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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Urges Congress to Stand up for Separation of Powers and Due Process

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a joint Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing this week, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, pushed back on Republicans’ attempts to smear judges who have ruled against President Trump. Senator Welch also urged Congress to reassert its own constitutional authority in order to preserve the separation of powers and limit executive overreach.  
    “This moment we’re in in our country is testing whether the separation of powers, three coequal branches of government, shall endure. That’s really the question. We’ve seen an abdication of constitutional responsibility by the Congress—it’s appalling,” said Senator Welch.   
    “We can deal with universal injunctions. But the all-out assault on judges because they make decisions—which is the job it is they have to do—and the decision is: has a President exceeded his authority? The decision is: has the Congress passed a law that deviates from constitutional requirements? Those are so profoundly important to keep that separation of powers and to keep the competition between the three branches so that we don’t have absolute power vested in a single person—and that’s the chief executive. 
    “What is most profoundly important for the well-being of our country is that the Congress reassert its authority to pass laws to restrict the executive, or to empower the executive, but not to cede our authority to the executive—ever. It’s our responsibility to do every single thing we can to validate the legitimate exercise of the decision-making authority of the judiciary.” 
    Senator Welch also questioned witnesses about the impact and consequences of unlimited executive authority on due process. 
    Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks below: 
    Read Senator Welch’s full opening remarks here. 
    Senator Welch and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, released the following joint statement ahead of the joint subcommittee hearing: 
    “Today’s hearing will not be on the level, and it’s important that the public and press do not put falsehoods and rhetoric before the facts. This is not a policy debate—this is yet another Republican attack on an independent judiciary.   
    “Let’s be clear: The reason district judges have enjoined the Trump Administration’s orders is because of unprecedented unlawfulness, not unprecedented judicial behavior. Our colleagues across the aisle are making it clear they are willing to help do Trump’s bidding and protect his unlawful activity at any cost. Republicans can either defend the rule of law and the judiciary, or defend this administration’s agenda and lies—but they cannot do both.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Cruz Scrutinize NPR Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    Published: June 4, 2025
    Oversight comes as Congress is set to take up rescissions package to defund NPR.
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are demanding transparency from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) over a $1.9 million grant it provided National Public Radio (NPR) last year.
    As Congress evaluates whether to continue trusting CPB with taxpayers’ hard-earned money, the pair highlighted the need for the first rescissions package as they blasted the nonprofit for refusing to comply with congressional oversight requests to ensure editorial accuracy, objectivity, and balance, especially after NPR has repeatedly shown blatant bias in reporting.
    “Withholding basic information from Congress about the grants to NPR is unacceptable. It raises serious doubts about CPB’s commitment to transparency and accountability. Ultimately, this sort of obstruction when faced with a routine congressional oversight request raises significant concerns about whether Congress can trust CPB to receive taxpayer funds at all, never mind the robust $595 million CPB is requesting for Fiscal Year 2027,” wrote the senators.
    In the letter, the senators also point out that Uri Berliner, former senior business editor at NPR, publicly resigned last year in protest of NPR’s considerable political editorial bias.
    Click here to view the letter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Van Hollen Seek to Assure Servicemembers and Veterans Receive VA Home Loan Benefit Information

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced the Veterans Affairs Loan Informed Disclosure (VALID) Act of 2025 to increase awareness and utilization of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan benefits.
    By providing potential homebuyers with a side-by side comparison of conventional, Federal Housing Administration and VA home loans, the VALID Act would ensure veterans have a comprehensive picture of their financing options that includes their eligibility for homebuying assistance. Currently, only 10 to 15 percent of eligible veterans report utilizing VA home loans.
    “We should make certain veterans are aware they qualify for help with purchasing a home or realizing more savings over the life of a mortgage,” said Boozman, a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Since we know VA home loans are underutilized, there is a clear need to better identify this assistance earlier in the process. I am proud to join my colleagues in enhancing this earned benefit for our former servicemembers.”
    “While we can never fully repay the debt we owe to our veterans, we have a duty to support them when they return home,” said Van Hollen. “The VA Home Loan has been helping servicemembers buy homes for over 80 years, but this funding resource remains severely underutilized by far too many of our veterans. This bipartisan legislation will help change that, ensuring more veterans and their families take advantage of the benefits they have earned.”
    The VALID Act would:
    Update Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage disclosures to include VA Home Loans alongside FHA and conventional loan options; and
    Ensure lenders are provided with important information regarding applicant’s military service so they can provide information about VA loans early in the homebuying process.
    Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07), Young Kim (R-CA-40), Nikema Williams (D-GA-05), and Harriet Hageman (R-WY-At Large) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
    The bill is endorsed by the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP), Broker Action Coalition and National Association of REALTORS.
    “VAREP wholeheartedly endorses the VA Loan Information Disclosure Act of 2025. This legislation will help correct an injustice of non-disclosure of all viable mortgage loan options to all home loan applicants who are eligible to take advantage of their earned VA Home Loan Guarantee Benefits,” said VAREP.
    Full text of the VALID Act is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Meets with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States; Pushes Israel to Allow More Aid Into Gaza

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C.—This morning, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) met with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter in his office. During the meeting, Senator Welch urged Ambassador Leiter and the Israeli government to end the blockade on medicine, infant formula, and other lifesaving humanitarian aid into Gaza. Senator Welch released the following statement: 
    “Today I had a frank and open conversation with Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. I emphasized my support for the Israeli people and for a secure, democratic State of Israel. I also stressed that America expects Israel to take all necessary steps to provide access to food, humanitarian aid, and medical supplies to suffering Palestinians in Gaza. 
    “We all agree that Hamas’ attack was evil. Hamas’ continued use of hostages to inflict pain and deep emotional suffering is evil, and we must bring the remaining hostages home. Not a single Vermonter or American I’ve met disputes that. At the same time, we must firmly reject even the implicit acceptance of restricting access to food, water, and medicine as a weapon of war. 
    “Aid distribution has been slowed and blocked by Israel in the last 24 hours. Palestinians have been killed and injured at distribution sites. The Israeli government continues to block access for the world’s humanitarian organizations. These organizations stand ready to immediately surge food and medicine into Gaza to keep two million Palestinian civilians—including the elderly, cancer patients, those requiring dialysis, and vulnerable children—alive. 
    “Israel must urgently act to help Palestinians in-need—this is an emergency.” 
    In addition to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Senator Welch asked Ambassador Leiter for an update on Israel’s investigations into shootings of American citizens, including Dylan Collins, a Vermonter and video journalist with the AFP news agency who was wounded by the Israeli Defense Forces while reporting in Southern Lebanon. Five fellow journalists and colleagues were hurt, and one died in the attack, which violated U.S. and international law. 
    Senator Welch recently led a Senate Resolution, sponsored by 45 colleagues, which called for the delivery of lifesaving food and humanitarian aid for starving children in Gaza. Senate Republicans blocked passage of the resolution.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts at AI+ Expo: Innovation and Adoption is the Key to AI Competition for America 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, participated in the Special Competitive Studies Project’s AI+ Expo in Washington, D.C. Speaking at a fireside chat titled “Winning the AI Race with the CCP,” Ricketts made the case for how America can be the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). 

    “What we have to do is create an environment where American innovators are the ones who can continue to innovate,” said Ricketts. “We shouldn’t put up rules so that other countries don’t adopt what we’re doing… Either we’re right or they’re right. Either Communist China’s centralized system, where they’re directing state-owned enterprises, is right or ours is. I believe ours is and that’s why we have to unleash the power of free enterprise and get a critical mass of our friends onboard.”

    Ricketts also underscored the importance of AI for various industries important to Nebraska and the United States.

    ”AI has a huge potential for making us more efficient,” said Ricketts. ”In the first few months, businesses that introduce AI see a 14% increase in productivity. That means we stay ahead in productivity here in the United States. That means we’re able to set our own destiny with how we do things like pharmaceutical research, agricultural research, or defense technology research.” 

    Click here to watch the fireside chat.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Van Hollen Introduce Life-Saving Hepatitis C Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced life-saving legislation to cure low-income and hard-to-reach Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Cassidy and Van Hollen’s Cure Hepatitis C Act will establish a voluntary drug subscription model to connect HCV patients to treatment and stop the spread of the disease. Today’s treatment for HCV cures more than 95% of cases with almost no side effects.
    “We can virtually eliminate hepatitis C in a fiscally responsible way,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Curing hepatitis C makes Americans healthy again while also saving the federal government billions by eliminating the need for chronic care. It’s a win for patients, and it’s a win for the taxpayers.” 
    “Hepatitis C claims thousands of American lives every year – but we have a proven model that can make this preventable public health crisis a thing of the past. Our bipartisan legislation offers a solution towards ensuring communities most at risk have access to the highly effective treatments that are available – saving lives while also saving billions in taxpayer dollars that are currently spent on costly chronic care,” said Senator Van Hollen.
    The Cure Hepatitis C Act of 2025 is based on a successful pilot program in Louisiana, as well as in other countries. The five-year subscription model allows the federal government to procure HCV drugs through a competitive bidding process between the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and manufacturers and distribute them to HCV patients. Participation is optional, and there are no terms requiring manufacturers to engage in the subscription model. The subscription model is not one-size-fits-all and can be tailored to different populations in need of treatment. State Medicaid programs can opt-in to participate, ensuring that individuals can receive treatment. In addition, individuals receiving care in the Indian Health Program and in federal correctional facilities will have access to HCV treatments through the subscription model. State correctional facilities may opt-in if they choose to do so.
    When hepatitis C goes untreated, it can lead to a lifetime of chronic health issues and ultimately be fatal. Chronic health issues are a driving cost for Medicaid and Medicare and increase the amount federal taxpayers spend. Senator Cassidy and Senator Van Hollen’s proposal to reduce the number of hepatitis C cases has been estimated to save $6.6 billion in taxpayer dollars.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Appropriations Hearing, Durbin Calls Out Secretary McMahon For Eliminating Support For Students Defrauded By For-Profit Colleges

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    June 03, 2025
    As Secretary McMahon attempted to deflect Durbin’s questions, Durbin asserted that the Trump Administration is eliminating critical student protections
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in a Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Education (ED).  During the hearing, Durbin questioned Secretary of Education Linda McMahon about how ED is supporting students defrauded by for-profit colleges.
    Durbin began by underscoring the harm done by for-profit colleges, reminding Secretary McMahon that while for-profit colleges enroll only eight percent of American college students, those students account for 30 percent of all student loan defaults. 
    “The problem is the difficulty students face [after attending a for-profit college] becomes a lifetime problem.  Imagine a first-generation college student trying to pick a place to go to school, inundated in high school with glossy brochures from for-profit colleges and universities, which promise the sun, the moon, and the stars,” Durbin said.  “The student goes and learns there are Pell grants available through for-profit colleges and universities.  They hear the promises that if they just attend this school and graduate, there’s going to be a good paying job at the end of the rainbow, and it turns out, it’s all phony.”
    “They are being deluded and deceived. There is much more scam than there is scholarship… So most of them, or at least 30 percent of them, end up with loans they can’t pay back.  They never see that job that was promised to them.  But they’ve got one last place [ED] to turn to and try to get their lives back on track,” Durbin said.  “I have heard their stories from them.”
    Durbin then asked Secretary McMahon about ED’s efforts to support students defrauded by for-profit colleges by allowing students to file borrower defense claims.
    “You have a department within the Department of Education for borrower defense.  Are you familiar with that?… Can you tell me what you understand the borrower defense law to promise?”Durbin asked Secretary McMahon.
    Rather than answer Durbin’s question, Secretary McMahon deflected by arguing that many non-profit universities and colleges also promise to help students secure a job after graduation.  Secretary McMahon did acknowledge that college affordability is a major obstacle for students, forcing them to take on significant student debt despite President Trump’s budget request asking to slash Pell grants by nearly $1,700 and gutting programs like TRIO and Gear Up that help first-generation and low-income college students enroll and complete their college degree.
    However, as Durbin said in pushing back against Secretary McMahon’s indirect answer, for-profit colleges rarely deliver respected or marketable degrees to students, giving them little chance to secure a job as they attempt to pay off their mountain of student debt.
    “The point that I’m making is there is one brand of college and university that is particularly egregious when it comes to deceiving these students.  It’s for-profit colleges and universities.  Eight percent of [American college students], 30 percent of student loan defaults… It stands out from all the rest,” Durbin said.
    “The point I’m getting to is you’re hollowing out the borrower defense agency within your own department.  This is supposed to be the rescue for these students to finally get back on track and maybe go to a good school.  Why would you hollow out the resources there and the people that are enforcing the borrower defense rule when we have these terrible numbers of exploitation of students?” Durbin asked Secretary McMahon.
    Secretary McMahon replied, “we shouldn’t just focus on those [for-profit] schools.  I totally agree with you, there are some scam universities out there.”
    “Why would you hollow out the people who are supposed to enforce it?” Durbin countered.  “Give me an idea of what you’re putting in place that’s better than the borrower defense rule.”
    As Secretary McMahon ineffectively argued that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) would help students understand the threat of for-profit colleges, Durbin pushed for answers about how ED is supporting students who have already become victims of for-profit colleges.
    “I’m talking about the victims.  The ones who are already victims.  They’re in debt by tens of thousands of dollars,” Durbin said.  “They have no place to turn, and you’re telling me the FAFSA form is going to help them?  How can it help them?”
    Secretary McMahon replied, “that’s not in place yet, but I think that’s going to be very, very helpful.  Here’s the other thing.  Where are guidance counselors in high schools?”
    “Good question!” Durbin replied.  “You’re cutting the number of counselors in these schools at the same time.”
    “The counselors that are doing their jobs can provide information to these students,” Secretary McMahon said.
    “There aren’t enough of them.  That’s the point I’m making.  The situation is terrible for these students.  First generation students are being exploited by these schools.  They need your protection.  They need our protection.  They deserve it,” Durbin said.  “Unfortunately, you’re reducing the number of people to enforce the law.”
    The Trump Administration has made moves to dismantle ED, firing more than 1,300 staff and signing an Executive Order to demolish ED.  Last month, House Republicans included a provision in the reconciliation bill to roll back the Biden-era borrower defense rule that allowed for full debt relief, addressing a wider range of school misconduct, and allowing group claims rather than individual applications.  If passed by the Senate, the reconciliation bill will replace the Biden-era borrower defense rule with the rule instituted under the first Trump Administration, requiring borrowers to meet a higher bar to receive relief by showing they suffered financial harm from their college’s misconduct and that the college knowingly made deceptive or false statements.
    For 11 years, Durbin has written to high school guidance counselors, teachers, and principals, urging them to warn students of the risks associated with attending for-profit colleges.
    Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s question in Committee is available here for TV stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin’s Protecting Children With Food Allergies Bill Adopted As Amendment In Senate Agriculture Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    June 03, 2025
    The legislation, which was added as an amendment to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, would train school food service staff to prevent and respond to food-related allergic reactions
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) bipartisan legislation, the Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act, was adopted unanimously as an amendment to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.  Durbin’s amendment would ensure school food service staff receive essential training about food allergies, so that they are better equipped to prevent, recognize, and respond to food allergic reactions, which can save lives.
    “When parents drop their kids off at school, they should have peace of mind knowing that their children are safe with personnel who are trained to look out for their children’s food allergies,”said Durbin.  “Peanuts, eggs, soy, and milk are nutritious, and may be in school lunches or brought by classmates.  But for some kids, they are allergens that can be deadly.  Today, the Senate Agriculture Committee adopted my bipartisan Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act as an amendment to a larger bill, ensuring that kids will be safe in the event of an allergic reaction.”
    Food allergies are a growing public health concern.  Over the past two decades, the number of children with food allergies in the U.S. has more than doubled.  Approximately six million children are estimated to have food allergies, about two students per classroom.  Further, 20 percent of all epinephrine shots administered in schools are given to children who have undiagnosed food allergies—which makes it even more important for school food personnel to understand how to recognize and respond to an allergic reaction.
    USDA requires annual trainings to school food personnel who work under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP).  Required trainings include modules in nutrition, health, and food safety standards.  USDA also makes available trainings that address food allergies, but those are not required as part of these annual trainings.  The Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act would add “food allergies” to the existing list of trainings to ensure that school food personnel receive essential information about food allergies. 
    The Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act has endorsements from: Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), and School Nutrition Association (SNA).
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Senators Demand Explanation After Trump Admin Greenlights Giant Rocket-Redfin Merger, Warn of Potential Price Hikes for American Homebuyers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 04, 2025
    Rocket has a history of anticompetitive behavior in the housing industry
    “At a time when families already face a housing affordability crisis, these deals…may reduce choice and raise prices for American families in the housing market.” 
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeking an explanation for the agencies’ failure to challenge Rocket Companies’ (Rocket) recent acquisition of Redfin, which creates a massive housing company that threatens to reduce choice and raise prices for American families in the housing market. 
    This merger allows Rocket, an online mortgage lending and real estate platform, to exert even greater control over each step of the homebuying process by taking over Redfin, a popular real estate search platform, and Mr. Cooper, the nation’s largest mortgage servicing firm. On May 8, 2025, the Trump Administration allowed the merger waiting period to expire without taking action to block or review the transaction. 
    After the Rocket-Redfin merger is completed, Rocket will have the power to steer Redfin users to Rocket’s real estate agents, limiting business for local, independent agents and brokerages. Rocket could also discourage Redfin users from comparison shopping for better mortgage offers by steering homebuyers to Rocket’s mortgages. Comparison shopping has been shown to save homebuyers an average of $76,410 over a 30-year mortgage.
    In addition, Rocket’s acquisition of Mr. Cooper will create a mortgage finance behemoth. By acquiring seven million mortgage servicing clients, Rocket would have a reduced need to compete for new customers. Altogether, with these acquisitions, Rocket would triple its current client base and control one in six mortgages in the United States. Rocket’s efforts to consolidate and control the homebuying market onto a single online platform sets a dangerous precedent for consumers, the industry, and the U.S. housing market as a whole at a time when house prices and mortgage rates continue to rise.
    Rocket has a history of anticompetitive efforts to steer homebuyers to its products. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued Rocket in 2024 for allegedly steering homebuyers into purchasing Rocket mortgages and charging higher rates and fees. The CFPB dropped the lawsuit just three weeks after President Trump installed new leadership at the agency. 
    Under the DOJ and FTC’s merger enforcement guidelines, the acquisitions raise multiple concerns, including: 
    Under Guideline 6, which warns that “mergers can violate the law when they entrench or extend a dominant position”; 
    Under Guideline 7, which directs the DOJ and FTC to “examine whether a trend toward consolidation in an industry would heighten … competition concerns”; 
    Under Guideline 8, which clarifies that “when a merger is part of a series of multiple acquisitions, the agencies may examine the whole series”; and 
    Under Guideline 9, which warns that “mergers involving platforms can threaten competition.” 
    “Rocket’s proposed acquisitions…create the potential for Rocket to steer homebuyers to its own products, hike prices based on private data, and block competition. We ask that you provide an explanation for your agencies’ failure to challenge the Rocket-Redfin merger during the premerger review period,” wrote the senators. 
    The lawmakers asked the two agencies to provide clarity on why they declined to challenge the merger by June 17, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: At Hearing, Trump Treasury Nominee Refuses to Say Whether Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Should Strip Away Health Care from American Families

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    June 04, 2025
    Trump Treasury Department created a $50 billion loophole for giant banks after 2017 tax bill passed, while Morrissey was deputy general counsel
    Paying for another $50 billion loophole would mean taking away Medicaid from approximately 700,000 Americans 
    Video of Exchange (YouTube)
    Washington, D.C. — At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Brian Morrissey, nominee for general counsel of the Department of the Treasury, about the cost of tax giveaways to major corporations for American families. 
    After the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, lobbyists for foreign banks like Credit Suisse and Barclays lobbied to minimize the effects of new taxes on their profits, eventually securing $50 billion in additional giveaways to foreign banks and their subsidiaries. At the time, Mr. Morrissey was deputy general counsel at the Treasury Department.
    Senator Warren pressed Mr. Morrissey on what further tax giveaways, including ones in Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” would mean for American families. Mr. Morrissey repeatedly declined to answer how many people would have to lose Medicaid coverage to free up another $50 billion for giveaways to the wealthy. 
    “It’s 700,000 people to make up for a $50 billion loophole. It’s like cutting off every single Medicaid recipient in the state of Nevada just to fund another $50 billion loophole like the ones you all managed to do last time around when you gave foreign banks this special loophole,” said Senator Warren. 
    Mr. Morrissey also declined to answer whether Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” should take away money from working-class Americans. Independent analysts have found that the bottom 40% of households in the U.S. would see their incomes fall next year if this bill is passed, while households in the top .1% will get nearly $400,000 in tax breaks. 
    “That’s what this bill is all about: taking from struggling families to give handouts to billionaires and big corporations…I think it’s obscene,” said Senator Warren. 
    Transcript: Hearing to Consider the Nomination of Brian Morrissey, Jr., of Virginia, to be General Counsel for the Department of the TreasurySenate Finance CommitteeJune 3, 2025 
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So Donald Trump ran for President on the promise to lower costs – a promise that he abandoned almost as soon as he got elected. He also promised his “rich as hell” donors that he would deliver big tax breaks. So right now, Senate Republicans are working overtime to pass billionaire tax giveaways – partly paid for by kicking 14 million people off their health care and partly paid for by using magic math to pretend that those tax giveaways don’t cost as much as they actually cost. 
    Now, we’ve seen this play before. In 2017, President Trump’s first tax giveaway to the wealthy was supposed to cost just $1.5 trillion, and that was after there were a bunch of budget gimmicks to keep the total down. But even that wasn’t a big enough giveaway. After the bill passed, the Trump Treasury Department drafted regulations to implement the new law, and corporations sent armies of lobbyists in to write even more loopholes into the tax laws. 
    Now, Mr. Morrissey, you were deputy general counsel at Treasury at this time. So you may remember: lobbyists from foreign banks like Credit Suisse and Barclays won a big new international tax loophole for loans they make to U.S. subsidiaries. Do you know how much they pocketed from that extra giveaway engineered in the Treasury Department?
    Mr. Brian Morrisey, nominee for General Counsel of the Treasury Department: Senator, I’m familiar with many of the regulations under TCJA, but not the answer to your specific question. 
    Senator Warren: Not that one? Well, then I will tell you. It was $50 billion, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
    Now, today, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are working to pass a new set of tax cuts for billionaires, millionaires, and giant corporations. This one, the price tag is around $4 trillion. And this time, they are planning to pay for it – in part – by slashing Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act by nearly $1 trillion and kicking 14 million Americans off their health care. It is handout time for billionaires and austerity for everyone else. 
    Mr. Morrisey, you’re nominated to be general counsel at Treasury, meaning you would help in the drafting and implementation of this bill – if it passed – maybe adding another $50 billion tax loophole here, another $50 billion tax loophole there.
    So, Mr. Morrissey, I just want to make sure that you think through what this means. Do you know how many people will have to lose their Medicaid coverage just to pay for one of those $50 billion tax loopholes out of a $4 trillion Trump tax giveaway?
    Mr. Morrisey: Senator, if I were to be confirmed, I would be committed to making sure that folks working at Treasury on tax issues are clear that the policy judgments in this space belong to the Congress. 
    Senator Warren: That’s not the question I’m asking here, Mr. Morrissey. I know you’d like to duck this one. My question is: when you create a $50 billion tax giveaway, do you know how many Americans lose Medicaid coverage to make up $50 billion? Do you know what those numbers are? These are just numbers.  
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, again, the policy judgement is with the Congress and Treasury would be — 
    Senator Warren: No, it’s not a policy question I’m asking you. If you are going to be over at the Treasury Department and you’re talking about being in a position where you can actually create a $50 billion loophole—and I know you could do that because you’ve done it in the past—I just want to make sure when you’re doing the pluses and minuses of doing this, that you have some idea how many Americans will lose their Medicaid coverage in order to make up for a $50 billion loophole. Do you have any idea how many people have to lose Medicaid coverage to create $50 billion?
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, whatever judgements this Congress makes in the statute—
    Senator Warren: Ten? A thousand? A million? Do you have any idea what that number is? 
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, if I am confirmed, I am committed to making sure we are implementing—
    Senator Warren: Do you not have any idea what that number is, or do you just not want to say it?
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, my role would be on the legal side. The policy side, the weighing of these important issues—
    Senator Warren: I’ll take that as you just don’t want to have to admit it. It’s 700,000 people to make up for a $50 billion loophole. It’s like cutting off every single Medicaid recipient in the state of Nevada just to fund another $50 billion loophole like the ones you all managed to do last time around when you gave foreign banks this special loophole. 
    And that’s what this bill is all about: taking from struggling families to give handouts to billionaires and big corporations. In fact, according to independent experts, Trump’s big, beautiful bill will take money away from the bottom 40% of families and turn around and shovel nearly $400,000 to everyone who’s in the top one-tenth of one percent. 
    So let me just ask you one last question and we’ll finish this up. At a time when families are struggling with higher costs under President Trump, do you really think that Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” should take away money from working-class Americans, Mr. Morrissey?
    Mr. Morrissey: Senator, I think the tax legislation that this Congress passed in 2017 raised living standards and helped Americans across the spectrum and if Congress decides to take new action I am committed to working with Treasury to make sure we implement that.
    Senator Warren: You know, I’ve just got to say: tax cuts for the wealthiest, a $50 billion loophole here, another one there, and so what if hundreds of thousands of people lose their Medicaid and access to health care? That’s what this bill is all about, and I think it’s obscene.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Expands Holds on EPA Nominees After Republicans Overrule Parliamentarian to Gut California’s Clean Air Authority

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Expands Holds on EPA Nominees After Republicans Overrule Parliamentarian to Gut California’s Clean Air Authority

    Senator Padilla: “The Trump Administration and the Republican majority plowed ahead with an unprecedented power grab at the expense of the health of millions of children and families in California and many other states”
    Padilla releases memo outlining how Senate Republicans went nuclear on Senate rules, warns of future implications
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — After Republicans shortsightedly revoked California’s clean air waivers, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced his intent to place a blanket hold on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nominations, including proceeding with his objections to the four EPA nominations currently pending on the Senate’s Executive Calendar and holding three additional EPA nominations. In his Congressional Record Statement, Padilla stated he will maintain these seven holds until Republicans make appropriate accommodations so that California can protect its own environment and the health of its residents.
    Padilla’s objections come in response to Republicans overruling the nonpartisan Senate Parliamentarian’s decision and going nuclear on the Senate rulebook in order to rescind California’s clean air waivers that allow the state to implement more protective air quality standards. The Senate Parliamentarian determined that any resolutions aimed at overturning California waivers would not be entitled to the Congressional Review Act’s (CRA) expedited procedures and would therefore require 60 votes to secure Senate passage. However, Senate Republicans bypassed the filibuster to rescind these waivers by overruling the Parliamentarian.
    “The Senate’s constitutional role to Advise and Consent regarding executive branch nominations is an important check on agency leadership’s abuse and overreach, and raising these objections regarding EPA nominations is my duty on behalf of the people of the State of California,” wrote Senator Padilla. “I am objecting to expedited consideration of EPA nominees in response to the Trump Administration EPA’s abuse of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) by submitting three waivers issued to the State of California to Congress and claiming they are ‘rules’ under the CRA despite the Government Accountability Office’s clear determination they are not.”
    Padilla stressed that revoking California’s waivers will cause disastrous public health and environmental impacts, highlighting California’s unique air quality challenges and critical efforts to reduce harmful emissions. He also emphasized that EPA’s reckless actions by abusing the CRA fly in the face of longstanding Senate procedures to target California’s waiver authority.
    “The Trump Administration and the Republican majority plowed ahead with an unprecedented power grab at the expense of the health of millions of children and families in California and many other states,” continued Senator Padilla. “They took advantage of EPA’s abuse of the CRA to throw out the rulebook, first by overriding the procedural limits in the text of the CRA itself and then by overturning the Parliamentarian’s decision, all in their quest to take away California’s authority under the Clean Air Act.”
    “This is unacceptable,” added Senator Padilla. “California has done nearly all it can do to reduce emissions from stationary sources of air pollution within its jurisdiction. Given our unique air quality challenges and the worsening impacts of climate change, it is essential for our state to reduce pollution from mobile sources such as cars and trucks if the federal government will not do so itself. That is why Congress has provided this waiver authority to our state for decades and it has been used over 100 times. But now, as a result of the Trump EPA and Senate Republicans’ abuse of the CRA, the people of California will be forced to breathe more toxic air pollution and suffer increasingly devastating impacts of climate change.”
    The seven Senate-confirmable nominations Padilla is holding include four pending on the Senate floor and three working their way through the committee process.
    Senator Padilla also circulated a memo to his Senate colleagues outlining the broad implications of Republicans going nuclear on the Senate rules, detailing that the Senate majority went nuclear by:
    Overriding the text of the CRA, which bars points of order (which they then raised) and
    Overruling the Parliamentarian’s determination by ignoring her and “submitting the question” to the Senate as opposed to overruling the Chair.
    The memo makes clear that by defying their previous commitments and breaking 30 years of CRA precedent with the first successful use of the nuclear option on the legislative filibuster, the CRA is now open to being applied to any agency action that is submitted to Congress going back to 1996, opening up a large new window to force votes in the Senate. In addition, Senate Republicans have now permanently undermined the legislative filibuster that they have claimed to defend on the eve of budget reconciliation, where they are under pressure to overrule the Parliamentarian yet again to avoid a filibuster on legislation that would eliminate health care and nutrition assistance for millions of Americans to cut taxes for the ultra-wealthy.
    Senator Padilla has been a leading voice in pushing back against Republican attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Over the last month, Padilla has spoken on the Senate floor repeatedly to sound the alarm on Senate Republicans’ revocations of these critical waivers. Padilla, along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), also led Democratic Ranking Members in strongly warning Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) of the dangerous and irreparable consequences if Senate Republicans overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision on California’s waivers. Many of his Democratic colleagues voiced similar opposition to Republicans’ unprecedented dismissal of the Senate rulebook.
    In April, Padilla, Whitehouse, and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) welcomed the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the waivers are not subject to the CRA. Padilla also joined Whitehouse and Schiff in blasting Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s weaponization of the EPA after the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) similar finding. Padilla and Schiff previously slammed the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back dozens of the EPA’s regulations that protect California’s air and water.
    Full text of Senator Padilla’s hold statement is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER APPLAUDS GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ NEW $3 BILLION ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT SPURRED BY HIS CHIPS & SCIENCE LAW, BRINGING TOTAL TO $16 BILLION FOR CAPITAL REGION PROJECT TO BECOME EPICENTER OF AMERICA’S…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
    Schumer Has Fought For Years To Get GlobalFoundries To Expand Current Fab & Build New, State-Of-The-Art Second Manufacturing Facility In Malta, Delivering Whopping $1.5B Award From His Bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law Last Year To Finally Make Project A Reality
    Now GlobalFoundries Is Investing $3B More In The Project, Further Expanding Advanced Packaging And R&D, Because Of The Foundation Schumer Laid To Strengthen American Semiconductor Leadership
    Schumer: GlobalFoundries Is Doubling Down On The Capital Region With $3B More To Make Upstate NY America’s Semiconductor Epicenter
    A longtime advocate for GlobalFoundries’ growth in the Capital Region, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today applauded GlobalFoundries’ announcement that it will invest an additional $3 billion to expand its first-of-its-kind chip packaging facility at its Saratoga County location, bringing its total investment to $16 billion in the Capital Region and the country thanks to his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law.
    “GlobalFoundries is writing the future of American chipmaking right here in the Capital Region. With this additional $3 billion investment, GlobalFoundries is making a whopping $16 billion investment spurred by my CHIPS & Science Law, and is doubling down on Upstate New York as America’s semiconductor epicenter,” said Senator Schumer. “Soon, America’s AI future, and the next generation of the top chips that power everything from cell phones to cars will be made in Upstate New York from start to finish! I worked for years to pass the CHIPS & Science Law, to deliver more than $1.5 billion in federal CHIPS investment for GlobalFoundries’ growth in Saratoga County, and continued announcements like this show that bet is paying off bigger than most thought possible. This is a win-win-win for GlobalFoundries, Upstate NY’s chip supply chain, and our national & economic security.”
    “Today we continue to show our commitment to U.S. manufacturing by partnering with our customers to onshore critical components of the supply chain needed for datacenters, communications infrastructure, AI edge devices and more,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, Executive Chairman of GlobalFoundries. “Thanks to the leadership of Senator Schumer and the New York Delegation, New York has become a world class ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. Today’s investment will reestablish secure, domestic supply chains for critical technologies and continue to bring high-paying manufacturing jobs to Upstate New York.”
    GlobalFoundries is committing an additional $3 billion on advanced research and development initiatives focused on packaging innovation, silicon photonics, and next-generation GaN technologies. With the $16 billion total investment now being made, GlobalFoundries aims to collaborate with major tech companies like Apple, AMD, and General Motors to strengthen American semiconductor leadership by producing American-made chips and advancing AI, aerospace, automotive, and high-performance communication innovation.
    Schumer has worked for years to help GlobalFoundries expand and delivered historic investments from his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law for GlobalFoundries and the Capital Region. Last year, Schumer secured $1.5 billion in CHIPS funding to support the expansion of GlobalFoundries’ existing fab in Malta, NY, and the construction of a second, state-of-the-art fab at the same site. Schumer later secured an additional $75 million in CHIPS funding for GlobalFoundries to create a first-of-its-kind advanced chips packaging and testing center. The new center will help GlobalFoundries increase production while bolstering national security by creating a secure facility to package, test, and manufacture semiconductors to support defense applications, AI, and high-performance computing, among other key industries. Together, these investments are expected to create thousands of good-paying manufacturing and union construction jobs in the Capital Region.
    On top of the investments Schumer has secured for GlobalFoundries, the senator additionally delivered a historic $825 million in CHIPS funding to make Albany NanoTech the first flagship facility of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The NSTC is a critical part of Schumer’s mission of re-establishing America’s leadership in the semiconductor industry and will bring together industry leaders, researchers from the nation’s top universities, innovators, workers, and entrepreneurs in the Capital Region to give them access to the most advanced chip making machinery in the world and drive the next frontier of chip innovation and manufacturing.
    Currently, there are only four companies outside of China that provide current and mature foundry capabilities at the scale of GlobalFoundries, and GlobalFoundries is the only one of those companies that is headquartered in the United States. GlobalFoundries, a Trusted Foundry for the Department of Defense, is a key supplier of chips for America’s national defense, with strong partnerships with major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin. GlobalFoundries also supplies chips to America’s auto industry with partnerships in place with companies like General Motors, which saw severe shortages of chips during the pandemic, leading to increased prices for cars. Thanks to the investment Schumer has secured, GlobalFoundries is expanding its current fab focused on automotive chips to help meet soaring demand for chips in cars and get ahead of future supply chain challenges.
    GlobalFoundries is a leading producer of essential chips that are critical across industries, from mobile phones and artificial intelligence to automobiles and defense technologies. Growth in AI is driving demand for the chips GlobalFoundries produces. The silicon photonics chips this new Center will produce are also in demand in the automotive, communications, radar, and other critical industries. The New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center will offer advanced packaging, assembly, and testing, allowing the company to more easily transform chips into individual packages ready for end-product use entirely in the United States. The Center’s new production capabilities will help onshore advanced packaging, which mostly takes place in Asia today, while further boosting GlobalFoundries’ production capacity.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Revoking Lifesaving EMTALA Guidance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration rescinding CMS guidance from July 2022 reaffirming that the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA), signed into law in 1986, requires providers offer necessary stabilizing care for patients suffering emergency medical conditions, which might include abortion care in certain situations. While this move doesn’t change federal law and the requirements on hospitals to provide life-saving care, it adds further confusion for hospitals already navigating a thicket of state abortion laws and could jeopardize lifesaving care for patients.

    “The Trump administration doesn’t want you to know it, but they just quietly erased guidance that informed hospitals of their obligation to provide lifesaving care for pregnant women facing health care emergencies, like severe hemorrhage or sepsis—circumstances where the only option to save a woman’s life may be emergency abortion care.

    “Once again, the Trump administration is sending a clear message that they do not care about women’s lives, and they don’t care how many pregnant women they force into health care crises so long as they can continue to advance their extreme anti-abortion agenda.

    “Make no mistake: EMTALA is still the law, and Trump rescinding this guidance does not change the fact that pregnant women who need emergency abortion care to save their life or health are still legally entitled to this care.”

    Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade almost three years ago, nearly two dozen US states led by Republicans have passed, banned, or severely restricted access to abortion. These strict laws have created confusion around the treatment doctors can provide even when a pregnant patient’s life is in danger, as physicians fear that they may lose their medical license, be sued, or even charged with a felony if they perform life-saving emergency care. Despite the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act’s (EMTALA) requirements that Medicare-participating hospitals treat and stabilize pregnant patients in need of emergency medical care, women are being turned away from emergency rooms following the Dobbs decision.

    In September, Senator Murray introduced a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that every patient has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care, regardless of where they live. In March 2024, Senator Murray led 258 Members of Congress in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States—two consolidated cases concerning EMTALA—arguing that the congressional intent, text, and history of EMTALA make clear that covered hospitals must provide abortion care when it is the necessary stabilizing treatment for a patient’s emergency medical condition.

    Senator Murray is a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Recently, Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice), and she led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 3rd, 2025 Heinrich, Vasquez Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act Heads to White House

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), announced that their Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025, legislation to strengthen the aerial wildfire suppression fleet and better combat the year-round threat of catastrophic wildfire, passed the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the first bill passed by Vasquez in the House this Congress. Heinrich announced passage of the bill in the U.S. Senate in April. The legislation now heads to the White House to be signed into law.

    This news comes on the heels of Heinrich’s announcement today that he successfully secured the continued operation of the Interagency Dispatch Centers in Albuquerque and Silver City, which help get resources – like airtankers from Kirtland Air Force Base — to where they’re needed to help protect New Mexicans during wildfires, floods, and other emergencies. 

    The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).

    Alongside Heinrich and Vasquez, the legislation is led by U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and U.S. Representatives Jake Ellzey (R-Texas) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.). Alongside Luján and Stansbury, the legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), James Risch (R-Idaho), and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).

    “I’m pleased that my Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act passed both chambers of Congress and is headed to the White House to be signed into law,” said Heinrich. “I urge the president to immediately sign the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act, which is urgently needed to expand the operations of Very Large Air Tankers that have proven absolutely essential to firefighters battling large wildfires in New Mexico and across the West. I will never stop fighting to deliver the resources that our communities need to effectively respond to wildfires.”

    “In the West — and especially in New Mexico — wildfire season never really ends. Getting this bill through the House is a big step toward making sure our communities have the tools they need to stay safe,” said Vasquez. “This legislation strengthens our aerial firefighting fleet and supports critical partners like Albuquerque’s 10 Tanker. I look forward to President Trump signing my bipartisan bill into law.”

    “Wildfires have ravaged New Mexico and Western states in recent years, making the need to boost wildfire suppression more urgent than ever,” said Luján. “The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act will strengthen our aerial wildfire suppression fleet, help our firefighters respond faster, and better protect our communities. I’m proud to see this bipartisan legislation head to the president’s desk and soon become law.”

    “Deeply proud to help get this bipartisan, bicameral bill to help address wildfires across the finish line in Congress,” said Stansbury. “New Mexico is on the frontlines and we are working every day to ensure our firefighters and first responders have the resources they need.”

    “This year is the most dangerous and expensive wildfire year in history, and the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act will give wildland firefighters the tools they need to protect communities and save lives. Eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to fight wildfires more quickly and aggressively is America First common sense, and I appreciate my colleagues in the House and Senate for their support. I look forward to seeing this bipartisan bill cross the finish line so we can better support the brave first responders on the front lines fighting wildfires across the country,” said Sheehy.

    “In Arizona and across the West, wildfires are more frequent, more intense, and no longer confined to a single season. Our response capabilities need to reflect that new reality,” said Kelly. “Strengthening our aerial firefighting fleet by making more aircraft and parts available is a smart, proven way to help firefighters respond faster and keep communities safe. I’m excited to see this bipartisan effort to support our firefighters heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law.”

    “As catastrophic wildfires devastate communities across the country, we need to be smarter and more resourceful in our approach to wildfire suppression,” said Padilla. “Californians saw firsthand the power of our aerial wildfire suppression fleet in putting out the Los Angeles fires as quickly as possible. Shoring up aerial firefighting fleets by allowing the Defense Department to sell excess aircraft parts is a lifesaving, commonsense priority — and I urge President Trump to swiftly sign this bipartisan bill into law.”

    The Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act amends the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale of excess aircraft and parts by the Department of Defense for wildfire suppression. The bill will help the U.S. better suppress wildfires year-round by facilitating the acquisition of military excess aircraft, sold at fair market value, for the aerial wildfire suppression fleet. Additionally, the sale of parts will help the U.S. maintain its existing aerial firefighting aircraft fleet.

    The bill reauthorizes the Secretary of Defense’s authority to sell excess Department of Defense aircraft and aircraft parts, which are acceptable for commercial sale, to persons or entities that contract with the government for the delivery of fire retardant or water by air to suppress wildfires, as long as the aircraft and parts are used only for wildfire suppression. The initial authority expired in 2005 and was reauthorized from 2012 to 2017 before lapsing again.

    “10 Tanker Air Carrier supports and thanks the bipartisan efforts of Sen. Heinrich and Sen. Sheehy to help the many operators involved with aerial firefighting to purchase at fair market value excess, retired military spare parts, particularly desperately needed engines and brakes. This commonsense approach will ensure that our aging fleet will remain available to the United States to battle the devastating wildland fires of today and well into the future. We are pleased that the Department of Defense and the Air Force also support the national security mission of companies like ours,” said Joel Kerley, President and CEO of 10 Tanker Air Carrier.

    “Firehawk Helicopters is encouraged by the passing of the Aerial Firefighting and Enhancement Act and would like to thank Rep. Newhouse, Rep. Carbajal, Sen. Tim Sheehy and Sen. Martin Heinrich for leading the efforts in seeing this bill passed. Since 20017 the aerial firefighting community has lost access to a critical aircraft and parts supply source. Taxpayers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars as valuable aircraft and aircraft parts were no longer made available for commercial sale. The law will save these critical aircraft and parts from being scrapped. By making these aircraft and parts available for commercial sale again, the taxpayers will reap the maximum return on their original investment, but more importantly, see these aircraft and parts utilized in a second life that prioritizes the protection of the public from the growing threat of devastating wildfires,” said Bart Brainerd, CEO Firehawk Helicopters.

    Read more on the bill here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Statement on Trump Admin Decision to Strip Harvey Milk’s Name From Naval Vessel

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla Statement on Trump Admin Decision to Strip Harvey Milk’s Name From Naval Vessel

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk. A Navy veteran and human rights leader, Milk became California’s first openly gay man to serve in elected office when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, where he served until his assassination in 1978.

    “Harvey Milk’s legacy will not be erased by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s petty culture wars and attempts to undermine the tremendous contributions and service of the LGBTQ+ community to our country. The USNS Harvey Milk pays tribute to a Navy veteran, a trailblazing gay rights activist, and a dedicated California public servant who paid the ultimate price in the fight for equality in San Francisco and across the nation.

    “Pride Month is a time for celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community. Attempting to rename the USNS Harvey Milk only deepens the divides Trump has forged across our country. I call on Secretary Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan to reconsider and keep Harvey Milk’s legacy enshrined in our armed forces.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 06.03.2025 Sen. Cruz: “We’re Witnessing the Rise of Judicial Lawfare”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, delivered opening remarks at a Senate Judiciary hearing examining how procedural tools can enable judicial overreach that threaten the separation of powers and hinder lawful executive enforcement.

    Click here or the image above to watch Sen. Cruz’s opening remarks. 
    Please see below excerpts and highlights from Sen. Cruz’s opening remarks:
    “This hearing is a joint undertaking by the Subcommittee on the Constitution and the Subcommittee on Federal Courts because our country is facing a constitutional crisis, a full-blown judicial assault on the separation of powers that strikes at the very foundation of the Republic.
    “What we’re witnessing is the rise of judicial lawfare from the bench. One unelected district judge sitting in a courtroom in San Francisco, Boston, or Baltimore can now issue a nationwide injunction that ties the hands of the President of the United States for all 330 million Americans. That’s not law, that’s judicial tyranny.
    “Since President Trump returned to office in January, there have been over forty universal injunctions issued against the federal government. Let’s put this into context. In the first 150 years of the Republic, zero nationwide injunctions were issued. That’s for 150 years. 
    “In the entirety of the 20th century, twenty-seven nationwide injunctions were issued. That’s over 100 years. Under Presidents Bush, Obama and Biden combined, thirty-two nationwide injunctions. 
    “Under President Trump’s first term – four years – sixty-four nationwide injunctions, and now in just four months, we’re already over forty. In four months, the Trump administration has seen more nationwide injunctions than the entirety of the 20th century, and more nationwide injunctions than Presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden combined. 
    “This is not normal. This is not justice. This is an orchestrated campaign of judicial obstruction.
    “Joe Biden, when he was president, nominated radicals to the bench. The Biden judicial nominees were far more extreme and radical than they were under Obama. They sought out radicals who would implement policy-making from the bench, and they are precisely doing that. 
    “That is not democracy, and that is not our Constitution. This hearing is to highlight the effects of this judicial tyranny of single judges deciding they know better when it comes to policy than do the voters of America. We need to defend democracy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall’s Legislation to Restore Whole Milk in Schools Passes Senate Agriculture Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) today released the following statement after the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry voted to advance the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. This legislation would expand healthy milk options in schools by reversing the Obama-era law that took whole milk out of school cafeterias.
    “Today’s vote was a step to correct a major mistake made during the Obama Administration – and a great start to National Dairy Month,” said Senator Marshall. “Whole and reduced-fat milk should have never been excluded from the National School Lunch Program. Now, 13 years after its removal, nearly 75% of children do not receive their recommended daily dairy intake. By increasing kids’ access to milk in school cafeterias, we will help prevent diseases down the road and encourage nutrient-rich diets for years to come.”
    The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) reports that nearly 90% of Americans do not meet their daily dairy intake recommendations. Specifically, Americans are lacking enough Calcium and Vitamin D, and whole milk is an excellent source for both vitamins. Leading nutritionistshave found that whole dairy fats have no negative effect on a diet, and may even reduce the risk of heart disease.
    The legislation was first introduced by Senator Marshall in June of 2023 and reintroduced in April of 2025 with numerous bipartisan sponsors and co-sponsors. The bill is scheduled to proceed to the Senate floor for a vote before advancing to the House of Representatives for approval. ClickHERE to learn more.
    Background: 

    In 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which amended nutrition standards in the School Lunch Program. Among the changes, the law mandated that flavored milk must be fat-free within the program.
    In May of 2017, the USDA announced a rule that allowed schools to receive waivers for low-fat (1%) flavored milk, rather than only fat-free.
    Last Congress, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support (330-99). 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Touts President Trump’s $9.4 Billion Rescissions Package as Major Win for American Taxpayers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) released the following statement today after the White House sent Congress a $9.4 billion rescissions package to save hard-earned American taxpayer dollars and begin codifying the mission of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut waste, fraud, and abuse.
    “Saving American taxpayer dollars by getting rid of $9.4 billion in wasteful spending is another promise made, promise kept by President Trump and his America First Administration,” Senator Marshall said. “With our national debt soaring at an alarming $36 trillion, this rescissions package takes serious steps to ensure hard-earned dollars of American citizens are not funding woke and weaponized programs around the world in the cloak of ‘foreign aid’ or public broadcasting that can only be described as politically biased. I am proud to support this package. We must restore fiscal sanity in Washington.”
    Background:

    Under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), the Trump Administration may transmit a request to Congress to rescind previously appropriated funds through a rescissions package. Such a package only requires a simple majority vote in the Senate to be enacted.
    Congressional Republicans have been requesting a rescissions package to codify DOGE cuts. In collaboration with House and Senate Leadership, the Trump Administration has assembled a package that totals $9.4 billion. This includes a rescission of $8.3 billion in wasteful foreign aid spending and a $1.1 billion rescission of Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
    Transmittal of a package triggers a 45-day clock, during which funds in accounts included in the rescissions package are withheld from agencies pending congressional action. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: On Senate Floor, Rosen Slams Trump Administration’s Plan to Shut Down Sierra Nevada Job Corps, Calls for Bipartisan Action

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    Senator Rosen Called On Her Colleagues On Both Sides Of The Aisle To Take Action To Push Back On Trump’s Decision To Close Job Training Centers

    Watch Senator Rosen’s Full Remarks HERE.
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) took to the Senate floor to fiercely condemn the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to gut the Job Corps program and shut down Jobs Corps centers across the country, including the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno, a skills training program that provides students an opportunity to learn new skills. Senator Rosen warned that the closure would hurt students who are currently enrolled and leave them without the skills they need to access good-paying jobs and achieve the American Dream. Senator Rosen called the decision short-sighted and cruel, and demanded an immediate reversal of the shutdown order.
    Below are excerpts of Senator Rosen’s floor remarks:
    I rise today to shine a light on Donald Trump’s dismantling of yet another critical program that Nevadans, and young people across our nation, rely on: the Job Corps program. 
    Job Corps was established by Congress to provide young people with the skills training that they need to access good-paying, in-demand jobs. 
    It is the largest residential career training program in the entire country – providing young people, many of whom were previously homeless or at-risk, with housing and skills training in fields like manufacturing, construction, and health care.
    Once they graduate, they enter the workforce and contribute to our communities and our economy.
    They learn the skills necessary to build their lives, to build their futures. 
    It’s truly a great program that has helped more than 3 million people have a chance at the American Dream since 1964.
    Unfortunately, Job Corps centers across the country received a “stop work” order at the end of last week that instructed them to close their doors and send all of their students back home, including Nevada’s Job Corps campus, the Sierra Nevada Job Corps center in Reno, Nevada.
    This is going to be devastating – devastating – for the tens of thousands of young people who are currently enrolled in all 50 states.
    The Trump Administration, well, it claims it supports trade schools and job training.
    But frankly, Mr. President, if this Administration really knew anything about the Job Corps program, they’d know that they are trade schools. 
    They are centers where students go, where they study, where they work hard, and where they earn their certifications that allow them to access good-paying jobs.
    So, why is Donald Trump closing down this program and taking away the opportunity for these students to work? It just doesn’t make any sense.
    Shutting down this program will also immediately evict more than three hundred students at the Nevada campus alone, many of whom have nowhere else to go.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Baldwin Calls Out Education Secretary for Gutting Funding for Student Mental Health in Wisconsin

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) questioned Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon on the Trump administration’s decision to cut off funding for grants for school based mental health, including a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction program that provides mental healthcare for students.

    “Secretary McMahon, the grant you discontinued for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction was being used to expand access to mental healthcare for students—we’re talking about more counselors and mental health professionals in schools,” Senator Baldwin said in the hearing. “Why did you cut off funding for this grant and take away this help for Wisconsin students and schools?

    During the LHHS hearing, Secretary McMahon refused to answer why funding for Wisconsin was cut off and resources for Wisconsin students and schools were taken away.  In April, the Department of Education discontinued future funding approved for more than 200 grantees of the school based mental health services and mental health service professional development grant programs. According to the Department’s National Center for Education Statistics, less than half of all public schools reported they could effectively provide mental health services to all students who need them.

    A recording of Senator Baldwin’s question is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Meets with FAA Administrator Nominee Bryan Bedford

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    June 03, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Aviation Safety Subcommittee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Federal Aviation Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford to discuss how he plans to address the aviation safety crisis if confirmed. During their meeting, Duckworth reiterated her strong opposition toward any further reduction in force at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and toward any effort to weaken the 1,500-hour rule and jeopardize the safety of the flying public in the wake of the deadly DCA midair collision and the spike in close calls across the country, among other things.

    “In the wake of the deadly DCA crash, surge in near misses and air traffic controller shortage, our nation needs a strong leader at FAA who will reject complacency and work vigorously to address this dire aviation safety crisis and protect the flying public,” said Duckworth. “I made clear to Mr. Bedford how critical it is for the next FAA Administrator to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, as well as how mass staff reductions at FAA would be detrimental to the agency’s ability to improve aviation safety and risk mitigation. I also stressed the urgent need for FAA to take not only immediate, but also long-term action to modernize our air traffic control systems—something I’ve been sounding the alarm on for years—and discussed with Mr. Bedford the importance of FAA continuing enhanced oversight over Boeing. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Bedford at his confirmation hearing.”

    For years—long before the deadly DCA crash—Duckworth has been sounding the alarm that we must make critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Last Congress, Duckworth chaired two CST Aviation Subcommittee hearings—one last December and the other a year prior—to address our aviation industry’s chilling surge in near-deadly close calls and underscore the urgent need to improve air traffic control systems to protect the flying public.

    As our nation continues to experience an air traffic controller shortage amid multiple near-misses, midair collisions and communication outages, Duckworth has underscored how critical it is that the FAA does not sacrifice effectiveness in favor of efficiency by lowering its longstanding high standards that new controllers must meet. Two weeks after the horrific DCA aircraft collision that killed 67 passengers and crew, the Trump Administration began firing hundreds of FAA employees. In April, Duckworth sent a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Rocheleau on the reasoning behind these cuts to the workforce.

    Last year, Duckworth helped author the landmark bipartisan FAA reauthorization that was signed into law to extend the FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Cruz Introduce Resolution to Officially Name June “Life Month”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and 25 senate colleagues in introducing a resolution declaring June as “Life Month” to recognize the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022.
    “Ever since I got to Washington, I have been a champion for the unborn,” said Senator Tuberville. “If we are going to dedicate entire months to recognizing every group under the sun, the least we can do is dedicate June to protecting the most vulnerable among us. Now that Republicans control the White House, Senate, and House, we have to send a strong message: Republicans are the party that stands up for life.”
    Joining Senators Tuberville and Cruz in introducing the resolution are U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Budd (R-NC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS),  Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Todd Young (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tim Scott (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jim Justice (R-WV), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).
    This resolution is supported by ADF, Heritage Action, SBA Pro-life, National Right to Life, Human Coalition, Heartbeat International, Family Research Council, Students for Life, Americans United for Life, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Catholic Vote, March for Life, 40 Days for Life, National Pro-Life Alliance, NIFLA, Citizens for Life, Christian Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family, Liberty Counsel Action, and Eagle Forum.
    Full text of the resolution can be found here.
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Questions Secretary McMahon on Department of Education’s Budget Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
    [embedded content]
    Click here or on the image above to watch Senator Capito’s questions. 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), questioned U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon during a hearing to review the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. 
    HIGHLIGHTS:
    ON KEEPING JEWISH STUDENTS SAFE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: 
    SENATOR CAPITO: “I want to ask about antisemitism. The morning before our education hearing last year, there were protestors at Colombia University. I asked the then-secretary, how many people from the Office of Civil Rights have you actually had on campus to see what’s occurring there, to see what kind of violation of civil rights might be occurring on the Colombia University campus. And, apparently there was nobody there from the Office of Civil Rights…This is not a problem that’s going away on our college campuses…How are you going to make sure that the department is taking to ensure all students and in this particular case, Jewish students, are able to learn an environment free from intimidation?” 
    ON COMBATTING POOR LITERACY RATES: 
    SENATOR CAPITO: “Let’s talk about literacy. As I mentioned at my opening statement, these test scores are very troubling, I think, and you want to try to figure out how do we attribute to this. It’s not like there’s not great teachers everywhere, all around this country, trying to figure out how to get their students achievement moving up in the right direction. I will say this, my state of West Virginia, the state legislature recognizing this, did allocate additional funds for reading teachers in the very early you know what, grades one through three to try to move our scores up because we have traditionally lower scores. We did actually make it. That did make a difference. Having that extra teacher in the classroom. We can pull the child aside, give them that one on one attention really does make a difference.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Smacks Down Trump’s Efforts to Cut Education Funding by Over 15 Percent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WATCH: During key Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Sen. Reed takes on Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon, bluntly stating: “You are shrinking educational opportunity in the United States for a whole generation and also shrinking our ability to compete internationally and globally.”
    WASHINGTON, DC – A strong public education system is vital to the success of children, families, communities, and our country.
    That is why U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) opposed the nomination of U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, a professional wrestling magnate with no meaningful education policy experience, who was tapped by President Donald Trump to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and slash funding for public education. 
    Today, during a hearing of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies to review the President’s FY2026 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Education, Senator Reed took Secretary McMahon to task over the Trump Administration’s efforts to slash funding for public education and shift federal education responsibilities to states.
    “From banning books to bullying colleges to cancelling grants and slashing money for K-12 and financial aid, the Trump Administration gets an F when it comes to supporting education.  Donald Trump is the first American president to declare war on education and weaponize major civil rights laws to undermine equal opportunity.  We must fight back to protect public schools and ensure every student – regardless of zip code – has the opportunity to learn, grow, and reach their full potential.  Trump’s budget would shortchange today’s students to pay for a bigger tax windfall for the wealthy.  Congress must oppose this budget and pass a strong education funding bill that prioritizes students, supports teachers, and strengthens communities because our economy and our future depends on it,” said Reed. 
    The Trump Administration is recommending a total of $66.7 billion for all U.S. Department of Education activities, down from $79.6 billion that was allocated last year, which would be a nearly $12 billion cut to education, or about 15 percent less than its current funding level.
    The Trump Administration proposes cutting about $6 billion from programs for K-12 schools, with another $4.3 billion in cuts proposed for higher education, according to the Committee for Education Funding, a nonprofit coalition of education advocates.  It also eliminates funding to support English language learners, grants for education research, and preparation programs for teachers and school leaders.
    At the K-12 level, Trump’s proposed cuts would gut evidence-based reading instruction, professional development for educators, supports for English-language learners as well as music, art, STEM, afterschool, and summer learning programs.  It would completely eliminate adult education, cutting off the pathway for millions of working adults who need to improve their literacy skills or earn a high school credential.
    The Trump budget also takes aim at rewriting special education law and targets programs that offer preschool opportunities for students with disabilities; information centers that help parents navigate special education law and policy; and technology tools that support instruction for students with disabilities and learning challenges.
    Federal funds constitute approximately 14 percent of public school budgets nationwide.
    During the hearing, Reed took aim at the Trump Administration’s destructive, partisan budget which could be used to weaponize the U.S. Department of Education against states.  Reed told McMahon directly: “You are shrinking educational opportunity in the United States for a whole generation and also shrinking our ability to compete internationally and globally.”
    When it comes to higher education, Trump aims to lower the maximum Pell Grant by $1,685 for the 2026–27 academic year and takes aim at Federal Work-Study, which provides part-time jobs to students who need help paying for college. Under the program, the federal government covers up to 75 percent of students’ wages.  Trump’s proposal calls for a $980 million reduction in Work-Study funding for the program, which was appropriated $1.23 billion in fiscal year 2024.  Trump is also trying to eliminate TRIO, which helps students in middle school through college navigate academic and financial barriers; GEAR UP, which helps low-income students prepare for postsecondary education; and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, which assists undergraduate students who have “exceptional financial need.” The program was allocated $910 million in fiscal 2024 — all of which would be eliminated under Trump’s budget.
    During the hearing, Reed and McMahon had the following exchange about how educations cuts would negatively impact the country:
    Sen. Reed: Well, it is a significant cut. And …
    Sec. McMahon: To be more responsible.
    Sen. Reed: To be more responsible? Your responsibility amounts to just surrendering.
    Sec. McMahon: Sorry, sir?
    Sen. Reed: Surrendering. We have this crisis of education and literacy, all of these factors. What we will do is pull back and let the states do it.
    Sec. McMahon: No, we will spend it more responsibly.
    Sen. Reed: I doubt it seriously.
    Sec. McMahon: Let’s hope we do.
    Sen. Reed: Well, ‘Hope,’ as someone said, is not a plan.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressed by Murray, McMahon Says “No” Analysis Was Conducted Before Firing Half of the Department of Education’s Staff

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Murray: “You didn’t do an actual analysis to determine what the effects of this would be?”

    McMahon: “No.”

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Q&A with Sec. McMahon***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon at a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department. Senator Murray pressed Secretary McMahon on the indiscriminate mass firings of employees across the Department, the lack of transparency from the Department as it illegally withholds funds that were already appropriated by Congress, and how the Trump administration talks a big game about tackling antisemitism in schools but is actually dismantling the very office charged with investigating it and enforcing federal civil rights laws for students.

    In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “Good morning, Secretary McMahon. You know, President Trump has made clear that he wants to abolish the very department that you lead. And we know here that you cannot eliminate the Department of Education without an act of Congress—but I’m afraid that has not stopped you from preventing the Department from actually doing its job.

    “You have indiscriminately shuttered offices and pushed out half of the Department’s staff. And under your leadership, we have seen critical research to improve student outcomes axed overnight—and funding for mental health services and teacher training, among a whole lot, abruptly cut off and discontinued. 

    “Now, today you come before this Committee to request massive funding cuts that do, in my opinion, nothing to help improve opportunities for students in our public schools throughout the country. You are proposing to slash Pell grants and much more.

    “Now, you and the president say this isn’t about cutting education funding but all about ‘returning education to the states.’ But actually, that couldn’t be farther from the truth—because the reality is this administration is actually taking unprecedented steps to extort schools and universities, and hold federal funding hostage if they don’t conform with your agenda.

    “So, it’s pretty clear that ‘returning education to the states’ actually means letting states, colleges, and local communities pick up the tab. And I just don’t believe that’s how things should work in America—I don’t believe that’s good for our students and I don’t believe it is good for our families.”

    [MASS FIRINGS AT ED]

    Senator Murray began by pressing Secretary McMahon on the indiscriminate mass firings across the Department: “Secretary McMahon, as I mentioned, you have set out to eliminate nearly half of your Department’s workforce. And that includes pushing out the door more than half of the staff at the Office for Civil Rights, the entire staff responsible for managing grant operations and contract procurement, and employees who actually prevent students from getting ripped off by predatory colleges. The Department cannot do its basic job to execute the law given how many staff have been pushed out.  And it is our students and our teachers who will suffer the consequences. So, I want to know from you: before you cut that much staff, did you conduct any analysis to assess whether or not it would degrade support and services for students and our schools? Or how the Department would still be able to execute the law after losing so many employees?”

    Secretary McMahon responded, “Yes, we did talk to the Department itself, OCR.”

    “But did you do an actual analysis?” Senator Murray pressed.

    “What we looked at across was, how can we restructure the Department so that we can maximize the use of the people who are there? So, what we did was in, like, training manuals and things of that nature, to look at it and say, okay, we can better operate if we focus on—” SecretaryMcMahon replied.

    “So, this was a conversation. You didn’t do an actual analysis to determine what the effects of this would be?” Senator Murray clarified.

    “No,” replied Secretary McMahon.

    “So, no study was done. They were just fired, and you assumed that it would work?” Senator Murray asked.

    Secretary McMahonreplied, “No, obviously not. I have been in the private sector and done restructuring before in companies, and it’s painful to do.”

    “It is painful, but normally companies look ahead and say: what are our goals and what will be the impact if these employees are gone from this Department? That’s why I asked. But you’ve not done an analysis, and my time is short, so let me continue,” said Senator Murray.

    [REFUSAL TO DETAIL HOW ED IS SPENDING FUNDING]

    Senator Murray turned to the lack of transparency from the Department about how it is spending funding that has already been provided: “You were required—by law—to submit an operating plan 45 days after enactment of the full-year CR detailing exactly how you are spending funding Congress provided this year. You didn’t do that. The purported ‘operating plan’ that you did submit told us virtually nothing about how you are spending taxpayer dollars right now, at this very moment. And that really raises concerns about when—and actually if—you are going get funding that Congress did provide for FY25 out the door. For example: your FY26 budget request zeroes out dedicated funding for literacy education programs, and your operating plan for this year describes this funding as ‘unallocated.’ So, will you allocate the $220 million for literacy programs that Congress appropriated for FY25?”

    Secretary McMahon refused to commit to spending the funding Congress provided for literacy programs, stating: “Well, Senator, as I mentioned earlier, we are looking at the unallocated dollars now to determine which of those programs we can best spend those dollars on. And I would be happy to get back to you. And we want to work with Congress on those unallocated dollars to see where they could be spent the best.”

    Senator Murray pressed on whether ED will release the funds: “Well, what is your plan to make sure that, that funding actually gets to the schools and students is intended to support? We’re running out of time here.”

    “Well, to look at those programs and then to allocate them to the states. If those programs, we believe is the best interests…” said Secretary McMahon.

    “Those funds were appropriated by Congress. Your department was to allocate them, and it really looks to me like the Department is illegally impounding funding that would help our students succeed with plans that don’t exist—and just day after day going by here. And that’s our concern,” saidSenator Murray.

    Secretary McMahon replied, “Well, let us work more with you as we update those allocations, as we did before.”

    “When do you plan to have those funds out by?” pushed Senator Murray.

    “Well, the funds that we are approving will go out in this year,” Secretary McMahon responded.

    Senator Murray replied, “Like in this next month, or..?”

    “In the fiscal year,” saidSecretary McMahon.

    “You’re running out of time. So, we need to see what the plan is if you can provide it,” said Senator Murray.

    Senator Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought last week calling out the Trump administration’s lack of transparency about how it is spending funds provided by Congress for this year—noting the complete inadequacy of the spend plan, required by law, that the Department of Education submitted.

    [DISMANTLING THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS]

    Senator Murray then addressed how the Trump administration has been dismantling the Office for Civil Rights, which is the office charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws in schools and investigating discrimination, noncompliance with federal law and more. Under Secretary McMahon’s leadership, half of OCR’s staff have been eliminated and investigations have been hamstrung, and President Trump has requested a nearly 36% cut to OCR’s budget. She began: “Secretary McMahon, the Administration says that one of its priorities is tackling antisemitism in our schools—that’s correct, right?”

    “Correct,” replied Secretary McMahon.

    “Well, the Office for Civil Rights at your Department takes the leading role in preventing antisemitism and enforcing our nation’s civil rights law. It is really an important mission. But as you hopefully know, that office is under water. What is the current backlog at OCR, can you tell us that?” inquired Senator Murray.

    Secretary McMahon said, “We inherited about a 20,000 backlog from the Biden administration. One of the things that we found is some of those cases were like one-page complaints, and we’ve really been able to get rid of many of them and we are fulfilling…we absolutely are fulfilling all of our statutory requirements—have not failed to do any of those. And not only are we reducing the backlog, but we are keeping up with the current amount with a reduced staff because we are doing it efficiently.”

    “If you don’t have the staff, you can’t do them,” Senator Murray pressed.

    “If you have an efficient staff that has changed programs and you are addressing all of the issues, then you are being successful. So, I am answering your question by completely answering it,” replied Secretary McMahon.

    “Actually, Madam Secretary, my question is what is the current backlog?” asked Senator Murray.

    Secretary McMahon replied, “The current backlog is probably about—let’s see I’m looking at my numbers now—about 2,500 cases.”

    “2,500, and how many are you processing per month? Do you have any sense?” Senator Murray asked.

    “Well, we’re catching up with the backlog. And keeping current on the ones that are coming in,” dodged Secretary McMahon.

    Senator Murray pressed, “But you don’t know how many you are processing every month? You can’t tell us so we can get an idea?”

    “I can get back to you with that,” said Secretary McMahon.

    “Would you? If you could commit to giving us quarterly reports so we can know whether OCR is simply dismissing these cases or doing its job,” replied Senator Murray.

    Secretary McMahon responded in part, “I would be happy to do that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Trump’s Rescission Request to Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Trump asks Congress to rip away funding 1500+ local TV and radio stations count on and key bipartisan investments in America’s global leadership

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on President Trump’s request to Congress to rescind $9.4 billion in previously-enacted funding.

    “After linking arms with Elon Musk to take a chainsaw to key programs the American people count on, President Trump is now asking Republicans in Congress to rubberstamp his DOGE cuts and codify them into law.

    “Trump wants Congress to vote to cut off public radio broadcasts our constituents count on for weather forecasts, emergency alerts, and updates on what’s going on in their community—and force layoffs at local TV stations. And he wants us to rip away lifesaving humanitarian aid, slash PEPFAR and other efforts to combat infectious diseases, and gut programs that enhance U.S. competitiveness, support American business, and counter the Chinese government’s influence. No way.

    “This is also just the beginning: Trump plans to come back for more if Republicans codify Trump’s cuts into law. This go around, it’s investments in America’s global leadership and support for over 1,500 local public radio and TV stations that are especially important in rural communities. Next time, it might be funding for cancer research or to help working families afford their energy bills this summer.

    “Congress must reject Trump’s request to cut off local news broadcasts and weaken our national security.

    “It must also be said: in asking Congress to rescind some of the funding he has been illegally blocking for months, Trump is conceding what we’ve known all along: that Congress—not the President—must approve the rescission or withholding of investments that were signed into law.”

    President Trump’s request to use a fast-tracked process to rescind federal funding with a simple majority in each chamber would claw back critical funding that Congress has provided on a bipartisan basis. The fast-tracked process is provided by the Impoundment Control Act (the same law President Trump and his budget director Russ Vought claim is unconstitutional). Under the law, if a bill rescinding some or all of the funding is not passed within 45 days of continuous session, the President must release the funding.

    President Trump, of course, has already flagrantly refused to release huge swaths of funding approved by Congress, defying federal law. Earlier today, Senator Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro released an updated tracker chronicling the funding President Trump is holding up—detailing at least $425 billion in funding blocked that is owed to the American people.

    More specifics on President Trump’s request will be available HERE later today.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: McConnell Meets With Ukrainian Officials

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell

     Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today after meeting with senior Ukrainian officials, including Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, and First Deputy Prime Minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko:
    “I was glad to welcome Mr. Yermak, Ms. Svyrydenko, and their delegation to Washington at a critical moment in their work to end Russia’s unprovoked war. I share both their urgent desire for peace and their understanding that the price of peace matters.
    “Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate an immediate ceasefire is as clear as Russia’s utter disinterest in peace. As long as Putin’s aggression continues, Ukraine has every right to defend itself by targeting his war machine with every tool at their disposal.
    “The United States can and should continue to lead Western efforts to impose further sanctions on the Kremlin and its sponsors. But sanctions are not a substitute for equipping Ukraine materially to negotiate from a position of strength. Sustaining Western military assistance to Ukraine will be an essential part of any lasting peace.
    “Hopes of meaningfully changing Russia’s calculus and reaching such a peace will remain unrealized so long as Putin believes he can outlast Ukraine’s will to fight or the West’s resolve to stand by our friends. Ukraine, for its part, continues to innovate and adapt to the tragic realities of modern warfare with astounding success.
    “In conflict between a neo-Soviet imperialist and a sovereign, Western-aligned partner, the United States gains nothing from pretending to be a neutral arbiter. It is unquestionably in our interest to stand with Ukraine as they resist aggression.”
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 06.03.2025 Sen. Cruz Leads Resolution Designating June as “Life Month”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a resolution to designate June as “Life Month” to mark the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
    Upon introduction Sen. Cruz said, “Every human life is worthy of protection, and it is especially incumbent upon Americans and lawmakers to protect the most vulnerable among us. Designating June as Life Month is a recommitment to the American principle that every life has dignity. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly pass this resolution.”
    The resolution is cosponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.),  Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Bill Cassidy (R-La), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).
    A companion resolution was introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.-04).
    Upon introduction Rep. Smith said, “For decades abortion advocates have gone to extraordinary lengths to ignore, trivialize, and cover up the battered baby victim, fostering a culture of denial, disrespect, and bias against the unborn. This resolution designating June as Life Month highlights our moral imperative to protect innocent children’s lives from extermination. It calls our nation to reject willful blindness to the realities of abortion—brutally dismembering helpless babies with sharp knife-like curettes or poisoning babies with pills that literally starve them to death and often result in their bodies being flushed down a toilet. This resolution affirms that the cruel injustice of abortion need not be forever: instead we must defend the unborn and show love and compassion to both mother and child through meaningful assistance and support.”
    Read the resolution text here.
    This resolution is supported by ADF, Heritage Action, SBA Pro-life, National Right to Life, Human Coalition, Heartbeat International, Family Research Council, Students for Life, Americans United for Life, Family Policy Alliance, Concerned Women for America, Catholic Vote, March for Life, 40 Days for Life, National Pro-Life Alliance, NIFLA, Citizens for Life, Christian Broadcasting Network, Focus on the Family, Liberty Counsel Action, and Eagle Forum.
    Kristen Waggoner, CEO, President, and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom said, “Life is the first and most fundamental human right. Without it, no other right can exist. So it’s fitting to commemorate the historic Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. For nearly half a century, America lived under the shadow of Roe v. Wade, which prevented efforts to protect the unborn and ensure women have the support they need. That shameful era ended on June 24, 2022, when the Court rightly found: ‘The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.’ America must now take the next step forward. After more than 60 million lives lost to abortion and countless women harmed by the proliferation of dangerous abortion drugs, we must urgently work to restore a deeply rooted reverence for human life and expand access to life-affirming healthcare for women. I’m grateful for congressional leaders who are working toward that goal, and I commend Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Chris Smith for their longtime leadership in defending the sanctity of all human life.”
    Janae Stracke, Vice President of Heritage Action said, “Heritage Action commends Senator Ted Cruz for his bold and historic proposition to designate June as “Life Month.” While life is a gift we each get to celebrated daily, designating June as “Life Month” is more than appropriate to honor the thousands of lives saved by the historic Supreme Court Dobbs case decision to reverse decades of legalized abortion under Roe. Overturning Roe v. Wade emphasized that abortion was never a federal right, affirmed that every innocent human being has a right to life, and allowed many pro-life state laws to immediately take effect.
    Hon. Marilyn Musgrave, VP of Government Affairs at SBA Pro-Life America said, “The landmark Dobbs victory rightly restored power to protect unborn children in the law to the people and their elected representatives. Thank you, Sen. Cruz and Rep. Smith, for your resolution that celebrates this pivotal moment and underscores the need to protect every life and support women, children and families across our nation — not only for the June anniversary of Dobbs but year-round.”
    Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life said, “The U.S. Supreme Court rightfully overturned the horrendous Roe v. Wade decision on June 22. In memory of all the children lost to abortion, it is fitting that June be recognized as Life Month. We are grateful to Sen. Cruz for spearheading this effort.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Calls for ICE to Free Marcelo Gomes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (June 2, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement in support of Marcelo Gomes, an 18-year-old Milford High School student who was detained by ICE agents while traveling to volleyball practice on Saturday.

    “Marcelo Gomes is a star student at Milford High School. A young leader. A beloved member of the school band. A gifted athlete. He is everything we want our young people to be. And on his way to volleyball practice this weekend, he was taken off the streets of Milford, a community built by immigrants, and detained by ICE. Let’s be clear: Marcelo makes Milford stronger. ICE raids do not,” said Senator Markey. “This is simply no way for a country to be treating its kids. Our students should be focused on going to school, not on looking over their shoulder in fear. Marcelo should have been playing the drums at Milford High’s graduation on Sunday—not sitting in an ICE detention cell away from his community. ICE’s actions are not about public safety. They are about instilling fear into our communities. The residents of Milford have not been silent. Led by students, they are standing up loud and proud for Marcelo—their classmate, their neighbor, their friend. I stand with Marcelo, with the people of Milford, and with residents across the Commonwealth in calling on ICE to free Marcelo.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch’s Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act Advances in the Agriculture Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today celebrated the advancement of his bipartisan, bicameral Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, legislation to support America’s students and dairy farmers. This bipartisan bill which is co-led by Senator Roger Marshall, MD (R-Kan.), would allow schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to offer students whole milk, in addition to reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, and lactose-free milk.   
    “Milk provides growing kids with key nutrients they need. Dairy is also an important part of Vermont’s culture and local economy, which is why our bipartisan bill to expand access to whole milk in our schools is a win for Vermont’s students and farmers. This bill helps provide our next generation grow stronger and helps dairy farmers do what they love—feed our communities,” said Senator Welch. “I’m thankful for the support of the Agriculture Committee on this bipartisan legislation, and look forward to bringing this bill to the Senate floor.” 
    Senator Welch has led bipartisan efforts to support Vermont’s dairy farmers and strengthen the state’s dairy industry. Senator Welch recently joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 15 of his Democratic colleagues in introducing the Honor Farmer Contracts Act, legislation to release illegally withheld funding for all contracts and agreements previously entered into by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This bill would require the USDA to pay farmers all past-due payments as quickly as possible to prevent them from having to shut down their operations.   
    In March, Senator Welch and 30 Senators called on Secretary Rollins urging USDA to support local food for schools and local food system grant programs. Senator Welch introduced several bills in the 118th Congress to support Vermont’s dairy, organic, and specialty crop farmers; strengthen rural development and infrastructure; increase energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption; improve access to nutrition; strengthen our local food systems and expand markets; and make our communities more resilient to flooding. These bills were included in Senate Democrats’ draft Farm Bill, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act.  

    MIL OSI USA News –