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  • MIL-OSI: Notice to the Annual General Meeting of KH Group Plc

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    KH Group Plc
    Stock Exchange Release 11 April 2025 at  10:00 am EEST

    Notice to the Annual General Meeting of KH Group Plc

    Notice is given to the shareholders of KH Group Plc (“KH Group” or the “Company”) to the Annual General Meeting to be held on Tuesday, 6 May 2025 at 2:00 p.m. EEST at Sanomatalo, Flik Event Studio Eliel, at the address Töölönlahdenkatu 2, 00100 Helsinki, Finland. The reception of attendees who have registered for the meeting and the distribution of voting tickets will commence at 1:30 p.m. EEST.

    Shareholders may also exercise their voting rights by voting in advance. Shareholders who have registered for the meeting may also follow the meeting via a live webcast. Further instructions for shareholders are provided in section C “Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting” of this notice.

    In connection with the Annual General Meeting, coffee will be served at the meeting venue.

    A. Matters on the Agenda of the Annual General Meeting

    At the Annual General Meeting, the following matters shall be considered:

    1. Opening of the meeting

    2. Calling the meeting to order

    3. Election of persons to scrutinise the minutes and to supervise the counting of votes

    4. Recording the legality and quorum of the meeting

    5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adopting the list of votes

    6. Presentation of the Financial Statements, the Board of Directors’ Report, the Auditor’s Report and the assurance report on the sustainability statement for the year 2024, and presentation of the CEO’s Review

    7. Adoption of the Financial Statements

    8. Resolution on the use of profit shown on the balance sheet and the payment of dividend

    The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that no dividend be paid for the financial period ended 31 December 2024.

    9. Resolution on the discharge from liability of the members of the Board of Directors and the CEO

    10. Adoption of the Governing Bodies’ Remuneration Report

    11. Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors

    The Shareholders’ Nomination Board of KH Group proposes to the General Meeting that the remuneration of the Board of Directors remain unchanged, so that the Chairman of the Board of Directors be paid as remuneration EUR 3,550 per month and the other members of the Board of Directors each EUR 2,300 per month. The Nomination Board further proposes that the travel expenses of the members of the Board of Directors be compensated in accordance with the Company’s travel policy and that each of the members of the Board of Directors shall have the right to abstain from receiving remuneration.

    Earnings-related pension insurance contributions are paid voluntarily for the paid remuneration.

    12. Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors

    The Shareholders’ Nomination Board of KH Group proposes to the General Meeting that the number of members of the Board of Directors shall be six (6).

    13. Election of members of the Board of Directors

    The Shareholders’ Nomination Board of KH Group proposes to the General Meeting that the current members of the Board of Directors Juha Karttunen, Taru Narvanmaa and Jon Unnérus shall be re-elected as members of the Board of Directors and that Christoffer Landtman, Jari Rautjärvi and Carl Haglund shall be elected as a new members of the Board of Directors, for a term ending at the closing of the 2026 Annual General Meeting. Of the current Board members, Kati Kivimäki and Timo Mänty have indicated that they are not available for re-election.

    All persons nominated as members of the Board of Directors have given their consent to the election. The Nomination Board considers all the nominees to be independent of the Company and of the significant shareholders of the Company.

    According to the Articles of Association of KH Group, the Board of Directors elects a Chair from among its members.

    CVs, photographs and the evaluation regarding the independence of the proposed members of the Board of Directors are presented on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/

    14. Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurance provider

    The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the remuneration of the auditor shall be paid according to the auditor’s reasonable invoice approved by the Company.

    The Board of Directors further proposes to the General Meeting that the remuneration of the sustainability reporting assurance provider shall be paid according to the sustainability reporting assurance provider’s reasonable invoice approved by the Company.

    15. Election of the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurance provider

    The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that Ernst & Young Oy, Authorised Public Accountants, be re-elected as the Company’s auditor. Ernst & Young Oy has notified that Timo Eerola, APA, will act as the principally responsible auditor for the Company.

    The Board of Directors further proposes to the General Meeting that Ernst & Young Oy, Authorised Sustainability Audit Firm, be elected as the Company’s sustainability reporting assurance provider. Ernst & Young Oy has notified that Timo Eerola, ASA (Authorised Sustainability Auditor), will act as the principally responsible sustainability auditor for the Company.

    The term of the auditor and the sustainability reporting assurance provider ends at the closing of the Annual General Meeting following the election.

    16. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on the issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares

    The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the General Meeting authorise the Board of Directors to decide on the issuance of shares and/or the granting of special rights entitling to shares as referred to in Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, in one or several instalments as follows: The total number of shares to be issued under the authorisation may be at the most 11,400,000 shares. The authorisation concerns both the issuance of new shares as well as the conveyance of shares held by the Company. The authorisation is proposed to be used to finance or carry out possible acquisitions or other arrangements or investments related to the Company’s business, to implement the Company’s incentive program, or for other purposes decided by the Board of Directors.

    The Board of Directors decides on all terms and conditions of a share issue and the issuance of special rights referred to in Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, and the authorisation therefore includes the right of the Board of Directors to deviate from the shareholders’ pre-emptive subscription right (directed issue), the right to issue shares against consideration or without payment, and the right to decide on a free issuance of shares to the Company itself, however, taking into account the provisions of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act concerning the maximum number of own shares held by the Company.

    The authorisation is proposed to be effective until 30 June 2026, and it will cancel the corresponding authorisation given to the Board of Directors by the Annual General Meeting on 7 May 2024.

    17. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on the repurchase of the Company’s own shares

    The Board of Directors proposes to the General Meeting that the General Meeting authorise the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase a maximum of 5,700,000 shares in the Company in one or several instalments by using funds in the Company’s unrestricted equity, however, taking into account the provisions of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act concerning the maximum number of own shares held by the Company. The Company’s own shares may be repurchased to be used as consideration in possible acquisitions or in other arrangements related to the Company’s business, to finance investments, as a part of the Company’s incentive program, to develop the Company’s capital structure as well as to be conveyed for other purposes, to be held by the Company or to be cancelled. The authorisation also includes the right to pledge the Company’s own shares.

    The Company’s own shares may be repurchased in public trading organized by Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd otherwise than in proportion to the shareholdings of the shareholders, at the market price at the time of repurchase. The shares will be repurchased and paid in accordance with the rules of Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd and Euroclear Finland Oy. The Board of Directors is in all other respects authorised to decide on the terms and conditions of the repurchase of own shares.

    The authorisation is proposed to be effective until 30 June 2026, and it will cancel the corresponding authorisation given to the Board of Directors by the Annual General Meeting on 7 May 2024.

    18. Closing of the meeting

    B. Documents of the Annual General Meeting

    The aforementioned proposals on the agenda of the General Meeting, this notice, the Governing Bodies’ Remuneration Report as well as the Annual Report, which includes the Financial Statements of the Company, the Board of Directors’ Report (including the sustainability report), the Auditor’s Report and the assurance report on the sustainability statement, are available on KH Group’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025.

    The minutes of the General Meeting will be available on the aforementioned website on 20 May 2025, at the latest.

    C. Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting

    1. Shareholder registered in the shareholders’ register

    Each shareholder who is registered on the record date of the General Meeting, on 23 April 2025, in the shareholders’ register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy, has the right to participate in the General Meeting. A shareholder whose shares in the Company are registered on their personal Finnish book-entry account, is registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company.

    The registration to the General Meeting begins on 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST. A shareholder who is registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company and who wants to participate in the General Meeting, shall register no later than on 28 April 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EEST, by which time the registration must be received.

    Registration can be done:

    a)   Through the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/

    In the electronic registration, a strong identification of the shareholder or their proxy representative or legal representative is required with Finnish, Swedish or Danish banking codes or a mobile ID.

    b)   By email or mail to Innovatics Ltd to the address agm@innovatics.fi, to the address Innovatics Ltd, AGM / KH Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland.

    Shareholders registering by email or mail shall submit the registration form and possible advance voting form available on the Company’s website https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025 or corresponding information in the message.

    In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall provide the requested information, such as their name, date of birth or business ID, phone number and/or email address as well as the name of assistant or a proxy representative, if any, date of birth of the proxy representative and their phone number and/or email address. The personal data given by the shareholders or the representatives to KH Group or Innovatics Ltd is used only in connection with the Annual General Meeting and with the processing of necessary related registrations.

    The shareholder, legal representative or their proxy representative shall, if necessary, be able to prove their identity and/or right of representation at the meeting venue.

    Additional information on registration and advance voting is available by phone during the registration period of the General Meeting at Innovatics Ltd’s phone number +358 (0)10 2818 909 from Monday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon and at 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EEST.

    2. Proxy representative and powers of attorney

    A shareholder may participate in the General Meeting and exercise their rights at the meeting by way of a proxy representative. The shareholder’s proxy presentative may also vote in advance as described in this notice. The proxy representative must identify him/herself to the electronic registration service and advance voting with strong identification, after which he/she will be able to register and vote in advance on behalf of the shareholder he/she represents. The shareholder’s proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate their right to represent the shareholder at the General Meeting. The representation right can be demonstrated by using the suomi.fi authorisation service available in the electronic registration service.

    A power of attorney template and voting instructions will be available on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025 on 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST at the latest. If a shareholder participates in the General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares at different securities accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration.

    Possible proxy documents are requested to be delivered primarily as an attachment in connection with the electronic registration, or alternatively by email to agm@innovatics.fi or by mail to the address Innovatics Oy, AGM / KH Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland before the expiry of the registration period. In addition to providing proxy documents, the shareholder or the proxy representative must register for the General Meeting as detailed above in this Notice.

    3. Holder of nominee registered share

    A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the General Meeting by virtue of such shares based on which he/she on the record date of the General Meeting, i.e., on 23 April 2025, would be entitled to be registered in the shareholders’ register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy. The right to participate in the General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been temporarily registered into the shareholders’ register of the Company maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy at the latest by 1 May 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST. As regards nominee registered shares, this constitutes due registration for the General Meeting. Changes in shareholding after the record date of the General Meeting do not affect the right to participate in the General Meeting or the number of votes of the shareholder.

    A holder of a nominee registered share is advised to request without delay the necessary instructions regarding the registration in the temporary shareholders’ register of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents, the registration and participating for the General Meeting and voting in advance from their custodian bank. The account management organisation of the custodian bank has to register a holder of a nominee registered share, who wants to participate in the General Meeting, temporarily into the shareholders’ register of the Company and if needed to see to the voting in advance on behalf of a holder of a nominee registered share before the expiry of the registration period for the holders of nominee registered shares.

    4. Advance voting

    A shareholder whose shares are registered on their personal Finnish book-entry account may vote in advance during the period from 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST until 28 April 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EEST on certain matters on the agenda of the General Meeting.

    Advance voting can be done in the following ways:

    a)   Through the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/
           Logging in to the service is done in the same way as for registration above in the Section C.1.

    b)   By email or mail by delivering the advance voting form available on the Company’s website on 14 April 2025 at 10:00 a.m. EEST at the latest or corresponding information by email to agm@innovatics.fi or to the address Innovatics Ltd, AGM / KH Group Plc, Ratamestarinkatu 13 A, FI-00520 Helsinki, Finland. The advance votes shall be received before the expiry of the advance voting period. Submitting votes in such manner before the expiry of registration and advance voting period constitutes due registration for the General Meeting, provided that the documents delivered by the shareholder contain the information required for registration.

    A shareholder who has voted in advance can use their right to request information under the Finnish Companies Act or their right to request a vote at the General Meeting or vote on a possible counterproposal only if the shareholder participates in the General Meeting in person or by way of proxy representation at the meeting venue.

    An agenda item subject to advance voting is considered to have been presented unchanged to the General Meeting.

    The terms and conditions as well as other instructions related to the electronic advance voting are available on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/.

    5. Other instructions and information

    The meeting language will be Finnish.

    Pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act, a shareholder who is present at the General Meeting has the right to request information with respect to the matters to be considered at the meeting.

    The Company will arrange an opportunity for shareholders who have registered for the meeting to follow the meeting online via a live webcast. A video link and password to follow the meeting remotely will be sent via email and text message to the email address and mobile phone number provided in connection with the registration. Following the meeting through the remote access is only possible for shareholders who are shareholders on the record date of the General Meeting.

    Detailed instructions on following the webcast will be available on the Company’s website at https://khgroup.com/en/investors/corporate-governance/general-meetings/annual-general-meeting-2025/. Shareholders are asked to take into account that following the meeting via webcast is not considered participating in the Annual General Meeting, and that it is not possible for the shareholders to exercise their shareholder rights in the Annual General Meeting through the webcast. Shareholders that wish to follow the webcast can exercise their voting rights by voting on the matter on the agenda in advance in accordance with the instructions provided above.

    On the date of this notice, the total number of shares and votes in KH Group is 58,078,895.

    No free parking has been arranged at the meeting venue.

    Helsinki, 10 April 2025

    KH GROUP PLC
    Board of Directors

    FURTHER INFORMATION:
    CEO Ville Nikulainen, tel. +358 400 459 343

    DISTRIBUTION:
    Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
    Main media
    www.khgroup.com

    KH Group Plc is a Nordic conglomerate operating in the business areas of KH-Koneet, Nordic Rescue Group and Indoor Group. We are a leading supplier of construction and earth-moving equipment, rescue vehicle manufacturer as well as furniture and interior decoration retailer. The objective of our strategy is to create an industrial group around the business of KH-Koneet. KH Group’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Delusional’ Treaty Principles Bill scrapped but fight for Te Tiriti just beginning, say lawyers and advocates

    By Layla Bailey-McDowell, RNZ Māori news journalist

    Legal experts and Māori advocates say the fight to protect Te Tiriti is only just beginning — as the controversial Treaty Principles Bill is officially killed in Parliament.

    The bill — which seeks to redefine the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi — sparked a nationwide hīkoi and received more than 300,000 written submissions — with 90 percent of submitters opposing it.

    Parliament confirmed the voting down of the bill yesterday, with only ACT supporting it proceeding further.

    The ayes were 11, and the noes 112.

    Social media posts by lawyer Riana Te Ngahue (Ngāti Porou), explaining some of the complexities involved in issues such as the Treaty Principles Bill, have been popular. Image: RNZ/Layla Bailey-McDowell

    Riana Te Ngahue, a young Māori lawyer whose bite-sized breakdowns of complex issues — like the Treaty Principles Bill — went viral on social media, said she was glad the bill was finally gone.

    “It’s just frustrating that we’ve had to put so much time and energy into something that’s such a huge waste of time and money. I’m glad it’s over, but also disappointed because there are so many other harmful bills coming through — in the environment space, Oranga Tamariki, and others.”

    Most New Zealanders not divided
     Te Ngahue said the Justice Committee’s report — which showed 90 percent of submitters opposed the bill, 8 percent supported it, and 2 percent were unstated in their position — proved that most New Zealanders did not feel divided about Te Tiriti.

    “If David Seymour was right in saying that New Zealanders feel divided about this issue, then we would’ve seen significantly more submissions supporting his bill.

    “He seemed pretty delusional to keep pushing the idea that New Zealanders were behind him, because if that was true, he would’ve got a lot more support.”

    However, Te Ngahue said it was “wicked” to see such overwhelming opposition.

    “Especially because I know for a lot of people, this was their first time ever submitting on a bill. That’s what I think is really exciting.”

    She said it was humbling to know her content helped people feel confident enough to participate in the process.

    “I really didn’t expect that many people to watch my video, let alone actually find it helpful. I’m still blown away by people who say they only submitted because of it — that it showed them how.”

    Te Ngahue said while the bill was made to be divisive there had been “a huge silver lining”.

    “Because a lot of people have actually made the effort to get clued up on the Treaty of Waitangi, whereas before they might not have bothered because, you know, nothing was really that in your face about it.”

    “There’s a big wave of people going ‘I actually wanna get clued up on [Te Tiriti],’ which is really cool.”

    ‘Fight isn’t over’
     Māori lawyer Tania Waikato, whose own journey into social media advocacy empowered many first-time submitters, said she was in an “excited and celebratory” mood.

    “We all had a bit of a crappy summer holiday because of the Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill both being released for consultation at the same time. A lot of us were trying to fit advocacy around summer holidays and looking after our tamariki, so this feels like a nice payoff for all the hard mahi that went in.”

    Tania Waikato, who has more than 20 years of legal experience, launched a petition calling for the government to cancel Compass Group’s school lunch contract and reinstate its contract with local providers. Image: Tania Waikato/RNZ

    She said the “overwhelming opposition” sent a powerful message.

    “I think it’s a clear message that Aotearoa as a whole sees Te Tiriti as part of this country’s constitutional foundation. You can’t just come in and change that on a whim, like David Seymour and the ACT Party have tried to do.

    “Ninety percent of people who got off their butt and made a submission have clearly rejected the divisive and racist rhetoric that party has pushed.”

    Despite the win, she said the fight was far from over.

    “If anything, this is really just beginning. We’ve got the Regulatory Standards Bill that’s going to be introduced at some point before June. That particular bill will do what the Treaty Principle’s Bill was aiming to do, but in a different and just more sneaky way.

    ‘The next fight’
    “So for me, that’s definitely the next fight that we all gotta get up for again.”

    Waikato, who also launched a petition in March calling for the free school lunch programme contract to be overhauled, said allowing the Treaty Principles Bill to get this far in the first place was a “waste of time and money.”

    “Its an absolutely atrocious waste of taxpayers dollars, especially when we’ve got issues like the school lunches that I am advocating for on the other side.”

    “So for me, the fight’s far from over. It’s really just getting started.”

    ACT leader David Seymour on Thursday after his bill was voted down in Parliament. Image: RNZ/Russell Palmer

    ACT Party leader David Seymour continued to defend the Treaty Principles Bill during its second reading on Thursday, and said the debate over the treaty’s principles was far from over.

    After being the only party to vote in favour of the bill, Seymour said not a single statement had grappled with the content of the bill — despite all the debate.

    Asked if his party had lost in this nationwide conversation, he said they still had not heard a good argument against it.

    ‘We’ll never give up on equal rights.”

    He said there were lots of options for continuing, and the party’s approach would be made clear before the next election

    Kassie Hartendorp said Te Tiriti Action Group Pōneke operates under the korowai – the cloak – of mana whenua and their tikanga in this area, which is called Te Kahu o Te Raukura, a cloak of aroha and peace. Image: RNZ

    Eyes on local elections – ActionStation says the mahi continues
     Community advocacy group ActionStation’s director Kassie Hartendorp, who helped spearhead campaigns like “Together for Te Tiriti”, said her team was feeling really positive.

    “It’s been a lot of work to get to this point, but we feel like this is a very good day for our country.”

    At the end of the hīkoi mō Te Tiriti, ActionStation co-delivered a Ngāti Whakaue rangatahi led petition opposing the Treaty Principles Bill, with more than 290,000 signatures — the second largest petition in Aotearoa’s history.

    They also hosted a live watch party for the bill’s second reading on Facebook, joined by Te Tiriti experts Dr Carwyn Jones and Tania Waikato.

    Hartendorp said it was amazing to see people from all over Aotearoa coming together to reject the bill.

    “It’s no longer a minority view that we should respect, but more and more and more people realise that it’s a fundamental part of our national identity that should be respected and not trampled every time a government wants to win power,” she said.

    Looking to the future, Hartendorp said Thursday’s victory was only one milestone in a longer campaign.

    Why people fought back
    “There was a future where this bill hadn’t gone down — this could’ve ended very differently. The reason we’re here now is because people fought back.

    “People from all backgrounds and ages said: ‘We respect Te Tiriti o Waitangi.’

    “We know it’s essential, it’s a part of our history, our past, our present, and our future. And we want to respect that together.”

    Hartendorp said they were now gearing up to fight against essentially another version of the Treaty Principles Bill — but on a local level.

    “In October, people in 42 councils around the country will vote on whether or not to keep their Māori ward councillors, and we think this is going to be a really big deal.”

    The Regulatory Standards Bill is also being closely watched, Hartendorp said, and she believed it could mirror the “divisive tactics” seen with the Treaty Principles Bill.

    “Part of the strategy for David Seymour and the ACT Party was to win over the public mandate by saying the public stands against Te Tiriti o Waitangi. That debate is still on,” she said.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Laos to expand durian farming to support commercial fruit industry

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A large-scale durian cultivation project will be launched in southern Laos’ Attapeu province, covering hundreds of hectares of land to support the government’s push for commercial fruit farming.

    The move supports Laos’ ambition to become a durian supplier to neighboring China, the Lao national TV reported on Thursday.

    More than 273 hectares of land have been allocated for durian cultivation as part of a national policy to promote private investment in agriculture and forest conservation amid a rising demand from China.

    The Lao government is encouraging farmers and producers to supply more goods to the domestic market and produce more for export to bring in much-needed foreign currency.

    The government is targeting a 4.3 percent growth in agriculture for 2025, aiming to increase the sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product to 22.4 percent. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI: Trifork secures landmark project to transform Oman’s healthcare system

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press release

    Trifork secures landmark project to transform Oman’s healthcare system

    Muscat, 11 April 2025 – The Ministry of Health in Oman has selected Trifork to develop a state-of-the-art Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) system while integrating with the National Health Information Exchange (NHER), which in parallel will be upgraded by Trifork during the project. This project represents a significant milestone in modernizing Oman’s healthcare system in alignment with Oman Vision 2040.

    After a competitive bidding process involving six contenders, Trifork was selected for its more than 20 years of expertise in Digital Health, which has been demonstrated through successful projects in Switzerland and Denmark and its strong international profile.

    Strengthening Oman’s healthcare system

    The project aims to upgrade Oman’s healthcare systems. The benefits of the new system include improved cost recovery, allowing government providers to reclaim insurance companies’ expenses more efficiently, faster claims processing, and reduced waiting times for patients at Ministry of Health facilities, which are key steps toward a more patient-focused healthcare experience.

    Key phases and deliverables

    The project is structured into phases, with gradual implementation over two years. The initial proof of concept will be completed in six months, followed by a gradual implementation of core functionalities, ensuring that the benefits of the solutions are implemented as soon as possible.

    These milestones align with the Ministry of Health’s digitalization strategy, which focuses on enhancing healthcare efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and seamless patient care through advanced technology. They also support Oman Vision 2040’s broader goals of leveraging digital transformation to improve public services, strengthen healthcare infrastructure, and drive sustainable national development.

    Strategic partnership

    Trifork Oman brings invaluable expertise from similar engagements across Europe to the project. By integrating advanced solutions and leveraging global best practices, the company will deliver a tailored system that meets the unique needs of Oman’s healthcare ecosystem.

    The Ministry of Health in Oman oversees 263 health institutions, including 50 hospitals (4,954 beds), 21 health complexes, and 192 health centers. In 2022, they recorded 14.9 million outpatient visits – about 41,000 daily. Serving over 5 million people, the ministry prioritizes accessible, high-quality care and advances digital transformation under Oman’s Vision 2040.

    Commitment to innovation in Oman

    “This contract represents a major milestone for Trifork Oman in our ambition to contribute to the Sultanate’s goals for digital transformation and innovation. We are honored to use our strong expertise in digital health to contribute to the ongoing innovation in Oman’s healthcare sector and see this as the start of a long partnership,” says Christian Hemmingsen, CEO of Trifork Oman.

    Investor and media contact

    Frederik Svanholm
    Group Investment Director, Head of IR & PR
    frsv@trifork.com, +41 79 357 7317


    About Trifork

    Trifork is a pioneering global technology partner, empowering enterprise and public sector customers with innovative solutions. With 1,229 professionals across 73 business units in 16 countries, Trifork delivers expertise in inspiring, building, and running advanced software solutions across diverse sectors, including public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate. Trifork Labs, the Group’s R&D hub, drives innovation by investing in and developing synergistic and high-potential technology companies. Trifork Group AG is a publicly listed company on Nasdaq Copenhagen. Learn more at trifork.com.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Peter Dutton’s climate policy backslide threatens Australia’s clout in the Pacific – right when we need it most

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

    Australia’s relationship with its regional neighbours could be in doubt under a Coalition government after two Pacific leaders challenged Opposition Leader Peter Dutton over his weak climate stance.

    This week, Palau’s president Surangel Whipps Jr suggested a 2015 gaffe by Dutton, in which he joked about rising seas lapping at the door of Pacific islanders, had not been forgotten. Speaking at a clean energy conference in Sydney, Whipps said the Pacific’s plight was “not a metaphor or a punchline. It’s our fear and reality.”

    And Tuvalu’s Climate Change Minister, Maina Talia, this month criticised Dutton for suggesting a joint Australia–Pacific bid to host global climate talks next year was “madness”. Talia said Dutton’s comments caused Pacific leaders to “question the nature of our friendship” with Australia.

    Both Labor and Coalition governments have worked hard this decade to cement Australia as a security partner of choice for Pacific nations, as China seeks to expand its influence. Australia’s next government must continue this work by signalling an unwavering commitment to strong climate action.

    What are the major parties offering on climate policy?

    Worsening climate change – with associated sea-level rise and other harms – is the greatest threat to Pacific island nations.

    Pacific leaders have long criticised Australia for its climate policy shortcomings, including its continued reliance on fossil fuels. As Palau’s president Whipps told the ABC this week:

    We are urging Australia – and whoever forms the next government – to take the next steps and stop approving new fossil fuel projects and accelerate the phase-out of coal and gas.

    The Labor government has not agreed to the phase-out. But it has sought to improve Pacific ties through more ambitious climate action.

    In 2022, it introduced a stronger emissions-reduction target – a 43% cut this decade, based on 2005 levels. The same year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Pacific leaders to declare a climate emergency.

    In 2023, Australia signed a climate migration deal with Tuvalu. It also prevents Tuvalu from pursuing a security deal with China.

    A Coalition government would review Australia’s 43% cut to emissions. It would also expand gas production, and slow the shift to renewables while building seven nuclear reactors. Dutton is also considering weakening Australia’s signature climate policy, the safeguard mechanism, which aims to reduce industry emissions.

    And last month, Dutton suggested the Coalition would ditch the Australia–Pacific bid to host the next United Nations climate summit, known as COP31.

    How will this go down in the Pacific?

    Australia has dramatically stepped up engagement with Pacific island countries in recent years. This has been guided by the foreign policy goal of integrating Pacific countries into Australia’s economy and security institutions.

    But Pacific island leaders also expect Australia – the largest member of the Pacific Islands Forum – to seriously tackle the climate crisis. Should Australia fail on this measure, securing our place in the region during a time of growing strategic competition will become increasingly difficult.

    Pacific leaders welcomed Australia’s plans to host the COP31 climate talks and agreed to work with this nation on the joint bid. If Dutton wins power and abandons the COP31 push, he could face a frosty reception when he meets with Pacific island leaders.

    Palau, in particular, could embarrass Dutton on the global stage. It will host the Pacific Islands Forum meeting next year, weeks before the COP31 talks. This year, Palau also takes over as chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, an important negotiating bloc in global climate talks.

    Countering China’s influence

    Australia’s leadership in the Pacific is considered key to our national defence and security. But China’s growing power in the Pacific has weakened Australia’s standing.

    In 2022, for example, Solomon Islands signed a security deal with China to allow naval vessels to be based there – effectively allowing a Chinese military base on Australia’s doorstep. As recently as February this year, the Cook Islands signed a series of agreements with China to enhance cooperation.

    At the same time, the Trump administration has all but abandoned the United States’ overseas aid program. This leaves Australia with even more work to counter China’s creep into the region.

    In last month’s federal budget, Labor redirected aid money to the Pacific to counteract Trump’s cuts. However, Liberal backbenchers reportedly fear Dutton would cut the foreign aid budget and warn a reduction in Pacific aid would strengthen Beijing’s hand.

    Climate policy is key to Australia-Pacific goodwill

    Australia’s past failures on climate policy have hurt our standing in the Pacific – a point conceded by senior Coalition figure Simon Birmingham.

    A Coalition government is likely to continue some diplomatic measures initiated by the Albanese government, such as security agreements with Tuvalu and Nauru, and negotiating a new defence treaty with Papua New Guinea.

    But the depth of feeling among Pacific leaders on climate action cannot be overstated. As global geopolitical tensions sharpen, Australia’s next moves on climate policy will be vital to the future of our Pacific relationship.

    Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council of Australia

    – ref. Peter Dutton’s climate policy backslide threatens Australia’s clout in the Pacific – right when we need it most – https://theconversation.com/peter-duttons-climate-policy-backslide-threatens-australias-clout-in-the-pacific-right-when-we-need-it-most-254385

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Coalition plan to dump fuel efficiency penalties would make Australia a global outlier

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Mortimore, Lecturer, Griffith Business School, Griffith University

    The Coalition has announced it would, if elected to government, weaken a scheme aimed at cutting car emissions.

    The scheme, known as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), was introduced by the Albanese government and was due to take effect in July. It involved issuing penalties to automakers that breach an emissions ceiling on their total new car sales.

    The new Coalition plan, announced this week, would see such penalties abolished.

    But the penalties are crucial. Without penalties, automakers have limited incentive to supply fuel efficient, low or zero-CO₂ emitting vehicles to the Australian market.

    If this plan became government policy, it would make Australia an international outlier – and put at risk Australia’s ability to meet its obligations under the Paris climate agreement.

    An international outlier

    More than 85% of the international car market is covered by fuel efficiency standards.

    Without a robust New Vehicle Efficiency Standard scheme, complete with penalties for automakers that break the rules, Australia would join Russia in the tiny minority of developed countries without strong fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles.

    Abolishing the penalties embedded in the scheme also risks making Australia the world’s dumping ground for inefficient vehicles.

    That’s because the penalties embedded in the scheme are there to incentivise automakers to sell more efficient vehicles in Australia.

    The current scheme, as it is, is not particularly punitive. Automakers that breach their cap of emissions are given up to two years to fix their mistakes before being issued with a financial penalty.

    Weakening the scheme won’t help make it easier for Australians to buy fuel-efficient cars.

    Decarbonising Australian roads

    The 2015 Paris Agreement, to which Australia is a signatory, requires developed nations to decarbonise their transport by as much as 80% by 2050.

    Carbon emissions from Australian transport accounts for 21.1% of the nation’s emissions (to June 2023).

    It represents the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia.

    Without measures aimed at making cars more fuel efficient, Australia’s CO₂ emissions will continue to rise. It will be harder to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement.

    It’s regulation, not a tax

    The Coalition, which is hoping to pick up votes in outer-ring suburbs, has called the penalties embedded in the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard scheme a “car tax”.

    Liberal leader Peter Dutton said this week:

    This is a tax on families who need a reliable car and small businesses trying to grow. Instead of making life easier, Labor is making it harder and more expensive […] We want cleaner, cheaper cars on Australian roads as we head towards net zero by 2050, but forcing unfair penalties on carmakers and consumers is not the answer.

    But these penalties are not a tax; they are a form of regulation. Automakers that meet the rules wouldn’t have to pay penalties, under the current scheme.

    If the goal is to reduce people’s hip-pocket pain at the bowser, the focus should be on ensuring Australians can buy fuel-efficient vehicles.

    That means incentivising automakers to bring fuel-efficient vehicles to the Australian market. It also means avoiding any policy that encourages carmakers to see Australia as a dumping ground for gas-guzzling vehicles.

    Anna Mortimore receives funding from Reliable Affordable Clean Energy Cooperative Research Centre for 2030 (RACE for 2030).

    – ref. Coalition plan to dump fuel efficiency penalties would make Australia a global outlier – https://theconversation.com/coalition-plan-to-dump-fuel-efficiency-penalties-would-make-australia-a-global-outlier-254386

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: Tryg A/S – Interim report Q1 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

     Tryg’s Supervisory Board has today approved the interim report Q1 2025.

    Tryg reported an insurance service result of DKK 1,540m (DKK 1,280m) and a combined ratio of 84.2% (86.6%) in Q1 2025. The higher insurance service result was supported by a growth of 3.7% in local currencies, a benign level of weather claims, and a continued underlying profitability improvement. The investment result was robust at DKK 320m (DKK 112m). Pre-tax profit was DKK 1,491m (DKK 1,007m) and profit after tax was DKK 1,118m (DKK 776m). Ordinary dividend of DKK 2.05 (DKK 1.95) per share for the quarter, is an increase of more than 5% from last year. The reported solvency ratio at the end of Q1 2025 was 195%, supporting future shareholder remuneration. Tryg launched a DKK 2bn buyback on 4 December 2024, of which some DKK 1.3bn has been bought back at the end of Q1.

    Financial highlights Q1 2025

    • Insurance revenue growth of 3.7% in local currencies (4.8%)
    • Insurance service result of DKK 1,540m (DKK 1,280m)
    • Combined ratio of 84.2% (86.6%)
    • Expense ratio of 13.3% (13.5%)
    • Investment result of DKK 320m (DKK 112m)
    • Profit before tax of DKK 1,491m (DKK 1,007m)
    • Ordinary dividend of DKK 2.05 (DKK 1.95) per share and solvency ratio of 195%

     Customer highlights Q1 2025

    • Customer satisfaction score of 82 (81)

    Statement by Group CEO Johan Kirstein Brammer:
    We have had a good start in executing our 2027 strategy, and I am pleased that we are delivering a solid set of results for the first quarter of the year. We have helped customers with more than half a million claims and paid out more than DKK 6.6 billion in disbursements, while managing to improve customer satisfaction. Especially, the implementation of an improved welcome flow for new customers and even faster claims handling is something that we see customers responding positively to. Meanwhile, the world around us has changed significantly both politically and macroeconomically, and therefore our financial robustness as an insurance company is more crucial than ever. Tryg Group must remain strong so that we can fulfill our obligations to our customers and shareholders.

    Conference call
    Tryg hosts a conference call today at 10:00 CET. CEO Johan Kirstein Brammer, CFO Allan Kragh Thaysen, CTO Mikael Kärrsten and Head of Financial Reporting, SVP Gianandrea Roberti will present the results in brief followed by Q&As.

    The conference call will be held in English. An on-demand version will be available shortly after the conference call has ended.

    Conference call details:
    Danish participants:              +45 78 76 84 90
    UK participants:                    +44 203 769 6819
    US participants:                    +1 646 787 0157
    PIN: 560768

    The interim report material can be downloaded on www.tryg.com/downloads-2025 shortly after the time of release.

    Contact information:

    Visit tryg.com for more information. 

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN participates in the Amity Circle Retreat III in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today attended the Amity Circle Retreat III, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In line with the focus of the retreat, Dr. Kao shared his views on the current geopolitical situation, particularly those that affect ASEAN, and potential risks that the region might address in the future. Emphasising the need to strengthen resilience and promote strategic stability in the region, Dr. Kao highlighted the importance of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which will be adopted by ASEAN Leaders in May 2025, as well as the ongoing efforts on ASEAN key initiatives, such as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN participates in the Amity Circle Retreat III in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Secretary-General of ASEAN participates in the Amity Circle Retreat III in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today attended the Amity Circle Retreat III, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In line with the focus of the retreat, Dr. Kao shared his views on the current geopolitical situation, particularly those that affect ASEAN, and potential risks that the region might address in the future. Emphasising the need to strengthen resilience and promote strategic stability in the region, Dr. Kao highlighted the importance of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which will be adopted by ASEAN Leaders in May 2025, as well as the ongoing efforts on ASEAN key initiatives, such as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA).

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN participates in the Amity Circle Retreat III in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI China: 2025 Crabapple Gala celebrates blossoming global friendship

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The 2025 Crabapple Gala and Crabapple Poetry Party, sponsored by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (SCLF) and supported by the Xicheng District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, were held at the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling in Beijing on April 7.

    Ambassadors and representatives of international organizations from over 40 countries, alongside more than 200 attendees, including officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), participated in the event to celebrate cultural exchanges and global friendship.

    Guests attend the 2025 Crabapple Gala and Crabapple Poetry Party at the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

    Li Bin, chairperson of the SCLF, emphasized the role of the annual event in promoting cultural exchange. She noted that the event brought together international and domestic guests to enjoy the flowers, while appreciating the charm of Chinese culture and the vibrant cultures of different countries.

    “The China Soong Ching Ling Foundation is committed to strengthening communication, expanding cooperation and advancing cultural exchanges,” she said. “We aim to facilitate people-to-people connections and contribute to the development of national relations, ultimately working toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.”

    Jürg Burri, ambassador of Switzerland to China, stated in his speech that the event embodies openness, inclusiveness, mutual respect and friendship between countries and peoples.

    He highlighted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland, and noted that his country is always willing to be China’s preferred partner and its gateway to the European market. 

    Artist Ding Jie, SCLF chairperson Li Bin and Swiss ambassador Jürg Burri, pose for a photo on stage at the opening of the event, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

    Other foreign guests in attendance also praised the event as well as the contributions made by Soong Ching Ling and the foundation.

    “The planning, setting and presentation are all fantastic,” said Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Ur Rahman Hashmi, when speaking about the event. He further elaborated on the importance of the poetry aspect, explaining that it showcased the diversity of language, expressions and emotions, and highlighted its role in bringing people together and enhancing understanding.

    Beate Trankmann, resident representative of UNDP China, commended Soong Ching Ling’s advocacy for women’s participation in social and political life.

    “I think her mission in life remains very important, especially in this time and age, in a tech-dominated world,” Trankmann noted.

    This year’s Crabapple Gala also featured interactive activities showcasing China’s traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage, including calligraphy, painting, tea art and dough figure-making. With flowers as a symbol, foreign guests gathered to celebrate the legacy of traditional Chinese culture, strengthen cultural exchange and build lasting friendships across borders.

    Foreign guests watch dough figure-making at the 2025 Crabapple Gala, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

    A foreign guest posts customized postcards at the 2025 Crabapple Gala, Beijing, April 7, 2025. [Photo courtesy of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Meets with Quad City Chamber and Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development to Discuss Impact of Trump’s Tariffs on Local Workers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 10, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of the Quad City Chamber and the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development (KCAP) to discuss the harmful impacts Trump’s chaotic trade and other actions are having on the local economy and workers—including the whiplash surrounding his sweeping tariffs, illegal pauses in federal funding and needless trade wars. Duckworth also spoke about how Trump’s blanket tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China negatively impact Illinois consumers, workers and the local manufacturing industry. Photos from today’s meeting with the Quad City Chamber can be found on the Senator’s website.
    “Whether imposing sweeping tariffs then pausing them with no warning, starting trade wars or freezing federal funding, Trump’s chaotic and uncertain decision-making is harming Illinois’s workforce and manufacturers, while pushing away our nation’s allies around the world,” Duckworth said. “The consequences of Trump’s needless trade wars will hurt key Illinois manufacturers and small businesses, which employ many hardworking, middle-class workers across our state’s communities. I’m proud to work alongside our local leaders at the Quad City Chamber and KCAP as we continue to push back against Trump and his one-sided political interests.”
    The Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development (KCAP) launched in 2015 to provide economic development services to the Galesburg and Knox County region. The Quad Cities Chamber is made up of the most diverse network of influential business leaders in the Quad Cities region. Their members are committed to advancing the Quad Cities economy and to helping each other succeed.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Republicans Block Duckworth, Blumenthal and Sanders’ Resolutions to Condemn Trump-Musk Attacks on Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 09, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and former SVAC Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for unanimous consent on the Senate Floor to pass three resolutions that would condemn the Trump Administration’s egregious cuts and firings targeting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Veterans across the federal government. Senate Republicans blocked every single one of them. Video of Senator Duckworth’s remarks are available on her YouTube.
    “Two power-hungry billionaires who never served a day of their lives in uniform are taking a chainsaw to the VA, jeopardizing Veterans’ care as well as firing Veterans by the thousands,” said Duckworth. “And, by blocking our resolutions that simply condemn these reckless actions today, Republicans are once again cheering on Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s complete betrayal of our nation’s heroes. Republicans like to claim that they support our Veterans, but their actions tell a different story. Shame on Senate Republicans for continuing to kick more and more of our heroes to the curb—they own these votes and will have to answer for them.”
    “The VA is in crisis. We need to take action for our Veterans and VA employees who are deeply disserved and damaged by the Trump and Musk cruel slash and trash regime,” said Blumenthal. “Yet, when my colleagues and I asked for unanimous consent to reverse these draconian and indiscriminate cuts—Republicans once again blocked our resolutions to restore the VA and federal Veteran workforce. Now more than ever, Veterans need assurances both parties will stand up to protect the benefits and health care they earned—especially the life-saving mental health care they rely on.”
    “The VA is not perfect. It needs improvement. But the idea that you can lay off 83,000 employees and make the VA more efficient is absurd. It is disturbing to me that anyone who claims to support Veterans and the sacrifices they have made would object to this resolution,” said Sanders.
    The Senators called for unanimous consent on the following resolutions, which were blocked by Senate Republicans:
    Duckworth’s resolution to condemn the Trump and Musk assault on the federal workforce, and demand the immediate reinstatement of all Veteran federal employees illegally and indiscriminately fired since Trump took office.
    Blumenthal’s resolution to condemn actions taken by Trump and Elon Musk negatively impacting Veterans’ mental health care and suicide prevention efforts, including the mass firing of VA employees serving Veterans. It also calls for all VA mental health care and suicide prevention efforts to be fully staffed and resourced—not the subject of additional cuts.
    Sanders’ resolution to condemn and rescind Trump and Musk’s disastrous proposal to reduce the VA workforce to Fiscal Year 2019 levels by cutting 83,000 jobs.
    Duckworth has consistently led efforts to stick up for our Veterans and push back on harmful policies and layoffs from the Trump Administration that are hurting our nation’s heroes.
    Last month, Duckworth and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced their Protect Veteran Jobs Act, legislation that would reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were fired from their jobs as part of Trump and Musk’s indiscriminate purge of federal employees. When Duckworth and Kim subsequently introduced their legislation as an amendment to Republicans’ slush fund continuing resolution, Republicans shamefully blocked it from passing. Today marks the second time Republicans are on the record as being against restoring our heroes’ jobs.
    In February, Duckworth joined Blumenthal and a group of 34 Democratic Senators calling on Department of VA Secretary Collins to immediately reinstate the more than 1,000 VA employees terminated earlier that month who serve Veterans and their families nationwide, including critical employees addressing Veteran suicide working at the Veterans Crisis Line.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Pushes for More Cooperation with Indo-Pacific Partners on Medical Readiness and Strategic Sealift to Support Servicemembers Abroad

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 10, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)—urged Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr. and Commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) General Brunson to build on their efforts to expand cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners by further implementing her Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness Program and strengthening our sealift fleet, which is aging and insufficient in numbers to support our military in the event of a crisis or conflict. Senator Duckworth’s Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness program—a program she championed in last year’s FY2025 NDAA—will help ensure our nation’s servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region—where they often must travel long distances to receive care. In her remarks, Duckworth asked whether there were any primary barriers that hinder medical cooperation and how the committee can continue to help implement her program. Duckworth’s full remarks are available on the Senator’s YouTube.
    “We owe it to the troops we send overseas—and their families—to ensure they have access to the high-quality medical care their sacrifices deserve, whether that means getting injured servicemembers to medical facilities within the ‘golden hour’ wherein lives can still be saved or simply ensuring military families are able to deliver their babies safely,” said Duckworth. “I applaud Admiral Paparo and General Brunson’s efforts to improve the logistical readiness of our Armed Forces and with our allies and partners, but there’s more work to do. Everyone knows I’m TRANSCOM’s biggest advocate, and I look forward to continuing to work with INDOPACOM and USFK to address my concerns with medical readiness, strategic sealift and more across the region.”
    In November 2023, the DoD Office of Inspector General released a report identifying repeated challenges that servicemembers and their families face when trying to access quality health care in the Indo-Pacific region, including staffing shortages and limited Tricare network providers. At certain military treatment facilities, many servicemembers are also confronted with limited specialty care, such as obstetrics and physical therapy, impacting their quality of life.
    In addition to her medical readiness provision, Duckworth successfully championed several other important provisions in last year’s NDAA that are supporting our servicemembers and their families, enhancing strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, improving logistics to bolster readiness and energy resiliency as well as continuing to restore American competitiveness.
    Duckworth is a proven leader when it comes to strengthening our relations with Indo-Pacific nations and improving security in the region—which she has done while successfully securing significant international investments in Illinois. Last year, Duckworth led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Taiwan and this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore to underscore strong U.S. bipartisan support for our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific and strengthen our ties in the region. In 2023, Duckworth also led an official visit to Japan and Indonesia as part of her continuing efforts to strengthen ties and reinforce support between allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States. In the summer of that same year, Duckworth also led another official visit to the region, visiting Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to meet with government and business leaders and discuss opportunities that would increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as economic investments, regional stability and national security.
    Duckworth also successfully included a modified version of her Strengthen Taiwan’s Security Act in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to help Taiwan strengthen its military defenses.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Golden votes against reckless, deficit-funded GOP budget resolution

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

    House-Senate ‘compromise’ contains health care cuts, lopsided tax breaks for the wealthy and trillions in new debt

    WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) voted today against the Senate Amendment to H. Con. Res. 14 — a compromise budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2025. 

    “You can’t build a good house with rotten wood. This compromise combines the House GOP’s plan to cut health care to pay for millionaires’ tax cuts with a Senate GOP plan to explode the deficit and enshrine accounting gimmicks that set a new low for fiscal instability. I see no way that combining these two bad plans will somehow yield a good one through the reconciliation process,” Golden said. 

    “There’s a better way forward: Congress could target tax cuts to working families, paid for by allowing the expiration of tax cuts for the very wealthy. We don’t need to take away anyone’s health care or pass trillions in new deficit spending to pass a budget that puts the middle class first,” Golden said.

    The proposal on the floor today was a Senate amendment to the GOP budget resolution adopted by the House in February. As amended, the plan:

    • allows for roughly $5.3 trillion in deficit-financed tax cuts, including $3.8 trillion to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which disproportionately benefitted the wealthy;
    • uses an accounting gimmick known as the “current policy baseline” to artificially reduce the legislation’s price tag;
    • instructions for the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion in spending — a target that will be impossible to reach without hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
    • a $5 trillion debt limit increase; and
    • more than $7 trillion in new debt, in total, over the next decade. 

    The elements of the House-Senate compromise budget resolution are stacked against working families: Roughly half the benefit of extending the full 2017 tax package would go to households with annual income over $450,000. The Treasury Department found that the plan would give an average annual tax break of more than $32,000 for those in the top 1 percent, while working families will only get a few hundred dollars in tax cuts per year.

    Cuts to Medicaid would hurt families in the 2nd Congressional District. Medicaid provides health coverage to 236,000 people in CD2 — more than one-third of the population — according to KFF.

    The national debt is currently roughly $29 trillion. Interest on the debt costs the federal government more every year than on national defense or Medicare. It is second only to Social Security as an annual line item in the federal budget.

    ### 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Golden votes to pass bipartisan SAVE Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

    WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today voted for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The bill passed the House 220- 208, with four Democrats voting in favor.

    “The right to vote in American elections should be exclusive to American citizens. Requiring people to prove citizenship when registering to vote is a simple way to ensure that’s happening across the country,” Golden said.

    While noncitizens are ineligible to vote in federal elections, there is no federal law prohibiting them from voting in state or local elections. Currently, municipalities in three states and the District of Columbia allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.

    The SAVE Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. Critics of the billhave argued that the proof of citizenship requirement would prevent people whose names differ from those on their birth certificate from registering to vote. However, the bill contains several provisions to accommodate those whose names have changed since their birth, including accepting several different forms of identification that establish citizenship, as well as a requirement that states establish a process to allow citizens to register when there are discrepancies between an individual’s current and documented name — such as a name change after a marriage or divorce.

    “Life changes like marriage should never affect someone’s eligibility to vote, so the SAVE Act requires states to have a plan for accommodating people whose current name differs from their birth name,” Golden said. “Maine’s leaders work hard to keep our elections fair and I’m confident in their ability to continue doing so.” 

    The bill would require states to remove any noncitizens from their voter registration rolls. Additionally, it penalizes officials who knowingly and willfully register noncitizens to vote in the future. The SAVE Act does not change registration exemptions for Americans serving or living abroad, meaning that those citizens would still be eligible to register and vote by mail.

    Golden also voted for the SAVE Act last September when it passed the 118th Congress by a bipartisan vote of 221-198.

    Golden has been a champion for clean and fair elections throughout his time in Congress. He is an original cosponsor of the Let America Vote Act, which would allow independents to vote in primaries for federal office while barring noncitizens from voting in state and local elections — rules that are inconsistent across state lines. Last Congress he also introduced his Government Integrity and Anti-Corruption Plan to reduce foreign influence and dark money in campaigns.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.10.2025 Sen. Cruz Applauds Signing of Cryptocurrency Resolution into Law

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    Published: 04.10.2025
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released a statement following President Trump signing his Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution regarding Decentralized Finance (DeFi). This resolution overturns an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rule on cryptocurrency that would have defined certain developers as “brokers” for reporting and taxation. 
    Upon the CRA being signed into law, Sen. Cruz said, “This rule would have undermined American leadership on cryptocurrency and I am grateful to President Trump for signing my resolution into law. The resolution is a victory for innovation, privacy, and economic freedom. We are protecting the developers who are building the future of cryptocurrency, making clear that the United States will not cede digital leadership to China, and preserving the ability of Americans to conduct transactions without government interference.”
    Sen. Cruz is the leader in the U.S. Senate on advancing cryptocurrency.
    Sen. Cruz introduced the Facilitate Lower Atmospheric Released Emissions (FLARE) Act, incentivizing entrepreneurs and crypto miners to use natural gas that would otherwise be stranded.
    Sen. Cruz introduced the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, legislation that prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC). This bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.
    Sen. Cruz previously introduced legislation in 2022 and 2023 to prohibit the Federal Reserve from developing a direct-to-consumer central bank digital currency, which could be used as a financial surveillance tool by the federal government.
    Sen. Cruz authored the Adopting Cryptocurrency in Congress as an Exchange of Payment for Transactions Resolution, also known as the ACCEPT Resolution.
    Sen. Cruz introduced an amendment to repeal a provision from the 2021 infrastructure package that created new reporting requirements for many cryptocurrency and blockchain companies in both the 117th and 118th Congresses.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Prescribed hazard reduction burn near Lower Cotter Catchment

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services



    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 11/04/2025

    A prescribed hazard reduction burn on Old Mill Road near the Lower Cotter Catchment will commence tomorrow, Saturday 12 April, subject to suitable weather and fuel moisture conditions.

    The prescribed hazard reduction burn on Old Mill Road is being conducted to reduce the fire hazard in the area.

    See the location map of the burn site.

    Experienced ACT Parks and Conservation Service fire managers will conduct and oversee the burning operations. Every effort is made to conduct burns in weather conditions that will minimise the impact of smoke, but temporary smoke cover is possible and may be visible across parts of Canberra.

    Fire crews will be on the ground monitoring and patrolling the prescribed burn to its conclusion.

    Smoke, flame, and glowing embers may be seen at this site, which is normal for these types of operations. The public are asked not to call emergency triple-zero unless they see any unattended fire.

    Prescribed burns are an important part of the ACT’s annual Bushfire Operations Plan to enhance ecological quality, reduce the risk of bushfires and help keep Canberrans safe.

    More information about prescribed hazard reduction burns is available on the Parks ACT website.

    – Statement ends –

    ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate | Media Releases

    Media Contacts

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Directorate Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 11, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 11, 2025.

    Do Inuit languages really have many words for snow? The most interesting finds from our study of 616 languages
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Kemp, Professor, School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Languages are windows into the worlds of the people who speak them – reflecting what they value and experience daily. So perhaps it’s no surprise different languages highlight different areas of vocabulary. Scholars have noted

    Labor gains 5-point lead in a YouGov poll, taken during Trump tariff chaos
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national YouGov poll, conducted April 4–10 from a sample of 1,505, gave Labor a 52.5–47.5 lead, a 1.5-point gain for Labor since the March 28 to

    Better cleaning of hospital equipment could cut patient infections by one-third – and save money
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing and Health Services Research, University of Newcastle Annie Spratt/Unsplash Hospital-acquired infections are infections patients didn’t have when they were admitted to hospital. The most common include wound infections after surgery, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. These can have a big impact for

    As more communities have to consider relocation, we explore what happens to the land after people leave
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christina Hanna, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Christina Hanna, CC BY-SA Once floodwaters subside, talk of planned retreat inevitably rises. Within Aotearoa New Zealand, several communities from north to south – including Kumeū, Kawatiri Westport and parts of Ōtepoti Dunedin – are considering future

    Extinctions of Australian mammals have long been blamed on foxes and cats – but where’s the evidence?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arian Wallach, Future Fellow in Ecology, Queensland University of Technology michael garner/Shutterstock In 1938, zoologist Ellis Le Geyt Troughton mourned that Australia’s “gentle and specialized creatures” were “unable to cope with changed conditions and introduced enemies”. The role of these “enemies” – namely, foxes and feral cats

    Yes, government influences wages – but not just in the way you might think
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Peetz, Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow at the Centre for Future Work, and Professor Emeritus, Griffith Business School, Griffith University doublelee/Shutterstock Can the government actually make a difference to the wages Australians earn? A lot of attention always falls on the government’s submission to the Fair

    Sorry gamers, Nintendo’s hefty Switch 2 price tag signals the new normal – and it might still go up
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Egliston, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures, Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, University of Sydney Last week, Nintendo announced the June 5 release of its long anticipated Switch 2. But the biggest talking point wasn’t the console’s launch titles or features. At US$449 in the United States,

    A fair go for young Australians in this election? Voters are weighing up intergenerational inequity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Woodman, TR Ashworth Professor in Sociology, The University of Melbourne Securing the welfare of future generations seems like solid grounds for judging policies and politicians, especially during an election campaign. Political legacies are on the line because the stakes are so high. There is a real

    The Coalition prepares to soften Australia’s 2030 climate target, while reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute The Coalition has been forced to reassert its commitment to the Paris climate agreement after its energy spokesman Ted O’Brien appeared to waver on the pledge on Thursday. O’Brien faced off against Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen at

    Grattan on Friday: Will there be leadership changes on both sides of politics next parliamentary term?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When Jim Chalmers and Angus Taylor met for this week’s treasurers’ debate, the moderator observed that in three or six years they might be facing each other as prime minister and opposition leader. Election results trigger, or subsequently lead to,

    ‘Alarmist nonsense’: Labor and Coalition dismissed security risks over the Port of Darwin for years. What’s changed?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (UTS:ACRI), University of Technology Sydney Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have both committed to stripping a Chinese company, Landbridge, of the lease to operate Darwin Port. Landbridge paid A$506 million for the 99-year lease from

    This chart explains why Trump backflipped on tariffs. The economic damage would have been huge
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Giesecke, Professor, Centre of Policy Studies and the Impact Project, Victoria University The Trump administration has announced a 90-day pause on its plan to impose so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all US imports. But the pause does not extend to China, where import duties will rise

    Big changes are planned for aged care in 2025. But you’d never know from the major parties
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hal Swerissen, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, La Trobe University Ground Picture/Shutterstock There has been little new in pre-election promises for Australia’s aged-care workers, providers or the 1.3 million people who use aged care. In March, Labor announced A$2.6 billion for another pay rise for aged-care nurses

    Good boy or bad dog? Our 1 billion pet dogs do real environmental damage
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University William Edge/Shutterstock There are an estimated 1 billion domesticated dogs in the world. Most are owned animals – pets, companions or working animals who share their lives with humans. They are the most common large predator in the world.

    A damning study of online abuse of female MPs shows urgent legal reform is needed
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Mudgway, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Canterbury Media Whale Stock/Shutterstock Women MPs are increasingly targets of misogynistic, racist and sexual online abuse, but New Zealand’s legal framework to protect them is simply not fit for purpose. Recently released research found online threats of physical and

    Fresh details emerge on Australia’s new climate migration visa for Tuvalu residents. An expert explains
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney The details of a new visa enabling Tuvaluan citizens to permanently migrate to Australia were released this week. The visa was created as part of a bilateral treaty Australia and Tuvalu

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 10, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 10, 2025.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, LAC countries actively preparing for 4th ministerial meeting of China-CELAC Forum

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

    China, LAC countries actively preparing for 4th ministerial meeting of China-CELAC Forum

    BEIJING, April 10 — China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are actively advancing preparations for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

    In response to a related query, spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily news briefing that Latin America and the Caribbean is an important part of the Global South and an active participant in and contributor to global governance. CELAC is an important platform for regional countries to strengthen solidarity and coordination in addressing global challenges.

    The inaugural ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum was successfully held in Beijing in January 2015, marking the official launch of the forum, Lin noted.

    Over the past decade, the forum has flourished with increasingly mature mechanisms and has become an important platform for enhancing political mutual trust, aligning development strategies, and promoting people-to-people connectivity between China and LAC countries, Lin said.

    It has played a positive role in bringing the China-Latin America relations onto a new stage that features equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness, and benefits for the people, he added.

    As changes of the world, of history, and of the times unfold at an unprecedented pace and uncertainties, instabilities and unpredictability in the world are notably increasing, the fourth ministerial meeting of the forum will enable the two sides to discuss development strategies, jointly address challenges, amplify the Global South’s collective voice for solidarity and self-reliance, and provide stability and positive energy for a world of turbulence, Lin said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Blunt Rochester, colleagues demand answers from the Trump administration regarding decision to cancel funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester (both D-Del.) joined a letter to Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, led by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, demanding answers regarding the administration’s decision to cancel funding for 10 National Institute of Standards and Technology Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers across the country. In addition to Senators Coons, Blunt Rochester, and Cantwell, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) also signed on.

    MEP Centers serve as a crucial bridge between small businesses and federal research facilities, providing businesses with key technologies and knowledge to improve manufacturing, make supply chains more efficient, and strengthen business practices. The affected centers in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming have boosted the productivity and competitiveness of thousands of small American manufacturers across the country for decades. Delaware’s program has helped create or retain 423 jobs within the last year, and generate or maintain $34.3 million in sales and $42.5 million in new client investments.

    “Small manufacturers rely on MEP Centers for essential support in adopting the latest advanced technologies, updating their cybersecurity, navigating supply chain challenges, and accessing workforce training—resources that are often out of reach for small businesses without this dedicated assistance,” the senators wrote. “These centers drive innovation, boost productivity, and create high-quality jobs, strengthening both local economies and America’s global competitiveness. Without this critical federal support, MEP Centers—especially those with the fewest resources, and those serving rural and underserved communities—will be at the greatest risk of closure.

    Since 1988, the MEP has worked to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturing through a nationwide network of MEP Centers. The MEP National Network is comprised of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and over 1,450 trusted advisors and experts at more than 430 MEP service locations that provide any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.

    The economic impact of these centers has been substantial. A report by Summit Consulting and the Upjohn Institute found that the MEP program generated an economic and financial return ratio of more than 17:1 on the $175 million in funding invested by the federal government in FY2023. The study also determined that MEP Centers contributed to an overall increase of nearly 309,000 jobs nationwide.

    The full letter can be read here and below.

    Dear Secretary Lutnick,

    We write to express our deep concern regarding the Department of Commerce’s recent decision to cancel future funding for ten National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This decision has raised widespread concern across the entire national network of MEP Centers, prompting fears about whether these initial cancellations are the first step in a broader effort to dismantle the program and eliminate federal funding for all 51 centers, with centers in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin expected to be notified about their status shortly. Given the MEP program’s long-standing, bipartisan support in strengthening small and medium-sized American manufacturers, we share these concerns and urge you to provide clarity and certainty on your plans for the future of the MEP program.

    According to the National Association of Manufacturers, 93% of manufacturers have fewer than 100 employees, while 75% have fewer than 20 employees.[1] Small manufacturers rely on MEP Centers for essential support in adopting the latest advanced technologies, updating their cybersecurity, navigating supply chain challenges, and accessing workforce training—resources that are often out of reach for small businesses without this dedicated assistance. These centers drive innovation, boost productivity, and create high-quality jobs, strengthening both local economies and America’s global competitiveness. Without this critical federal support, MEP Centers—especially those with the fewest resources, and those serving rural and underserved communities—will be at the greatest risk of closure.

    Dismantling this program would not only disrupt benefits for small businesses but also undermine decades of federal investment in domestic manufacturing resilience, which Congress prioritized in the MEP program in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Congress also reauthorized the MEP program in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. NIST was provided $175 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 to fund the MEP Centers. In FY2024 alone, the MEP National Network resulted in $2.6 billion in cost savings, $15 billion in new and retained sales, $5 billion in new client investments, and over 108,000 jobs created or retained.[2] Additionally, a report by Summit Consulting and the Upjohn Institute found that the MEP program generated a substantial economic and financial return ratio of more than 17:1 for the $175 million funding invested by the federal government in FY2023. The study also determined that MEP Center projects contributed to an overall increase of nearly 309,000 jobs across the United States.[3]

    Given these benefits and the funding in the FY 2025 Continuing Resolution, we request a full explanation of the rationale behind this funding decision and ask that you promptly reconsider. Additionally, we urge the Department of Commerce to provide Congress with an impact assessment detailing how this decision will affect manufacturers in the affected states and regions. This action has caused tremendous uncertainty for all MEP Centers and the thousands of American manufacturing companies and their workers.  Therefore, to better understand your plans for renewals across other states in the future, we request a briefing on the way ahead for the overall MEP program prior to making any final non-renewal decisions by April 30, 2025. 

    Eliminating federal support for MEP Centers would hamper American small and medium-sized manufacturers. We urge you to take immediate action to protect the MEP program and the manufacturers that rely on it. We look forward to your response no later than April 30, 2025, and are ready to work with you to find solutions that maintain and enhance the MEP program’s ability to serve America’s manufacturing sector.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Crapo, Blunt Rochester, Fetterman and Tillis Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Housing Supply Frameworks Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Housing Supply Frameworks Act.  
    The lack of affordable housing is the top issue Idahoans bring up to Senator Crapo in meetings across the state.
    The Housing Supply Frameworks Act would provide resources to help communities rehaul their zoning and land use regulations.  By channeling national expertise, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would provide a new framework to assist localities in breaking down barriers and increasing the supply of affordable housing across income levels.  The bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-Colorado) and Representative Mike Flood (R-Nebraska).
    The federal government first laid the foundation for zoning in the 1920s with the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act, a model law for states to enable zoning regulations in their jurisdictions.  This legislation provides a similar conceptual framework that would help states and localities move toward the regulatory structure needed for the housing industry of the 21st century, without imposing a federal mandate.
    “The affordable housing crisis is squeezing too many Americans out of the dream of homeownership.  Equipping cities and states with tools to change their zoning and land use policies to accommodate increasing the available supply of housing is a good place to start in mitigating this crisis,” said Senator Crapo.  “This bill contains no federal mandate, but would empower municipalities to choose zoning reforms uniquely tailored to the needs of their local communities.”
    “Everyone deserves a safe, comfortable, and affordable place to call home.  Yet, from major cities to rural communities, the impacts of America’s housing crisis are being felt by everyone.  In the wealthiest country in the world, a housing crisis of this magnitude is simply unacceptable,” said Senator Blunt Rochester.  “The Housing Supply Frameworks Act reduces some of the regulatory barriers that make it too expensive and too time-consuming to build new, affordable housing.  By removing red tape, we can facilitate a housing boom that meets the needs of our communities across the country.”
    “We are currently facing a housing crisis in Pennsylvania and across the country.  We must increase our housing supply to meet Americans’ needs – but excessive regulatory red tape and restrictive zoning requirements are getting in the way,” said Senator Fetterman.  “The Housing Supply Frameworks Act will help address this crisis by providing assistance to states and localities to enact zoning reforms.  I’m glad to work with Senators Blunt Rochester, Crapo and Tillis, and our partners in the House, Representatives Flood and Pettersen, to introduce this important bipartisan legislation.  I hope to see it passed this Congress.”
    “This bipartisan legislation gives local communities the tools they need to modernize zoning and land use policies to make housing more affordable and accessible for North Carolinians,” said Senator Tillis.  “By equipping states and municipalities with the resources to streamline regulations and cut unnecessary red tape, we can expand affordable housing options for families across the nation.”
    “Coloradans know all too well that we have a housing crisis across our state and the country,” said Rep. Pettersen.  “We need to build up the supply of housing to bring down costs for renters and homebuyers.  I’m proud to partner with my colleagues, Representative Flood and Senators Blunt Rochester and Crapo, to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will help us address policies affecting affordability and build more housing to help those who need it the most.”
    “The rising cost of housing is putting the American Dream out of reach for working families across our country,” said Representative Flood.  “We need an all-of-the-above approach to addressing America’s housing crisis.  To this end, the Housing Supply Frameworks Act helps establish suggested best practices for state and local governments across the country who want to break down barriers holding back development and innovation in housing and construction.  Thank you to my colleague, Rep. Pettersen and the Senate bill leads Senators Blunt Rochester, Crapo, Fetterman and Tillis for helping lead this bipartisan bill that is one small but important step towards bringing down the cost of housing and make it more accessible and affordable.”
    Idahoans can help identify the root causes of the housing crisis and propose solutions by participating in Senator Crapo’s affordable housing survey — https://www.crapo.senate.gov/issues/affordable-housing-survey (available through May 31).  Survey results will be used to help inform legislation on the affordable housing crisis.
    The legislation is endorsed by more than 140 housing advocacy organizations, including:
    Up For Growth Action, American Planning Association, Casita Coalition, Chamber of Progress, Coalition For Home Repair (formerly ReFrame Foundation), Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, Congress For The New Urbanism, Inc., Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, Enterprise Community Partners, Grounded Solutions Network, Habitat For Humanity International, Inc., Housing Assistance Council, Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers, Inclusive Abundance Action, Leading Builders of America, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors, Main Street America, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Apartment Association, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, National Association of Residential Property Managers, National Council of State Housing Agencies, National Housing Conference, Inc., National Leased Housing Association, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Multifamily Housing Council, National NeighborWorks Association, National Rental Home Council, National Urban League, Niskanen Center, Smart Growth America, UnidosUS, and YIMBY Action.
    Up For Growth Action
    Up for Growth Action CEO Mike Kingsella said, “Supporting legislation that empowers state and local governments with the resources, data and innovative models they need to reform regulatory barriers is essential to solving the housing crisis.  The Housing Supply Frameworks Act will tip the scales in hundreds of communities who are eager to create more housing but need help getting started.” 
    APA
    Sue Schwartz, FAICP, President, American Planning Association said, “Supporting innovative local approaches to housing and zoning reform is an essential part of tackling the nation’s housing crisis.  The bipartisan Housing Supply Frameworks Act will provide critical insights and understandings that planners need to drive the reforms necessary to unlock the housing supply, choice and affordability that communities need.  The American Planning Association supports this legislation as a targeted, high-impact tool to meet today’s housing challenge.”  
    BPC Action
    Michele Stockwell, president of Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action) said, “Solving our nation’s housing affordability crisis requires innovative solutions at all levels of government and a bipartisan commitment to expanding available supply.  BPC Action applauds the work of Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Mike Crapo, John Fetterman and Thom Tillis in introducing the Housing Supply Frameworks Act which will ensure HUD can be a resource for states and localities looking to amend overly restrictive zoning regulations and break down barriers to building affordable housing in their communities.”
    NLIHC
    NLIHC Interim President and CEO Renee Willis said, “Zoning is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to solving the nation’s affordable housing crisis.  The Housing Supply and Innovations Frameworks Act would help provide communities with the information they need to adopt zoning practices that facilitate the construction of affordable, accessible homes and inclusive communities. I applaud Representative Mike Flood and Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester, Thom Tillis, Mike Crapo and John Fetterman for introducing this important, common-sense legislation.” 
    NAA
    National Apartment Association (NAA) President and CEO Bob Pinnegar said, “Housing supply shortages continue to exacerbate affordability challenges in communities across our country–and it’s past time for bold, bipartisan action.  Working alongside subject matter experts from across the housing space, this legislation would provide states and localities with frameworks for positive and meaningful housing policy reform.  NAA is proud to support to support this bill as an important step in boosting our nation’s housing stock, and thanks Senators Mike Crapo, Thom Tillis, John Fetterman and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Representatives Mike Flood and Brittany Pettersen for their important leadership across the aisle.” 
    NAR
    Shannon McGahn, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer, National Association of Realtors said, “The National Association of REALTORS® is proud to support the Housing Supply Frameworks Act (HSFA).  This bipartisan legislation provides much-needed leadership and guidance to help communities overcome barriers to housing development.  By encouraging smart, locally driven reforms, HSFA will play a vital role in addressing our nation’s housing shortage and help expand access to affordable homeownership and rental opportunities.”
    NAHB
    Buddy Hughes, Chairman, National Association of Home Builders said, “NAHB commends Reps. Mike Flood and Brittany Pettersen as well as Senators John Fetterman, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Mike Crapo and Thom Tillis for introducing legislation designed to ease America’s housing affordability crisis by focusing on proven and innovative solutions to increase the nation’s housing supply.  The Housing Supply Frameworks Act directs HUD to work in tandem with state and local governments to reduce red tape and develop best practices to boost housing production and streamline land-use policies.  This bill will help expand housing and economic opportunities in communities across the land.”
    UnidosUS
    Laura Arce, Senior Vice President for Economic Initiatives, UnidosUS said, “Too many families are locked out of homeownership due to our housing supply shortage.  UnidosUS supports the Housing Supply and Innovation Frameworks Act as a bipartisan solution to develop zoning and land use best practices that would make it easier, faster and more affordable to build homes.  This is the type of housing policy American families are waiting on.”
    NMHC
    NMHC President Sharon Wilson Géno said, “We view this legislation as a good first step and look forward to working with Congress to find solutions to break down the regulatory barriers that jeopardize our ability to create the housing that is needed for residents across all income levels.”
    Habitat for Humanity 
    Chris Vincent, Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy at Habitat for Humanity International said, “A record shortage of starter homes has inflated home prices and pushed homeownership out of reach for millions of families and essential workers nationwide.  The Housing Supply and Innovation Frameworks Act would accelerate pro-housing regulatory reforms at the local and state levels that increase the supply of starter homes in America by addressing outdated zoning barriers.  It would empower reform-minded governments to modernize their land use policies in ways best suited to their local communities.  Habitat for Humanity urges Congress to pass it.”
    Niskanen Center
    Alex Armlovich, Senior Policy Analyst, Social Policy at Niskanen said, “HSFA’s proposal to develop new model regulations for states and local governments is the first substantial update to federal model land use codes since the Hoover Administration.  Previous legislation, like the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, warned against regulatory barriers to housing supply but never explicitly named them.  HSFA, by contrast, itemizes an extensive and specific list of regulatory barriers–providing clarity to state and local governments and concrete criteria for federal grant administrators on what Congress means by ‘housing supply barriers’ for the first time.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray, WA Food Banks, and Farmers Lay Out How Trump’s Cuts to Local Food Programs Will Hurt Families and Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington state is set to lose nearly $25 million this year to help schools and food banks feed hungry kids and families with fresh local food because of Trump and Elon’s senseless cuts at USDA
    ICYMI: Senator Murray, Colleagues Condemn Trump Canceling USDA Local Food Purchasing Programs
    ***WATCH HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a virtual press conference to call out the Trump administration’s recent, sudden, and senseless cuts to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs that help local food banks, school districts, and child care centers purchase locally-grown produce, meat, seafood, and other food from farmers in Washington state.
    Last month, the Trump administration inexplicably ripped away more than $660 million in funding for the Local Food for Schools Program (LFS)—which schools and child care facilities in Washington state use to purchase berries, meat, seafood, and more from local farmers and producers—as well as $500 million from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) and $500 million from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which helps food banks buy nutritious food from local farms for the communities they serve.
    Washington state is set to lose nearly $25 million in federal funding it was set to receive from these programs this year alone—a $3.6 million cut to LFS, $11.8 million cut to LFPA, and a $10.5 million cut to TEFAP—and the Trump administration’s cuts have left schools and food banks scrambling to fill the gap.
    “Right now, some of the richest and most powerful men in the world, are stealing food from our kids. Apparently, there is plenty of room in the budget for tax breaks that fork over billions of dollars to people who already have billions of dollars. But keeping kids fed—that’s a bridge too far for Trump. Keeping food banks stocked—that is just too expensive. Investing in our farmers, and our families—well that is just not as important as padding Elon’s pockets,” said Senator Murray on the press call today. “These programs support American farmers—by buying their products, like cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and other produce Washington state is known for, or nutritious salmon from local fishermen, and meat from local farms…And it is not just farmers getting hit—we’re talking about food banks that serve seniors, parents, and people struggling to make ends meet. Schools who rely on these programs to help feed their students, so all our kids are able to focus on their classes—not on a grumbling stomach…And we know at least 23 of our school districts in Washington state have already withdrawn from the program next school year because they just don’t have room in their budgets to make up for the shortfall caused by Trump and Elon.”
    “Food insecurity in WA has increased annually since 2021, from one in seven households to one in four households. A recent longitudinal study conducted by UW and WSU between 2021-2024 reported that over 50 percent of households have some level of food insecurity, and it raises to over 70 percent for households with children. Food insecurity is on a steady and aggressive incline; it is moving up into the middle class. More working families are food insecure than I’ve seen in the past decade. The emergency food system for Eastern Washington needs more food. Any reduction in food sourcing compounds the growing problem of food insecurity,” said Cal Coblentz, Chief Executive Officer at Partners Inland Northwest in Spokane, the largest food pantry in Spokane County. Partners is the lead agency for Spokane County’s emergency food pantry network and also manages several food programs for Spokane County for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. “These federal funds provide food banks with purchasing power to buy locally produced food for our food bank customers. It’s powerful because we can build relationships with local farms and ranchers. One of the best ways to improve your health is buying food that’s produced close to where you live. This fiscal year, Partners will have used $350,000 of Local Food Purchase Assistance Program funding to buy 60,000 pounds of beef, which we distribute throughout the county. That’s about 120 cows. The LFPA program closes out this June and has been cancelled going forward; that’s at least 30,000 pounds of beef that we won’t be able to purchase and distribute. Additionally, $406,000 in current orders for Spokane County through The Emergency Food Assistance Program have been canceled. Long-term, if TEFAP were reduced or eliminated, we could see at least a 5 percent reduction in food across our panty system.”
    “As a farm business, we were really excited by the idea that we had an expanding local market, and in our industry, new markets are far and few between for sure. Costs are rising, costs of production are rising. We heard about this funding cut right as we had already purchased all of our seeds, we’d made our plans for the upcoming season… So, this was a big blow to us, and [LFPA] was actually a program that was working and that we saw growth in since COVID and over the last four years—there’s been a lot of efficient streamlining that’s happened across all agencies to make this program and these relationships viable and productive. And it benefited us financially,” said Haley Olson-Wailand, Co-owner of Dharma Ridge Farm on the Olympic Peninsula in Quilcene, which grows between 80-100 acres of WSDA-certified organic vegetables. Sales to Food Banks utilizing Local Food Purchasing Agreement (LFPA) funds made up just under 20 percent of Dharma Ridge Farm’s gross sales in 2024. “Access to fresh food is the missing link for a lot of people, and they need consistent access to that fresh food, and we were providing that. And it was not only providing that access to our community members who needed the food, but it was also providing a direct new market for us as farmers—and it’s devastating to lose that.”
    “As of now, our TEFAP commodities are at risk of being cut by one-third due to TEFAP funding being under review. This funding allows the state to purchase dry, frozen, and fresh commodities for us to distribute in our community. On average we receive 50,000 pounds of TEFAP product each month. If TEFAP is cut, we will lose 16,000 pounds of food for the 48,000 clients our partner organizations feed each month,” said Madeline McGonagle, Food Access Manager, Skagit Food Distribution Center in Sedro-Woolley, which is the lead agency in Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties for Food Assistance Programs through the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). “For the past couple of years, we have also had funding through the LFPA that has allowed us to purchase fresh food products from local producers and food businesses. Our current LFPA contract that began in July of 2023 and concludes in June of this year totaled $133,071. All of those funds have gone to food purchases from 33 producers and food businesses in our area through Skagit, San Juan, Whatcom, and Snohomish counties. To date, we have purchased 44,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, frozen meat, and eggs to distribute to our 14 partner organizations. In the beginning of the year we were under the impression there would be another round of these funds starting in July of 2025. However, we were recently notified by the WSDA that this program had been terminated by the USDA. While we still have funds to carry our purchasing through June, we will have no purchasing dollars come July. This will directly impact the food pantries who have been consistently receiving fresh products from us for the past two years. With the abundance of local purchasing funding, we had last year we decided to contract with local growers to specifically grow products for us to buy throughout the growing season. This was an opportunity for growers in their first or second seasons to have reliable sales throughout the season. It also ensured we had a reliable supply of products for the food pantries. With the termination of the LFPA contract we will not be able to do that again this year. Skagit has a strong and diverse agricultural community and the LFPA has lifted that community while also lifting members of the community who are experiencing food insecurity. The loss of this program will certainly have profound negative impacts in our community.”
    According to Leanne Eko, Chief Nutrition Officer of Child Nutrition Services the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington state received $3.6 million in funding for the LFS program during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, which supported the purchase of domestic, locally grown foods from local producers, small businesses, and farmers and producers for distribution to schools. OSPI leveraged its existing USDA Food Distribution System and LFS funding to support Washington school districts’ engagement in Farm to School programs by facilitating local food procurement, reducing transportation costs, and simplifying ordering logistics.
    Through the LFS program:
    Nearly 600,000 pounds of local, unprocessed or minimally processed foods were made available to Washington children;
    Between LFS funds and school district purchases, over $3,000,000 was spent on local producers and vendors;
    Over 850,000 students had access to local foods in their school meal programs;
    and 23 unique unprocessed or minimally processed foods were purchased from local producers.
    USDA announced the continuation of the LFS program and a new Local Foods for Child Care (LFCC) program in December of 2024. Washington was to receive $8,840,854 in LFS funds and $2,687,472 in LFCC funds. On March 7,2025 OSPI received a Termination Notice for the Local Food for Schools and Local Food for Child Care program project agreement. The termination noticed cited that the agreement “no longer effectuates agency priorities.” While LFS foods will continue to be available for the 2025-26 school year, interested school districts will now have to cover the full cost of products, including shipping and warehousing, due to the Trump administration’s cancellation of federal funding.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered on today’s press call are below and video is HERE:
    “Thank you to all for participating. Right now, some of the richest and most powerful men in the world, are stealing food from our kids.
    “Apparently, there is plenty of room in the budget for tax breaks that fork over billions of dollars to people who already have billions of dollars.
    “But keeping kids fed—that’s a bridge too far for Trump. Keeping food banks stocked—that is just too expensive. Investing in our farmers, and our families—well that is just not as important as padding Elon’s pockets.
    “‘Won’t someone think of the poor billionaires!’ That’s what Trump and Musk seem to be saying at least.
    “Because in the last month they have canceled over 1.6 billion dollars for programs that feed hungry kids and help farmers.
    “Including nearly 25 million dollars that was heading to Washington state this year alone.
    “Last month the Trump administration made the sudden, senseless, and downright cruel decision to cut: $660 million from LFS, that’s the Local Food for Schools Program, which schools and child care facilities rely on to purchase food from nearby farms, they cut $500 million from LFPA, that’s the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, which helps food banks buy nutritious local food for the communities they serve, and $500 million from TEFAP, that’s the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which helps get more food from farms to nearby food banks to people facing hunger.
    “And on top of that, Trump’s USDA also canceled this year’s round of Farm to School grants, which helps schools develop and implement local food purchasing programs and school gardens.
    “Look—these are federal dollars that I worked very hard to pass in a bipartisan way—so we can fight hunger, and keep our families fed.
    “And these programs support American farmers—by buying their products, like cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and other produce Washington state is known for, or nutritious salmon from local fishermen, and meat from local farms.
    “And I just want to talk for a minute about this. Because remember what else is happening right now: Trump is telling farmers they need to sell more of their products inside the U.S because of his boneheaded tariffs.
    “Which, by the way, shows he doesn’t have a clue—because many of our top producers export up to 90 percent of their products.
    “But then, at the very same time, Trump is eliminating farmers’ access to domestic markets by cutting important programs that help them sell locally! Make it make sense. It’s almost as if their plan is to hammer farmers as hard as they can!
    “And it is not just farmers getting hit—we’re talking about food banks that serve seniors, parents, and people struggling to make ends meet. Schools who rely on these programs to help feed their students, so all our kids are able to focus on their classes—not on a grumbling stomach.
    “In Washington alone, the Local Food for Schools program helped feed 850,000 students!
    “Now, school districts are having to make the painful decision to either keep participating in the program, and pay full price for the local food they are supposed to be getting steep discounts on, or not participate at all.
    “And we know at least 23 of our school districts in Washington state have already withdrawn from the program next school year because they just don’t have room in their budgets to make up for the shortfall caused by Trump and Elon.
    “And the way Trump and Musk are cutting these programs—with maximum chaos—isn’t saving money, it is not, so much as it it’s threatening to waste food that was already ordered and leave families hungry.
    “Truck deliveries were cancelled without warning or reason—and without any real plan to keep that food from rotting away. I mean, if you want to talk about waste—that is a real waste, caused by Trump and Musk, and the cost for their incompetence is being paid by the kids who Trump is leaving to go hungry.
    “Our President should not be pro-hunger. Two billionaires should not be rewriting national hunger programs to, essentially, say to families “let them eat cake.”
    “Instead, we should be making common sense investments in our famers, and in our families, and doing the basic, decent work of making sure kids and families do not go hungry.
    “This is government 101, literally bread and butter stuff.
    “Well, as Elon and Trump continue to do everything they can to break our government, I am not going to let this funding fall through the cracks.
    “Lifting up our voices, speaking up about what is at stake—that still matters. That can still make a difference. And that is why we are here today, to talk about what these programs actually mean for people and for our communities, to put these cuts in the spotlight, and to show just how devastating they are going to be for families in Washington state.
    “And I’m really pleased to be joined by some people who really have a deep understanding of this.
    “So, now I’ll turn it over to Cal, he’s with Partners Inland Northwest.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Graham Introduce Latest Version of Trade Manufacturing Policy to Hold China Accountable

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the latest version of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act to level the playing field for American manufacturers and workers by holding non-market economies like China accountable for their unfair trade practices. The legislation puts America’s efficient manufacturers at the center of industrial strategy, strengthening our economic resilience, reducing supply chain dependence on adversaries, and rewarding innovation in production. The original Foreign Pollution Fee Act was updated this year to incorporate feedback received during a public comment period. 
    “Other countries can decrease their cost of manufacturing by 20 percent by not enforcing the laws we take for granted. This means they take our jobs too. This is wrong,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It’s time the U.S. promotes fair trade, preserves jobs in Louisiana and elsewhere, and revives American manufacturing. That helps fulfill President Trump’s goal of rebuilding the Golden Age.”
    “It is long past time that the polluters of the world, like China and others, pay a price for their policies. This bill calls out the foreign polluters and rewards American businesses who are doing the right thing,” said Senator Graham. “We are leveling the playing field, and American manufacturers and business will be the biggest beneficiaries.”
    The Foreign Pollution Fee Act: 
    Combats China’s Exploitation of Trade Rules: This policy will level the playing field for U.S. businesses by countering the unfair practices of non-market economies like China, ensuring American manufacturers can compete and thrive.
    Strengthens Global Supply Chain Resilience: Diversifying trade relationships will reduce dependence on adversarial nations, making supply chains more secure against geopolitical disruptions and enhancing national security.
    Revitalizes American Manufacturing: By discouraging imports of pollution-intensive goods, this policy will bring jobs back home, strengthen domestic industries, and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
    Expands U.S. Export Markets: As high-polluting countries modernize their industries, they’ll increasingly demand American-made inputs, feedstocks, and cutting-edge technologies, opening new opportunities for U.S. exports.
    Deepens Trade Ties with Allies: By promoting partnerships with nations that share our economic and environmental values, this policy builds a coalition against predatory practices by the Chinese Communist Party, supporting emerging markets and allies alike.
    Rewards Leadership in Cleaner Manufacturing: The policy incentivizes international partners to adopt cleaner production methods while ensuring that domestic manufacturers maintain a competitive edge by continuing to lead in industrial decarbonization.
    Industry sectors covered by the Foreign Pollution Fee Act include iron, steel, aluminum, cement, glass, fertilizer, hydrogen, solar components, and certain battery inputs.
    Background
    Cassidy and Graham introduced an earlier version of their Foreign Pollution Fee Act to level the playing field with Chinese manufacturing and expand American production in 2023. Earlier this year, Cassidy released a new video featuring vocal support from several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees for the Foreign Pollution Fee Act.  
    The Foreign Pollution Fee Act was a key topic at Cassidy’s Louisiana Energy Security Summit in October 2024.The summit featured ten panels that explored protecting U.S. interests from unfair trade practices, Louisiana’s low-pollution manufacturing advantage, and the role of natural gas in strengthening U.S. geopolitical influence. Panelists included presidents and CEOs from Entergy, First Solar, Buzzi UnicemUSA, Orsted, and Aluminum Technologies, former Trump administration officials, and leaders from Louisiana trade associations and major energy and Fortune 500 companies. 
    In September 2024, he released the 3rd episode of Bill on the Hill, where he highlights his Foreign Pollution Fee Act and discusses China’s growing economy and military coming at the expense of the American worker. After hearing fellow Americans share their concerns, Cassidy presented his plan to address the nexus between economic development, national security, and the environment. 
    He penned editorials in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Times, and jointly in the USA Today Network discussing the geopolitical threat that China poses to U.S. global standing. 
    In 2023, the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue an industrial manufacturing and trade policy to counter competition from China. 
    The Foreign Pollution Fee Act is supported by a variety of key industry and advocacy stakeholders including: Steel Manufacturers Association, U.S. OCTG Manufacturers Association (USOMA), Portland Cement Association, Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition, Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance, America First Policy Institute, Carbon Removal Alliance, Heirloom, Climeworks, Climate Leadership Council, Cleaner Economy Coalition (CEC), the Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3), Rainey Center Freedom Project, RepublicEN.org, Carbon Upcycling, Ceres, SAFE’s Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, ElementUSA, and Evangelical Environmental Network.
    “The Steel Manufacturers Association thanks Senator Cassidy and Senator Graham for introducing the Foreign Pollution Fee Act. This critical legislation will provide another strong path to ensuring fair trade. America has a tremendous competitive advantage because of its lower emissions manufacturing processes. We make the cleanest steel in the world. This is because the United States lets markets choose the most efficient production technologies and raw materials. However, poor overseas environmental standards, compliance, and enforcement creates an artificial advantage in trade that harms American producers and workers,” said Philip K. Bell, President of the Steel Manufacturers Association. “Current U.S. trade countermeasures are not specifically designed to address unfair trade practices related to the environment. Imposing a fee on foreign pollution helps monetize our environmental advantage and level the playing field. We look forward to working with Senators Cassidy and Graham on the Foreign Pollution Fee Act to support American jobs and competitiveness.”
    “The SEMA Coalition supports Senator Cassidy’s 2025 Foreign Pollution Fee Act. For American solar manufacturers to compete on a level playing field and outcompete China, we need innovative border measures such as a foreign pollution fee. Any successful, long-term strategy to reshore the solar value chain must prioritize taking these steps to safeguard the domestic solar industry from the impacts of global overcapacity,” said Mike Carr, Executive Director of the SEMA Coalition. “We are grateful for Senator Cassidy’s leadership and look forward to working closely with him and the administration to advance trade and tax policies that ensure a level playing field with China and longevity for U.S. solar manufacturers and workers.”
    “The Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance congratulates Senators Cassidy and Graham on the introduction of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act of 2025 and is proud to endorse the bill. The members of the Alliance are demonstrating that with the right policy mix U.S. manufacturers can claw back critical energy supply chains in the face of Chinese over subsidization and product dumping,” said Michael Parr, Executive Director of the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance. “In recent years we have begun to re-establish U.S. solar manufacturing at scale, providing a secure supply of U.S. energy generation, bolstering U.S. energy dominance and security. Because solar manufacturing in China is twice as polluting as in the U.S., the Foreign Pollution Fee Act will provide a critical backstop against China’s ongoing efforts to evade U.S.tariffs, helping to ensure that America’s fastest growing form of energy generation continues to use U.S. made solar products.”
    “The cement industry supports policies that protect domestic manufacturers through robust trade mechanisms and data collection. Sen. Cassidy’s Foreign Pollution Fee Act is very thoughtful, pragmatic legislation that will highlight the carbon advantage of U.S. manufacturers and level the playing field against more carbon-intensive foreign imports,” said Sean O’Neill, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Portland Cement Association.
    “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act would create a fairer market for domestic manufacturers and foster innovation in the U.S.,” said Giana Amador, Executive Director of the Carbon Removal Alliance. “We commend Senator Cassidy for his leadership in protecting American entrepreneurs and advancing a homegrown carbon removal industry poised to generate jobs and billions in economic growth nationwide.”
    “In the global race to lead the industries of the future, it’s wrong to let U.S. manufacturers be undercut by countries that ignore the high standards our businesses uphold,” said Vikrum Aiyer, Head of Public Policy for Heirloom. “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act levels the playing field and makes it a fair fight—and in a fair fight, America wins, thanks to homegrown innovations like direct air capture that can mitigate the impact of our competitors flouting environmental standards, all while ensuring America remains the most competitive place in the world. We’re proud to be investing in such technologies in Louisiana to produce new energy solutions and carbon management tools, creating thousands of jobs to service nearly half a billion dollars in customer contracts and growing, as we onshore U.S. innovation to leverage the American advantage and strengthen our energy security.”
    “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act is an important way to protect and expand U.S. manufacturers’ strategic advantage in meeting rising global demand for decarbonized goods and services. Climeworks is proud to support Senator Cassidy’s initiative, which we believe will strengthen vital supply chain resilience,” said Daniel Nathan, Chief Project Development Officer for Climeworks. 
    “ElementUSA strongly supports your foreign pollution fee legislation, which levels the playing field for responsibly produced domestic minerals. By incentivizing cleaner supply chains, this policy directly advances our mission to reprocess industrial waste and reshore critical minerals using low-emission technologies. It empowers U.S. innovators like us to compete globally while turning legacy environmental liabilities into valuable, sustainable resources,” said Chris Young, Chief Strategy Officer for ElementUSA.
    “Senator Cassidy’s introduction of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act is a significant step forward in capitalizing on U.S. industry’s superior environmental performance and creating a more level playing field for years to come. By rewarding American firms for their lower pollution and holding higher emitters accountable, we will boost U.S. manufacturers, create more jobs, and secure critical supply chains,” said Greg Bertelsen, CEO for Climate Leadership Council. “The Council looks forward to working with Senator Cassidy and a growing coalition of stakeholders to advance a foreign pollution fee as a tool for leveraging America’s carbon advantage, strengthening the U.S. economy, and reducing global emissions.”
    “Citizens’ Climate Lobby welcomes the re-introduction of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Foreign polluters should be held accountable for the climate impacts of their exports to the U.S., and this bill takes a critical step in ensuring that imported goods reflect their true carbon cost. By requiring robust emissions accounting for foreign imports, the legislation promotes transparency and fairness in global trade. We are pleased to see this important bill reintroduced and our grassroots volunteers nationwide will be working toward its passage in Congress,” said Jennifer Tyler, VP of Government Affairs for Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
    “As a consensus-based coalition of industry, labor, and nonprofit leaders, the Industrial Innovation Initiative (I3) applauds Senator Cassidy’s ongoing commitment to American industry and congratulates him on this comprehensive effort to prioritize American workers, U.S. manufacturing, and a strong economy while reducing industrial emissions,” said David Soll, Industrial Decarbonization Manager for Great Plains Institute.
    “Senator Cassidy’s Foreign Pollution Fee is a bold America First solution that puts U.S. workers and manufacturers first—not China. It’s time we stop rewarding hostile regimes for cutting corners and start leveling the playing field for the American companies doing it right,” said Sarah Hunt, President for Rainey Center Freedom Project.
    “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act would bring accountability for dumping trash into the sky. That accountability would simultaneously level the playing field and spawn worldwide innovation,” said former U.S. Representative Bob Inglis (R-SC-04), Executive Director for RepublicEN.org.
    “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act aims to support the U.S. cement industry’s continued investment in innovative production technologies that lead to cleaner, more sustainable building materials,” said Juliane Kniebel-Huebner, COO for Carbon Upcycling. “We are grateful for Senator Cassidy’s leadership and look forward to working with him and our industry partners to continue to bolster the competitiveness of U.S. cement manufacturers.”
    “Ceres applauds the introduction of a foreign polluter fee in the U.S. Senate as a fair, predictable, and congressionally approved approach to global trade. This legislation would leverage U.S. trade and industrial policy to ensure the nation’s leadership in clean manufacturing and other key 21st century industries remain an advantage against China and other competitors, to the benefit of U.S. economic, geopolitical, and national security interests,” said Zach Friedman, Senior Director of Federal Policy for Ceres.
    “For too long, American industry has been competing on an uneven playing field on the global stage while bad actors like the Chinese Communist Party have adhered to unacceptably low standards to outcompete us on cost,” said Joe Quinn, Executive Director of SAFE’s Center for Strategic Industrial Materials. “By turning that uneven playing field into a competitive advantage for industries like batteries, steel, and aluminum that are critical to both national and energy security, the Foreign Pollution Fee Act will make the U.S. more self-reliant and restructure markets to reward innovation, not pollution.”
    “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act of 2025 delivers a three-fold win, defending the health of our children from harmful pollution, protecting the livelihoods of American workers, and leveling the playing field for American firms leading the way in clean manufacturing. The majority of products named in the Foreign Pollution Fee Act are powered by or directly utilize mercury-containing coal for production. While the United States reined in harmful mercury pollution a decade ago, other countries like China have no such protections on the books. China is responsible for 25-30% of the world’s mercury emissions, and unfortunately, air pollution doesn’t recognize national boundaries. Mercury pollution from coal combustion in China travels across the Pacific and is deposited in American oceans, lakes, and streams, resulting in widespread fish consumption advisories and continued risk of mercury-induced brain damage to our children, especially those in Alaska and our Western states. The Foreign Pollution Fee Act will help create the healthy environment and bright future that all God’s children, both here in the United States and across the world, deserve by ensuring foreign manufacturers finally clean up their act. On behalf of our children, we thank Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsay Graham (R- SC) for their leadership advancing this critical bill,” said Reverend Dr. Jessica Moerman, President & CEO for the Evangelical Environmental Network.
    “Senator Cassidy’s introduction of the Foreign Pollution Fee Act opens the door for Congress to advance a critical tool for supporting American manufacturers—who are among the cleanest and most innovative in the world. A foreign pollution fee would create a fairer playing field for U.S. manufacturers, driving demand for cleaner, U.S.-made products and holding the worst global environmental actors accountable,” said CEC. “The Cleaner Economy Coalition looks forward to working with Senator Cassidy and other policymakers to advance a foreign pollution fee.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Calls for Continuation of BRIC Flood Mitigation Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    [embedded content]
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor calling for the continuation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The program invests in flood mitigation and prevention, saving billions in flood recovery efforts throughout the United States.
    “FEMA must reconsider cutting the BRIC program and canceling BRIC applications. This program is a life-saver and a cost-saver that President Trump supported during his first term,” said Dr. Cassidy.
    “I want to put Americans first. That includes investing in infrastructure to protect families from the risk of flooding,” concluded Dr. Cassidy. “We have a program to do that. It’s called BRIC. Again, it protects families and saves taxpayer dollars in the long-run. That’s efficient in my book.”
    Background
    In 2018, under President Trump’s first administration, Congress established the BRIC Program to reduce flood risk by investing in pre-disaster mitigation efforts. Last Friday, it was announced that the BRIC program housed at FEMA would end.
    Cassidy’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below: 
    Mr. President,
    What you see depends on where you sit.
    Last Friday, it was announced that the BRIC Program–or Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program–run by FEMA would end.
    Most families across the country likely haven’t heard of the BRIC program, but if you were to explain what it does, they would say they need it. I can tell you folks in Louisiana need it. 
    Louisiana has benefitted the most per capita in BRIC’s latest round of funding.
    Preparing for a hurricane or flood in Louisiana is an inevitable part of life.
    Well, we know that the best way to recover from a flood is to prevent damage from happening in the first place.
    You’ve heard the old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
    That same principle applies to flood resilience and mitigation infrastructure.
    When we invest in levees and floodwalls, communities are protected when the storm hits and we save billions on a recovery effort we never had to do.
    If you go down to South Louisiana, for example, you’ll see homes that have been elevated that now will not flood.
    That’s the type of work we need to do–if we do it now, the family won’t have to file an NFIP claim the next time their town floods, and the taxpayer saves.
    Investing now saves money down the line.
    That’s why back in 2018, during President Trump’s first term, Congress established the BRIC Program to invest in those flood protections now to prevent future flooding.
    And through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we provided $1 Billion for the program.
    The BRIC Program is an effective tool.
    It’s the type of tool communities in my state rely on.
    But BRIC is in danger.
    Let me be clear, I support President Trump and the DOGE agenda to eliminate government waste–there sure is a lot of it.
    There is fraud, there is waste, but this isn’t it.
    FEMA must reconsider the impact cuts to the BRIC program and canceling BRIC applications would have.
    Congress passed it for a reason.
    Congress authorized AND appropriated this money.
    Congress said this program WILL exist.
    We passed BRIC into law and provided funds for it.
    To do anything other than use that money to fund flood mitigation projects is to thwart the will of Congress.
    The BRIC Program is a life-saver and a cost-saver that President Trump supported during his first term.
    It improves efficiency, not decreases it.
    I can tell you, folks in South Louisiana–Terrebonne, Lafourche, Ascension, and in places you wouldn’t expect to flood, like Livingston Parish–they overwhelmingly support President Trump, and they overwhelmingly support flood prevention investments like BRIC. 
    Louisiana was the third largest recipient of BRIC’s most recent round of funding and is the largest recipient on a per capita basis.
    Without BRIC, none of the projects you see here would be possible.
    $39.8 Million to the City of Central for drainage projects to significantly reduce flood risk.
    $36 Million to Ascension Parish to strengthen electrical infrastructure in the wake of Hurricane Francine–that’s how you keep the lights on after a storm.
    $20 million to Lafourche Parish to strengthen 16 miles of power lines.
    And $10 Million to the Coushatta (koo-sha-tuh) Tribe of Louisiana to provide evacuation roads and emergency routes during flooding.
    Lafourche Parish president Archie Chaisson had a $25 million application for grid-hardening so that the people of Lafourche would be able to get back on their feet quicker after a hurricane.
    This isn’t waste. Go down to Ruby Red Louisiana, and they’ll tell you the same thing.
    We must continue the BRIC program because if we can save homes, lives, and communities, we should.
    When rivers swell, Americans should be prepared. BRIC ensures we are. 
    And if FEMA were to move forward with the plan to cut BRIC, what would the alternative be?
    Flooding causes up to $496 BILLION dollars in damage every year throughout the United States, not just in my home state.
    Let me repeat that–$496 BILLION in damage we need to recover from versus investing a few million now to prevent that damage.
    Across the United States, we’re seeing floods destroy homes and neighborhoods, down power lines, harm businesses, and take lives.
    Just since the start of 2025, at least 8 Americans across the 4 states in dark red have died as a result of storms hitting their communities.
    And in the last three months, 37 states have experienced flooding–those are all the states in red.
    Take one look at this map, and you’ll quickly see that this is as much about rivers and inland flooding as it is about coastal flooding.
    It’s as much about the entire U.S. as it is about Louisiana.
    These are all places that can benefit from the BRIC Program!
    All of these places flood, all of them can use flood prevention infrastructure.
    We know it works. We know it saves money.
    These are parts of the country that don’t typically make you think “flooding,” but it’s a reminder of the urgent need for nation-wide flood prevention.
    BRIC was designed for that purpose.
    Every community in those states has the potential to end up just like Livingston Parish, Louisiana, pictured here.
    This is just after the Great Flood of 2016.
    We worked hard to help them recover–families relied on FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program to rebuild–and by golly they did.
    But ask yourself, wouldn’t it have been better if they never flooded at all?
    Every house tells a story. When houses get swept away, priceless items are swept away with them. 
    A wedding dress that was ruined. A lifetime of pictures that were destroyed.
    More will be destroyed if Congress doesn’t act and keep this law in place.
    These local leaders want to put their people first. So do I. That includes investing in infrastructure to protect families from the risk of flooding.
    Right now, we have a program to do that. It’s called BRIC.
    Again, it protects families and saves taxpayer dollars in the long-run.
    That’s efficient in my book.Let’s keep BRIC in place.
    With that, I yield.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China taps big data to close graduate job gap

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Students learn about employment information at a job fair held at Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, March 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China will build a workforce demand database to help bridge the gap between college talent pool and the needs of employers.

    The measure comes as part of the country’s latest push for high-quality, sufficient employment for the millions of graduates hitting the workforce each year.

    A comprehensive, well-functioning and reliable job services network will be established within the next three to five years to support college graduates in the job market, according to new guidelines released on Tuesday.

    China will also step up analysis and consultation regarding the demand for talent critical to national strategies, said the policy document from the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

    This means digging into big data across innovation, industry, capital and talent chains, forecasting supply-demand trends, and updating a list of high-demand disciplines and majors to guide universities in the refinement of their programs, according to the document.

    Education officials emphasized the need to pinpoint real societal demand, boost the effectiveness of education, and strive for supply-demand balance.

    Addressing these pressing, real-world challenges is crucial for the education system today, they said.

    “Only when what we teach matches what society needs, will graduates thrive in the job market,” said Kuang Xiaozhen, director of an employment and entrepreneurship guidance center for college students in Beijing.

    In 2025, a record 12.22 million graduates — 430,000 more than last year — are expected to join the workforce. The figure has remained above 10 million for three consecutive years.

    To meet this challenge, China aims to create over 12 million urban jobs in 2025, targeting a surveyed unemployment rate of 5.5 percent. Last year, China successfully added 12.56 million urban jobs, maintaining a surveyed urban unemployment rate of 5.1 percent.

    Yet, the pressure is unlikely to lessen anytime soon. The ministry said that the surge of graduates is likely to persist for a decade, fueled by the growing availability of higher education in China.

    Meanwhile, the job market itself is shifting. Industries once eager to scoop up fresh talent — internet giants, private tutoring, and real estate — are losing ground to rising sectors like new energy vehicles, semiconductors, and green technologies.

    The success of DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics has ignited the ambitions of numerous startups, spurring fierce competition in fields like artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robotics. The lavish pay packages offered by these companies have made headlines during the spring hiring season, which is now in full swing across the country.

    It is estimated that China faces a workforce shortage of over 5 million in AI, 2.3 million in big data, over 1 million in new energy vehicles, and another 1 million in drone operators for the low-altitude economy, according to recent statistics.

    “Industry regulators need to team up with education folks and share data to make the database full and precise,” said Kuang.

    Dynamic adjustments 

    China will also work on supply-side fixes by pushing universities to “dynamically” adjust their programs and resources, according to the guidelines. Education quality and job placement rates will be factored into shaping university enrollment plans.

    At a meeting focused on employment and other issues on March 31, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng highlighted how a database linking disciplines, programs, market trends, and career paths could provide solid evidence for revamping academic programs.

    The minister called for forward-looking research and evaluation, real-time monitoring, and rapid detection in this process.

    China plans to revamp approximately 20 percent of its degree and diploma programs in colleges between 2023 and 2025.

    Last year alone, 1,673 new programs aligned with national strategies were introduced, while 1,670 outdated ones were removed for failing to meet current economic and social needs.

    At Sichuan Agricultural University in southwest China, an index system evaluates disciplines and programs based on faculty strength, enrollment scores, job placement rates, and social impact.

    Each year, the university distributes numerous questionnaires to employers and government agencies, using a red-and-blue warning system to guide necessary adjustments.

    Disciplines and majors flagged blue for low index scores must improve within three years, while those flagged red may face phase-out by the academic degrees committee, said Wu De, president of the university.

    Such dynamic adjustments are designed to sharpen students’ skills and give them a competitive edge in the job market, said experts.

    Tuesday’s policy document also covers career guidance, recruitment services and subsidies for new jobseekers in difficulty. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Trips by car between Canada, US decline sharply

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Canadian-resident return trips from the United States and U.S.-resident trips to Canada by automobile continued to decline, Statistics Canada said Thursday.

    According to the latest travel numbers issued by the national statistical agency, the number of Canadian-resident return trips by automobile from the United States totaled 1.5 million in March, a steep decline, or down 31.9 percent, from the same month in 2024.

    March 2025 marked the third consecutive month of year-over-year decline, added the agency.

    Meanwhile the number of U.S.-resident trips to Canada by automobile was 770,400, a decline of 10.6 percent from the same month in 2024. This was the second consecutive month of year-over-year decline, said the agency.

    Amid the tariff war with the United States, the Canadian government is encouraging Canadian consumers to shop and travel within Canada. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Delivers Keynote Address at AI Biotechnology Summit

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla emphasizes importance of American biotechnology leadership for national security and economyWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a Commissioner of the bipartisan National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), joined the AI+ Biotechnology Summit to deliver a keynote address on the future of biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Earlier this week, the Commission delivered their major report and action plan, urging Congressional action to bring the full weight of American innovation to improve and maintain U.S. global leadership in biotechnology.
    Key Excerpts
    The United States has long led the world in biotechnology progress, but Padilla underscored the growing threat posed by China’s skyrocketing investments in research and development (R&D) for biotechnological advancements. China’s biopharma R&D investments have risen from $35 million in 2015 to $15 billion today, and they now control 80 percent of global pharmaceuticals.
    “This is no longer hypothetical — we are at real risk of falling behind. Today, we need a molecular moonshot to get ahead, and stay ahead, in developing the biotech of the future. Why? Because our very national security is on the line.”
    “Every day that we allow China to drive the industry is another day American leadership in biotech falls behind. So we have an enormous problem set before us, there’s no denying it. But we also have an enormous opportunity before us, and I hope we seize it.”
    Padilla also highlighted California’s longstanding leadership in biotechnology, noting that more patents for bioscience and biotech are issued to California than any other state and that California’s life sciences companies continue to raise the most venture capitalism investment in the nation. He also discussed the crucial problems biotechnology can help solve, including agriculture, medicine, biofuels, food security, and more.
    He emphasized the importance of strengthening international collaboration to promote these essential biotechnology priorities as the Trump Administration pulls back from longstanding alliances and cuts ties with programs and partnerships that keep Americans safe.
    “You don’t have to have a PhD in foreign policy to understand that we cannot go at this alone. We understand the adage that ‘No Man Is an Island’ — and that when we pull back on our commitments, it’s not only wrong to our allies, it also creates a vacuum for our adversaries to fill. That’s true for our security, that’s true economically, and it is absolutely true for biotechnology.”
    “With the release of this report, my hope is that we can highlight just how dangerous it would be to pull back now. Instead of moving further away from our spot at the head of the table, we should be leveraging it to mobilize our allies.”
    Senator Padilla was appointed to serve as a Congressional Commissioner after Congress formed the Commission in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Yesterday, Padilla and the other Commissioners, Chair Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.-05) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to promote federal coordination on emerging biotechnology and streamline the regulatory structures currently inhibiting biotechnology innovation. Last year, Padilla and Young introduced a bipartisan package of bills focused on protecting America’s food security and agricultural supply chains, which are critical to U.S. national security. Padilla also announced the Commission’s first round of findings and recommendations for policymakers in an interim report outlining the promise of biotechnology for U.S. national security and economic competitiveness and growth.
    Video of Padilla’s remarks is available here.
    Padilla’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are available below:
    Good afternoon!
    It is so great to be here at the AI and biotechnology summit alongside members of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology to unveil our new report!
    I want to thank:
    My colleague and Chair of the Commission, Senator Todd Young
    Vice Chair, Dr. Michelle Rozo, who has been instrumental to all our Congressional engagements on both sides of the aisle
    And all of the other commissioners and staff who have worked so hard to make this day happen
    This is a report three years in the making. And my hope is that it can serve as a watershed moment for biotech in America and, as we’ll talk about later, for the world.
    I am proud to be here today as a commissioner. But I’m also proud to be here today as a U.S. Senator who represents California.
    California is the birthplace of biotech.
    Whether it’s the founding of Genentech in 1970s San Francisco, or a booming industry aided by researchers at Stanford, Berkeley, and UCSF.
    Even today, more patents for bioscience and biotech are issued to California than any other state.
    And our life sciences companies continue to raise more in venture capitalism investment than any other state.
    So you could say California has some experience here!
    And while my personal experience isn’t in biotech, I am one of the few Senators with a background in engineering.
    I earned my degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
    And to this day, people ask me, “How do you go from engineering to politics and government?”
    I tell them: “It’s perfectly logical. Engineers are trained to solve problems. Isn’t that what policymakers are supposed to do?”
    Today, we’ve got quite the problem set before us!
    It’s not just about the problems that biotech can help us solve — from agriculture to medicine to biofuels and more.
    It’s also the global technology competition we now find ourselves in with China.
    From artificial intelligence to biotechnology, the stakes are high — and the time to act is now.
    We are truly at an inflection point in biotechnology development.
    We’re making progress at a speed once unimaginable. And yet, we also know we’re at risk of falling behind.
    How can that be?
    It comes down to investment. And priorities.
    Over the last two decades, China has invested in biotechnological advancements.
    And as a result, as you may have heard today, China’s research and development have skyrocketed.
    In 2015, China’s biopharma R&D investment sat at 35 million dollars.
    Today, it’s 15 billion — that’s billion, with a “B.”
    China now controls 80 percent of global pharmaceuticals.
    This is no longer hypothetical — we are at real risk of falling behind.
    Today, we need a molecular moonshot to get ahead — and stay ahead — in developing the biotech of the future.
    Why? Because our very national security is on the line.
    Of course, that means investments in things Americans think about and interact with every single day — like the fruits and vegetables they count on to be safe to eat, and the supply chains they rely on every time they go to the grocery store.
    Because yes, food security is national security, too.
    In fact, that’s why just last spring, Senator Young and I came together to introduce a bipartisan package of bills to protect our food supply — which would establish a Senior Advisor for National Security within the USDA, and establish the USDA Office of Biotechnology policy.
    But it has to reach beyond food to things like energy sources, vaccines, and medicine.
    Because we can’t afford to find ourselves in a position where China controls a majority of the world’s pharmaceuticals — and then decides to turn off the spigot.
    Let’s say they wanted to retaliate for some hypothetical trade war a U.S. president was waging…
    But that’s what’s at stake! And we have to be clear-eyed and honest about the threats we face.
    And of course, the shadow hanging over any discussion of national security and biotech is the threat of biological war and bioterrorism.
    While we hope we never see it, warfare of the future won’t just be fought with AI and drones.
    It’ll be fought with bioweapons, too.
    We have a responsibility try to prepare and prevent that.
    Now, I know that in a few minutes you’ll have the opportunity to hear a discussion on the importance of allies in this fight.
    And it’s an important point! Because for as much progress as we’ve made as a nation, we can be that much stronger on the world stage if we’re pulling in the same direction as our allies.
    In fact, our Commission has already sent delegations to visit partners, including Sweden and the UK … whose ambassadors you will hear from shortly.
    But I also want to acknowledge that we’re in a strange moment in history for U.S. leadership.
    In just less than three months, the Trump Administration has dramatically pulled back from international alliances. They’ve cut ties with programs and partnerships that in many cases have kept us safe.
    And they have openly taunted and threatened our allies.
    But what I would say is this: you don’t have to have a PhD in foreign policy to understand that we cannot go at this alone.
    We understand the adage that “No Man Is an Island” — and that when we pull back on our commitments, it’s not only wrong to our allies, it also creates a vacuum for our adversaries to fill.
    That’s true for our security, that’s true economically, and it is absolutely true for biotechnology.
    With the release of this report, my hope is that we can highlight just how dangerous it would be to pull back now.
    Instead of moving further away from our spot at the head of the table, we should be leveraging it to mobilize our allies.
    We should be working with the State Department to not only fund international research and secure supply chains, but to also use them to promote American industry in foreign markets.
    We can and should be forming reciprocal biological data sharing agreements.
    Because together, the U.S. can learn more from other leading researchers.
    At the same time, we can build out our influence, so that other nations rely on our homegrown biotech hubs.
    And lastly, Congress should jump at the opportunity to write the rules of the road for biotech.
    Because every day that we allow China to drive the industry is another day American leadership in biotech falls behind.
    So we have an enormous problem set before us — there’s no denying it.
    But we also have an enormous opportunity before us, and I hope we seize it.
    With that, I want to thank you, again, for having me. And enjoy the rest of today’s summit.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential authority and the rule of law

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jean Lantz Reisz, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director, USC Immigration Clinic, University of Southern California

    People hold signs on April 4, 2025, supporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

    The Supreme Court on April 10, 2025, unanimously upheld the lower court order directing the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.

    The Supreme Court also directed the lower court to clarify aspects of the order.

    “The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego García’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” the Supreme Court order states.

    It is undisputed that the Trump administration made a mistake.

    The Justice Department admitted to deporting Abrego García to a maximum security prison in El Salvador even though an immigration judge in 2019 ordered that he not be deported. The judge did so under an immigration law called “withholding of removal,” which is a protection, like asylum, for people facing persecution in their home country.

    But the Trump administration has said a court cannot order it to fix its mistake and bring Abrego García back to the United States.

    According to the Trump administration, such an order would be “constitutionally intolerable.” The government has compared the court order to return Abrego García to an order to “‘effectuate’ the end of the war in Ukraine or return hostages from Gaza.”

    Abrego García should not have been deported

    Abrego García received this protective legal status six years ago. That’s when he proved to the court he was highly likely to be persecuted by the government or gangs in El Salvador due to a specific reason, as required under immigration law.

    Unlike asylum or refugee status, the status known as “withholding of removal” is not a pathway to citizenship. It allows a person to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely and not be deported to their country of nationality if they face persecution there.

    The government states it arrested and deported Abrego García on March 15 because he is a gang member. When Abrego García appealed his deportation, the federal district and appellate courts determined that the government provided no credible evidence of gang membership.

    That’s important, because the government failed to follow proper procedure to deport Abrego García based on gang membership. When someone is in “withholding of removal” status, the law requires the government to reopen immigration proceedings based on new evidence and seek to formally terminate the legal withholding status.

    Abrego García should have been notified of the government’s desire to deport him, and he should have had the opportunity to make his case at a court hearing. His summary deportation to El Salvador likely violated his right to due process under immigration law and the Constitution.

    Balance of powers are at stake

    The government did not follow the law, but it argues that the court cannot do anything about it.

    The crux of the government’s position is that a court does not have the power to order the release of a person in a foreign prison. That would interfere with the separation of powers among the executive and judicial branches. The president has the sole power to conduct foreign relations with El Salvador, and the government has argued that ordering the return of Abrego García interferes with that power.

    Prisoners watch as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visits the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025.
    Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    The court cannot order the Salvadoran government to do anything, but it can order the U.S. government to take steps to return García Abrego if he was unlawfully arrested and deported. That’s because the judiciary has the power to determine whether the president’s actions are lawful.

    The district court’s order was based on its determination that the president has likely violated immigration law and the Constitution in arresting and deporting Abrego García. The appellate court agreed.

    The Supreme Court has now said the order to facilitate Abrego García’s return is proper. But the high court also said the district court judge should further clarify its order, being mindful of the president’s authority when it comes to conducting foreign relations.

    Who is detaining Abrego García?

    The Salvadoran government seems to be imprisoning Abrego García at the request of the U.S. government.

    Trump administration lawyers have suggested in their briefing to the Supreme Court that there could be reasons under El Salvador law for Abrego García’s imprisonment. The government has not identified any reasons and has not provided any evidence that Abrego García is charged with a crime in El Salvador, or that he is being held under Salvadoran law.

    The Department of Homeland Security routinely contracts with local jails and for-profit prison corporations to temporarily house immigrant detainees in the U.S. The government has reportedly agreed to pay El Salvador US$6 million to imprison certain U.S. immigrant detainees for one year. The details of this agreement are not known.

    Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, has said that the Salvadoran megaprison is “one of the tools in our tool kit that we will use.”

    The district and appellate courts determined in this case that the U.S. is using the Salvadoran prison like any other detention facility. Under those circumstances, the U.S. government, not El Salvador, has ultimate control over Abrego García.

    The Supreme Court ruled that the government should facilitate Abrego García’s return.
    Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    As an immigration law scholar, I believe that the government can take steps to return Abrego García.

    In fact, other appellate courts have ordered the government to return immigrants who had been removed from the U.S. but later won their appeals of their removal orders. Those people were not in foreign prisons.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has created a formal policy for aiding the return of immigrants who were deported while their appeals were pending and then subsequently won their appeals.

    The government has argued that those situations are different. Here, it claims the court cannot demand the return of Abrego García, who is imprisoned in another country. The problem with the government’s argument is that it is the Trump administration that put Abrego García in a foreign prison.

    The Trump administration has also argued that Abrego García is not entitled to return to the U.S.. It has argued that even though it was a mistake to deport him to El Salvador under his withholding of removal status, Abrego García could have been removed to another country and has no right to return to the U.S..

    This would be true if Abrego García voluntarily left the U.S. or was deported to a country other than El Salvador, but that is not what happened. The government removed Abrego García to El Salvador in violation of U.S. law.

    The White House’s position in this matter is troubling because the president is supposed to enforce the law, not circumvent it.

    As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a separate statement published with the order and joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson: “The Government’s argument, moreover, implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U.S. citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene.”

    What steps the government will take to return Abrego García is unclear. The Supreme Court’s decision leaves open the question of how far the court can go to enforce his return.

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

    – ref. What the Supreme Court’s ruling on man wrongly deported to El Salvador says about presidential authority and the rule of law – https://theconversation.com/what-the-supreme-courts-ruling-on-man-wrongly-deported-to-el-salvador-says-about-presidential-authority-and-the-rule-of-law-254037

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: REP. HILL, REP. CAREY, AND SEN. BOOZMAN INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO GROW EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Rep. French Hill (R-AR) introduced legislation, the S Corporation Additional Participation Act or S-CAP Act, which would increase the maximum threshold for the number of shareholders an S Corporation can offer from 100 to 250. Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH) joined Rep. Hill in introducing the bill in the House, and Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

     

    Rep. Hill said, “As a former community banker, I have a deep appreciation for the importance of S Corporations. They are an invaluable tool that helps workers and small businesses alike. That is why I am pleased to introduce the S-CAP Act, which will expand access to the benefits of S Corps.

    “By increasing equity participation for employees in private companies, S Corps have given more and more families the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. They improve employee retention, motivation, and productivity, and they increase the ability for companies to access capital through diverse sources. S Corps also empower Americans to climb the economic ladder and build generational wealth. This bill will build on the success of S Corps by increasing the number of shareholders they can have. It is a simple change that will have a dramatic positive impact on thousands, if not millions, of hardworking Americans.”

    Sen. Boozman said, “Congress has a duty to shape the tax code with pro-growth policies that spur job creation and capital investment. S Corps are an important element in that framework that also help empower employees with expanded economic opportunity through the enterprise they know and trust most. Congress has adjusted S Corps shareholder caps previously, and our bill is another simple but important tax code reform that will benefit millions of small businesses and the hardworking Americans who drive their success.”

    Rep. Carey said, “S corporations are an economic cornerstone of towns across America. I am proud to partner with my friend Rep. French Hill to support this common-sense legislation, the S-CAP Act, that would raise the S corporation shareholder cap from 100 to 250. This would promote small and mid-sized businesses, allowing them to attract more investments, and ultimately create more jobs for hard-working Americans.”

    Further Background:

    In the United States, S Corporations (S Corps) are the most popular corporate structure. The IRS estimates that there are more than 5 million S Corps throughout the country. Congress created the S Corp structure through subchapter S of the tax code in 1958 to help shield family-owned businesses from the double taxation treatment imposed on C Corporation (“C Corp”).

    When the S Corp structure was established, Congress limited the number of shareholders to 10. Given the pass-through tax treatment, shareholder limitations were designed to create parity between S Corps and C Corps. When S Corps were originally introduced, the 10-shareholder cap made sense for small, family-owned businesses.

    Over time, Congress has recognized the power of S Corps to create jobs, increase wealth, and grow the economy. They also realized that the cap on the number of permitted shareholders hinders the potential of S Corps and have voted to increase the cap multiple times. Most recently, the shareholder cap was raised to 100 through the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. This expansion allowed for greater investment opportunities, but S Corps are still limited in their ability to attract capital, which restricts their ability to foster economic growth and their contribution to broader economic development.

    In Arkansas’s Second District, 93,440 people (29.2% of all private sector workers) are employed at S Corporations. There are 318, 525 S Corp employees across the entire state (28.1%), and 38,533,460 nationwide (27.4%).

    Other Support:

    “The Subchapter S Bank Association strongly supports Chairman Hill’s legislation proposing to increase the number of shareholders eligible to hold S Corp stock. One-third of community banks in the US maintain an S election, and enactment of this legislation will be critical to meet and expand community bank capital access – allowing America’s 1500 S Corp banks to continue to serve their customers,” said Patrick J. Kennedy, Jr., President, Subchapter S Bank Association and Executive Chairman of TransPecos Banks, SSB.

    “The S corporation shareholder cap is a relic from another age, particularly as it applies to employee owners. The Hill legislation would ensure that S corporations who offer ownership opportunities to their employees are not penalized by this arbitrary cap. We fully support this bill and look forward to working with Representative Hill on seeing it enacted,” said Brian Reardon, President, S Corporation Association.

    “In 1949, my grandfather, Bob Nabholz embarked on a journey to build a house for himself and his wife, setting in motion the start of a construction legacy that has thrived for more than 75 years. Today we have 16 offices in seven states and employ more than 1,700 professionals with an expected 2025 revenue of over $1.8 billion. In 1976, Bob saw the value in offering ownership to key employees and invited the first group of team members to become shareholders. He felt it was important to give employees an opportunity to shape the future of our company and have a personal stake in our long-term success. That tradition continues to this day. Employee ownership has been a cornerstone of our company’s success for nearly 50 years. We are very proud of our employee owners and the impact they have on our company and the communities we live in. The proposed increase in the S Corp shareholder cap will give us the ability to offer many more well-deserving employees the opportunity to become owners of Nabholz Construction. We are grateful to Senator Boozman and Congressman Hill for sponsoring this legislation which will help reward and retain top talent, ensuring the long-term growth and success of our company. We respectfully encourage Congress to pass this legislation,” said Jake

    Nabholz, Chief Executive Officer, Nabholz Construction Corporation.

    This bill is also endorsed by the American Council of Engineering Companies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Ground broken on the first ‘Making Space for Water’ flood resilience projects

    Source: Auckland Council

    Today marks a major milestone in Auckland’s flood recovery programme, with the official groundbreaking of the first flood resilience (blue-green) projects under Auckland Council’s Making Space for Water programme.

    The two Māngere projects, including replacing a busy bridge and lifting New Zealand’s largest sewerage pipe, will significantly reduce flood risk for hundreds of homes in neighbourhoods surrounding the Te Ararata Stream and Harania Creek. Some of these homes have a serious risk to life from flooding.

    The projects are the first under the council’s 10-year Making Space for Water programme and were the first to be funded as part of a $2-billion co-funding agreement with local and central government following the severe weather events in early 2023.

    The area was blessed at dawn by mana whenua representatives from Te Ākitai Waiohua and supported by Ngāti Tamaoho and Te Ahiwaru, with Mayor Wayne Brown officially breaking ground, alongside local Member of Parliament Lemauga Lydia Sosene, Ward Councillors and members of the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board.

    Mayor Wayne Brown and local iwi at sod turning ceremony in Mangere.

    “Māngere was one of the hardest hit communities when Tāmaki Makaurau experienced its worst rainfall on record in 2023, and the community has shown incredible resilience during some difficult times,” says Mayor Brown. 

    “It’s fitting that the first blue-green projects delivered under the council’s Making Space for Water programme are right here in Māngere.

    “Fixing Auckland’s infrastructure and making the most of our environment were among my key policies and why I supported this programme, and the commitment of budget to get projects like these done quickly, to ensure a positive outcome for the local community.”

    Mana whenua acknowledged the importance of restoring the mauri (life force) of local waterways, ensuring they can continue to sustain and support both people and the environment.

    Manukau ward councillors Alf Filipaina and Lotu Fuli celebrated this milestones and acknowledged the importance of the council working with central government with strong community support to accelerate the progress of these projects, including the Order in Council.

    “Community backing for an Order in Council was absolutely crucial in getting these projects approved and shovel-ready in record time. I also want to acknowledge the role that council staff, especially the Healthy Waters and Recovery Office teams, played in getting us to this point and all their hard work and dedication. Our communities were one of the hardest hit during the severe weather in 2023 and these projects will increase flood resilience for hundreds of properties – it’s certainly something to celebrate,” says Cr Filipaina. 

    “This is about more than just managing the flow of water – these projects are about building healthier and more resilient communities for people to live. This work is about reducing an intolerable risk to life and supporting our Māngere communities through some challenging conversations. It was great to acknowledge this milestone for the wider regional programme with more flood resilience projects to come,” says Cr Fuli.

    Working with the community

    A Stakeholder Advisory Group, made up of key community organisations and locals, has been serving as a bridge between the council and the broader community, ensuring that local knowledge is contributed, and broader outcomes are considered.

    “These projects are a great example of how Auckland Council and communities can collaborate to create outcomes that benefit everyone,” said Toni Helleur, CEO of I Am Māngere.

    “In addition to the flood resilience outcomes we’re also delivering social outcomes for South Auckland. Heb, the contractor for the Te Ararata project have employed seven people into full-time employment through council’s Nga Puna Pukenga Skills for Industry programme.

    Project details 

    Work in both catchment areas will address key blockage points so that in extreme storms rainwater can flow more easily out into the Manukau Harbour.

    In Te Ararata, the Walmsley Road bridge will be upgraded to increase water flow beneath it and a debris trap will be installed to reduce potential blockages upstream. A permanent maintenance platform and accessway to the Mahunga Drive culverts will also be built to enable quicker and easier access for maintenance crews.  

    In Harania, the embankment between Blake and Bicknell roads will be removed and replaced with a pedestrian bridge and a pipe bridge for the Eastern Interceptor, which carries roughly 70 per cent of Auckland’s wastewater from Okahu Bay to Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.

    Harania Stream part of the Making Space for Water projects.

    These improvements will enable the waterways around Blake Road Reserve to flow more freely and lessen the likelihood of flooding in the future. Construction on the projects will start later this month, with completion expected in mid-2026.

    Planning and prioritisation for future projects

    Many communities were heavily impacted by the severe weather events of early 2023. Further areas across Tāmaki Makaurau continue to be assessed and prioritised for future blue-green works.

    You can find out more information about these projects on the council’s website or you can reach out to the team at bluegreen@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –