaming it the Department of Disease. Because their plan is putting lives in serious jeopardy. They want to push out 20,000 public health workers, cut essential programs willy nilly, and undermine medical research, health care access, public health, and more—with no concern whatsoever for the fact they are putting this country on a dangerous collision course,” said Senator Murray. “There’s no two ways about it—this is the kind of carelessness that gets people killed. Maybe it doesn’t seem like such a big deal if you are a billionaire like Trump or Elon Musk, whatever happens, they will be able to afford whatever health care they need. But folks back here in Washington state—they are the ones who are going to be left picking up the pieces of the health department Trump is smashing to bits.”

    “I think you all know that a kind of an additional 3,500 people on top of the arbitrary cuts that have already occurred, in addition to all the people who are leaving because of what they’re saying, is likely to leave the FDA unable to do its critical work. And it’s really striking to me how the rhetoric of, for example, better nutrition, enhanced food safety, innovation in medical products runs contrary to what’s being done with the workforce, instead of a carefully thought-out plan. I think all of us will probably agree there are things about the federal government that could be better. Many of us would have loved to have seen the HR system improved. But to make the cuts based on words in someone’s job description or grants that have particular words in them without a thorough consideration of the issues is likely to jeopardize human lives,” said Dr. Robert Califf, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    “The current funding cuts and delays, even if temporary, are already producing irreparable harm. Especially to those of the next generation, and not just in a few targeted research areas. Ironically, this approach undermines the success of the laudable initiatives championed by the current administration. Standing research, labs, our staff, as Dr. Kaliff said, clinical trials are halting midstream. Valuable administrative staff that are essential to ensure that our public dollars are spent wisely and that their use is tracked carefully to avoid fraud or any other kind of risk, are being laid off at NIH. And postdoctoral fellows and new faculty members are unable to find jobs,” said Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Promising ongoing research is being stopped midstream, and the effect on the biomedical research workforce is chilling. How can we ask talented young people to continue to devote so many years of study required to succeed as a biomedical researcher when the future is so uncertain? Today, we are just beginning to see progress in such devastating diseases which have long been hopeless, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, there’s cracks in the wall for each one of these terrible things, all because of NIH funding. And this is proven to be a great investment for the American taxpayers, producing not only extraordinary progress against the most common deadly diseases and significant profits for our nation’s economy. How does it make sense to see progress stalled? The loss to our nation on so many levels is so great.”

    “Any cut you make to a health agency should be done with incredible care and consideration for the hundreds of millions of Americans who rely on their work to stay healthy and get treatment when they’re sick,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, senior fellow at The Century Foundation and former CMS administrator. “When you take a wrecking ball to an agency like CMS, you’re taking a wrecking ball to the people who are out across the country ensuring our parents and grandparents can get safe, affordable care as they age. You’re taking a wrecking ball to cancer patients who need a new, innovative treatment to be covered. You’re taking a wrecking ball to mothers and newborns who are both at the most critical points of their lives. We certainly have progress to make to ensure every American can access safe, affordable, timely health care but laying off thousands of people working toward that progress doesn’t move us forward.”

    “Everything that happens at the federal level eventually filters down to the state level rather quickly. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, Seattle & King County Director of Public Health. “We are reeling from the news that we received at 3am this past Monday about cancelations, immediate terminations, three federal grants. Our state colleagues in Olympia in Washington State are in the same boat, essentially. I’ll give you one example, 45 community health workers, which are critical to linking people in the most vulnerable and zip codes of greatest need to the services that administrator Brooks was talking about, and my colleagues were talking about, are now at risk in terms of losing their jobs. We’ve spent years training them, embedding them with community-based organizations across the region. That is simply not something we can reconstruct if funding should return in a few months’ time. What incenses me most as a public health professional, is the assumption by decision makers in Washington that somehow, if funding is returned or resurrected six months to a year from now, that we will simply pick up the pieces and continue on from where we were. These are not potted plants. These are highly trained public health professionals. They have moved on. They’ve got busy personal and professional lives. We have just shot ourselves in both feet at the same time. This is a very ill-conceived and ill-considered process, and we are bewildered at what is going on… At the same time, we have an HHS Secretary that keeps talking about stuff that we have to debunk on a daily basis in telling people and convincing people that vitamin A is not the answer a vaccine is. At this point in time, all we can hope for is some reconsideration of the still considered decision. But quite frankly, it is looking pretty bleak. We’re having to look at a systematic disassembly of public health services that we’ve built up over many, many years, if not decades.”

    Among much else, Trump, RFK Jr., and Musk plan to cut:

    • 3,500 employees at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is charged with protecting Americans’ health by ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medicines, biologics (including vaccines), and medical devices–and regulating food safety, cosmetics, and tobacco products.
    • 2,400 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is charged with protecting the American people from health threats, including infectious diseases. 
    • 1,200 employees at NIH, the world’s premier medical research agency, which propels biomedical research that produces life-changing and, in many cases, lifesaving treatments and cures. These cuts come as the Trump administration has already systematically decimated ongoing work at NIH to advance new cures and treatments.
    • 300 employees at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which has long been understaffed and is charged with helping to ensure over 100 million Americans have access to health insurance by overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. 

    Senator Murray led her colleagues forcefully opposing the nomination of notorious anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr. to be Secretary of HHS and she has long worked to combat vaccine skepticism and highlight the importance of scientific research and vaccines. Murray was also a leading voice against the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon to lead CDC, repeatedly speaking up about her serious concerns with the nominee immediately after their meeting—after the White House suddenly withdrew Dr. Weldon’s nomination moments before his committee hearing, Murray released a statement calling on the White House to “nominate someone for this position who at bare minimum believes in basic science and will help lead CDC’s important work to monitor and prevent deadly outbreaks.” In 2019, Senator Murray co-led a bipartisan hearing in the HELP Committee on vaccine hesitancy and spoke about the importance of addressing vaccine skepticism and getting people the facts they need to keep their families and communities safe and healthy. Ahead of the 2019 hearing, as multiple states were facing measles outbreaks in under-vaccinated areas, Murray sent a bipartisan letter with former HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander pressing Trump’s CDC Director and HHS Assistant Secretary for Health on their efforts to promote vaccination and vaccine confidence.

    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has long fought to boost biomedical research, strengthen public health infrastructure, and make health care more affordable and accessible. Over her years as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, she has secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. As Chair of the HELP Committee, Murray was also instrumental in crafting the American Rescue Plan Act, including its landmark investments in public health and health care. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. Murray is also the lead sponsor of thePublic Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA), legislation to establish $4.5 billion in dedicated, annual funding for a grant program to build up and maintain the nation’s public health system across the board. 

    Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered on today’s press call, are below and HERE:

    “Thank you all for joining me on this very important call. Yesterday, President Trump and RFK Jr. announced a major reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services.

    “Long story short—they may as well be renaming it the Department of Disease. 

    “Because their plan is putting lives in serious jeopardy. They want to push out 20,000 public health workers, cut essential programs willy nilly, and undermine medical research, health care access, public health, and more—with no concern whatsoever for the fact they are putting this country on a dangerous collision course.

    “Trump and Secretary Kennedy are gutting our ability to track disease outbreaks, like measles and bird flu, in real time and respond to them.

    “They are pushing out people at FDA working to make sure our food and our medicines are safe, working to approve new drugs in a timely manner, and working to make sure we respond quickly to save lives when food and infant formula are contaminated.

    “They are making it harder for Americans to get help accessing health insurance through Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

    “And let’s not forget how Trump and Kennedy are putting promising biomedical research through the shredder, and they’re empowering anti-vaxxers to light federal dollars on fire by investigating bogus, debunked conspiracies.

    “Preventing pandemics costs something, but failing to prevent them—well, that costs a whole lot more.

    “All of this is making us less prepared for the next public health emergency—whether it’s a pandemic, a natural disaster, a super bug, a food borne outbreak—goodness knows what the next crisis will be!

    “But instead of preparing for it, they are preparing to ignore it. And that’s to say nothing of the fires that are already burning today— like the opioid epidemic, or the maternal mortality crisis, or measles—which is in now 19 states and counting.

    “There’s no two ways about it—this is the kind of carelessness that gets people killed. Everyone needs to understand this—this is not hyperbole. 

    “When our hospitals are overwhelmed with sick kids because our local public health officials can’t track a worsening measles outbreak—that is a life and death issue.

    “When e coli outbreaks become hard to pinpoint, or whooping cough becomes impossible to trace, when cancer cures are tossed in the shredder, or you can’t afford treatment at all because you couldn’t get help enrolling in a health plan—all of that is life and death.

    “Maybe it doesn’t seem like such a big deal if you are a billionaire like Trump or Elon Musk, whatever happens, they will be able to afford whatever health care they need. But folks back here in Washington state are the ones who are going to be left picking up the pieces of the health department Trump is smashing to bits.

    “These are not problems that go away on their own. A fire doesn’t put itself out—at least not until everything is ashes.

    “Trump and RFK Jr. may be content to let the country burn, but I am not. I am sounding the alarm, and doing everything I can to bring attention to this—before things go from bad to worse.

    “And I’m so pleased to have some experts with me today who can speak firsthand about the work that HHS does, why it matters to our families, and what is at stake if Trump and RFK Jr. succeed in dismantling this Department board by board. 

    “So, thank you all to my guests today. And let me start by turning it over to Dr. Califf.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Haiti reaches ‘yet another crisis point’ as gangs tighten their grip

    Source: United Nations 2-b

    Peace and Security

    The UN human rights chief sounded the alarm on Thursday over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Haiti, calling it a “catastrophe” fuelled by gang violence, widespread impunity and a political process that is hanging by a thread.

    Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the country had reached “yet another crisis point,” with heavily armed gangs expanding their control, public institutions in ruins and a humanitarian emergency deepening by the day.

    “I am not sure the usual description of gang violence captures the amount of unbearable suffering that has been inflicted on the Haitian people,” Mr. Türk said.

    Between July 2024 and February 2025, 4,239 people were killed and 1,356 injured, with 92 per cent of casualties attributed to gun violence.

    Gangs, armed with increasingly sophisticated weapons mostly trafficked from abroad, are killing civilians, destroying schools and healthcare facilities, and using sexual violence and mass kidnappings to terrorise communities.

    Destruction as governance

    The rights chief warned that gangs are no longer just operating in pockets of Port-au-Prince – they are implementing their own rule across wider parts of the capital and beyond.

    The Viv Ansanm gang coalition and others have launched coordinated attacks, often outnumbering police, and have destroyed or taken over schools, orphanages, courts, media outlets and hospitals.

    In one December incident alone, at least 207 people were killed over five days in Cité Soleil.

    Sexual violence is being used deliberately to assert control, Mr. Türk said, citing gang rapes in public spaces and even the execution of victims after assault.

    The forced recruitment and trafficking of children is also on the rise.

    Meanwhile, more than 700 kidnappings were documented during the reporting period. “Those who attempted to resist abduction were often shot dead,” Mr. Türk said.

    Police violence and impunity

    Despite efforts by the Haitian National Police and the Security Council-mandated Multinational Security Support Mission, the State is losing ground.

    Law enforcement operations against gangs have resulted in over 2,000 people killed or injured – a 60 per cent increase – with nearly a third of those victims not involved in any violence.

    OHCHR documented at least 219 extrajudicial executions by specialised police units during the reporting period, up from just 33 the year before.

    There has also been a rise in mob lynchings and self-defence groups, sometimes with police complicity.

    Mr. Türk stressed the urgent need to accelerate the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission and ensure full human rights compliance mechanisms are in place.

    Hunger, displacement, despair

    The human toll of the violence is staggering. More than one million people are now displaced, 40,000 in recent weeks alone.

    Half of all Haitians – 5.5 million people – face acute food insecurity and two million have been reduced to emergency hunger levels.

    Nearly 6,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, while 500,000 children are displaced –  a quarter suffering stunted growth due to malnutrition.

    Only half of health facilities in the capital are fully operational, and 31 per cent have shut down due to insecurity.

    “The impact on children is particularly devastating,” said Mr. Türk. “[This] will impact them for life.”

    Justice, not just security

    The High Commissioner welcomed Haiti’s recent decision to establish two specialised judicial units to tackle human rights violations and financial crimes but said much more must be done.

    “The most crucial first step here is to stop the illicit flow of arms into the country,” he said, stressing the need to fully implement the Security Council’s arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes.

    Mr. Türk emphasised that “there is a way out”, but only with political will, international support and urgent action to end the cycle of corruption, impunity and senseless violence.

    “I call on each and every one of you, including the media, to put the spotlight on this crisis,” he said. “The Haitian people cannot be forgotten.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Expanding urgent care across Alberta

    [. In response, the government is making significant investments to ensure every Albertan has access to high-quality care close to home. Currently, more than 35 per cent of emergency department visits are for non-life-threatening conditions that could be treated at urgent care centres. By expanding these centres, Alberta’s government is enhancing the health care system and improving access to timely care.

    If passed, Budget 2025 includes $15 million to support plans for eight new urgent care centres and an additional $2 million in planning funds for an integrated primary and urgent care facility in Airdrie. These investments will help redirect up to 200,000 lower-acuity emergency department visits annually, freeing up capacity for life-threatening cases, reducing wait times and improving access to care for Albertans.

    “More people are choosing to call Alberta home, which is why we are taking action to build capacity across the health care system. Urgent care centres help bridge the gap between primary care and emergency departments, providing timely care for non-life-threatening conditions.”

    Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

    “Our team at Infrastructure is fully committed to leading the important task of planning these eight new urgent care facilities across the province. Investments into facilities like these help strengthen our communities by alleviating strains on emergency departments and enhance access to care. I am looking forward to the important work ahead.”

    Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

    The locations for the eight new urgent care centres were selected based on current and projected increases in demand for lower-acuity care at emergency departments. The new facilities will be in west Edmonton, south Edmonton, Westview (Stony Plain/Spruce Grove), east Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Cold Lake and Fort McMurray.

    “Too many Albertans, especially those living in rural communities, are travelling significant distances to receive care. Advancing plans for new urgent care centres will build capacity across the health care system.”

    Justin Wright, parliamentary secretary for rural health (south)

    “Additional urgent care centres across Alberta will give Albertans more options for accessing the right level of care when it’s needed. This is a necessary and substantial investment that will eventually ease some of the pressures on our emergency departments.”

    Dr. Chris Eagle, chief executive officer, Acute Care Alberta

    The remaining $2 million will support planning for One Health Airdrie’s integrated primary and urgent care facility. The operating model, approved last fall, will see One Health Airdrie as the primary care operator, while urgent care services will be publicly funded and operated by a provider selected through a competitive process.

    “Our new Airdrie facility, offering integrated primary and urgent care, will provide same-day access to approximately 30,000 primary care patients and increase urgent care capacity by around 200 per cent, benefiting the entire community and surrounding areas. We are very excited.”

    Dr. Julian Kyne, physician, One Health Airdrie

    Alberta’s government will continue to make smart, strategic investments in health facilities to support the delivery of publicly funded health programs and services to ensure Albertans have access to the care they need, when and where they need it. 

    Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

    Quick facts

    • The $2 million in planning funds for One Health Airdrie are part of a total $24-million investment to advance planning on several health capital initiatives across the province through Budget 2025.
    • Alberta’s population is growing, and visits to emergency departments are projected to increase by 27 per cent by 2038.
    • Last year, Alberta’s government provided $8.4 million for renovations to the existing Airdrie Community Health Centre.

    Related information

    • Regional health corridors

    Multimedia

    • Watch the news conference

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Dan Goldman Joins Assemblymembers Mitaynes, Lee, González-Rojas, State Senator Gounardes, Local Elected Officials, Community Advocates to Demand State and Federal Response to SNAP EBT Theft

    Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

    House Republicans’ Refusal to Reauthorize State’s SNAP Reimbursement Authority Have Left Fraud Victims With No Recourse  

     

    At Least $40 Million in SNAP Benefits Have Been Stolen from New Yorkers in Recent Years, Accounting for 20% of Nationwide Claims 

     

    View Pictures and Video of Press Conference Here 

    New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today, alongside Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes, Senator Andrew Goundares, Assemblymember Grace Lee, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, local elected officials, advocates, and impacted New Yorkers, hosted a press conference to demand a comprehensive change to state and federal law to address the urgent issue of stolen EBT benefits. Since House Republicans terminated states’ ability to use federal money to reimburse victims of SNAP fraud on December 20th, 2024, Red Hook Initiative, a local community-based organization, has filed 85 individual claims for reimbursement, totaling over $40,000 of benefits stolen. 

    During the press conference, Congressman Goldman announced his intent to introduce the ‘Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act’ in the coming months, which will require USDA to update its cybersecurity regulations and ensure EBT cards feature anti-fraud technology. 

    “Each year, tens of millions of dollars in essential food benefits are stolen from New Yorkers—benefits that families rely on to put food on the table,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Yet House Republicans have refused to renew the only way for New Yorkers to be reimbursed for SNAP theft, leaving seniors, working families, and children to go hungry. The Red Hook community, in particular, has been hit hard by the rise in SNAP theft. I will soon be introducing federal legislation to strengthen SNAP cybersecurity to prevent this problem from occurring in the future, but in the meantime, I call on New York Republicans to pass legislation to reimburse victims of theft. 

    Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes said, “Recent news has made it clear, the Trump Administration plans to put the wants of a few billionaires over the needs of the rest of the country. It is time New York step up, and provide the critical relief our vulnerable populations desperately need. Every week I have seniors, mothers, and fathers coming into my office seeking help with food insecurity. We need to transition to chip-enabled cards for SNAP benefits and provide an avenue for reimbursement for those impacted by SNAP theft; this is how we provide for the working class. The bills we have re-introduced this year, A3578 and A0699, both aim to address that.” 

    State Senator Andrew Gounardes said, “Neighbors in Red Hook and across the city have been the victim of EBT theft, a particularly cruel crime that’s literally taking food out of the mouths of seniors and children. And thanks to misguided changes in federal policy, Washington is no longer reimbursing victims of EBT theft for stolen benefits, leaving our most vulnerable neighbors hanging without money to pay for groceries. That’s unacceptable. Ensuring our neighbors don’t go hungry is the bare minimum. We need to work at all levels of government to give victims the support they need and ensure EBT cards are secure.” 

    Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas said, “For all of their supposed concerns about public safety, New York House Republicans have said nothing about Elon Musks’ removal of funding to address public benefits theft in the last House spending bill. They would rather advance tax breaks for billionaires than address food insecurity among New Yorkers. I am glad Congressman Goldman will attempt to address this in the House and here in the state we cannot wait for Congress to act. California, Oklahoma, and other states are moving forward and implementing chip-enabled EBT cards, which our state Department of Labor is using already. New York is run by Democrats and it is time we address this by passing and funding my bill to switch to more secure chip-enabled cards and Assembly Member Mitaynes’ bill to establish a compensation fund. New Yorkers need relief. We must act” 

    Assemblymember Grace Lee said, “Trump and Republicans don’t care if families go hungry as they threaten to cut SNAP benefits. In New York, we believe no family should go hungry. That’s why we’re asking for $50mm in this year’s budget to create a reimbursement fund for victims of SNAP theft. We also know that by investing $40mm in the budget for modernizing EBT technology we can drastically reduce theft and keep food on New Yorker’s tables.” 

    Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson said, “The time to act is now! Too many families have suffered due to SNAP skimming, and it’s time for New York to take action. Families relying on SNAP should not have to live in fear of losing benefits and should not have to worry about funds not being returned to them. No one should lose the ability to feed their families because of preventable fraud.  That’s why we’re pushing for the passage of A3578/S403 to create a compensation fund for victims, A0699/S1465 to implement secure chip technology, and the federal Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act. As chair of the Task force on Food, Farm and Nutrition Policy– and as someone who has relied on SNAP- I know how vital these benefits are, and we must ensure families are protected. We must modernize EBT security now.” 

    Council Member Alexa Avilés said, “EBT theft is an urgent issue for our local community and it’s only grown more prevalent. Red Hook residents have had tens of thousands of dollars in benefits stolen from them without any reimbursement. This has left working-class New Yorkers without food security for themselves and their families. Our state must fill the gap where our federal government has failed. That’s why I’m joining Assembly Member Mitaynes and Red Hook Initiative to demand that New York State allocate $50 million for a SNAP and cash assistance fraud victims compensation fund and $4 million towards preventing this type of fraud in the future.” 

    Michael Partis, Executive Director of Red Hook Initiative,said, “Red Hook Initiative is proud to join our State leaders in demanding comprehensive action in response to EBT theft. EBT theft has left dozens of Red Hook residents without critical food resources for their families. As protections at the federal level have ended, those impacted by EBT theft are left with no safety net. Urgent action is needed to protect critical food resources for families in need.” 

    Wayne Ho, President & CEO of the Chinese American Planning Council (CPC), said, “The Chinese-American Planning Council sees first-hand how SNAP and public benefits sustain countless New York families, particularly those from immigrant and low-income backgrounds. According to the Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity, Asian American Pacific Islander New Yorkers have the highest rate of poverty in New York City. Benefits skimming devastates AAPI families and their ability to put food on the table. We call for the quick passage of this package of legislation along with the deep investment required to protect our communities and ensure they receive the food assistance they desperately need.”

    Wai Yee Chan, President & CEO of Homecrest Community Services, said, “Preventing SNAP skimmingand protecting our community’s benefits is a top priority—no one should have their assistance stolen by criminals. We are grateful to Congressman Dan Goldman and Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes for leading the fight against these scams and working to ensure that vital food assistance reaches those who need it most. With Brooklyn experiencing the highest number of SNAP fraud claims—51,774 in total—this is a pressing issue for Homecrest. We strongly support creating a fraud victims’ compensation fund, transitioning New York State to chip-enabled benefit cards to prevent future theft, and advancing the federal Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act”. 

    The coalition called for the final New York State Budget to include allocations of: 

    $50 Million – A3578 to establish a SNAP and cash assistance fraud victims compensation fund 
    $4 Million – to fund A0699, which would transition New York State to the use of chip cards for public benefits to prevent this theft from occurring. 

    Congressman Goldman is committed to protecting victims of SNAP EBT theft and ensuring families have access to SNAP and other nutrition programs.  

    In August 2024, the Congressman cosponsored the ‘SNAP Theft Protection Act,’ which aims to update the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to allow states to use existing SNAP funding to refund stolen benefits to victims of SNAP-related scams.   
    In July 2024, Goldman held a Summer Nutrition Town Hall to discuss food insecurity, share information about New York State’s Summer EBT program and its rollout, and provide resources to residents who would like to apply. 

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Russell Fry’s Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act Passes out of House Judiciary Committee

    Source:

    Rep. Russell Fry’s Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act Passes out of House Judiciary Committee

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) announced that his Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. Under current law, federal agencies are required to destroy retired firearms so they are rendered inoperable and incapable of being reused. This process costs the federal government millions of dollars and trickles down to American taxpayers.

    Allowing current and retired federal law enforcement officers in good standing to purchase retired firearms is a commonsense, cost-saving measure that benefits both law enforcement and American taxpayers.

    “The Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act not only saves American taxpayers millions of dollars but also creates a system in which law enforcement officers in good standing can exercise their Second Amendment rights by purchasing their retired service weapons,” said Congressman Fry. “This legislation is a practical measure that recognizes the service of our federal officers while also encouraging responsible use of government resources.”

    This bill is endorsed by the National Association of Police Organizations, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Treasury Employees Union, and the FBI Agents Association.

    “This bill is a common-sense measure with numerous benefits. Allowing federal officers and agents to buy back their service weapons serves as a force multiplier in our communities, reduces material waste, and saves taxpayer dollars,” said Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association President Mathew Silverman. “Many agencies have already implemented similar buyback programs, and officers across other agencies have long advocated for this initiative. We commend Representative Fry for his leadership in advancing this effort in advance of National Police Week.”

    “The Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act establishes a commonsense program that allows federal law enforcement officers to purchase retired service weapons,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “These weapons would otherwise be unnecessarily destroyed at a great cost to the federal taxpayer. NAPO thanks Congressman Fry for his leadership on this bill.”

    “The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents frontline Customs and Border Protection Officers at ports of entry around the country, endorses the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act,” said Doreen Greenwald, National President of NTEU. “We commend Rep. Russell Fry and other cosponsors for this commonsense legislation that would allow federal law enforcement officers to purchase their retired service handguns, under certain conditions, and save the government the cost of destroying them. Bringing this bill up for debate during Police Week is especially appropriate, as it shows these highly trained officers a level of respect and professionalism that they have earned and deserve.”

    “The FBIAA is pleased that the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act has been introduced and we hope Congress will move swiftly to pass the bill into law,” said Natalie Bara, President of the FBI Agents Association. “Federal law enforcement officers should be allowed to purchase retired service weapons, and the bill is recognition of the responsibility, professionalism and commitment to public safety that is required of FBI Special Agents and other federal law enforcement officers. Congress should enact this legislation as soon as possible.”

    In addition, the following groups sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee in support of the bill:

    • Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies

    • Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association

    • Major Cities Chiefs Association

    • Major County Sheriffs of America

    • National Association of Police Organizations

    • National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition

    • Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD

    Full text of the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act can be found here.

    Congressman Fry serves on both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. To stay up to date with Congressman Fry and his work for the Seventh District, follow his official Facebook, Instagram, and X pages and visit his website at fry.house.gov.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: International law enforcement cooperation leads to takedown and immigration arrests of alien smugglers in US and Brazil

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WORCESTER, Mass. – Extensive coordination and cooperation between the United States and Brazilian law enforcement and prosecution authorities culminated March 26 in a significant enforcement operation to dismantle a transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for the illicit smuggling of hundreds of individuals from Brazil to the United States.

    The enforcement operation included the arrest of a previously convicted alien smuggler who allegedly reentered the United States illegally after deportation to Brazil and was residing unlawfully in Worcester. The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) executed multiple search warrants in Brazil and arrested an alleged Brazil-based human smuggler.

    Flavio Alexandre Alves, also known as “Ronaldo,” 41, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Worcester on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to bring aliens to and transport aliens within the United States for the purpose of commercial or financial gain in violation of law. Alves appeared in federal court in Worcester the day of his arrest.

    According to court documents, Alves conspired with others to transport aliens from Brazil through Mexico and then into the United States. Once the aliens arrived in the United States, Alves allegedly purchased airline tickets for the aliens to other U.S. destinations. Alves also allegedly transferred money from the United States to aliens and smugglers located in Mexico to pay for expenses associated with transit into the United States and collected fees from aliens for being smuggled into the United States. Alves allegedly was previously convicted of human smuggling in the Central District of California in 2004 and deported to Brazil in February 2005. Court documents indicate that Alves has been residing in the United States without an immigration status after illegally re-entering the United States.

    It is alleged that between May 2021 and August 2022, Alves purchased more than 100 individual airline tickets from Tucson or Phoenix to destination cities in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (Boston, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia). Some of these purchases were for migrants who recently had encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers or were recently released from detention.

    Additionally, ICE Homeland Security Investigations offices in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia, supported by partner law enforcement agencies, detained four individuals associated with the alien smuggling organization on administrative immigration violations.

    The investigation and arrest of Alves was coordinated under Joint Task Force Alpha and the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force program. JTFA, a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, has been elevated and expanded by the attorney general with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 355 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 315 U.S. convictions; more than 260 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

    The ECT program is a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and ICE HSI and focuses on human smuggling networks that may present national security, public safety risks or grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT also coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

    ICE HSI New England led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with the ICE HSI Attaché Brasilia, ICE HSI Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and the ICE HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. with substantial assistance from CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided crucial assistance in this matter.

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nomination Deadline Extended for 2025 North Carolina Awards

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Nomination Deadline Extended for 2025 North Carolina Awards

    Nomination Deadline Extended for 2025 North Carolina Awards
    jejohnson6

    The nomination period for the 2025 North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state, has been extended to April 15.

    Created by the General Assembly in 1961 and administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the award recognizes “notable accomplishments by North Carolina citizens” in the fields of literature, science, fine arts and public service.

    Anyone may submit award nominations. A simplified nomination form is available online. After reviewing the initial nominations, the North Carolina Awards Committee will request additional information from nominators as needed. The committee will make its final selections this summer.

    The 2025 North Carolina Award recipients will be honored at an event later this year. Past award recipients have included some of the country’s most distinguished artists, poets, writers, performers, journalists, scientists and public servants.

    Previous awardees include Maya Angelou, Doc Watson, William Friday, Gertrude Elion, Branford Marsalis, and other noteworthy North Carolinians. Information on the award and the online nomination process are available here. To receive forms by mail or e-mail contact Beth Carpenter at beth.carpenter@dncr.nc.gov or (919) 814-6756.

    About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.
    The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.
    Mar 28, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago Businessman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Defrauding Financial Institutions out of More Than $3 Million

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A Chicago businessman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for scheming to defraud multiple financial institutions out of more than $3 million.

    DAVID IZSAK, 50, of Chicago, was a licensed real estate professional and the sole proprietor of Skokie, Ill.-based Premier Assets Inc. and Premier Properties Enterprises, Inc.  From 2005 to 2018, Izsak engaged in a scheme to defraud financial institutions by obtaining residential loans through false statements, concealing other unpaid loans, and falsely obtaining credit.  As part of the scheme, Izsak submitted or caused to be submitted to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds fictitious lien releases that purported to be from lenders stating the loans were paid in full.  The bogus lien releases included false names of attorneys and bank employees. In one instance, after causing a lien to be released, Izsak sold the property to an unsuspecting buyer.  In another instance, he obtained six mortgages on a single property, obtaining a new loan after fictitiously releasing the prior loan without repaying it.

    Izsak also obtained a loan to buy a 57-foot yacht known as the “Flying Lady” by submitting fraudulent tax returns and financial information to the lender.  The yacht was seized by federal authorities in 2019.

    A jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago in 2023 convicted Izsak on ten counts of financial institution fraud.  U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah imposed the prison sentence on Tuesday during a hearing in federal court.

    The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

    “Izsak engaged in blatantly fraudulent conduct for many years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Moheb argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The entire purpose of the scheme was to line his own pockets, so that he could live a lifestyle he didn’t earn.”

    Two other individuals – YALE SCHIFF, of Riverwoods, Ill., and his brother, JASON SCHIFF, of Lincolnwood, Ill. – were also convicted as part of the federal investigation.  Yale Schiff was sentenced in January to three years in prison for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in mortgage and vehicle loans and using stolen identities to secure credit from financial institutions.  Jason Schiff pleaded guilty to causing a false report and statement to be made to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Jason Schiff was sentenced to three years of probation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Despite renewed conflict in eastern DR Congo, protection for civilians is paramount: Keita

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Peace and Security

    As the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has intensified in recent months, the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, has been working to protect civilians – including in areas under the control of the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group in North Kivu province.

    That’s according to the head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, speaking exclusively to UN News ahead of briefing members of the UN Security Council in New York on Thursday.

    Mediation efforts

    The meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame last week in Qatar – where they called for a ceasefire – presents “a positive image” since the two men had not met physically for a very long time, she said.

    The head of MONUSCO added that the UN mission has invested in mediation efforts led by Angola, providing “physical knowledge of the terrain”, underscoring that it stands ready to support “the observation of a real ceasefire” in the east of the country.

    MONUSCO peacekeepers, who withdrew from South Kivu province in June 2024, are still deployed in North Kivu and Ituri.

    ‘Disengagement’ shelved

    Prior to the escalation of the conflict in January, MONUSCO and the Congolese Government were continuing discussions on a “gradual and responsible disengagement” from the UN peace mission and were expected to outline how this disengagement would be carried out in North Kivu and Ituri in the Security Council this week, based on lessons learned from the disengagement from South Kivu.

    But with the M23 offensive, “the urgency was to manage the crisis,” explained Ms. Keita, which has, in effect, shelved discussions on disengagement.

    “The Council will receive a letter from the Secretary-General who will admit that it has not been possible in the context of current developments to be able to go further in refining the disengagement methodology,” Ms. Keita told us.

    Protection of civilians on base

    The escalation of the conflict in eastern DRC has not prevented peacekeepers from continuing to fulfil their mandate to protect civilians, despite the difficult environment in areas under M23 control in North Kivu.

    Although its ability to conduct patrols is limited, MONUSCO welcomes thousands of people who have sought refuge in its bases, offering them physical protection.

    “There are three ways to protect civilians. There are political commitments, there is physical security – physical protection through physical presence – and then there are the conditions for people to feel good,” the UN envoy said.

    In its bases in Goma, MONUSCO offers protection to people who have come to take refuge there. “Are they soldiers or are they civilians? From the moment they are in our bases, they are all considered non-combatants because they are unarmed and therefore they are civilians,” she said.

    “Our role in protecting civilians is to respond to requests for individual protection. In the context of the areas under the control of the M23, we have a strong demand from individuals, groups, who want to come to our bases to be protected.”

    “At the moment, the protection of civilians is not about patrolling the environment, it is about being able to welcome those who are looking for refuge in MONUSCO bases,” she adds.

    Soundcloud

    Humanitarian aid: inventing other models

    Regarding the impact of the freeze on US funding for humanitarian aid in the DRC, the UN envoy believes that it may be time to invent other models of humanitarian response, suggesting priority should be given to NGOs and local associations.

    She recalled that 70 per cent of humanitarian aid funding in the DRC was dependent on funding through the now gutted United States overseas development agency, USAID.

    “Maybe it’s time to ask the question: how do we operate in an environment where resources are rather declining and maybe invent other models of humanitarian response?“

    “And in this context, I think that national non-governmental organizations, local associations, should be privileged because they, whatever the security situation, remain on the ground, continue to be able to have access to the populations.”

    The scourge of sexual violence

    Referring to the upsurge in conflict-related sexual violence, she deplores the fact that regular calls to combat this scourge ave not been heeded.

    “What should be done differently? In my opinion…it’s medium and long term. In the immediate future, it is to provide a holistic response to those who are the survivors of sexual violence, to provide both a response on a traumatic level, on a psychological level – medical care – but also legal support,” she said.

    She notes that the Congolese Government is inclined towards reparations, but she wonders if the response is quick enough for the victims and commensurate with “the magnitude of the violence.”

    Recruitment by armed groups

    Asked about the alarming reports of recruitment of children into the ranks of the M23, she deplored the fact that despite all the advocacy work, armed groups continue to recruit children to swell their ranks.

    “To try to change the situation”, it will be necessary to work with communities to raise awareness of this issue, she said, because these armed groups “come from communities, have families”.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Pressley Blasts Republican Bill to Enable Segregation, Dismantle Government

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    Pressley Amendment to Ban Segregationist Policies Was Opposed by Republicans

    Video (YouTube)

    WASHINGTON – Today, in a House Oversight Committee markup, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) blasted Republicans for advancing the Reorganizing Government Act, legislation that would, among other things, allow the president to eliminate and reorganize agencies into “executive departments” and enable those executive departments to roll back civil rights protections.

    Congresswoman Pressley introduced an amendment to the bill that would explicitly ban those executive departments from enacting segregationist policies, which Republicans opposed. The Congresswoman’s amendment follows the Trump Administration’s reversal of a decades-old policy that prohibited federal contractors from having segregated facilities.

    A transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks in support of her amendment to the Reorganizing Government Act is available below and the video is available here.

    Transcript: Pressley Blasts Republicans for Advancing Bill to Enable Segregation, Dismantle Government

    House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

    March 25, 2025

    REP. PRESSLEY: This should be a simple and unanimous addition to this bill. It reads, ”rule of construction, nothing in this Act may be construed to allow an executive department to enact a policy that supports racial segregation.” There should be no debate about whether our government should be able to implement segregationist policies. But without this amendment, nothing stops an administration from using reorganization powers to roll back civil rights. 

    Now I represent a diverse and beautiful district, the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, where people at town halls in my district, this last in district work period, genuinely expressed concern that our country is moving backwards. 

    Trump’s slogan, Make America Great Again. Begs the question, when exactly is he talking about? What year does Donald Trump want to return to? I’d like to know. 

    I can venture a guess based on many actions, which I’ll enumerate shortly. But let’s take a moment to revisit Donald Trump’s origins and his track record. 

    Donald Trump was born in the 1940s and raised under Jim Crow, a time when laws were codified to give him an advantage with the segregation of schools, businesses and public spaces, and when he started taking control of his dad’s real estate businesses a few years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Trump made front page news when he was sued for discriminating against Black families who applied for housing. 

    60 years later, he is still making front page news for racial discrimination. Just last week, the Trump Administration revoked a decades-old policy that prohibited federal contractors from having segregated facilities. 

    Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this New York Times article from March 21, 2025 titled “Trump administration dropped policy prohibiting contractors from having segregated facilities.”

    CHAIR COMER: Without objection so ordered. 

    REP. PRESSLEY:  All right, y’all now, let that sink in. This administration, this administration just made it easier for businesses to reintroduce white only waiting rooms, white only bathrooms and white only water fountains in the year 2025.

    But this isn’t just about one policy change. It’s about a broader coordinated assault on civil rights to take America back to Jim Crow. 

    Trump has appointed judges that don’t support the Brown v. Board of Education decision, an obvious opening for a return to segregated schools. 

    Trump is dismantling the Department of Education as we speak, to prevent access to equal education and upend more than 300 active civil rights cases in my district alone.

    Trump has overturned executive orders from the 1960s including one signed in 1965 that mandated equal opportunity for people of color in the recruitment, hiring, and training of federal contractors. 

    Trump has even removed Black history from government websites, including the Department of Defense. 

    He is literally trying to prevent people from learning about Black veterans and their contributions and sacrifices in this country. 

    I could go on, but we would be here until tomorrow. 

    And listen, I will be the first to acknowledge Democrats, Republicans alike, have a bad history on this issue, but today, only one party is acknowledging that shameful legacy, while the Republicans remain silent, deafeningly so. 

    So I will give everyone here a chance to clarify. This vote is simple. 

    Are you against racial segregation? This is your chance to go on the record if you are in fact, opposed to racial segregation, let’s ensure that no administration, present or future, can support policies of segregation. 

    Clearly, Donald Trump, your president, or perhaps your king, does support segregation because Donald Trump was born in, benefited from, and wants to return to a segregated society. 

    I urge passage of my amendment.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 546, Technical Correction to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 546 would authorize the appropriation of $5.125 million to be deposited into the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes Water Rights Development Fund. The fund was established pursuant to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009 to rehabilitate water infrastructure projects located on the reservation in Idaho and Nevada.

    The settlement agreement was made effective in 2016, and ownership of the fund was transferred to the tribes to be held in trust by the federal government. Assuming appropriation of the authorized amount, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $5 million over the 2025-2030 period.

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Alaina Rhee. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former EDD Employee Sentenced to 66 Months for Mail Fraud and Bribery Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Regina Brice, a former employee of the California Employment Development Department, was sentenced in federal court today to 66 months in prison for using her position to file $858,339 in fraudulent unemployment claims, effectively stealing money that was intended to give economic relief to people impacted by the pandemic.

    According to court documents, Brice was employed by the EDD since 2010. During the pandemic, she was responsible for processing COVID-related unemployment claims. However, between July 2020 and May 2021, Brice exploited her employee access at EDD to manipulate and file fraudulent unemployment claims for her co-conspirators in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes. These co-conspirators included California prison inmates whom she instructed on how to bypass the system’s fraud checking software to obtain the money.

    “This defendant turned her back on the oath of her office and those she was supposed to help during a once-in-a-century pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “Today she is being held accountable for her greed.”

    “Former California Employment Development Department (EDD) Employment Program Representative Regina Brice filed fraudulent and manipulated unemployment insurance (UI) claims in exchange for kickbacks, diverting vital taxpayer resources away from unemployed American workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). “Brice violated the public trust afforded to her as an EDD employee to enrich herself and others. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the integrity of the UI program for those who need it. This sentencing demonstrates DOL-OIG’s commitment to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in DOL programs.”

    DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., said, “Regina Brice defrauded government programs meant to help Americans at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. DHS OIG will continue to prioritize pandemic-related fraud investigations and work with our law enforcement partners to bring perpetrators to justice. I appreciate the continued partnership between DHS OIG and the Department of Labor OIG in bringing this case to a close.”

    “Today’s sentencing marks a significant victory for justice and accountability,” said Matt Shields, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Los Angeles Division. “The exploitation of vulnerable individuals’ personal information for nearly a million dollars in fraudulent gains, facilitated by an EDD employee’s corruption, is a betrayal of public trust. I commend the relentless efforts of our inspectors and collaboration with the Department of Labor OIG and Department of Homeland Security OIG in bringing this case to a close and ensuring that such misconduct results in severe consequences.”

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Sou.

    DEFENDANT                                   Case Number 23-CR-2082-RBM                          

    Regina Brice                                       Age: 43                                   San Diego, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Mail Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1341

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    U.S. Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General

    Department of Homeland Security – Office of the Inspector General

    United States Postal Inspector Service

    California Employment Development Department – Investigation Division

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Turkey is an incredibly powerful broker in the current world crisis, and a masterful negotiator

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex

    A Turkish military ship in the Bosphorus. Atakan Divitlioglu/Shutterstock

    While Turkey’s government is struggling to deal with mass protests at home (after Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was imprisoned), in foreign affairs it is in an increasingly strong position as a key power broker in deals with Europe, the US and Russia. At the crossroads between Asia and Europe, Turkey is strategically important to just about everyone, and is emerging as a clever negotiator.

    Since the early 2000s, Turkey has relied on a foreign policy approach that emphasised cooperation instead of competition. Economic ties were a priority, which helped Turkey steadily improve its relationships with Russia, Iran and Syria.

    While remaining a part of Nato and a major trading partner with the European Union, Turkey views its ties with Russia, Ukraine, China and countries in the Middle East as equally important. Turkey has shown that it will work with whatever government benefits its interests, and has taken advantage of regional conflicts to be a convenient ally when needed.

    At the same time, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has no qualms about confronting both friends and rivals equally, giving it strategic flexibility.

    Rocky relationship with Russia

    Turkey is Russia’s second biggest trading partner. Ankara continues to rely on Russian gas and banking networks, doing over US$60 billion (£46.3 billion) in trade annually with Moscow. The Turkish relationship with Russia improved dramatically in 1995 when Russia stopped supporting the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) and Turkey stopped supporting Chechen rebels.

    Since then, Turkey has maintained a functional relationship with Russia, while never being pliant to Moscow.

    Turkey was critical of Russia setting up military bases in Syria, in Tartus and Khmeimim and as it controls the airspace in northern Syria it also has the ability to restrict Russian access. Ankara has also used its military presence in Idlib, in northern Syria, to check Russian influence in the past. Turkey’s drone offensive in Idlib in 2020 helped the Syrian opposition and pushed back Syrian government and Russian-backed activity in the north-west.

    The importance of the Black Sea

    The Black Sea is another area of competition where Turkey has emerged with the upper hand during the war in Ukraine. Russia aimed to exercise control over the Black Sea, even seizing several Ukrainian ports which affected global grain supply in 2022.

    But Turkey negotiated the release of millions of tonnes of grain and has ensured the safety of shipping routes through the Black Sea by enforcing the Montreux Convention. This 1936 agreement granted Turkish control over the shipping route between the Black Sea (through the Bosporus Strait, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles, through which hundreds of millions of tons tonnes of cargo pass each year) and the Mediterranean.

    Citing the agreement, Turkey also restricted Russian reinforcements into the Black Sea, which has restricted Russian naval power considerably.


    Shutterstock

    Though Turkey has not levied sanctions on Russia and has kept its revenue streams open, Turkey also does not accept the Russian annexation of Crimea. With more than 5 million Turks claiming to have Crimean Tatar roots, Crimea has both strategic and historical importance to Turkey.

    Yet, Turkey maintains communication with Moscow (and Erdoğan and Vladimir Putin are “dear friends”). Complicating this “friendship” is the fact that Turkey also supports Ukraine, supplying it with Bayraktar TB2 drones, heavy machine guns, laser-guided missiles, electronic warfare systems, armoured vehicles and protective gear.

    Ultimately, Turkey wants Ukraine to remain independent in order to check Russian naval power in the Black Sea. As such, Turkey is likely to work with Nato to ensure that Ukraine is not defeated.

    To that end, Turkey is willing to contribute peacekeepers to a post-ceasefire settlement, under the right conditions.

    Meanwhile, Turkey has used the Ukraine conflict to diversify its supply routes for energy (relying more on suppliers from the Caucasus region and central Asia), to reduce its dependence on Russia. Turkey is in a strong position, especially with the discovery of gas reserves in the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean. Ankara aims to become an energy hub facilitating the transit of gas from the Caucasus, central Asia and Russia to Europe through the Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline.

    Turkey and Syria

    Turkey’s relationship with its neighbour Syria has also been pragmatic and shrewd. Turkey was able to pursue rapprochement with Syria in 2005, when Bashar al-Assad became the first Syrian president to visit Turkey since Syria gained its independence in 1946.

    But while Erdoğan maintained a relationship (to prevent Syria from moving even closer to Iran), he ultimately chose to abandon this relationship when it no longer suited him. He hosted anti-Assad figures in Turkey from time to time, and created a safe zone on its border which housed displaced Syrians and armed fighters. He gave rebels the go-ahead to oust Assad in 2024.

    Just as the war in Syria provided Turkey with opportunities, so too has the conflict in Ukraine. Ankara has strengthened its bargaining position and pushed for greater diplomatic and economic concessions from western allies. Turkey is taking advantage of the US’s retreat from Nato to push for closer cooperation with Europe.

    Turkey also is taking advantage of Donald Trump’s more lenient policies towards Russia to improve its relationship with the US. This is primarily based on wanting to improve defence cooperation. During the cold war, Turkey relied on the US for arms, funding and equipment, but was not able to use these weapons without US authorisation.

    After 1989, Turkey carved out different markets for its weapons imports and faced US sanctions for buying S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia in 2020. Turkey would like to purchase F-35 supersonic fighter jets from the US, and is hoping that the US will move away from sanctioning third countries that have engaged with Russia.

    Whose critical ally?

    Turkey has made sure that it is not seen by the US as a junior partner in the Middle East region. For example, when Turkey launched operations in north-east Syria in 2019, where it repeatedly fired close to US forces, the US offered no military response.

    The US sees Turkey as a key ally in spite of some different strategic goals. In addition to its geopolitical importance, Turkey also hosts US and Nato military forces at several of its bases and US nuclear weapons (20 B61 nuclear bombs) at its Incirlik Air Force Base.

    Turkey now wants to expand its diplomatic and military footprint. As a member of the G20, with one of the 20 biggest economies in the world and the second largest and second most powerful military force in Nato after the US, it has a lot of power. And in geopolitical juggling, currently Turkey is in the luxurious position of everyone wanting Ankara to be on their side.

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

    – ref. Turkey is an incredibly powerful broker in the current world crisis, and a masterful negotiator – https://theconversation.com/turkey-is-an-incredibly-powerful-broker-in-the-current-world-crisis-and-a-masterful-negotiator-253084

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Tens of millions risk starvation as funding cuts deepen crises in DR Congo: WHO, WFP

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    Sharply declining aid could force tens of millions across the globe who rely on food aid into extreme hunger and starvation, the World Food Program (WFP) warned on Friday.  

    The United Nations agency has received only $1.57 billion of the $21.1 billion required to sustain its operations this year, with donations slashed by 40 per cent after cuts from major donors like the United States.

    “WFP is prioritizing countries with the greatest needs and stretching food rations at the frontlines. While we are doing everything possible to reduce operational costs, make no mistake, we are facing a funding cliff with life-threatening consequences,” said Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation.

    “Emergency feeding programmes not only save lives and alleviate human suffering – they bring greatly needed stability to fragile communities, which can spiral downwards when faced with extreme hunger.”

    The drastic reductions are threatening the organization’s global programs in 28 regions, including Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    Bracing for the rainy season

    With the rainy season looming in fighting-stricken South Sudan, two-thirds of its estimated 12.7 million people facing acute food insecurity could go even hungrier.

    WFP delivers food and nutrition aid to 2.3 million people in the east African country who have escaped war, extreme climate events, and economic downturn. More than one million people have fled to the impoverished nation from neighboring Sudan.

    Outbreaks surging

    Meanwhile, shortages in medical supplies are likely to worsen the crisis in conflict-torn eastern DRC, with the public health system on the brink of collapse and spikes in viral outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.

    After recent clashes in Walikale, in the western part of the city of Goma, nearly 700 people are seeking treatment in a hospital, but funding cuts, disease outbreaks and blocked aid are hampering their access to healthcare.  

    “There is no possibility for access – no partner, nobody can really join that place,” said Dr. Thierno Baldé, WHO Incident Manager for Eastern DRC.

    Some 2,000 people have already died, Dr. Baldé stressed, adding that the crisis is also affecting neighboring countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.

    One in 10 infected people is currently dying of cholera in a major outbreak near the Congolese border with Burundi, he said.

    The region is seeing a surge in outbreaks of infectious diseases, including cholera and mpox, and the dire humanitarian situation is driving spikes in mortality rates, Dr. Baldé reported.

    A drop in the ocean

    Emergency medical teams are “doing the best they can”, mobilizing local people for additional support in providing care. The World Health Organization was recently able to ship 20 tons of medical supplies on roads all the way from Uganda over Kenya and Tanzania into Goma, providing some relief, but as Mr. Baldé highlighted, all of this was just a “drop in the ocean” in the country where 50 million people are affected by the crisis.

    Vaccines out of stock  

    Funding cuts in humanitarian aid directly threaten half of the 4 million people living in North Kivu. “Vaccines for routine immunization are almost out of stock in Goma,” Mr. Baldé warned.

    In the imminent danger of vaccines running out, Ms. Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization added, that this concerns the whole world.  

    “Infectious diseases don’t care about borders; they don’t care about elections and governments. If you don’t vaccinate everywhere, you’re going to be affected everywhere,” she said.  

    Amidst the US government announcing to suspend financing the Alliance for Vaccine (GAVI), a driving force in providing children vaccinations in poor countries, a  out that an estimated 154 million lives have been saved over the past 50 years thanks to global immunization drives. “It’s madness not to invest in vaccination,” she concluded.

    Refugees at risk

    Providing further proof of the health threats caused by funding cuts, Allen Maina, Public Health Chief of the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) stated, that nearly 13 million displaced people, including six million children are “at risk of not being able to access lifesaving health and nutrition care.”

    Echoing that infectious diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, malaria are more likely to break out, Mr. Maina stressed that the problem doesn’t only stem from“overwhelmed hospitals and health systems”, but also in disrupted water supply systems, sanitation facilities and waste management.  

    “This situation is devastating, but it’s coming on top of longstanding shortfalls in humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Maina reminded, highlighting that in Ethiopia’s Gambela region, operations in four out of seven refugee sites have recently been closed due to the funding cuts. “99 severely malnourished children had to be discharged immediately because programs had to close”, he said, maintaining that for 980 acutely malnourished children, there were only two staff members available.  

    “We’re talking about people here. We talk about men and women. We talk about children, worried whether their parents will live to see another day, Mr. Maina stressed. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Over 10,000 people connected to life-changing supports

    Alberta’s government has been focussed on helping the most vulnerable get off the streets and into much safer environments where they can focus on building their futures. As a part of these efforts, the province continues to make it easier for vulnerable Albertans to meet their housing and recovery needs through the Navigation and Support Centres.

    The Navigation and Support Centres provide a one-stop shop where people can access a wide range of supports in one place, including financial aid, health services, housing supports and more. Since the first centre opened just over a year ago, more than 10,000 unique individuals have been connected to life-changing services at the Navigation and Support Centres.

    “We won’t turn our backs on the most vulnerable. Our goal is to get vulnerable people into much safer environments where they can access a range of supports and that’s why we created the Navigation and Support Centres. By offering a centralized place for vulnerable Albertans to access numerous services and supports, we have helped thousands of vulnerable Albertans receive the help they need, more easily.”

    Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta

    In January 2024, Alberta’s government opened Edmonton’s Navigation and Support Centre to provide targeted support for vulnerable Albertans. As the province worked with its partners to remove high-risk encampments, the centre helped connect those leaving encampments with the various supports they needed under one roof, and quickly expanded to serving all homeless individuals looking for help.

    This new approach made it much easier for vulnerable people to access supports, as they no longer were forced to travel to multiple locations to get connected with the help they need. This proved to be incredibly successful, leading to Edmonton’s centre becoming a permanent fixture and the province expanding these efforts by opening a second centre in Calgary.

    “I am pleased to see that so many lives have been positively affected by the navigation and support centres. This approach is clearly working, proving to be an effective way of connecting vulnerable people with the help they need. Alberta’s innovative approach to addressing homelessness has raised the bar across Canada, and other jurisdictions are taking note of our success.”

    Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services

    To date, the two centres have provided over 45,000 connections or referrals to services, assisting more than 10,000 people as of March 27. This includes:

    • More than 4,460 connections to emergency shelter spaces and housing programs such as transitional and supportive housing, affordable housing, and rent supplements.
    • Almost 9,700 identification cards issued by Service Alberta.
    • More than 8,950 connections to employment and financial services, including Income Support and AISH.
    • More than 2,090 connections to cultural supports provided by local Indigenous organizations.
    • More than 3,450 connections to health and medical supports.
    • More than 4,038 connections to mental health and addiction services.

    “The Navigation and Support Centre has provided a vast range of supports to thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton and throughout Alberta. The centre represents Alberta’s commitment and innovative approach to supporting vulnerable people in our communities.”

    Tim Pasma, director of programs, Homelessness, Hope Mission

    Alberta’s government has made unprecedented investments into supporting thousands of shelter spaces across the province and local programs for stable housing with wraparound supports, and the Navigation and Support Centres continue help connect vulnerable individuals with these valuable services.

    In many cases, people have found the centres so useful that they are returning multiple times to access services and are bringing people they know are in need along with them. Alberta’s government remains committed to working closely with its partners, including front-line service providers, Indigenous leaders and other levels of government, to ensure the continued success of the Navigation and Support Centres.

    “As a sober living service provider in Edmonton, we are very appreciative of the Navigation and Support Centre for being the innovative response to our community’s most vulnerable. The spectrum of supports and services available to be accessed in one location was something our community really needed.”

    Stephen Syskakis, executive director, 8 Pillars Recovery Foundation

    Related information

    • Navigation and Support Centres

    Related news

    • New supports for vulnerable people in Edmonton (Jan. 17, 2024)
    • Helping Calgary’s most vulnerable navigate supports (July 2, 2024)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Joins Warren, Pressley, Markey, Congressional Democrats Demanding Explanation for “Disturbing Arrest and Detention” of Tufts University Student

    US Senate News:

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

    Student seemingly arrested for her political views, lawmakers demand due process and answers
    WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about the arrest and detention of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk and similar incidents across the country.
    “The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views. Absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    A total of 34 lawmakers signed the letter. In addition to Sens. Welch, Warren and Markey and Rep. Pressley, the following members joined in signing: Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), along with Representatives Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Don Beyer (D-Va.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii).
    On March 25, 2025, Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested on her way to a Ramadan dinner event by masked, plainclothes officers. Surveillance video shows officers loading Ozturk into an SUV and departing in three unmarked vehicles. Bystanders observed that the incident “looked like a kidnapping.”
    For almost 24 hours, Ozturk’s location was unknown and her lawyer could not locate her. On the afternoon of March 26, more than twelve hours after a district court judge ordered the federal government not to remove Ozturk from Massachusetts without at least 48 hours’ notice, ICE’s locator system was updated to show that she was being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.
    This arrest appears to be one of the latest examples in a string of ICE arrests of university students with valid green cards and visas, seemingly on the basis of their political views. Ozturk was one of four authors of a 2024 op-ed in the Tufts student paper, which called for the university to “engage with and actualize” Israel- and Palestine-related resolutions passed by the university’s Student Senate.
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the Administration will deny visas to those who “participate in that sort of activity,” referring to protest movements on campuses. Following Ozturk’s arrest, Tufts was informed that her “visa ha[d] been terminated” — similar to other recent cases in which ICE agents have declared, without a judicial or administrative hearing, that they were “terminating” or “revoking” students’ green cards and visas.
    The lawmakers asked the Departments of Homeland Security and State, along with ICE, to provide explanations for Ozturk’s arrest and visa revocation; her transportation to Louisiana despite a court order; officials’ use of unmarked vehicles, face coverings, and plain clothing; the federal government’s policies for terminating a student’s visa without a request from a university; and more. 
    Read the full text of the letter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement of U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine on Trump Executive Order Attacking Collective Bargaining Rights for Federal Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) issued a statement in response to President Trump’s latest attack on the federal workforce – an executive order targeting collective bargaining rights:

    “This is just another attempt by President Trump to ‘traumatize’ and illegally fire federal workers. Collective bargaining makes the federal workforce stronger, and undermining these rights does nothing to improve our national security. In fact, this order will only make us less safe, as this executive order is only Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s latest gambit to make it easier to fire the people who ensure public safety, prepare for pandemics, respond to natural disasters, and much, much more. This political attack on our civil servants must not stand.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Klobuchar, and Warner Announce Expected Vote Timing on their Bill to Undo Canada Tariffs that will Raise Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Next Tuesday, April 1, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on legislation led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) to undo President Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, which amount to a 25 percent tax on goods imported from one of America’s top trading partners and closest allies. Since President Trump announced tariffs on Canada, there has been strong pushback from Americans, businesses, trade groups, and industry leaders.

    “President Trump’s taxes on Canadian goods have sent our economy into chaos, and Americans aren’t buying what he’s selling. They know they will pay the price with higher costs for everyday items, and their confidence in the economy is the lowest it has been in recent years,” said Kaine. “Many of my Republican colleagues in Congress have already expressed concerns about these tariffs, so the Senate’s upcoming vote on our legislation provides senators with the perfect opportunity to show Americans that they will stand up for their constituents and reverse the President’s disastrous economic policies.”

    “This Administration is igniting a reckless trade war and regular Americans are paying the price,” said Klobuchar. “Costs for everyone will go up and our farmers and businesses will suffer. Canada is Minnesota’s top trading partner and is a key U.S. ally. We must reverse these damaging tariffs before it’s too late.”

    “Trump’s tariffs on Canada are a self-inflicted wound—raising prices for American consumers, hurting workers, and straining one of our closest trade partnerships,” said Warner. “Now my Republican colleagues have an opportunity to weigh in—will they stand up for the American people or continue us down this damaging path?”

    In total, the tariffs President Trump announced on February 1 would cost the average American household up to $2,000 a year, with the Canada tariffs making up a significant portion of that. These tariffs represent the largest tax increase on American families in recent history. Polls have overwhelmingly demonstrated that the American people do not support Trump’s trade wars. According to a survey by Public First, just 28 percent of American adults supported specifically applying tariffs to Canada, while 43 percent opposed.

    In Virginia in 2024, Canada was the largest export market and accounted for 15 percent of Virginia exports. In Virginia in 2022, top goods exports to Canada included motor vehicles and transportation equipment, such as medium- and heavy-duty trucks. 56.1 percent of Southwest Virginia’s economic output is dependent on trade.

    Below is what Americans are saying about Trump’s tariffs on Canada:

    AFL-CIO Director of Government Affairs Jody Calemine: “On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I urge you to support S.J. Res. 37, a resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine to terminate the national emergency that was declared to justify tariffs on imports from Canada under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)… However, imposing large, across the board tariffs on Canada aimed at non-trade objectives will only cause unnecessary economic pain for workers and businesses on both sides of the border.”

    International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) International President Brian Bryant: “On behalf of the 600,000 active and retired members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), I write today in strong support of S.J. Res. 37… These new tariffs on Canada, one of our closest allies and largest trading partners, are unjust and will have lasting negative impacts on American and Canadian workers… The Trump administration’s erratic approach to tariffs is wreaking havoc on workers and businesses in the United States and Canada. Punishing one of our nation’s closest trading partners based on a false pretense is wrong and the action needs to be reversed.”

    International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matthew S. Biggs and Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson: “As the Executive Officers of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), representing 90,000 workers in the private, public, and federal sectors across North America, we are writing in support of S.J. Res. 37… Canada is America’s closest ally and number one trading partner. Our trading relationship uplifts American and Canadian working families alike. Imposing reckless tariffs on Canadian imports will harm both the U.S. and Canadian economies and do even greater harm to working families on both sides of the border. Congress must step in now to block this reckless and destructive policy.”

    National Taxpayers Union: “Canada is an important supplier of goods that strengthen U.S. security, including crude oil, natural gas, steel, and aluminum. Tariffs that restrict our access to these supplies and increase their cost will weaken our industrial base and undermine our ability to sustain our defense in the event of a national emergency.”

    Taxpayers Protection Alliance President David Williams: “TPA enthusiastically supports Sens. Tim Kaine and Rand Paul’s CRA to overturn President Trump’s February 1, 2025, national emergency declaration. This use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is fraught with issues. The ensuing trade war will inevitably raise costs for consumers. Placing a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico will harm consumers and the vast majority of American businesses.”

    United Steelworkers (USW) International President David McCall: “On behalf of the 850,000 active members of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW), I urge you to support S.J. Res. 37, a resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine to terminate the national emergency that was declared to impose duties on imports from Canada, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)… These new tariffs are misdirected, unsubstantiated by facts, and harmful to the very workers we represent.”

    The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: “None of this is supposed to happen under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that Mr. Trump negotiated and signed in his first term. The U.S. willingness to ignore its treaty obligations, even with friends, won’t make other countries eager to do deals. Maybe Mr. Trump will claim victory and pull back if he wins some token concessions. But if a North American trade war persists, it will qualify as one of the dumbest in history.”

    The Washington Post Editorial Board: “Markets have plummeted since Trump announced new levies on Canada, Mexico and China, erasing nearly all gains since his election… The tariffs are still likely to be economically destructive: They will snarl global supply chains, raise costs to consumers and cause layoffs in industries that depend on imported inputs like steel… This means more than just additional pain for consumers whipsawed by inflation, higher prices on imports and, now, the possibility of a recession.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lee Introduces the Working Families Flexibility Act for the 119th Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Utah Mike Lee

    Bill Would End the Unfair Discrimination Against Private-Sector Employees Caring for Families

    WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a bill to help workers handle the constant challenge of work-life balance by allowing all individuals who work overtime to choose between monetary compensation or comp-time. The Working Family Flexibility Act would free workers to choose the best way to alleviate the difficulties of juggling work, home, kids, and community.  The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

    “For many families, especially with young children, their most precious commodity is time,” said Sen. Lee. “But today, federal labor laws restrict the way moms, dads, and everyone else can use their time. For decades, Congress has given a special exemption from these laws to government employees. This is unacceptable. The same work-life options available to government employees should be available to private-sector workers, as well.” 

    “Working parents provide for their families, make ends meet, and take care of all the responsibilities that come with maintaining a household. That’s why now more than ever, moms and dads need the flexibility to maintain work-life balance at home,” said Sen. Capito. “Our legislation, the Working Families Flexibility Act, would help provide that flexibility by lifting restrictions on private-sector workers and affording them the same options government workers have when it comes to using their overtime benefits.”

    How It Works

    Gives employers the ability to offer their employees the option of comp time or overtime pay, both accrued at 1½ times the overtime hours worked.

    Requires employers who decide to offer this option to their employees to establish a written agreement with the employee outlining the options and to allow each employee to voluntarily choose the option that best fits his needs.

    Requires that comp time agreements be included in the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the union and the employer for any employee represented by a union.

    Allows employees who choose to accrue comp time to accrue up to 160 hours each year.

    Allows employees to “cash out” their accrued comp time at the traditional overtime pay rate at any time throughout the year.

    Maintains all existing employee protections, including the current 40-hour workweek and overtime accrual, and provides additional safeguards to ensure that the choice to use comp time is voluntary.

    Requires employers to pay employees at the traditional overtime rate for any unused comp time at the end of each calendar year. 

    What It Accomplishes

    Ends the unfair discrimination against private-sector employees

    Enables parents to better balance work and family obligations

    Frees all workers to choose which commodity – time or money – is the more important resource at a given time

    Lessens the burden of unnecessary federal regulation

    You can read the one-pager HERE.

    You can read the bill text HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Markey, Warren, Pressley, Congressional Democrats Demand Explanation for “Disturbing Arrest and Detention” of Tufts University Student

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Student seemingly arrested for her political views, Sen. Markey demands her release 

    Letter Text (PDF) 

    Washington (March 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), today led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about the arrest and detention of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk and similar incidents across the country.

    “The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views. Absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    A total of 34 lawmakers signed the letter. In addition to Sens. Markey and Warren and Rep. Pressley, the following members joined in signing: Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), along with Representatives Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Don Beyer (D-Va.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii).

    On March 25, 2025, Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested on her way to a Ramadan dinner event by masked, plainclothes officers. Surveillance video shows officers loading Ozturk into an SUV and departing in three unmarked vehicles. Bystanders observed that the incident “looked like a kidnapping.”

    For almost 24 hours, Ozturk’s location was unknown and her lawyer could not locate her. On the afternoon of March 26, more than twelve hours after a district court judge ordered the federal government not to remove Ozturk from Massachusetts without at least 48 hours’ notice, ICE’s locator system was updated to show that she was being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center.

    This arrest appears to be one of the latest examples in a string of ICE arrests of university students with valid green cards and visas, seemingly on the basis of their political views. Ozturk was one of four authors of a 2024 op-ed in the Tufts student paper, which called for the university to “engage with and actualize” Israel- and Palestine-related resolutions passed by the university’s Student Senate.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the Administration will deny visas to those who “participate in that sort of activity,” referring to protest movements on campuses. Following Ozturk’s arrest, Tufts was informed that her “visa ha(d) been terminated” — similar to other recent cases in which ICE agents have declared, without a judicial or administrative hearing, that they were “terminating” or “revoking” students’ green cards and visas.

    The lawmakers asked the Departments of Homeland Security and State, along with ICE, to provide explanations for Ozturk’s arrest and visa revocation; her transportation to Louisiana despite a court order; officials’ use of unmarked vehicles, face coverings, and plain clothing; the federal government’s policies for terminating a student’s visa without a request from a university; and more. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Trump Administration is once again gutting workers’ rights

    Source: US National Education Union

    By: Celeste Fernandez

    Published: March 28, 2025

    On Thursday the Trump Administration signed an executive order aimed at ending collective bargaining for government employees whose work include national security aspects. The expansive order applied to workers across many federal agencies.

    The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Becky Pringle:

    “The Trump Administration is once again gutting workplace protections, diminishing the voice of working people, and attacking collective bargaining rights. It is stripping away rights from workers across various federal agencies, including the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Health and Human Services.

    “When you take away collective bargaining, you take away workers’ voices. This is a slap in the face to men and women who serve our country, and the 7,000 educators who have dedicated their lives to helping students from military-connected families thrive.

    “It is cruel and unforgivable to sacrifice the needs of military students and families around the globe to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Educators and parents won’t be silent in our advocacy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Update on Federal Threats to Social Security

    Source: US State of New York

    arlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks alongside Senator Kirsten Gillibrand regarding the Trump administration’s attack on the Social Security program and how New York’s seniors and families will be affected as a result of the President and Elon Musk’s efforts to close Social Security Administration offices and limit access to resources.

    VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

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

    PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page has photos of the event here.

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

     Thank you, Senator. We are so fortunate here in New York to have you representing us in Washington — being that loud voice on behalf of the people that you care so deeply about: our seniors, in particular, but also, as you mentioned, there’s children affected and families. And, if there’s one thing you could always count on as an American your entire life, it is that what you started paying in for Social Security with your first teenage job, over a lifetime would be there when you need it.

    And now that promise has all been jeopardized because of Donald Trump’s administration and Elon Musk. Now, I’m going to just quote someone who once spent a lot of time in this city — he was our former Governor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When he became President and saw the crisis that unfolded over this country known as the Great Depression — it started when he was actually governor — back in 1935, he saw that there was a path forward to help regain the stability, give people that security that they would never slip into poverty again.

    He unfolded the Social Security program and what he said was we have a moral, legal and political right to ensure that these payments are always made. He set it up as a payroll tax, so he said, “No damn politician can ever scrap my Social Security program.” Now, maybe not a politician, but maybe he didn’t count on some billionaire from South Africa who’d be trying to scrap his program. Someone who actually called it a “Ponzi scheme.”

    When Americans heard that, chills went down their spines. This man has enormous power for an unelected official, and he is using it to destroy the very fabric of our safety nets — programs like Social Security. So, he has caused so much chaos and uncertainty. Just walk into this federal building — you can feel it, it’s palpable; the anxiety that the workers here who dedicate their lives to public service, not just here, but all across this country, are under siege. Why? Because they’re out there helping the people.

    That is the whole premise behind becoming a public servant, and those who work for Social Security know that there’s people who rely on them and not everybody knows how to go online and figure it out. I heard some seniors say, “My grandkids have to come over to help me do this.” That’s the reality we’re in right now.

    When phone calls aren’t answered, when offices are closed — the offices that have been closed in New York State already — that requires seniors who may not have easy access to get around to go from their community and travel across five to seven different counties. How are they going to get there if they need services in person?

    You gave out the numbers. Nearly 70,000 here in Albany County alone, but I’ll tell you, in New York, our priorities are different. We think it’s wrong to say seniors and people with disabilities have to travel a great distance to secure their benefits. We say it’s wrong to describe Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme,” and we say it’s wrong to jeopardize a safety net that has been there to make sure that our citizens never slip into poverty.

    So, we have leaders fighting for them, our citizens — Senator Gillibrand, we appreciate all her work — but there’s also seven other people in the State who need to hear about this, and those are your Republican members of Congress. They’re in the majority, they have the power. If seven members of the delegation from New York State — starting with Elise Stefanik all the way on down — go into the Speaker’s office, demand that there would be changes or you’ll hold up President Trump’s agenda.

    You have the power, and if you don’t use that power, then you are complicit in this attack on the American people. And so, citizens, residents, people who represent all of our elected officials here: Make sure our voices are heard, make sure our senior’s voices are heard and we have to stop the insanity of this attack on our people.

    Thank you very much.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: First ON-RAMP Workforce Innovation Hub Selected

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the selection of 1300 South Salina Street (formerly the Sears Building) as the future home of New York State’s first ON-RAMP Workforce Innovation Hub. The flagship Hub will anchor a broader revitalization of the site, which is being led by the City of Syracuse and CenterState CEO. The Central New York location will serve as a critical gateway for both job seekers and manufacturing and construction firms, supporting the region’s growing demand for skilled workers, anchored by Micron’s $100 billion commitment in Onondaga County. Empire State Development’s Board of Directors approved $8.5 million in funding for the flagship center, part of Governor Hochul’s broader $200 million ON-RAMP initiative, with additional workforce innovation hubs being established in the Capital Region, the Mohawk Valley and the Finger Lakes.

    “Too many communities in Upstate New York have been left out and left behind for generations — and I’m fighting to bring them back,” Governor Hochul said. “This new ON-RAMP center in Syracuse will be a critical part of the new I-90 advanced manufacturing corridor, giving New Yorkers the skills and training necessary for a good-paying job. New Yorkers are already seeing the benefits of our economic development strategy: good-paying jobs, revitalized communities and more money in their pockets.”

    ON-RAMP, the groundbreaking initiative designed to expand workforce development opportunities in advanced manufacturing for more New Yorkers, was first proposed in Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State and included in the FY25 Enacted Budget. Training provided through ON-RAMP will be based on the highly successful model developed by the Northland Workforce Development Training Center in Buffalo. Northland’s model works to reduce the major barriers that prohibit students from enrolling and completing post-secondary education like transportation, child care, academic readiness and affordability. Collectively, the four centers will combine industry, academia, social services, organized labor and community organizations to provide high quality, in-demand training and the wraparound support necessary to empower more New Yorkers with the skills needed for careers in high growth industries.

    Staff for the Central New York ON-RAMP Center will be temporarily housed at CenterState CEO located at 115 West Fayette Street while the South Salina Street site is being redeveloped. Initial training programs will focus on career exploration, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), financial empowerment and trade-specific skills for construction and manufacturing. Construction training will include pathways to apprenticeship and trade-specific skills, and manufacturing training will focus on entry-level assembly and middle-skill technician training, including Onondaga Community College Electrical Mechanical Technician training. In the first year, training programs are expected to serve between 150 and 200 New Yorkers.

    Upon completion of the new facility, the Syracuse location will offer flexible programs customized to employer skill and volume needs, create engaging ways for community members to learn about the career that is right for them, and combine training with comprehensive support to reduce barriers to employment. The Central New York ON-RAMP hub will work with local partners to provide a wide array of services in a single, central location.

    Additionally, CenterState CEO plans to work with the City of Syracuse to explore how best to connect the new South Salina Street ON-RAMP location to the nearby City-owned lot, ensuring that these strategic properties are redeveloped with the community’s input. CenterState CEO will hold monthly virtual town hall meetings to report on progress and hear from partners directly.

    Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State is building the workforce of tomorrow through comprehensive training programs that engage and prepare more New Yorkers for high-demand, good paying jobs. Today’s announcement represents the latest step in the development and deployment of the ON-RAMP program, further supporting our investments to build a dynamic 21st century economy.”

    New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “We must equip our workforce with the skills necessary to support New York State’s rapidly expanding advanced manufacturing sector. By offering comprehensive training and wraparound services, this new ON-RAMP center will offer workers in Syracuse a pathway to well-paying careers for years to come. I applaud Governor Hochul for her continued investments in our workforce as we continue building the economy of tomorrow.”

    CenterState CEO President and CEO Rob Simpson said, “This is an important project for the city and the south side as it holds high potential for workforce innovation at a time of growth in our region. At the Syracuse ON-RAMP Center, community members will be able to learn essential skills for careers in construction and advanced manufacturing, to prepare our region for the Micron project. In partnership with New York State, the City of Syracuse and all of our many community partners, CenterState CEO will work to ensure that these strategic properties are redeveloped with the community’s input.”

    State Senator Rachel May said, “It’s exciting to see the continued investment in Central New York’s technology sector. The announcement of the ON-Ramp project solidifies our status as one of the leading technology hubs in the nation. This initiative is expected to attract more tech businesses, leading to high-paying jobs and economic growth, benefiting our community in many ways. Additionally, it will support Micron’s $100 billion investment in our region. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her efforts on this important investment, which will help drive Syracuse’s progress.”

    State Senator Christopher J. Ryan said, “The establishment of New York State’s first ON-RAMP Workforce Innovation Hub right here in Central New York is a game-changer for our workforce and our economy. The ON-RAMP Initiative is about breaking down barriers and opening doors to good-paying, union careers in construction and advanced manufacturing — industries that are the backbone of our middle class. As a lifelong labor leader and worker advocate, I know firsthand the power of union jobs to transform lives, providing stability, benefits and a pathway to prosperity. With Micron’s historic investment and the growing demand for skilled workers, the ON-RAMP Hub will ensure that more Central New Yorkers, regardless of background, have access to high-quality training, apprenticeships and the support needed to secure these life-changing opportunities. This is an investment in our workers, our families and the future of our region. I thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to Upstate cities and Central New York.”

    Assemblymember Al Stirpe said, “Governor Hochul’s announcement today represents another exciting step towards our region’s burgeoning landscape of advanced manufacturing. The future location of Central New York’s ON-RAMP Workforce Innovation Hub on South Salina Street promises an essential redevelopment of the local neighborhood, along with the reduction of obstacles for underserved populations to access the necessary skills needed for this growing industry. I’d like to thank Governor Hochul for her unwavering commitment to the actualization of a diverse and highly-trained workforce to carry the future of Central New York’s economy forward.”

    Assemblymember William Magnarelli said, “The Governor’s investment in workforce development helps create a community that is equipped with skills necessary to drive economic growth especially in highly demanded industries. The ON-RAMP Workforce Innovation Hub’s structure of providing wraparound support services empowers members of the local community to break from issues that often confine them to poverty and unemployment.”

    Assemblymember Pamela Hunter said, “As Central New York continues to experience unprecedented economic growth, it is critical that we invest in workforce development to ensure our residents have access to the opportunities created by projects like Micron. The ON-RAMP Workforce Innovation Hub at 1300 South Salina Street will be a game-changer—providing high-quality training, critical support services, and clear pathways to family-sustaining careers in manufacturing and construction. I applaud Governor Hochul, Empire State Development, CenterState CEO, and the City of Syracuse for their leadership in making this investment a reality for our community.”

    Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said, “This announcement is great news for Syracuse and the Southside community. In alignment with Syracuse Surge, our strategy for inclusive growth in the new economy, the creation of a larger workforce training hub will accelerate our efforts to uplift residents through long-term, sustainable employment and economic growth. I look forward to continued neighborhood engagement as this project moves forward. I am grateful to Governor Hochul, Empire State Development, and CenterState CEO for their continued partnership to expand workforce opportunities for Syracuse residents.”

    Today’s announcement complements New York State’s continued investments in workforce development. In 2022, Governor Hochul reimagined the State’s approach to workforce development and established the Office of Strategic Workforce Development at ESD, which supports industry-driven workforce development programs and practices to ensure New Yorkers are prepared to meet the needs and priorities of employers. To date, more than $63 million has been awarded, leveraging more than $69 million in public and private funding, to support nearly 15,000 trainees for over 2,000 business partners.

    The announcement also supplements the State’s investments to build a modern economy in New York by growing a dynamic and innovative semiconductor industry. In 2022, the Governor signed New York’s historic Green CHIPS legislation to make New York a hub for semiconductor manufacturing, creating 21st century jobs and kick-starting economic growth while maintaining important environmental protections. As part of the FY24 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul secured a $45 million investment to create the Governor’s Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management, and Integration (GO-SEMI), which leads statewide efforts to develop the chipmaking sector. In December 2023, Governor Hochul announced a $10 billion public-private partnership — including $9 billion in private investment from IBM, Micron, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron and other semiconductor leaders — to bring the future of advanced semiconductor research to New York’s Capital region by creating the nation’s first and only industry accessible, High NA EUV Lithography Center at the Albany NanoTech Complex which has been recently awarded $825 million in federal funding and was designated the CHIPS for America EUV Accelerator under the CHIPS and Science Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Paid Service Opportunities for SUNY Students

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of applications for the second annual Empire State Service Corps Program, encouraging State University of New York students to apply for one of 500 paid civic and service internships for this upcoming fall. The application opening signifies the second year of the program. During its first-ever application cycle, the program received more than 2,000 student applications for 500 paid positions across 45 SUNY campuses within weeks of opening.

    “The Empire State Service Corps is providing SUNY students with invaluable opportunities to serve their communities, gain hands-on experience, and build a foundation for future success,” Governor Hochul said. “By expanding civic engagement across New York, we are empowering the next generation of leaders to make a meaningful impact. I encourage all eligible students to apply and be part of this transformative program.”

    The Empire State Service Corps is one of Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State priorities to expand service opportunities for college students. Students participating in the program dedicate at least 300 hours to paid community service – and convene regularly to share and learn from each other’s experiences.

    SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “The Empire State Service Corps program has been a phenomenal tool to address the most pressing needs of New Yorkers across the state while providing students with paid internships to serve their communities. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, SUNY is thrilled to continue this program into its second year and support even more students as part of SUNY’s ambitious Service & Civics Agenda.”

    SUNY Buffalo Student Destiny Hopkinson said, “I went from knowing little about civic engagement to interviewing SUNY Chancellor John B. King about it. My experience with the Empire State Service Corps has been nothing short of amazing. I’ve built a strong support system, made great connections, gained hands-on experience in politics, traveled, and had the opportunity to showcase my University and Buffalo to new and improved civic engagement work.”

    Members of the first cohort of service members were celebrated earlier this month at the Empire State Service Corps Service & Civics Summit. The summit was attended by nearly 300 corps members, faculty, and staff from over 40 SUNY campuses. During the event, students engaged in hands-on service activities, cohort specific breakout sessions, including a fireside chat with SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr., and fellowship time. Public leaders in attendance included Congressman John Mannion, New York State Senator Rachel May, New York State Senator Chris Ryan, and SUNY Board Trustee Giovanni “Gio” Harvey. Photos can be found here.

    The Empire State Service Corps provides paid civic and service internships in the following areas:

    • Civic Engagement/Civil Discourse: Students will serve either on or off campus with organizations such as local nonprofits related to civic engagement and civil discourse, including nonpartisan voter outreach, voter registration and engaging campus peers in voter activity
    • Early Childhood: Students will serve at a host site dedicated to early childhood education and/or development. (For example, daycare or head start centers)
    • FAFSA: Students will serve either in local communities (local high schools) or work on campus to support students with completing the FAFSA
    • Food Insecurity & SNAP Basic Needs: Students will serve on or off campus supporting students / individuals with SNAP outreach as well as basic needs support (could include shifts at campus food pantry) or with other food insecurity aligned work
    • K-12 Education: Students will partner with local school districts for tutoring sessions on a regular basis to support recovery from pandemic era learning loss
    • Peer Mental Health: Students will be trained to serve as a peer mental health educator typically at a campus/community wellness or counseling center. Students will support peers either on or off campus in supporting strong mental health practices and overall wellness initiatives
    • Student Success Coaching: Students will work with middle and high school students to combat common challenges like addressing chronic absenteeism and access to socio-emotional learning, mentoring, and mental health support.
    • Sustainability: Students will serve in campus roles or off-campus with local nonprofits / State agencies or other organizations focused on sustainability work (such as recycling campaigns, tree planting, pollinator gardens, sustainability outreach, building sustainable civic habits, etc.)
    • Veterans Affairs Outreach: Students will serve at host sites dedicated to supporting active military or veterans’ affairs for individuals, families, or affiliated groups.

    Governor Hochul and the state legislature committed $2.75 million to continue to fund the Empire State Service Corps in the FY25 Enacted Budget.

    SUNY students are encouraged to apply here between now before the April 18 priority deadline.

    Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman said, “The Empire State Service Corps provides SUNY students with meaningful opportunities to give back to their communities while gaining invaluable hands-on experience. Investing in civic engagement and service strengthens our future leaders and uplifts communities across New York State. I encourage all eligible students to apply and be part of this impactful initiative. Considering the benefits and the impact that it will make. Understanding that this will change people’s lives from all aspects. Most importantly, the people will be catered for. Creating atmospheres and opportunities that ensure success should be our focus!”

    About The State University of New York
    The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Diopsys Inc. Agrees to Pay up to $14.25 Million to Resolve Alleged Federal False Claims Act and State Law Violations Relating to Vision Testing

    Source: US State of Vermont

    Diopsys Inc., a medical device company based in Middletown, Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay up to $14.25 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the federal False Claims Act and various state laws by knowingly submitting or causing others to submit false claims for payment to Medicare and Medicaid in connection with certain vision testing services.

    The settlement resolves allegations relating to Diopsys’ NOVA device, an electrophysiological device that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for visual evoked potential (VEP) testing. The United States alleged that, during the period from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2021, Diopsys caused healthcare providers to submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services in which the NOVA device was utilized for medically unnecessary uses, specifically electroretinography (ERG) vision testing, a substantially different vision test for which the NOVA device lacked FDA clearance. The government further contended that Diopsys made substantial changes to the NOVA device that it never submitted to FDA for clearance or approval despite knowing that such a submission was required.

    “Today’s resolution reaffirms our commitment to protect the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs,” said U.S. Attorney John Giordano for the District of New Jersey. “Health care companies must not encourage doctors to submit claims for payment for medically unnecessary tests.”

    Under the terms of the settlement, Diopsys will make guaranteed payments of $1,225,000 and contingent payments of up to $13,025,000. The settlement is based on Diopsys’ financial condition.

    The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Dr. Atul Jain, a California ophthalmologist. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.  Approximately $1,120,000 of the guaranteed payment and up to approximately $11,900,000 of the contingent payments constitute the federal portion of the recovery. Dr. Jain will receive at least approximately $207,000 as his share of the federal recovery in this case.

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

    The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

    The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Simunovich of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and Trial Attorney Daniel Meyler of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section.

    The case is captioned United States ex rel. Jain v. Diopsys Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 21-18151 (D.N.J.).

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – here’s how this could affect its economy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ross Bennett-Cook, PhD Researcher, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University

    The United States is one of the top three most visited countries in the world. The big draw cards – cities such as San Francisco, New York and Chicago and national parks such as Yosemite – have attracted international tourists for decades. This combined with its role as a global business powerhouse meant it had 66.5 million visitors in 2023 – and the 2024 figure is expected to be higher still.

    But a lot has changed in recent months, and 2025’s figures may not be as strong. The 2024 reelection of Donald Trump as the president of the United States and the consequential changes in foreign diplomacy and relations, alongside internal cultural shifts, are starting to change global attitudes towards the US – attitudes that appear to be affecting tourists’ desire to visit the US.

    In a recent report by research firm Tourism Economics, inbound travel to the US is now projected to decline by 5.5% this year, instead of growing by nearly 9% as had previously been forecast. A further escalation in tariff and trade wars could result in further reductions in international tourism, which could amount to a US$18 billion (£13.8 billion) annual reduction in tourist spending in 2025.

    There is already some evidence of travel cancellations. Since Trump announced 25% tariffs on many Canadian goods, the number of Canadians driving across the border at some crossings has fallen by up to 45%, on some days, when compared to last year. Canada is the biggest source of international tourists to the US. Air Canada has announced it is reducing flights to some US holiday destinations, including Las Vegas, from March, as demand reduces.

    According to a March poll by Canadian market researcher Leger, 36% of Canadians who had planned trips to the United States had already cancelled them. According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are down by over 70% compared to the same period last year. This comes after the U.S. Travel Association warned that even a 10% reduction in Canadian inbound travel could result in a US$2.1 billion (£1.6 billion) loss in spending, putting 140,000 hospitality jobs at risk.

    An unwelcoming environment?

    Some would-be visitors have cited an unwelcoming political climate as part of a concern about visiting the US – including angry rhetoric about foreigners, migrants and the LGBTQ+ community. The Tourism Economics report also cited “polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric” as a factor in travel cancellations.

    There are other factors that may influence travellers from, for instance, western Europe, which represented 37% of overseas travel to the US last year. These include US tariffs pushing prices up at home and the US administration’s perceived alignment with Russia in the war in Ukraine.

    Canadian trips to the US are going down.

    Research by YouGov in March found that western European attitudes towards the US have become more negative since Trump’s reelection last November. More than half of people in Britain (53%), Germany (56%), Sweden (63%) and Denmark (74%) now have an unfavourable opinion of the US. In five of the seven countries polled, figures for US favourability are at the lowest since polling began in November 2016.

    Border issues

    Some high-profile cases at the US border could also be putting off tourists. In March, a British woman was handcuffed and detained for more than ten days by US Customs Enforcement after a visa problem. In the same month, a Canadian tourist was detained after attempting to renew her visa at the US-Mexico border. During the 12-day detention, she was held in crowded jail cells and even put in chains.

    Mexico is the US’s second largest inbound travel market. Tourism Economics suggests that issues around new border enforcement rules will raise concerns with potential Mexican tourists. During Trump’s first term in office, Mexican visits to the US fell by 3%. In February this year, air travel from Mexico had already fallen 6% when compared to 2024.

    Many countries including Canada have been updating their travel advice for the US. For instance, on March 15 the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its advice for the US, warning visitors that “you may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules”. The previous version of advice, from February, had no mention of arrest or detention. Germany has made similar updates to its travel advisory, after several Germans were recently detained for weeks by US border officials.

    Multiple European countries, including France, Germany, Denmark and Norway have also issued specific travel warnings to transgender and non-binary citizens, as US authorities demand tourists declare their biological sex at birth on visa applications. This comes as the US has stopped issuing of passports with a X marker – commonly used by those identifying as non-binary – for its own citizens.

    Alternative destinations

    As thousands of travellers cancel their trips to the US, other destinations are seeing a spike in interest. Hotels in Bermuda have reported a surge in enquiries as Canadians relocate business and leisure trips away from the US, with some predicting a 20% increase in revenue from Canadian visits.

    Europe too has reported increased bookings from Canada, with rental properties experiencing a 32% jump in summer reservations when compared to last year, according to some reports.

    There are already growing concerns that visa and entry restrictions will disrupt fans and athletes from enjoying 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup, held on sites in the US, Canada and Mexico. Visitors from some countries, such as Brazil, Turkey and Colombia, could wait up to 700 days to obtain visas. The International Olympic Committee has also raised concerns over the 2028 Olympics Games in Los Angeles, although US officials have insisted that “America will be open”.

    With mounting visa delays, stricter border enforcement and growing concerns over human rights and anti-minority rhetoric, the United States risks losing its appeal as a top holiday destination. The long-term impact on its tourism industry may prove difficult to reverse.

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

    – ref. Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – here’s how this could affect its economy – https://theconversation.com/tourists-are-cancelling-trips-to-the-us-heres-how-this-could-affect-its-economy-252858

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –