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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Small Business Democrats Call Out Trump Admin for Turning Back on Small Businesses, Blocking Funding to Help Entrepreneurs Grow

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
    SBA is currently blocking funding that supports small businesses, plans to cut $167 million from future programs
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, along with his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, called on Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler to stop hurting small businesses and release entrepreneurial development program funding. 
    “Gutting counseling and training services for women, veterans, and underserved small businesses is not how we can grow our economy,” wrote the senators. “We strongly condemn the President’s budget and call on SBA to immediately release entrepreneurial development program funding owed to counseling and training providers.”
    SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs provide free or low-cost counseling and training to support the small business owners, specifically targeting veterans, women, and other underserved entrepreneurs. Last year alone, SBA counseled and trained more than 744,000 small businesses, supported the creation of 33,240 new businesses, and supported over one million jobs.
    The Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 cuts $167 million dollars from SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs and $111 million from the agency’s budget for the cost of staff and other administrative expenses. The proposed budget would eliminate 15 entrepreneurial development programs, which would mean the closure of more than 150 WBCs, 250 SCORE chapters, and 31 VBOCs.
    To better understand SBA’s budget plans and the extent to which entrepreneurial development program funding has been delayed or mismanaged, the lawmakers request written responses to the following questions no later than May 30:
    With the elimination of all but one of its entrepreneurial development programs under President Trump’s proposed budget, what is SBA’s plan to provide quality counseling and training to America’s 34 million small businesses?
    Why does the Administration believe that women and veteran entrepreneurs do not merit specialized assistance given the unique challenges they face?
    Why has SBA failed to distribute appropriated funding to its entrepreneurial development programs, specifically the SBDC, WBC, VBOC, and SCORE programs
    Please identify every payment, by program, to SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs that are currently past due.
    Please provide a detailed timeline for disbursement, by program, of the delayed payments identified in response to the previous question.
    Full text of the letter HERE and below.
    Dear Administrator Loeffler:
    Gutting counseling and training services for women, veterans, and underserved small businesses is not how we can grow our economy. As if the Trump Administration’s disastrous and destructive tariff policy had not caused enough harm to the nation’s entrepreneurs, the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget for the Small Business Administration (SBA) proposes to eliminate the vast majority of SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs. Additionally, SBA is currently blocking funding Congress has already appropriated for these programs. We strongly condemn the President’s budget and call on SBA to immediately release entrepreneurial development program funding owed to counseling and training providers.
    SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs provide free or low-cost counseling and training to America’s 34 million small businesses, with specific assistance targeting veterans, women, and other underserved entrepreneurs. In FY 2024 alone, SBA counseled and trained more than 744,000 small businesses, supported the creation of 33,240 new businesses, and supported over one million jobs. SBA’s resource partners, which include Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, and Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs), have long had bipartisan support and provide critical, costeffective assistance that catalyzes local economic growth. These programs work together to provide holistic aid to entrepreneurs in all states, creating an ecosystem of support for small businesses at every stage of development.
    On May 2, 2025, President Trump released a summary of his proposed budget for FY 2026 that cut $167 million dollars from SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs and $111 million from the agency’s budget for the cost of staff and other administrative expenses.
    Specifically, the proposed budget does away with 15 entrepreneurial development programs, which would mean the closure of more than 150 WBCs, 250 SCORE chapters, and 31 VBOCs. Only the SBDC program would survive. The President’s decision to eliminate dedicated veterans counseling services is particularly shocking. Although President Trump proposed $10 million in additional funding for SBDCs to serve veteran small businesses, that amount is still 46 percent less than SBA’s current level of funding for veteran services.
    Equally troubling are reports that the SBA is blocking previously appropriated funding from reaching its entrepreneurial development programs. The Senate Committee on Appropriations released a report exposing the wide variety of federal funding that President Trump, Elon Musk, and Russ Vought have illegally withheld. The report revealed that, under President Trump, SBA has failed to expend at least $30 million that Congress approved to carry out small business counseling and training programs. Additionally, the Administration has attempted to renege on contracts to grantees in the Regional Innovation Clusters (RIC) program, which provides direct support, accelerators, and other services to support small innovators. Of the 25 RIC awardees across the country, it appears that the Administration unjustifiably terminated at least 20 of their contracts.
    We are now five months into the second Trump presidency and it is unacceptable that the Trump SBA is incapable of properly managing its congressionally mandated responsibilities. Congress holds the power of the purse, and the executive branch must comply with the law, including duly enacted appropriations acts. SBA’s continued delays and cancellation of congressionally mandated spending not only goes against congressional intent but jeopardizes the viability of small businesses across the country.
    Federal funding is subject to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, meaning that the funds Congress appropriates to federal agencies cannot be temporarily withheld from obligation or expenditure without a presidential special message and cannot be cancelled without congressional approval. The Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is required to report when a president has failed to disclose an impoundment to Congress. For this reason, GAO is currently investigating 39 federal agencies that are not expending appropriated funds. If SBA is unwilling or unable to release the funds appropriated for its entrepreneurial development programs, we will be requesting that GAO perform a formal review and pursue potential enforcement actions.
    We strongly reject President Trump’s budget proposal and demand that SBA release delayed payments to its entrepreneurial development programs. To better understand SBA’s budget plans and the extent to which entrepreneurial development program funding has been delayed or mismanaged, we request written responses to the following questions no later than May 30:
    With the elimination of all but one of its entrepreneurial development programs under President Trump’s proposed budget, what is SBA’s plan to provide quality counseling and training to America’s 34 million small businesses?
    Why does the Administration believe that women and veteran entrepreneurs do not merit specialized assistance given the unique challenges they face?
    Why has SBA failed to distribute appropriated funding to its entrepreneurial development programs, specifically the SBDC, WBC, VBOC, and SCORE programs
    Please identify every payment, by program, to SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs that are currently past due.
    Please provide a detailed timeline for disbursement, by program, of the delayed payments identified in response to the previous question.
    Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW: Republicans’ Bill Will Rip Away Health Insurance from Over 228,000 Wisconsinites

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) slammed President Trump and Republicans’ bill that will cut Medicaid and attack the Affordable Care Act after a new report revealed their plan will terminate health insurance for 228,000 Wisconsinites. Overnight, House Republicans started the process to advance the GOP bill that will kick roughly 13.7 million Americans, including over 228,000 Wisconsinites, off of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to pay for Republicans’ tax breaks for the top one percent.

    “Donald Trump came into office promising to lower costs for families. Instead, Republicans are about to jack up the cost of health care for hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites, all so the wealthiest Americans can get richer,” said Senator Baldwin. “Gutting Medicaid would be devastating for countless families in Wisconsin, and I won’t stand idly by while Republicans try to take away health care from Wisconsinites.”

    According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)’s analysis of House Republicans’ legislation, cuts to Medicaid and the ACA would result in roughly 13.7 million people losing their health insurance by 2034. Using CBO’s analysis, a new report shows that in Wisconsin, 228,659 people would lose their coverage, including 81,308 Wisconsinites who rely on Affordable Care Act tax breaks to afford their insurance and 147,351 Wisconsinites on Medicaid.

    The Republican plan would roll out new work reporting requirements designed to kick Wisconsinites off their health insurance, which, combined with other provisions, would jeopardize care for nearly 150,000 Wisconsinites. The Republican plan would also allow the ACA Premium Tax Credits, which save Americans on average $700 each year on their coverage, to expire, jacking up the cost of coverage and putting insurance out of reach for over 80,000 Wisconsin families. Senator Baldwin leads legislation to make these enhanced tax credits for working families permanent. 

    In Wisconsin, over 1.2 million are enrolled in Medicaid. About 1 in 3 children in both Wisconsin’s rural and metro communities have Medicaid coverage. Severe cuts to Medicaid will also jeopardize rural hospitals and clinics’ ability to keep their doors open. Over 12 million rural Americans rely on Medicaid for health care.

    Senator Baldwin has been leading the charge to fight back against cuts to Medicaid. In March, Senator Baldwin kicked off her “Hands Off Medicaid Tour” where she held roundtable discussions statewide calling out Republicans’ plan to slash Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. During each stop, Senator Baldwin heard directly from Wisconsinites who depend on Medicaid and highlighted the dire consequences cuts to the lifesaving program would mean for them and their loved ones.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Reveals Which Phone Companies Protect Privacy by Telling Customers About Government Surveillance

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    May 21, 2025
    Wyden Inquiry Also Finds Wireless Carriers Did Not Follow Through on Requirement to Notify Senate of Surveillance Demands
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today revealed which wireless carriers protect the privacy of their customers by notifying them about government surveillance requests for their information, in a letter he sent to his colleagues today. He urged senators to choose a phone company that will notify them about government surveillance requests. 
    “If law enforcement officials, whether at the federal, state, or even local level, can secretly obtain Senators’ location data or call histories, our ability to perform our constitutional duties is severely threatened,” Wyden wrote. “This kind of unchecked surveillance can chill critical oversight activities, undermine confidential communications essential for legislative deliberations, and ultimately erode the legislative branch’s co-equal status.”
    Wyden referenced a 2024 report by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General, which revealed that during the first Trump Administration, the DOJ secretly obtained the phone records of several members of Congress and dozens of congressional staff, both Republican and Democrats, as part of a leak investigation.
    Wyden learned that the largest phone companies — Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — failed to establish systems to notify senators about government surveillance requests in violation of their contracts with the Senate. He urged senators and staff to consider switching mobile carriers for their campaign and personal phones to carriers that will notify them about government surveillance demands.
    “While AT&T and Verizon only provide notice of surveillance of phone lines paid for by the Senate, T-Mobile has informed my staff that it will provide notice for Senators’ campaign or personal lines flagged as such by the [Senate Sergeant at Arms],” Wyden wrote. “Three other carriers — Google Fi Wireless, U.S. Mobile, and Cape — have policies of notifying all customers about government demands whenever they are allowed to do so. The latter two companies adopted these policies after outreach from my office.”
    Beyond members of Congress, journalists, political activists, people seeking reproductive health care and other law-abiding Americans who could be targeted by the government all have reason to be concerned about secret surveillance of their communications and location data.  Wyden’s office also surveyed phone carriers to learn which companies notify their customers about surveillance. His findings are summarized in the chart below. While it is the norm among tech companies to notify customers about government demands, absent a gag order issued by a judge, most phone companies choose to not notify their customers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Applauds Senate Passage of President Trump’s No Tax on Tips Proposal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    May 21, 2025

    Washington, D.C.— Today, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) issued the following statement after the unanimous passage of the No Tax on Tips Act, a proposal originally made by President Trump. This bipartisan legislation will exempt tips from being subject to taxation under the federal income tax.
    “The Senate passage today of President Trump’s No Tax on Tips proposal is a victory for Wyoming’s blue-collar workers who will now keep every dollar they earn in tips. I support this common-sense tax relief that puts more money into the hands of Wyoming workers while upholding the conservative principle of rewarding hard work.”
    Background: 
    The legislation was introduced by Senator Cruz (R-TX) and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV).  
    The bill exempts “cash tips”- cash, credit and debit card charges, and checks – from federal income tax by allowing taxpayers to claim a 100% deduction at filing for tipped wages. The updated text includes guardrails to ensure only traditionally tipped employees will benefit from No Tax on Tips.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Statement on President Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield Investment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after President Donald Trump announced an investment in the Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield project and that Gen. Michael Guetlein, Space Force’s vice chief of operations, will lead the project:“I applaud President Trump’s announcement today of the selection of a Golden Dome architecture and significant investments to fund this vision. The Golden Dome will be crucial in protecting our people and homeland from incoming missile attacks by foreign adversaries.
    “It’s important to note that as we look to fully realize the Golden Dome project, the Department of Defense must retain access to key portions of certain bands of spectrum or the project will not succeed. This has been reiterated by defense officials, including the Commanders of U.S. SPACECOM and U.S. NORTHCOM. 
    “On the Armed Services Committee, I’ve been laying the groundwork to develop a comprehensive, integrated architecture for defending the United States from missile attacks, and I look forward to working with President Trump and Gen. Guetlein to build upon these efforts.”Background on DOD Spectrum Access:
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer at Armed Services Committee: We Must Accelerate the Sentinel Program to Improve ICBM Capabilities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink on the urgent need to accelerate the Sentinel Program to improve U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities. Fischer emphasized that further delays will only lead to increased costs. She also stressed the importance of military construction projects to support the new Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC). SAOC will eventually replace the Air Force’s current fleet of E-4Bs, highly specialized “doomsday” planes hosted by Offutt Air Force Base.
    During her remarks, Fischer questioned Chief of Space Operations General B. Chance Saltzman about the Space Force’s role in integrating requirements and developing programs that would address potential threats.
    Click the image above to watch a video of Fischer’s questioning
    Click here to download audioClick here to download video
    On Accelerating the Sentinel Program and Ensuring its ICBM Capability:Fischer: Secretary Meink, at your confirmation hearing, you committed to utilizing all available tools to accelerate Sentinel emplacement and ensure that our nation’s ICBM capability does move forward. The Nunn-McCurdy review concluded that the continuation of Sentinel is essential to our national security, and thanks to the thoroughness of that review, we can make smarter changes to the program that will reduce the projected cost and schedule of the program.
    However, the Air Force needs to start making design decisions that will get us to Milestone B. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that costs will increase. I also don’t want to see the Air Force choose to raid Sentinel budget lines to pay for other programs, because the Air Force has delayed Milestone B decisions.
    On Fulfilling STRATCOM B-21 Bomber Recommendations: 
    Fischer: U.S. STRATCOM Commander General Cotton has recommended that the Air Force procure at least 145 B-21 bombers to meet his requirements as STRATCOM commander. How do you intend to work with STRATCOM to understand these requirements and ensure that the Air Force procures enough B-21s so that we can meet that projected threat? 
    Meink: The Department’s working with STRATCOM – as well as Joint Staff and throughout the administration, the SecDef (United States Secretary of Defense) – to help define what is that long term requirement, and do we need to increase beyond 100. So, we are looking at that, and thankfully, that is one of the programs that’s actually executing pretty well within the Department.
    On Maintaining Space Force Capabilities to Address Threats:
    Fischer: General Saltzman, all of the other services are investing heavily in long range fires, and as I’ve said many times, we can’t shoot what we can’t see. We are going to need to rely heavily on our space-based systems to track objects beyond the line of sight. How does Space Force work with your sister services to understand what space capabilities they will need to rely on so that they can close those kill chains?
    Saltzman: Yes, ma’am, we were designated the Joint Space Requirements integrator by the JROC on the Joint Staff, and one of the ways that we execute those responsibilities is we stood up a Requirements Integration Cell in the J8 where all the services can put their requirements in, vet them all, make sure there’s proper attention given to each requirement, and there’s not too much redundancy but no gaps in the capabilities as well. Programs like our ground moving target indicator, soon to be our air moving target indicator, account for these requirements—what the fidelity of the data is, what the latency of the data to support weapon system in flight updates, etc. We make sure we account for all those things as we develop the programs.
    On Supporting the Crucial Survivable Airborne Operations Center:  
    Fischer: Mr. Secretary, in the submitted Air Force posture statement, you describe SAOC as “crucial to any future warfare endeavor.” I agree with that. And it’s for this reason that I was disappointed that President Biden – his budget request last year – did not include any military construction funding necessary to support SAOC. Do you agree that the Air Force should be planning for SAOC’s associated military construction projects – those hangars and ramps, for example – to be completed by the time that SAOC is expected to reach the initial operating capability by 2032?Meink: Yes, Senator, we should be planning for that, and I’ve already had some discussions on that to make sure that we’re ready.
    Fischer: Will you continue to have the Air Force work to ensure that those projects are going to be completed in a timely manner?
    Meink: Yes, Senator.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Peters Unveils New Investigative Report Finding Fired Inspectors General Identified More Savings than DOGE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a report detailing the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attacks on Inspectors General – the independent watchdogs tasked with rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal agencies. Peters’ report finds that the 19 Inspectors General (IGs) President Trump fired earlier this year identified billions of dollars more in potential savings to taxpayers than the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) created by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk with the supposed goal of identifying wasteful spending. 
    “This report underscores the value of professional, independent and nonpartisan Inspectors General and the work they do to effectively identify waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Senator Peters. “If the Trump Administration were serious about eliminating waste, it would rely on the proven track record of independent Inspectors General. Instead, President Trump’s decision to fire them will not only undermine efforts to reduce waste – it sends a message of intimidation to anyone who wants to hold this Administration accountable.”
    READ THE FULL REPORT: “Undermining the Watchdogs: The 19 Independent Inspectors General Fired by President Trump Uncovered Billions in Fraud, Waste, and Abuse”
    Inspectors General play a critical role in ensuring transparency and accountability in government operations. The report documents how, in his first week in office, President Trump fired 18 Inspectors General across major federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, State, Commerce, and Veterans Affairs. The Administration later removed the USAID Inspector General, an act widely seen as retaliatory for conducting oversight of the Administration’s actions to shutter the agency. These terminations violated the Inspector General Act, which requires the President to provide Congress with a 30-day notice and a detailed justification before dismissing an IG.
    The report finds that the fired IGs had a collective monetary impact of over $50 billion in fiscal year 2024 alone through investigations and audits, uncovering significant fraud and abuse. To date, the Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) have pinpointed $175 billion in potential savings that could be achieved if federal agencies implement all of their outstanding recommendations.
    These watchdogs have also conducted criminal investigations that resulted in financial recoveries, including a Department of Energy OIG probe that halted an illegal semiconductor export scheme, which led to the cancellation of $100 million in grants. Similarly, an investigation by the Department of Defense OIG uncovered fraudulent financial practices targeting Gold Star families, leading to a 12-year prison sentence and a $1.4 million penalty. 
    The impact of the Administration’s actions has been deeply felt across federal oversight agencies, as staffing cuts further compromise their ability to conduct audits, evaluations, and investigations. Interviews with affected IG offices revealed serious concerns about the erosion of independence and morale within these agencies.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine Statement on Passing of Congressman Gerald E. Connolly

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    Published: May 21 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement regarding the passing of his friend U.S. Representative Gerald E. Connolly:
    “My friend Gerry Connolly was a one of a kind public servant who never shied away from fighting for Northern Virginia and our country. I will miss his voice on the many issues that were lucky to benefit from his steadfast leadership, from delivering the congressional oversight the American people deserve and protecting NATO, to standing up for the many federal workers who call Virginia home and securing once-in-a-generation transportation infrastructure investments. His legacy will live on through all that he accomplished throughout his decades of public service and the countless people he inspired along the way. My heart is very heavy and I am lifting up Smitty, Caitlin, and all who knew and loved Gerry in prayer during this difficult time.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Tuberville Op-Ed: Trump and Coach Saban have the right game plan to save college sports

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    “Regardless of which path Trump chooses to address the current state of college sports, I’m confident that his administration — which has already proven to be both effective and unafraid to shake up the status quo — can make meaningful reforms to make sure college sports remain intact.”

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned an op-ed in Fox about the current state of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and college sports amidst the everchanging NIL landscape. In the piece, Sen. Tuberville addresses the growing problems college athletes are facing with the pay-for-play environment making it nearly impossible for Olympic sports and female athletics to survive. The current “patchwork” of laws has created an uneven playing field that President Trump and Congress are well-positioned to address in the near future. Sen. Tuberville currently serves as the Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Education and the American Family. 

    Read excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s op-ed below or the full piece here. 

    “As a former college football coach for 40 years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of college sports in shaping young lives. From the locker room to the classroom, athletics instill discipline, teamwork and resilience — values that extend far beyond the field. But ever since the Supreme Court ruled that college athletes can be compensated for the use of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), college sports have been in a tailspin.  

    While I’m all for players making money, we need to create national standards to protect the integrity of college sports. Because there are no national rules for NIL contracts, every state has passed its own laws. This patchwork of laws has created an uneven playing field and given some universities advantages over their competitors.

    We now have pay-to-play as bidding wars for recruits are starting in middle and high school. This is not to mention the transfer portal, which has become a revolving door with student-athletes jumping from school to school in pursuit of more money.  

    […]

    Regardless of which path Trump chooses to address the current state of college sports, I’m confident that his administration — which has already proven to be both effective and unafraid to shake up the status quo — can make meaningful reforms to make sure college sports remain intact. 

    Meanwhile, I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to hopefully draft legislation that could pass both chambers. The challenges facing college sports today are formidable, but not insurmountable. With President Trump’s leadership and a unified approach, we can navigate this new era while preserving the integrity and spirit of collegiate athletics.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Statement in President Trump’s Announced Golden Dome Defense Shield

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    05.20.25

    Senator Met with General Guetlein Today, Highlighted North Dakota’s Contributions to the New System

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement after President Trump announced plans to build a Golden Dome missile defense shield. President Trump appointed General Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, to lead the defense project.

    “We appreciate President Trump’s commitment to national defense and this plan for a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense shield to protect the United States. North Dakota will play an important role in this effort with our low-earth orbit satellite mission in Grand Forks, the early warning radar at Cavalier Space Force Station and hypersonic testing activities conducted by the Test Resource Management Center out of Grand Sky. I met today with General Guetlein, who will be leading the Golden Dome efforts, about these important missions happening in North Dakota. Given growing threats around the globe, I look forward to working with General Guetlein and the Trump administration to advance this and other projects important to our national defense.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: King, Colleagues Demand Explanation for DOGE Cuts at VA Impacting Healthcare for Maine Veterans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), senior members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), led their House and Senate colleagues in a letter to Doug Collins, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requesting detailed information on the hundreds of cancelled contracts across the agency impacting earned health care and benefits for veterans in Maine. In the letter, the senators slam the Secretary’s untruthful narrative about these various contract cancellations across the country and demand answers on the true updated list of canceled contracts.
    The letter comes on the heels of mass firings and contract cancellations executed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the request of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
    The members began, “Since February, our Committees have made more than a dozen requests, many of them bipartisan, for you to provide Congress with the complete lists of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts you have cancelled or proposed be cancelled. Today, we write to once again demand these lists. In addition, we are requesting a briefing from VA officials on the process by which contracts were and continue to be identified and cancelled, any meaningful advance consultation with career VA officials whose programs are impacted by these cancellations, and all activities of the VA-designated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel or liaisons and other DOGE personnel involved in VA programs, operations, and management. Our requests for information on DOGE operations at VA began on February 12, 2025, and to date have received no substantive response.”
    “…Now, more than two months later, Congress is still waiting for accurate and complete information on the contracts you have cancelled, the contracts you have restored after being cancelled, the process the Department is using, and documentation for the savings generated and reinvested. When asked about receiving this information and a briefing on DOGE’s operations at the Department, your leadership stated simply that VA “will not be providing a briefing on the issue.” Additionally, even though many of these contracts were officially cancelled more than two months ago, your staff has indicated “VA cannot release any contract lists as this is all ‘pre-decisional’ until the Contracting Officer officially notifies and signs the termination letter and negotiates potential settlement costs.” This statement is another attempt to hide the truth from Congress and runs counter to logic given that many companies and public databases list hundreds of VA contracts as already cancelled,” the members continued.
    The members concluded, “So that we may conduct our independent and constitutionally authorized oversight of the Department, we ask again for a copy of the list of more than 870 contracts cancelled or proposed for cancellation you discussed in your social media posting and video on February 24 and 25, 2025, which you indicated had a value of $2 billion; a copy of the list of 585 cancelled contracts VA announced publicly on March 3, 2025, with an estimated value of $1.8 billion; and a list of all contracts cancelled by VA from January 20, 2025, to present. Further, we request a briefing to the Committees to explain the timeline and process by which these contracts were selected and ordered cancelled; how the material provided to Congress on May 16, 2025, was assembled; and on DOGE operations inside VA related to contracts and more generally.”
    Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs such as the PACT Act, the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, and the John Scott Hannon Act. Recently, Senator King introduced bipartisan legislation to help reduce suicides among veterans by providing free secure firearm storage to veterans. In addition, he helped pass the Veterans COLA Act, which increased benefits for 30,000 Maine veterans and their families. This year, he cosponsored the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act that would provide more combat-injured veterans with their full earned benefits. Most recently, he joined Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, in introducing bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize a program that would expand access to veteran disability claims exams.
    Recently, Senator King introduced bipartisan legislation alongside SVAC Chairman Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to improve care coordination for veterans who rely on both VA health care and Medicare. In February, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. Last year, he was recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his “outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans.” Senator King recently joined SVAC Ranking Member Senator Blumenthal in writing a letter to Secretary Collins raising concerns over proposed $1 spending limits on VA purchase cards which are used to pay for gas to transport disabled veterans to apportionments, buy medical supplies and more. Senator King also joined his colleagues in raising concerns over proposed plans to terminate 83,000 VA employees and demanded information from the VA in a previous letter to Secretary Collins.
    The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
    +++
    Dear Secretary Collins,
    Since February, our Committees have made more than a dozen requests, many of them bipartisan, for you to provide Congress with the complete lists of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts you have cancelled or proposed be cancelled. Today, we write to once again demand these lists. In addition, we are requesting a briefing from VA officials on the process by which contracts were and continue to be identified and cancelled, any meaningful advance consultation with career VA officials whose programs are impacted by these cancellations, and all activities of the VA-designated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) personnel or liaisons and other DOGE personnel involved in VA programs, operations, and management. Our requests for information on DOGE operations at VA began on February 12, 2025, and to date have received no substantive response.
    On February 24 and 25, 2025, you publicly celebrated on social media your plan, carried out with Elon Musk and DOGE, to cancel hundreds of VA contracts you claimed were for “PowerPoint slides and meeting minutes” and you indicated were valued at $2 billion. After you had given the orders for career officials in the Department to start the cancellations, a list of more than 870 contracts was leaked to Congress and the media. In reality, these contracts were predominantly for direct services for veterans or supporting VA operations including: suicide prevention and mental health treatment; radiology services; outreach regarding burial benefits and health care services; cancer care; the PACT Act; disability claims processing and audits; and ensuring safe and clean facilities. Amazingly, while claiming the purpose of cancelling these contracts was to improve efficiency and reduce waste, you also directed the cancellation of more than a dozen contracts whose purpose was to assist VA in conducting oversight activities to identify and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse and follow the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the VA Office of Inspector General.
    When the true purpose and impact of your mass contract cancellations were exposed, you and your leadership team directed career officials to pause some cancellations, stating in an internal email “VA Leadership is reconsidering previous guidance,” and “further contract reviews will be conducted to arrive at a new final decision.” Records show some contracts previously cancelled at your direction were then reversed while others remain cancelled. On March 3, 2025, you announced that instead of more than 870 contracts, you would cancel 585 contracts with an alleged value of $1.8 billion. This announcement provided no detail or information to support that claim while also stating VA would redirect about $900 million toward health care, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries – again without evidence.
    Also, on March 3, 2025, the Department indicated the 585 contracts would be cancelled “over the next few days” and that “the termination of these contracts will not negatively affect Veteran care, benefits or services, and will help VA better focus on its core mission: providing the best possible care and services to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.” In your response to Senator King’s letter requesting information on these contracts, you refused to take accountability for your chaotic contract cancellation process and subsequent damage control. Your letter describes “a deliberative, multi-level review that involved the career subject-matter expert” but then admits the feedback from these experts was disregarded until after the fact when “VA rapidly reversed and restored contracted services in response to feedback from resident expert specialties, to include radiation safety, Veteran suicide prevention, and all other critical VA mission areas to avoid any clinically significant effect on patient care.” If this was in fact a consultative and deliberate process, why did the Department have to reverse your orders of just a few days prior to blindly terminate hundreds of contracts?
    Now, more than two months later, Congress is still waiting for accurate and complete information on the contracts you have cancelled, the contracts you have restored after being cancelled, the process the Department is using, and documentation for the savings generated and reinvested. When asked about receiving this information and a briefing on DOGE’s operations at the Department, your leadership stated simply that VA “will not be providing a briefing on the issue.” Additionally, even though many of these contracts were officially cancelled more than two months ago, your staff has indicated “VA cannot release any contract lists as this is all ‘pre-decisional’ until the Contracting Officer officially notifies and signs the termination letter and negotiates potential settlement costs.” This statement is another attempt to hide the truth from Congress and runs counter to logic given that many companies and public databases list hundreds of VA contracts as already cancelled.
    Further, on May 16, 2025, your staff provided Congress with a list of more than 445 contracts which it indicated were “terminated and closed contracts” and then went on to say “there are additional contracts in negotiation to be closed, and this list does not include contracts modified to change scope. The frequently mentioned list of over 800 contracts was not released by VA as finale (sic) and complete; it was an initial review followed by several additional reviews.” Our initial review of these statements and the information provided indicates a number of contradictions and inaccuracies, and raises numerous additional concerns and questions.
    First, the statements from VA staff attempt to once-again mischaracterize the sequence of events associated with your multi-month effort to withhold information about your disorganized contract cancellation effort. The public record is clear: you directed the cancellation of hundreds of contracts impacting services for veterans and only reversed yourself when the nature of those contracts were publicly disclosed. Second, the list of 447 contracts includes at least 80 that were terminated during the Biden Administration. Third, according to the documentation you provided, the list of canceled contracts totals $120.8 billion dollars in contracting value and claimed savings. Given VA’s entire budget for Fiscal Year 2025 is approximately $426.3 billion, the value of these contracts would represent 28 percent of the Department’s budget. This questionable number is compounded by numerous contracts with wildly inaccurate value/savings figures. For example, one contract labeled “VA Program Management Support Services Contract” is shown with an astronomical value of $44.8 billion. However, federal data shows the value of this contract at approximately $85 million – meaning the Department has misstated the value by $44 billion. Finally, a number of the contracts provided do not appear on the list of cancelled contracts in the official Federal government system of record – the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). All of these points call into question the accuracy of the data in the document you provided to Congress.
    We firmly support VA efforts to regularly review services procured by the Department. And that process should be built into any functioning acquisition and program management operation at VA. However, cancelling hundreds of contracts in a several-day period and then scrambling to restore dozens just a few days later is not an indication of good program management. It’s an indication of waste and incompetence.
    So that we may conduct our independent and constitutionally authorized oversight of the Department, we ask again for a copy of the list of more than 870 contracts cancelled or proposed for cancellation you discussed in your social media posting and video on February 24 and 25, 2025, which you indicated had a value of $2 billion; a copy of the list of 585 cancelled contracts VA announced publicly on March 3, 2025, with an estimated value of $1.8 billion; and a list of all contracts cancelled by VA from January 20, 2025, to present. Further, we request a briefing to the Committees to explain the timeline and process by which these contracts were selected and ordered cancelled; how the material provided to Congress on May 16, 2025, was assembled; and on DOGE operations inside VA related to contracts and more generally. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement of Sen. Mark R. Warner on the Passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
     WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the below statement on the passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly:
    “I am heartbroken over the loss of my dear friend Gerry Connolly.
    “I’ve known Gerry for more than 35 years. To me, he exemplified the very best of public service. Just this past Sunday, I was honored to join his wife Smitty, daughter Caitlin, and the Fairfax community in celebrating his decades of service. While Gerry couldn’t be there in person, his presence was felt throughout the room. He was there in spirit, as he always is when people come together in the name of service and progress.
    “Gerry was a fighter. His sharp mind, boundless energy, and deep commitment to the people of Northern Virginia made him a force to be reckoned with, whether on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors or in Congress. He met every challenge with tenacity and purpose, including his final battle with cancer, which he faced with courage, grace, and quiet dignity.
    “Today, my thoughts are with Smitty, Caitlin, and all who loved him. We have lost a giant in Virginia public life, and he will be deeply missed.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner & Kaine Slam GOP Tax Bill for Raising Taxes on Working Families to Fund Windfalls for the Ultra-Wealthy

    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 (D-VA) issued the following statement blasting the GOP’s partisan tax bill that would raise taxes on the lowest-income Americans while handing six-figure windfalls to the wealthiest 0.1% of taxpayers:
    “At a time when working families are struggling with the rising cost of living, Donald Trump and Washington Republicans are asking them to pay more so the ultra-rich can get a handout. The numbers speak for themselves: under the terms of the tax plan championed by President Trump and Republicans in Congress, the bottom rung of the income ladder will see their taxes hiked by more than 50% in order to give the richest 0.1% a $188,000 tax cut. That’s not what Virginians sent us here to do, and we will fight tooth and nail to stop it. We call on Republicans to drop this sham of a bill and instead work with us to provide meaningful relief to working families by bringing down housing and child care costs, cutting taxes for working- and middle-class Americans, and lowering prescription drug prices.”
    The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimates that in the year 2029, when the permanent effects of the GOP tax plan are felt, those earning less than $15,000 a year would see a 53.5% increase in their federal taxes compared to current law. Meanwhile, the top 0.1% – roughly 197,000 taxpayers – would receive a collective $37.1 billion tax cut, amounting to $188,324 per person.
    New analysis from the Yale Budget Lab further underscores just how skewed the GOP bill is in favor of the wealthy. The lowest-income households would lose about $800 a year because of the GOP bill, amounting to a 4% hit to their budgets, while the richest 5% would walk away with an average annual windfall of $27,000. Overall, nearly 80% of the bill’s total benefits would go to the top 20% of earners.
    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, and jeopardize more than 20,000 Virginia jobs at clean energy and manufacturing facilities benefiting from Inflation Reduction Act investments.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders, Jayapal, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Make Public Colleges and Universities Tuition Free

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, May 21 – As President Trump and congressional Republicans are working overtime to make college unaffordable and unattainable for millions of working-class families in order to provide tax breaks to billionaires, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and nine Senate colleagues, today introduced legislation to make public colleges and universities tuition free for 95% of students. The College for All Act would be the most transformative investment in higher education in 60 years and would substantially improve the lives of millions of students throughout the United States.
    Joining Sanders as cosponsors are Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
    “In a highly competitive global economy where technology is changing the very nature of work and the jobs we perform, we need the best educated workforce in the world,” said Sanders. “Our nation used to lead the world in the percentage of adults with a college degree. Today, we are in 11th place behind countries like Japan, South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. That is not a prescription for a strong American economy of the future. It is a prescription for failure. Instead of increasing the cost of college in order to give more tax breaks to billionaires, we have a better idea. We are going to make public colleges and universities tuition free so that working class students can succeed and are not burdened with a lifetime of debt.”
    “Congress can and must ensure that working families never have to take out crushing loans to purse an education,” said Jayapal. “The College for All Act will free students from a lifetime of debt, invest in working people, and transform higher education across America by making a degree more accessible to poor and working families across this country. This is more important now than ever as Trump continues to attack education in this country through attempts to strip funding from universities and to dismantle the Department of Education.”
    Making public colleges and universities tuition free is not a radical idea. In 1944, as World War II was coming to an end, the U.S. government made free higher education available to all those who served in the armed forces. That act not only improved the financial well-being of the Greatest Generation, but it also laid the groundwork for the greatest expansion of the American middle class in U.S history. Moreover, over 50 years ago, many of our most prestigious public colleges and universities were also tuition free or virtually tuition free.
    Since this legislation was first introduced ten years ago, several colleges and universities in America have provided free tuition for working class and middle class students including every state college in New Mexico, the State University of New York, the University of Texas, the University of Wisconsin, and Arkansas State University.
    Other wealthy countries like France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland have made their public colleges and universities tuition free or virtually tuition free because they understand the value of investing in their young people.
    The College for All Act would guarantee tuition-free community college for all students and allow students from single households earning up to $150,000 a year, and married households earning up to $300,000 a year, to attend college without fear of being saddled with student loan debt.
    The College for All Act would also:
    Double the maximum Pell Grant award for students enrolled at public and private non-profit colleges;
    Establish a $10 billion grant program to improve student outcomes and address equity gaps at underfunded public colleges and universities;
    Triple federal TRIO program funding;
    Double GEAR UP funding; and
    Double mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
    Read the bill text here.
    Read a summary of the bill here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Padilla, Colleagues Highlight Consequences of Senate Republicans’ Attempt to Abuse the CRA and Revoke California’s Clean Air Act Waivers

    US Senate News:

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

    ICYMI: Padilla, Colleagues Highlight Consequences of Senate Republicans’ Attempt to Abuse the CRA and Revoke California’s Clean Air Act Waivers

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, highlighted the growing opposition to Republicans’ shortsighted attempts to rescind California’s clean air waivers by going nuclear on the rules and overruling the nonpartisan Senate Parliamentarian’s decision. Senator Padilla, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, held the floor yesterday after Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that he would move forward this week with a cynical attempt to rescind California’s Clean Air Act waivers with a 50-vote threshold under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), bypassing the filibuster and its 60-vote requirement by overruling the Senate Parliamentarian.

    Senators Padilla, Schumer, Whitehouse, Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) all came out strongly against this reckless effort.

    In a joint statement, Padilla, Schumer, and Whitehouse condemned the attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers:

    Padilla, Schumer, Whitehouse Joint Statement Warning Senate Republicans Against Overruling Parliamentarian On Clean Air Act Waivers

    “Let us be abundantly clear: if Republicans throw away the rulebook and overrule the Parliamentarian, that would be going nuclear — plain and simple. This move will harm public health and deteriorate air quality for millions of children and people across the country.  

    “Republicans are overruling a thirty-year tradition of state policies that bolstered a new sector of the economy, helped domestic automakers fend off China’s manufacturing dominance, improved the quality of the air we breathe, reduced planet-warming carbon pollution, and protected the health of American families.  Instead of negotiating changes with the states involved, the fossil fuel industry deployed its political operatives in Congress to go nuclear for them.

    “If the Trump Administration’s scheme to weaponize the CRA goes forward, the executive branch will control the Senate Floor. Senate Republicans are doing an about face on the filibuster — throwing it aside the first moment it’s convenient and the Senate Floor will not be the same.”

    Last night, Padilla, Schumer, and Whitehouse took to the Senate Floor to ask a series of parliamentary inquiries on Senate Republicans’ intention to go nuclear on the California waiver CRAs. Senate Democrats confirmed — on the congressional record — that the Republicans’ plan to move forward would be against the Parliamentarian’s guidance, and thus, the very definition of eliminating the filibuster and going nuclear. The Senators’ remarks and the Presiding Officer’s responses on behalf of the Senate Parliamentarian can be viewed here, and a transcript of the remarks is available here. 

    Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued a statement emphasizing that once Republicans embrace this significant reversal of precedent and attempt to overturn California’s Clean Air Act waivers, a future Democratic Administration could try to reverse Republicans’ oil and gas priorities, including liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals.

    Heinrich Statement Blasting Senate Republicans’ Plans to Defy the Senate Parliamentarian & Force a Vote to Overturn California’s Clean Energy Air Act Waivers

    “If Senate Republicans force a vote on the California Clean Air Act Waivers, they set a precedent that will allow Congress to overturn nearly any agency decision nationwide. I urge my colleagues to reject this gross overreach. If they don’t, Congressional Review Act resolutions will quickly hijack the Senate floor to retroactively invalidate agency permits, adjudications, and licensing decisions – actions that were never previously considered ‘rules.’

    “We need a reliable energy permitting and approval system if we are going to meet our growing energy needs. But under Republicans’ proposal, Congress could invalidate permits for new oil and gas wells, established rights of way for transmission lines, and approvals of new LNG export terminals. That includes the Department of Energy’s recent approval of Commonwealth LNG’s application to export liquified natural gas. If not challenged immediately, a future administration could also submit Commonwealth’s authorization as a rule retroactively and halt the project years after it has begun construction.

    “By opening this door, Republicans threaten to destroy our permitting and regulatory system, leading to higher energy costs for Americans and making it impossible for new developments to come online. Indeed, nearly every major and minor project the federal government touches could be stalled, creating significant uncertainty if not complete chaos. That is not what the American people want, and it cannot be what Senate Republicans want, either.”

    Senator Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, warned Republicans against overruling the Senate Parliamentarian and abusing the Congressional Review Act to meddle with California’s clean air policies. He said the Republican plan would backfire if they follow through.

    Wyden Warns Republicans that Overruling Parliamentarian to Nix California Clean Air Waiver Will Backfire

    “Republicans should think twice before moving ahead with this unprecedented overreach. If they invoke this nuclear option now, they should expect that a future Democratic government will have to revisit decades worth of paltry corporate settlements, deferred prosecution agreements, and tax rulings that were overly favorable to multinationals and ultra-wealthy individuals. That would only be the beginning. These partisan actions cut both ways.”

    Senator Schiff delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging Senate Republicans to consider the implications their decision to throw out the Senate Parliamentarian’s ruling will have on their states if they use the CRA against California’s waivers. 

    WATCH: Sen. Schiff Slams Senate Republicans’ Attempts to Go Nuclear on California’s Clean Air Waivers on the Senate Floor

    “I urge my colleagues, and the American people, not be distracted by suggestions that nothing is going on here, nothing new is going on here, no precedent is being set here. Because it is.”

    “This week’s vote is short-sighted because it’s going to have devastating impacts for our nation’s health, but it’s more than that. And it should send a chill down the spine of legislators in every state and communities across the country, regardless of their political affiliation because the Senate is now setting a new standard, and one that will haunt us in the future. And it will haunt those states whose Senators vote to go down this path. Make no mistake. Today, it is California and our ability to set our own air quality standards. 

    “But tomorrow, it can be your own state’s priorities made into a target by this vote to open the Pandora’s Box of the Congressional Review Act.”

    Senator Markey criticized Republicans’ attempt to change the Senate rules to overturn California’s waivers, both because it reverses California’s clean air progress and because it violates longstanding Senate rules.

    As Senate Republicans Consider Procedural Power Grab, Markey Highlights Seriousness of the Moment

    “At a moment when Donald Trump is actively undermining the checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution, Senate Republicans are moving ahead with a dangerous change to Senate rules while rolling back clean air regulations. 

    “It’s not enough for Republicans to promote chaos and conflict in our economy for the sake of billionaires, they now want to create chaos and conflict in Congress by intentionally trashing guardrails and decisions that protect all members. They don’t care about the rule of law, and they don’t seem to care about the rule of Congress. With this action, Senate Republicans are opening the door for future votes on the countless unlawful and unethical actions carried out by the Trump administration. There will be no putting the genie back in the bottle.”

    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in pushing back against Republican attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Yesterday, Padilla placed a hold on the four pending EPA nominees until Republicans stop their reckless attempts to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian. Earlier this month, Senators Padilla, Schiff, and Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to sound the alarm on Senate Republicans’ consideration of moving forward with their plan to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schumer also led Democratic Ranking Members in strongly warning Majority Leader Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) of the dangerous and irreparable consequences if Senate Republicans overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision on California’s waivers.

    Last month, Senators Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schiff welcomed the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the waivers are not subject to the CRA. Padilla also joined Whitehouse and Schiff in blasting Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s weaponization of the EPA after the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) similar finding. Padilla and Schiff previously slammed the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back dozens of the EPA’s regulations that protect California’s air and water.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Klobuchar Lead Bipartisan Resolution Calling for Return of Kidnapped Ukrainian Children

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    WASHINGTON – Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a bipartisan group of senators in introducing a resolution calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before finalizing any peace agreement to end Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. 

    The resolution condemns Russia’s abduction and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children and notes Russia’s invasion has increasingly exposed children to human trafficking and exploitation, child labor, sexual violence, hunger, injury, trauma and death. 

    “The mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children by Russia is an atrocity,” said Klobuchar. “We cannot accept a world where children are abducted during wartime and used as a form of hostage-taking for negotiations. These children must be returned unconditionally before any peace deal is finalized.”

    “Putin’s inhumane and unprovoked attack on Ukraine started the largest war in Europe since World War II. He has kidnapped thousands of children to brainwash and Russify them in an attempt to destroy their cultural identity and heritage. The United States ought to demand these children are returned before inking a deal to end the war in Ukraine,” Grassley said. 

    Additional cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and John Fetterman (D-PA), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Rick Scott (R-FL). You can find the full text of the resolution here.

    This resolution follows a bipartisan letter sent in March, led by Senators Klobuchar, Grassley and Durbin, calling for the State Department to continue supporting efforts to investigate Russia’s abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.

    To date, Ukrainian authorities have received at least 19,546 confirmed reports of unlawful deportations and forced transfers of Ukrainian children to Russia, Belarus or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The abductions aim to erase the children’s Ukrainian names, language and identity. As of April 16, Ukraine and its partners have only managed to return 1,274 abducted children. 

    The State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report found Russia recruits or uses child soldiers, has a state-sponsored policy or pattern of human trafficking and is among the worst hubs for human trafficking in the world. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Works to Secure Medicine Supply Chain from China

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined her colleagues to introduce a bipartisan bill to improve federal coordination for essential medicine supply chains that could impact the healthcare system, helping our nation mitigate drug shortages and address future health emergencies.
    “Depending on China for critical pharmaceutical ingredients poses a national security threat,” said Ernst. “Through this bipartisan effort, we can identify essential medicines to strengthen the supply chain and reduce our reliance on our adversary. By taking action now, we can protect the health of our citizens in the future.”  
    The Mapping America’s Pharmaceutical Supply (MAPS) Act would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to:

    Map the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain and find weaknesses,
    Help create a database of essential medicines, and
    Collect information about where these medicines and ingredients are made and their supply chain details, including reliance on China.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: On CNN’s The Arena this Evening, Shaheen Reiterates that Putin is Playing Trump in Ukraine Negotiations, Slams Congressional Republicans’ Proposal to Slash Medicaid to Give Billionaires a Tax Break

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    Published: 05.21.2025

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined CNN’s The Arena this evening to discuss her questioning of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the day and her belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing President Trump. She also sharply criticized Congressional Republicans’ budget proposal that would gut Medicaid and food assistance benefits to finance tax breaks for billionaires and special interest groups. The interview followed Secretary Rubio’s first testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since his confirmation hearing in January. Click HERE to watch Senator Shaheen’s interview. 
    Key Quotes from Senator Shaheen: 
    When asked if she feels Secretary Rubio and President Trump are being played by Putin, Shaheen said: “I do, absolutely. And I said that to Secretary Rubio and we heard it again, what the outcome of this phone call between President Trump and Vladimir Putin yesterday was that now Putin is going to bring in a sheet that outlines what they want to see, to end the war in Ukraine, to get them to the table. Well, he’s just playing for time because he thinks the longer he can delay that, we’re going to get disinterested, that we’re going to not want to continue to support Ukraine in this fight. But what he doesn’t understand is that the President and this administration says the biggest threat to America is China, and China and President Xi are watching what the outcome of this war in Ukraine is. And if we are not tough in Ukraine, if we are not tough on Putin, that he knows that we’re not going to be tough on him when he goes after Taiwan. And so that’s a real problem.” 
    On Republicans’ budget proposal, Shaheen said: “Well, it’s clear that the Republicans in the House care more about what Donald Trump thinks than they care about what their constituents think. Because constituents in most of this country don’t want to see massive cuts to the Medicaid program, health care that so many Americans rely on, whether it’s for nursing home care or for people with disabilities, people who get their health insurance through the Medicaid program.” 
    On Republicans threatening cuts to program like Medicaid and SNAP, Shaheen said: “And what they’re actually trying to do with those worker requirements and other changes is to reduce the number of people on Medicaid so they can save money and what they want to do, what they want to do with the money that they’re saving by cutting Medicaid, by cutting food benefits from the Snap program, is to provide a huge tax cut to the wealthiest Americans. 70% of the benefits from the tax cuts are going to go to the wealthiest 1% in this country.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Presses RFK Jr. on Refusal to Protect Program Key to Turn the Tide on Substance Use Disorder Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    **In a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, RFK Jr. refused to commit to preserving the State Opioid Response grant that has saved lives in the Granite State**

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke in a Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing about the risk federal funding cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pose to positive progress toward ending the substance use disorder crisis. In his responses to Shaheen’s questions, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to commit to preserving the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant—a program Shaheen has championed that has been instrumental in helping reduce overdose deaths in the Granite State. You can watch Senator Shaheen’s remarks and questions here.

    Key quotes from Senator Shaheen:

    • “We are finally beginning to see our overdose death rate go down. But I am deeply concerned that this progress is now at risk, because Health and Human Services has already clawed back nearly $5 million in mental health and substance use treatment funds that are allocated to New Hampshire. And now, your budget proposes eliminating SAMHSA entirely and consolidating critical substance use and mental health block grants under a vague framework.”
    • “It’s so hard for me to understand why you would be considering programs that have been working, like the State Opioid Response grants, because […] in New Hampshire, those dollars go directly to the local treatment programs. We have a whole system that’s set up based on those that allows people to get treatment and recovery in their communities; That’s designed to ensure that they can get that. And so, that’s why I’m so troubled by the idea that you would eliminate the entity that makes those grants available.”

    Senator Shaheen has led efforts to address the substance use crisis, including by defending and increasing funding for SOR grants. Just last year, Shaheen celebrated $29,890,890 in SOR grants heading to New Hampshire. In recent years, Shaheen successfully pushed HHS to maintain SOR funding levels for New Hampshire and avoid significant cliffs in funding year-over-year. Shaheen’s efforts have led to a more than tenfold increase in federal treatment and prevention funding for New Hampshire.

    Shaheen has been vocal in her disapproval of the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS Secretary, including delivering remarks in opposition to his nomination on the Senate floor. Shaheen also recently called on Secretary Kennedy to reverse drastic funding cuts to the Affordable Care Act Navigator program, which helps Americans access quality, affordable health insurance coverage, including for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Senator Mullin Champions Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again Agenda at Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

    RELEASE: Senator Mullin Champions Secretary Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again Agenda at Hearing

    Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again at the subcommittee hearing, “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services”. Highlights of Senator Mullin’s exchange on a range of topics, including wasteful NIH funding, are below.

    The full exchange can be found here. 
    On America’s health crisis: 
    Sen. Mullin: “Earlier, you said… HHS over the last four years had increased by 38% is that correct?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “That’s right, Senator Mullin.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “So, what has the taxpayers got in return over the last four years? 
    Sec. Kennedy: “They got a worse chronic health crisis and the unhealthiest, sickest, population in the globe.”  
    On the increase of the HHS budget in recent years: 
    Sen. Mullin: “So, your total budget for 2024, I think, was around $1.7 trillion. Is that correct?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “Yes.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “So, we’ve had a 10% increase across that, we’ve received nothing in return?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “We’ve had a 38% increase in four years with nothing in return.”  
    On wasteful NIH funds: 
    Sen. Mullin: “And we have my Democrat colleagues that are complaining about cutting spending at the same time we have NIH recipients, because we’ve heard our colleagues on the left side really complain about you cutting NIH funding, because they call it research, but is it really research? I mean, let me just throw some numbers out here for you. Harvard received $488 million in NIH, and 69% went to indirect costs, meaning didn’t go to research. Yale received $646 million and 67.5% of their NIH money went to indirect costs, meaning didn’t go to research.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “You have Johns Hopkins University got $858 million 67.5% went to indirect costs, meaning 67.5% of $858 million did not go to research. University of California, San Francisco received $815 million in NIH money and 59% went to indirect costs. But I’m sure there’s no room to cut NIH money for research? I mean, who would think we probably have room for that?” 
    Sec. Kennedy: “There’s room to cut the research both through the indirect cost, which the total cost was $9 billion last year in indirect. So that’s, you know, that’s $9 billion that did not go to research.” 
    Sen. Mullin: “$9 billion that went to other things, like flowers at the University President’s house.”  
    On Secretary Kennedy’s work to Make America Healthy Again: 
    Sen. Mullin: “You know, only in the American government do we think throwing money at the problem will eventually fix it. So, thank you for staying strong and actually getting the taxpayers the money that they spent for something that it’s supposed to be spent for, and that’s to make us healthier, so thank you for being strong in this.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Blasts Republicans’ Callous Attacks Against California’s Clean Air, Underscores Consequences of Overruling Senate Parliamentarian to Bypass Filibuster

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Blasts Republicans’ Callous Attacks Against California’s Clean Air, Underscores Consequences of Overruling Senate Parliamentarian to Bypass Filibuster

    WATCH: Padilla defends California’s waivers from Republican attempts to overrule Senate Parliamentarian and avoid Senate’s 60-vote thresholdWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, spoke on the Senate Floor to demand Republicans stop their shortsighted attempts to overrule the nonpartisan Senate Parliamentarian’s decision and break the rules in order to rescind California’s clean air waivers. Senator Padilla, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, held the floor after Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said today that he would move forward this week with a cynical attempt to rescind California’s Clean Air Act waivers with a 50-vote threshold under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), bypassing the filibuster and its 60-vote requirement by overruling the Senate Parliamentarian.
    The Trump-led Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently submitted three California waivers as “rules” to Congress — despite knowing full well that these waivers were not rules under the law. The Senate Parliamentarian determined that any resolutions aimed at overturning California waivers would not be entitled to the CRA’s expedited procedures and would therefore require 60 votes to secure Senate passage.
    Prior to his remarks, Senator Padilla posed two parliamentary inquiries to the Chair, making clear that Senate Republicans’ planned actions would not abide by the rules of the Senate.
    Padilla began his remarks by underscoring the immense importance of California’s clean air waivers for cleaning up the state’s uniquely severe air quality challenges. He highlighted his own experience growing up in the San Fernando Valley, where he was frequently sent home from school because of dangerous air quality.
    Padilla warned that Republicans’ attempt to throw out the Senate rulebook and revoke California’s waivers would significantly harm the public health of millions of people. He also called out Republicans for undermining the work members of their party like Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon did to protect California’s air quality.
    “I wonder if any other member in this chamber grew up like I did, where on a pretty regular basis, we would be sent home from grade school because of the intensity and dangers of smog that settled over the San Fernando Valley, the City of Los Angeles. How many of you grew up to more reports of “unhealthy” air quality in the air quality index? … But that’s the case for far too many Californians still to this day.”
    “Congress recognized, rightfully so, that air quality in West Virginia or Wyoming is different than it is in Southern California. That there’s fewer cars on the road in Salt Lake City than there are in Los Angeles. And because California was and still is the center of innovation in the United States.”
    “Yet in 2025, it appears that Republicans want to overturn half a century of precedent in order to undermine California’s ability to protect the health of our residents. By using the Congressional Review Act to revoke California’s waivers that allow us to set our own vehicle emissions standards, Republicans seem to be putting the wealth of the Big Oil industry over the health of our constituents.”
    “As parents, we have some level of control certain things like the food we give our kids or the medications that we provide. But some things that we can’t control as parents include the quality of the air that they breathe outside. … Unless industry were to somehow decide to suddenly just do the right thing, it’s incumbent upon government to act. And that’s what California has done.”
    Padilla emphasized that California’s leading emission standards are important not only for public health, but to combat the climate crisis. He stressed that despite Republicans’ false and misleading claims to the contrary, California cannot impose its emission standards on any other state. Instead, other states have chosen voluntarily to follow California’s example.
    “California’s emission standards also represent ambitious but achievable steps to cut carbon emissions and fight the climate crisis. We’ve taken a stand because we know transportation is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. And California has been proud to set the example for other states who may choose to follow suit.”
    “I want to be clear: California has not and cannot force our emission standards on any other state in the nation. As much as I may love that authority, that does not exist. But yes, over a dozen other states have voluntarily followed in California’s footsteps — not because they were forced to, but because they chose to in order to protect their constituents, their residents, and protect our planet.”
    Padilla highlighted that California’s clean emissions programs have propelled California to becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world and the biggest contributor to the federal treasury. He emphasized that the costs of inaction against the climate crisis cost Americans an average of $2,500 a year in medical bills and over $820 billion in total, according to estimates by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
    “California didn’t get there by sticking our head in the sand as the clean energy transition blossomed elsewhere. We leaned in. And we proved that what’s good for the air is good for business. What’s good for the planet and public health is good for the economy.”
    “Meanwhile, the costs of inaction continue to hit Americans where it hurts the most: in our wallets.”
    Padilla further stressed the extreme consequences if Republicans ignore the Parliamentarian, effectively blowing up the filibuster. He highlighted that while he and other Democrats supported lowering the threshold to pass a bill in 2022, Republicans defended the filibuster relentlessly — a dramatic contrast from their current attempts to revoke California’s waivers under a simple majority vote. He noted that Republicans must know they don’t have enough votes to amend the Clean Air Act under regular order, instead opting to ignore the independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Senate Parliamentarian to pursue this “nuclear option.”
    “It’s not just why Republicans are trying to undermine California’s climate leadership. It’s how they’re trying to do it.”
    “Yes, I do support lowering the threshold to move to pass a bill from a super majority to a simple majority — but only after there has been an opportunity for amendments and debate — in an effort to stop the endless partisan gridlock that prevents so much more progress that the American people deserve. I voted to make that rule change — and codify it in the Senate rules. But in 2022 when we did so, Republicans opposed it, and they defended the filibuster and the 60-vote threshold as sacred.”
    “Now, Republicans are trying to pass these bills — that strike at the heart of the Clean Air Act’s provision for California — on a simple majority, 50-vote threshold, bypassing the filibuster.”
    “Republicans are effectively saying that whenever the Parliamentarian rules against them, they can simply disregard her to bypass the filibuster and pass legislation on a simple majority vote. So no, this isn’t some one-off change to the rules — this is throwing out the rulebook entirely.”
    “Because if they can ignore the Parliamentarian here, then why not on an upcoming tax bill? Or on their efforts to gut health care for many Americans? Or whatever the latest overreach is called for by President Trump?”
    Padilla underlined a list of non-rule actions the Trump Administration could take in bogging down Congress with reviews from the past 30 years on items including vaccine approvals, broadcast licenses, merger approvals, and more, enabling President Trump’s political retribution. He detailed Republican priorities a future Democratic Administration could try to undermine, including mining permits, fossil fuel projects, foreign policy, tax policies, and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) disruptions. He concluded with a final push urging his colleagues not to abuse the CRA to rescind California’s Clean Air Act waivers.
    “So to my Republican colleagues, I should also say this: the old adage says, ‘what goes around comes around.’ And it won’t be long before Democrats are once again in the driver’s seat here, in the majority once again. And when that happens, all bets would be off because of the precedent you could be setting here at this moment.”
    “I would urge my colleagues, all my colleagues, to join me not just in defending California’s right to protect the health of our residents, not just in combating the existential threat of climate change, but in maintaining order in this chamber.”
    Senator Padilla has been outspoken in pushing back against Republican attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Earlier today, Padilla placed a hold on the four pending EPA nominees until Republicans stop their reckless attempts to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian. Earlier this month, Senators Padilla, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to sound the alarm on Senate Republicans’ consideration of moving forward with their plan to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schumer also led Democratic Ranking Members in strongly warning Majority Leader Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) of the dangerous and irreparable consequences if Senate Republicans overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision on California’s waivers.
    Last month, Senators Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schiff welcomed the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the waivers are not subject to the CRA. Padilla also joined Whitehouse and Schiff in blasting Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s weaponization of the EPA after the GAO’s similar finding. Padilla and Schiff previously slammed the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back dozens of the EPA’s regulations that protect California’s air and water.
    Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Introduces Legislation to Help Cattlemen Defend Livestock from Vultures

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) to reintroduce the Black Vulture Relief Act to allow farmers and producers to protect their newborn livestock from black vultures without burdensome government interference. The legislation would remove the current requirement that farmers and cattlemen first obtain a sub-permit before shooting vultures.  Vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA)—meaning permission from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is needed to remove them, despite growing population numbers. Currently, Alabama cattlemen who receive sub-permits can only shoot up to three black vultures until the state’s total 500 bird limit is reached—even though attacks routinely come from more than 20 vultures at a time. It’s estimated that cattlemen lose an average of $2,000 per calf lost.
    “Alabama’s cattlemen work hard to feed our communities and shouldn’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops just to protect their herds,” said Senator Tuberville. “Adjusting these sub-permit requirements that are based on outdated data is just one more commonsense way we can support our cattlemen and help them keep more of their hard-earned dollars. I’ll continue using the feedback from Alabama’s agriculture community to guide my work here in D.C.”
    BACKGROUND:
    Over the past several decades, black vultures’ expanding population has led to an additional burdensome and costly strain on livestock producers due to increased livestock depredation by these birds. Black vultures are most prevalent in the Southeast and Midwest but have been spotted as far north as New York and Michigan and as far west as Arizona. Black vultures, often in flocks of more than 20 , brutally attack and eat newborn calves, lambs, goat kids, and piglets. These attacks are gruesome, lasting an average of 3.5 hours as the vultures eat the animal alive. They will also attack/injure female adults during or after birth when they are more vulnerable. In 2015, vultures caused 24,600 calf deaths, accounting for 10% of all calf deaths due to predators.
    Vultures were the third leading cause of calf deaths due to predators, only behind coyotes and unknown predators. This number has undoubtedly increased in recent years as black vulture populations have increased. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey, the black vulture population has increased by approximately 468% since 1990. In 2016, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative rated black vultures as a species of lowest conservation concern, indicating “a widespread, relatively secure species.” Despite the bird’s robust population, the black vulture is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) making it illegal to take one without obtaining a depredation permit. For black vultures, FWS issues master permits to states who then issue sub-permits to ranchers.
    Sub-permittees are limited to 3-10 black vulture takes annually, depending on the state. This take limit is the main roadblock that farmers and ranchers face to protect their livestock. From 2015-2019, requests to FWS for depredation permits for take of black vultures increased by 26%. Black vulture cattle depredation has been confirmed in 18 states and is expected to grow due to the bird’s expanding population range from the southeastern and midwestern regions toward the north.
    MORE:
    Tuberville, Cotton Take Action to Allow Farmers to Protect Catfish from Predatory Birds
    Tuberville, Cruz Introduce Legislation to Protect American Fishermen from Cartels
    Tuberville, Crapo Introduce Legislation to Level Playing Field for Alabama Sporting Equipment Businesses
    Tuberville, Cornyn Introduce Bill to Help Farmers Impacted by Feral Swine
    Tuberville Introduces Legislation to Support Domestic Beekeepers and Honey Producers
    Tuberville Introduces Bill To Put American Farmers and Producers First
    Tuberville, Daines Fight for Outdoorsmen Across the Country
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Applauds Trump Administration for Putting Iowans First

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – During a U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) thanked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for answering her calls to action to deliver justice for Iowan Sarah Root and secure the integrity of Iowa’s elections.

    Watch Senator Ernst’s full remarks here.
    Ernst contrasted how, after the Biden administration’s inaction, it took the Trump administration just weeks to locate Iowan Sarah Root’s killer in Honduras and extradite him to America. His arrest and extradition came after Ernst fought for nearly a decade to deliver justice for the Root family after Sarah’s killer was released on bail and fled the country.
    Noem thanked Senator Ernst for telling Sarah’s story and noted that this was the first case where Honduras extradited someone for a homicide, which set a precedent and established an important relationship. “Telling her story doesn’t fall on deaf ears with this administration,” Noem said.
    After investigating nearly 2,000 registered Iowa “voters” designated as non-citizens, Ernst commended Noem for her work to ensure illegal immigrants are not able to vote in our elections.
    Background:
    For nine years since the tragedy, Senator Ernst worked tirelessly to pass Sarah’s Law to bring closure to the Root family and ensure this never happens again. This year, she shepherded the legislation through the Senate and the House, and President Trump made this legislation the law of the land.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Introduces Landmark Autonomous Vehicle Legislation to Accelerate Safe Deployment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis
    Washington, D.C.— Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, this week introduced the Autonomous Vehicle Advancement Act, groundbreaking legislation aimed at transforming autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment in the United States. The Autonomous Vehicle Advancement Act seeks to move the nation beyond policy discussions and toward practical implementation of self-driving technology.
    “For nearly a decade, Washington has talked about autonomous vehicles without meaningful action,” Lummis said. “This legislation cuts through the red tape and establishes a clear path forward for getting safe autonomous vehicles on American roads where they can save lives, create jobs, and maintain our technological leadership. Wyoming is a highway state and ensuring that autonomous vehicles are integrated in the safest way possible remains my number one priority.”
    Background:
    The bill addresses two critical components for AV advancement:
    1. It requires federal agencies to implement recommendations from the landmark 2016 federal report on autonomous vehicles within one-year, jumpstarting progress on long-dormant policy objectives.
    2. Most significantly, the legislation establishes a comprehensive roadmap for achieving commercially viable Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles – advanced self-driving systems that require minimal to no human intervention. The Secretary of Transportation will be tasked with identifying essential needs and regulatory barriers that must be addressed to facilitate widespread deployment.
    Read the full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 05.20.2025 Sen. Cruz’s ‘No Tax on Tips’ Legislation Passes Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued a statement following the passing of his No Tax on Tips Act in the U.S. Senate with a vote of 100-0. This bipartisan legislation will exempt tips from being subject to taxation under the federal income tax.
    Sen. Cruz said, “President Trump made a promise to the American people that he would eliminate taxes on tips. In Congress, I formed a bipartisan, bicameral coalition to get that done, and in the Senate introduced the No Tax on Tips Act. Today, I went with Senator Rosen to the floor to secure Senate passage of the bill. This legislation will have a lasting impact on millions of Americans by protecting the hard-earned dollars of blue-collar workers, the very people who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. I urge my colleagues in the House to pass this important bill and send it to the President’s desk to be signed into law.”
    BACKGROUND
    The bill exempts “cash tips”—cash, credit and debit card charges, and checks—from federal income tax by allowing taxpayers to claim a 100% deduction at filing for tipped wages. The updated text includes guardrails to ensure only traditionally tipped employees will benefit from No Tax on Tips.
    Read the bill text here.
    Sen. Cruz has consistently prioritized tax cuts and job access:
    Sen. Cruz helped enact historic tax reform in 2017, which gave a tax cut to virtually every taxpayer in America. It reduced taxes on small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and job producers, which has helped bring jobs to Texas.
    He has fought to make permanent the 2017 historic tax cuts for individuals.
    Sen. Cruz also helped pass the USMCA trade agreement, which was signed by President Trump, a decisive victory for Texas farmers, ranchers, businesses, and manufacturers.
    For his efforts to support Texas businesses large and small, Sen. Cruz received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious “Spirit of Enterprise” award.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Pushes for Senate Passage of Bill to Improve Voter Registration Services at Naturalization Ceremonies

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Pushes for Senate Passage of Bill to Improve Voter Registration Services at Naturalization Ceremonies

    While Senate Republicans Block Efforts to Register Citizens, Padilla Blocks Their Efforts to Pass Anti-Voter SAVE Act
    WATCH: Padilla underscores the importance of making voting accessible to all eligible AmericansWASHINGTON, D.C. — On the anniversary of President Clinton signing the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) into law, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, spoke on the Senate floor to push for the unanimous passage of his legislation to improve voter registration services at naturalization ceremonies. The Including New Voters In The Electorate (INVITE) Act would designate United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices as voter registration agencies under the National Voter Registration Act, requiring USCIS staff to help new U.S. citizens complete their voter registration forms and return them to the appropriate state agency following their naturalization.
    U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) objected to Padilla’s attempt to pass the bill by unanimous consent. Lee instead attempted to unanimously pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, to which Padilla strongly objected to prevent the potential disenfranchisement of millions of eligible American citizens. 
    Senator Padilla highlighted the success of NVRA, also known as the “Motor Voter Act,” in registering voters at Departments of Motor Vehicles, military recruitment offices and public agencies that manage programs like SNAP and Medicaid. He pushed for NVRA to extend to naturalization ceremonies, helping secure the fundamental right to vote in our democracy for the country’s newest eligible citizens.
    “We should all believe in that most basic of lessons that I believe we all learned in high school civics class: that our democracy works best when as many eligible people participate.”
    “One other place that the National Voter Registration Act can and should extend to is naturalization ceremonies — giving new eligible United States citizens the information they need to register to vote should they want to.”
    Padilla emphasized that naturalized citizens are among the most patriotic Americans, detailing his own background as the proud son of immigrants.
    “If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend one before, I can tell you personally: there are few experiences that give you more of that patriotic feeling than inside the four walls of a naturalization ceremony. If you’ve ever had doubts or questions about what it means to be an American, I encourage you to talk to and ask a newly naturalized citizen.”
    “As I think about the people who go through the process, I can’t help but also think about my parents, because they went through the naturalization process. And when I see the dozens or hundreds of immigrants becoming citizens, I envision what their preparation was like because it was very similar no doubt to what my parents did. Taking classes, studying, showing up at every important appointment, filling out all those forms. And on the day they finally take the oath of allegiance, they earn the full benefits of United States citizenship.”
    “So it was an honor and a privilege to be able to address those audiences as Secretary of State, and encourage them not just to get involved in community, but to register to vote and exercise their new right to vote.”
    USCIS does not consistently offer newly eligible citizens the opportunity to register to vote at naturalization ceremonies, and even more rarely offers them assistance in filling out and returning their voter registration forms. Padilla stressed that just 61 percent of all naturalized U.S. citizens were registered to vote during the November 2022 election (the most recent available data), compared to 70 percent of citizens born in the United States. He urged his colleagues to join him in passing the INVITE Act to help rectify this disparity.
    “My bill would use the powers of the National Voter Registration Act to designate USCIS field offices as voter registration agencies — effectively giving our field staff not just the opportunity, but the duty to help new eligible United States citizens register to vote. Rather than just hand out a form, it would empower USCIS personnel to actually assist new citizens in completing and returning their voter registration forms.”
    “Let me just say to everyone who regularly expresses concern about noncitizens voting. I would suggest, what better place to make sure citizens are registered than at a naturalization ceremony?”
    “The responsibilities that come with citizenship don’t end upon taking the oath of citizenship. That’s just the beginning. So I urge all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to join me in supporting this commonsense bill to invest in and strengthen our democracy.”
    The INVITE Act would maintain USCIS’ flexibility to work with state voter registration agencies and nonpartisan voter registration organizations, and it would allow the agency to develop and implement plans with each state to carry out this important work. 
    Specifically, designating USCIS field offices under the National Voter Registration Act would require them to:
    Work with states to develop and implement a plan to distribute voter registration information and forms to new citizens following naturalization,
    Offer assistance to new citizens in filling out the voter registration application, and
    Transmit the completed application to the appropriate state election official or agency.
    Senator Padilla believes that our democracy is strongest when every eligible American participates. He is a champion for stronger voting rights, bipartisan election administration reforms, and increased funding to modernize and secure our elections. Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. Last week, he convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight hearing focused on Congressional Republicans’ SAVE Act and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order, both of which threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, Padilla also recently led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and attacks on election integrity. Last month, Padilla warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of the SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country.
    Additionally, Padilla led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America’s Future Elections Act to repeal Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced.
    Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks on the INVITE Act is available here.
    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Stops Senate Passage of SAVE Act That Would Disenfranchise Millions of Americans

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Stops Senate Passage of SAVE Act That Would Disenfranchise Millions of Americans

    WATCH: Padilla objects to Lee’s attempts to pass the anti-voter SAVE Act by unanimous consentWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, blocked Senator Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) attempts to unanimously pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would lead to the disenfranchisement of millions of eligible American citizens if passed. Padilla blasted the overly burdensome documentation requirements in the SAVE Act, which would make registration harder for new voters, married women, rural voters, servicemembers, communities of color, and the tens of millions of Americans who register to vote online or by mail.
    Lee’s harmful proposal came in response to Senator Padilla’s attempt to pass the Including New Voters In The Electorate (INVITE) Act by unanimous consent to improve voter registration services at naturalization ceremonies. In responding to Lee’s objection, Padilla emphasized that Congress should try to make voting easier for eligible American citizens, not harder. He also debunked misinformation about widespread voter fraud, highlighting that voter fraud is extremely rare.
    A review of the 2016 general election found that only 0.0001 percent of votes came from improper noncitizen voting among the jurisdictions reviewed.
    Key Excerpts:
    “It is a solution in search of a problem. Audit after audit, review after review, investigation after investigation, has demonstrated that the instances of ineligible immigrants voting in elections is exceedingly, exceedingly, exceedingly rare, which again, means our current laws are working.”
    “To suggest that birth certificates be required for a certain task when it’s already secure — I don’t make it a habit of walking around with my birth certificate in my pocket. A passport’s another acceptable form of documentation for citizenship. Half the American public doesn’t have a current valid passport because not everybody travels abroad on a regular basis. So they’re unnecessary. Our current laws are working, and therefore I object.”
    Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. Last week, he convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight hearing focused on Congressional Republicans’ SAVE Act and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order, both of which threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, Padilla led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and the Trump Administration’s attacks on election integrity. Last month, Padilla warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of the SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. Padilla also recently led a letter sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of the SAVE Act and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order on Native American voting rights.
    Additionally, Padilla led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America’s Future Elections Act to repeal Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced.
    Video of Senator Padilla’s objection to the passage of the SAVE Act is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Senator Hassan Presses Homeland Security Secretary Noem on Protecting Constitutional Rights and Secures Commitment to Follow Court Orders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    WASHINGTON – During a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) questioned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about preserving the fundamental constitutional protection of habeas corpus, which requires that the government provide a reason for detaining or imprisoning someone, as well as an opportunity for that person to seek judicial review of their detention. There have been recent reports that the Trump Administration is considering unilaterally suspending habeas corpus. Senator Hassan also pressed Secretary Noem on critical national security challenges, including the rise of AI-enabled cybercrime targeting seniors and vulnerabilities in U.S. critical infrastructure from attacks by adversaries like China. 
    To watch Senator Hassan’s hearing questions, click here.
    Senator Hassan began by questioning Secretary Noem about the fundamental constitutional protection of habeas corpus after the Trump Administration stated it was considering suspending this right. Secretary Noem incorrectly defined habeas corpus as “a constitutional right that the President has to be able to remove people from this country.” Senator Hassan explained that “habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people. If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no reason.” She emphasized that “habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea. As a Senator from the Live Free or Die state, this matters a lot to me and my constituents and to all Americans.” 
    Senator Hassan then secured a commitment from Secretary Noem that she would follow court orders if the President attempted to suspend habeas corpus and a federal court reversed that order. “I’m glad that you have now committed to following court orders. I’m glad you believe in the basic freedom for Americans if ordered to do so by a court,” said Senator Hassan. 
    Senator Hassan then asked how the Department of Homeland Security is addressing increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals targeting Americans. These criminals use new tools and techniques, including artificial intelligence-generated imagery, to rob Americans, including seniors who lost $5 billion to scammers in 2024 alone. Senator Hassan also raised concerns about recent reports that the Chinese government installed remote access to Chinese-made power inverters, potentially allowing China to disable parts of our power grid. She pushed Secretary Noem to bolster DHS’s efforts to partner with state and local governments on cybersecurity. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Hassan and Congresswoman Goodlander Discuss Importance of the Department of Education for Students & Impact of Trump Administration’s Attacks on Public Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
    MANCHESTER – Yesterday morning, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander met with educators and school officials to hear about the support that the U.S. Department of Education provides for K-12 students and for students pursuing higher education. The conversation took place as President Trump issued an executive order to begin abolishing the U.S. Department of Education and has already cut important programs for students and schools. 
    “This is a really challenging time for public education and the success of our students, who will be the next generation of citizens, workers, thinkers, inventors, and businesspeople,” said Senator Hassan. “Yesterday’s discussion provided an opportunity to make clear the harms that the Trump Administration is causing to real students and families. At a time when the federal government should be working to strengthen public education in America, the Trump Administration is instead determined to throw our schools into chaos and take away critical resources that help our children thrive.”
    “Education is the lifeblood and ultimate safeguard of American democracy. Here in New Hampshire, we are lucky to have dedicated educators in our public schools. But they can’t do their jobs without the support they need,” said Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander. “I was proud to join Senator Hassan in convening this important conversation with education leaders from pre-K through college to discuss the critical role federal programs play in our public schools. I will always stand up for public education and the people who make it possible.”
    Senator Hassan has been speaking out about the devastating impact that closing the Department of Education will have on students across New Hampshire and the country. Additionally, last month, Senator Hassan introduced and urged consideration of a measure to overturn the President’s executive order to shut down the Department. Congresswoman Goodlander has been an outspoken advocate for protecting public education and is helping lead bipartisan, bicameral legislation, the IDEA Full Funding Act, that will ensure all children with disabilities can access high-quality public education.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: White House, Secretary Hegseth Unveil Plan for Golden Dome of America

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the U.S. faces evolving and pressing threats, missile defense plays an essential role in deterring and defeating adversary missiles and other threats against the nation. Days after his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the implementation of a next-generation missile defense shield for the nation.
    Today, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, joined U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a fellow SASC member, President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein at the White House to announce the administration’s plan for a Golden Dome missile defense system for America.
    Click here to watch the announcement

    “Providing for the common defense of American citizens is our first Constitutional responsibility,” said Cramer. “Over the last couple of decades, adversaries have sharpened their capabilities and threats are no longer far off in the distance. We need to modernize our missile defense infrastructure so we can protect our homeland from catastrophic, modern missile attacks. I applaud President Trump’s innovative and bold vision to create a safer, more secure America and Congress is ready to work with him to make it a reality.” 
    The president also announced the nomination of General Guetlein to lead the implementation of this effort. Last month, General Guetlein joined Cramer and SDA Director Derek Tournear to visit the University of North Dakota and tour the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences and the National Security Corridor at the College of Engineering & Mines. The group also visited Grand Forks Air Force Base, Cavalier Space Force Station and viewedongoing U.S. Space Force activities in North Dakota.  
    “I strongly endorse General Guetlein for the role in leading the Golden Dome project,” said Cramer. “I don’t know anyone better equipped to do it than him.”

    MIL OSI USA News –