NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Help Introduce Legislation to Expand Medicare Drug Price Negotiation and Lower Costs for Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    May 23, 2025

    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Peter Welch (D-VT) in reintroducing legislation to expand Medicare negotiation of drug prices. The Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act would help lower drug costs for consumers, reduce federal spending and give the Department of Health and Human Services stronger tools to negotiate lower drug prices in Medicare Part B and Part D. 

    “No one should have to choose between paying for their lifesaving prescription or paying the rent—that’s why three years ago the Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, to empower Medicare to directly negotiate with drug manufacturers,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to join Senator Durbin and our Democratic colleagues in reintroducing the SMART Prices Act to help build on the progress we’ve made to lower the cost of prescription drugs and improve health care for hardworking Americans.”

    “People in the United States are paying four times more than people in similar countries pay for life-saving medications,” said Durbin. “Democrats took the first step to address this issue three years ago by passing the Inflation Reduction Act, to enable Medicare to negotiate with Big Pharma to lower costs for seniors—while every Republican opposed these savings. Now, instead of focusing on lowering prices for Americans, Republicans in Congress are focused on cutting Medicaid to give tax breaks to billionaires. Senate Democrats are introducing the SMART Prices Act to help lower the outrageous cost of prescription drugs, expand on the progress we have made, and improve health care for Americans.” 

    According to preliminary estimates from a model by West Health and Verdant Research, if the SMART Prices Act was enacted in 2026, it would save 33 percent more by 2030 than current law. It would also allow Medicare to begin negotiations earlier and bring down the price of more expensive drugs. 

    This legislation builds on Klobuchar and Welch’s provision, which was passed into law in 2022, that has empowered Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time, unleashing the power of 53 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D Drug Coverage. The SMART Prices Act would extend this progress by more than doubling the number of prescription drugs Medicare must negotiate to a minimum of 50 per year, allowing the most costly prescription drugs and biologics to have negotiated prices five years after approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and by increasing the discount that Medicare is allowed to negotiate. 

    Along with Duckworth, Durbin, Klobuchar and Welch, the SMART Prices Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

    The bill is endorsed by Center for American Progress, FamiliesUSA, Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW, Protect Our Care and Public Citizen.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth Pays Tribute to Fallen Servicemembers at Annual South Side Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

    May 26, 2025

    [CHICAGO, IL] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today paid tribute to our nation’s fallen servicemembers at the 10th Annual South Side Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony. Duckworth joined local leaders including U.S. Representative Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Chicago 17th Ward Alderman David Moore, State Senator Willie Preston (IL-SD-16) and State Representative Michael Crawford (IL-HD-31), as well as Veterans and servicemembers to honor local Gold Star families and remember loved ones who were killed in the line of duty. Photos of today’s event are available on the Senator’s website.

    “This weekend is a somber reminder for our entire nation,” Duckworth said. “Memorial Day is a day to remember all those who answered the call not for themselves, not for their family members, but for democracy. Because you see, when you serve this nation, you’re stepping forward to defend our Constitution and our freedoms for the entire nation. And when you lay down your life in that process, you are laying down your life for people who will never know your name, never know to thank you, never know that you did this. But they will benefit, and their children and grandchildren will benefit from your sacrifice. And what we can do, those of us who survive, is to continue that commitment to our democracy.”

    Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. As a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs Committees (SVAC), Duckworth oversees the nation’s common defense, military operations, servicemember pay and retirement, military family benefits and the selective service system. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, McCormick introduce bill to address threats associated with increased cooperation between US adversaries

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and David McCormick (R-Pa.) last week introduced the Defending International Security by Restricting Unlawful Partnerships and Tactics (DISRUPT) Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill to address the increased cooperation between U.S. adversaries that threatens our nation’s interests. 

    Authoritarian regimes in China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have deepened their cooperation in recent years, including an increased transfer of weapons and munitions, sharing military technologies, launching disinformation campaigns, and coordinating joint operations that threaten the stability of the international order. Despite this looming threat, the U.S. lacks a strategic response to our adversaries increasing alignment.

    “Our adversaries are becoming friends,” said Senator Coons. “We cannot continue to sit back and watch as they gain strength before our eyes – in weapons, in their armies, in their economic power. They want to make our country less secure and our economy less prosperous. The DISRUPT Act is the first step to stopping their progress and keeping Americans safe.”

    “China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are rapidly strengthening their ties, solidifying an axis of destruction and chaos bent on undermining the United States and our allies and partners around the world,” said Senator McCormick. “Senator Coons and I are introducing this legislation to help focus the interagency’s diplomatic, economic, defense, and intelligence priorities to define and combat this emerging adversarial alliance.”

    Specifically, the DISRUPT Act of 2025 will:

    • Direct the intelligence community to report on the trajectory of adversary collaboration across diplomatic, informational, military, and economic domains and its impact on U.S. interests
    • Require the development of a whole-of-government strategy to approach this phenomenon
    • Create interagency task forces within key departments such as State, Defense, Commerce, Treasury, and the Directors of National Intelligence and of the Central Intelligence Agency to ensure a coordinated, long-term response

    The DISRUPT Act highlights the need for the U.S. to disrupt the most dangerous aspects of this adversarial cooperation, reduce its expanding footprint, and prepare for the growing likelihood of simultaneous challenges across multiple regions. The bill also reinforces America’s commitment to strategic leadership, strengthening alliances, and creating a long-term strategy to preserve our national interests. 

    Senator Coons is the Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    A one-pager on the bill is available here. 

    The text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Passes Peters’ Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ (MI) to bolster American semiconductor manufacturing. Peters’ Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would strengthen federal efforts to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains. The legislation aims to build on the CHIPS and Science Act, which Peters helped craft and pass into law to expand U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, bring home good-paying jobs, and strengthen U.S. national security. 
    “In order to remain a global economic powerhouse, we need to build on the investments we made in the CHIPS and Science Act to continue expanding our vital semiconductor industry,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “This bipartisan bill would help drive further investment in American manufacturers and supply chains to reduce our dependence on foreign competitors for these critical technologies and create more good-paying jobs in Michigan. I’m pleased the bill passed the Senate and I’ll continue working to see it enacted into law.”
    The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would direct the U.S. Department of Commerce’s SelectUSA program to collaborate with federal agencies and state economic development organizations to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains. Peters’ bill – which passed the Senate last Congress – would help to address the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor technologies that has disrupted a range of industries in recent years – including manufacturers and automakers in Michigan. Peters reintroduced the bill with U.S. Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). 
    The SelectUSA program, established in 2011, focuses on attracting job-creating business investments to the United States. This legislation would enhance SelectUSA’s role in strengthening private sector investments across the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain.
    The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would also require SelectUSA to engage with state-level economic development organizations to identify strategies and address challenges in attracting foreign direct investment for semiconductor manufacturing. The goal is to develop comprehensive strategies to increase investments in this critical sector.
    Peters has worked to address the semiconductor shortage crisis that has stymied automotive innovation in recent years and impacted consumers, workers, and industries across the country – including the Michigan auto industry. Peters secured multiple provisions in the CHIPS and Science Act that was signed into law to bolster U.S. semiconductor production, including a provision he championed with former U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) to create a $2 billion supplemental incentive fund to support the domestic production of mature semiconductor technologies and ensure that projects supporting critical manufacturing industries are given priority status, which would include the automotive sector. This is in addition to $50 billion already in the bill to incentivize the production of semiconductors of all kinds in the U.S. – for a total of $52 billion.
    The CHIPS and Science Act also included Peters’ bipartisan Investing in Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing Act, which will ensure federal incentives to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing include U.S. suppliers that produce the materials and manufacturing equipment that enable semiconductor manufacturing – bolstering semiconductors supply chains and Michigan manufacturers. Peters’ provision directly supports Michigan manufacturers like Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) in Hemlock, Michigan which was recently awarded up to $325 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding to build a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The project will allow the company to expand production of hyper-pure polysilicon needed to manufacture semiconductor chips and is expected to create 180 good-paying manufacturing jobs, as well as thousands of construction jobs, in Michigan.        

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Passes Peters, Blackburn, Scott Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 05.27.2025
    Legislation Aims to Bolster Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing, Create Good-Paying American Jobs

    WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) aimed at bolstering domestic semiconductor manufacturing. The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would strengthen federal efforts to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains.
    “In order to remain a global economic powerhouse, we need to build on the investments we made in the CHIPS and Science Act to continue expanding our vital semiconductor industry,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. “This bipartisan bill would help drive further investment in American manufacturers and supply chains to reduce our dependence on foreign competitors for these critical technologies and create more good-paying jobs in Michigan. I’m pleased the bill passed the Senate and I’ll continue working to see it enacted into law.”
    “The United States must end its dependence on Communist China for semiconductor production,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Senate’s passage of our bipartisan Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act is a win for Tennessee manufacturers who rely on semiconductors to support local and global supply chains. We need to work with local leaders to encourage domestic semiconductor production to protect our supply chain, economy, and national security. This legislation does exactly that.”
    The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would direct the U.S. Department of Commerce’s SelectUSA program to collaborate with federal agencies and state economic development organizations to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains. The bill – which previously passed in the Senate – would help to address the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor technologies that has disrupted a range of industries in recent years.
    The SelectUSA program, established in 2011, focuses on attracting job-creating business investments to the United States. This legislation would enhance SelectUSA’s role in strengthening private sector investments across the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain.
    The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act would also require SelectUSA to engage with state-level economic development organizations to identify strategies and address challenges in attracting foreign direct investment for semiconductor manufacturing. The goal is to develop comprehensive strategies to increase investments in this critical sector.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer, Smith Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Enhance Awareness of Federal Mental Health Grant Opportunities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) this week reintroduced the Achieving Thorough Transparency & Accessibility for Information Navigation (ATTAIN) on Mental Health Act. This bipartisan legislation would create a user-friendly online dashboard to assist applicants in identifying federal grants that support mental health and address substance use.
    “Every person deserves equal access to mental health care services, but many rural communities in Nebraska are still being left behind. This bipartisan legislation takes a crucial step forward by bridging this gap and bringing vital services to those who need them most,” said Fischer.
    “In Minnesota and across the country, too many people don’t have access to the mental or behavioral health care they need. This bipartisan legislation will improve access to mental health care by making it faster and easier for organizations to apply for mental health grant funding. I’ll be working to move it forward with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle so that people can get the health care they need, when they need it,” said Smith.
    Background:The ATTAIN Mental Health Act would establish an interactive, web-based dashboard for potential applicants from a variety of sectors across our communities — such as state and local educational agencies, nonprofits, faith and community-based organizations, mental health treatment facilities, municipal governments, tribal governments, and first responders. The dashboard would provide organizations with the ability to review eligibility and status information for mental health and substance use grant funding across multiple federal agencies. The legislation would task the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with developing this online tool in a collaborative interagency effort.
    The legislation has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the First Responders Foundation, At Ease USA, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
    Read the full text of the bill 
    here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Celebrates Groundbreaking for New D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette Township

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement to celebrate today’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette Township. In 2023, Peters helped secure the $57.6 million federal investment needed to begin construction of the new Michigan Veteran Homes facility:  
    “Veterans in Michigan and across our country have made incredible sacrifices to defend our democracy, our freedoms, and our American way of life. We have a moral obligation to support them when they return home and ensure they can receive the quality care they earned during their service.  
    “Today’s groundbreaking marks a new chapter for veteran care in the Upper Peninsula, helping to ensure we can continue providing the skilled nursing care our veterans deserve for decades to come. I want to thank our partners at Michigan Veteran Homes, as well as other state and local officials, who have made this new facility a reality.” 
    “This groundbreaking on the new MVH D.J. Jacobetti in Marquette Township marks the beginning of the next chapter in Michigan’s long history of caring for veterans here in the Upper Peninsula. In this new Home, veterans will receive the amazing care and quality of life they’ve received for decades at the Jacobetti, but soon in an environment that promotes the dignity and respect these veterans earned, and deserve,” said Anne Zerbe, Chief Executive Officer, Michigan Veteran Homes. “This is a generational investment in veterans of the U.P. It’s an investment and partnership between the state and federal government that represents a promise to those who’ve worn the uniform. We’re grateful for the state and federal leaders who’ve championed this cause for years – including Senator Gary Peters. That advocacy has come to a point of action. It’s a new – and incredible – era for veteran skilled nursing care in Michigan.” 
    “On behalf of all Veterans organizations, the Marquette County Veterans Alliance thanks Senator Gary Peters for his persistent and continual support for this much-needed replacement for the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans,” said Jim Provost, Chair of the Marquette County Veterans Alliance. “Having access to private rooms, up-to-date technology, and expanded facilities, along with current outstanding medical staff, administration, and support staff will be appreciated by Veterans and their families. We look forward to seeing the progress and completion of this project in the near future.”
    This project was made possible by a federal investment provided through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program, which Senator Peters has consistently championed during his time in the Senate. Peters has annually led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide robust funding for the program. Since his appointment to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, Peters has repeatedly helped secure robust funding for the program through the annual government funding laws. Peters has also continued to advocate for the program’s importance, including during a hearing with then-VA Secretary Denis McDonough in 2023.  
    State Veterans Homes are operated by state governments and partner with the VA to provide nursing home, domiciliary, and adult day care services to veterans with special medical needs, including thousands of elderly veterans. Federal funds provided by the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program allow states to make critical facility upgrades or construct new facilities to serve aging veteran populations. 
    More information on the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Welch to Join Bipartisan Senate Delegation to Canada 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will join  Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a bipartisan delegation, including Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in Ottawa, Canada for meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Minister of National Defense David McGuinty, Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly, the Business Council of Canada, and other leading Canadian companies and business groups.  
    During the trip, the Senators will underscore the deep and bipartisan support for a strong U.S.-Canada partnership among Congress and the American people. The Senators will reiterate the importance of the bilateral trading relationship, including through deeply integrated supply chains in key sectors like the automative and defense industries that benefit both sides economically and lower costs for consumers. Lastly, they will highlight America’s deep security cooperation with Canada, including through NATO and NORAD.  
    Learn more about the bipartisan delegation to Canada here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Hassan & Budd Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Cut Taxes for Small Businesses to Provide Retirement Plans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Ted Budd (R-NC) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to cut taxes for small businesses with fewer than 10 employees that create retirement accounts for their employees. The current tax credit that helps small businesses pay for the costs of starting retirement plans for employees is often insufficient for the smallest businesses, as the tax credit is provided on a per-employee basis. This legislation would ensure that small businesses with under 10 employees can receive at least a $2,500 tax credit to help pay for the costs of creating retirement accounts. 
    “Small businesses are the backbone of the Granite State economy, and they need to be able to compete with larger ones,” said Senator Hassan. “Especially as small businesses continue to face rising costs, this bipartisan legislation will provide small businesses with the tax relief that they need to be able to offer good retirement plans to their employees, helping both business owners and workers build financial security for the future. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in advancing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation that strengthens our economy and helps hardworking Americans prepare for retirement.” 
    Senator Budd said, “America’s small businesses are the foundation of our economy and at the forefront of job growth. By equipping Main Street with the means to offer retirement plans, we are not only helping to create a pathway to financial security for millions of workers, but also laying the foundation for long-term economic growth. I am proud to lead this bipartisan legislation alongside Senator Hassan as we work to ensure retirement plans are within reach for hardworking Americans.” 
    The Retirement Investment in Small Employers (RISE) Act raises the floor for the existing $250 per-employee tax credit available to small businesses to create retirement plans, ensuring that all small businesses can receive a tax credit of at least $2,500. These tax cuts will help small businesses that have fewer than 10 employees offer retirement savings options to their employees. 
    Senator Hassan has helped pass into law two bipartisan packages – the original SECURE Act and the SECURE 2.0 Act – to increase access to retirement savings options, and she and her colleagues first established the program that the RISE Act is expanding in that legislation. Provisions Senator Hassan helped secure included measures to enable more businesses to join multiple employer plans (MEPs), expand tax cuts to small businesses that provide retirement benefits to their employees, increase retirement plan flexibility for public safety officers, and improve access for military families. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Joins Colleagues to Introduce Beef Month Resolution

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced a resolution to designate May 2025 as Beef Month in America.
     “Thanks to the work of America’s cattle producers, nothing compares to our nation’s beef,” Senator Marshall said. “From gate to plate, beef plays a crucial role in our economy and our diets. As the third-largest red meat-producing state in the nation, hundreds of Kansas communities are built on the cattle industry, and I’m proud to partner with Senators Ricketts and Fischer to recognize May as National Beef Month.” 
    “Nebraska is the beef state. Last year, we led the nation with over $2 billion in beef exports. We lead the nation in commercial cattle slaughter, with 6.8 million head. We have the top three beef-producing counties in the nation,” Senator Ricketts said. “Nebraska’s ranchers feed the world. Cattle and beef production delivers billions of dollars to our economy every year. This month, we honor hard-working cattlewomen and men.”
    “Nebraska is the beef state – and we’re proud of it,”Senator Fischer said. “I want to thank Senator Ricketts for leading this resolution to officially designate May as National Beef Month and recognize the important role Nebraska’s ranchers play in raising cattle and producing high quality beef.”
    “Texas ranchers are the backbone of America’s beef supply, and their hard work is often done in dark hours and without thanks. I’m proud to join Senator Ricketts and my colleagues on a resolution to recognize May as National Beef Month,” Senator Cornyn said.
    The text of the resolution can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Statement On GAO Finding That The Trump Administration Violated The Law By Blocking Funding For Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, released the following statement on the Government Accountability Office’s conclusion that President Trump is violating the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 by illegally withholding funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program:

    “President Trump does not have the right to withhold funds that have already been approved by Congress. This decision affirms that fact. Congress approved the NEVI program with strong bipartisan support when we passed it as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Every state, including New York, is guaranteed this funding. Secretary Duffy must obey the law and release the NEVI funding immediately.”

    The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $5 billion in funding from fiscal year 2022 through 2026 for NEVI. The program provides funding to states to strategically create an electric vehicle (EV) charging network, which is critical to meeting new demand from American consumers. A 2024 study projected the U.S. would need 182,000 direct current fast chargers to accommodate the growing EV market—nearly triple the current capacity of just over 55,000. But Secretary Duffy issued a memorandum on February 6, 2025 blocking all new obligations of funding for the program—preventing states from using funds provided by Congress and forcing them to pause or cancel thousands of EV charging projects across America.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Improve Seniors’ Access to Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Legislation Would Improve Access To Care For Many Of The Over Two Million New Yorkers Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plans

    U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined a bipartisan group of senators in reintroducing the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, zero-cost legislation to improve access to care for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The bill focuses on streamlining the often cumbersome and time-consuming prior authorization process, allowing health care providers to spend more time on patient care rather than administrative burdens.

    This legislation would help physicians better serve and improve care for the 32.8 million Americans – including the over two million New Yorkers– enrolled in an MA plan.

    “Senior citizens have spent their entire lives contributing to our communities, and they deserve every resource to support their health and well-being,” said Senator Gillibrand.“The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act will help cut through unnecessary red tape and ensure timely medical care is accessible to older Americans. Seniors should have reliable access to specialist care, mental health support, preventative services, and the treatments they need to live with dignity. I am proud to support this important legislation, and I pledge to continue fighting to expand access to quality, affordable, and timely health care for our seniors.” 

    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:

    1. Establish an electronic prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage plans, including a standardization for transactions and clinical attachments.
    2. Increase transparency around Medicare Advantage prior authorization requirements and their use.
    3. 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.
    4. Expand beneficiary protections to improve enrollee experiences and outcomes.
    5. Require HHS and other agencies to report to Congress on program integrity efforts and other ways to further improve the e-prior authorization process.
    6. 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.
    7. Result in zero cost to American taxpayers.

    In addition to Senator Gillibrand, this legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), 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), John Cornyn (R-TX), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), 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).

    Companion legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA-13), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), and Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA-06).

    This legislation is endorsed by 140 health care organizations.

    The full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Senate Colleagues Introduce Amendment to GENIUS Act to Prevent Trump Corruption

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    May 23, 2025

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in releasing the following statement on the introduction of their anti-corruption amendment to the GENIUS Act:
    “Elected officials have a responsibility to serve the American people—not line their own pockets. To crack down on the blatant corruption of the President and his family, our amendment prohibits the President, Vice President, and senior government officials from directly or indirectly profiting from a stablecoin venture while in office. The GENIUS Act should not pass the Senate without this fix. Otherwise, we leave the door open to selling access to the United States government to the highest bidder.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

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

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) introduced the bipartisan Access Technology Affordability Act to create a refundable tax credit to help blind Americans afford the technology and tools that can enhance their ability to perform daily, necessary functions.
    According to the American Community Survey, 64 percent of blind Americans in 2022 were unemployed or underemployed, in part due to the expenses surrounding access technology that are often not covered by medical insurance. The Access Technology Affordability Act would create a tax credit to offset the cost of “qualified access technology,” which includes hardware, software and other information technology with the primary function of adapting information represented in visual formats unusable by blind Americans.
    “As an optometrist, I know first hand how vital these tools are to the blind and visually impaired community – especially in an increasingly technical world,” said Boozman. “Providing financial support that helps put access technologies in their hands is a strong step forward in ensuring blind Americans can utilize them to not only secure gainful employment, but also live fulfilling, active lives.”
    “Obtaining necessary technology is a life-changing opportunity for blind and visually impaired Americans – but high costs often stand in the way,” said Luján. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to make this essential technology more affordable and accessible. By removing financial barriers, we can ensure more Americans have a fair shot at education, employment, and staying connected.”
    The Access Technology Affordability Act has been endorsed by the National Federation of the Blind.
    “Blind Americans want to work among our non-blind peers. The Access Technology Affordability Act will provide more people access to the technology needed to compete equally in the workforce and it will shrink the staggeringly high ratio of the blind community who are not working or underemployed, which is currently 65 percent of our working-age population,” said President of the National Federation of the Blind Mark A. Riccobono.
    The bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hear from the Health Experts About the Human Harm of HHS’ Mass Terminations 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) this week held a two-day spotlight forum, entitled “Trump’s Destruction of HHS: Mass Firings, Reorganization, and the Human Harm Caused.”  The forum examined the human harm caused by the Trump Administration’s sweeping reorganization and mass terminations at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  
    Watch the forums on Senator Welch’s YouTube. 
    Tuesday’s forum featured testimony from Dr. Robert Califf, the former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Dr. Meg Sullivan, the former Acting Secretary for Administration for Children and Families (ACF); Ms. Chiquita Brooks La-Sure, the former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and Ms. Carole Johnson, the former Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  
    Wednesday’s forum featured Dr. Anne Schuchat, the former Principal Deputy Director, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Ms. Trina Dutta, the former Chief of Staff, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Dr. Sean Bruna, the former Senior Advisor, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); Professor Alison Barkoff, the former Administrator for Administration for Community Living (ACL); and Dr. Jeremy Berg – former Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH.  
    Watch the livestreams of the hearings below, and hear directly from the health experts: 
    “The multiple rounds of firings that have occurred have had a significant impact on both the physical ability of the FDA to do its work and the morale of the organization…It’s hard for me to imagine a more effective approach to demoralizing a workforce. The bottom line is that the firings have left the FDA with not enough people to do the work, and we lost so many of the most experienced people that making the most complex judgements needed in the day-to-day work of the agency and multiple-regulated industries,” said Dr. Robert Califf, Former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (FDA). “These issues are leading to, first: many of aspects of the industry looking to go overseas to develop their products. And perhaps, most importantly—China is now emboldened to overtake the United States in the infrastructure needed for this vital part of our public health and the economy,” 
    “Gutting the staff that administer ACF programs will make children, families, and communities suffer. In addition, when the programs are cut or disappear, everyone feels the impact and longer wait lists, fewer providers, and local organizations stretched to the breaking point,” said Dr. Meg Sullivan, Former Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “ACF programs, including those not mentioned just now, support the services communities rely on in every corner of America. They can be the difference for your child care center staying open, your local diaper bank having supplies, meal delivery for older adults, or for a child remaining safely at home. We should be investing in our children and families, but firing child well-being experts at ACF and proposing senseless cuts will unquestionably cause them harm.” 
    “The current proposals drown both Medicaid and ACA Marketplace in excessive red tape that will hurt everyone—including seniors, mothers, children, those with disabilities, and it will cause more uncertainty, more churn, and more people delaying lifesaving treatments,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “The proposals in the House Reconciliation bill that target both Medicaid and the Marketplace seek to undermine the very progress that the Affordable Care Act sought to achieve in making our health care system more affordable and accessible to everyone regardless of their income or health care needs. The bill aims to increase friction in the health care system for enrollees and does so at the same time that many of the staff, who could help reduce this friction, were fired. These changes not only hurt the millions of people that rely on those programs, but our providers and, in fact, our entire health care system.” 
    “Rather than strengthen this essential safety net, the Administration is prioritizing dismantling it. The Administration has already slashed health center program staffing, put the widely acclaimed pediatrician who oversaw maternal and child health programs on leave, fired the transplant surgeon recruited to help reform the nation’s transplant system, and eliminated entire offices that are essential to any organization — like HR and communications,” said Carole Johnson, Former Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). “If the current Administration follows through on its plans, HRSA will cease to exist and the families and communities in your states that most depend on this help will lose it just as the majority looks to make it harder for them to get and keep Medicaid coverage. The safety net may never have been more fragile than it is at this moment.” 
    “The cuts are dangerous for the American public. You, your families and communities are less safe. If you are pregnant, your risk of dying after you deliver will be higher because the Perinatal Quality Collaborative was cut and the pregnancy risk factor assessment monitoring system, or PRAMS was also eliminated. If you have a toddler, they’ll have a higher chance of losing IQ points to lead poisoning because CDC’s lead poisoning program was canceled. Last year, more than 500 children were affected by lead contamination of cinnamon flavored applesauce and CDC led the response. Next year there will be no one to call,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, Former Principal Deputy Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
    “Proposed cuts of more than $1 billion threaten to stymie progress just as we’re seeing real, measurable results. Such cuts to SAMHSA’s discretionary grant portfolio will impact on-the-ground programs that serve millions of Americans. SAMHSA’s discretionary grants serve as a powerful innovation engine, which have allowed the government to scale up interventions like coordinated specialty care for first episode psychosis, peer support services, and crisis care. Cuts to programs like those that support pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorder, that foster mental health awareness training, and that promote the wellness of young children, would force states to use their block grant dollars to pick up the slack. And at a time when looming Medicaid cuts will put even more pressure on those block grants, communities will be left in a precarious position as they address their mental health and substance use disorder needs,” said Trina Dutta, Former Chief of Staff of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 
    “Dismantling AHRQ will have nationwide consequences. It weakens evidence-based care. It hinders health care from addressing emerging threats and dismantles grant programs that support current research and the training of future researchers. It eliminates mandatory funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund, requiring an Affordable Care Act amendment, and strips vital tools from state and local health systems working to improve care. In short, the two applied science strands that facilitate medical progress and aid in implementing scientific innovations in our healthcare systems would be lost,” said Dr. Sean Bruna, Former Senior Advisor to the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  
    “Dismantling the Administration for Community Living and cutting its programs will devastate the tens of millions of older adults and disabled people who rely on them to stay in their own homes and communities,” said Alison Barkoff, a George Washington University professor who led ACL during the Biden Administration. “Cuts to ACL’s programs will force people into institutions like nursing homes, taking away their independence and increasing costs to programs like Medicaid and Medicare.”       
     “I can summarize the consequences of these terminations in one word: delay…Termination of grants management specialists may make it even harder and will affect all aspects of the NIH mission. The most time-sensitive component of NIH are clinical trials…A delay of a month or two might not seem like a lot, but many of the patients in these trials don’t have many months left. These treatments represent a chance for a strong, favorable outcome for individual patients and an opportunity for researchers to learn how to make these treatments work better in the future. I honestly cannot imagine how frustrating it must be for these patients and their loved ones,” said Dr. Jeremy Berg, Former Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at NIH. “The number of research subjects and patients at the clinical center is down apparently by 30% or more. This prevents patients from receiving care, slows research, and is a colossal waste of resources for the world’s greatest research hospital. That this is all being done in the name of ‘efficiency’ would make George Orwell blush.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Trump Administration Plans to Drop Criminal Charges Against Boeing, Warren and Blumenthal Call for Accountability of Boeing Executives

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 23, 2025
    “Any deal between DOJ and Boeing that would allow the company and its executives to avoid accountability would be a serious mistake”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, calling on the Department of Justice to hold Boeing and any responsible executives accountable for their role in the 2018 Lion Air and the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crashes, which killed a total of 346 passengers. Boeing had previously agreed to plead guilty to criminal fraud in connection to the plane crashes, but recent reporting suggests the company is backtracking on its agreement in an attempt to receive more lenient treatment under the Trump administration. Now, DOJ appears to be preparing to drop the pending criminal charge against Boeing, signing a non-prosecution agreement..
    “We urge you not to sign a non-prosecution agreement with Boeing, and to instead hold the company, and its executives, to account for the consequences of their actions,” wrote the senators. 
    In both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control software installed on the aircraft, was found to have unexpectedly and forcefully pushed the aircraft’s nose down preceding the crashes. Boeing has admitted to criminally conspiring to defraud the federal government about MCAS in the course of the 737 MAX’s certification.
    Even as Boeing executives have promised to improve safety at Boeing, serious safety problems have persisted at the company. Last year, a door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 MAX. A preliminary report indicates that the aircraft was delivered from Boeing’s factory without the key bolts that hold the door plug in place. Following the incident, an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of Boeing’s 737 MAX production line found “systemic” safety issues including failures in 33 of the 89 safety tests it conducted.
    “The series of safety incidents and warnings from whistleblowers and regulators all point to one troubling conclusion—that manufacturing errors and defects in Boeing aircraft are not one-offs. They appear to be a product of its broken safety culture across multiple manufacturing sites—an atmosphere that prioritizes speed of production and short-term profit over quality and safety,” wrote the senators. 
    Even as these safety issues persist, Boeing executives have continued to squeeze profits out of the company to pay for their exorbitant salaries. Since the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes that resulted in the deaths of 346 people, Boeing executives have received over $377 million in pay and bonuses. Just days before DOJ told the court that it is considering a non-prosecution agreement, Boeing’s CEO appeared in Qatar with President Trump to announce that Qatar Airways had placed an order for 160 Boeing jets.
    “Senior Boeing executives have consistently failed to take responsibility or face meaningful repercussions for wrongdoing, and the agreement that is reportedly under discussion would increase the odds that they are ever forced to do so…Any deal between DOJ and Boeing that would allow the company and its executives to avoid accountability would be a serious mistake,” said the senators. 
    The lawmakers demanded that the DOJ not sign the non-prosecution agreement and instead ensure that both the company and its executives are held accountable if they are found to have violated federal laws or regulations. 
    Senator Warren has led calls to hold Boeing accountable for its safety failures, and has pushed for greater corporate and executive accountability: 
    In October 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, urging the Department of Justice to investigate Boeing executives following years of promoting short-term profit over passenger safety.
    In October 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, calling on the DOJ to immediately reverse its newly unveiled “safe harbor” policy that would provide a get-out-of-jail-free card for mergers involving corporate white-collar criminals.
    In August 2022, Senators Warren and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Attorney General Garland and Deputy Attorney General Monaco urging DOJ to use its authority to ban corporations that commit misconduct from government contracting.
    In May 2019, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) released a new report: Rigged Justice 2.0: Government of the Billionaires, by the Billionaires, and for the Billionaires. The report is the second in a series on the failure of the federal government to hold corporate and white-collar criminals accountable and highlights how enforcement hit a 20-year low under the Trump administration.
    In April 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration Dan Ewell urging them to enact strong ethics policies to ensure that the Special Committee tasked with reviewing the FAA’s Aircraft certification process is free from all conflicts of interest and undue insider influence.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Presses Social Security Head on Broken Staffing Promises

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 23, 2025
    Sen. Warren secured commitment under oath from SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano to maintain sufficient staffing levels to avoid service, benefit disruptions
    Recent reporting revealed SSA unable to get recipients on time due to inadequate staffing levels
    “I asked you during your nomination hearing to commit to keeping enough SSA staff to ensure that Americans get their Social Security checks, and that they get them on time. You made this commitment, and I promised I would hold you to it.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano, pressing him on his broken promises to keep Social Security staffing levels to adequately serve Americans. During Bisignano’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Warren secured a commitment from him to maintain sufficient staffing levels such that Americans’ Social Security services and benefits are not disrupted. New reporting indicates that — just two weeks into the job — Bisignano is failing to uphold his promise.
    “Commissioner, you ‘commit(ed) to have the right staffing to get the job done,’ but it is already becoming clear that current staffing levels are not, in fact, getting the job done. Staff shortages mean longer waits, more mistakes, and more instances in which hard-working Americans wait for weeks or months to get the benefits to which they are entitled. As a practical matter, this is a benefits cut,” wrote Senator Warren.
    Since the start of his administration, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE have worked to dismantle the Social Security Administration — including closing offices, reducing phone services, and making website changes that have led to recurring service outages. In February, SSA announced plans to cut roughly 7,000 employees — nearly 12% of SSA’s total workforce. Other reports indicate that SSA considered cutting up to 50% of staff.
    “In light of these developments, I asked you during your nomination hearing to commit to keeping enough SSA staff to ensure that Americans get their Social Security checks, and that they get them on time. You made this commitment, and I promised I would hold you to it,” wrote Senator Warren.
    Just two weeks into Bisignano’s tenure as head of Social Security, SSA has a massive backlog of benefit claims. A recent email from SSA leadership to all operations department employees noted that there are nearly 575,000 pending claims, with a growing backlog. Roughly 140,000 of those claims are over 60 days old, and recently obtained internal documents reported that DOGE had slowed benefit claim processing by 25%. SSA leadership directed employees tasked with reviewing these claims — already overworked as a result of DOGE’s mass firings — to “sprint” to increase their pace by 10%.
    “SSA is already struggling to get Americans their benefits, and I am concerned that these staffing cuts are just the beginning,” wrote Senator Warren. “Just a few weeks ago, then-Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek instructed staff to remove civil service protections for thousands of frontline SSA employees, laying the groundwork for further layoffs and staffing cuts. This includes employees who review benefit claims—the same ones who have since been asked to “sprint” to make up for staffing shortages.”
    In a recent unscripted speech to SSA staffers, Bisignano entertained further layoffs: “If I wake up and find out we can do all our work with 20,000 people — which I can’t see that right now — we’ll be 20,000…”.
    Senator Warren led the launch of Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, 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 –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine: Under GOP Tax Plan, Virginia Children will Go Hungry to Pay for Tax Cuts for Billionaires

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Republicans in Congress continue to push forward on a partisan tax plan that cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by more than 20 percent, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (D-VA) issued the following statement condemning GOP efforts to make drastic cuts to a vital nutrition lifeline in order to pay for tax cuts for the richest Americans:
    “Gutting nutrition assistance in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires is both morally wrong and economically shortsighted. At a time when families are grappling with the rising cost of living, Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ rips food off the tables of working parents, children, seniors, and veterans. In Virginia alone, more than 200,000 people, including many children, could go hungry if President Trump and Republicans ram this partisan proposal through Congress. We strongly urge our Republican colleagues in the Senate to reject this cruel legislation and stand with the American families who will bear the brunt of its consequences.”
    Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to approve Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in the dawn hours of Thursday morning, and the Senate is expected to take up the bill for consideration after the Memorial Day state work period. Warner and Kaine have been sounding the alarm about the effects of the GOP plan on Virginia if Republicans in Congress continue to insist on gutting vital programs in order to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans, noting that the GOP bill would strip health insurance from more than 262,000 Virginians, raise energy costs for Virginia households, jeopardize more than 20,000 Virginia jobs, and raise taxes on minimum wage workers while giving the richest 0.1% a $188,000 tax cut.
    Nationwide, the harsh cuts in the House-passed bill would take food assistance away from nearly 11 million people – about 1 in 4 SNAP participants – including more than 4 million children and more than half a million adults aged 65 or older and adults with disabilities nationwide. In Virginia, at least 204,000 people – including children – are in danger of losing some SNAP benefits under the Republican proposal, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
    Additionally, the bill includes a cost-share proposal that would shift tens of billions in SNAP costs onto states – creating an unfunded mandate that would almost certainly require states to cut benefits and eligibility. Under that proposal, Virginia would be expected to come up with as much as $439 million in state funds in order to fill the hole or be forced to make further cuts to food benefits by 2028, according to CBPP.
    In 2024, 827,800 Virginia residents received assistance from SNAP, with an average benefit of $5.83 per day. More than 2/3 of SNAP participants in Virginia are in families with children, and SNAP benefits help keep them fed when their families would otherwise struggle to put food on the table.
    Beyond the immediate impact cuts will have on SNAP recipients, cuts to SNAP benefits will also create downstream economic harms. The National Grocers Association, which represents America’s independent grocers, recently released a report that found SNAP funding supports approximately 16,173 Virginia jobs and $546,478,800 in direct wages, creating $470,672,400 in direct tax revenue for Virginia. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that in a weak economy, $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.50 in economic activity. Households receive SNAP benefits on electronic benefit transfer cards, which can be used only to purchase food at one of about 6,400 authorized retail locations in Virginia.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, Shaheen Urge Education Secretary to Immediately Release TRIO Upward Bound Grants to Current Recipients

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Published: May 23, 2025

    Bipartisan push follows reports that Upward Bound programs have yet to receive funding due for the coming program year

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon yesterday urging the Department of Education to immediately release TRIO Upward Bound grants—which fund programs preparing high school students of disadvantaged backgrounds for attending college—to current grant recipients. The Senators’ request comes following reports that Upward Bound programs have yet to receive the funding they’ve been promised for the coming program year. 
    “Given that current recipients of Upward Bound grants were already successfully awarded their five-year grants from the Department of Education in 2022, Upward Bound programs should have the assurance that they will receive this funding for the fourth year of their grants,” the Senators wrote. “This delay in grant distribution, as well as a lack of information or guidance from the agency, is causing extreme uncertainty for Upward Bound programs across the country.” 
    “For nearly 60 years, Upward Bound programs have given generations of students the support they need to help succeed in higher education and beyond,” they continued. “The current delay in funding distribution is creating an unnecessary and existential crisis for these critical programs and the students they serve.” 
    “We urge you to immediately provide Upward Bound programs with the federal funding they’ve been promised,” the Senators concluded.
    The complete text of the letter can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Cut Red Tape in the Livestock Feed Sector

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is introducing bipartisan legislation to increase the efficiency and efficacy of livestock feed — leading to higher produce yields and harvests. Under current law, farmers and ranchers do not have access to the most up-to-date additives to help improve the quality and quantity of their meat and dairy products. The Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (FEED) Act would help cut bureaucratic red tape at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to spur innovation in the livestock feed sector and equip farmers with the supplies they need.
    “Everyone benefits when healthy livestock produce safe, high-quality meat and dairy products — and that begins with how they eat,” said Senator King. “Unfortunately, manufacturers of supplemental additives to livestock feed face needless, burdensome hurdles and bureaucratic red tape which prevents farmers and ranchers from getting their hands on new, innovative products. The bipartisan Innovative FEED Act will expedite the period between the early stages of development and regulatory approval — creating a level playing ground for the agricultural industry and ensuring healthier, sustainable options for consumers.”
    The Innovative FEED Act would:
    Amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act establishing a new category in the animal food additive petition process to cover ingredients that address animal health, food safety, or environmental benefits in an animal’s diet.
    Help American livestock producers cut regulatory red tape while adding value to their products and remaining competitive on a global scale.
    Ensures farmers are rewarded for participating in voluntary, producer-led sustainability efforts, and market their products to companies and nations that have set climate reduction goals.
    Modernize the approval process by establishing a new pathway for manufacturers to receive approval for feed additives that improve efficiency in meat and dairy production while also reducing byproducts.
    Establish strict guardrails to ensure only qualifying products are eligible for this pathway while also ensuring products are safe to use. 
    In addition to Senator King, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
    The full text of the legislation can be found here.
    Senator King is a staunch advocate for the Maine agriculture industry. This session of Congress, Senator King cosponsored the Honor Farmer Contracts Act which released withheld federal funding and allocated it back to farmers as Congress had intended. He is an original sponsor of the bipartisan Dairy PRIDE Act which combats the mislabeling of non-dairy products and requires accurate labeling of dairy and non-dairy products as mislabeling is harmful to dairy farmers selling their products in a crowded marketplace. Senator King also cosponsored the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to give milk producers a greater voice in dairy pricing. Additionally, Senator King is an annual cosponsor of the federal ‘National Dairy Month’ resolution.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Introduces Bill to Help Secure Border with New Technology

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act to strengthen U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ability to combat human and drug trafficking at the southern border using new, innovative technology. The bill makes Innovation Teams—the division within CBP created in 2018 to implement new technologies—permanent.
    “President Trump secured the southern border in his first 30 days. Let’s secure the border forever by using new technology,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Let’s stop fentanyl from flowing into our country.”
    Investments in border security technology will strengthen CBP’s detection and response time to cases of trafficking and illicit border crossings in remote areas.
    The Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act will:
    Authorize the CBP Commissioner to maintain one or more CBP Innovation Teams to research and adapt commercial technologies to assist in border security operations and urgent mission needs;
    Require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit a plan to Congress that assesses the performance parameters and security impacts of potential technologies, as well as the deactivation of former CBP technology;
    Require CBP Innovation Teams to make standard operating procedures; and
    Require DHS to submit information to Congress that describes CBP Innovation Team activities and operating procedures.
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) in introducing the bill. A similar version of this legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Morgan Luttrell (R-TX-08) and Lou Correa (D-CA-46).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Details Bipartisan Solution to Supercharge American Manufacturing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    Published: May 21, 2025
    WASHINGTON – During a Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing featuring Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) highlighted her bipartisan solution to continue the great American manufacturing resurgence happening under the Trump administration.
    Ernst went on to thank Loeffler for restoring fiscal sanity to the SBA’s flagship 7(a) loan program and ending the era of sloppy underwriting.
    Click here to watch Chair Ernst’s remarks.
    Loeffler praised Ernst’s Made in America Manufacturing Finance Act as a key bipartisan solution that will “supercharge the return of American manufacturing.” Ernst described how doubling the size of crucial manufacturing loans will give small businesses the fuel they need to grow and bring jobs back.
    She then applauded the hard work of Loeffler in righting the ship within the 7(a) loan program after a series of reckless changes by the Biden administration resulted in rising defaults, threatening to force taxpayers to foot the bill.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Applauds Trump’s Approval of Multiple Disaster Declarations For Missouri

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Friday, May 23, 2025

    U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R.-Mo.) announced that President Donald Trump has approved two major disaster declarations for Missouri to unlock federal aid. These disaster declarations will provide much-needed assistance for recovery and rebuilding from storms in March and early April.
    President Trump’s approval comes after Senator Hawley’s Wednesday conversation with the President concerning Missouri disaster assistance.

    Following our discussion Wednesday, President Trump has approved multiple disaster declarations for Missouri
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 23, 2025
    Senator Hawley has also called for federal assistance for last week’s storms in Eastern Missouri and spent Monday touring the tornado damage.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Ricketts Celebrates National Beef Month

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) celebrated Beef Month in America during his weekly press call. Ricketts highlighted his work supporting ranchers and producers. He spoke with members of Nebraska press about National Beef Month:
    “Nebraska’s ranchers feed the world,” said Ricketts. “This month, we honor hard-working cattlemen and women that promote this great industry. Overall, agriculture accounts for $31.6 billion of cash receipts for Nebraska’s economy. Our livestock bring in $18 billion in cash receipts, that’s 7.2% of the U.S.’s total. Nebraska beef production is key to our state’s success.” 
    Watch the video here.
    TRANSCRIPT
    Senator Ricketts: “Thank you for joining our press call today.   
    “Nebraska is the Beef State.  
    “In May, we celebrate National Beef Month. 
    “Agriculture is the heart and soul of our state, and beef is a cornerstone.  
    “Nebraska’s ranchers feed the world.  
    “This month, we honor the hard-working cattlemen and women that promote this great industry.
    “Overall, agriculture accounts for $31.6 billion of cash receipts for Nebraska’s economy.  
    “Our livestock bring in $18 billion in cash receipts, that’s 7.2% of the U.S.’s total.  
    “Nebraska beef production is key to our state’s success.  
    “Last year, we led the nation with over $2 billion in beef exports.  
    “Nebraska also led the nation in commercial cattle slaughter, with 6.8 million head.  
    “We have the top three beef-producing counties in the nation in Cherry, Custer, and Holt Counties.  
    “Much of the land used for livestock production couldn’t be used for anything else.  
    “Agricultural land is divided into two categories: arable land and marginal land. 
    “Arable land, which represents one-third of agricultural land, can be plowed.  
    “That means it’s suitable for growing food.  
    “Marginal land, representing two-thirds of agricultural land, is not suitable for growing food.  
    “Marginal land receives little or no water, has lower quality soils, or is rocky.   
    “Cattle production keeps marginal lands thriving.  
    “Beef production is critical to our state economy and our nation.  
    “Food security is national security.   
    “When I was Governor, I led trade missions to Japan and Vietnam to promote Nebraska beef.  
    “On those trips, I traveled with Nebraska cattle producers and discussed the challenges they faced.  
    “At that time, cow-calf operators shared concerns about market prices.  
    “I told them the answer was premium, diversified trade markets.  
    “Under Joe Biden, the U.S. had an agricultural trade deficit of $32 billion dollars last year.  
    “But with President Trump’s recent trade negotiations, our way of life looks to be growing stronger.  
    “The May 8th trade deal announcement with the U.K. creates $5 billion for new exports of U.S. products.  
    “That includes more than $700 million in ethanol exports and $250 million in other agricultural products like beef.  
    “The U.K. also increased their tariff-free quotas on beef from 1,000 metric tons to 13,000 metric tons.  
    “Meanwhile, the E.U. only imported 13,438 metric tons of beef in 2022, despite a total population over six times as large as the U.K.  
    “I would like to see the final deal more favorable for Nebraska ranchers, with an end to the ban on hormone-treated beef. 
    “But, alongside the other negotiations, the President’s trade strategy is already delivering wins for Nebraska beef.  
    “I’m fighting to ensure our ranchers have what they need to be successful.  
    “I support expanded funding in the farm bill to double trade-promotion. 
    “And I recently led a bicameral letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency, pushing back on radical environmentalists’ anti-ag agenda.  
    “We warned against their agenda advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health.  
    “We should be encouraging more beef consumption, not less. 
    “In addition to being tasty, beef is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat.
    “One 6-ounce cooked serving of beef provides 25 grams of protein.  
    “Beef contains ten essential nutrients including iron, zinc, and B vitamins.  
    “It takes more calories of plant protein to equate to similar levels of protein from beef.  
    “And research has linked beef protein to a host of positive health outcomes such as weight loss, muscle retention, and diet satisfaction.  
    “Nebraska ranchers and farmers are the original conservationists. 
    “They understand the science and they know what’s good for the land, animals, and consumers. 
    “They want to preserve the land and animals for the next generation.  
    “But Nebraska beef is not just healthy.  
    “It is our culture and way of life.  
    “This month, and every month, we celebrate our state’s beef industry. 
    “Happy National Beef Month, Nebraska!­­”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine Push ICE to Require Agents Identify Themselves, Limit Use of Masks and Face Coverings During Enforcement Operations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine are pressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to follow U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations requiring law enforcement to properly identify themselves and limit use of face coverings during official operations. This letter comes following repeated instances of unidentified ICE agents making arrests across the country, including in Virginia, causing panic and danger during arrests. 
    “Across the country and in Virginia, masked ICE officers and agents without clearly visible identification as law enforcement have been arresting individuals on the streets and in sensitive locations, such as courthouses. Such actions put everyone at risk – the targeted individuals, the ICE officers and agents, and bystanders who may misunderstand what is happening and may attempt to intervene,” wrote the senators.
    The senators highlighted that the current alarming trend of ICE agents carrying out arrests while obscuring their faces and failing to identify themselves has increased risk to both officers and the general public alike.
    They continued, “The failure of ICE officers and agents to promptly and clearly identify who they are and the authority under which they are acting has led witnesses of immigration enforcement operations to justifiably question the law enforcement status, authority, and constitutionality of ICE officers and agents and their operations. Such actions compromise the safety of law enforcement officers and agents conducting the operation, the individual(s) being apprehended, bystanders, and other law enforcement who may be called to the scene to respond to a suspected crime.”
    As part of their letter, the senators are requesting DHS and ICE provide policies, guidance, memoranda, legal advice, training materials, and all other relevant documents produced by ICE and DHS that discuss when and how to use face coverings, organizational clothing, or reveal officer and agent identities during immigration enforcement operations.
    Earlier this year, Sen. Warner questioned DHS and ICE regarding their enforcement practices, specifically highlighting a March 5th incident where a U.S. citizen and Virginia resident was stopped and interrogated by ICE. Sens. Warner and Kaine also demanded answers from DHS regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally under protected status in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration.
    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.
    Dear Secretary Noem, Mr. Homan, Acting Director Lyons, and Director Hott:
    We are steadfast in our desire to protect the safety of law enforcement and uphold public safety for every person, regardless of their immigration status, when interacting with law enforcement. The two are inexorably interconnected. The public and law enforcement must both be safe during immigration enforcement actions.
    Accordingly, we write to you today regarding ICE’s recent immigration enforcement operations that have taken an alarming and dangerous turn. Across the country and in Virginia, masked ICE officers and agents without clearly visible identification as law enforcement have been arresting individuals on the streets and in sensitive locations, such as courthouses.   Such actions put everyone at risk – the targeted individuals, the ICE officers and agents, and bystanders who may misunderstand what is happening and may attempt to intervene.  
    We urge you to direct ICE officers and agents to promptly and clearly identify themselves as law enforcement officers conducting law enforcement actions when arresting subjects, and limit the use of face coverings during arrests and other enforcement actions to avoid intimidation and reduce safety risks to the public.
    The American public encounters federal, state, local, territorial, campus, and other law enforcement regularly. In the overwhelming majority of these law enforcement encounters, law enforcement officers reveal their faces and identities while in the commission of their duties. There are likely associated risks to doing so, yet the trooper pulling over a driver at night or the officer standing watch at the courthouse as suspected criminals enter manage those risks to their own and the public’s safety in a transparent and accountable fashion.
    The Department of Homeland Security’s regulations provide that, at the time of an arrest, immigration officers must identify themselves if it is practical and safe to do so, and inform the individual of the reason for the arrest.  Additionally, under DHS policy, following a warrantless arrest, ICE officers must submit a write-up documenting the facts and circumstances surrounding the arrest, including a statement of how “at the time of arrest, the immigration officer [did], as soon as it [was] practical and safe to do so, identif[ied] himself or herself as an immigration officer who is authorized to execute an arrest; and state[d] that the person is under arrest and the reason for the arrest.” 
    Under the Trump administration, there has been an increase in reported instances of ICE officers and agents apprehending individuals while concealing their faces with masks, balaclavas, or other face coverings, often without clearly displaying their law enforcement credentials through identification, organizational uniform, or insignia.  Historically, the use of face coverings by ICE had been reserved for undercover or sensitive operations, but press reports and public videos indicate that ICE officers and agents have broadened this practice to the arrests of nonviolent individuals without a prior criminal history.  Anecdotally, the increased use of face coverings has been described as a means to conceal ICE officer and agent identities to avoid identification and accountability, particularly as the public has taken to filming immigration enforcement encounters. 
    The International Association of Chiefs of Police warns that, “members of the general public may be intimidated or fearful of officers wearing a face covering, which may heighten their defensive reactions.”  The failure of ICE officers and agents to promptly and clearly identify who they are and the authority under which they are acting has led witnesses of immigration enforcement operations to justifiably question the law enforcement status, authority, and constitutionality of ICE officers and agents and their operations.  Such actions compromise the safety of law enforcement officers and agents conducting the operation, the individual(s) being apprehended, bystanders, and other law enforcement who may be called to the scene to respond to a suspected crime. We remain deeply concerned that ICE’s lack of transparency will lead the public to intercede in enforcement efforts, escalating an already tense interaction, and risking an entirely avoidable violent situation. 
    Increased use of face coverings and lack of prompt and clear identification by ICE officers and agents in public is also having unintended consequences. Criminals are taking advantage of ICE’s anonymity and impersonating law enforcement officers and ICE agents.   Recently, this resulted in several criminal acts including harassment, theft, extortion, assault, battery, sexual assault, and kidnapping.  The uptick in ICE officers and agents concealing their identities and ICE affiliation blurs the public’s understanding of what ICE officers and agents look like and do while lawfully conducting their mission.  Bad actors have and will continue to take advantage of ICE’s lack of transparency to perpetrate crimes on the most vulnerable in our society.
    We strongly urge you to take swift action to ensure the safety of the public and your officers and agents during the performance of their duties by reducing unnecessary intimidation tactics that escalate defensive reactions.  Additionally, we ask you to provide us with copies of any policies, guidance, memoranda, legal advice, training materials, and all other relevant documents produced by ICE and DHS that discuss when and how to use face coverings, organizational clothing, or reveal officer and agent identities during immigration enforcement operations by June 6, 2025.
    Sincerely,
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Lankford Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Federal Cybersecurity Measures, Implement Mandatory Vulnerability Disclosure Policies

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and James Lankford (R-OK), a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, have introduced the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2025, legislation to strengthen federal cybersecurity by ensuring that federal contractors adhere to guidelines set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
    Vulnerability Disclosure Policies (VDP) provide a way for organizations to receive unsolicited reports of vulnerabilities within their software so that they can be patched before an attack takes place. Receiving reports on suspected security vulnerabilities in information systems is one of the best ways for developers and services to become aware of issues. Currently, civilian federal agencies are required to have VDPs, however there is no requirement for federal contractors – civilian or defense – to have VDPs for the information systems used in the fulfillment of their contracts. This legislation would require the implementation of VDPs among federal contractors and formalize actions to accept, assess, and manage vulnerability disclosure reports in order to help reduce known security vulnerabilities among federal contractors.
    “Vulnerability Disclosure Policies are crucial tools to help ensure that the federal government is operating using safe cybersecurity practices. This legislation will ensure that companies doing business with the federal government are held to the same standards, better securing the entire supply chain and protecting our national security,” Sen. Warner said.
    “Federal agencies and contractors must be quickly made aware of cyber vulnerabilities, so they can resolve them. By strengthening cybersecurity efforts, contractors and agencies can keep their focus on serving the American people and keep data and systems safe from cybercrimes and hacking,” Sen. Lankford said.
    Specifically, the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act would:
    Require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to ensure federal contractors implement a vulnerability disclosure policy consistent with what is already required by federal agencies;
    Require the Secretary of Defense to oversee updates to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) contract requirements to ensure defense contractors implement the same.
    Sens. Warner and Lankford originally introduced this bipartisan legislation last year. As a leader in the cybersecurity realm, Sen. Warner has led numerous legislative efforts to protect the economic prosperity, national security, and democratic institutions of the United States, Sen. Warner cofounded the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus in 2016.  A year later, in 2017, he authored the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act. This legislation, signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2020, requires that any IoT device purchased with federal funds meet minimum security standards. As Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Warner also co-authored legislation that was subsequently signed into law that requires companies responsible for U.S. critical infrastructure report cybersecurity incidents to the government.
    “Palo Alto Networks applauds Senator Warner’s continued efforts to promote federal cyber resilience through the Federal Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act. This legislation has strong bipartisan support, and will benefit the entire cybersecurity ecosystem,” said Bruce Byrd, EVP and General Counsel of Palo Alto Networks.
    “With cyberattacks by foreign adversaries and criminals on the rise, this legislation addresses a critical gap in our nation’s defenses,” said Ilona Cohen, chief legal and policy officer at HackerOne. “This common sense legislation brings the practices of federal contractors in line with those of the agencies they serve and is essential to protect the government information and personal data they process.”
    A copy of the legislation is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Health Secretary Kennedy Claims Ignorance Of Cuts To Medical Research, Durbin Pens Letter To NIH Director Demanding Answers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    May 23, 2025
    In hopes that the Director will be prepared to answer Senators’ questions in a June Committee hearing, Durbin sent a letter to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of NIH, requesting information about drastic cuts to medical research
    WASHINGTON – Following repeated claims of ignorance by Trump Administration officials during Committee hearings, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies, sent a letter to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), requesting specific information on cancelled and paused grant funding for ALS, childhood cancers, Alzheimer’s Disease, and congenital heart research.  Durbin sent the letter to bring transparency to the Trump Administration’s chaotic and harmful attack on medical research, and in hopes that Dr. Bhattacharya will be adequately prepared to answer Senators’ questions during the Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on June 10 that will examine the Trump Administration’s proposed drastic cuts to NIH’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget.
    “On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, you will appear before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies to discuss the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would slash medical research funding by $18 billion, or 40 percent,” Durbin wrote.
    Referencing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s inability to offer satisfactory answers to questions about cuts to medical research funding during an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing earlier this week, Durbin expressed frustration at HHS leadership and its nonchalant approach to slashing funding for life-saving medical research.
    “During his appearance before the Subcommittee on May 20, 2025, I asked HHS Secretary Kennedy about reported cancellations and pauses to previously awarded NIH grants.  He did not appear to have any familiarity with these disruptions to medical research funding, which raises serious concerns about the lack of accountability, oversight, and process for the reportedly hundreds, if not thousands, of affected research grants,” Durbin wrote.
    Urging Dr. Bhattacharya to come prepared to the June 10 Committee hearing, Durbin requested a complete list of all cancelled or paused NIH grants and funding awards, since January 20, 2025, related to ALS, Alzheimer’s, childhood cancers, and congenital heart defect research.  Despite repeated inquiries from congressional staff, the Trump Administration refuses to make public an accurate and comprehensive list of cancelled or paused NIH grants.  Rather, the Administration deflects by falsely asserting that they’re only cutting out “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
    “Therefore, in advance of your hearing, I request that you provide me with a comprehensive list of all NIH grants and awards that have either been cancelled or paused since January 20, 2025, related to ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease, childhood cancers, and congenital heart defect research.  For each, please include an explanation as to why you decided that these grants or awards were no longer worthy of NIH funding, despite prior agency review and approval through a rigorous peer review process,” Durbin continued his letter.
    “I request that you provide this information to my office no later than Friday, June 6, 2025.  Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and I look forward to discussing these terminated or paused grants with you on June 10, 2025.  Families battling ALS, Alzheimer’s, childhood cancers, and congenital heart defects deserve this basic level of transparency,” Durbin concluded his letter.
    Over the past decade, Durbin has pushed for annual, real five percent funding increases for NIH.  Since Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15), because of Durbin’s efforts, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent increase in annual funding, raising the appropriations level from $30 billion in FY15 to $49 billion today.  However, President Trump continues to target NIH, by cancelling hundreds of grant awards, firing or forcing out thousands of scientists, and freezing billions of dollars in research funding—which jeopardizes new breakthroughs that provide hope for patients.  Additionally, President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request proposes slashing medical research funding at NIH by 40 percent, which would be the deepest funding cut in NIH history.
    This year, Durbin has twice asked for unanimous consent (UC) to pass a resolution he introduced with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), as well as 21 other Senators, that would pledge support for NIH.  The resolution simply said that the work of NIH should not be subject to interruption, delay, or funding disruptions in violation of the law, and it reaffirmed that the NIH workforce is essential to sustaining medical progress.  The first UC request was blocked by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and the second was blocked by U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).
    Durbin has long been a strong advocate for robust medical research.  His legislation, the American Cures Act, would provide annual budget increases of five percent plus inflation at America’s top four biomedical research agencies: NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans Medical and Prosthetics Research Program.
    Full text of the letter follows:
    May 23, 2025
    Dear Director Bhattacharya:
                On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, you will appear before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies to discuss the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would slash medical research funding by $18 billion, or 40 percent.
                During his appearance before the Subcommittee on May 20, 2025, I asked HHS Secretary Kennedy about reported cancellations and pauses to previously awarded NIH grants.  He did not appear to have any familiarity with these disruptions to medical research funding, which raises serious concerns about the lack of accountability, oversight, and process for the reportedly hundreds, if not thousands, of affected research grants.   
    Therefore, in advance of your hearing, I request that you provide me with a comprehensive list of all NIH grants and awards that have either been cancelled or paused since January 20, 2025, related to ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease, childhood cancers, and congenital heart defect research.  For each, please include an explanation as to why you decided that these grants or awards were no longer worthy of NIH funding, despite prior agency review and approval through a rigorous peer review process.  This limited and defined request does not represent the totality of cancelled or paused research grants pertaining to many other diseases and conditions that impact families nationwide.  But, given how vast the devastation to medical research funding has been over the past few months, and the limited time we have to discuss such matters, I have limited my inquiry to these few devastating diagnoses.
    I request that you provide this information to my office no later than Friday, June 6, 2025.  Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and I look forward to discussing these terminated or paused grants with you on June 10, 2025.  Families battling ALS, Alzheimer’s, childhood cancers, and congenital heart defects deserve this basic level of transparency.
    Sincerely,
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Murkowski Reintroduce Legislation To Bolster Crime Fund

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    May 23, 2025
    The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act would bolster the Crime Victims Fund
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. The bill bolsters the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, which supports state victim compensation and assistance programs. The legislation would transfer residual funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA), which are currently directed to the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury, to the CVF.
    “The Crime Victims Fund is a lifeline for survivors and their families. The state programs supported by this fund provide a chance for victims to recover and rebuild their lives, whether it be through compensating the cost of medical and mental health expenses or providing access to emergency shelter. With this bill, we have a straightforward, bipartisan solution that will help strengthen the Crime Victims Fund. I look forward to working with Senator Murkowski to advance this legislation,” said Durbin.
    “Victim service organizations are facing dire financial situations due to decreasing deposits into the CVF. This fund has an integral role in funding service organizations that provide immediate and long-term support to survivors,” said Murkowski. “It is essential that we pursue any and all solutions to ensure that shelters, counseling and other social services are able to provide quality, consistent care for those in need.”
    Durbin has long been a fierce advocate for victims’ rights.  In March 2022, Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act—led by Durbin and U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).  For 30 years, VAWA has transformed the way we address domestic and sexual violence in America and saved countless lives. The same month as VAWA’s reauthorization, then-President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, sponsored by Durbin and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
    In 2021, Durbin worked with his colleagues to strengthen the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) by leading the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act. This legislation redirects monetary penalties from federal deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to increase funding for state victim compensation and assistance programs.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford Pushes for Threat Assessment of All Drones Found Near US Borders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford
    WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs, and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Border Drone Threat Assessment Act. The bill would require a complete threat assessment of unmanned aircraft systems at or near the international borders of the United States, and a unified response across agencies.
    “When American airspace is violated by cartels and bad actors, America should be able to defend itself. We need a clear strategy to counter unmanned aircraft systems that cartels use and that threaten border security,” said Senator Lankford. “As we address these threats and consider using our own drone technology, we must prioritize Americans’ privacy and maintain transparency about the threats along our border.”
    “Drone technology is rapidly evolving, and in the wrong hands, it can pose risks to our national security,” said Senator Kelly. “With this bill, we’re working to stay ahead of that threat, keeping Arizona families and our country safe.”  
    Background
    In recent years, Border Patrol and other agencies have noticed a growing increase of unmanned aircraft systems flying near or across our borders. This bill would require all agencies that have a say over enforcement at our borders to collaborate on threat assessment and countermeasures to mitigate threats effectively.
    In 2023, Lankford introduced The Protecting the Border from Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act, aimed at strengthening efforts to counter unauthorized drone activity along the southern border. The legislation called for coordinated action among the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Defense, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, to develop a comprehensive strategy. It also emphasized the importance of transparency regarding drone-related threats, and prioritized protecting Americans’ privacy as both foreign drone threats and the use of U.S. drone technologies are addressed.
    You can read the exclusive in the Daily Caller HERE, and can read the full text of The Border Drone Threat Assessment Act HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Cybersecurity of U.S Health Care System

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Healthcare Cybersecurity Act to bolster the health care and public health sectors’ cybersecurity. This bipartisan bill would direct the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collaborate on improving cybersecurity and make resources available to non-federal entities relating to cyber threat indicators and appropriate defense measures. It would also create a special liaison to HHS from CISA to support cybersecurity for health care and public health sector entities.
    “For years, America’s health care system has faced devastating cyberattacks that have exposed patients’ data, jeopardized access to care, and hurt local and rural medical facilities across Nevada,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m introducing this bipartisan legislation to increase coordination to prevent cybersecurity attacks and make more resources available to hospitals and health care entities to improve their cybersecurity. I’ll keep working with both parties to strengthen our cybersecurity and protect Nevadans from cybercriminals.”
    “In recent years, hospitals and other health care facilities in Indiana and across America have experienced a dramatic increase in cyberattacks,” said Senator Young. “Our bipartisan bill will take critical steps to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure and better protect patients’ personal data.”
    Since she joined the Senate, Senator Rosen has been working across party lines to improve our nation’s cybersecurity. Last month, she sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. expressing her deep concerns and demanding answers regarding the elimination of critical information technology and cybersecurity personnel and leadership at HHS. Last year, Senator Rosen announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented her bipartisan law to strengthen the cybersecurity of veterans’ personal information and data.

    MIL OSI USA News –