NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Shaheen, Hassan and Congresswoman Goodlander Hear from AmeriCorps Members Facing Trump Administration Cuts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    MANCHESTER – On Monday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander discussed with New Hampshire AmeriCorps members and program directors the importance of national service for both members and their communities, as well as the implications of the Trump Administration’s reckless cuts to AmeriCorps. Members of the Congressional Delegation heard directly from members whose programs have been terminated entirely and from members whose programs are facing budget uncertainty. 
    “Bringing young people together—putting ideology and partisanship aside—to work for our country and our communities is in everybody’s interest, and that’s exactly what AmeriCorps volunteers have done for decades,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s shameful to see the Trump administration making cuts to this bipartisan program that, as we heard at yesterday’s roundtable, continues to fill critical service gaps across the Granite State and gives young people an opportunity to serve their country. How does this save taxpayers money or make our government more efficient?”
    “AmeriCorps members serve our communities and represent the best of New Hampshire, and I was grateful to join them yesterday morning to hear firsthand about the work that they do across our state,” said Senator Hassan. “I remain deeply concerned about the Trump Administration’s arbitrary actions to gut funding and fire the staff that make AmeriCorps possible. These reckless cuts are hurting our communities at a time when we should be supporting national service programs that help people make a difference across our state.”   
    “For decades, Republicans and Democrats have supported and defended AmeriCorps because this truly American program gets important things done for the people of New Hampshire — from our public schools to our public parks to the homes of seniors across our state who rely on AmeriCorps as a lifeline,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “I will continue working with AmeriCorps members and partners from across New Hampshire to use every tool – including tireless advocacy, litigation, and legislation – to defend AmeriCorps today and for generations to come. We will not give up.” 
    Senator Hassan has been voicing her opposition to President Trump’s funding cuts that will harm students, educators, and families across New Hampshire. Last month, Senator Hassan and Congresswoman Goodlander met with educators and school officials in Manchester to discuss the importance of the Department of Education for students and the impact of the Trump Administration’s attacks on public education.
    Last month, Senator Shaheen joined a bipartisan group of 33 former Governors to file an amicus brief in support of the states challenging the Trump Administration’s abrupt dismantling of AmeriCorps. She also joined an April bicameral letter to the President expressing opposition to these cuts and urging the Administration to reverse course.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Colleagues Fight to Help Home Renters Continue Receiving Emergency Assistance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), with a bicameral group of his House and Senate colleagues, is calling on Congressional Appropriations leadership to include enough funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program as part of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding legislation. Tens of thousands of Americans depend on this vital program for safe, stable, and affordable housing. The letter comes as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in March that the program will soon run out of money due largely to rents rising at the fastest pace in decades.
    “[Public Housing Agencies] in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve,” wrote the lawmakers. “Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.”
    “The EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness,” continued the lawmakers. “At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties.”
    As of April, this critical program supports 107,000 individuals who are mostly children under five years old, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and domestic violence survivors. Support for the program is especially important as the Trump Administration cuts vital HUD funding and support staff. The EHV program was established in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan. Congress originally authorized $5 billion in funding for 70,000 vouchers through September 2030, with increased flexibilities for public housing authorities that made the program more successful than typical housing vouchers.
    Senator King has long been committed to ensuring Maine people across the state can access safe and affordable housing, as well as working with his colleagues on creative solutions to combat the housing shortage. He recently introduced the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country — including thousands in Maine. Earlier this year, he introduced the bipartisan Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act to expand existing grant program so rural homeowners can create more housing on their property and help ease housing shortfall.
    The full text of the letter is available here and below. 
    +++
    Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chair Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn:
    As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you include funding to ensure that the nearly 60,000 households who are currently being served by the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program do not fall into homelessness.
    During the pandemic, Congress appropriated $5 billion in mandatory funding for the EHV program to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking, access safe, stable and affordable housing during a moment of crisis.
    Since 2021, the success of the EHV program and its design, which includes critical administrative flexibilities that are responsive to a tumultuous housing market, cannot be overstated. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that EHVs are leasing at a rate faster than any previous housing voucher program within HUD and drove unprecedented collaboration among public housing agencies (PHAs), homeless services organizations, and victim services organizations to provide rapid and effective housing assistance to vulnerable populations. PHAs in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve. Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.
    We understand that the Subcommittee must make difficult decisions. However, the EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued support for the most vulnerable Americans.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch, Whitehouse Slam Republicans’ Subcommittee Hearing Attacking an Independent Judiciary

    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 Judiciary Subcommittee on The Constitution, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights, today released the following statement ahead of a joint Judiciary subcommittee hearing designed to attack district judges and undermine America’s independent judiciary: 
    “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 Names Small Business of the Week, B&B Gates & Supply

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: B&B Gates & Supply of Lyon County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties.
    “The Pollema family has built B&B Gates & Supply on a foundation of community, craftsmanship, and care—creating American-made products paired with excellent customer service,” said Chair Ernst. “What began in an unheated shop has grown into a thriving family business, dedicated to keeping family farms and clients across the Midwest gated and moo-ving livestock where they need to go.”  
    In 1996, hog and cattle farmers Barry and Patty Pollema started B&B Gates & Supply on their family farm in Doon, Iowa. The business steadily grew from a part-time operation into a full-service livestock gates manufacturer. Due to its growth, the B&B Gates & Supply moved its operation into a 50,000-square-foot facility along Highway 75 in 2021. That same year, they built a retail store that served as a one-stop shop for agricultural necessities. Today, the family business has grown to employ more than 34 team members, with several of Barry and Patty’s children taking on key roles in the business. This year, B&B Gates & Supply will celebrate its 29th anniversary.
    Stay tuned as Chair Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with her Small Business of the Week award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen, Colleagues Introduce Congressional Stock Trading Ban

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in introducing the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act, which would require all members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children to place their stocks into a qualified blind trust or divest the holding—ensuring they cannot use inside information to influence stock trades and make a profit.

    “Members of Congress are elected to serve their constituents—not themselves,” said Senator Shaheen. “This common-sense legislation would prevent members of Congress from using their office to enrich themselves and would go a long way in winning back the American people’s trust and confidence in government.”

    The American people overwhelmingly support this policy, with 86% saying they back the measure, including 88% of Democrats, 87% of Republicans and 81% of Independents.

    In addition to Shaheen, Kelly and Ossoff, the bill is also co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO).

    Click here to read the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act.

    Shaheen has long been an advocate for government reform and congressional integrity. In April, Shaheen unveiled new legislation that would prevent companies owned or controlled by Special Government Employee (SGE)’s from raking in federal dollars in government contracts and grant payments and prevent the clear conflicts of interests this arrangement could pose. Earlier this year, she reintroduced her Democracy for All Amendment would overturn the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United v. FEC decision and other far-reaching decisions around campaign finance that wrongfully equated money with free speech and unfairly determined that big, wealthy corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy champions bill to end the CFPB’s unfair pay advantage

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today reintroduced the CFPB Pay Fairness Act, which would increase accountability at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by requiring the agency to pay its employees according to the same standards that apply to other federal employees. 

    “The CFPB’s convoluted funding scheme gives them an unfair pay advantage over other agencies. That’s a waste of taxpayer money, and it needs to stop. My bill would put CFPB salaries on equal footing with the rest of the government and end the accounting trick that let them avoid the standard federal pay scale,” said Kennedy. 

    Background:

    • The CFPB’s funding mechanism operates outside the regular congressional oversight process.
    • As a result, many CFPB employees receive salaries comparable with those of members of Congress and cabinet secretaries.
    • The CFPB Pay Fairness Act would give the CFPB 90 days to bring its employee salaries in line with the General Schedule pay scale for federal employees. 

    Full text of the CFPB Pay Fairness Act is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW REPORT: Trump’s Mass Firings at NIOSH Spokane Research Lab Put Americans at Risk, Jeopardize Progress to Keep Workers Safe on the Job

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses Secretary Kennedy on Decimation of NIOSH and Mass Firings at NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory

    ***NEW REPORT with testimonials from Spokane employees HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a new report on how President Trump and Elon Musk’s decimation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including their effective shuttering of the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory, will jeopardize on-the-job safety for firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, in Washington state and across the country. The report details the work that was done at the NIOSH Spokane Research laboratory, the Spokane Mining Research Division in particular, and outlines how the Trump administration’s mass firings across NIOSH will jeopardize the pipeline to train the next generation of workplace safety and health professionals, including those studying at Gonzaga University in Spokane and University of Washington in Seattle. Senator Murray’s report features testimonials from Washington state residents, including employees at NIOSH who were recently fired through no fault of their own.

    The release of the report comes as the Trump administration’s large-scale reduction in force (RIF) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes NIOSH, has been put on hold by a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco, who ruled that the administration violated separation of powers principles with its agency restructuring.

    “The Trump administration’s unfathomable decision to gut NIOSH and fire nearly every person at the Spokane Research Lab is a devastating and shortsighted move that puts workers everywhere at risk,” Senator Murray said upon releasing the report. “In Spokane alone, President Trump abruptly fired nearly a hundred people working to protect those in high-risk professions including mining, firefighting, health care and emergency medicine, and the maritime industry—bringing their research to a screeching halt and creating a ticking time bomb for disasters in the workplace.”

    “These thoughtless firings don’t just risk Americans’ health and safety in the workplace today, but threaten decades of progress toward preventing workplace hazards,” Senator Murray continued. “Researchers in Spokane who have dedicated their careers to protecting workers across the country are being kicked to the curb because Donald Trump and his conspiracy theorist Health Secretary don’t have a clue what NIOSH does and don’t care to learn—no one should be treated like this. We need answers and accountability. I’m going to keep fighting to hold the Trump administration to account and shine a bright spotlight on how this administration is hurting people and communities like Spokane and forcing critical, lifesaving research to go to waste.”

    Senator Murray has been a leading voice in Congress against RFK Jr.’s destruction of HHS and America’s health infrastructure, raising the alarm over HHS’ unilateral reorganization plan and slamming the closure of the HHS Region 10 office in Seattle and the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory. Senator Murray has sent oversight letters and hosted numerous press conferences and events to lay out how the administration’s reckless gutting of HHS is risking Americans health and safety and will set our country back decades, and lifting up the voices of HHS employees who were fired for no reason and through no fault of their own.

    The full report is available HERE and below:

    Report: Mass Firings in Spokane and Beyond: How Gutting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Harms Workers

    This report is part of a series detailing the harm President Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless and devastating attacks on the federal workforce are causing on the ground in Washington state. The Trump administration’s mass firings and harmful actions have real consequences for Washington’s residents, their communities, and for the entire United States.

    This report focuses on the mass firings of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effectively shuttering the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory. These Reductions in Force (RIFs) will lead to increased health and safety risks for firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, and so many others. No one should have to worry about whether they will come home safe from their job or not come home at all – NIOSH is vital to keeping workers safe. 

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is Dedicated to Keeping Workers Safe Across America

    NIOSH is the only government agency statutorily authorized to conduct workplace health and safety research. In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated about 900 of NIOSH’s approximately 1,100 employees, effectively shuttering the agency. Among these firings, the Trump administration eliminated 90 scientific positions at the Spokane Research Laboratory. In addition to NIOSH’s Spokane location, the agency also conducts research at campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to recent outcry over these firings, the Trump administration has recently agreed to bring back around 300 NIOSH workers, but primarily in West Virginia and Ohio, leaving the Spokane Research Laboratory’s programming and research work shuttered.

    By firing and then only bringing back a small portion of NIOSH workers, and almost none from Spokane, the Trump administration is jeopardizing decades of progress in improving worker health and safety. Over the course of NIOSH’s history, worker deaths, injuries, and illnesses in America have gone down—on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 15 a day in 2023, and from 10.9 incidents of worker injury and illness per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.4 per 100 in 2023. However, workplace hazards still kill and disable approximately 125,000 workers each year—5,190 from traumatic injuries and an estimated 120,000 from occupational diseases. Workplace injuries and illnesses cost businesses between $174 billion and $348 billion a year, which is still likely an underestimate given underreporting of workplace injuries.

    Kyle Zimmer, recently retired from International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 and current Chair of the Mine Safety Health Research Advisory Committee stated, “Losing these researchers will result in the loss of safety for every worker in the United States. This research turns into standards that become guidelines that every safety professional uses throughout the country in every industry, from health care, to auto body shops, to mining and firefighting. Once your workforce really understands what you are doing, that is when you get results and changes in workplace safety culture.”

    NIOSH’s $362.8 million budget represents only 0.2% of the discretionary portion of the HHS budget. NIOSH’s lifesaving research has also saved more than $1 billion annually. For example, NIOSH research supporting improved protective equipment for firefighters is associated with an estimated $71 million in annual savings in medical and productivity losses.NIOSH work produces a tremendous return on investment, and the Trump administration’s firings have huge costs both for worker safety and the nation.

    Tristan Victoroff, a union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions, pointed out: “The 900 people fired from NIOSH are scientists, mainly. We are industrial safety scientists, epidemiologists, engineers…. The goal is to work with industry to protect workers’ health and safety and find solutions to the problems. We do research and development. It’s not duplicative. [The Occupational Safety and Health Administration] doesn’t do this. They don’t have the capacity or the mandate. All of these cuts are supposedly to save costs. What costs are we going to tolerate? What are the costs of increased workers’ compensation claims? What are the costs of disabling injuries and chronic diseases from workplace exposures? What is the cost to a family of losing a parent to a workplace accident?”

    The NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory is Critical to Keeping Workers Safe

    NIOSH was created by Congress to address and prevent work-related injury and illness and was created in the same statute that authorized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor. While OSHA sets and enforces safety standards, NIOSH is required to conduct or fund research, experiments, and demonstrations on occupational safety and health; produce criteria identifying toxic substances including setting exposure levels that are safe for various periods of employment, and publish annually a list of all known toxic substances and the concentrations at which such toxicity is known to occur; disseminate information about occupational safety to employers and employees; conduct education programs about occupational safety; and contract with state personnel to provide compliance assistance for employers.

    In Washington state, NIOSH conducts research to understand and promote safe job conditions and develop science-based products and interventions that support worker health, safety, and well-being, prevent future occupational injuries and deaths, and train new generations of health and safety professionals. This work is done through the Spokane Research Laboratory (which houses the Spokane Mining Research Division and the Western States Division) and the Region 10 Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center.

    Tristan Victoroff, a union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions, explained: “The NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory in Washington State is the only NIOSH facility west of the Mississippi. Its two divisions— the Western States Division and the Spokane Mining Research Division — conduct safety research for natural resource industries across the western U.S. and Alaska, including commercial fishing, wildland firefighting, oil and gas extraction, and mining. They’re working directly with naval shipyards to assess exposures from new technology for corrosion control. They track commercial fishing deaths nationwide. They have major research efforts in high wall safety, rockfall and slope stability, and seismic monitoring using advanced fiber optic technology, to name just a few examples. This work is not duplicative, and it’s not wasteful. If we’re expanding domestic energy, mineral, and seafood production, we need to protect the people doing that work. These workers deserve to come home safe and be healthy enough to work again tomorrow. Cutting this research does not keep us competitive — it puts workers in danger.”

    The Spokane Mining Research Division Keeps Washington Miners Safe on the Job

    The Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) is part of the NIOSH Mining Program, which aims to eliminate mining fatalities and injuries. Since 1990, total injuries in mining have significantly decreased, reflecting safer practices industry-wide, strongly linked to NIOSH’s research and prevention programs. SMRD partners with labor, mining associations, equipment manufacturers, and mine operators to study worker health and safety problems in the field. Washington’s mining industry is vital to the state’s economy, supporting 18,845 jobs, directly and indirectly, and providing $4.07 billion in economic benefits to the state.

    SMRD also conducts laboratory research at the Spokane, WA facility, where highly specialized scientists in unique laboratories develop products and interventions that offer solutions to mining challenges.Scientists in Spokane have been doing innovative laboratory work to:

    • Simulate ground stresses to test rock samples to determine the strength of the environment and whether bolts, steel, mesh or shotcrete are needed to support the mining efforts and keep workers safe on the job.
    • Simulate mining conditions and tasks to study health effects, such as heat and stress;
    • Examine field samples to understand miners’ exposure to respiratory and other health hazards; and more.

    Dr. Art Miller, a research engineer who retired from SMRD after 34 years, explains: “No one else in the world is doing this time-sensitive, cutting-edge research that will make workers safer. We conduct research in a lot of different ways. Our lab is a unique environment of cutting-edge technology and brain power aimed at improving worker health and safety. Discontinuing our work would be a huge loss to the future health and safety of workers. Workplace safety is dynamic, and our work is never going to be done. NIOSH is small relative to the federal government but it’s a well-run entity. Why would we want to get rid of something like that?”

    Spokane Research Laboratory’s SMRD also runs the Miner Health Program, created in 2016 to collaborate with the mining community to improve workers’ physical and mental health.Prevention of opioid misuse is just one of many examples of the collaborative work being produced by the Miner Health Program. The mining industry has been hit particularly hard by drug overdoses. Work-related pain and injury increase workers’ chances of being prescribed an opioid and subsequent risks of worker prescription opioid misuse, long-term opioid use, and opioid use disorder (OUD). These overdoses and especially deaths related to opioid use have had a significant impact on mine workers, their families, and communities. This program is now archived on the CDC website, indicating that this program is no longer operating.

    In Fall 2024, Spokane’s SMRD experts launched a new guide, Implementing Effective Workplace Solutions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder: A Resource Guide for the Mining Industry. This guide provides a model for planning and implementing prevention efforts to normalize conversations about OUD, reduce stigma, and break down barriers to treatment and recovery. Losing this Miner Health Program focused on preventing OUD will lead to increased overdoses and preventable deaths in the mining community.

    The impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to NIOSH are already being felt in the mining industry. NIOSH is the only federal agency that can test and supply approved and certified respirators and personal dust monitors to keep miners safe on the job. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) at the U.S. Department of Labor announced a temporary enforcement pause of mine operators’ respiratory protection programs. Given that NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has been effectively eliminated, the “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection,” (“Silica Rule”), is now paused until at least August 2025.Without NIOSH, the Silica Rule cannot go into effect and workers will continue to be exposed to extremely harmful silica dust that results in the debilitating and often fatal condition of silicosis.

    These respirators are not just used in mining; they are used across industries. As explained by Tristan Victoroff, union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions: “There will be no NIOSH-certified respirators, if there’s no NIOSH. NIOSH certifies all the respiratory protection equipment used in healthcare — and not just the N95 masks we’ve all become familiar with in recent years. That includes reusable respirators that filter oils and vapors… even supplied air systems. NIOSH is the only organization in the country equipped to perform all the required testing — more than 150 test procedures — to certify respirators that protect firefighters, miners, shipyard workers — anyone who needs respiratory protection on the job. In fact, any employer in general industry — from construction to manufacturing — if they have an OSHA-approved respiratory protection program, they must use NIOSH-certified equipment. Only NIOSH can certify that equipment to meet those standards. Rebuilding these labs somewhere else would take years, and there’s no guarantee we could replicate the expertise and facilities we currently have at NIOSH. NIOSH also monitors products on the market to spot counterfeits. Without that oversight, fake and substandard products will increasingly flood the market. That’s not theoretical. NIOSH recently found that every counterfeit product it purchased off the open market failed to meet established standards. These products were not fully protective. Workers using those products on the job could be exposed to dangerous particulates or chemicals. If these labs shut down, it will put workers at risk and stifle innovation in protective technology. Workers won’t know which products they can trust. The NIOSH certification is essential.”

    The Western States Division of NIOSH Conducts Critical Research Focusing on Hazards in the Western States

    Workers in the Western U.S. face hazards and issues unique to their industries and environment, including commercial fishing, agriculture, and firefighting. Many of these occupations include climate extremes, working at altitude, long distance commutes, remote locations, and wildland forest fires. NIOSH’s Western States Division (WSD)employs a diverse group of public health and safety scientists with expertise in industrial hygiene, epidemiology, engineering, occupational medicine and health communication, working together to reduce and eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. WSD is headquartered at the Spokane Research Laboratory, but also has staff at offices in Denver, Colorado, and Anchorage, Alaska. WSD in Spokane focused on health and safety research for several industries, including commercial fishing, firefighting and wildfires, maritime, and emergency medical services.

    Commercial Fishing. NIOSH’s work has decreased the number of fatalities in the commercial fishing industry in Washington, which is recognized as one of the most hazardous work settings. Many operations are characterized by strenuous labor, long work hours, harsh weather, and moving decks with hazardous machinery and equipment. This industry generates nearly $46 billion and more than 170,000 jobs. The annual number of fatalities has declined over the past two decades because of the prevention work carried out by NIOSH.For 30 years, WSD has operated the Commercial Fishing Safety Program, working in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the Gulf Coast in Southeastern states to keep fishermen safe from vessel disasters, falls overboard, onboard hazards, and more. WSD operates maintains the Commercial Fishing Incident Database, which tracks commercial fishing fatalities and provides statistics by region, fishery, type of vessel, and type of incident.This is the only national source for details of commercial fishing fatalities; neither the Bureau of Labor Statistics nor the U.S. Coast Guard report this type of information. Collecting this data is crucial for reducing the number of injuries and fatalities among the nation’s fishermen. Through NIOSH-funded research, WSD has developed solutions to prevent winch entanglements on commercial fishing boats, reducing loss of limb accidents. This critical research has come to a standstill with the Administration putting these scientists on administrative leave and scheduling them to be fired as of June 2, 2025.

    Outdoor Workers and Wildfires. Washington is one of the five states with the highest average annual burned acreage in the U.S., and the state is home to over 8,500 firefighters. Washington’s firefightersput themselves at enormous risk to keep Washington residents safe. Wildfire smoke is also dangerous to outdoor workers like the state’s 8,280 farmworkers whose jobs have been made safer through the work of NIOSH. For example, NIOSH scientists were instrumental in developing Washington’s Wildfire Smoke Rule, put in place January 15, 2024, which protects the health of workers who are exposed to the small particles contained in wildfire smoke. NIOSH recently developed a comprehensive hazard assessment on exposure to wildland fire smoke among outdoor workers. If NIOSH is eliminated, this document might never be finalized, and necessary revisions to the Washington Wildfire Smoke Rule may not happen, threatening firefighters, farmworkers, and other outdoor workers.

    NIOSH Provides Valuable Resources to Employers to Help Them Keep Workers Safe

    NIOSH’s Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program has provided 11 technical assistance evaluations to businesses and industry in Washington over the last 20 years. The HHE program was established with the passage of the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act. The HHE program includes evaluations of occupational exposure to illicit drugs in toxicology laboratories, health effects in commercial airline employees associated with new, mandatory uniforms, transmission of tuberculosis to zoo employees working with Asian elephants, and respiratory effects following acute exposure to chlorine gas at a metal recycling facility. These evaluations and publications are at no cost to industry or the public, and recommendations from these reports are used to establish health and safety protocols throughout the state.

    WSD conducts research to evaluate toxic exposures associated with removal and application of marine coatings on vessels at the U.S. Navy’s Trident Retrofit Facility near Bangor, WA, and at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, as part of the Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies. Moreover, WSD evaluates exposures from rehabilitation of hydroelectric turbines, such as the Little Goose Dam on the Snake River in Southeast Washington.A timely WSD project involves assessing mental and physical health issues in emergency medical service (EMS) responders in Tribal communities in the Puget Sound area. The Trump administration RIFs have effectively shut down each of these programs.

    NIOSH Trains the Next Generation of Occupational and Safety Health Professionals

    Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require funding for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health. NIOSH funds 18 Education and Research Centers (ERCs), which provide high-quality interdisciplinary graduate and post-graduate training in occupational safety and health disciplines.The Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research (NWCOHS) at the University of Washington is an ERC, housed in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, bringing together faculty from the UW Schools of Public Health, Nursing and Medicine. The program, funded continuously since 1977, has an annual budget of $1.8 million and serves four states (Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon), preparing students for careers in occupational medicine, nursing, health services research, industrial hygiene and more. Funding supports an average of 20 graduate students per year, and continuing education for an average of 1,000 occupational health and safety professionals per year.

    As Lawrence Sloan, Chief Executive Officer of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), a membership organization for occupational and environmental health and safety professionals says, “NIOSH’s work is foundational in protecting American workers. Without adequate support for these programs, achieving the goal of a healthier American workforce will be challenging. Specifically, for AIHA, our members will be disadvantaged by the inability to leverage research on various worker populations to advance our understanding of the profession. Additionally, the absence of funding for Education & Research Centers (ERCs) will significantly impact our pipeline of future talent and hinder the funding of academic research studies that benefit the American worker.”

    NIOSH engineers have worked with Gonzaga University’s Mechanical Engineering Department to guide student senior design projects for the past 15 years. Many of these projects were entered into national American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) competitions, with several teams winning awards and presenting at national ASME conventions. This collaboration has led to increased scientists seeking positions supporting mining safety and health, both in Spokane and around the country, creating a pipeline of the next generation of professionals ensuring workplace safety and health.

    NIOSH Protects Firefighters in Washington State and Nationwide

    As a nationally-based program, the NIOSH Center for Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-Being supports all 50 states to protect firefighters and to identify and prevent new and emerging hazards in the fire service earlier and faster. NIOSH-funded research has:

    1. Increased our understanding of the 200-plus carcinogenic chemicals involved in byproducts of combustion, leading to better respiratory protection standards;
    2. Identified the presence of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” in firefighter foam and turnout gear and how these impact cancer risk levels;
    3. Created and provided for continuous enrollment in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters; and
    4. Provided for the development of the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, which conducts independent investigations of firefighter line-of-duty deaths and recommends prevention methods.

    After being shutdown in April 2025, the registration portal of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer is now operational, following the questioning of HHS Secretary Kennedy by members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee on May 14, 2025.

    Spokane Firefighters Union Local 29 is very worried about the cuts to NIOSH and has called for the continuation of NIOSH-funded research, specifically the study on how high heat affects firefighters’ cognitive abilities, using the highly technical and sophisticated labs in the SMRD. Much of this research is conducted in partnership with Washington State University, where researchers have expertise in the impacts of sleep, fatigue, circadian rhythm, and heat on the ability to be safe at work. These grants to WSU were some of the first to be terminated by HHS.

    Conclusion: The Time is Now to Return NIOSH Spokane Scientists to their Jobs

    NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory scientists were set to be fired on June 2, 2025, but on May 22, 2025, a U.S. District Court judge ordered a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from carrying out its RIFs. However, if the RIFs legally continue, President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy will eliminate the NIOSH Spokane office. Without the Congressionally-mandated occupational health and safety research conducted by NIOSH scientists, Washington workers, as well as workers across the country, in commercial fishing, mining, firefighting, manufacturing, and other industries will experience preventable and potentially fatal injuries. Through NIOSH-funded research, Spokane Research Laboratory scientists promote evidence-based safety protocols that are implemented through strong industry collaborations that create productive workplaces that contribute to Washington’s and America’s economic prosperity. President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy need to bring back the Spokane Research Laboratory scientists now and fully fund NIOSH research to maintain the promise of healthier and safer workplaces, communities, and families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Weather Service Partial Rehire Plan Isn’t Good Enough, Says Cantwell

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    06.02.25

    National Weather Service Partial Rehire Plan Isn’t Good Enough, Says Cantwell

    NWS lost over 560 employees under Trump firings, creating unprecedented forecasting interruptions; today’s approval of 126 new hires represents less than 1/4 of that total; Months before the current crisis, Cantwell called for an exemption and accurately predicted the current situation

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, released this statement following the Trump administration’s announcement of a plan to partially undo the damage done by their indiscriminate firings, resignations, and attrition plaguing the National Weather Service (NWS) workforce.

    “The Trump Administration is trying to put a flimsy band-aid over their massive cut to the National Weather Service,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Hiring back less than a quarter of the people they fired isn’t good enough with hurricane and wildfire seasons bearing down. The administration should immediately end its hiring freeze for the National Weather Service, along with other critical safety roles throughout NOAA, including weather researchers and maritime professionals that weather forecasters and fisheries managers depend on.”

    This dangerous decision to leave critical jobs unfilled comes as the National Interagency Fire Center, a partnership which includes NWS, released its Fire Maps for the next four months predicting above normal significant fire potential across the Northwest, and the National Weather Service predicts an above-normal hurricane season, which began yesterday.

    Just last Thursday, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter demanding that the Trump Administration immediately exempt the NWS from its current federal hiring freeze so that citizens and communities will not be left to fend for themselves without adequate warnings as both hurricane season and wildfire season rapidly approach.

    Today’s action by the administration lifted the hiring freeze on 126 positions across four roles – meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists, and electronic technicians. However, many other important roles remain subject to the freeze, including credentialed mariners needed to safety operate NOAA research vessels, weather scientists, and weather satellite technicians. NOAA vessels and satellites are crucial to maintaining forecast and weather infrastructure needed for meteorologists to issue quality and timely forecasts. These firings also impact our economy, with a number of commercial fishing surveys cancelled this year, including for Alaska pollock and salmon. Elimination of surveys will take catch from fishing families, which will result in job loss and increased cost for consumers that want access to high quality American seafood at their local markets and restaurants.

    Multiple recent reports have documented the impacts of the hiring freeze. The Washington Post reports that “Some…forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for any staff willing to transfer to those offices, according to notices recently sent to employees…” And the New York Times found that “The National Weather Service is preparing for the probability that fewer forecast updates will be fine-tuned by specialists, among other cutbacks, because of ‘severe shortages’ of meteorologists and other employees, according to an internal agency document.” These reports make clear that action must be taken immediately to avoid a catastrophic gap in capacity in the face of a future storm or wildfire.

    In February, Sen. Cantwell sent Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick a letter warning of the likelihood of this exact situation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Returns from Visit to Israel, West Bank, Jordan, Iraq focused on Strengthening Regional Stability

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, & Counterterrorism, and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, visited Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, and Iraq to meet with heads of state and government leaders to discuss ways to increase stability throughout the region. During her visit to the region, Senator Rosen advocated for increased regional security, strengthening of the Abraham Accords, development and humanitarian partnerships with the U.S., and ways to counter Iranian aggression. While in Israel, Senator Rosen paid her respects at the sites where Hamas attacked innocent men, women, and children on October 7, 2023, including the site of the Nova Musical Festival, Kibbutz Nir Oz, and a military outpost near the Gaza border.
    While in the Middle East, Senator Rosen met with deployed U.S. servicemembers, including Nevadans, to express her gratitude for their service and discuss how she can best support them in Congress.

    “As Iran continues its destabilizing efforts in the Middle East, it couldn’t be more important to strengthen long-lasting relationships with our allies and partners in the region at this moment,” said Senator Rosen. “I had very productive meetings with heads of state and government officials in Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, and Iraq to discuss ways the United States can work with them to increase stability, combat Iranian aggression, strengthen partnerships with the U.S., and foster regional cooperation.”
    In visiting these countries, Senator Rosen had meetings with government officials, including:

    ISRAEL: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to discuss reinforcing and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship, the war in Gaza and freeing the hostages, rising antisemitism, and regional security. 
    WEST BANK: Prime Minister of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Mohammad Abdullah Mohammad Mustafa, and Vice President of the PLO Hussein Al-Sheikh to discuss economic, governance, and prisoner payment reforms.
    JORDAN: His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, and Director of the General Intelligence Department Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni to discuss combating terrorism and pursuing peace and security in the Middle East.
    IRAQ: Government of Iraq (GOI) meetings included Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani, Minister of Migration and Displacement Evan Faeq Jabro, and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein to discuss U.S.-Iraq priorities in the fight against ISIS and other security threats, economic development, displaced persons, and countering Iran. Senator Rosen also met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani on maintaining U.S. security partnerships, regional developments, and improving relations between the KRG and GOI.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Alaska Delegation Welcomes Interior Process to Rescind Unlawful NPR-A Rule

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan
    06.02.25
    Anchorage, Alaska—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Representative Nick Begich (all R-Alaska) today welcomed an announcement from the Department of the Interior (DOI) that it will initiate a public process to rescind an unlawful 2024 rule that restricts responsible oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).
    DOI made the announcement after officials conducted “a thorough legal and policy review” that determined the 2024 rule “exceeds [the Bureau of Land Management’s] statutory authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, conflicts with the Act’s purpose, and imposes unnecessary barriers to responsible energy development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.”
    “I thank Secretary Burgum for listening to Alaskans and recognizing the explicit legal purpose of our petroleum reserve. This is a victory not only for those who support responsible development, but also those who believe in the rule of law,” Senator Murkowski said. “The 2024 management rule clearly violated the law, establishing restrictions and a presumption against development as part of the last administration’s effort to turn the North Slope into one giant tract of federal wilderness. Repealing the rule will not weaken our world-class environmental standards, but it will enable Alaska to produce more energy as Congress intended. The result will be good jobs for Alaskans, more affordable energy for America, and significant new revenues for government.”
    “Last night at a town hall in Utqiagvik, Secretary Burgum announced that the Interior Department will rescind the Biden administration’s illegal rule that tried to turn vast swaths of NPR-A into de facto ‘wilderness,’” said Senator Sullivan. “The announcement was roundly met with cheers from Alaskans of the North Slope, who understand better than anyone the proper balance between responsible oil production and the subsistence way of life they cherish. Responsible resource development has transformed the lives of the Iñupiat people, supporting the construction of clinics, gymnasiums, water infrastructure—basic amenities most Americans take for granted. Thank you, Secretary Burgum, for respecting the voices of Alaskans, for standing up for the self-determination of the Iñupiat people, and for sharing this important announcement among the people who will most benefit from it.”
    “This decision is a major victory for Alaska and for every American who believes in energy independence and the rule of law,” said Congressman Begich. “The 2024 restrictions in the NPR-A were imposed with no serious consideration provided to those who work and live in the region and in clear violation of the law – hindering Alaska’s right to responsibly develop our resources. I will continue to work closely with the Trump Administration to ensure Alaska has the opportunity for responsible resource development across the North Slope. There is no question that the road to American prosperity begins in Alaska with our abundance of critical resources, and I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary Burgum for their leadership in restoring our right to shape Alaska’s energy future by rolling back this restrictive Biden-era policy in the NPR-A.”
    “Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said. “The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical. We’re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track.”
    The NPR-A spans roughly 23 million acres in northwest Alaska. Congress specifically set the area aside for responsible oil and gas development, directing DOI, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to conduct an “expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas.” Instead of following that directive, the Biden administration refused to hold a single lease sale in the petroleum reserve while repeatedly moving to reduce access, delaying project approvals, and layering on new restrictions to prevent future development. 
    Alaska’s congressional delegation has opposed the NPR-A management rule on a bipartisan basis from the start. The delegation sent a letter to Interior opposing the proposed rule in March 2024 and spent months making a public case against it. Interior ignored the delegation—and refused to engage in proper consultation with North Slope leaders who similarly opposed the rule—instead plowing forward on a rushed timeline that one former official openly admitted was to avoid the Congressional Review Act. As Interior finalized the rule, multiple companies asked BLM to suspend more than one million acres of leases they held within the NPR-A.
    According to DOI, “Under the proposed rule rescission, the BLM would revert to the regulations that were in place prior to May 7, 2024, which have long guided responsible development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska while incorporating protections for wildlife, subsistence and surface values through the Integrated Activity Plan process.” A 60-day public comment period will begin when the proposal prints in the Federal Register.
    More information is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker Pushes for USDOT’s “Earnest and Continued Collaboration” Following Announcement of EWR Runway Reopening, and Booker Advocacy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    NEWARK, N.J. – Following United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy’s visit to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement:

    “This afternoon, Secretary Duffy visited EWR and highlighted the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s reopening of one of EWR’s major runways 13 days ahead of schedule, marking the completion of a $121 million infrastructure upgrade. I applaud the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for their work to get this rehabilitation completed ahead of schedule. This is an important first step toward helping alleviate and streamline air traffic. However, EWR requires comprehensive federal investments to properly address the needs of New Jersey’s travelers, boost resources to support and train our region’s air traffic controllers, and maintain the airport’s operational integrity. This means emergency supplemental funding for the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) to properly modernize air traffic control infrastructure at airports nationwide, including at least $2 billion to replace the aging copper wire infrastructure and radar communication technology that Newark Liberty International Airport relies on. The ongoing situation in Newark requires earnest and continued collaboration across all levels of government, and I’m a willing partner. I’m hopeful that the Department of Transportation will continue to work with me and my colleagues in Congress on this issue to bolster one of our nation’s busiest airports–– one that tens of thousands of New Jerseyans rely on every day,” said Booker.

    On May 6, 2025, Senator Booker penned an urgent letter to Secretary Duffy asking the United States Department of Transportation to take steps to immediately address regional air traffic controller staffing shortages and detail all steps the agency is taking to remedy Newark Liberty International Airport’s reported telecommunication failures. The full May 6, 2025 letter can be found here.

    On May 14, 2025, following additional reported telecommunication failures at Newark Liberty International Airport, Senator Booker led members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation in a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Chairs demanding at least $2,000,000,000 in emergency funding to strengthen FAA air traffic control infrastructure. The full May 14, 2025 letter can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Cornyn on Senate Priorities for Pres. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) underscored the urgency of addressing our national debt in the Senate’s version of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and detailed additional priorities for the legislation, including extending the Trump tax cuts to avoid an average tax increase of $3,000 in Texas and implementing work requirements for means-tested programs. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

    “One of the most important things that we need to do in this budget reconciliation process is to finally come to grips with our national debt.”

    “We are now spending more money on interest on the national debt than we are to defend our nation, which is the number one job of the federal government.”

    “If we want the United States to maintain its standing in the world, if we want to be able to have the resources to defend the nation and deter our adversaries, we have to at least begin to get our fiscal house in order, and this bill — the big, beautiful bill from the House — we’re going to make it even more beautiful here in the Senate.”

    “I was happy to see that the House bill included work requirements that go into effect in 2026, and I hope the Senate will include this policy in our bill as well.”

    “Failure is not an option. If the President’s tax cuts are not extended, the American people will face the largest tax increase in American history… back home in Texas, my constituents will see their taxes increase on average $3,000 next year.”

    “As I’ve traveled my state as I did during the course of this most recent recess, my constituents have emphasized to me time and time again how much they are depending on these tax cuts being renewed, especially our small businesses that have depended on the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to hire more staff, to purchase equipment that they could then expense, and to provide additional benefits to their employees.”

    “All of these small businesses, which are the primary job-creating engine in America, would be hurt, and would suffer increased costs, and have to cut somewhere in their business.”

    “The American people are depending on us to pass the President’s agenda through this One Big Beautiful Bill.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, ENR Colleagues Urge Interior Inspector General to Investigate Threats Posed by Workforce Reductions at Bureau of Reclamation

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, ENR Colleagues Urge Interior Inspector General to Investigate Threats Posed by Workforce Reductions at Bureau of Reclamation

    Senators to DOI Acting Inspector General: “We are concerned that the Administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, joined his ENR colleagues in urging U.S. Department of the Interior Acting Inspector General (IG) Caryl Brzymialkiewicz to evaluate the consequences of the Trump Administration’s workforce reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). The Senators warned that these cuts are preventing the agency from fulfilling its statutory mission and implementing relevant programs and activities authorized by Congress, including supporting essential water infrastructure projects in California and across the West.
    According to reports, BOR has lost 1,400 public servants — approximately 25 percent of the agency’s entire workforce — since the Trump Administration began its assault on the federal workforce in January. Additionally, President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request proposes a $600 million (34 percent) cut to BOR funding, jeopardizing important water infrastructure projects.
    “Recent reductions in workforce significantly threaten BOR’s ability to safely and reliably deliver water to communities and farmers, keep waterways flowing for fish and wildlife across the western United States, and produce reliable electricity,” wrote the Senators.
    BOR is the largest wholesale water supplier in the United States — operating many critical California water management projects and delivering trillions of gallons of water to more than 31 million people and 10 million acres of farmland. The farmland managed by BOR produces over 60 percent of the nation’s vegetables and more than 25 percent of its fruits and nuts.
    BOR is also the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the country. The facilities BOR operates generate 40 million megawatt-hours of electricity each year.
    The Senators expressed concern over the lack of strategy and harm to public safety that these workforce reductions pose.
    “Rapid reductions to BOR’s workforce raise significant concerns about the Bureau’s ability to meet its core responsibilities, particularly inspecting dams and identifying threats to public safety,” continued the Senators.
    “BOR needs experienced personnel with the necessary expertise to manage critical infrastructure. We are concerned that the Administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions,” added the Senators.
    The Senators concluded by pushing the IG to investigate whether recent workforce reductions at BOR prevent the Bureau from carrying out its obligations. The letter was led by ENR Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and signed by fellow ENR Democratic members U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    Earlier this year, Senators Padilla and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pushed the Department of the Interior to prevent further federal workforce cuts to BOR, warning of the devastating effects of these reductions on water supply systems in California and across the nation. In that letter, Padilla and Schiff highlighted three vital water projects that depend on the expertise of Reclamation staff for managing water in the West: the Klamath Project, the Central Valley Project (CVP), and the Lower Colorado Regional Office. In the face of public pressure from the Senators and 14 California water officials, BOR paused a planned additional round of workforce cuts. Padilla and Schiff previously urged the Department of the Interior to immediately stop its freeze of Inflation Reduction Act funding for the Lower Colorado River System Conservation and Efficiency Program, which is managed by BOR.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Acting Inspector General Brzymialkiewicz:
    We write to request that your office evaluate the extent to which workforce reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation (“Bureau” or “BOR”) prevent the agency from fulfilling its statutory mission and implementing relevant programs and activities authorized by Congress. The Bureau is the largest wholesaler of water in the United States—delivering trillions of gallons of water to more than 31 million people. The Bureau is also the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the country. The facilities BOR operate generate 40 million megawatt-hours of electricity each year. However, recent reductions in workforce significantly threaten BOR’s ability to safely and reliably deliver water to communities and farmers, keep waterways flowing for fish and wildlife across the western United States, and produce reliable electricity.
    According to reports, BOR has lost 1,400 public servants since the administration began its assault on the federal workforce. The positions reportedly eliminated include mechanics, engineers, and fish biology specialists—personnel with considerable expertise. Through firings of probational workers, buyouts, early retirements, and other related actions, BOR has shrunk by 25 percent. This workforce reduction has lacked a coherent, mission- and safety- driven strategy and instead led to the departure of experienced personnel—some with over 20 years of experience—leaving the Bureau susceptible to operational disruptions.
    Rapid reductions to BOR’s workforce raise significant concerns about the Bureau’s ability to meet its core responsibilities, particularly inspecting dams and identifying threats to public safety. BOR manages over 450 dams throughout 17 western states. Previously, BOR’s dam safety program identified over 300 high and significant hazard dams at more than 200 facilities. The age and complex nature of dam systems necessitates having experienced staff trained in the operation of such systems. In fact, as your office identified in a September 2023 report, approximately 90 percent of BOR’s dams are more than 50 years old and “[a]ging dams increase the risk of dam failures.” BOR needs experienced personnel with the necessary expertise to manage critical infrastructure. We are concerned that the administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions.
    Your office is responsible for promoting “accountability, integrity, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within” the DOI and identifying “ways to improve the DOI’s programs and operations by offering specific, actionable recommendations that lead to positive change.” We therefore urge you to evaluate whether recent workforce reductions at BOR inhibit the Bureau from carrying out its obligations.
    Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar, Grassley Celebrate C-SPAN’s Historic Senate Coverage, Call for Public Access Across Platforms, Including Streaming

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
    C-SPAN provides the transparency and accountability our democracy needs, and it is important all Americans are able to access it 
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a resolution to mark the 39th anniversary of C-SPAN 2’s first Senate broadcast on June 2, 1986. The resolution urges all television providers, including streaming services, to carry the network. 
    “C-SPAN has connected the Senate with the American people for nearly 40 years—providing the public an opportunity to see their government at work on the Senate floor and in committee meetings,” Klobuchar said. “Access to this live coverage on all platforms is essential to keeping the American people informed and engaged in their democracy.”
    “Transparency brings accountability, and C-SPAN’s coverage of the Senate has certainly brought transparency to the people’s business. Our resolution celebrates C-SPAN 2’s nearly 40-year commitment to give Americans a front row seat in the Senate, all without accepting a dime of taxpayer dollars. This public service strengthens our system of self-government by boosting civic engagement, and ought to be available on all television and streaming platforms,” Grassley said. 
    Over 39 years, C-SPAN2 has recorded more than 43,830 hours of Senate action, including more than 169,000 speeches from a broad range of ideologies. The network has documented more than 23,493 roll call votes, acting as a living ledger of Senate decision-making. 
    Find text of the resolution HERE.?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Protects Iowans’ Second Amendment Rights

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

    DAVENPORT, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined local gun owners at the Davenport Guns & Shooting Club to announce her new bill to protect Iowans’ Second Amendment rights and lawful gun dealers after the Biden administration’s “zero-tolerance” crackdown.

    After the roundtable, Ernst got in some target practice at the shooting range.
    Click here to download more photos.
    Ernst’s Fighting Irrational Regulatory Enforcement to Avert Retailers’ Misfortune (FIREARM) Act prevents the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from shuttering Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) over minor clerical mistakes and allows them to correct self-reported errors.
    “The Biden administration’s zero-tolerance policy empowered gun grabbers in Washington to infringe on the Second Amendment and shutter small businesses,” said Ernst. “Iowans spoke loud and clear in November that they were tired of bureaucratic overreach. My FIREARM Act disarms the out-of-control ATF and ensures that the rights of law-abiding gun owners are protected.”
    Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
    “For four years, the Biden administration undermined the Second Amendment and weaponized government against law-abiding citizens and small businesses of the lawful firearms industry,” said Issa. “It is now a new day and a different Washington, and that’s why my friend Senator Ernst and I are advancing the FIREARM Act. We can stop the targeting of our citizens and prevent it from ever happening again.”
    “It’s such a relief to know that Senator Ernst understands and appreciates the importance of the Second Amendment,” said Jeanelle Westrom, Iowa Director for Women for Gun Rights and the owner of Davenport Guns & Shooting Club. “Being a small business owner is hard, and it’s even harder when our agencies like the ATF are used as an end run around the Constitution. As the Iowa Director for Women for Gun Rights and the owner of Davenport Guns, I’m proud to stand by Senator Ernst and her FIREARM Act.”
    “Senator Joni Ernst’s ‘FIREARM’ Act will ensure that future administrations cannot weaponize the ATF as a political gun control tool for special interests,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “Under the Biden administration, the firearm and ammunition industry witnessed the ATF being weaponized to carry out that administration’s extreme antigun policies. That damaged the cooperative relationships between firearm retailers, who are on the frontline preventing illegal straw purchases of firearms, and the ATF, which enforces laws to safeguard our communities. NSSF is thankful for Senator Ernst’s leadership to provide remedies that repair this necessary public trust in our federal agencies.”
    Specifically, the FIREARM Act:

    Creates a safe harbor for FFLs to self-report violations, so they can correct any accidental errors;
    Requires the ATF to work collaboratively with FFLs to fix violations and help avoid future violations;
    Addresses the “willfulness” issue by defining it to mean a voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty achieved through specific intent or deliberate planning, excludes previous conduct, and creates a rebuttal if the conduct is not willful; and
    Allows for direct judicial review of license revocations to avoid the ATF from serving as both the judge and prosecutor.

    Click here to view the bill.
    Background:
    Because of her tireless commitment to protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners and fighting back against bureaucratic overreach, Senator Ernst earned an “A+” rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schumer, Murray Statement on President Trump’s Expected Rescissions Request

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following joint statement on the rescission request President Trump is expected to submit to Congress this week:
    “Let’s be honest about what this is: President Trump is looking to go after PBS and NPR to settle political scores and muzzle the free press, while undermining foreign assistance programs that push back on China’s malign influence, save lives, and address other bipartisan priorities. The Trump administration continues to take their eye off the ball and is not focused on helping lower middle-class families’ costs. Instead, they are pursuing political retribution to appease the most right-wing factions. They are blowing up the national debt to give the wealthiest few and biggest corporations huge tax breaks while ripping health care away from millions of Americans. Donald Trump’s misplaced priorities are exactly why Americans have quickly turned on his presidency.
    “If Republicans choose to go along with this rescission package, they will follow Trump at their peril. The power of the purse is one of Congress’s most fundamental Constitutional responsibilities. Democrats will not allow Republicans to play games with the budget.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Over 175 Students, Dozens of Staff at Exeter Job Corps in Limbo After Trump Halts Job Corps Operations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    EXETER, RI — Once again, President Donald Trump is trying to eliminate the federal Job Corps program, which offers free vocational and career-training for underserved youth to help produce skilled workers.  Job Corps serves low-income youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who face barriers to education and employment.

    A week after U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) called out the Trump Administration for effectively ‘pausing’ Job Corps enrollment by preventing new students from getting background checks, the Trump Administration formally announced a “phased pause in operations” for all Job Corps centers nationwide, including the center in Exeter. 

    Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, denounced Trump’s Job Corps suspension as counterproductive and pledged to work on a bipartisan basis to reopen, improve, and continue to fund the centers, which teach eligible youth the skills they need to become employable and independent.

    Reed stated: “Job Corps helps expand economic opportunity and prepare young people for good-paying jobs in in-demand fields.  It literally helps people turn their lives around and we shouldn’t turn our back on this program, we should strengthen it to improve outcomes for more young people.  The Exeter Job Corps Center is a high performing center that helps produce skilled workers in some of the trades we need most, like submarine manufacturing.  I strongly oppose President Trump’s attempt to dismantle vital resources for young people seeking education and opportunity and I will work to prevent the elimination of Job Corps.”

    “The Trump Administration’s Job Corps pause is putting the economic futures of young people across the country on hold.  Students trying to enroll are stuck in limbo.  Job Corps offers young people a second chance to complete their high school education, receive technical training, and prepare for a career.  The Trump Administration is attempting to take that away, but we will work hard to reverse it, because it would be a real blow to these young people and our regional economy,” Reed continued.

    At a May 22 hearing of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H), Senator Reed questioned U.S. Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer about the Trump Administrations efforts to terminate Job Corps.

    During the hearing, Reed noted: “And it’s not only critical to these young men and women to develop their talents and be productive members of our society, but also it’s a key aspect of our submarine production with their relationships to electric boat at Quonset Point Rhode Island. If we don’t have these trained and skilled workers, we will fall behind further and further in terms of submarine production, which will be a detrimental — is an understatement to our national security.”

    Earlier this week, Reed joined Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) in sending a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer requesting detailed information on Job Corps — including contracts, background check processing, and evaluation plans.  The bipartisan letter noted: “We would be pleased to work with you to improve Job Corps and make needed changes to the program, such as some of those that were included in the bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, but we expect you to faithfully implement the program with the resources we have appropriated.”

    Since 1964, Job Corps has served more than three million low-income youth and young adults in all parts of the country.

    This is not the first time President Trump has tried to terminate Job Corps. In 2019, during Trump’s first term, his Administration announced it would be closing Job Corp centers. But thanks to public outcry and bipartisan efforts from Reed, Collins, and other members of Congress, the federal government reversed those decisions.

    Exeter Job Corps Center, which opened in 2004, provides free job training in a variety of fields, including: computers, culinary arts, construction, hospitality, health fields, manufacturing, and other career paths, as well as transportation and dormitory-style housing for those who need it. The programs are aligned with industry credentials and include work-based learning.

    Enrollment at Exeter Job Corps Center, located at the site of the former Ladd Center off Route 2 in Exeter, with a capacity for 185 students, with rolling admissions throughout the year.  Exeter Job Corps Center employs a staff of about 85 and offers vocational training in 6 trades, a GED program, and two high school diploma programs. Most participants are from Rhode Island or neighboring states.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Delivers $29.6 Million for RI Economic Development & Housing Initiatives

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    PROVIDENCE, RI – In an effort to help strengthen local neighborhoods and support economic development and affordable housing programs throughout the state, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today announced that Rhode Island will receive $29,614,503 in new federal aid from several federal housing and community development programs.

    Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, who helped secure the funds in the fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution (CR) appropriations bill, noted this year’s funding levels are based on the Biden Administration’s final budget, which was untouched by cuts from the Trump Administration when Congress passed the full-year CR in March.  

    As a result, Rhode Island’s allocations include:

    • $16,616,289 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds
    • $5,825,296 from the Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) program
    • $3,001,259 from the Housing Trust Fund
    • $1,469,265 from the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program
    • $1,484,128 from the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA)
    • $1,218,265 through the Recovery Housing Program (RHP)

    The federal investments are administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which Senator Reed oversees as both an authorizer on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and as an appropriator on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD).

    “This federal funding will help strengthen neighborhoods, advance opportunities for local economic development, and ensure more Rhode Islanders have a healthy and safe place to live.  These programs help cities and towns expand housing options and move forward with capital improvement projects that can spur economic growth and development.  Unlike President Trump, whose Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal calls for the elimination of many of these essential government programs. I’m committed to improving public infrastructure, boosting housing supply, and upgrading community assets.  From increasing affordable housing opportunities, to repairing roads and extending sidewalks, to enhancing parks and clean water infrastructure, these funds help revitalize neighborhoods and enhance economic development.  With Rhode Island experiencing an alarming affordable housing supply shortage, this critical funding will also bring millions to our state to help preserve and build more affordable housing,” said Senator Reed.

    President Trump’s fiscal year 2026 preliminary budget request to Congress would eliminate the CDBG and HOME programs and devastate HUD with a 43 percent cut in funding. Furthermore, it would place a massive burden on state and local budgets by cutting HUD rental assistance programs by nearly half and shrinking federal homeless assistance programs.

    CDBG provides local communities with a flexible source of federal funding to address a wide range of neighborhood development needs.  The funds may be used for capital-improvement projects or distributed to non-profit organizations to increase housing, supportive service, and job opportunities.  Eligible communities may also apply to the state, which annually allocates federal CDBG funds through a competitive process.  CDBG funds may also be used to address a variety of needs from revitalizing distressed areas by removing blight and assisting with infrastructure projects.

    Several Rhode Island cities will split over $16.6 million from this round of CDBG funding, including allocations for:

    1. Cranston: $1,085,975
    2. East Providence: $772,761
    3. Pawtucket: $1,776,064
    4. Providence: $5,227,138
    5. Warwick: $948,131
    6. Woonsocket: $1,050,583
    7. Rhode Island statewide: $5,755,637
    8. TOTAL: $16,616,289

    HOME is a major federal block grant program providing funding to state and local governments to expand and preserve the supply of quality, affordable housing for working families.  Providence will receive $1,414,533 in HOME funds, while Pawtucket will receive $520,010, Woonsocket will receive $333,115, and a pot of funds for communities across the state will total $3,557,637.

    Senator Reed created the national Housing Trust Fund (HTF) in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.  The HTF is an affordable housing production and preservation program.  Under the law, government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are required to contribute annually to the HTF.

    ESG provides annual grants to state and local governments to upgrade and expand emergency homeless shelters.  In this round of funding, Providence will receive $476,119 in ESG funds, Pawtucket will receive $155,836, Woonsocket will receive $93,908, and communities across the state will share an additional $743,402.

    Providence will also receive $1,484,128 in HOPWA funds, which help communities and nonprofit organizations offer housing assistance and related supportive services to low-income individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

    To help more effectively combat the opioid crisis and ensure people with substance abuse disorders can access safe housing, Rhode Island will also receive $1,218,265 in Recovery Housing Program (RHP) funds.  Senator Reed backed this program as part of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act.  This federal funding will help Rhode Island provide stable, temporary housing to individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 2nd, 2025 Heinrich, Luján Urge FEMA to Implement Reforms to Better Address Disasters in New Mexico, Western States

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    “FEMA was originally structured to respond to large-scale hurricanes and disasters on the East Coast, and its current – and outdated – model reflects that legacy.”

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to implement practical reforms to better address the unique and growing disaster risks faced by Western U.S. communities, particularly in the aftermath of catastrophic wildfires.

    The letter requests FEMA modernize its outdated response model, improve infrastructure reimbursement policies to facilitate smarter rebuilding, and expand individual and community assistance to reflect actual recovery costs. The letter also calls for FEMA to address gaps in support for high-risk areas where insurance is no longer accessible.

    “Western states face a distinct and growing threat: namely, catastrophic wildfires followed by cascading disasters such as landslides, flooding, and water system failures that compound damage and slow recovery. These cascading events – which can happen years after an initial fire – are devastating, and FEMA has repeatedly struggled to respond effectively,” the lawmakers wrote.

    “As New Mexicans learned in the wake of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire and Californians in the wake of the Palisades fire, and Hawaii residents after the Maui wind-driven fires, FEMA’s protocols and funding mechanisms aren’t built to address the rapid domino effect that occurs after major wildfires. Events that are interconnected are treated as isolated occurrences, leaving affected communities without the timely, comprehensive support they deserve,” the lawmakers continued.

    Heinrich, Luján, and the New Mexico Delegation have secured $5.45 billion for recovery efforts following the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. The fire, which was started by the U.S. Forest Service, caused widespread damage and uprooted the lives of many New Mexicans.

    The full text of the letter can be found HERE and below:

    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Administrator Richardson:

    Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comments on FEMA’s disaster response and recovery operations. We are writing to ask you to consider practical reforms to improve the organization and administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA was originally structured to respond to large-scale hurricanes and disasters on the East Coast, and its current – and outdated – model reflects that legacy. Practical reforms are warranted to better serve communities in the Western United States.

    We want to emphasize that serious, targeted reform is the answer to these pressing problems – not dismantling FEMA altogether. The federal government has an important role to play in assisting state and local governments in the wake of natural disasters. Weakening or eliminating federal disaster assistance when state and local resources across the West are overwhelmed and depleted would be a dangerous step backwards. FEMA’s mission is simply too important to abandon.

    Western states face a distinct and growing threat: namely, catastrophic wildfires followed by cascading disasters such as landslides, flooding, and water system failures that compound damage and slow recovery. These cascading events – which can happen years after an initial fire – are devastating, and FEMA has repeatedly struggled to respond effectively. As New Mexicans learned in the wake of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire and Californians in the wake of the Palisades fire, and Hawaii residents after the Maui wind-driven fires, FEMA’s protocols and funding mechanisms aren’t built to address the rapid domino effect that occurs after major wildfires. Events that are interconnected are treated as isolated occurrences, leaving affected communities without the timely, comprehensive support they deserve.

    FEMA’s reimbursement formulas and policies currently require that public infrastructure be rebuilt to its pre-disaster condition in order to qualify for full reimbursement. While we understand the intent behind these rules—to restore essential infrastructure equitably—they do not adequately address the unique and escalating risks associated with post-wildfire environments, especially with regard to flood-related infrastructure such as culverts, bridges, and drainage systems.

    After a wildfire, watersheds are severely destabilized. Vegetation loss, soil degradation, and hydrophobic soils result in dramatically altered runoff patterns, increasing both the speed and volume of post-fire flooding. The City of Las Vegas, New Mexico lived this harsh reality during the Fiestas last year, when floods paralyzed the city over a year after the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire. As a result of these floods, the business community lost out on their largest income-generating event of the year. These harsh post-fire flooding conditions mean that infrastructure like culverts, which may have been appropriately sized before a fire, are no longer adequate or safe in the changed landscape. Rebuilding these structures “as they were” effectively ensures that they will be overwhelmed during the next major rain event. FEMA’s reimbursement formula should be revised to allow and encourage local governments and agencies to rebuild smarter and stronger, particularly in high-risk post-wildfire areas. If infrastructure is likely to fail under new, foreseeable conditions like post-wildfire floods, federal policy should not prohibit communities from adapting their designs accordingly.

    In addition, individual assistance offered by FEMA is insufficient to help families and small businesses get back on their feet. Many disaster survivors are shocked to learn that reimbursements for personal property loss, home repairs, or temporary housing fall far short of the actual costs. This disparity leaves middle- and low-income families and businesses facing a steep financial cliff, even after receiving federal aid. While Congress has stepped in to fully reimburse New Mexico families for losses from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire after the Federal government started the largest fire in the state’s history, comprehensive financial reimbursement is not the norm. In Maui, recovery is estimated to exceed $12 billion, a total of four times what the federal government is anticipated to contribute. The property and economic damage in California is as high as $275 billion. We need to revisit how individual assistance is calculated and ensure it reflects real-world rebuilding and living expenses.

    Last but not least, a growing number of Western disaster survivors lack insurance altogether. In high-risk areas like wildfire zones, insurance has become prohibitively expensive—or unavailable entirely. This leaves many households completely dependent on FEMA for recovery support. Yet FEMA’s systems and standards often assume a baseline level of private insurance coverage that no longer exists for a significant portion of affected residents. FEMA must adapt its policies and funding levels and work with other Federal agencies to meet the needs of those who fall into this widening gap and ensure that recovery is possible for those who, through no fault of their own, can’t obtain insurance.

    Thank you again for the opportunity to contribute to this critical dialogue. We hope FEMA will take this input seriously and act swiftly to adapt to the changing landscape of disaster response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Modernize Investor Disclosure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Katie Britt (R-AL) recently introduced the Improving Disclosure for Investors Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation requiring the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to propose rules allowing for the default electronic delivery of regulatory documents to investors. 

    “U.S capital markets have embraced the digital age and rely on far less paper now than they did 25 years ago, and it is past time that we bring disclosure requirements into the 21st century,” said Senator Tillis. “Nearly 80% of surveyed Americans already utilize electronic delivery and this commonsense legislation will heighten efficiency and cut down on unwanted paper while still preserving investors’ ability to receive printed hard copies if they wish.”  

    “Today’s economy runs in the digital age, and we need to catch up,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Cutting red tape is as simple as going paperless.” 

    “As business and industry modernize, the SEC must allow financial firms to do the same,” said Senator Budd. “Making E-Delivery the default for firms and their clients will enhance security and cut unnecessary red tape. I am proud to work alongside Senator Tillis and my colleagues to ensure investors can efficiently access to their information without experiencing delays caused by outdated paper systems.”

    “As our capital markets have evolved and digitized, investor communications must adapt,” said Senator Britt. “This commonsense legislation would allow for more efficient and convenient access to financial information for investors who already overwhelmingly choose electronic delivery to receive these disclosure documents. This legislation saves time and resources and reduces unnecessary costs for both financial firms and consumers.”

    “The time is overdue to make electronic delivery the default means for delivering investor communications, while giving investors the power to choose paper delivery if preferred. Survey results show that a large majority of retail investors, regardless of income or age, want e-delivery for its environmental benefits, speed, and convenience. SIFMA commends Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Katie Britt (R-AL) for introducing The Improving Disclosure for Investors Act. This important bipartisan legislation is the natural next step in modernizing the SEC’s framework in light of changing investor preferences and technology.”- Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)

    “The bipartisan Improving Disclosure for Investors Act will allow millions of investors to receive information electronically, the overwhelming preference for most Americans,” said ICI CEO and President Eric J. Pan. “This is a big step forward in modernizing information delivery, while allowing those that prefer to receive paper statements to continue to do so. ICI applauds Senators Hickenlooper, Tillis, Shaheen, Rounds, Peters, Budd, and Britt for furthering this important legislation in the interest of investors. Their leadership in enhancing the retail investment experience will make US capital markets even stronger. We urge the swift passage of this legislation.”

    “Fidelity Investments applauds Senators Thom Tillis and John Hickenlooper for the bipartisan re-introduction of the Improving Disclosure for Investors Act, which directs the SEC to make electronic delivery (eDelivery) the primary way to receive disclosures, with significant investor protections in the transition. eDelivery has been shown to be a more secure, effective, and timely way to receive critical investment information. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the SEC to advance this commonsense reform.” – Fidelity Investments 

    “Charles Schwab commends Senators Tillis and Hickenlooper for their efforts in crafting this legislation, which would require the SEC to promulgate rules to default to the e-delivery of regulatory documents required under the securities laws, while still allowing those who prefer to receive documents in paper form. Default e-delivery is long-overdue, as a large majority of investors prefer the speed and convenience of receiving documents electronically. E-delivery allows Schwab to deliver our products at lower cost, avoids waste, and is environmentally friendly. Schwab looks forward to working with these Senators and their colleagues to move this important legislation forward.” – Charles Schwab 

    “LPL Financial supports the Improving Disclosure for Investors Act of 2025, introduced by Senators Tillis, Hickenlooper, Rounds, Shaheen, Budd, Peters, Britt. The benefits of e-delivery have been well documented. Disclosures can be available on demand, interactive, and easier to navigate. Reducing paper helps the environment. The visually impaired and savers whose first language is not English can benefit from features of digital communications, including translation options. And for those who want paper delivery, the ability to receive one at any point assures continued access. We applaud the Senators for introducing this bill and look forward to working with lawmakers to enact this bipartisan legislation.” – LPL Financial

    “Environmental Paper Network commends this bipartisan effort to reduce waste and improve efficiency while preserving consumer choice. Mandated paper delivery of investor documents results in over 830 million printed pages each year, consuming 101,000 trees and producing emissions equal to nearly 7,000 cars. The Improving Disclosure for Investors Act updates outdated rules by making electronic delivery the default. Most investors prefer faster, more convenient digital access. This common-sense shift will cut costs and environmental harm while still allowing anyone to opt for paper.” – Environmental Paper Network 

    Background: 

    The SEC currently permits electronic delivery of certain documents, subject to requirements that a registrant provides notice that the information is available electronically, the investor has adequate access to such information, and the registrant either obtains evidence to show actual delivery or obtains informed consent from the investor (“opt-in” requirement). The SEC has not comprehensively updated this framework in over 20 years. This legislation requires the SEC establish a means for investment disclosure documents to be delivered electronically by default, while still providing a clear pathway for investors to opt out of electronic delivery and revert to paper documents at any time.  

    Full text of the bill is available HERE.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Heinrich Urge FEMA to Implement Reforms to Better Address Disasters in New Mexico, Western States

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    “FEMA was originally structured to respond to large-scale hurricanes and disasters on the East Coast, and its current – and outdated – model reflects that legacy.”

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to implement practical reforms to better address the unique and growing disaster risks faced by Western U.S. communities, particularly in the aftermath of catastrophic wildfires.

    The letter requests FEMA modernize its outdated response model, improve infrastructure reimbursement policies to facilitate smarter rebuilding, and expand individual and community assistance to reflect actual recovery costs. The letter also calls for FEMA to address gaps in support for high-risk areas where insurance is no longer accessible.

    “Western states face a distinct and growing threat: namely, catastrophic wildfires followed by cascading disasters such as landslides, flooding, and water system failures that compound damage and slow recovery. These cascading events – which can happen years after an initial fire – are devastating, and FEMA has repeatedly struggled to respond effectively,” the lawmakers wrote.

    “As New Mexicans learned in the wake of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire and Californians in the wake of the Palisades fire, and Hawaii residents after the Maui wind-driven fires, FEMA’s protocols and funding mechanisms aren’t built to address the rapid domino effect that occurs after major wildfires. Events that are interconnected are treated as isolated occurrences, leaving affected communities without the timely, comprehensive support they deserve,” the lawmakers continued.

    Senators Luján and Heinrich and the New Mexico Delegation have secured $5.45 billion for recovery efforts following the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. The fire, which was started by the U.S. Forest Service, caused widespread damage and uprooted the lives of many New Mexicans.

    The full text of the letter can be found HERE and below:

    Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Administrator Richardson:

    Thank you for the opportunity to provide public comments on FEMA’s disaster response and recovery operations. We are writing to ask you to consider practical reforms to improve the organization and administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA was originally structured to respond to large-scale hurricanes and disasters on the East Coast, and its current – and outdated – model reflects that legacy. Practical reforms are warranted to better serve communities in the Western United States.

    We want to emphasize that serious, targeted reform is the answer to these pressing problems – not dismantling FEMA altogether. The federal government has an important role to play in assisting state and local governments in the wake of natural disasters. Weakening or eliminating federal disaster assistance when state and local resources across the West are overwhelmed and depleted would be a dangerous step backwards. FEMA’s mission is simply too important to abandon.

    Western states face a distinct and growing threat: namely, catastrophic wildfires followed by cascading disasters such as landslides, flooding, and water system failures that compound damage and slow recovery. These cascading events – which can happen years after an initial fire – are devastating, and FEMA has repeatedly struggled to respond effectively. As New Mexicans learned in the wake of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire and Californians in the wake of the Palisades fire, and Hawaii residents after the Maui wind-driven fires, FEMA’s protocols and funding mechanisms aren’t built to address the rapid domino effect that occurs after major wildfires. Events that are interconnected are treated as isolated occurrences, leaving affected communities without the timely, comprehensive support they deserve.

    FEMA’s reimbursement formulas and policies currently require that public infrastructure be rebuilt to its pre-disaster condition in order to qualify for full reimbursement. While we understand the intent behind these rules—to restore essential infrastructure equitably—they do not adequately address the unique and escalating risks associated with post-wildfire environments, especially with regard to flood-related infrastructure such as culverts, bridges, and drainage systems.

    After a wildfire, watersheds are severely destabilized. Vegetation loss, soil degradation, and hydrophobic soils result in dramatically altered runoff patterns, increasing both the speed and volume of post-fire flooding. The City of Las Vegas, New Mexico lived this harsh reality during the Fiestas last year, when floods paralyzed the city over a year after the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire. As a result of these floods, the business community lost out on their largest income-generating event of the year. These harsh post-fire flooding conditions mean that infrastructure like culverts, which may have been appropriately sized before a fire, are no longer adequate or safe in the changed landscape. Rebuilding these structures “as they were” effectively ensures that they will be overwhelmed during the next major rain event. FEMA’s reimbursement formula should be revised to allow and encourage local governments and agencies to rebuild smarter and stronger, particularly in high-risk post-wildfire areas. If infrastructure is likely to fail under new, foreseeable conditions like post-wildfire floods, federal policy should not prohibit communities from adapting their designs accordingly.

    In addition, individual assistance offered by FEMA is insufficient to help families and small businesses get back on their feet. Many disaster survivors are shocked to learn that reimbursements for personal property loss, home repairs, or temporary housing fall far short of the actual costs. This disparity leaves middle- and low-income families and businesses facing a steep financial cliff, even after receiving federal aid. While Congress has stepped in to fully reimburse New Mexico families for losses from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire after the Federal government started the largest fire in the state’s history, comprehensive financial reimbursement is not the norm. In Maui, recovery is estimated to exceed $12 billion, a total of four times what the federal government is anticipated to contribute. The property and economic damage in California is as high as $275 billion. We need to revisit how individual assistance is calculated and ensure it reflects real-world rebuilding and living expenses.

    Last but not least, a growing number of Western disaster survivors lack insurance altogether. In high-risk areas like wildfire zones, insurance has become prohibitively expensive—or unavailable entirely. This leaves many households completely dependent on FEMA for recovery support. Yet FEMA’s systems and standards often assume a baseline level of private insurance coverage that no longer exists for a significant portion of affected residents. FEMA must adapt its policies and funding levels and work with other Federal agencies to meet the needs of those who fall into this widening gap and ensure that recovery is possible for those who, through no fault of their own, can’t obtain insurance.

    Thank you again for the opportunity to contribute to this critical dialogue. We hope FEMA will take this input seriously and act swiftly to adapt to the changing landscape of disaster response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Boozman Propose Tax Credit to Assist Blind Americans with Obtaining Access Technology

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) introduced the bipartisan Access Technology Affordability Act to create a refundable tax credit to help blind Americans afford the technology and tools that can enhance their ability to perform daily, necessary functions.

    According to the American Community Survey, 64 percent of blind Americans in 2022 were unemployed or underemployed, in part due to the expenses surrounding access technology that are often not covered by medical insurance. The Access Technology Affordability Act would create a tax credit to offset the cost of “qualified access technology,” which includes hardware, software and other information technology with the primary function of adapting information represented in visual formats unusable by blind Americans.

    “Obtaining necessary technology is a life-changing opportunity for blind and visually impaired Americans – but high costs often stand in the way,” said Luján. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to make this essential technology more affordable and accessible. By removing financial barriers, we can ensure more Americans have a fair shot at education, employment, and staying connected.”

    “As an optometrist, I know first hand how vital these tools are to the blind and visually impaired community – especially in an increasingly technical world,” said Boozman. “Providing financial support that helps put access technologies in their hands is a strong step forward in ensuring blind Americans can utilize them to not only secure gainful employment, but also live fulfilling, active lives.”

    The Access Technology Affordability Act has been endorsed by the National Federation of the Blind.

    “Blind Americans want to work among our non-blind peers. The Access Technology Affordability Act will provide more people access to the technology needed to compete equally in the workforce and it will shrink the staggeringly high ratio of the blind community who are not working or underemployed, which is currently 65 percent of our working-age population,” said President of the National Federation of the Blind Mark A. Riccobono.

    The bill text is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Fox News Op-Ed, Warren, Sheehy Announce Bipartisan Fight to Guarantee Military Right to Repair Its Equipment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    May 29, 2025

    “On both sides of the aisle, many of us agree that waste, fraud, and abuse are real problems in our government – and it’s worse when it threatens our military readiness. It’s time to show servicemembers we’ve got their backs and restore their right to fix their own equipment.”

    Op-Ed in Fox News Digital

    Washington, D.C. — In a Fox News op-ed, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) underscored how right to repair restrictions imposed by defense contractors hurt the military’s ability to respond to threats and bloat the national defense budget by blocking servicemembers from repairing weapons and equipment. The lawmakers called for every service of the military to follow Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s lead and ensure the military has the right to repair the equipment it owns. The senators also announced a new bipartisan bill to make the right to repair policies permanent. 

    As the lawmakers outline, repair restrictions buried in the fine print of contracts threaten military readiness, raise costs unpredictably, and limit competition for military contracting. Contractors’ monopolization of repairs means that, for some contracts, the repairs are more profitable than the original sale. By some estimates, giving the military the right to repair would save taxpayers billions. 

    “Our military can’t afford to wait 207 days to get a helicopter back online…Imagine how frustrating it would be to be in the field up against an enemy, suffer an equipment break down, and there would be nothing to do about it. We need to end these dangerous right to repair restrictions so that our military is always ready,” wrote the senators. 

    “On both sides of the aisle, many of us agree that waste, fraud, and abuse are real problems in our government – and it’s worse when it threatens our military readiness. It’s time to show servicemembers we’ve got their backs and restore their right to fix their own equipment,” the lawmakers concluded. 

    Ready the full op-ed here and below: 

    SENS WARREN, SHEEHY: Pentagon wastes billions with devastating repair rules. We’re working together to stop it.
    May 28, 2025 

    Our defense industrial base is stumbling. For years, the U.S. Department of Defense – under both Republicans and Democrats – failed to address one of the most fundamental issues within our military industrial complex, perverse incentives for contractors. But with the recently announced Army Transformation Initiative, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and General Randy George are taking a major step to stand up for soldiers and strengthen our military readiness. Driscoll’s plan will help end one source of waste, fraud, and abuse. Every other military branch should follow their lead – and, if they do, they will have our bipartisan support. 

    The Department of Defense is the largest federal agency, consuming half the discretionary budget the federal government spends every year. In 2023, for example, DoD spent almost $450 billion on contracts. But buried down deep in the fine print, many of those contracts included restrictions that prevent our troops from fixing their own weapons and equipment.  

    That fine print means that every time something breaks, DoD must call the contractor, schedule a repair visit, and pay a hefty fee. For some contracts, the repairs are more profitable than the original sale – a dynamic that represents how years of broken bureaucracy has slowed our acquisition process and driven costs higher and higher. 

    Our military buys a lot of gear – from tanks to helicopters to night vision goggles, and the process to buy that gear is longer and more complicated than ever. Even worse, because our service members often can’t make any repairs, they can be stuck waiting weeks or months, even for simple problems they could fix themselves with a little know-how and a 3D printer. 

    Driscoll has identified these problems in the Army, but right to repair restrictions have spread across the military. The Navy was forced to rely on flying contractors out to sea for maintenance. The Air Force is struggling to keep its planes ready for combat because of restrictions and companies that won’t even negotiate.  

    Every hour these servicemembers can’t fix their own weapons undermines their readiness to meet their assignments. Instead of working to help the military be ready for battle, these contractors are focused on squeezing out more revenue. 

    These restrictions lead to three critical problems: readiness, cost and lack of competition. 

    First, when contractors stop soldiers from fixing their own equipment, it threatens military readiness. All around the country, maintainers were struggling to keep the F-35 flying because Lockheed Martin won’t give them the data they need to fix damage to basic parts. When our military could fix a helicopter in Korea themselves, they saved 207 days and roughly $1.8 million. 

    Our military can’t afford to wait 207 days to get a helicopter back online. And, in the most extreme cases, our military can’t afford to have soldiers unable to repair equipment in the heat of battle, either because the contract has tied their hands or because they haven’t had the chance to learn how. 

    Imagine how frustrating it would be to be in the field up against an enemy, suffer an equipment breakdown, and there would be nothing to do about it. We need to end these dangerous right-to-repair restrictions so that our military is always ready.  

    Second, repair restrictions waste billions of dollars. If Boeing got the Pentagon to agree that only Boeing can repair equipment, what stops them from charging whatever they want for that fix? Suddenly a $0.16 clip costs $20, and the defense budget rises even higher. That is a terrible deal for the taxpayer.  

    By some estimates, giving the military the right to repair would save us billions. But more importantly, it would reinvigorate the operational resilience of our forward-deployed elements and allow them to self-sustain. 

    And third, letting a contractor monopolize repairs doesn’t just hurt taxpayers, it hurts small businesses that otherwise could compete for the repair work, depressing competition and thinning out our industrial base. Why would a small business start manufacturing a safety clip when the military is forced to go to its larger competitor to buy it? 

    And equally alarmingly, if that big contractor decided one day to stop producing the part, the military would be out of luck because the contractor had the only game in town. To be sure, the military created this monopolistic environment, incentivizing consolidation through decades of bureaucratic process. Now they are reaping the whirlwind. We need a more diverse array of contractors who can bring free market competition to our defense space, driving costs down and efficiencies up. 

    Until now, the military has enabled a broken status quo, handing over billions of dollars and hoping that there is no emergency when the equipment they need is sidelined. Meanwhile, over 70% of voters support giving the military the right to repair their own equipment. But Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll showed real leadership. He stood up to a broken bureaucracy and announced that every new Army contract would explicitly guarantee the right of the Army to fix its own equipment. That’s a big deal.  

    The new Army policy is a breakthrough in our fight to empower soldiers, but unless every single military service follows his lead, taxpayers will keep getting ripped off. And, because this is a directive from the secretary, a subsequent secretary could go back to the way things were before. 

    But we have a plan to solve that problem. In the coming weeks, we will be introducing a bipartisan bill that would make changes to right to repair permanent. With a single change in the law, we can boost military readiness and cut costs by allowing servicemembers to repair their own equipment.  

    On both sides of the aisle, many of us agree that waste, fraud and abuse are real problems in our government – and it’s worse when it threatens our military readiness. It’s time to show servicemembers we’ve got their backs and restore their right to fix their own equipment. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Joins Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for Roundtable on Republicans’ Attacks on Abortion and Reproductive Care

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) for a roundtable highlighting the harmful consequences of Republicans’ reconciliation bill for patients in Vermont. The Republican budget would prohibit Planned Parenthood’s participation in Medicaid, end the Affordable Care Act’s Premium Tax Credits, and take away healthcare from children, seniors, Americans with disabilities, veterans, and rural Americans. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that “defunding” Planned Parenthood would cost $300 million, increase the deficit and rip away health care coverage for more than 25 million Americans.
    Republican’s reconciliation bill targets Planned Parenthood by prohibiting Medicaid, which covers more than 80 million Americans, from using Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that “defunding” Planned Parenthood would cost $300 million, increase the deficit and rip away health care coverage for more than 25 million Americans.
    “President Trump and Republicans’ will hurt Vermonters and providers across our state, devastating our already strained health care system,” said Senator Welch. “Any claims that defunding Planned Parenthood will save money are bogus. In addition to ripping away patients’ access to care, defunding Planned Parenthood will raise health care costs in our state, as more Vermonters wait to see a care provider until it is an emergency or have nowhere else to turn for their care. I will continue to do everything I can to protect access to health care for communities small and large, safeguard access for patients, and lower costs for hardworking Vermonters.” 

    In Vermont, about 24% of PPNNE’s patients rely on Medicaid. Over the three-state organization, ‘defunding’ Planned Parenthood would result in a loss of $5 million annually for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. In Vermont, nearly 16,000 patients are served annually across six health centers.
    In addition to this direct impact on PPNNE, the bill will result in more than 29,000 Vermonters losing health coverage. Conservative estimates for loss of coverage are 20,000 Vermonters on Medicaid and 8,000 Vermonters who buy their health care from Vermont Health Connect. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Speaks About Trump’s Attack on Green Jobs at Energy Action Network (EAN) and EAN Climate Workforce Coalition Forum

    US Senate News:

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

    WINOOSKI, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined a forum hosted by the Energy Action Network (EAN) and the EAN Climate Workforce Coalition on how Congressional policy and budget decisions may impact Vermont’s energy transformation and climate action initiatives, including Vermont’s climate workforce. 
    “President Trump has put Big Oil first, and his attacks on green jobs prove it. He and his administration are walking back our global climate goals, gutting tax credits that help folks make energy efficiency home upgrades, and slashing green jobs and climate research. Vermonters have made their opposition to Trump’s actions clear—I’ve heard from hundreds of folks across our state who are deeply concerned about how Republicans’ budget will raise costs for families, businesses, and farmers,” said Senator Welch. “I’ll continue to join Senate Democrats in standing up to these attacks and fighting for a clean energy future.” 
    Republicans’ reconciliation bill will repeal clean energy programs established through the historic Inflation Reduction Act and raise energy costs for American households and businesses. It will eliminate jobs in manufacturing, clean technologies, and budding industries, and has already sown economic uncertainty throughout the energy sector. 
    The legislation advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives would effectively repeal many of the clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act while expanding fossil fuel production and subsidies. Specifically, the bill: 

    Rescinds unspent funding for clean energy grant programs in the Inflation Reduction Act;  
    Eliminates or effectively eliminates most clean energy tax credits including: 

    Electric Vehicles Tax Credit for new and used vehicles;  
    Energy Efficiency Home Improvement Tax Credit; 
    Clean Electricity Investment and Production Tax Credits; 
    Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit; and 

    Mandates oil and gas leases on public lands and allows Big Oil companies to pay the government to fast-track environmental reviews. 

    All told, Republicans’ plans will have drastic consequences for the economy. Studies predict that repealing the Inflation Reduction Act will eliminate 790,000 jobs, increase energy costs for American consumers by $32 billion between 2025-35, and shrink the U.S. economy by $190 billion in 2035. President Trump’s policies have already killed $14 billion in clean energy investments and 10,000 new energy jobs since he took office. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Presidential Message on Global Coptic Day, 2025

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
    class=”has-text-align-left”>Today, I join the Coptic Orthodox Christian community in observing Global Coptic Day—a celebration of the ancient heritage, rich culture, and reverent worship of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
    Tracing its roots to Saint Mark, the apostle of Jesus Christ and Evangelist who brought the Christian faith to Egypt in the first century, the Coptic Church has been a beacon of Christendom in Africa for nearly 2,000 years.  The Coptic community has left an indelible mark on the hearts of millions of Christians—most evidently seen in their timeless contributions to Christian theology and culture.
    This Global Coptic Day, we also pause to reflect upon the vicious and ongoing persecution of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Africa and across the Middle East.  In 2015, 21 Coptic construction workers were brutally executed by ISIS terrorists in Libya.  Like persecuted Christians all around the world, these heroic martyrs refused to renounce their faith—They exemplified their sacrificial love and steadfast devotion to God, even in the face of certain death.  The Copts’ persistence amid relentless persecution is a living testament to their unbreakable resolve and fearless dedication to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
    As we remember the extraordinary contributions and tragic martyrdoms of Coptic Orthodox Christians, my Administration renews its commitment to vigorously defending the right to religious liberty, a bedrock of the American way of life.  I was honored to recently establish the Religious Liberty Commission, a team of religious leaders tasked with ensuring that Americans can freely practice their faith without government interference.  I also signed an Executive Order to eradicate the pervasive anti-Christian bias sweeping across our Nation—correcting the unjust abuses, investigations, and persecutions of faithful Christians that occurred under the previous administration.
    As our Nation celebrates Global Coptic Day, we pray for an increased love of God and a rebirth of religious faith both in the United States and around the world.  Today and every day, may the treasured traditions of the Coptic Orthodox Christian community serve as a light for all Americans—and may their unwavering devotion to Christ inspire our Nation to renew our love, faith, and trust in Almighty God.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Grassley introduce AI Whistleblower Protection Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Whistleblower Protection Act, which provides explicit whistleblower protections to those developing and deploying AI. Currently, AI companies’ restrictive severance and nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) create a chilling effect on current and former employees looking to make whistleblower disclosures to the federal government, including Congress.  

    The legislation establishes employment protections for current and former AI employees who make disclosures of violations of law or of failures to respond to substantial dangers that AI may pose to public safety, public health, or national security. This includes relief for AI whistleblowers who suffer retaliation, including applicable reinstatement, back pay, and compensation for damages incurred.  The bill would reinforce other efforts that Senator Coons has led, including the bipartisan Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, to provide regulators, independent researchers, and the public important information about the dangers of technology that are currently known only to tech companies.

    “AI is rapidly evolving in ways that have the potential to radically reshape our society and transform our world for the better and for the worse,” said Senator Coons. “I have long been concerned with how much more tech companies know about the risks and harms of their products compared with regulators, independent researchers, and the public. The AI Whistleblower Protection Act is a critical tool, among others, that Congress must enact to ensure that we can get the best out of AI while also learning when it poses a substantial danger to public safety.”

    “Transparency brings accountability. Today, too many people working in AI feel they’re unable to speak up when they see something wrong. Whistleblowers are one of the best ways to ensure Congress keeps pace as the AI industry rapidly develops. We need to act to make these protections crystal clear. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to increase accountability and protect AI whistleblowers,” said Senator Grassley.

    Additional co-sponsors include Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). Representatives Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) are introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives.  

    The legislation is endorsed by the National Whistleblower Center, Government Accountability Project, Center for AI Policy, Encode AI, Americans for Responsible Innovation, and The Anti-Fraud Coalition.

    “The introduction of the [AI Whistleblower Protection Act] answers the call for AI industry employee whistleblower protections that will serve to protect the public, marking a turning point in guaranteeing transparency and accountability over AI companies,” said Stephen Kohn, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of the National Whistleblower Center. “National Whistleblower Center extends its sincere appreciation to [Senator Grassley], and [his] fellow sponsors and cosponsors, for championing this bill and taking a stand for all AI employees.”

    “In a time when AI technologies are advancing faster than many institutions can keep up, it’s absolutely vital that the federal government has access to accurate, truthful information about the dangers AI poses to public health and public safety,” said Jason Green-Lowe, Executive Director of the Center for AI Policy. 

    “[This] bill offers crucial protection for AI whistleblowers,” said Jacklyn DeMar, President & CEO of The Anti-Fraud Coalition. “Sector-based whistleblower protections are desperately needed to allow insiders within the AI industry to best protect investors and ensure proper safety protocols are implemented. Given the rapid development and adoption of AI throughout our society, insiders working within the industry need to be properly protected when they blow the whistle.”

    “As AI systems grow more powerful and autonomous, we must shield those who sound the alarm about emerging risks. The engineers and researchers closest to these systems are the first to spot dangerous vulnerabilities or safety gaps,” said Sunny Gandhi, Vice President of Political Affairs at Encode AI. “The AI Whistleblower Protection Act creates a vital safety valve for our AI ecosystem, ensuring that legitimate national security concerns reach regulators before they spiral into preventable harm.”

    “Ensuring transparency and accountability in the rapidly evolving field of AI is a public interest and national security imperative,” said Brad Carson, President of Americans for Responsible Innovation. “Employees in the industry have firsthand knowledge of practices that may jeopardize public safety and our national security. The AI Whistleblower Protection Act ensures they aren’t silenced by a fear of retaliation.”

    Senator Coons is a member and former Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee. He has led legislative efforts related to AI, focusing on American leadership in the sector, intellectual property, and potential threats associated with AI. 

    The text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Oregon Delegation: Over $80 Million to Support ODOT’s Natural Disaster Recovery Efforts

    US Senate News:

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

    June 02, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden—along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—announced the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is receiving to $83,215,245 for work it completed to repair roads and other critical infrastructure that were deeply damaged during natural disasters. The federal funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will be used to reimburse ODOT for its vital work that was needed to ensure communities across the state can continue to recover from years of severe weather events.

    “From the deadly 2020 Labor Day fires to last year’s ice storms, Oregonians in every corner of our state have faced deadly weather events in recent years, which have taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure needed to move safely,” said Merkley. “Supporting disaster recovery efforts should be a nonpartisan issue, and these critical federal funds will support ODOT’s work to repair and rebuild the roads and other important infrastructure that powers our communities. I will keep working to ensure Oregon has the tools needed to recover and become more resilient in the face of future storms while we take on the climate chaos that is intensifying these disasters.”

    “The ongoing climate crisis continues to fuel more extreme weather events and wildfires every year,” said Wyden. “Reliable infrastructure is essential to ensuring that first responders and crews are able to effectively protect our communities and beautiful outdoor spaces. I applaud this federal award to ODOT for crucial infrastructure projects across Oregon, and will continue to advocate for more resources to keep our communities safe and connected.”

    “Reliable roads are essential for safety, connections, and the economy,” said Bonamici. “This much-needed funding will make a significant difference in repairing important routes people use that were damaged by severe weather.”

    “These Emergency Relief grants are crucial for getting our roads and bridges repaired after wildfires and ice storms, especially as climate change continues to make both summer and winter weather events more frequent and more extreme,” said Hoyle. “Communities have been waiting for this support, and I’m glad to see the Department of Transportation respond to our delegation’s call. This funding means safer travel, faster recovery, and stronger communities. I’ll keep fighting to make sure Oregon gets the resources it needs to rebuild and prepare for the future.”

    “Wildfires, winter storms, and flash floods are becoming increasingly dangerous – and costly – for our communities,” said Salinas. “My Oregon colleagues and I have been working hard to secure the resources that our state needs to recover and rebuild from these disasters, including funding to repair damaged roads and highways. I’m glad that our efforts are paying off, and I look forward to seeing these dollars put to good use to improve the safety of all Oregonians.”

    “Strong infrastructure is essential to keeping Oregonians connected,” said Dexter. “This funding will help us rebuild roads and bridges damaged by the natural disasters that have become far too common. Every community deserves a transportation system that’s safe, resilient, and reliable—for our families and our economy.”

    “As wildfire seasons get worse and climate disasters happen more often, our communities and our constituents will need our help,” said Bynum. “We have to deliver the resources and support they need as soon as possible. This funding is critical in helping us rebuild the roads and infrastructure that Oregonians rely on for work, school, emergency services, and more.”

    The federal investments for Oregon come through eight awards under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FHWA Emergency Relief Program, which helps communities hurt by natural disasters and catastrophic events by providing federal funding for them to repair damaged roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure.

    “Oregon, like every state, relies on the federal government to support our response to disasters,” said ODOT Director Kris Strickler. “Having confidence in that support is critical to our ability to respond to crises at the scale they demand, repair our transportation system to keep Oregon’s economy moving, and to protect Oregonians from disasters like ice storms, wildfires and flash floods. I want to thank Senators Merkley and Wyden, the rest of Oregon’s federal delegation, and our federal partners for advocating for our state and for the safety of Oregonians.”

    Details of the federal funding for ODOT’s natural disaster recovery are as follows:

    • $30,735,975 to repair damages following the 2020 Labor Day fires. The wildfires statewide caused damage to federal-aid highways from fire, fallen trees, and falling rocks.
    • $23,210,956 for work that repaired damages sustained during severe winter weather in December 2022. The significant rains across Western Oregon caused flooding and landslides. One landslide threatened to block I-84, and a large portion of a hillside came down and wiped-out Highway 101.
    • $20,000,000 for infrastructure repairs following the January 2024 ice storm. This significant winter storm covered much of Oregon in ice, causing trees and power lines to come down across roads and damage signs. The same storm dropped several inches of rain in Southern Oregon, causing flooding and landslides.
    • $3,164,000 to repair damages following a series of severe winter storms in December 2021. The storms brought excessive rain and high winds across the state of Oregon, lasting until January 10, 2022. Multiple large landslides occurred, temporarily limiting access to I-84, OR 138, OR 30, and several others. Culverts blew out, causing multiple roadway collapses.
    • $2,765,399 for work to repair damages from severe storms in February 2019. The storms caused heavy snow and ice accumulation, high winds, flooding, landslides, and erosion in the southwestern and western parts of the state, resulting in critical transportation failures, loss of power and communications capabilities, and emergency mass care needs.
    • $2,500,000 for repairs following a series of severe storms in December 2023. The storm system brought heavy rains, flooding, and landslides to five counties and was so severe it caused two roads to collapse—Miami Foley and Sandlake in Tillamook County. It also caused the temporary closure of State Highways 101 and 26. Other federal-aid roads were damaged by scour, washouts, debris flows, and mudslides.
    • $538,915 for wildfire recovery efforts following the 2017 fire season. These fires significantly impacted transportation systems in the following counties: Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Lane, Linn, Marion, and Multnomah.
    • $300,000 for infrastructure recovery efforts following an atmospheric river in January 2021. The severe storm brought heavy rain across Oregon, causing flooding, landslides, roads to wash out on US 30, I-84, and sinkholes on Hwy 101 and many other major highways across Oregon in early January 2021.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Statement On Trump Justice Department No Longer Cooperating With ABA Vetting & Rating Process Of Judicial Nominees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    May 30, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Trump-Bondi Justice Department overturning decades of precedent by no longer cooperating with the American Bar Association (ABA) process for vetting and rating of judicial nominees:

    “This is a seismic change in the judicial nominations process—an unjustified and blatantly political move by the Trump Administration. This decision overturns a practice that has been in place fornearly 70 years under Republican and Democratic Administrations alike in order to provide cover for unqualified and extreme nominees who would crumble under a nonpartisan review by their peers.

    “This decision will ultimately ease the confirmation process for Trump nominees who have demonstrated bias against protected classes, don’t have the judicial temperament to rule fairly from the bench, or don’t have the requisite experience to be confirmed to lifetime appointments as federal court judges, negatively impacting generations of Americans.”

    The ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary has been conducting independent peer evaluations of the professional qualifications of judicial nominees since the Eisenhower Administration. The purpose of the rating is to evaluate the professional competence, integrity, and judicial temperament of each nominee. Notably, during the first Trump Administration, 10 judicial nominees were found “Not Qualified” by the ABA—the reasons ranged from lack of temperament to lack of experience—while all 235 confirmed lifetime judges during the Biden Administration had at least a “Qualified” rating, if not a “Well Qualified” rating.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly Introduce “Wear Orange” Resolution In Observance Of National Gun Violence Awareness Month, Honor Hadiya Pendleton

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 02, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today introduced the bicameral “Wear Orange” Resolution, which designates June 6, 2025, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and the entire month of June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Each year, nearly 43,000 people in the United States are killed, and 97,000 injured by gun violence. 

    June 2 is the birthday of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed in a Chicago park in 2013, just days after performing in the parade for President Obama’s second inauguration. This tragic event moved the lawmakers to designate the first Friday in June as a time to recognize Hadiya nationally.

    In Hadiya’s memory, the resolution encourages people to wear orange, the color hunters wear for safety, to promote awareness of gun violence, and to serve as a reminder that people are not targets. Additionally, this resolution aims to bring community leaders together and encourage new approaches to creating safer communities.

    “Think about this for a moment—guns are now the number one killer of America’s children. And one in five Americans now say they’ve lost a loved one to gun violence,” Durbin said. “Our country’s gun violence epidemic is simply unacceptable. Hadiya Pendleton was only 15 years old when she was senselessly shot and killed in Chicago. On what would have been—should have been—her 28th birthday, I will proudly ‘Wear Orange’ as a sign of my dedication to finally putting an end to this public health crisis.”

    “It’s devastating how often our country is forced to grieve before another wave of senseless gun violence shatters more lives,” said Duckworth. “During this year’s Gun Violence Awareness Month, we must not only honor the victims of gun violence in Chicago and throughout our country, but we must also recommit to taking action that will help keep our children and our communities safe. American families depend on it.”

    “When I fight to end gun violence, I fight for every survivor and victim, including Hadiya Pendleton, who was killed in the Second District just months before I was sworn into office,” said Kelly.“Since Hadiya’s family and friends started Wear Orange, the color has become a beacon for action and advocacy. Today, on what would have been Hadiya’s 28th birthday, we remember her legacy and dedicate ourselves to ending this public health crisis that has stolen too many lives.”

    Along with Durbin and Duckworth, the resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ruben Gallego (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

    Full text of the resolution is available here.

    –30–

    MIL OSI USA News –