NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Federal investment supports rural transit on Galiano Island with electric minibuses

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Galiano Island, British Columbia, July 14, 2025 — Residents on Galiano Island will benefit from new transit services following an investment of $429,453 from the federal government.

    With the purchase of two electric minibuses, this funding will create the first-ever transit system for the Island. This project is supporting the community’s goals to provide transportation options for all Islanders, especially youth, seniors, and those with disabilities, to access local services safely and independently.

    This project will help residents conduct their day-to-day activities, such as going to work, school, appointments, or visiting friends and family. 

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: School lunches, the French way: It’s not just about nutrition, but togetherness and ‘bon appetit’

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Rachel Engler-Stringer, Professor, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan

    This spring, as part of a sabbatical project, I had the privilege of visiting school food programs and meeting with school food researchers in six cities in France, England and Scotland.

    I got to eat school lunches, visit central kitchens in two cities where meals are prepared for thousands of children, visit school kitchens and discuss school food with the countries’ leading experts.

    This visit intersects with my research with colleagues on promising food programs across Canada. This research offers insights for consideration as regions navigate the federal government’s first National School Food Program and National School Food Policy.

    Government announcements about the program and policy were followed by negotiations with the provinces and territories, all of which have since signed agreements for a portion of the funding.

    In most parts of Canada, officials are just beginning to plan for new approaches to school food (with a few exceptions especially in Atlantic Canada where school food programs have been transforming much more quickly).

    Based on my research about international food programs, here are four key things Canadians should pay attention to:

    1) In Canada we need to shift from thinking of school lunches as a safety net for kids living in poverty to thinking about them as benefiting the health and well-being of children and their families. In France, this shift in thinking is particularly clear.

    School lunches in France are about teaching children about food and culture and all kids are encouraged to eat together with an adult facilitator who teaches them about the components of the meal and creates a family-meal context at each table. By contrast, if you ask many parents in Canada what school meals are for, they will tell you they are for kids living in poverty to make sure they have food to eat at school.

    If Canada wants a national school food program that achieves the benefits of the best programs in the world in the areas of education, well-being and on the economy, we need to think of school meals as supporting young people to be the best students they can be.

    2) One important benefit of school food programs globally is to encourage picky eaters to try new foods due to the social pressure of all kids eating the same foods together. In three cities in France I visited, and one in England, school lunches look like home-cooked meals. One main dish with meat is served (and in England, a vegetarian alternative), and kids can choose if and how much of the side vegetables and fruit to take.

    In Canada, following a similar practice — one main and a vegetarian alternative when meat is served — might work well. But it’s also important that in developing a menu, the cultural diversity of Canadian school communities is reflected in the food on offer.

    In the other two locations in England and Scotland, kids choose from multiple main dishes — something that adds cost to the program and does less to encourage kids to try new foods, given one choice is always something basic like a cheese sandwich.

    Kids need to have some autonomy when it comes to eating, but school food programs should not be facilitating eating the same food every day. Nor should school food programs aspire to a model where broad choice is afforded from a large menu.

    3) With care, planning and sufficient resources, centralized kitchens can prepare thousands of servings of a main dish daily. The French central kitchens I visited prepare 6,000 to 10,000 servings a day of high-quality food following strict food safety protocols.

    I ate two simple yet delicious meals cooked in municipally owned central kitchens. In the three cities in France where I visited, they used central kitchens where main dishes were prepared and chilled to be delivered for heating at the school level. Central kitchens also delivered the salads and sides (like chopped veggies, bread, cheese and fruit) and dressings.

    In the small school kitchens, the salads were dressed, and the cheese and fruit were cut for service.

    The central kitchens were also used in at least one city to prepare food for daycares and for seniors who were home-bound — something to consider for Canadian cities.

    Centralizing kitchens can reduce costs and provide a way for high-quality food to be produced from basic ingredients without commercial kitchens in every school capable of preparing meals for hundreds of children at a time.

    4) When designed with requirements for purchasing foods from local farmers and other Canadian producers, school food programs can benefit the agricultural sector and multiply their benefits to communities beyond direct school food jobs. In France, for example, there are specific percentages to be purchased from local and sustainable sources. Percentage requirements for local and sustainable purchasing should be enacted now in Canada as its program establishes itself, perhaps beginning with 20 per cent and growing over time.

    I have many more reflections from my visits, both positive and negative, but the four I have discussed are important for Canada to learn from as it begins to design the National School Food Program to meet the needs of diverse communities from coast to coast to coast.

    Rachel Engler-Stringer receives funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and received a University of Saskatchewan International Travel Award for program visits. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for Healthy School Food.

    – ref. School lunches, the French way: It’s not just about nutrition, but togetherness and ‘bon appetit’ – https://theconversation.com/school-lunches-the-french-way-its-not-just-about-nutrition-but-togetherness-and-bon-appetit-259832

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: School lunches, the French way: It’s not just about nutrition, but togetherness and ‘bon appetit’

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Rachel Engler-Stringer, Professor, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan

    This spring, as part of a sabbatical project, I had the privilege of visiting school food programs and meeting with school food researchers in six cities in France, England and Scotland.

    I got to eat school lunches, visit central kitchens in two cities where meals are prepared for thousands of children, visit school kitchens and discuss school food with the countries’ leading experts.

    This visit intersects with my research with colleagues on promising food programs across Canada. This research offers insights for consideration as regions navigate the federal government’s first National School Food Program and National School Food Policy.

    Government announcements about the program and policy were followed by negotiations with the provinces and territories, all of which have since signed agreements for a portion of the funding.

    In most parts of Canada, officials are just beginning to plan for new approaches to school food (with a few exceptions especially in Atlantic Canada where school food programs have been transforming much more quickly).

    Based on my research about international food programs, here are four key things Canadians should pay attention to:

    1) In Canada we need to shift from thinking of school lunches as a safety net for kids living in poverty to thinking about them as benefiting the health and well-being of children and their families. In France, this shift in thinking is particularly clear.

    School lunches in France are about teaching children about food and culture and all kids are encouraged to eat together with an adult facilitator who teaches them about the components of the meal and creates a family-meal context at each table. By contrast, if you ask many parents in Canada what school meals are for, they will tell you they are for kids living in poverty to make sure they have food to eat at school.

    If Canada wants a national school food program that achieves the benefits of the best programs in the world in the areas of education, well-being and on the economy, we need to think of school meals as supporting young people to be the best students they can be.

    2) One important benefit of school food programs globally is to encourage picky eaters to try new foods due to the social pressure of all kids eating the same foods together. In three cities in France I visited, and one in England, school lunches look like home-cooked meals. One main dish with meat is served (and in England, a vegetarian alternative), and kids can choose if and how much of the side vegetables and fruit to take.

    In Canada, following a similar practice — one main and a vegetarian alternative when meat is served — might work well. But it’s also important that in developing a menu, the cultural diversity of Canadian school communities is reflected in the food on offer.

    In the other two locations in England and Scotland, kids choose from multiple main dishes — something that adds cost to the program and does less to encourage kids to try new foods, given one choice is always something basic like a cheese sandwich.

    Kids need to have some autonomy when it comes to eating, but school food programs should not be facilitating eating the same food every day. Nor should school food programs aspire to a model where broad choice is afforded from a large menu.

    3) With care, planning and sufficient resources, centralized kitchens can prepare thousands of servings of a main dish daily. The French central kitchens I visited prepare 6,000 to 10,000 servings a day of high-quality food following strict food safety protocols.

    I ate two simple yet delicious meals cooked in municipally owned central kitchens. In the three cities in France where I visited, they used central kitchens where main dishes were prepared and chilled to be delivered for heating at the school level. Central kitchens also delivered the salads and sides (like chopped veggies, bread, cheese and fruit) and dressings.

    In the small school kitchens, the salads were dressed, and the cheese and fruit were cut for service.

    The central kitchens were also used in at least one city to prepare food for daycares and for seniors who were home-bound — something to consider for Canadian cities.

    Centralizing kitchens can reduce costs and provide a way for high-quality food to be produced from basic ingredients without commercial kitchens in every school capable of preparing meals for hundreds of children at a time.

    4) When designed with requirements for purchasing foods from local farmers and other Canadian producers, school food programs can benefit the agricultural sector and multiply their benefits to communities beyond direct school food jobs. In France, for example, there are specific percentages to be purchased from local and sustainable sources. Percentage requirements for local and sustainable purchasing should be enacted now in Canada as its program establishes itself, perhaps beginning with 20 per cent and growing over time.

    I have many more reflections from my visits, both positive and negative, but the four I have discussed are important for Canada to learn from as it begins to design the National School Food Program to meet the needs of diverse communities from coast to coast to coast.

    Rachel Engler-Stringer receives funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and received a University of Saskatchewan International Travel Award for program visits. She sits on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for Healthy School Food.

    – ref. School lunches, the French way: It’s not just about nutrition, but togetherness and ‘bon appetit’ – https://theconversation.com/school-lunches-the-french-way-its-not-just-about-nutrition-but-togetherness-and-bon-appetit-259832

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Risch Celebrates Historic Tax Cuts for Working Idahoans, Victories in Reconciliation Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch

    BOISE, Idaho – In an interview with Idaho Falls’ NewsTalk Radio, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) celebrated Republicans’ historic tax cuts for working families and key achievements of the budget reconciliation package. 

    Click here to listen to Senator Risch’s interview on NewsTalk Radio.

    Excerpts from Senator Risch’s Interview: 

    “If [the One, Big, Beautiful Bill] had not been passed, it would have resulted in the largest tax increase in history for American taxpayers.

    “The 2017 tax cuts that we put in place in [President Trump’s first term] were set to expire…Had that happened at the end of the year, there would have been a huge tax increase. Instead, we preserved those tax cuts and, in addition to that, [the bill] has the largest tax cuts for working Idahoans in history. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime pay, and a number of other things that are very helpful for working Idahoans. 

    “Secondly, it secures the southern border and provides the money that’s needed for immigration enforcement, which is, of course, what [President Trump] ran on and what the American people wanted and what we’re in the process of doing.

    “It cuts $1.6 trillion in federal spending. We needed to do that. Before COVID, [the federal government was] spending $4 trillion a year. We’re now spending $7 trillion a year. We’re running up a debt of a trillion dollars every 150 days. This has to change, and this bill does that.

    “It ends the Green New Deal, also known as the Green New Scam. It does not sell off public lands, and it preserves Medicare with common-sense reforms.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Op-Ed: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs
    by Attorney General Raúl Labrador
    This spring, an Idaho teacher displayed a sign in her classroom that read, “Everyone Is Welcome Here.” On its face, the message appears neutral — simple, positive words that seem apolitical. But the design reveals its true purpose: colorful letters above imagery designed to signal adherence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The rainbow colors and progressive symbols accompanying these messages make their political purpose unmistakable. 
    These classroom displays reflect a broader ecosystem of political resistance groups launched in protest of the political rise of President Donald Trump. The “All Are Welcome Here” movement, founded in November 2016 by progressive activists in Minnesota, explicitly states its mission as supporting “a just, inclusive and equitable environment” while donating thousands of dollars to progressive causes, including the ACLU.  
    The organization openly declares: “To show our support for our transgender family, friends, and neighbors, we’re also donating 5% of our online sales will be to Transforming Families of Minnesota” — an organization dedicated to advancing transgender ideology among children and families. 
    Related movements like “Everyone is Welcome” similarly incorporate symbols from the “Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag” and promote LGBTQ+ ideology through educational messaging. A simple visit to any of these organizations’ websites reveals their unmistakably political nature — complete with progressive activism, social justice messaging and ideological programming that extends far beyond genuine hospitality. When teachers display signs bearing the same name as these political organizations, what are parents supposed to think? 

    The situation in Idaho is not unique. What Trump’s administration recognized as dangerous enough to ban from federal agencies and K-12 schools through executive order has been quietly spreading through classrooms nationwide.  
    Across America, educators have transformed learning spaces into venues for DEI messaging disguised as inclusion. Idaho responded with legislation prohibiting political displays in public school classrooms — a law that passed overwhelmingly. The fundamental question is: Do parents or schools control children’s moral education? Idaho chose parents. 
    At its core, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion judge individuals by group identity rather than merit, divide people into oppressor and victim categories based on immutable characteristics, and prioritize equal outcomes over equal opportunity. For years, activists have systematically embedded this political messaging throughout school systems under the banner of “inclusion” and “equity.”  
    These seemingly neutral terms mask a comprehensive worldview that undermines parental authority over children’s moral development. As Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis accurately observed, “DEI stands for … Division, Exclusion and Indoctrination, and that has no part in our public institutions.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Op-Ed: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs
    by Attorney General Raúl Labrador
    This spring, an Idaho teacher displayed a sign in her classroom that read, “Everyone Is Welcome Here.” On its face, the message appears neutral — simple, positive words that seem apolitical. But the design reveals its true purpose: colorful letters above imagery designed to signal adherence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The rainbow colors and progressive symbols accompanying these messages make their political purpose unmistakable. 
    These classroom displays reflect a broader ecosystem of political resistance groups launched in protest of the political rise of President Donald Trump. The “All Are Welcome Here” movement, founded in November 2016 by progressive activists in Minnesota, explicitly states its mission as supporting “a just, inclusive and equitable environment” while donating thousands of dollars to progressive causes, including the ACLU.  
    The organization openly declares: “To show our support for our transgender family, friends, and neighbors, we’re also donating 5% of our online sales will be to Transforming Families of Minnesota” — an organization dedicated to advancing transgender ideology among children and families. 
    Related movements like “Everyone is Welcome” similarly incorporate symbols from the “Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag” and promote LGBTQ+ ideology through educational messaging. A simple visit to any of these organizations’ websites reveals their unmistakably political nature — complete with progressive activism, social justice messaging and ideological programming that extends far beyond genuine hospitality. When teachers display signs bearing the same name as these political organizations, what are parents supposed to think? 

    The situation in Idaho is not unique. What Trump’s administration recognized as dangerous enough to ban from federal agencies and K-12 schools through executive order has been quietly spreading through classrooms nationwide.  
    Across America, educators have transformed learning spaces into venues for DEI messaging disguised as inclusion. Idaho responded with legislation prohibiting political displays in public school classrooms — a law that passed overwhelmingly. The fundamental question is: Do parents or schools control children’s moral education? Idaho chose parents. 
    At its core, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion judge individuals by group identity rather than merit, divide people into oppressor and victim categories based on immutable characteristics, and prioritize equal outcomes over equal opportunity. For years, activists have systematically embedded this political messaging throughout school systems under the banner of “inclusion” and “equity.”  
    These seemingly neutral terms mask a comprehensive worldview that undermines parental authority over children’s moral development. As Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis accurately observed, “DEI stands for … Division, Exclusion and Indoctrination, and that has no part in our public institutions.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Op-Ed: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs
    by Attorney General Raúl Labrador
    This spring, an Idaho teacher displayed a sign in her classroom that read, “Everyone Is Welcome Here.” On its face, the message appears neutral — simple, positive words that seem apolitical. But the design reveals its true purpose: colorful letters above imagery designed to signal adherence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The rainbow colors and progressive symbols accompanying these messages make their political purpose unmistakable. 
    These classroom displays reflect a broader ecosystem of political resistance groups launched in protest of the political rise of President Donald Trump. The “All Are Welcome Here” movement, founded in November 2016 by progressive activists in Minnesota, explicitly states its mission as supporting “a just, inclusive and equitable environment” while donating thousands of dollars to progressive causes, including the ACLU.  
    The organization openly declares: “To show our support for our transgender family, friends, and neighbors, we’re also donating 5% of our online sales will be to Transforming Families of Minnesota” — an organization dedicated to advancing transgender ideology among children and families. 
    Related movements like “Everyone is Welcome” similarly incorporate symbols from the “Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag” and promote LGBTQ+ ideology through educational messaging. A simple visit to any of these organizations’ websites reveals their unmistakably political nature — complete with progressive activism, social justice messaging and ideological programming that extends far beyond genuine hospitality. When teachers display signs bearing the same name as these political organizations, what are parents supposed to think? 

    The situation in Idaho is not unique. What Trump’s administration recognized as dangerous enough to ban from federal agencies and K-12 schools through executive order has been quietly spreading through classrooms nationwide.  
    Across America, educators have transformed learning spaces into venues for DEI messaging disguised as inclusion. Idaho responded with legislation prohibiting political displays in public school classrooms — a law that passed overwhelmingly. The fundamental question is: Do parents or schools control children’s moral education? Idaho chose parents. 
    At its core, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion judge individuals by group identity rather than merit, divide people into oppressor and victim categories based on immutable characteristics, and prioritize equal outcomes over equal opportunity. For years, activists have systematically embedded this political messaging throughout school systems under the banner of “inclusion” and “equity.”  
    These seemingly neutral terms mask a comprehensive worldview that undermines parental authority over children’s moral development. As Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis accurately observed, “DEI stands for … Division, Exclusion and Indoctrination, and that has no part in our public institutions.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Op-Ed: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs
    by Attorney General Raúl Labrador
    This spring, an Idaho teacher displayed a sign in her classroom that read, “Everyone Is Welcome Here.” On its face, the message appears neutral — simple, positive words that seem apolitical. But the design reveals its true purpose: colorful letters above imagery designed to signal adherence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The rainbow colors and progressive symbols accompanying these messages make their political purpose unmistakable. 
    These classroom displays reflect a broader ecosystem of political resistance groups launched in protest of the political rise of President Donald Trump. The “All Are Welcome Here” movement, founded in November 2016 by progressive activists in Minnesota, explicitly states its mission as supporting “a just, inclusive and equitable environment” while donating thousands of dollars to progressive causes, including the ACLU.  
    The organization openly declares: “To show our support for our transgender family, friends, and neighbors, we’re also donating 5% of our online sales will be to Transforming Families of Minnesota” — an organization dedicated to advancing transgender ideology among children and families. 
    Related movements like “Everyone is Welcome” similarly incorporate symbols from the “Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag” and promote LGBTQ+ ideology through educational messaging. A simple visit to any of these organizations’ websites reveals their unmistakably political nature — complete with progressive activism, social justice messaging and ideological programming that extends far beyond genuine hospitality. When teachers display signs bearing the same name as these political organizations, what are parents supposed to think? 

    The situation in Idaho is not unique. What Trump’s administration recognized as dangerous enough to ban from federal agencies and K-12 schools through executive order has been quietly spreading through classrooms nationwide.  
    Across America, educators have transformed learning spaces into venues for DEI messaging disguised as inclusion. Idaho responded with legislation prohibiting political displays in public school classrooms — a law that passed overwhelmingly. The fundamental question is: Do parents or schools control children’s moral education? Idaho chose parents. 
    At its core, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion judge individuals by group identity rather than merit, divide people into oppressor and victim categories based on immutable characteristics, and prioritize equal outcomes over equal opportunity. For years, activists have systematically embedded this political messaging throughout school systems under the banner of “inclusion” and “equity.”  
    These seemingly neutral terms mask a comprehensive worldview that undermines parental authority over children’s moral development. As Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis accurately observed, “DEI stands for … Division, Exclusion and Indoctrination, and that has no part in our public institutions.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs — Fox News Op-Ed

    Op-Ed: One state’s bold fight against classroom indoctrination targets woke ‘welcome’ signs
    by Attorney General Raúl Labrador
    This spring, an Idaho teacher displayed a sign in her classroom that read, “Everyone Is Welcome Here.” On its face, the message appears neutral — simple, positive words that seem apolitical. But the design reveals its true purpose: colorful letters above imagery designed to signal adherence to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The rainbow colors and progressive symbols accompanying these messages make their political purpose unmistakable. 
    These classroom displays reflect a broader ecosystem of political resistance groups launched in protest of the political rise of President Donald Trump. The “All Are Welcome Here” movement, founded in November 2016 by progressive activists in Minnesota, explicitly states its mission as supporting “a just, inclusive and equitable environment” while donating thousands of dollars to progressive causes, including the ACLU.  
    The organization openly declares: “To show our support for our transgender family, friends, and neighbors, we’re also donating 5% of our online sales will be to Transforming Families of Minnesota” — an organization dedicated to advancing transgender ideology among children and families. 
    Related movements like “Everyone is Welcome” similarly incorporate symbols from the “Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag” and promote LGBTQ+ ideology through educational messaging. A simple visit to any of these organizations’ websites reveals their unmistakably political nature — complete with progressive activism, social justice messaging and ideological programming that extends far beyond genuine hospitality. When teachers display signs bearing the same name as these political organizations, what are parents supposed to think? 

    The situation in Idaho is not unique. What Trump’s administration recognized as dangerous enough to ban from federal agencies and K-12 schools through executive order has been quietly spreading through classrooms nationwide.  
    Across America, educators have transformed learning spaces into venues for DEI messaging disguised as inclusion. Idaho responded with legislation prohibiting political displays in public school classrooms — a law that passed overwhelmingly. The fundamental question is: Do parents or schools control children’s moral education? Idaho chose parents. 
    At its core, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion judge individuals by group identity rather than merit, divide people into oppressor and victim categories based on immutable characteristics, and prioritize equal outcomes over equal opportunity. For years, activists have systematically embedded this political messaging throughout school systems under the banner of “inclusion” and “equity.”  
    These seemingly neutral terms mask a comprehensive worldview that undermines parental authority over children’s moral development. As Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis accurately observed, “DEI stands for … Division, Exclusion and Indoctrination, and that has no part in our public institutions.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Maryland IT Company Agrees to Pay $14.75M to Resolve Alleged False Claims

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Hill ASC Inc., doing business as Hill Associates, of Rockville, Maryland, agreed to pay at least $14.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act in connection with a General Services Administration (GSA) contract for information technology services.

    This settlement relates to a contract under which Hill provided information technology services to federal agencies from 2018 to 2023 through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. The MAS program provides the government with a streamlined process to buy commonly used commercial goods and services.  GSA negotiates contract terms and other agencies can then buy goods and services from the contractor under that GSA MAS contract. The settlement resolves allegations that Hill billed federal agencies for labor of information technology personnel who did not have the experience or education required under the contract. In addition, it resolves allegations that, although GSA required technical evaluations for contractors who sought to offer highly adaptive cybersecurity services to government customers, and Hill had not passed such an evaluation, Hill submitted claims for such cybersecurity services and other services that were not within the scope of the MAS contract. Finally, it resolves allegations that Hill charged the government for unapproved fees, failed to provide government customers with required information about discounts for prompt payment, and included unallowable incentive compensation in a cost submission in connection with a new contract proposal.

    Under the settlement with the United States, Hill has agreed to pay $14.75 million, plus additional amounts if certain financial contingencies occur. The settlement amount was based on the company’s ability to pay.

    “Information technology contractors are expected to charge the government appropriately for their services,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue cyber fraud and hold accountable those companies that knowingly fail to meet contractual obligations to the American taxpayers.”

    “Federal agencies should get what they have paid for from GSA contractors, nothing less,” said GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson. “I appreciate the hard work of all the attorneys, auditors, and special agents involved in this investigation.”

    “False claims and similar unfair advantage by contractors undermine the integrity of the contracting process and can result in significant adverse effects to vital security concerns,” said Treasury Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba. “Treasury OIG is committed to conducting and assisting other agencies to the utmost in investigations, audits, and other work to detect and prevent these violations of the public trust.”

    “As the nation’s tax watchdog, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s contracting and procurement processes,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jessica Cipolla of TIGTA’s Gulf States Field Division. “We remain steadfast in our mission to expose and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud the IRS. Anyone doing business with the IRS or the Department of the Treasury is expected to operate with the highest levels of honesty and integrity. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration and critical support in this investigation.”

    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, the GSA’s Office of the Inspector General, the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, and TIGTA. The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova of the Fraud Section.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Maryland IT Company Agrees to Pay $14.75M to Resolve Alleged False Claims

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Hill ASC Inc., doing business as Hill Associates, of Rockville, Maryland, agreed to pay at least $14.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act in connection with a General Services Administration (GSA) contract for information technology services.

    This settlement relates to a contract under which Hill provided information technology services to federal agencies from 2018 to 2023 through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. The MAS program provides the government with a streamlined process to buy commonly used commercial goods and services.  GSA negotiates contract terms and other agencies can then buy goods and services from the contractor under that GSA MAS contract. The settlement resolves allegations that Hill billed federal agencies for labor of information technology personnel who did not have the experience or education required under the contract. In addition, it resolves allegations that, although GSA required technical evaluations for contractors who sought to offer highly adaptive cybersecurity services to government customers, and Hill had not passed such an evaluation, Hill submitted claims for such cybersecurity services and other services that were not within the scope of the MAS contract. Finally, it resolves allegations that Hill charged the government for unapproved fees, failed to provide government customers with required information about discounts for prompt payment, and included unallowable incentive compensation in a cost submission in connection with a new contract proposal.

    Under the settlement with the United States, Hill has agreed to pay $14.75 million, plus additional amounts if certain financial contingencies occur. The settlement amount was based on the company’s ability to pay.

    “Information technology contractors are expected to charge the government appropriately for their services,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue cyber fraud and hold accountable those companies that knowingly fail to meet contractual obligations to the American taxpayers.”

    “Federal agencies should get what they have paid for from GSA contractors, nothing less,” said GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson. “I appreciate the hard work of all the attorneys, auditors, and special agents involved in this investigation.”

    “False claims and similar unfair advantage by contractors undermine the integrity of the contracting process and can result in significant adverse effects to vital security concerns,” said Treasury Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba. “Treasury OIG is committed to conducting and assisting other agencies to the utmost in investigations, audits, and other work to detect and prevent these violations of the public trust.”

    “As the nation’s tax watchdog, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s contracting and procurement processes,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jessica Cipolla of TIGTA’s Gulf States Field Division. “We remain steadfast in our mission to expose and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud the IRS. Anyone doing business with the IRS or the Department of the Treasury is expected to operate with the highest levels of honesty and integrity. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration and critical support in this investigation.”

    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, the GSA’s Office of the Inspector General, the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, and TIGTA. The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova of the Fraud Section.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration for Illegally Freezing Billions in Education Funds

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and 22 other attorneys general, as well as the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, today sued the Trump administration for illegally freezing nearly $7 billion dollars in critical education funding. On June 30, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) abruptly halted funds appropriated by Congress for six longstanding education programs, jeopardizing programs that provide after-school care for children of working parents, teach English to children who are non-native speakers, recruit and train teachers, expand STEM and arts curricula, and provide bullying and suicide prevention services in schools. The attorneys general are asking the court to stop the unconstitutional freeze, which has thrown schools nationwide into chaos, and compel the administration to release the billions of dollars in frozen funds that support some of the country’s most vulnerable children and their families.

    “The federal government cannot use our children’s classrooms to advance its assault on immigrant and working families,” said Attorney General James. “This illegal and unjustified funding freeze will be devastating for students and families nationwide, especially for those who rely on these programs for childcare or to learn English. Congress allocated these funds, and the law requires that they be delivered. We will not allow this administration to rewrite the rules to punish the communities it doesn’t like.”

    For decades, Congress has required the federal government to release this education funding to states by July 1 to ensure schools receive resources ahead of the new academic year. These funds are distributed through formula grants, meaning ED has a legal obligation to allocate them according to a set formula established by Congress. This year, however, just hours before the statutory deadline, the administration abruptly informed states that the funds would not be coming. ED announced a blanket freeze on six programs, including:

    • The Migrant Education Program, which was created by Congress in response to the 1960 documentary Harvest of Shame to support the education of migrant farm workers and their children.
       
    • Title II-A, which supports recruitment, training, and retention of effective teachers and school leaders, particularly in low-income and underserved communities.
       
    • Title III-A, which provides English learners and immigrant students with the tools they need to attain English proficiency and meet state academic standards.
       
    • Title IV-A, which supports student well-being and academic enrichment through services like school-based mental health care, violence, bullying, and suicide prevention, arts and STEM education, and college and career guidance.
       
    • Title IV-B, known as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, which funds after-school and summer programs, tutoring, mentoring, and expanded literacy services.
       
    • Adult Education Grants, which help adults build literacy and job-readiness skills, including civics education for English learners.

    Together, these programs have provided vital educational support to millions of students and families nationwide for decades. Despite this history, the administration provided no legal justification for the freeze. On June 30, just hours before the funds were set to be distributed, ED sent states a vague, three-sentence email claiming that a “review” was underway to align funding with “the president’s priorities.” No details were provided on the duration or scope of the review. In the following days, OMB attempted to justify the freeze by claiming the funding had been used to “subsidize a radical leftwing agenda,” specifically accusing New York of using federal education funds to “promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations,” which is patently false. OMB also raised objections to the use of funds for scholarships for immigrant students and lessons on LGBTQ+ topics.

    This sweeping funding freeze has already caused chaos for school systems. Essential summer school and after-school programs, which provide childcare for working families, have been canceled or are at risk. Professional development for teachers and support for English learners are being halted or scaled back. With the school year weeks away, districts have been left scrambling. Most critically, states have had no time to fill the massive fiscal hole left by the sudden cutoff. Budgets have been finalized, staff hired, and contracts signed based on a decades-long expectation that this funding would arrive on July 1. Now, many states and school districts face the prospect of breaking contracts and slashing programming they can no longer afford.

    In New York, more than $463 million in funding for the 2025-2026 school year has been frozen, 13 percent of the state’s total K-12 education funding. This includes more than $125 million for teacher training and development, $107 million to create safe and effective learning environments for New York students, $102 million for after-school and summer programs, $65 million to fund English learning and literacy initiatives, $10 million to support migrant students, and $52 million in adult literacy funding. The majority of this funding goes to 730 school districts across New York, which are now scrambling to address the budget shortfall.  

    Already, some summer programs have been shuttered, meaning thousands of children are missing out on academic and enrichment programming, as well as midday meals. With these programs closed, many New York families have abruptly lost their childcare for the summer, and if the funding is not released by September, the number of families suddenly left without childcare will grow exponentially. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) estimates at least 65,000 low-income New York students could lose access to afterschool or summer enrichment programs and 80,000 New Yorkers could be cut off from adult education and literacy services.

    In New York City, where 44 percent of public school students speak a language other than English at home, this freeze threatens essential English language instruction and literacy services. At the state level, the frozen funds cover the salaries and benefits of 67 full time employees. If the funding freeze continues, NYSED would be forced to conduct “large scale and unplanned layoffs,” which would have damaging reverberations across the state workforce, as well as disastrous impacts for local school districts.

    Attorney General James and the coalition argue that this funding freeze violates the Constitution and federal law. The administration offered no reasoned explanation for a drastic policy reversal and failed to consider the states’ reliance on long-established funding processes, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. The freeze also violates the Constitution’s spending clause and separation of powers principle, because the administration has disregarded Congress’ sole power of the purse and exceeded its authority by attempting to conduct a discretionary “review” of programs established, funded, and regulated by Congress. In addition, the Impoundment Control Act prohibits the executive branch from unilaterally refusing to spend appropriated funds unless specific procedures are followed. Those procedures were not followed here.

    The attorneys general highlight that this is not the first time the Trump administration has unlawfully attempted to block funds allocated by Congress. Federal courts across the country have repeatedly struck down similar overreaches targeting various educational and health initiatives. As those courts have affirmed, the president cannot defy the will of Congress.

    Attorney General James and the coalition are asking the court to declare the funding freeze illegal and permanently block the action. They will be seeking a preliminary injunction covering all plaintiff states and are asking for a writ of mandamus to compel the administration to distribute the funds that Congress appropriated for school systems.

    Joining Attorney General James in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration for Freezing Billions in Education Grants Just Weeks Before School Year Start

    Source: US State of California

    In California, over $900 million in federal education funding is frozen, jeopardizing key programs for after school and summer learning, teacher preparation, and to support students learning English

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today sued the Trump Administration over its unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary decision to freeze funding for six longstanding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education just weeks before the school year in many parts of California is set to start. In California, an estimated $939 million in federal education funding is frozen. Without this funding, many educational programs will shutter – already, ongoing summer learning programs have been left unfunded. In filing today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta co-leads a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states together with the attorneys general of Colorado, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The attorneys general argue that the funding freeze violates federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them, violates federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process, including the Antideficiency Act and Impoundment Control Act, and violates the constitutional separation of powers doctrine and the Presentment Clause. They ask the court for declaratory and injunctive relief.

    “With no rhyme or reason, the Trump Administration abruptly froze billions of dollars in education funding just weeks before the start of the school year,” said Attorney General Bonta. “In doing so, it has threatened the existence of programs that provide critical after school and summer learning opportunities, that teach English to students, and that provide educational technology to our classrooms. Taken together with his other attacks on education, President Trump seems comfortable risking the academic success of a generation to further his own misguided political agenda. But as with so many of his other actions, this funding freeze is blatantly illegal, and we’re confident the court will agree.”

    For decades, California and other states have used funding under these programs to carry out a broad range of programs and services, including educational programs for migrant children and English learners; programs that promote effective classroom instruction, improve school conditions and the use of technology in the classroom; community learning centers that offer students a broad range of opportunities for academic and extracurricular enrichment; and adult education and workforce development efforts.

    Pursuant to federal statutory and regulatory requirements, each year the Department of Education makes around 25% of the funds for these programs available to states on or about July 1 in order to permit state and local educational agencies to plan their budgets for the academic year ahead. The plaintiff states have complied with the funding conditions set forth under the law and have state plans that the Department of Education has already approved. And the plaintiff states have received these funds, without incident, for decades, including as recently as last year. However, this year, on June 30, state agencies across the country received a notification announcing that the Department of Education would not be “obligating funds for” six formula funding programs on July 1.

    This funding freeze has immediately thrown into chaos plans for the upcoming academic year. Local education agencies have approved budgets, developed staffing plans, and signed contracts to provide vital educational services under these grants. Now, as a result of the Trump Administration’s actions, states find themselves without sufficient funding for these commitments, just weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Essential summer school and afterschool programs, which provide childcare to working parents of school age children, are already being impacted. The abrupt freeze is also wreaking havoc on key teacher training programs as well as programs that make school more accessible to children with special learning needs, such as English learners.

    But it is Congress, not the Executive Branch, that possesses the power of the purse. The Constitution does not afford the Executive Branch power to unilaterally refuse to spend appropriations that were passed by both houses of Congress and were signed into law. Yet that is exactly what the Trump Administration is attempting to do here. In today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition argue that the Trump Administration’s actions violate federal funding statutes and Appropriations Act, Apportionment, the Administrative Procedures Act and U.S. Constitution, including the separation of powers doctrine, equitable ultra vires, and the Presentment Clause. They asked the Court to declare the funding freeze unlawful – as courts have repeatedly done in other multistate cases – and block any attempts to withhold or delay this funding.

    Attorney General Bonta co-leads the coalition together with the attorneys general of Colorado, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. He is also joined in filing the lawsuit by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washinton, and Wisconsin, as well as the states of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

    A copy of the lawsuit is available here. A copy of the motion for a preliminary injunction is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Releases Guidance on Implementing President Trump’s Executive Order Designating English as the Official Language of the United States

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Justice released Guidance to ensure compliance with President Trump’s Executive Order No. 14224, which establishes English as the official language of the United States of America. Consistent with the Executive Order, the Department of Justice will lead a coordinated effort across federal agencies to minimize non-essential multilingual services, redirect resources toward English-language education and assimilation, and ensure legal compliance with the Executive Order through targeted measures where necessary.

    “As President Trump has made clear, English is the official language of the United States,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will lead the effort to codify the President’s Executive Order and eliminate wasteful virtue-signaling policies across government agencies to promote assimilation over division.”

    “President Trump’s Executive Order marks a pivotal step toward unifying our nation through a common language and enhancing efficiency in federal operations,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “The Department of Justice ensures that while we respect linguistic diversity, our federal resources will prioritize English proficiency to empower new Americans and strengthen civic unity.”

    While leaving room for linguistic diversity that exists in private and community spheres, this Guidance will help streamline federal processes, reduce administrative burdens, and increase operational efficiency across agencies by removing extensive translation services and de-prioritizing multilingualism over English proficiency. Implementing the Executive Order will enhance social and economic integration, offer new Americans a vital pathway for civic engagement, and further bind Americans together with a shared language.

    President Trump’s Executive Order rescinds Executive Order No. 13,166, signed by President Clinton on August 16, 2000. Executive Order No. 13,166 directed agencies to enhance access to federal programs for persons with limited English proficiency and required tailored guidance for recipients of federal funding—straining federal resources and impeding the assimilation of new Americans.

    This is the latest Guidance issued by the Department of Justice to implement and administer President Trump’s agenda.

    Read the Guidance HERE.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Forty-five affordable homes protected in Richmond

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    More Richmond residents can keep their affordable homes with support from the Province and the B.C. Rental Protection Fund.

    “We’re working on every front to address the housing crisis and rising costs, so people have an affordable home in the community they love,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. “When a building changes hands, residents worry whether they will be forced to move or pay much higher rent. By helping non-profits to buy these buildings, we are protecting the people who have lived there for years, close to their families, their jobs and the activities they enjoy.”

    The property, at 8660 Westminster Hwy. in Richmond, has been bought by Tikva Housing through the Rental Protection Fund, and with a gift from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation. In recognition of this support, the building has been renamed Ronald S. Roadburg Residences.

    This purchase of the 45 affordable homes means people have an affordable, long-term, stable place to stay, in a community where rental options are limited.

    “This momentous acquisition embodies the core of Tikva’s mission to provide access to innovative housing solutions, giving new hope to individuals and families in need, transforming lives and strengthening the community,” said Anat Gogo, executive director, Tikva Housing. “We are deeply grateful to the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation for its extraordinary generosity and to the Rental Protection Fund for ensuring these 45 homes will remain protected and affordable for generations to come.”

    The property offers a mix of one-bedroom and large two-bedroom homes with an existing elevator, making it suitable for low-income seniors and families. It is located near parks, shopping and other services. Rents at the property average approximately $1,500 to $1,600, or about 42% below community averages, and will remain below local market rates.

    The B.C. Rental Protection Fund contributed $5 million toward the purchase, helping keep housing affordable for tenants. This includes $1.2 million in renewal grants to help with building improvements to keep the homes safe and comfortable.

    “Investing in protecting the affordable housing we already have means we spend less while achieving more: more capacity, more resilience, more opportunity,” said Katie Maslechko, CEO, Rental Protection Fund. “By leveraging public investment to unlock private and philanthropic partnerships like this, we can transform housing from a commodity into a catalyst for community-driven solutions, multiplying the impact of every dollar invested through the Rental Protection Fund for decades to come.”

    The fund is part of a $19-billion housing investment by the B.C. government. Since 2017, the Province has more than 93,250 homes delivered or underway, including 380 homes in Richmond.

    Quotes:

    Kelly Greene, MLA for Richmond-Steveston –

    “Preserving these 45 affordable homes in Richmond is a vital step in protecting housing that people can afford. As housing costs rise, we’re taking action to ensure long-term affordability and keep people in their communities. This is how we build a more inclusive, livable Richmond for everyone.”

    Rob Botterell, B.C. Green house leader, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands –

    “Rental rates across B.C. are exorbitant. That’s why protections like this are essential. The Rental Protection Fund has proven to be a great tool to help tackle the housing crisis and ensure thousands of homes remain affordable. We look forward to the Province continuing to advance this important work.”

    Bernard Pinsky, chair, Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation –

    “Providing secure and affordable homes strengthens the entire community, and we are honoured to help make this happen.”

    Timothy Schafli, tenant, Ronald S. Roadburg Residences –

    “It’s a relief that Tikva has stepped in to secure the future of the Ronald S. Roadburg building. It’s helped me set aside a nagging fear of needing to relocate due to redevelopment or similar. I’m happy to have called Richmond home for over a decade and that I’m confident I’ll be able to continue to do that. Thanks to Tikva for the excellent communication during the transition as well.”

    Learn More:

    For information about the Rental Protection Fund, visit: https://rentalprotectionfund.ca

    To learn about steps the Province is taking to address the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for British Columbians, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/housing/

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s press conference on the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 [as delivered]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    Dear members of the media.

    Today, we launch the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. 

    Under-Secretary-General Li will go through the details. 

    But allow me to kick things off.

    We are now ten years into our collective journey toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    The report is a snapshot of where we stand today.

    Since 2015, millions more people have gained access to electricity, clean cooking, and the internet.

    Social protection now reaches over half the world’s population — a significant increase from just a decade ago.

    Access to education has continued to increase and more girls are staying in school.

    Child marriage is declining.

    Renewable energy capacity is growing, with developing countries leading the way.

    And women’s representation is rising — across governments, businesses and societies.

    These gains show that investments in development and inclusion yield results.
    But let’s be clear: we are not where we need to be.

    Only 35 percent of SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress.

    Nearly half are moving too slowly.

    And 18 percent are going in reverse.

    We are in a global development emergency.

    An emergency measured in the over 800 million people still living in extreme poverty.

    In intensifying climate impacts.

    And in relentless debt service, draining the resources that countries need to invest in their people.

    We must also recognize the deep linkages between under-development and conflicts.

    That’s why we must keep working for peace in the Middle East.

    We need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate release of all hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access as a first step to achieve the two-State solution.

    We need the ceasefire between Iran and Israel to hold.

    We need a just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter, international law and UN resolutions. 

    We need an end to the horror and bloodshed in Sudan.

    From the DRC to Somalia, from the Sahel to Myanmar, we know that sustainable peace requires sustainable development.

    In the face of these challenges, the report we are launching today points the way to progress.
    Transformational pathways — in food, energy, digital access, education, jobs, and climate — are our roadmap.

    Progress in one area can multiply progress across all of them.

    But we must move faster, and we must move together.

    That means advancing affordable, quality healthcare for all.

    Investing in women and girls as a central driver of progress.

    Focusing on quality education and creating decent jobs and economic opportunities that leave no one behind.

    Closing the digital divide and ensuring that technologies like artificial intelligence are used responsibly and inclusively.

    And it means recognizing a fundamental fact.

    Progress is impossible without unlocking financing at scale.

    The recent Sevilla Commitment reflected a commitment to get the engine of development revving again.

    Through reform of the international financial architecture, real action on debt relief, and tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks so countries can better access capital at scale and at a reasonable cost.

    We have more opportunities to drive these priorities forward — from the High-Level Political Forum, to the Second Food Systems Stocktake Summit, to the World Social Summit, and more.

    We must maximize these moments for real commitments — and real delivery.

    Today’s report shows that the Sustainable Development Goals are still within reach.

    But only if we act — with urgency, unity, and unwavering resolve.

    It’s a pleasure to be with you again and I will give the floor to my dear colleague Li.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland IT Company Agrees to Pay $14.75M to Resolve Alleged False Claims

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Hill ASC Inc., doing business as Hill Associates, of Rockville, Maryland, agreed to pay at least $14.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act in connection with a General Services Administration (GSA) contract for information technology services.

    This settlement relates to a contract under which Hill provided information technology services to federal agencies from 2018 to 2023 through GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) program. The MAS program provides the government with a streamlined process to buy commonly used commercial goods and services.  GSA negotiates contract terms and other agencies can then buy goods and services from the contractor under that GSA MAS contract. The settlement resolves allegations that Hill billed federal agencies for labor of information technology personnel who did not have the experience or education required under the contract. In addition, it resolves allegations that, although GSA required technical evaluations for contractors who sought to offer highly adaptive cybersecurity services to government customers, and Hill had not passed such an evaluation, Hill submitted claims for such cybersecurity services and other services that were not within the scope of the MAS contract. Finally, it resolves allegations that Hill charged the government for unapproved fees, failed to provide government customers with required information about discounts for prompt payment, and included unallowable incentive compensation in a cost submission in connection with a new contract proposal.

    Under the settlement with the United States, Hill has agreed to pay $14.75 million, plus additional amounts if certain financial contingencies occur. The settlement amount was based on the company’s ability to pay.

    “Information technology contractors are expected to charge the government appropriately for their services,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to pursue cyber fraud and hold accountable those companies that knowingly fail to meet contractual obligations to the American taxpayers.”

    “Federal agencies should get what they have paid for from GSA contractors, nothing less,” said GSA Deputy Inspector General Robert C. Erickson. “I appreciate the hard work of all the attorneys, auditors, and special agents involved in this investigation.”

    “False claims and similar unfair advantage by contractors undermine the integrity of the contracting process and can result in significant adverse effects to vital security concerns,” said Treasury Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba. “Treasury OIG is committed to conducting and assisting other agencies to the utmost in investigations, audits, and other work to detect and prevent these violations of the public trust.”

    “As the nation’s tax watchdog, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s contracting and procurement processes,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jessica Cipolla of TIGTA’s Gulf States Field Division. “We remain steadfast in our mission to expose and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud the IRS. Anyone doing business with the IRS or the Department of the Treasury is expected to operate with the highest levels of honesty and integrity. We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration and critical support in this investigation.”

    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, the GSA’s Office of the Inspector General, the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, and TIGTA. The matter was handled by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Terranova of the Fraud Section.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

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

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    July 14, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced they joined 30 colleagues in demanding President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon immediately release nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump Administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block.
    Oregon faces the potential loss of approximately $73 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.
    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” wrote the 32 U.S. Senators in their letter. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”
    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the, in many cases, massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. School districts have made clear they will have to end afterschool programs, already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.
    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”
    They noted that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”
    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they wrote: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”
    The lawmakers also detailed how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”
    The Trump Administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:
    Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.
    The letter was led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
    In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was also signed by Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
    Full text of the letter follows:
    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:
    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.
    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.
    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21stCentury Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.
    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.
    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.
    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.
    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.
    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.
    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.
    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.
    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

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

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    July 14, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced they joined 30 colleagues in demanding President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon immediately release nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump Administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block.
    Oregon faces the potential loss of approximately $73 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.
    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” wrote the 32 U.S. Senators in their letter. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”
    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the, in many cases, massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. School districts have made clear they will have to end afterschool programs, already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.
    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”
    They noted that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”
    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they wrote: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”
    The lawmakers also detailed how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”
    The Trump Administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:
    Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.
    The letter was led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
    In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was also signed by Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
    Full text of the letter follows:
    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:
    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.
    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.
    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21stCentury Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.
    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.
    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.
    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.
    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.
    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.
    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.
    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.
    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

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

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    July 14, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced they joined 30 colleagues in demanding President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon immediately release nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump Administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block.
    Oregon faces the potential loss of approximately $73 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.
    “We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” wrote the 32 U.S. Senators in their letter. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”
    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the, in many cases, massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. School districts have made clear they will have to end afterschool programs, already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.
    The lawmakers blasted the administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”
    They noted that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning.  These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”
    Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, they wrote: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”
    The lawmakers also detailed how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”
    The Trump Administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:
    Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
    21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
    Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
    English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
    Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
    Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.
    The letter was led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
    In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the letter was also signed by Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
    Full text of the letter follows:
    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:
    We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities. These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque “programmatic review” of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states. This delay not only undermines effective state and local planning for using these funds to address student needs consistent with federal education law, which often takes place months before these funds become available, but also flies in the face of the nation’s education laws which confers state and local educational agency discretion on permissible uses of federal formula grant funds.
    We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration. Late on June 30, 2025, the Department of Education (“Department”) informed states that it would not release fiscal year 2025 funds expected on July 1 before completing a “review” of six programs. The Department even noted ironically that it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Apparently, the Department needs a refresher course on its statutory responsibilities.
    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law requires funds to be allocated under the terms and conditions of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations law. This includes a requirement that “$1,329,673,000 shall be for part B of title IV”, which is the authority for the Nita M. Lowey 21stCentury Community Learning Centers program. This authority requires the Secretary to allot funds to each state for subgrants for before, after, and summer school programming. The law further describes the allotment formula, authorized state and local activities, and other program requirements. By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.
    The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations law also requires the Department to use $890 million to carry out part A of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The purpose of the program is to ensure English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have access to the resources they need to attain English language proficiency and reach the same challenging academic standards as their English-proficient peers, which will prepare them to fully participate in society and the workforce as they grow older. Part A of title III specifies the allotment formula, permissible uses of funds and other program requirements for this program serving more than 5 million EL students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. Yet, the administration’s review will disrupt school hiring decisions and cause real and immediate harm to EL students.
    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.
    The withholding also extends to more than $2 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants. According to the Department’s latest report, more than half of these funds are used for professional development for teachers and other educators, and nearly one-third of school districts used the funds to recruit, hire, and retain effective educators.12 Nearly $1.4 billion is being withheld for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants and $375 million for Migrant Education programs. All these programs were funded in fiscal year 2024 and continued by the Full-Year Appropriations Act. This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.
    It is unacceptable that the administration is picking and choosing what parts of the appropriations law to follow, and you must immediately implement the entire law as Congress intended and as the oaths you swore require you to do. While the administration continues to deny federal funds to our states and local communities that they are expecting as the law requires, it has found time to move expeditiously to award funding to the Kennedy Center and acknowledged it is required to do so by the appropriations law. In its action here, the Department stated in a recent waiver proposal, “The waiver will allow the Department to issue a continuation award in FY 2025, as directed by Congress to the currently funded 84.351A AENP [Arts in Education National Program] project at an amount consistent with the amount awarded in FY 2024.” While it’s true the appropriations law requires such an action, it does so as well for billions in funding for state grants the Department recently informed states it will not release.
    The administration’s “programmatic review”—with no public information about what the review entails, what data the administration is examining, or a timeline for such review—appears to be an intentional delay that will result in school budget cuts in every State. In multiple statutes, Congress has prohibited the Federal government from directing or controlling state and local education decisions with these dollars. This programmatic review may be in violation of these longstanding and bipartisan prohibitions.
    We might be more inclined to believe the administration’s stated interest in ensuring federal funds were properly used if its actions to date didn’t tell a different story. The Department has impeded a review by the Office of Inspector General, which is charged with promoting the efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity of the Department’s programs and operations. Earlier this year, the administration terminated contracts for regional educational laboratories and grants required for comprehensive centers, which help states and districts use research and evidence in addressing local challenges of policy and practice. It has also halted evaluations of federal literacy programs, adult learning strategies, and strategies to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to college or work.
    We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires. Such an action would represent a faithful execution of the law as required by the Constitution and a benefit to the tens of millions of students and adult learners that are intended to benefit from these federal education investments.
    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

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

    US Senate News:

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

    July 14, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced they joined 30 colleagues in demanding President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon immediately release nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump Administration abruptly let states and school districts know it would indefinitely block.

    Oregon faces the potential loss of approximately $73 million in federal education as a result of the abrupt cutoff of education funds by the Trump Administration and may be forced to end afterschool programs, specialized literacy programs, educator training, and support for English language learners as a result of this misguided executive maneuver.

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

    The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts nationwide scrambling to determine how they could fill the, in many cases, massive budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. School districts have made clear they will have to end afterschool programs, already told parents to prepare backup options, and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The letter was led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

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

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:

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

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

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

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

    The Department issued preliminary allocations to states on May 29, 2025, stating that “The Full Year Appropriations and Extension Act, 2025 provides $629,600,400 for formula grants to States to carry out adult education and literacy activities.” Just more than a month later, the Department issued its curt memo indicating that the funds would not go out on July 1, 2025, as just promised in the May preliminary allocations. This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.

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

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

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

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

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

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 14 July 2025 News release WHO recommends injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention

    Source: World Health Organisation

    The World Health Organization (WHO) released today new guidelines recommending the use of injectable lenacapavir (LEN) twice a year as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention, in a landmark policy action that could help reshape the global HIV response. The guidelines are being issued at the 13th International AIDS Society Conference (IAS 2025) on HIV Science, in Kigali, Rwanda.

    LEN, the first twice-yearly injectable PrEP product, offers a highly effective, long-acting alternative to daily oral pills and other shorter-acting options. With just two doses per year, LEN is a transformative step forward in protecting people at risk of HIV – particularly those who face challenges with daily adherence, stigma, or access to health care.

    “While an HIV vaccine remains elusive, lenacapavir is the next best thing: a long-acting antiretroviral shown in trials to prevent almost all HIV infections among those at risk,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The launch of WHO’s new guidelines, alongside the FDA’s recent approval, marks a critical step forward in expanding access to this powerful tool. WHO is committed to working with countries and partners to ensure this innovation reaches communities as quickly and safely as possible.”

    The new guidelines come at a critical moment as HIV prevention efforts stagnate with 1.3 million new HIV infections occurring in 2024 – with disproportionate impact among key and priority populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, people in prisons, and children and adolescents. WHO’s recommendation on LEN signals a decisive move to expand and diversify HIV prevention, giving people more options to take control over their health with choices that fit their lives.

    Simplified testing: a major barrier removed

    As part of these guidelines, WHO has recommended a public health approach to HIV testing using HIV rapid tests to support delivery of long-acting injectable PrEP, including LEN and cabotegravir (CAB-LA). The simplified testing recommendation removes a major access barrier by eliminating complex, costly procedures and enabling community-based delivery of long-acting PrEP through pharmacies, clinics, and tele-health.

    Next steps: call for implementation

    LEN joins other WHO-recommended PrEP options, including daily oral PrEP, injectable cabotegravir and the dapivirine vaginal ring, as part of a growing arsenal of tools to end the HIV epidemic. While access to LEN outside clinical trials remains limited at the moment, WHO urges governments, donors and global health partners to begin rolling out LEN immediately within national combination HIV prevention programmes – while collecting essential data on uptake, adherence and real-world impact.

    Additional WHO recommendations at IAS 2025

    For the first time, WHO’s treatment guidelines include a clear recommendation for the use of long-acting injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) as an alternative switching option for antiretroviral therapy (ART) for adults and adolescents who have achieved full viral suppression on oral ART and do not have active hepatitis B infection. This approach is designed to support people living with HIV facing adherence challenges to oral regimens.

    Updated guidelines on service delivery integration include recommendations to integrate HIV services with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes, as well as mental health care for depression, anxiety and alcohol use disorders into HIV services, alongside interventions to support ART adherence. Additionally, new guidelines on management of asymptomatic STIs recommend screening of gonorrhoea and/or chlamydia in key and priority populations.

    For people living with HIV who have mpox and are either ART naive or have experienced prolonged ART interruption, rapid initiation of ART is strongly recommended. Additionally, early HIV testing is advised for individuals presenting with suspected or confirmed mpox infection. WHO’s standard operating procedures further emphasize HIV and syphilis testing for all individuals with suspected or confirmed mpox.

    In response to the broader challenges facing HIV programmes, WHO has also issued new operational guidance on sustaining priority HIV services in a changing funding landscape. The guidance aims to provide a stepwise framework to help countries prioritize services, assess risks, monitor disruptions, and adapt systems to protect health outcomes and preserve progress.

    “We have the tools and the knowledge to end AIDS as a public health problem,” said Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes and incoming Director of Science, Research, Evidence and Quality for Health. “What we need now is bold implementation of these recommendations, grounded in equity and powered by communities.”

    HIV remains a major global public health issue. By the end of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV with an estimated 65% in the WHO African Region. Approximately 630 000 people died from HIV-related causes globally, and an estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV, including 120 000 children. Access to ART continues to expand, with 31.6 million people receiving treatment in 2024, up from 30.3 million in 2023.

    At a time of reduced funding for HIV and health, WHO’s new and updated guidelines offer practical, evidence-based strategies to sustain momentum. By expanding prevention and treatment options, simplifying service delivery and promoting integration with broader health services, they support more efficient, equitable, and resilient HIV responses. Now is the moment for bold implementation to ensure these gains translate into real-world impact.
     

    Note to the editor

    WHO at the 13th IAS Conference on HIV Science

    The IAS 2025, the13th IAS Conference on HIV Science is being held in Kigali from 13 to 17 July 2025. It is the world’s most influential meeting on HIV research and its applications. This biennial conference presents the critical advances in basic, clinical and operational HIV research that move science into policy and practice. Through its programme, the meeting sets the gold standard of HIV science, featuring highly diverse and cutting-edge research.

    At IAS 2025, WHO will present new normative guidance through key satellite sessions and engage at the highest level to highlight innovations and promote health equity, while sounding the alarm on the risks posed by declining global health funding. Detailed information on WHO at the conference is here. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch for Fox News: I’m a Democrat and we need to fix FEMA with local control 

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this morning published an opinion in Fox News entitled: “I’m a Democrat and we need to fix FEMA with local control.” 
    Read Senator Welch’s op-ed and view an excerpt below:   
    SENATOR PETER WELCH: I’m a Democrat and we need to fix FEMA with local control By U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) 
    Published July 14, 2025, by Fox News  

    “When disaster strikes, it is an all-hands-on-deck moment. The federal government has the unique ability to surge resources and personnel, and it’s critical they show up.  

    “As long as there is destructive weather, there must be a fully functioning FEMA. Communities from Vermont, to Texas, to North Carolina, to New Mexico know this reality.   

    “But, the agency is far from perfect. FEMA must be reformed.   

    “FEMA is too slow, too bureaucratic and too bloated. Administrative costs outweigh direct disaster assistance. Recovery is hindered by red tape.   

    “That’s why I introduced new legislation July 10 to fix FEMA’s broken long-term recovery process.   

    “The “Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act” has a simple premise: local leaders know their local community best. They should be empowered to make decisions.” 

    Read Senator Welch’s full opinion piece in Fox News. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch for Fox News: I’m a Democrat and we need to fix FEMA with local control 

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this morning published an opinion in Fox News entitled: “I’m a Democrat and we need to fix FEMA with local control.” 
    Read Senator Welch’s op-ed and view an excerpt below:   
    SENATOR PETER WELCH: I’m a Democrat and we need to fix FEMA with local control By U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) 
    Published July 14, 2025, by Fox News  

    “When disaster strikes, it is an all-hands-on-deck moment. The federal government has the unique ability to surge resources and personnel, and it’s critical they show up.  

    “As long as there is destructive weather, there must be a fully functioning FEMA. Communities from Vermont, to Texas, to North Carolina, to New Mexico know this reality.   

    “But, the agency is far from perfect. FEMA must be reformed.   

    “FEMA is too slow, too bureaucratic and too bloated. Administrative costs outweigh direct disaster assistance. Recovery is hindered by red tape.   

    “That’s why I introduced new legislation July 10 to fix FEMA’s broken long-term recovery process.   

    “The “Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act” has a simple premise: local leaders know their local community best. They should be empowered to make decisions.” 

    Read Senator Welch’s full opinion piece in Fox News. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • President Droupadi Murmu addresses 5th annual convocation of AIIMS Bhubaneswar

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, addressed the 5th Annual Convocation Ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar today.

    Addressing the graduating students and faculty, the President noted that AIIMS Bhubaneswar, established under the vision of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, has emerged as a trusted centre for quality healthcare and social welfare not just in Odisha but also in neighbouring states like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

    Highlighting the institute’s achievements, the President stated that in the last year alone, AIIMS Bhubaneswar treated over 10 lakh outdoor patients, conducted 17 lakh diagnostic tests and carried out 25,000 surgeries. She added that the institute’s specialty and super-specialty services have enabled it to deliver holistic healthcare across departments.

    President Murmu lauded the institute’s recognition by the World Health Organization under the Asia Safe Surgical Implant Consortium Quality Improvement Programme for its standards in surgical instrument and implant reprocessing. She also mentioned the National Kayakalp Award that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has won for five consecutive years for excellence in sanitation and hospital services.

    Appreciating the dedication of the faculty and students, the President described doctors as “representatives of God” and urged the graduating students to continue serving society with commitment and compassion.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Governor of Odisha, Hari Babu Kambhampati, said that the establishment of AIIMS institutions was a visionary step towards building an equitable healthcare system. He underlined that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has emerged as a leading centre for medical education and research in eastern India, second only to AIIMS New Delhi. He also commended the institute’s contribution during the pandemic as a centre for testing, treatment and vaccination.

    Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi highlighted the Prime Minister’s focus on digital transformation and modernization of healthcare services. He mentioned that initiatives like e-payment facilities at AIIMS Bhubaneswar align with the vision of a Digital India.

    He further said that the recognition of AIIMS Bhubaneswar as a centre of excellence for tackling diseases like sickle cell anaemia reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare. He urged the students to “heal with empathy” and assured continued support for quality healthcare through strengthened infrastructure and schemes like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, covering over 3.5 crore people in the state.

    Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in his address, described good health as the foundation of human progress. Referring to the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, he expressed hope that Odisha would contribute by becoming a developed state by 2036.

    Highlighting the institute’s ranking — 15th overall in NIRF, 12th among medical colleges and 2nd among emerging AIIMS — Shri Pradhan said that Bhubaneswar has the potential to become a global MedTech hub. He called on the young doctors to take up the responsibility of addressing health challenges in vulnerable communities.

    A total of 643 students were awarded degrees during the convocation, including 196 MBBS graduates, 158 MS, 49 MDs, 116 post-doctoral fellows, 62 B.Sc. Nursing and 41 M.Sc. Nursing graduates. Fifty-nine gold medals were also awarded to meritorious students across disciplines.

  • President Droupadi Murmu addresses 5th annual convocation of AIIMS Bhubaneswar

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, addressed the 5th Annual Convocation Ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar today.

    Addressing the graduating students and faculty, the President noted that AIIMS Bhubaneswar, established under the vision of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, has emerged as a trusted centre for quality healthcare and social welfare not just in Odisha but also in neighbouring states like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

    Highlighting the institute’s achievements, the President stated that in the last year alone, AIIMS Bhubaneswar treated over 10 lakh outdoor patients, conducted 17 lakh diagnostic tests and carried out 25,000 surgeries. She added that the institute’s specialty and super-specialty services have enabled it to deliver holistic healthcare across departments.

    President Murmu lauded the institute’s recognition by the World Health Organization under the Asia Safe Surgical Implant Consortium Quality Improvement Programme for its standards in surgical instrument and implant reprocessing. She also mentioned the National Kayakalp Award that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has won for five consecutive years for excellence in sanitation and hospital services.

    Appreciating the dedication of the faculty and students, the President described doctors as “representatives of God” and urged the graduating students to continue serving society with commitment and compassion.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Governor of Odisha, Hari Babu Kambhampati, said that the establishment of AIIMS institutions was a visionary step towards building an equitable healthcare system. He underlined that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has emerged as a leading centre for medical education and research in eastern India, second only to AIIMS New Delhi. He also commended the institute’s contribution during the pandemic as a centre for testing, treatment and vaccination.

    Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi highlighted the Prime Minister’s focus on digital transformation and modernization of healthcare services. He mentioned that initiatives like e-payment facilities at AIIMS Bhubaneswar align with the vision of a Digital India.

    He further said that the recognition of AIIMS Bhubaneswar as a centre of excellence for tackling diseases like sickle cell anaemia reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare. He urged the students to “heal with empathy” and assured continued support for quality healthcare through strengthened infrastructure and schemes like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, covering over 3.5 crore people in the state.

    Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in his address, described good health as the foundation of human progress. Referring to the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, he expressed hope that Odisha would contribute by becoming a developed state by 2036.

    Highlighting the institute’s ranking — 15th overall in NIRF, 12th among medical colleges and 2nd among emerging AIIMS — Shri Pradhan said that Bhubaneswar has the potential to become a global MedTech hub. He called on the young doctors to take up the responsibility of addressing health challenges in vulnerable communities.

    A total of 643 students were awarded degrees during the convocation, including 196 MBBS graduates, 158 MS, 49 MDs, 116 post-doctoral fellows, 62 B.Sc. Nursing and 41 M.Sc. Nursing graduates. Fifty-nine gold medals were also awarded to meritorious students across disciplines.

  • President Droupadi Murmu addresses 5th annual convocation of AIIMS Bhubaneswar

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, addressed the 5th Annual Convocation Ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar today.

    Addressing the graduating students and faculty, the President noted that AIIMS Bhubaneswar, established under the vision of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, has emerged as a trusted centre for quality healthcare and social welfare not just in Odisha but also in neighbouring states like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

    Highlighting the institute’s achievements, the President stated that in the last year alone, AIIMS Bhubaneswar treated over 10 lakh outdoor patients, conducted 17 lakh diagnostic tests and carried out 25,000 surgeries. She added that the institute’s specialty and super-specialty services have enabled it to deliver holistic healthcare across departments.

    President Murmu lauded the institute’s recognition by the World Health Organization under the Asia Safe Surgical Implant Consortium Quality Improvement Programme for its standards in surgical instrument and implant reprocessing. She also mentioned the National Kayakalp Award that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has won for five consecutive years for excellence in sanitation and hospital services.

    Appreciating the dedication of the faculty and students, the President described doctors as “representatives of God” and urged the graduating students to continue serving society with commitment and compassion.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Governor of Odisha, Hari Babu Kambhampati, said that the establishment of AIIMS institutions was a visionary step towards building an equitable healthcare system. He underlined that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has emerged as a leading centre for medical education and research in eastern India, second only to AIIMS New Delhi. He also commended the institute’s contribution during the pandemic as a centre for testing, treatment and vaccination.

    Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi highlighted the Prime Minister’s focus on digital transformation and modernization of healthcare services. He mentioned that initiatives like e-payment facilities at AIIMS Bhubaneswar align with the vision of a Digital India.

    He further said that the recognition of AIIMS Bhubaneswar as a centre of excellence for tackling diseases like sickle cell anaemia reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare. He urged the students to “heal with empathy” and assured continued support for quality healthcare through strengthened infrastructure and schemes like Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, covering over 3.5 crore people in the state.

    Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in his address, described good health as the foundation of human progress. Referring to the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, he expressed hope that Odisha would contribute by becoming a developed state by 2036.

    Highlighting the institute’s ranking — 15th overall in NIRF, 12th among medical colleges and 2nd among emerging AIIMS — Shri Pradhan said that Bhubaneswar has the potential to become a global MedTech hub. He called on the young doctors to take up the responsibility of addressing health challenges in vulnerable communities.

    A total of 643 students were awarded degrees during the convocation, including 196 MBBS graduates, 158 MS, 49 MDs, 116 post-doctoral fellows, 62 B.Sc. Nursing and 41 M.Sc. Nursing graduates. Fifty-nine gold medals were also awarded to meritorious students across disciplines.

  • Centre to issue new guidelines to promote first-time exporters: Piyush Goyal

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The government will soon issue new guidelines on how to promote new markets, new products, and new exporters, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday. He added that the Ministry and districts can work together to promote One District One Product (ODOP) items in newer markets and support first-time exporters.

    He said the Commerce Ministry will collaborate with districts to help first-time exporters reach new markets.

    Goyal highlighted that 773 districts across various states have contributed to India’s success story.

    “India is like an oasis in a desert in a tumultuous world and is the fastest-growing large economy in the world today,” said the minister, adding that India is set to become the third-largest economy in 2027.

    He noted that India’s diverse products have the potential to reach global markets.

    Goyal cited examples such as Wayanad’s coffee, Ratnagiri mangoes, and saffron from Pulwama, saying these illustrate the wide range of products that can take India’s name worldwide.

    He emphasised that One District One Product is a unique initiative, unmatched by any other country. “Each district brings a different kind of legacy,” he said.

    Goyal also mentioned that sometimes two products must be recognised under ODOP and stressed that local products are now going global.

    The minister said that 64 out of 87 products are covered under the Industrial Investment Promotion Policy. He informed that all 38 districts of Bihar have achieved 100 per cent coverage of products under ODOP, and the state has prioritised the initiative.

    Goyal stated that all these products are integrated into the state’s economic system and included in the industrial policy. Bihar has been categorised as Category A in this regard. He urged everyone to take a pledge to make ODOP a driving force for prosperity in their districts through their unique products.

    –IANS

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Pathways to end gender-based violence

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada’s new government implements Interim Reciprocal Procurement to protect Canadian businesses from unfair trade practices

    Source: Government of Canada News

    July 14, 2025 – Gatineau (Quebec)                                        

    As Canada’s new government negotiates a new economic and security partnership with the United States, it is also taking action to protect Canadian workers and businesses from unfair trade practices.  

    Today, the Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement announced that the government has implemented a new Interim Policy on Reciprocal Procurement. Under this new policy, suppliers from countries that limit Canadian access to their own government contracts can be restricted from bidding on Canadian federal contracts. This measure will prioritize suppliers from Canada and from our reliable trading partners that provide reciprocal access to suppliers from Canada through trade agreements.

    The policy applies to all federal departments and agencies and will be implemented in two phases:

    • Phase 1, the interim policy, will focus on applying the policy based on the location of suppliers, started with the roll-out of training and tools on June 30, 2025, to support implementation. The interim policy is effective as of July 14, 2025.
    • Phase 2, the complete policy, will determine supplier eligibility based on the origin of goods and services being offered, and will be introduced at a later date.

    As shared earlier this year, the government is also exploring additional ways to maximize the use of Canadian steel and aluminum in government-funded projects, including in coordination with Canadian provinces and territories.

    By enforcing fair and reciprocal procurement access, the government will protect Canadian innovation, jobs, and economic growth, and ensure that Canadian suppliers remain competitive in the global marketplace.  We will defend the interests of Canadians, safeguard Canada’s workers and businesses, and build one Canadian economy – the strongest economy in the G7.  

    MIL OSI Canada News –