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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Senators Press RealPage on Multi-Million Lobbying Campaign and House Republicans’ Provision Blocking States from Protecting Renters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    May 29, 2025

    RealPage has been scrutinized for use of AI algorithms that drive up costs for renters 

    Provision would block state and local efforts to protect renters from artificial price hikes powered by AI pricing tools

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) sent a letter to Dana Jones, CEO and President of RealPage, expressing concerns regarding RealPage potentially benefiting from a provision on artificial intelligence (AI) included in the House Republicans’ budget reconciliation package. The provision would prohibit the enforcement of any state or local laws on AI for the next ten years.

    RealPage’s YieldStar and AI Revenue Management (AIRM) tools use black box algorithmic pricing schemes to unfairly hike rents at a time when Americans face a national housing affordability crisis. Several states and cities have passed or are considering laws limiting the use of AI-enabled pricing software.

    “[M]ore Americans than ever before are now paying over 30 and 50 percent of their income on housing,” wrote the senators. “In light of this, we seek information on RealPage’s lobbying efforts, and on how the Republicans’ reconciliation provision would help the bottom line of RealPage and other large corporations by allowing them to take advantage of consumers.” 

    Last week, the Republican-controlled House passed a reconciliation bill that cuts Medicaid and rips away health care coverage for millions of Americans, all to pay for trillions of dollars in giveaways for billionaires. In what has been described as a “massive artificial intelligence giveaway,” the bill also includes a provision that would block state- and local-level efforts to curb the harms of products like YieldStar and AIRM, the cornerstones of RealPage’s business model. 

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already sued RealPage for “its unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords in apartment pricing,” which the DOJ asserts constitutes unlawful price-fixing. Since the DOJ lawsuit was filed in August 2024, RealPage has amped up its lobbying efforts on AI-related issues, nearly doubling its lobbying spending from $4.8 million in 2020 to nearly $9 million in 2024. The senators point out that following these investments, House Republicans worked to “nullify existing and future state efforts to address the harms from AI.” 

    “The net result will be that Americans will lose important protections against the misuse of AI tools,” warned the senators. “This will directly benefit RealPage and similar companies, at the expense of renters who will be forced to pay higher costs for rent and other daily needs.”

    The senators have previously written letters in November 2022, March 2023, September 2024, and February 2025 raising the alarm about RealPage’s YieldStar and AIRM products. Due to RealPage’s potential involvement in this harmful measure, the senators requested a response to their questions by June 10, 2025. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Joins Bicameral Legislation to Require the Supreme Court to Adopt Binding and Enforceable Code of Ethics

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    Congress, the executive branch, all lower federal courts, and every state supreme court have ethics guardrails and a mechanism for enforcing ethics rules
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and U.S. Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA-04) in reintroducing the bicameral Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act, legislation to require Supreme Court justices to adopt a binding code of conduct and create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations of the code of conduct and other laws. The SCERT Act would improve disclosure and transparency when a justice has a connection to a party or amicus before the Court, end the practice of justices ruling on their own conflicts of interests, and require justices to explain their recusal decisions to the public. 
    “Vermonters I talk with don’t understand why Supreme Court justices are allowed to accept lavish private airplane travel and yacht vacations from billionaires. It’s no surprise that these ethical problems have shattered public trust in our nation’s most powerful court,” said Senator Welch. “This ethics legislation is unfortunately necessary, because the Supreme Court will not do what it has the responsibility to do. This is a long-overdue step, and one my Republican colleagues should support.” 
    “Supreme Court justices have repeatedly gotten caught red-handed receiving extravagant gifts from politically active billionaires and refusing to report the gifts as required by law. It’s not even clear proper taxes were paid. Despite these ethical problems, the Court does not allow basic fact-finding regarding the justices’ behavior, or any neutral process to resolve ethics questions,” said Senator Whitehouse. “This Court has repeatedly proven that it cannot police itself, so it’s time for fair and transparent guardrails, with clear procedures for receiving, investigating, and resolving ethics complaints. With Trump’s persistent improper pressure on the judiciary, it’s now urgent to get this right.” 
    “A judiciary whose members are accountable for their conduct, that is transparent to its citizens, and that is free from bias or partiality is truly independent,” said Representative Johnson. “Americans need to feel confident that when serious concerns arise, the judiciary can diligently investigate and correct judicial misconduct, no matter who might be implicated. That is a judiciary whose judgements will be accepted, observed, and respected. An independent judiciary is crucial to our democracy now more than ever.” 
    In the last two years, reporting from ProPublica and the New York Times has exposed Justice Clarence Thomas’s long record of accepting undisclosed gifts from politically active right-wing billionaires. Further reporting from ProPublica found that Justice Samuel Alito accepted private jet travel to an all-expenses-paid vacation from a hedge fund billionaire who had contributed over $80 million to Republican political organizations and had business before the Court. Justice Alito’s luxury vacation was organized by Leonard Leo, the engineer of the current right-wing Supreme Court supermajority at the behest of a cadre of right-wing billionaires and special interests. 
    The SCERT Act would address these ethical shortfalls and help restore Americans’ faith in the judicial branch. The bill would: 
    Develop a Process for Enforcement of a Code of Conduct 
    Require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct within 180 days; 
    Require the Supreme Court to publish its code of conduct and any other rules or procedures related to ethics, financial disclosure, and judicial misconduct; 
    Require the Supreme Court to create a transparent process for the public to submit ethics complaints against the justices, and for a random panel of chief judges from the lower courts to investigate and make recommendations based on those complaints; 
    Require safeguards modeled on the lower courts’ complaints process to deter and punish frivolous ethics complaints. 
    Improve Gift Rules and Transparency 
    Require the Supreme Court to adopt rules requiring disclosure of gifts, travel, and income received by justices and law clerks that are at least as rigorous as the House and Senate disclosure rules; 
    Require the rules for what gifts justices can accept to be as restrictive as Congress’s; 
    Require greater disclosure of amicus curiae funding; 
    Require parties and amici curiae before the Supreme Court to disclose any recent gifts, travel, or reimbursements they’ve given to a justice; 
    Require parties and amici curiae before the Supreme Court to disclose any lobbying or money they spent promoting a justice’s confirmation to the Court. 
    Strengthen Recusal Requirements 
    Create new recusal requirements governing gifts, income, or reimbursements given to judges; 
    Create new recusal requirements governing a party’s lobbying or spending money to campaign for a judge’s confirmation; 
    Ensure that requests for a judge to recuse are reviewed by a panel of randomly selected, impartial judges, or by the rest of the justices at the Supreme Court; 
    Require written notification and explanations of recusal decisions; 
    Require the judiciary to develop rules explaining when a judge’s connection to an amicus curiae brief might require recusal; and 
    Require the Federal Judicial Center to study and report to Congress every two years on the extent to which the judiciary is complying with recusal requirements. 
    Late last year, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts released a report that found every state supreme court (or equivalent high court) subjects its judges or justices to ethics reviews—similar to the processes that apply to all federal judges except the Supreme Court under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act. The SCERT Act would eliminate this loophole by establishing an ethics review process for the Supreme Court. 
    In addition to Senators Welch and Whitehouse, the legislation is cosponsored by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).  
    The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act is endorsed by Accountable.US/Accountable.NOW, Common Cause, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Citizens United/Let America Vote, Demand Justice, Fix the Court, New York City Bar Association, People’s Parity Project, League of Conservation Voters, Court Accountability Action, Free Law Project, American Governance Institute, Lawyers for Good Government, Public Citizen, and Stand Up America.  
    As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Welch continues to push for transparency and ethics reform at the U.S. Supreme Court. Last year, Senator Welch led his colleagues in introducing the High Court Gift Ban Act, bicameral legislation that would ban Supreme Court Justices from receiving gifts valued at over $50 and help strengthen ethical standards of the Supreme Court. In October 2011, Senator Welch joined 45 of his then-House colleagues in sending a letter to the House Judiciary Committee urging the investigation of outstanding ethical questions surrounding the court. 
    Read and download the full text of the SCERT Act. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Hurricane Season, Welch Leads 14 Colleagues in Urging Trump Administration to Reinstate Terminated Employees at NWS, NOAA

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 14 of his colleagues in urging the Trump Administration to swiftly reinstate terminated employees at the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ahead of the upcoming hurricane season. In their letter, the Senators emphasized that staff reductions at both agencies pose a threat to public safety and emergency preparedness by undercutting essential forecasting and weather monitoring systems. The Senators requested information on how the administration plans to address staffing at both agencies. 
    NWS maintains 122 weather forecast offices across the United States which are responsible for providing 24/7 weather monitoring and forecasts. The NWS Forecast Office in Burlington, Vermont, is vital to providing Vermonters with information on how to prepare for and protect their families from flooding and extreme weather events. The Department of Commerce is reportedly planning to eliminate an additional 1,000 staff from NOAA, including at NWS, in the coming weeks. These cuts, combined with current staffing constraints, could reduce the NWS workforce by 15% just months into 2025. 
    “NWS would be unable to provide accurate and timely forecasts without sufficient staffing levels at weather forecast offices nationwide. In addition to daily forecasting operations, weather forecast offices are responsible for issuing emergency weather warnings ahead of events such as major floods, wildfire hazards, hurricanes, and blizzard conditions,” wrote the Senators. “As the frequency and severity of such disasters increase, maintaining NWS’s real-time forecasting operations is essential to saving lives and reducing the cost of recovery for disaster-affected communities.” 
    The Senators continued: “NWS employees and the programs they support are essential to the safety of the millions of Americans impacted by storms and disasters each year. On February 27, 2025, 108 probationary NWS employees were terminated, adding to the 170 staff who accepted the Administration’s ‘deferred resignation’ plan earlier that month. These staffing cuts are already impacting NWS services, forcing NWS to halt weather balloon launches in New York, Maine, and Alaska that provide daily weather data to meteorologists at weather forecast offices across the country.”  
    “As we head into hurricane season, 30 weather forecast offices are without a meteorologist-in-charge, one is completely without any managers at all, and nearly a dozen are preparing to shut down 24/7 services without immediate action to address shortages,” wrote the Senators. “We urge you to reassess the staffing needs at NOAA and NWS and reinstate terminated probationary employees swiftly.” 
    The Senators requested answers to the following questions: 

    How many of the NWS regional weather forecast offices were impacted by terminations or deferred resignations since January 20, 2025? Please provide a list of affected offices, including how many staff departed and how many remain.  
    With reports of at least one weather forecast office in Goodland, Kansas stopping 24/7 operations due to staffing shortages, how do the Department of Commerce and NOAA plan to maintain continued 24/7 operation of forecasting offices without requiring excessive overtime hours from staff?  
    With a requested budget cut of $1.311 billion for NOAA’s overall budget, and a $209 million cut for NWS procurement of weather satellites and infrastructure9, how does the Department of Commerce and NOAA plan to ensure adequate staffing and preparedness in the midst of worsening storm seasons, increasing heat waves, and changing weather patterns? 
    As NWS employees are critical to public safety, especially heading into hurricane season, will the Department of Commerce grant an exemption to the hiring freeze to fill these crucial positions? 

    In addition to Senator Welch, the letter was cosigned by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). 
    Read the full text of the letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Acting Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Laura Grimm. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 05/29/2025 PHOTO: Blackburn Tours Memphis xAI Facilities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following photo and statement after touring xAI’s Memphis facilities. In June 2024, xAI announced plans to build the world’s largest AI supercomputer, named Colossus, in Memphis:

    “Tennessee is the best state in the nation to do business, and xAI’s Memphis facility is proof that innovative companies thrive when entrpreneurs like Elon Musk choose to set up shop in our state,” said Senator Blackburn.  “Touring the site, I witnessed first-hand how xAI is creating hundreds of good-paying jobs, generating millions for Memphis and Shelby County, and partnering with small businesses to give hardworking Memphians exciting economic opportunities. This is only the beginning of what xAI will accomplish, and I’m excited to see how the company continues to grow and flourish for years to come.”

    Click here to download this photo of Senator Blackburn.

    BACKGROUND

    • xAI was founded by Elon Musk in 2023.
    • xAI’s Memphis facility occupies a 785,000-square-foot former Electrolux manufacturing plant. xAI has committed more than $10 billion to turn the plant into state-of-the-art super computer.
    • Memphis was chosen for a number of strategic reasons, including:
      • Existing industrial infrastructure, including access to water and energy resources;
      • Logistical advantages due to the city’s location as a major freight and shipping hub; and
      • Economic incentives provided by local and state governments eager to bring high-tech jobs and investment to the area.
    • In March, xAI announced a significant expansion of its operations in Memphis with the acquisition of a one million square foot property.
    • The development of the new facility is expected to attract additional tech companies to the region, further enhancing the city’s status as the “Digital Delta” and contributing to the local economy through job creation and technological advancement.
    • xAI has made numerous commitments to the city of Memphis, including:
      • Constructing an $80 million graywater recycling facility in Southwest Memphis, protecting the Memphis Aquifer for generations to come;
      • Developing a battery farm that allows its operations to function independently from the local power grid;
      • Creating over 320 high-paying jobs in Memphis, with 80% of the workforce being local hires. Hundreds of more hires are expected in the coming months and years; and
      • Generating between $15 and $20 million in tax revenue for the city.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Building on Previous Success Bringing Investments Home to Illinois, Duckworth Returns to Taiwan to Help Bring Jobs to our State

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    May 29, 2025

    [TAIPEI, TAIWAN] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) traveled to Taiwan this week to underscore Illinois’s preparedness for additional international investments similar to those she’s already successfully secured in her previous international travels. On this trip, Duckworth met with the Island’s representatives, economic leaders and corporate and business leaders to highlight how Illinois is an ideal location for Taiwanese business expansion. Photos from Taiwan are available on the Senator’s website.

    “In Taiwan this week I’m continuing my work of championing Illinois abroad,” Duckworth said. “Illinois is ideally situated for greater investment from international business—we’re already a hub of agriculture, manufacturing and transportation, and in the coming years we’re going to be a national and international leader for quantum technology. As I’ve traveled across Asia and Europe, I’m proud I’ve been successful in promoting Illinois on a global level and bringing home investment, and I hope to continue that success after this trip.”

    During Duckworth’s visit she met with Hon Hai Research Institute, the research division of the microelectronics manufacturer, which recently visited Chicago to learn more about Illinois’s growing quantum and microelectronics industry. Duckworth also met with leaders including President Lai Ching-te, Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, Defense Minister Wellington Koo and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu.

    As a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Duckworth has extensively championed Illinois abroad. In Taiwan previously she helped secure a commitment from Taiwan to purchase an estimated $2.6 billion of Illinois’s corn and soybeans, and following an official visit to Japan, Japan announced a regulatory change that will lead to an increase in imports from U.S. biofuel producers, supporting our farmers and growing Illinois’s economy. Since becoming a member of SFRC Duckworth has also traveled to Laos and Vietnam, Sweden and the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom and the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.

    Following her meetings in Taiwan, Duckworth is now continuing onto Singapore for this year’s Shangri-la Dialogue.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER WARNS: UNDER CLEAN ENERGY TAX HIKE IN GOP PLAN THAT PASSED HOUSE LAST WEEK, NEW YORK COULD LOSE A STAGGERING 20,000+ JOBS & SEE HIGHER MONTHLY ENERGY BILLS; SENATOR SOUNDS ALARM AND DEMANDS…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Last Week, The House GOP Rushed To Pass Trump’s Tax Giveaway To Billionaires, That Guts Food Assistance And Medicaid, AND Also Kills The Fed Clean Energy Investments NY Companies Are Using To Lower Energy Costs, Create Good-Paying Union Jobs & Bring Manufacturing Back From China

    Since The Inflation Reduction Act Passed Three Years Ago, NY Companies Have Announced Over $5 BILLION In Clean Manufacturing Investments Creating Thousands Of Good-Paying Jobs From Long Island To Buffalo; Senator Warns What Will Happen If GOP Doesn’t Back Off Plan To Kill Clean Energy And Manufacturing

    Schumer: Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is An Ugly Mess That Means Bigger Electric Bills & Big Job Losses For New York

    Just a week after House Republicans passed Trump’s devastating bill to kill clean energy incentives so they could give tax breaks to billionaires, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer revealed how tax hikes on clean energy tucked in the bill would be a gut punch to New York’s economy.

    Schumer said new data studies from NERA Economic Consulting shows that repealing the clean energy tax credits could cause New York to lose up to 20,300 jobs as clean energy projects are cancelled or scaled back due to lack of incentive, with a whopping nearly $3.5 billion hit to the state’s GDP and New Yorkers paying up to $650 in higher energy costs each year by 2032 if these devastating cuts become law.

    “Higher energy bills and many thousands fewer jobs, that’s what New York gets under Trump’s reckless tax bill, which is a giveaway to billionaires and corporations. Already, thousands of New Yorkers were making improvements to their homes to lower their electric bills and make their homes warmer in the harsh winters, now they lose all that support. Thousands of new jobs building clean energy projects in every corner of the state and bringing manufacturing back from China will all be vaporized by the GOP’s ugly budget bill. It is a gut punch to New York and a gift to China, which wants to dominate clean energy manufacturing,” said Senator Schumer. “Losing these clean energy projects means losing cheaper electricity for families and businesses. We need more energy production from many sources including wind and solar and water; we need America to be energy independent and to manufacture clean energy technology here, not overseas, and eliminating these tax credits radically and irresponsibly rolls back all the progress we have made in recent years. It turns America’s clean energy boom into a bust.”

    Schumer explained that the bill which passed the Republican House last week would kill clean energy incentives created in the Inflation Reduction Act, these tax credits are already benefiting hundreds of New York businesses with ongoing projects and families who are using them to help improve their homes and lower their electric bills. These cuts are broad and deep to New York’s clean energy sector, Schumer specifically highlighted how the bill would:

    • Eliminates the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit, which provides families in New York up to $3,200 to help weatherize their homes for better protection in the harsh winters and make improvements to make their homes more energy efficient to lower their electric bills with qualifying items like doors, windows, better insulation and heat pumps.
    • Eliminates the Residential Clean Energy Credit, which gives New York families a 30% discount on home energy improvements, like solar panels, heat pumps, or energy storage, that help lower energy bills and keep the lights on during power outages.
    • Eliminates the Clean Electricity Investment & Production Credits that support more cheap, clean electricity. With natural gas turbines on a five-year delay, the IRA’s clean electricity tax credits have ensured a robust buildout of wind and solar power while helping keep electricity prices from increasing and spurring demand for American-made energy products.
    • Sabotages the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit that has generated a more than five-fold increase in investment in manufacturing in the solar and EV supply chains, creating thousands of jobs and shifting these industries out of China to the U.S.
    • Eliminates the IRA’s Electric Vehicle Tax Credits that make it cheaper to buy new and used electric and plug-in hybrid cars, and has led to a massive onshoring of EV and battery supply chain manufacturing, undercutting China and bolstering American companies.
    • Eliminates the New Energy-Efficient Home Credit that makes it cheaper to build new, highly efficient and affordable homes, expanding the housing supply while reducing energy costs.
    • Eliminates the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit that supports American-made clean hydrogen, led by New York companies like Plug Power and Air Products, to be used for clean manufacturing and agriculture.

    Schumer said that clean energy investments from the Inflation Reduction Act have created the biggest clean energy boom in American history, but now with many of these core provisions being clawed back or eliminated it risks all the progress that has been made in New York and across the country. The senator said if NY energy projects are forced to stop or scale back, energy costs would increase for families and businesses across the country. With electricity demand surging in New York and across the country, clean energy sources like wind and many other sources of clean power are often the most efficient sources of new electricity, much cheaper than traditional alternatives like natural gas and oil. NERA Economic Consulting estimates costs for New York families could increase by $650 a year, as the Republican plan to gut the clean electricity production and investment tax credits makes it more expensive to provide more electricity, while simultaneously killing the Residential Clean Energy and Energy Efficient Home Improvement tax credits makes it more costly for families to make their homes more efficient and reduce their energy bills.

    Schumer added, “Democrats are united in opposing this cruel and counterproductive bill, and these ill-conceived elimination of energy tax credits so they can put more money in the pockets of billionaires. We need the GOP to block these cuts, otherwise it will be American families and our manufacturing future paying the price.”

    The Clean Economy Tracker estimates the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives have spurred over $5 billion worth of investments in clean manufacturing in New York, creating over 7,200 jobs. Schumer said if this House Republican plan goes through, many of the clean energy projects spurred by the IRA could be forced to scale back or even stop and the workers building the future of American energy would be laid off, and projects that otherwise would have come online will never come to fruition. That would impact both major NY employers and manufacturers in the clean energy, manufacturing, electric vehicle, battery, research sector and our small businesses. One example is Geothermal Works in the Hudson Valley, a small Westchester based family business with that helps homes get updated with heat pumps and geothermal systems to lower their electric costs, who said that if the current clean energy cuts go through in the GOP bill it would shutter their business and force them into early retirement.

    Below are just some examples of projects spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act in New York State that show why eliminating these provisions could be so harmful:

    • Off Long Island, Equinor invested $5 billion in building a massive offshore wind farm project, Empire Wind, that will provide power for hundreds of thousands of homes in New York State, and is supported by tax credits for offshore wind projects created by the Inflation Reduction Act .
    • In the Capital Region, Plug Power invested $125 million in a new green hydrogen fuel cell factory in 2023, creating new good paying jobs to boost production of clean hydrogen fuel cells with support from the Fuel Cell Production Tax Credit. Additionally, the company is poised to harness the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act, to spur further growth both in the Capital Region and at Plug’s Henrietta, NY Gigafactory in the Finger Lakes that manufactures Electrolyzers. GE Vernova invested $50 million in a new manufacturing line for its onshore wind business in 2023, hiring 200 new workers with support from a production tax credit for U.S. wind turbine manufacturing created by the Inflation Reduction Act.
    • In Western New York, Viridi Parente a fast growing company on Buffalo’s East Side has added hundreds of good-paying jobs growing the domestic battery manufacturing industry with support from clean energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act, such as the Advanced Manufacturing Production tax credit. Solar Liberty Energy Systems and PanelClaw are installing thousands of solar panels at homes and businesses. Solar Liberty Energy Systems is helping customers navigate available federal clean energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce the burden of installation costs while PanelClaw is producing racking systems with help from the American Domestic Manufacturing Bonus tax credit created by the Inflation Reduction Act.

    Since Trump was elected, approximately $14 billion worth of manufacturing projects have been outright cancelled, representing more than 13,000 jobs lost. If the GOP plan to raise taxes on energy goes through, those cancellations could balloon to threaten more than $800 billion in private investment in domestic clean energy made in the past three years across the country, according to the Clean Investment Monitor. NERA Economic Consulting estimates that New York could lose an estimated 20,300 jobs if these tax breaks are killed. Schumer said the House Republican bill would repeal the very parts of the Inflation Reduction Act that have helped companies grow in New York and spurred millions of investments, many of which are in Republican districts.

    Repealing the clean energy tax incentives would also be a disaster for America and Schumer said that would cede energy manufacturing leadership to China, which already produces a significant amount of the world’s clean technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries. If companies can no longer support clean energy manufacturing in the United States, they will bring these projects to America’s competitors, and jobs that would’ve otherwise been created in America will be created in countries like China. This will destabilize American supply chains and make American families and businesses reliant on China for cheap energy.

    “No matter which way you slice it, the House Republican bill is bad news for New Yorkers. Shutting down projects, killing jobs, and increasing electricity bills would be devastating for our state, which is why we need Republicans to stand up to this bill to save investments in homegrown American energy,” concluded Schumer.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Budd Applauds Trump Administration for Postponing Closure of Blue Ridge Parkway to Prioritize WNC Recovery

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced postponing full closures on the Blue Ridge Parkway, between Blowing Rock and Beacon Heights, until 2026 to accommodate for community recovery efforts in Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.

    “Communities in Western North Carolina were hit hard by Hurricane Helene, and as we begin to rebuild, closing the Blue Ridge Parkway at this juncture would only set us back. The Parkway serves as a lifeline to small businesses and recreation access across the Appalachian Region — bringing tourists, supporting local businesses, and keeping our economy moving. I’m grateful the Trump administration recognized our state’s needs following a letter I sent last month. This is the right decision to prioritize the near-term recovery of our region while still ensuring the resurfacing project is completed in the future,” said Senator Budd.

    Read the full text of the letter from the Trump administration HERE.

    Background

    In April 2025, Senator Budd was joined by Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in sending a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, requesting DOI to consider options to delay the resurfacing of the Blue Ridge Parkway until after the peak 2025 recreation season. Read the full text of the letter HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Lead the Charge to Establish Binding Code of Ethics for U.S. Supreme Court

    US Senate News:

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

    May 29, 2025

    Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act would require the Supreme Court to adopt a binding and enforceable code of ethical conduct; Congress, the executive branch, all lower federal courts, and every state supreme court have ethics guardrails and a mechanism for enforcing ethics rules

    Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today they joined their colleagues to reintroduce the bicameral Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act. The legislation would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a binding code of conduct and create a mechanism to investigate alleged violations of the code of conduct and other laws. Led by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA), the SCERT Act would improve disclosure and transparency when a justice has a connection to a party or amicus before the Court, end the practice of justices ruling on their own conflicts of interests, and require justices to explain their recusal decisions to the public.

    “All Supreme Court justices should be held to a binding code of ethics, just like all other federal judges, the executive branch, and Members of Congress,” said Merkley. “Thanks to the Federalist Society, the highest court in the land has become compromised, pushing a right-wing, corporate viewpoint above all else. To restore a government in service of the people—not the powerful—it’s clear we need to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act.”

    “It’s imperative the U.S. Judicial Branch serve its Constitutional duty to uphold laws set by Congress, not accept lavish gifts from constituents scheming to curry favor with the court,” said Wyden. “I’ve been watchdogging Clarence Thomas’ unethical acceptance of gifts and sounding the alarm that he and any other judge who won’t recuse themselves in cases where they have a vested interest are compromising their oaths to defend the Constitution. If they won’t recuse themselves, we must prevent any egregious breach of ethics by passing the Supreme Court Ethics, Recuse and Transparency Act.”

    In the last two years, reporting from ProPublica and the New York Times has exposed Justice Clarence Thomas’s long record of accepting undisclosed gifts from politically active right-wing billionaires. Further reporting from ProPublica found that Justice Samuel Alito accepted private jet travel to an all-expenses-paid vacation from a hedge fund billionaire who had contributed over $80 million to Republican political organizations and had business before the Court. Justice Alito’s luxury vacation was organized by Leonard Leo, the engineer of the current right-wing Supreme Court supermajority at the behest of a cadre of right-wing billionaires and special interests.

    The SCERT Act would address these ethical shortfalls and help restore Americans’ faith in the judicial branch. The bill would:

    Develop a Process for Enforcement of a Code of Conduct

    • Require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of conduct within 180 days;
    • Require the Supreme Court to publish its code of conduct and any other rules or procedures related to ethics, financial disclosure, and judicial misconduct;
    • Require the Supreme Court to create a transparent process for the public to submit ethics complaints against the justices, and for a random panel of chief judges from the lower courts to investigate and make recommendations based on those complaints;
    • Require safeguards modeled on the lower courts’ complaints process to deter and punish frivolous ethics complaints.

    Improve Gift Rules and Transparency

    • Require the Supreme Court to adopt rules requiring disclosure of gifts, travel, and income received by justices and law clerks that are at least as rigorous as the House and Senate disclosure rules;
    • Require the rules for what gifts justices can accept to be as restrictive as Congress’;
    • Require greater disclosure of amicus curiae funding;
    • Require parties and amici curiae before the Supreme Court to disclose any recent gifts, travel, or reimbursements they’ve given to a justice;
    • Require parties and amici curiae before the Supreme Court to disclose any lobbying or money they spent promoting a justice’s confirmation to the Court.

    Strengthen Recusal Requirements

    • Create new recusal requirements governing gifts, income, or reimbursements given to judges;
    • Create new recusal requirements governing a party’s lobbying or spending money to campaign for a judge’s confirmation;
    • Ensure that requests for a judge to recuse are reviewed by a panel of randomly selected, impartial judges, or by the rest of the justices at the Supreme Court;
    • Require written notification and explanations of recusal decisions;
    • Require the judiciary to develop rules explaining when a judge’s connection to an amicus curiae brief might require recusal; and
    • Require the Federal Judicial Center to study and report to Congress every two years on the extent to which the judiciary is complying with recusal requirements.

    A recent report from Senator Whitehouse found every state supreme court (or equivalent high court) subjects its judges or justices to ethics reviews—similar to the processes that apply to all federal judges except the Supreme Court under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act. The SCERT Act would eliminate this loophole by establishing an ethics review process for the Supreme Court.

    Congress has an appropriate and well-established role in oversight of the judiciary and updating ethics laws that apply to federal officials, including federal judges and justices. Congress passed the Ethics in Government Act and judicial recusal law, which expressly apply to Supreme Court justices. Congress created through statute the Judicial Conference, which administers financial disclosure laws for the entire judiciary. Congress also has the authority to regulate and make exceptions to which cases justices can hear, outside of a small category of cases required by the Constitution.

    In addition to Merkley and Wyden, the legislation was cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

    The legislation was endorsed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Fix the Court, Public Citizen, Demand Justice, Accountable.US/Accountable.NOW, Common Cause, End Citizens United/Let America Vote, New York City Bar Association, People’s Parity Project, League of Conservation Voters, Court Accountability Action, Free Law Project, American Governance Institute, Lawyers for Good Government, and Stand Up America.

    Full text of the bill is available by clicking here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Announces $9.6 Million for Hurricane Ida Repairs, Fire Response

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Louisiana will receive $9,623,017.01 from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in reimbursement for permanent school repairs and fire suppression efforts following Hurricane Ida and recent wildfires.
    “When disaster strikes, whether it’s a hurricane or a wildfire, Louisianans stand together. This funding supports the schools and first responders that anchor our communities,” said Dr. Cassidy.

    Grant Awarded
    Recipient
    Project Description

    $3,589,727.97
    Jefferson Parish Public School System
    This grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to J.D. Meisler Middle School as a result of Hurricane Ida.

    $3,156,954.41
    Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness
    This grant will provide federal funding for fire suppression measures during the Tiger Island Fire.

    $2,876,334.63
    Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry
    This grant will provide federal funding for fire suppression efforts during the Highway 113 Fire.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford and Peters Reintroduce Bill to Streamline Federal Cybersecurity Regulations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    WASHINGTON, DC — US Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs, and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, have reintroduced legislation to simplify cybersecurity regulations across federal agencies. The Streamlining Federal Cybersecurity Regulations Act would address overlapping and contradictory compliance requirements that hinder effective cybersecurity efforts and create unnecessary burdens for critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as communities across the nation.
    “Bureaucratic red tape shouldn’t get in the way of preventing a cyber-attack, but complicated regulations are making it more difficult to address the major cyber threats facing our national security and critical infrastructure,” said Senator Lankford. “Harmonizing these efforts will make sure that federal requirements are focused on actually improving security instead of imposing a convoluted set of compliance challenges.” 
    “By reducing the number of duplicative or burdensome reporting requirements, we can give businesses the tools to better secure our critical infrastructure against the serious threat of cyberattacks,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation ensures federal agencies can work collaboratively to create effective cybersecurity standards, enabling businesses to focus on safeguarding their systems rather than navigating a maze of conflicting requirements.”
    As cyberattacks continue to grow, requirements to prevent cybersecurity breaches have become more complex. Some companies estimate that their cybersecurity teams are spending between 30 to 60% of their time on compliance with reporting requirements, rather than on improving their cybersecurity. This bill tackles the challenges of overlapping regulations by creating an interagency Harmonization Committee within the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) to align cybersecurity regulations, rules, and compliance standards. It also requires that all agencies, including independent regulatory agencies, consult with the committee before issuing or updating regulations. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 05.29.2025 Sen. Cruz Introduces Bill to Bolster Military Readiness and Improve Aviation Safety

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Helicopter Operational Versatility and Enhanced Readiness (HOVER) Act. The bill invests in Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) conversion, enabling the Army to leverage proven technology that reduces pilot workload, mitigates human error, and enhances survivability in complex operational environments.
    Sen. Cruz said, “Peace through strength requires ensuring that our military has access to and is leveraging the best cutting-edge technology. The HOVER Act allows the U.S. Army to modernize its fleet with such technology, boosting military readiness and American national security. I urge my colleagues to swiftly pass this bill to ensure our military remains the strongest and most effective in the world.”
    Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas-6).
    Rep. Ellzey said, “As a former helicopter pilot, I understand firsthand the demands and risks associated with complex missions in challenging environments. The HOVER Act is a step forward in aviation safety and mission effectiveness. By integrating Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) technology into Black Hawks, we will not only reduce pilot workload but also enhance situational awareness and increase survivability in high-risk conditions. This legislation is about giving our pilots the tools they need to be successful. It gives them the ability to execute their missions safely and effectively and come home to their families.”
    BACKGROUND
    This bill would:

    Authorize funds for the conversion of at least three Army Black Hawk helicopters into OPVs.  

    Direct the Secretary of the Army to conduct a two-year operational experimentation program to evaluate OPVs. 

    Require the Secretary of the Army to submit a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees within 12 months on the progress, findings, and recommendations for OPVs. 

     Click here to read the full bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven: USDA Releases First $1 Billion in Livestock Disaster Assistance Targeting Losses from Wildfire & Drought

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    05.29.25

    ELRP Using LFP Application Data to Streamline Assistance; Additional Livestock Aid to be Released Later this Summer

    BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released $1 billion in disaster relief for livestock producers impacted by wildfire or drought in 2023 or 2024. The Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) funding comes as part of the $21 billion in weather-related assistance that Hoeven worked to include in the year-end legislation passed by Congress in December. The details of ELRP are as follows:

    • This is the first of two assistance programs addressing losses impacting livestock producers.
      • Additional ELRP assistance for other losses, including flooding, will be released later this summer, bringing the total livestock set-aside to $2 billion.
    • The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will use existing Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) data to streamline payment calculations and expedite relief.
      • This follows Hoeven’s work encouraging Agriculture Secretary Rollins to utilize a streamlined application process to help ensure an efficient and timely process.
    • Emergency relief payments are automatically issued for producers who have an approved LFP application on file for 2023 and/or 2024.
      • Producers do not have to contact USDA to receive payments.
    • Additional information and resources are available to producers on USDA’s website here: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/20232024-supplemental-disaster-assistance.

    “This first round of $1 billion in emergency livestock assistance specifically targets wildfire losses, bringing needed relief to, and aiding the recovery of, ranchers in North Dakota,” said Hoeven. “We appreciate Secretary Rollins for working with us to get this assistance out the door and to streamline the process for our producers, both under today’s ELRP funding and the ongoing market-based assistance program. We look forward to USDA advancing the remaining assistance and delivering all $34 billion in disaster aid to help ensure a resilient farm economy, while we continue working to strengthen the farm safety net on a long-term basis.”

    Hoeven also continues working with USDA to advance the remaining $20 billion in weather-related assistance for losses in 2023 and 2024, following his efforts to advance the $10 billion in market-based assistance. North Dakota producers have since received nearly $565 million under the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, MA Delegation Sound Alarm on Trump Admin Attacks on International Students at Harvard and Nationwide

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 29, 2025
    Letter follows recent DHS attempts to terminate Harvard’s ability to enroll international students on F-1 and J-1 visas
    Massachusetts hosts over 80,000 international students, who contribute almost $4 billion to state economy and support over 35,000 jobs in the state
    “The Administration’s apparent hostility to international students contributes to an overall climate of fear on campuses. This trend creates a chilling effect that discourages the best and brightest students from around the world from coming to study in the United States…” 
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation in pressing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons on the Trump Administration’s attacks on international students, particularly last week’s attempt to terminate Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students on F-1 and J-1 visas. 
    The letter was signed by U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), and Bill Keating (D-Mass.).
    “As members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, we are gravely concerned about the Trump Administration’s attacks on international students,” wrote the lawmakers. “This trend has been particularly damaging for Massachusetts, which is home to one of largest concentrations of higher education institutions and hosts over 80,000 international students, who contribute almost $4 billion to the state’s economy and support over 35,000 jobs in the state.”
    Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the system that allows the university to admit international students — not only blocking Harvard’s ability to enroll new international students, but also interfering with current international students’ ability to legally remain. In effect, this action would allow DHS to arrest, detain, and deport international students who remain at Harvard. Shortly thereafter, a federal judge temporarily enjoined DHS from enforcing the revocation.
    “This attack on Harvard and its international students appears to be an attempt to punish the university for not agreeing to the Trump Administration’s April 2025 demands,” wrote the lawmakers.
    This is the latest in the Trump Administration’s long pattern of attacks on international students nationwide. Starting in March, the Administration effectively terminated the legal status of over 4,700 international students across at least 48 states and 160 colleges. Often without notice to students or their universities, ICE terminated students’ records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) — records that are “functionally equivalent to having lawful student status” — which exposed students to the “risk of arrest, detention, or removal.” The State Department also revoked many visas, adding to widespread confusion about students’ legal status.
    “While DHS and the State Department claimed to target those with a criminal history or history of engaging in campus protests,  some of the impacted students had neither, and in many cases, there was ‘no obvious cause for the revocations,’” wrote the lawmakers.
    International students in Massachusetts and nationwide continue to face serious threats, even beyond Harvard’s campus, including: ICE expanding its authority for terminating SEVIS records; not restoring — or re-terminating — students’ legal status; and leaving problematic gaps in records of students’ legal status. Some students who left the country after their visas or records were suspended face significant hurdles to returning. This week, the State Department reportedly ordered its overseas embassies and consulates to stop scheduling any international student visa interviews, causing serious delays.
    “The Administration’s apparent hostility to international students contributes to an overall climate of fear on campuses. This trend creates a chilling effect that discourages the best and brightest students from around the world from coming to study in the United States — which harms not only current and prospective international students, but also American universities, U.S. citizen students on campuses, and, in the long term, the nation’s prosperity and economic growth,” concluded the lawmakers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Warren Presses Trump Trade Officials’ Prioritizing Big Tech-Friendly Trade Deals at Expense of Everyday Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 29, 2025
    “The White House’s negotiations so far appear to be focused on securing advantages for Trump and his tech billionaire friends, rather than for American families.”
    “I am gravely concerned renegotiated trade deals will be used to advance Big Tech’s anti-consumer agenda while doing nothing to promote U.S. manufacturing or help American workers.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, raising concerns that the Trump Administration is using bilateral trade negotiations to advance the interests of Big Tech monopolists at the expense of everyday Americans.
    “Big Tech firms have long sought to use trade deals to undermine pro-consumer, pro-competition policies,” wrote Senator Warren. “And now, given their massive donations to President Trump’s inauguration committee, the prime seats given to their CEOs at his inaugural address, and their success in lobbying for exemptions from the Administration’s chaotic tariff policy, I am gravely concerned renegotiated trade deals will be used to advance Big Tech’s anti-consumer agenda while doing nothing to promote U.S. manufacturing or help American workers.
    Last month, the Trump Administration announced indiscriminate “reciprocal” tariffs on most countries, causing consumer confidence to plummet and the U.S. economy to shrink for the first time in three years. To deflect from this economic chaos, President Trump temporarily reduced the tariff rates and claimed that the unprecedented tariffs were a bargaining chip to bring other nations to the negotiating table — where the United States could renegotiate deals to eliminate “tariff rates and non-tariff barriers.” As a result, the Administration is engaged in new trade negotiations with dozens of countries around the world.
    Big Tech appears to be continuing its years-long campaign to use trade negotiations to advance its own interests — now with a boost from the Trump Administration. During his announcement of the reciprocal tariff regime, President Trump held up the 2025 National Trade Estimates report as his “special book” on non-tariff trade barriers. The 2025 report included as targets — potentially at Big Tech’s behest — several tech-related pro-consumer and pro-competition policies. Last month, USTR tweeted a list of “10 unfair digital trade practices” to target for elimination, including the European Union’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act and other policies that Big Tech had urged USTR to target. The State Department is also pressing the European Union to roll back tech regulations.
    “The White House’s negotiations so far appear to be focused on securing advantages for Trump and his tech billionaire friends, rather than for American families,” wrote Senator Warren. 
    Big Tech has long tried to shape international trade agreements to include provisions that could threaten American laws and regulations that protect workers, consumers, and small businesses. Sen. Warren previously pressed the issue with the Biden administration.
    “Big Tech companies have already successfully used their influence to secure special exemptions from tariffs and hide the true cost of President Trump’s chaotic trade policies,” wrote Senator Warren. “Now, these same companies are poised to exploit trade negotiations to thwart much-needed regulations at home and abroad. While small businesses and households continue to bear the brunt of the Administration’s punishing trade policy, the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations stand to benefit.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar Statement on the U.S. Court of International Trade Overturning President Trump’s Tariff Taxes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the U.S. Court of International Trade overturning President Trump’s tariff taxes in a unanimous three-judge decision.

    “This unanimous verdict by judges appointed by Presidents Trump, Obama, and Reagan restores sanity and stability to our trade policies. Instead of raising costs by nearly $3,000 per family, we should bring relief to the American people who have faced higher costs and chaos for far too long under Trump’s tariff taxes. As the judges ruled, ‘The Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive powers to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,” and to “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.”’ The President clearly overstepped his authority with these across-the-board tariffs.”

    In April, the Senate passed Klobuchar’s bipartisan resolution with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) to reverse President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs on Canadian goods.

    Klobuchar joined Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to introduce the Trade Review Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that would bring stability and accountability to U.S. trade policy by reasserting limits on the president’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs without the approval of Congress.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell on Trade Court Decision Striking Down Trump’s Global Tariffs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    05.28.25

    Cantwell on Trade Court Decision Striking Down Trump’s Global Tariffs

    EDMONDS, WA– 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, praised the U.S. Court of International Trade for striking down Donald Trump’s global tariffs, which amounted to massive new taxes on American consumers:

    “I am glad the Court of International Trade unanimously recognized that the President exceeded his authority. We need trade to flow through our ports. The remaining 10 percent global tariffs on Europe and 30 percent tariff on China should be lifted to lower prices for American families and to stabilize supply chains for US manufacturers. And Congress and the courts should take a close look at the other tariffs the president has planned.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Tours Springwood Ranch, Hears From Yakama Nation Members and Local Stakeholders About Historic Co-Management Project

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***PHOTOS HERE***

    Thorp, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Kittitas County to tour the Springwood Ranch, which was recently acquired as part of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP) after many years of effort by the Yakama Nation and stakeholders. Springwood Ranch is now jointly owned by the Yakama Nation, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kittitas County, and the Kittitas Reclamation District. YBIP brings together state, federal, tribal, agricultural, and environmental stakeholders to develop a comprehensive strategy for water resource management and ecosystem restoration in the Yakima basin.

    On the visit, Senator Murray heard from Yakama Nation members and local stakeholders about how the purchase of Springwood Ranch was a major victory for the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan. Springwood Ranch has served as a traditional gathering spot for Yakama Nation tribes, and has been used as a venue for tribal gatherings, trade events, and recreation for centuries. The 3,600 acres of land at Springwood Ranch will continue being used for cultural purposes as well as agriculture, habitat restoration along the 6.5 miles of Yakima River on the property, and an off-channel reservoir for vital water storage for the region. Joining Senator Murray for the visit were: Phil Rigdon, DNR Superintendent, Yakama Nation; Joe Blodgett, Project Policy Coordinator, Yakama Nation Fisheries; David Blodgett, Program Manager, Yakama Nation Fisheries; Urban Eberhart, Manager, Kittitas Reclamation District; Mike Livingston, South Central Regional Director (Region 3), Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife; Caseymac Wallahee, Yakama Nation Tribal Council; and Peter Dykstra with the Trust for Public Land, among others.

    “I was glad to have the opportunity to join members of the Yakama Nation and local leaders to tour just some of the 3,600 acres of Springwood Ranch and see the reservoir firsthand, which will provide critical water storage and protect fisheries and agriculture in the Yakima Basin against drought. It was important to hear from Tribal members and stakeholders about what their priorities and plans are as this project moves forward, and how I can support them in their work to manage these lands and historic sites,” said Senator Murray. “This collaboration will improve water resources for nearby farms, safeguard critical wildlife habitat, all while honoring and preserving the cultural heritage of the Yakama Nation—it’s a true win-win for communities across the Yakima Basin and I couldn’t be more excited for the future of Springwood Ranch.”

    “In 2025, the Yakima Basin is struggling through its third consecutive year of drought with the pro-ratable water users receiving 48 percent of our water supply. This drought is having a negative impact on both farms and fish. The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan partners appreciate Senator Murray making the time to visit the Springwood Reservoir project site. The construction of this reservoir will help meet the goals of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan to provide this region with a strong economy and healthy ecosystem into the future,” said Kittitas Reclamation District Manager Urban Eberhart.

    “The message that we need to carry on is the collaboration that’s taking place in this whole project. Look at what we can do when we have all these interest groups, with different goals and different agendas, coming together and working on this reservoir project and to show how successful we can be working together, rather than continuing to be divided,” said Joe Blodgett, Yakama Klickitat Fisheries Project manager

    “The reservoir is going to help more fish survive and have more fish available to the fisherman that are both tribal and non-tribal. It also helps us with all the other listed species and restoration work of the last several decades. This fits into the bigger model of something for everybody, but also something that is going to have a profound impact on our ability to have water to manage for fish and fish migration in the Yakima Basin,” said Phil Rigdon, Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources Superintendent.

    “This is a role model for the entire nation on how to find common ground and work on behalf of both the environment and the economy. And supporting this project is going to do just that,” said Mike Livingston, Regional Director at Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

    As a voice in the U.S. Senate for Washington state’s Tribal governments and communities, Senator Murray has long worked to make sure our nation lives up to its promises to support Tribal infrastructure, health care, education, housing, natural resources management, and more. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Senator Murray was instrumental in passing as then-Assistant Majority Leader provided more than $13 billion to directly support Tribal communities and made Tribes eligible to apply for or request billions in discretionary, formula, and other funding to deploy record investments to provide affordable high-speed internet, safer roads and bridges, modern wastewater and sanitation systems, clean drinking water, reliable and affordable electricity, and good paying jobs in every Tribal community. In total, this funding represents the single largest investment in Tribal infrastructure ever.

    Senator Murray has also been a champion for protecting and strengthening critical salmon and fish populations throughout her time in the Senate. Senator Murray secured a historic $2.85 billion investment in salmon and ecosystem restoration programs—including $400 million for a new community-based restoration program focused on removing fish passage barriers in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—and in the Inflation Reduction Act, Murray secured hundreds of millions for Washington state priorities including $15 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $3 million to support facilities at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, $27 million for Pacific salmon research, and more. Last Congress, as then-Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murray protected critical funding for salmon recovery and fishery projects in the Fiscal Year 2024 government spending bills she negotiated and passed into law, including securing: $50 million in the construction of the Howard Hanson Dam Fish Passage facility; $75 million for the Pacific Salmon account at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), $65 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, $54 million for the EPA’s Puget Sound Geographic Program, and more.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Tours Wenatchi Landing Site, Discusses Importance of Federal Investment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***PHOTOS, B-ROLL FROM VISIT HERE***

    Wenatchee, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited the Wenatchi Landing site to hear an update on the project and discuss how federal investment can help support the mixed-use commercial development area. Senator Murray was joined by a number of local leaders and stakeholders including Douglas County Board of Commissioners Chair Marc Straub, Vice Chair Dan Sutton, and Commissioner Randy Agnew; Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority Commissioners Mark Spurgeon, Alan Loebsack, and Jim Huffman; Douglas County Sewer District Commissioners Wayne Barnhardt, Greg Peterson, and Cheryl Sutton; WSDOT Regional Administrator Chris Keifenhiem; CEO of Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority Jim Kunz; Executive Director of Chelan Douglas Transportation Council Jeff Wilkens; and Link Transit CEO Nick Covey.

    During her visit, Senator Murray was briefed on the status of the project at the Douglas County Public Services Building, and then the group headed out to tour the Wentachi Landing site. Wenatchi Landing is a 317-acre mixed-use development area on the east bank of the Columbia River, across the US-2 bridge from Sunnyslope and Wenatchee. The approved Master Site Plan envisions an array of mixed-use development and amenities in the area, including housing, offices, retail spaces, business parks, resort-style hospitality, and wineries—all with access to the region’s popular Apple Capital Loop trail network. Douglas County has applied for an $18 million BUILD (formerly RAISE) grant with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to fund completion of Phase 1 of the project, and Senator Murray recently sent a letter to DOT Secretary Sean Duffy supporting Douglas County’s BUILD grant application. Another potential avenue for the project to secure federal funding is through Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS)—funding Members of Congress can direct to projects in their states and districts to support local communities. CDS funding is part of the annual appropriations bills that Senator Murray helps write and negotiate as Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

    “The Wentachi Landing project means so much to Douglas County—it’s going to bring more jobs, new residents, and tourism to the area with the new development of everything from a regional job center to retail and housing,” said Senator Murray. “So, it was important for me to come here to see the site, learn about the path ahead, and hear what I can do to best support this work at the federal level. I’m already exploring all avenues to help secure the funding this project needs, whether that’s helping to support grant applications or securing funding through Congressionally Directed Spending in our appropriations bills. Federal investment is going to be essential to turning the vision for Wenatchi Landing into a reality, and you can bet I will be doing everything in my power to ensure this project moves forward.”

    Chair Marc Straub said, “On behalf of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, we are grateful to Senator Murray for her steadfast and unwavering support of the Wenatchi Landing project and her ongoing efforts to champion federal investment in our region. Wenatchi Landing represents a transformative opportunity—not just for Douglas County, but for the entire region and Washington State. This project is poised to deliver significant economic growth, attract new businesses and jobs, and enhance transportation safety and connectivity along US-2/97. With Senator Murray’s support and advocacy, we are one step closer to realizing a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive development that will leave a lasting legacy of growth and connection for generations to come.”

    As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray writes and negotiates the annual appropriations bills—which provide federal funding across government—with her Republican counterparts every year. Washington state benefits tremendously from the BUILD—formerly RAISE—grant program Murray established. In the last round of RAISE grants—for Fiscal Year 2024, awarded in June 2024—Washington state was awarded the most grants of any state and received the most in total funding, nearly $90 million. In January, Murray announced another $56 million in RAISE grants for Washington state. President Trump renamed the RAISE grant program to Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) at the beginning of his term. Washington state’s Democratic Congressional delegation helped secure $7.5 billion for the BUILD program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and have advocated strongly for Washington state’s BUILD grant applicants.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Booker, Kim Joint Statement on Emil Bove’s Nomination to Third Circuit Court of Appeals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

    NEWARK, N.J. –– Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) issued the following statement:

    “Emil Bove’s nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals is deeply troubling. It is vital that the federal judiciary in New Jersey be committed to upholding the ideals of independence and objectivity. On this measure, Emil Bove has fallen short, repeatedly engaging in conduct as a top advisor in Trump’s administration that undermines his credibility as an objective jurist, including purging career prosecutors and attacking those who worked on January 6th investigations, firing FBI officials who were not adequately loyal to President Trump, and directing the dismissal of the federal government’s case against Mayor Eric Adams to advance the President’s mass deportation agenda. Judges must be committed to upholding the rule of law, due process, and fairness. Emil Bove’s actions have compromised our faith that he can be this.

    “Traditionally, selecting circuit court nominees is a collaborative process between the Senate and the White House. In this case, that tradition was cast aside. We had hoped to find a pick that would inspire broad-based confidence and support, but this is a deeply polarizing choice. The people of New Jersey deserve a federal judge that will observe judicial independence and work to preserve and secure justice for all. Based on his record, Emil Bove will not do that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine, and Colleagues Press Trump Administration on Firings of Constituent Services Liaisons

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 14 of their Senate colleagues in pressing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for answers regarding the firing of its constituent services liaisons—civil servants who work with congressional offices to assist constituents currently or previously serving in the federal government.

    In their letter to OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell, the senators raise concern over the lack of information from OPM regarding significant changes to the congressional liaison office, including its possible closure, and highlight how these cuts will harm their ability to assist constituents who are federal workers and their families with human resources-related matters, such as obtaining earned retirement benefits, disability retirement benefits, and survivors benefits.

    “We are writing to express serious concern regarding the recent termination of constituent services liaisons within the Office of Personnel Management’s Congressional, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (CLIA) component, the possible closure of CLIA, and the implications these decisions have on the processing and resolution of current and future congressional inquiries on behalf of our constituents across the country. We understand OPM has informed Congressional offices of ‘significant changes’ to CLIA, however, the notice was insufficient as it lacked essential details about the methods, process, and timeline for these changes,” wrote the senators.

    “As you know, CLIA plays a critical role in facilitating communication between OPM and the legislative branch, including responding to inquiries and ensuring that members of Congress can assist constituents experiencing difficulties with OPM-related matters,” they continued.

    “It is essential for the public to have confidence that their elected representatives have oversight of federal agency operations and that inquiries on individual constituent matters to OPM will be treated as seriously and comprehensively as our constituents deserve,” the senators concluded.

    In a recent Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing, Kaine pressed Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on how massive workforce cuts have negatively impacted constituents’ ability to get questions answered by federal agencies.

    In addition to Warner and Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    A copy of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear Mr. Ezell,

    We are writing to express serious concern regarding the recent termination of constituent services liaisons within the Office of Personnel Management’s Congressional, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (CLIA) component, the possible closure of CLIA, and the implications these decisions have on the processing and resolution of current and future congressional inquiries on behalf of our constituents across the country. We understand OPM has informed Congressional offices of “significant changes” to CLIA, however, the notice was insufficient as it lacked essential details about the methods, process, and timeline for these changes.

    As you know, CLIA plays a critical role in facilitating communication between OPM and the legislative branch, including responding to inquiries and ensuring that members of Congress can assist constituents experiencing difficulties with OPM-related matters. Given this vital role, the termination of CLIA employees and reported closure of CLIA raises several important questions that demand clarification:

    1. Are there plans to eliminate CLIA? If so, how does OPM intend to process current and future congressional inquiries?
    2. There have been reports, including some from our staff members, that some congressional inquiries have been deleted or prematurely closed without resolution, and in some cases, without any communication to our offices whatsoever. Please confirm whether these reports are accurate, and if so, what steps are being taken to ensure that all inquiries are properly addressed and resolved.
    3. How many congressional liaisons remain with CLIA? Will terminated CLIA employees be reassigned within OPM, or will their positions be eliminated? 
    4. Are CLIA employees who opt for deferred resignation deemed permanently ineligible for employment with the federal government? 

    We would appreciate your review and response by June 13, 2025. It is essential for the public to have confidence that their elected representatives have oversight of federal agency operations and that inquiries on individual constituent matters to OPM will be treated as seriously and comprehensively as our constituents deserve.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy Statement on IAM Local 700 Ratification of Revised Contract with Pratt & Whitney

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    May 28, 2025

    WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday released the following statement on the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 700 ratification of the contract with Pratt & Whitney.
    “This hard-fought contract shows the power of unions. I was proud to join Pratt & Whitney workers on the picket line fighting for higher wages, better retirement benefits, and job security, and their efforts paid off. The bargaining committee and Pratt & Whitney leadership should be proud of their work to strike a deal and support manufacturing families in our state.”
    Murphy joined striking workers in Middletown earlier this month.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Improve Seniors’ Access to Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    TYLER – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) joined Sens. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Mark Warner (D-VA), and 44 of his Senate colleagues in introducing the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which would improve access to care for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans at no cost to American taxpayers. The legislation focuses on streamlining the often cumbersome and time-consuming prior authorization process, ultimately allowing healthcare providers to spend more time on patient care rather than administrative burdens.

    “Doctors and health care providers are too often bogged down by unnecessary burdens, which can lead to delayed care and negative outcomes for patients,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By streamlining the prior authorization process under Medicare Advantage, this legislation would cut red tape, improve enrollee experiences, and ensure seniors receive the timely care they deserve.”

    Additional cosponsors include U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Fetterman (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA),  Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), James Lankford (R-OK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Andy Kim (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ted Budd (R-NC), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Hoeven (R-ND), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

    Background:

    Prior authorization is a tool used by health plans to reduce unnecessary care by requiring health care providers to get pre-approval for medical services. However, the current system often results in multiple faxes or phone calls by clinicians, which takes precious time away from delivering care. Prior authorization continues to be the number-one administrative burden identified by health care providers, and nearly three out of four Medicare Advantage enrollees are subject to unnecessary delays due to the practice.

    The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act would codify and enhance elements of the Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes (e-PA) rule that was finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 17, 2024.

    Last Congress, the bill was supported by a super majority of members in the Senate (60) and a majority in the House (232), and was unanimously passed by the House in 2022. In 2018, the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raised concerns after an audit revealed that Medicare Advantage plans ultimately approved 75% of requests that were originally denied. In 2022, the HHS Office of Inspector General released a report finding that MA plans incorrectly denied beneficiaries’ access to services even though they met Medicare coverage rules.

    The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act would:

    • Establish an electronic prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans, including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments;
    • Increase transparency around Medicare Advantage prior authorization requirements and their use;
    • Clarify HHS’ authority to establish timeframes for e-prior authorization requests, including expedited determinations, real-time decisions for routinely approved items and services, and other prior authorization requests;
    • Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes;
    • Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-prior authorization process;
    • And result in a zero cost to American taxpayers.

    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Cosponsors Bill to Make Public Colleges and Universities Tuition Free

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — As President Trump and Congressional Republicans work to make college unaffordable and unattainable for millions of working-class families, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), and eight Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to make public colleges and universities tuition free for 95 percent of students. The College for All Act would be the most transformative investment in higher education in 60 years and would substantially improve the lives of millions of students throughout the United States.

    Nearly 4 million student borrowers live in California, owing an average of $38,168 and a total of $148.6 billion in student loan debt.

    “As a first-generation college graduate from a low-income household, I know a good education is the foundation of the American dream, but I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of accessing and affording higher education,” said Senator Padilla. “We need bold, proactive solutions to make college more affordable — not the Trump Administration’s short-sighted plan to eradicate student financial aid and put higher education out of reach for millions of American families. The College for All Act would help millions of working families shoulder the financial burden of paying for their children’s college. When we invest in all students, we support our nation’s financial interests by ensuring that opportunity and economic prosperity are attainable for all, regardless of income.”

    “In a highly competitive global economy where technology is changing the very nature of work and the jobs we perform, we need the best educated workforce in the world,” said Senator Sanders. “Our nation used to lead the world in the percentage of adults with a college degree. Today, we are in 11th place behind countries like Japan, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. That is not a prescription for a strong American economy of the future. It is a prescription for failure. Instead of increasing the cost of college in order to give more tax breaks to billionaires, we have a better idea. We are going to make public colleges and universities tuition free so that working class students can succeed and are not burdened with a lifetime of debt.”

    Making public colleges and universities tuition free is not a radical idea. In 1944, as World War II was coming to an end, the U.S. government made free higher education available to all those who served in the armed forces. That act not only improved the financial well-being of the Greatest Generation, but it also laid the groundwork for the greatest expansion of the American middle class in U.S. history. Moreover, over 50 years ago, many of America’s most prestigious public colleges and universities were also tuition free or virtually tuition free.

    Since this legislation was first introduced 10 years ago, several colleges and universities in America have provided free tuition for working class and middle-class students, including every state college in New Mexico, the State University of New York, the University of Texas, the University of Wisconsin, and Arkansas State University.

    Other wealthy countries like France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland have made their public colleges and universities tuition free or virtually tuition free because they understand the value of investing in their young people.

    The College for All Act would guarantee tuition-free community college for all students and allow students from single households earning up to $150,000 a year, and married households earning up to $300,000 a year, to attend college without fear of being saddled with student loan debt.

    Specifically, the College for All Act would also:

    • Double the maximum Pell Grant award for students enrolled at public and private non-profit colleges;
    • Establish a $10 billion grant program to improve student outcomes and address equity gaps at underfunded public colleges and universities;
    • Triple federal TRIO program funding;
    • Double GEAR UP funding; and
    • Double mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).

    In addition to Senator Padilla, the legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

    Senator Padilla has consistently advocated on behalf of students to make college more affordable and accessible. Last year, Padilla and Representative Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.-35) hosted local students and advocates to reintroduce the Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act, bicameral legislation to help ensure college students can meet their basic needs while pursuing their education. He also introduced the Student Food Security Act of 2024, bicameral legislation to address food insecurity faced by college students nationwide. Padilla previously cosponsored the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act, bicameral legislation that would nearly double the Pell Grant maximum award, index the maximum award for inflation, and expand the program to include Dreamers.

    During the Biden Administration, Padilla led numerous letters urging the President to provide meaningful student debt cancellation, along with multiple letters urging former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to leverage his authority under the Higher Education Act to provide expanded student debt relief to working and middle-class borrowers.

    A one-pager on the College for All Act is available here.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis Stands Up for Military Children with Disabilities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis recently introduced the Care for Military Kids Act, legislation that ensures servicemembers can maintain critical health care coverage and medical services for their children, regardless of where their service takes them. 
    “Military families make immense sacrifices for our nation, and ensuring their children have consistent access to critical health care should never be a burden placed on them,” said Senator Tillis. “This bipartisan legislation will allow these families to maintain access to care, giving our servicemembers the peace of mind they deserve.” 
    Background: 
    The Care for Military Kids Act ensures servicemembers can maintain critical healthcare coverage and medical services for their children no matter where their service takes them. After moving to another state, current Medicaid regulations force military families to reapply for their children’s long-term care benefits through Medicaid since Tricare does not provide that benefit. The bill allows military families to remain on their home state’s Medicaid throughout their military career. The Care for Military Kids Act is endorsed by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), the National Military Families Organization, and Blue Star Families 
    Full text of the legislation is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey Hosts Walking Tour Focused on Trump Administration’s Cancellation of Flood Resiliency Funding for Chelsea and Everett

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Senator Markey joined by local leaders, advocates in Chelsea

    Boston (May 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force and a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today hosted a walking tour and press conference in Chelsea after the Trump administration announced the termination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, cancelling over $90 million in climate resilience funding for Massachusetts communities. The canceled funding includes $50 million awarded to the cities of Chelsea and Everett for their Island End River Coastal Flood Resilience Project. The project includes the construction of a storm surge barrier and storm surge control facility, as well as ecological restoration of the marshes in the Mystic River tributary. With cancelled funding, this multi-year effort to protect residents and businesses from flooding is now at risk.

    “To rip away $50 million of federal funding from Chelsea and Everett is an act of climate injustice. The Trump administration’s reckless decision to terminate disaster resiliency funding not only harms communities on the frontline of the climate crisis but also has repercussions far beyond,” said Senator Markey. “This funding isn’t a budget line—it’s a lifeline for our constituents. Cancelling it will directly harm our constituents and our economy. It will cost us as we pay and pay and pay again to clean up and rebuild flood after flood that are only becoming more frequent and more severe. It is penny wise and billions of destruction and damage foolish. For months, the Trump administration has made it clear they do not care about our health, safety, or resiliency, and they do not care about the long-term, long-dreamed visions of our communities to build a future safe from climate change.”

    Senator Markey was joined on the walking tour and at the press conference by Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez; State Senator Sal DiDomenico; State Representative Judith Garcia; Gladys Vega, Executive Director of La Colaborativa; and John Walkey, Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives at GreenRoots.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cotton, Boozman, and Westerman to Driscoll: Army Must Analyze Pine Bluff’s Potential to Address our Munitions Shortage

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
    May 28, 2025

    Cotton, Boozman, and Westerman to Driscoll: Army Must Analyze Pine Bluff’s Potential to Address our Munitions Shortage

    Washington, D.C. — Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), and Congressman Bruce Westerman (Arkansas-04) today sent a letter to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, asking for the detailed plan for the future of Pine Bluff Arsenal as a critical element of the defense industrial base. The lawmakers also urged prompt delivery of a Congressionally-mandated report outlining a plan to address issues facing America’s domestic munitions production and supply chain chokepoints, as well as a course of action for the future of Pine Bluff Arsenal. This letter follows another sent earlier this month about the Army’s intent to downsize Pine Bluff Arsenal that is at odds with President Trump’s agenda of accelerating munitions manufacturing in America.

    In part, the lawmakers wrote:

    “We remain committed to ensuring, in line with President Trump’s directive to the department, that the military has the munitions it needs to fight and win decisively. Fortunately, Pine Bluff Arsenal can help the Army solve the munitions crisis, hence we’re not willing to allow its capabilities to wither on the vine.”

    Full text of the letter may be found here and below.

    The Honorable Dan P. Driscoll

    Secretary of the Army

    101 Army Pentagon

    Washington, DC 20310-0101

    Secretary Driscoll,

    We write to establish next steps regarding the future of Pine Bluff Arsenal and to secure its crucial role in the defense industrial base. Please provide answers to the following inquiries no later than June 6, 2025.

    As we discussed, we believe the Army’s organic industrial base has an irreplaceable role to play in addressing this nation’s munitions crisis. Our delegation has worked for years to persuade the Army to take steps to improve its arsenals, ammunition plants, and depots, including by re-orienting production at Pine Bluff Arsenal to address urgent military-munitions requirements.

    To that end, we passed language in the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Joint Explanatory Statement that directed the Secretary of the Army to provide a plan to “establish secondary domestic production sources at existing arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants of the U.S. Army to address munition supply chain chokepoints” no later than June 1, 2025. We expect the Army to produce this report in accordance with the law and provide a thorough, well-considered set of plans that explains how it should use Pine Bluff Arsenal and the other facilities within the Army’s organic industrial base to meet urgent operational needs.

    Furthermore, we are justifiably concerned that Army is attempting to circumvent the law by slowing operations at the arsenal before the FY26 NDAA and appropriations season, thus presenting Congress with a virtual fait accompli and limiting our ability to perform our constitutional oversight and budgetary responsibilities. Title 10 USC § 2687, base closures and realignments, specifies the Army may not close any military installation of more than 300 civilians or reduce its personnel by more than 50 percent without notifying Congress and presenting it with detailed strategic and economic evaluations of the impact of such a downsizing or closure. Title 10 USC § 4532, the Arsenal Act, requires the Secretary of the Army to procure supplies in government-owned factories or arsenals if possible “on an economical basis.” We expect, and insist, that the Army will comply with current statute when producing a path forward at Pine Bluff Arsenal.

    Please note that we’re particularly interested to understand your cost assumptions regarding your compliance with the Arsenal Act. As we have explained on multiple occasions, we believe ample evidence indicates that Pine Bluff Arsenal is more economical than most commercial options. Thus, we want to assess what assumptions the Army is using to argue otherwise.

    In addition to the required report, we now request the following additional information:

    1. The Army’s planned actions over the next 30 to 90 days at Pine Bluff Arsenal, to include proposed or enacted changes to staffing and production schedules. If no changes to Pine Bluff operations or personnel will occur, please definitively state that.
    1. The courses of actions the Army is developing for Pine Bluff Arsenal’s future, with at least the following information:

    o    How each course of action complies with both 10 USC § 2687 and 10 USC § 4532, to include detailed cost data analysis.

    o    At least one course of action explaining how the Army could use the arsenal to produce materials such as nitrocellulose, RDX, or TNT to address supply chain chokepoints.

    o    Detailed estimates of the costs that will be incurred if Army moves the white phosphorus ammunition mission away from Pine Bluff Arsenal, including the cost and time associated with acquiring the necessary environmental permits.

    1. Current capability gaps within the Army where manufacturing placement in the Army organic industrial base is possible, i.e. s-UAS, battery technology, brushless motors, etc.

    We remain committed to ensuring, in line with President Trump’s directive to the department, that the military has the munitions it needs to fight and win decisively. Fortunately, Pine Bluff Arsenal can help the Army solve the munitions crisis, hence we’re not willing to allow its capabilities to wither on the vine.

    We look forward to hearing from you.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trump Admin Encourages Max $200k Pay for Political Appointees as It Fires Veterans, Cancer Researchers, & More—Murray, Democratic Colleagues Demand Answers, List of Top-Paid Political Staff

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    OPM encourages agencies to offer maximum salary to Trump political appointees, encouraging them to sidestep agency HR offices & standard vetting process
    Lawmakers: “Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) calling out its recent memo encouraging agencies to ignore the recommendations of agency HR offices and offer the maximum available salary of $195,200 to Schedule C political appointees.
    As the Trump administration fires dedicated federal employees en masse across government, the senators demanded information about the Trump administration’s hiring of Schedule C political appointees, their salaries, the number of appointees making the maximum salary, justification for sidestepping HR recommendations and vetting processes, any guardrails implemented to prevent cronyism, and the costs to taxpayers.
    “You issued a memo to the heads and acting heads of departments and agencies encouraging them to offer the maximum available salary to political appointees and sidestep the regular hiring process,” write the senators. “This memo, coupled with the Administration’s widespread layoffs of career government workers who have loyally served in the Executive Branch for Presidents of both political parties, makes clear your intention: fire dedicated public servants in droves, cut essential government services, and use taxpayer dollars to instead hire underqualified and overpaid political cronies.”
    “While this Administration pushes out scores of public servants and guts entire agencies, often in defiance of Congress and federal law, your memo encourages agencies to help install loyalists who have not been properly vetted, in critically important positions—and to pay them at the highest possible rate. As dedicated career public servants are receiving notice that they have been fired, the Administration is offering higher pay for those hired under Schedule C,” they continue.
    “Per your memo, agencies may consider setting initial salaries at up to $195,200, almost five times the median income for individuals in the U.S.,” write the lawmakers.
    The lawmakers note that the OPM memo “demonstrates a desire for the expeditious hiring of underqualified and overpaid political elites. Schedule C hires are not career civil servants. They will not be answering phones at Social Security field offices or conducting food inspections or fighting wildfires.”
    “Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars and massively wasteful,” they state.
    The full letter is available HERE and below:
    Mr. Charles Ezell
    Acting Director
    Office of Personnel Management
    1900 E Street N.W.
    Washington, D.C. 20415
    Dear Acting Director Ezell:
    On April 10, 2025, you issued a memo to the heads and acting heads of departments and agencies encouraging them to offer the maximum available salary to political appointees and sidestep the regular hiring process. This memo, coupled with the Administration’s widespread layoffs of career government workers who have loyally served in the Executive Branch for Presidents of both political parties, makes clear your intention: fire dedicated public servants in droves, cut essential government services, and use taxpayer dollars to instead hire underqualified and overpaid political cronies.
    Since President Trump took office, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has worked with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to facilitate the firings of tens of thousands of government employees under the guise of government efficiency. The American people have experienced only chaos as a result. The phone lines at Social Security are overwhelmed, food inspections are down, and as fire season begins, the Forest Service is planning to layoff wildland firefighters—to name just a few of the consequences of this administration’s arbitrary and thoughtless cuts. Put simply, OPM’s actions have sowed inefficiency and counter-productivity for the essential government services that our constituents depend on.
    While this Administration pushes out scores of public servants and guts entire agencies, often in defiance of Congress and federal law, your memo encourages agencies to help install loyalists who have not been properly vetted, in critically important positions—and to pay them at the highest possible rate. As dedicated career public servants are receiving notice that they have been fired, the Administration is offering higher pay for those hired under Schedule C, a type of appointment for those serving in confidential or policy roles, including as confidential assistants, policy experts, special counsel, and schedulers. Per your memo, agencies may consider setting initial salaries at up to $195,200, almost five times the median income for individuals in the U.S. Further, your memo encourages agency heads to sidestep the standard hiring process and remove the objective additional reviewer of candidates. This would allow appointees to begin work in sensitive roles without any vetting, including for conflicts of interest or background checks, bypassing the basic guardrails that have been in place for decades. On its face, OPM’s April 10 memo demonstrates a desire for the expeditious hiring of underqualified and overpaid political elites.
    Schedule C hires are not career civil servants. They will not be answering phones at Social Security field offices or conducting food inspections or fighting wildfires. They do not work for the American people; they work to advance the political agenda of the President. OPM’s April 10 memo makes clear the Trump Administration’s ultimate goal is to decimate the nonpolitical career civil service and use taxpayer dollars to enrich and reward political allies, all at the cost of the government services that people rely on.
    Padding the pockets of political operatives while firing food safety inspectors is nothing short of an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars and massively wasteful.
    In order to ensure OPM works to actually promote efficiency and productivity in the government workforce, we request you provide the following information:
    The salary information of all Schedule C appointees, and the current number of Schedule C appointees, broken down by agency. For those Schedule C appointees the administration has hired at a pay level of GS-15 or $195,200, please provide a brief job description for each.
    The justification for revoking the authority of agency HR departments to set the terms for Schedule C appointment and additional information as to how agencies will set the terms for Schedule C appointment without HR involvement.
    Any guidance or detail OPM has provided to agencies as to how to set the terms for a Schedule C appointment in order to avoid widespread corruption.
    The agency-level cost of hiring the desired number of Schedule C appointees.
    Any written information detailing the role of the Presidential Personnel Office (PPO) in hiring Schedule C appointees.
    Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward receiving your responses no later than June 4, 2025.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Cassidy Congratulates Fellow LSU Tiger John Foster on American Idol Run

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), for his monthly Local Spotlight, congratulated Louisiana native and LSU freshman John Foster on finishing strong in the American Idol finale. Each month, Cassidy highlights a local story that truly reflects Louisiana values of humility, respect, and resiliency.  
    Read his full May 2025 Local Spotlight below:
    Mr. President, I want to congratulate John Foster, a Louisiana native and fellow LSU Tiger, on an impressive run on American Idol.John was the runner-up on this season of American Idol. And while it was not the outcome everyone in Louisiana was hoping for, he represented himself and Louisiana well on a national stage. John’s performances were excellent and inspiring. He was also practicing and performing as he is pursuing pre-med!John, well done on pursuing both your dream and your education. From all of us back home, keep singing. You are first place in Louisiana.
    Background
    Last month, Cassidy highlighted Mrs. Louise McClelland for her 105th birthday. Louise served her community for 35 years as a teacher and continues to inspire her community with her joy and adventurous spirit.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Announces More Than $10.5 Million for Maine Public Housing Properties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: May 28, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that 15 Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in Maine have been awarded a total of $10,772,889 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Public Housing Capital Fund Formula Grant program to support the development, financing, and modernization of Public Housing properties.
    “The dedicated staff at housing authorities throughout Maine work hard to connect seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income individuals and families to programs that help them improve their quality of life,” said Senator Collins. “With this funding, housing authorities across the state will continue the important work within their local communities to ensure that the needs of their residents are met.”
    The grant funding is allocated as follows:
    Portland Housing Authority – $3,413,858
    Bangor Housing Authority – $2,052,361
    Lewiston Housing Authority – $1,298,068
    Waterville Housing Authority – $745,293
    Presque Isle Housing Authority – $688,006
    Auburn Housing Authority – $478,784
    Brewer Housing Authority – $452,242
    Bar Harbor Housing Authority – $383,748
    Van Buren Housing Authority – $332,926
    Fort Fairfield Housing Authority – $266,251
    Old Town Housing Authority – $252,695
    Ellsworth Housing Authority – $156,688
    Southwest Harbor Housing Authority – $139,133
    Tremont Housing Authority – $60,782
    Mount Desert Housing Authority – $52,054
    HUD’s Public Housing program ensures safe, decent, and affordable housing, and creates opportunities for residents’ self-sufficiency and economic independence.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: DOGE Social Security Service Changes Force Long, Unnecessary Travel Costs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 28, 2025
    Trump, DOGE service cuts will require people to make nearly 2 million additional trips to understaffed Social Security field offices each year
    In 31 states, over 25% of seniors must travel over an hour to access nearest Social Security field office
    Washington, D.C. – A new analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities revealed that recent cuts to Social Security phone services are forcing long, unnecessary travel burdens on seniors and other beneficiaries.
    The Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE made cuts to Social Security Administration (SSA) phone service, including removing the ability to change direct deposit and other banking information over the phone. These changes will require Americans to make nearly 2 million additional trips to already-understaffed Social Security field offices each year — resulting in hours of wasted time, money spent on gas, and more.
    The new analysis found that half of all seniors must drive at least 33 minutes to visit a field office, and nearly a quarter of seniors (13.5 million) live more than an hour round trip from their nearest office. Further, an estimated over 6 million seniors do not drive, and nearly 8 million seniors report a medical condition or disability that makes it hard to travel.
    Earlier this year, DOGE identified dozens of Social Security Administration offices across the country it proposed to close — which would make accessing offices even more difficult and time-consuming for Americans.

    Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
    Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –