NewzIntel.com

Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine, Van Hollen, Schumer & Padilla Announce Timing for Senate Vote on Their Legislation to Demand Answers on Trump Administration’s Dealings with El Salvador

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the lead Democrat on SFRC’s Western Hemisphere panel, together with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), announced that the full Senate will vote this afternoon on their privileged legislation to demand answers on the Trump Administration’s compliance with court orders applicable to U.S. citizens or residents wrongfully deported to El Salvador and regarding El Salvador’s horrific human rights record.
    “If President Trump is going to cut secret deals to send people to foreign prisons without due process, every Senator—and the public—needs to understand the details about those deportations, including the human rights record of the nation putting American residents behind bars. This information is critical at a time when the Trump Administration has admitted to wrongfully deporting people to El Salvador, and after Trump has said he’s also looking for ways to deport American citizens to the same terrible prisons. Today, we will force a vote on our legislation to put all Senators on record on requiring some accountability from this lawless Administration.” 
    Full text of the senators’ legislation is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Three Bipartisan Klobuchar Bills to Support Law Enforcement and First Responders Advance out of Judiciary Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
    WASHINGTON – During National Police Week, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that three of her bipartisan bills to bolster safety and resources for first responders and law enforcement officers passed out of the Judiciary Committee.
    The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which Klobuchar leads with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), passed committee. This legislation would expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers. Currently, firefighters are only eligible for support under the Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program for physical injuries sustained in the line-of-duty, or for deaths from duty-related heart attacks, strokes, mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and 9/11 related illnesses.
    “First responders put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. It’s unacceptable that first responders who succumb to cancer from work-related exposure or become permanently and totally disabled don’t receive the same treatment as others who die in the line of duty,” said Klobuchar. “That’s why I’m working with Senator Cramer to ensure that firefighters and other first responders get the support they deserve. Our bipartisan legislation will honor the memory and sacrifice of St. Paul Fire Department Captain Mike Paidar and so many others who risk their lives in service of their communities.”
    “Our first responders epitomize courage and selfless sacrifice, confronting both the immediate perils of their duty and lingering health risks associated with their service,” said Cramer. “The exposure to dangerous carcinogens happens on our behalf. I applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing the bill. It’s time to pass it on the Senate floor.”
    Klobuchar and Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) bipartisan Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act also passed the committee. The bill will support law enforcement agencies in hiring retired law enforcement officers to perform civilian law enforcement tasks. This includes helping with carjacking investigations by reviewing camera footage, helping with crime scene analysis, as well as investigations into financial and cyber-crimes, and to train new law enforcement officers.
    “Those in law enforcement have dedicated their careers to public service, and many want to continue serving their communities even after they have retired from the force,” said Klobuchar. “Our bipartisan bill will allow these law enforcement professionals to share the valuable skills they learned throughout their career by training the next generation of law enforcement and working on investigations for carjacking and other crimes.”
    ‘“Law enforcement in Iowa and across the nation are struggling with low recruitment and staffing shortages,” Grassley said. “Retired officers who are willing and able to continue serving their communities should have Congress’ support to do so. I’m glad to see this innovative and commonsense bill move forward.”
    The bipartisan Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act, which Klobuchar leads with Grassley, would support state and local emergency services with additional training and containment tools to guard against accidental exposure to lethal narcotics like fentanyl also passed.
    “As we continue fighting the fentanyl epidemic, we must also protect the health and safety of our first responders who are on the front lines responding to this crisis,” Klobuchar said. “Our bipartisan bill does this by giving first responders the resources necessary to prevent secondary exposures with lifesaving containment devices.”
    “As law enforcement officers and first responders work tirelessly to protect our communities, the federal government must act to ensure these brave individuals are equally protected. I applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for advancing our bipartisan bill to help safeguard officers and responders from lethal narcotics exposure while on the job,” Grassley said.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Ricketts Thanks Officers During National Police Week

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) highlighted his efforts to recognize law enforcement in Nebraska and across America during this week’s press call. Ricketts thanks all police and commemorates the tragic 2024 loss of officer Ross Bartlett, who died in the line of duty. He spoke with members of Nebraska press about National Police Week:
    “Officers across Nebraska work hard to prevent crime and protect families,” said Ricketts. “They face danger, act fast, and serve with courage. I’m fighting to give them the tools and resources they need.”
    To protect law enforcement officers, Ricketts is cosponsoring the Thin Blue Line Act.
    “This bill would increase penalties for criminals who target law enforcement officers,” continued Ricketts. “It also would provide new tools for officers to protect themselves. It would help deter violent criminals from targeting our law enforcement.”
    Remembering the daily sacrifice of police, Ricketts encouraged gratitude and commemorated Officer Ross Bartlett.
    “This year’s Police Week resolution honors Nebraskan Ross Bartlett,” said Ricketts. “He was killed in 2024 when his patrol car was struck by another vehicle as he was conducting a traffic stop. We honor Officer Bartlett’s service, and remember him this week — and every week.”
    Watch the video here.
    TRANSCRIPT
    Senator Ricketts: “Thank you all for joining our press call today.  
    “This is National Police Week. 
    “It’s a time to thank the law enforcement officers who keep us safe. 
    “Officers across Nebraska work hard to prevent crime and protect families. 
    “They face danger, act fast, and serve with courage. 
    “I’m fighting to give them the tools and resources they need. 
    “Nebraska’s women and men in blue are a model for the rest of the nation. 
    “For example, the Omaha Police Department has achieved a 100% homicide clearance rate in each of the last two years. 
    “Meanwhile, the national rate sits below 60%. 
    “And Omaha continues to see murder rates decrease every year.
    “In fact, the number of murders in Omaha has decreased in each of the last four years. 
    “Their unprecedented success is a testament to their commitment and excellence. 
    “Nebraskans back the blue. 
    “Communities in our state respect and rely on our local police. 
    “We support our officers with better tools, training, and strong laws. 
    “That’s what we did when I was Governor. 
    “When I was Governor, we offered retention bonuses, generous education benefits, and retirement plans to our law enforcement officers. 
    “We invested $47.7 million to expand the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island. 
    “We also upgraded our State Patrol Crime Laboratory to the tune of $16.9 million. 
    “These investments equipped officers with world-class training and tools to keep people safe. 
    “I am particularly grateful for the work Nebraska law enforcement officers do to keep deadly drugs like fentanyl off our streets. 
    “When the drug situation at our nation’s southern border went from crisis to catastrophe, the Nebraska State Patrol stepped up. 
    “In my last year as governor, state troopers confiscated two times as much methamphetamine, three times as much fentanyl, and ten times as much cocaine as just two years prior. 
    “They did this work in spite of the Biden administration’s terrible open border policies. 
    “As Senator, I’m working with President Trump to secure the border and ease the burden on local law enforcement. 
    “We passed the HALT Fentanyl Act. 
    “The law will permanently classify fentanyl and its analogues as Schedule I substances. 
    “It will lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl traffickers. 
    “Less fentanyl means fewer overdose deaths, like the tragic loss of Taryn Lee Griffith. 
    “By cracking down on drug dealers and cartels, we’re making our streets safer. 
    “I’m also fighting for policies that will deter anti-cop attacks. 
    “That’s why I co-led the Back the Blue Act and am co-leading the Thin Blue Line Act. 
    “This bill would increase penalties for criminals who target law enforcement officers. 
    “It also would provide new tools for officers to protect themselves. 
    “It would help deter violent criminals from targeting our law enforcement. 
    “Police groups support it. 
    “I’ll keep working to send it to President Trump’s desk. 
    “This year’s Police Week resolution honors Nebraskan Ross Bartlett. Barlett was a police officer at the Ceresco Police Department in Ceresco, Nebraska. 
    “He was killed last year when his patrol car was struck by another vehicle as he was conducting a traffic stop. 
    “Officer Bartlett’s family is in D.C. this week.
    “They rented an Airbnb in Maryland.
    “When their Airbnb host, who as it turns out is a Capitol Police Officer himself, found out why Bartlett’s family was here this week—he comped them the rental.
    “That demonstrates the brotherhood and sisterhood of law enforcement officers. 
    “We honor Officer Bartlett’s service and remember him this week—and every week. 
    “Please join me in expressing our gratitude for their important work — not just during Police Week, but every single week. 
    “If you see an officer, say thank you. A kind word means a lot. 
    “Lastly, I want to take a moment to celebrate an action recently taken by President Trump. 
    “Over the weekend, the President signed a Congressional Review Act resolution into law that I led in the Senate. Mike Flood led this effort in the House. 
    “Following their election loss, the Biden-Harris CFPB rushed an eleventh-hour rule to attack non-bank digital consumer payment applications.
    “Think of PayPal and other payment applications. These are widely popular applications among consumers. 
    “Many of these companies are already being regulated by federal and state governments. 
    “This rule was a one-size-fits-all solution in search of a problem. 
    “I am happy President Trump signed my resolution into law to reverse this regulation and stop, in my opinion, the CFPB’s illegal expansion of its authority.  
    “President Trump is continuing to pass common sense measures by reversing this Biden-era rule.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand, Schumer, Wyden, Sanders, Merkley, Klobuchar Slam Trump Administration’s Attacks On Senior Nutrition Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
    In 2022, Nearly 7 Million Older Americans—Including 13.7 Percent Of Older Americans in New York—Experienced Food Insecurity
    Now, Republicans Are Trying To Cut Critical Programs That Help Seniors Put Food On The Table, Including Medicaid, Social Services Block Grant, and SNAP
    Lawmakers: “The cuts will exacerbate hunger, poor health, and social isolation”
    U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN),and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote a letter to their Republican colleagues asking them to reconsider their proposed cuts and attacks on programs and agencies that support senior nutrition programs. The senators wrote in their capacities as ranking members of the Senate Committees on Aging; Finance; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Budget; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and as Senate Democratic Leader, respectively. If implemented, the Republican’s proposed cuts to the programs will take hot meals, nutritious food, and social interaction away from millions of older adults nationwide, jeopardizing their health and quality of life.
    “We are writing today to express our serious concerns regarding efforts by the Trump administration and the potential of cuts proposed in your budget resolution to debilitate our nation’s beloved nutrition programs for seniors, taking hot meals, sustenance, and social interaction away from our seniors to fund tax cuts for billionaires,” wrote the lawmakers. “These attacks are multifaceted and will deeply hurt all aspects of senior nutrition services, from funding to program delivery. The cuts will exacerbate hunger, poor health, and social isolation, and our nation’s seniors will be gravely harmed by these decisions.”
    Specifically, the Senators asked Republicans to reconsider the following actions:
    Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the largest food assistance program in the country;
    The dismantling of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), which administers the Older Americans Act’s nutrition programs; 
    The elimination of the Social Services Block Grant, which provides critical funding for senior nutrition programs;
    Cuts to Medicaid, which funds meal-delivery programs through Section 1115 waivers for home-bound older adults and people with disabilities; and
    Attacks on the Social Security Administration, which ensures accurate and timely payment of Social Security benefits so that older adults and people with disabilities can put food on the table.
    The full text of the Senators’ letter is available here or below:
    Dear Republican Colleagues: 
    We are writing today to express our serious concerns regarding efforts by the Trump Administration and the potential of cuts proposed in your budget resolution to debilitate our nation’s beloved nutrition programs for seniors, taking hot meals, sustenance, and social interaction away from our seniors to fund tax cuts for billionaires. These attacks are multifaceted and will deeply hurt all aspects of senior nutrition services, from funding to program delivery. The cuts will exacerbate hunger, poor health, and social isolation, and our nation’s seniors will be gravely harmed by these decisions. 
    In 2022, nearly 7 million older Americans experienced food insecurity, with numbers projected to reach up to 9 million by 2050. Hunger is particularly salient for older adults living in rural areas and in the South. Food insecure seniors are 74 percent more likely to be diabetic, nearly 3 times more likely to suffer from depression, 71 percent more likely to have congestive heart failure, and 64 percent more likely to have a heart attack. Without access to nutritious food, seniors are more likely to live in poor health—this is not the life we want or envision for our older Americans. 
    Senior nutrition programs, such as Meals on Wheels, include meal delivery services and congregate nutrition programs (e.g., those provided at senior centers). For home-bound seniors, meal delivery services are a lifeline; for some, the meals delivered will be the only meal they have to eat all day. Beyond nutrition, meal delivery services provide life-sustaining social interaction and safety checks for older adults; many seniors report going for weeks without seeing another person if not for their home-delivered meals volunteers. Similarly, congregate meals provide the nutrition and social connection needed for seniors to live and thrive in their communities. Senior nutrition programs save taxpayer dollars by reducing more costly health care expenditures such as avoidable trips to the emergency room, and hospital admissions and readmissions. Furthermore, senior nutrition programs can delay or eliminate the need for placement in a long-term care facility. These programs use taxpayer dollars efficiently; the cost of just one day in a hospital or ten days in a nursing home is nearly equivalent to a full year of Meals on Wheels. Cutting senior nutrition programs will increase unnecessary health care expenditures among older adults. 
    In addition, funding from the Social Services Block Grant, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) enable seniors to put food on the table and access nutrition support. Enacting policies and funding cuts that force seniors to go hungry is cruel. We ask that you to stand with older Americans and reconsider any efforts to scale back support and back off attacks on the SSA and Administration of Community Living (ACL) programs. 
    We are specifically concerned about the impact of the following actions and proposed cuts:
    The dismantling of the Administration for Community Living threatens the delivery of senior nutrition programs. The Older Americans Act (OAA) is a fundamental source of support for senior nutrition. In 2019, over 223 million meals were provided to older adults through OAA’s Nutrition Programs. ACL is responsible for the delivery of most OAA programs. The Department of Health and Human Services recently proposed a “reorganization” of ACL. However, there has been no clarity or transparency in the proposed reorganization. Transferring ACL programs to the Administration for Children and Families, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—also reeling from devastating staffing reductions— disrupts implementation of the home-delivered and congregate meals programs. Disruption in program administration and delivery means that the 2.4 million seniors who rely on these meal programs for critical nutrition are at risk of going hungry and of further health complications. We ask that you work with us to ensure the integrity and wholeness of any and all OAA programs that are being transferred out of ACL. 
    Eliminating the Social Services Block Grant and cutting Medicaid take food away from seniors. In addition to OAA funding, the Social Services Block Grant also provides critical support for senior nutrition programs. For example, cuts to the Social Services Block Grant will force the Meals on Wheels program in Abilene, Texas to cut more than half of its services, taking away hot meals and sustenance away from hundreds of Texans who are older adults or people with disabilities. Medicaid can also fill the gap of unmet food needs and reduce the likelihood of nutrition-related health conditions through meal-delivery programs provided through Section 1115 waivers for home-bound older adults and people with disabilities. We ask that you reconsider any potential attacks to the Social Services Block Grant, Medicaid funding and changes to waiver programs that address health- related social issues, and other vital sources of social services funding that help seniors live full and healthy lives. 
    Attacks on Social Security threaten seniors’ food security. The so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE’s attack on the SSA has debilitated its ability to provide quality customer service and threatens timely and accurate benefit payments for seniors and people with disabilities. Forty percent of older Americans rely on Social Security as their only source of retirement income—money to make sure they have food on the table. Without their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, over half of disabled adult beneficiaries would live below the federal poverty line. Through office closures and slashing of staff, SSA will not be able to provide critical customer services to Social Security beneficiaries. If DOGE continues to toy around with the integrity of the SSA’s payment system, a total collapse may result—seniors will not receive their Social Security checks, and they will go hungry. We ask that you rein in DOGE’s attacks on the SSA and work with us to strengthen the Social Security programs so all Americans can access their earned benefits. 
    Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The SNAP Program is the centerpiece of our public anti-hunger infrastructure and is, by far, the biggest food assistance program promoting the food security of Americans. Food insecure seniors consume less energy and have lower intake of key nutrients, and SNAP participation is linked to fewer nursing home and hospital admissions for seniors. SNAP cuts of $230 billion or more, as contemplated by the budget resolution, would fall heavily on senior citizens, who would almost certainly be subject to benefit or eligibility cuts, forcing elderly individuals to make painful choices between purchasing food, medicine, or other daily necessities. We urge you to reconsider any potential cuts to SNAP.
    Republican colleagues, we ask for your commitment to preserving and supporting these programs to ensure that our nation’s seniors have the nutrition and sustenance they need to live healthy, nourished lives in the community.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand Slams GOP Proposal To Slash Medicaid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
    Proposal Would Increase Costs, Put Rural Hospitals At Risk Of Closure, Decrease Nursing Home Staffing, And Make It Harder For Kids To Access Care
    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference slamming a recent Republican proposal – otherwise known as the reconciliation bill — that would cause almost 8.6 million Americans, including up to 1.5 million New Yorkers, to lose their Medicaid coverage. 
    “This proposal would be catastrophic for the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Republicans should be focused on bringing down the cost of essentials; instead, they are making health care harder to access and more expensive. They have proposed work requirements for Medicaid that ignore the fact that most Medicaid recipients already work, and would cost New York State an estimated $500 million to administer and enforce – all for minimal cost savings. The Republican bill puts kids at risk of losing health care through Medicaid and CHIP and puts the future of our state’s many rural hospitals in jeopardy. This is an unacceptable piece of legislation, and I will be doing everything in my power to stop it from passing.” 
    Specifically, the Republican proposal would:  
    Put an estimated 400,000 kids at risk of losing their health care by undoing protections that make sure eligible children are enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The bill allows states to once again impose annual and lifetime benefit limits, waiting periods, and lockout periods for kids enrolled in CHIP.
    Increase health care costs by undoing policies that make sure eligible low-income seniors and people with disabilities can more easily enroll in Medicaid. Eligible people with Medicare can sign up for Medicaid to help cover the cost of their Medicare premiums and cost-sharing. Because of this bill, more than 1 million seniors will pay higher Medicare premiums because they will not have Medicaid. 
    Create more red tape and barriers to careby burdening Americans with onerous paperwork, including new eligibility rules requiring certain Medicaid recipients to reapply every 6 months. These new requirements will also impose additional administrative costs on the program. 
    Take nurses out of nursing homes byundoing federal standards that make sure nursing homes are adequately staffed by qualified nursing professionals and ensure residents’ basic, minimum safety. Among other requirements, these policies require that nursing homes have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. This $23 billion Medicaid cut diminishes seniors’ dignity and quality of life and rolls back policies expected to save the lives of 13,000 nursing home residents per year.
    Put rural hospitals at risk of closure by limiting state-directed payments, known as provider taxes, that make it possible for rural and urban hospitals and clinics to remain open and care for patients by providing maternity, emergency, and behavioral health care. Funds collected by states through provider taxes are often directed to health care providers whose costs far exceed base Medicaid payment rates. These providers tend to be located in rural America – where health care services are hard to find – or in dense urban areas – where the cost to deliver health care is high and health care providers are serving more people with Medicaid. 
    More information about the proposal is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Risch Introduces Bill to Stop Taxpayer-Funded Gender Transition Procedures in Federal Health Plans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho James E Risch
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today introduced the Protecting Minors in Federal Health Plans Act. The bill would prohibit Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) plans from covering gender transitions for minors.
    “Taxpayer-funded federal health plans should never promote extreme gender ideology, especially on our youth,” said Risch. “My Protecting Minors in Federal Health Plans Act is commonsense legislation to ensure none of Idaho’s tax dollars fund these radical and harmful medical procedures.”
    Risch is joined by U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in introducing the Protecting Minors in Federal Health Plans Act. 
    “When President Trump took office, he represented the majority of Americans who agree mutilation and gender-transition surgeries for children are wrong,” said Lummis. “I speak for the people of Wyoming when I say our tax dollars should not contribute to these procedures, and I am proud to join Senator Risch and President Trump in restoring commonsense to America.” 
    “These experimental surgeries have long term, life-altering impacts that can’t be reversed and must end,” said Ricketts. “Take Luka Hein from Omaha, for example, who was sixteen when she received a gender-reassignment surgery. This bill stops these sex-change surgeries for children.”
    Under the Biden administration, the Office of Personnel Management encouraged FEHB carriers to cover “comprehensive gender-affirming care,” including hormone therapy, genital surgeries, facial reconstruction surgeries, and other services. Taxpayer-funded government contributions for FEHB plan premiums are estimated to total $50 billion in 2025.
    In January, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, declaring that the federal government would not fund, promote, or assist gender-transition procedures for minors. The order emphasized that such interventions are based on ideology rather than sound medical science and directed federal agencies to eliminate policies that support them. The Protecting Minors in Federal Health Plans Act codifies a portion of President Trump’s executive order.
    The Protecting Minors in Federal Health Plans Act has received support from the Idaho Family Policy Center and the American Principles Project.
    “Our tax dollars should never be used for the purpose of sterilizing children with gender dysphoria. These children are struggling—and they need real help, not irreversible surgical and pharmaceutical interventions. Both the State of Idaho and the Trump administration have taken steps to protect these vulnerable children. Now, it’s time that the U.S. Congress follows this growing consensus. Idaho Family Policy Center thanks Senator Risch for his bold leadership in introducing this legislation to stop federal health plans from covering these destructive and highly experimental sex change procedures for children,” said Blaine Conzatti, President of Idaho Family Policy Center. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump’s Policies Keep Paying Off

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    While President Donald J. Trump is in the Gulf region securing over a trillion dollars’ worth of investments in U.S. companies, deals on the home front keep coming:
    Sanofi announced it will invest at least $20 billion over the next five years in manufacturing and research and development.
    Kraft Heinz announced a $3 billion investment to upgrade its U.S. factories — its largest investment in its plants in decades.
    Carrier announced an additional $1 billion investment in manufacturing, innovation, and workforce expansion, which will create 4,000 new jobs.
    Anheuser-Busch announced a $300 million investment in its manufacturing facilities across the country.
    Siemens Healthineers announced a $150 million investment to expand production, including relocating manufacturing operations for its Varian company from Mexico to California. 
    That’s in addition to the trillions of dollars already secured in President Trump’s second term — investments that will bring tens of thousands of new, high-paying jobs to communities across the country as President Trump ushers in the new Golden Age.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Unleashing Iowa Manufacturing

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – During a hearing on unleashing the great American industrial comeback, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) discussed how Washington can drive investment into small manufacturers.
    She spoke with Iowan John Mickelson on how Washington can support the flow of private capital to small businesses across the country to empower manufacturers to build and grow right here in America.

    Click here to watch Chair Ernst’s questioning.
    Click here to download photos from the hearing.
    Ernst started off by highlighting success stories of reshoring manufacturing and creating good-paying jobs before emphasizing the important role of Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) in bolstering American businesses critical to our economic and national security.
    Mickelson emphasized how the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) programs have ensured that capital flows to small manufacturers to allow them to invest in new equipment, hire more employees, and grow their business.
    Hearing witness Brian Riley, whose small business builds bikes right here in the United States, explained how Ernst’s Made in America Manufacturing Act would help small manufacturers grow.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Backs the Blue for National Police Week

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON – In honor of National Police Week, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in supporting a resolution to thank the brave men and women who keep us safe.
    “Our police officers in Iowa are heroes who serve our communities with courage and dedication,” said Senator Ernst. “Thank you to every single officer who puts their life on the line to keep Iowans safe. This week – and every week – I’m proud to back the blue and honor the selfless men and women who work tirelessly to protect and serve our local communities.”

    Download more photos of Senator Ernst and law enforcement here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito Recognizes National Police Week

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) this week applauded the unanimous passage of a resolution she supported that designates May 12-17 as National Police Week. The National Police Week resolution reiterates the Senate’s unwavering support for law enforcement officers across the United States.

    “Our law enforcement officers in West Virginia and across the country wake up every day and choose to protect and serve our communities first and foremost—even if it means putting themselves in harm’s way. During National Police Week, I’m proud to join my Senate colleagues in honoring their heroism and reaffirming my steadfast support for these brave men and women,” Senator Capito said.

    BACKGROUND:

    Every year, for more than six decades, Congress has passed a resolution in honor of law enforcement officers. During National Police Week, Americans pay special tribute to the service and sacrifice of courageous officers and their families, especially our nation’s fallen heroes.

    Read the resolution here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Joins POLITICO’s Security Summit to Discuss Defense Budget, DOD Spectrum Airwaves, Golden Dome

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) joined POLITICO’s Security Summit to discuss defense spending, retaining the Department of Defense’s (DOD) access to wireless frequencies in the lower 3 gigahertz (GHz) and key portions of the 7/8 GHz spectrum bands, and how the Trump administration could not complete its Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield should the DOD be forced to vacate spectrum frequencies.

    Click here to watch the full conversation.

    Fischer on Supporting a Strong Defense Budget:

    “On the Senate Armed Services Committee, for the last 3 years of the previous administration, President Biden sent us a budget, and in a bipartisan way in the Senate we’ve, for the most part, a strong majority of the Committee agreed that it was not enough.” 

    “I am not happy with the way OMB is trying to turn this. President Trump has said he wants peace through strength. In order to have peace through strength, we have to continue to have a defense budget that meets the needs of our military, of our military members, and to meet those growing threats that we see in this world.”

    “There are a number of us that would like to see a much more robust budget.”

    Fischer on DOD Retaining Spectrum Access:

    “It’s extremely important for the Department of Defense to maintain their ownership and access of the lower 3 but also parts of 7 and 8 [GHz].”

    Fischer on House Spectrum Provisions in Reconciliation:

    “I think it needed to go much further, much further. I personally cannot accept it as it came out of the E&C Committee.”

    “I’m also on the Commerce Committee, and that Committee is looking at spectrum as well in having a pipeline established and also a spectrum auction.”

    “In the E&C bill, it put the pipeline in and somewhat defined it for the lower three. But there’s no definition for auction authority for the FCC, so they could go outside of that since they have the authority and be able to auction other bands, whether it’s the lower three or seven – eight [GHz].”

    “I believe in the Senate, we must be able to have complete definitions on what bands DOD needs. And this is again, for a number of radars, a number of sensors, and a number of assets I can’t tell you about, how important that is.”

    “When it comes to the idea that this is going to be the silver bullet for reconciliation, I disagree with that as well.”

    Fischer on Golden Dome Execution:

    “We’ve been working closely with the White House, and they have been very supportive working closely with the Department of Defense. And every time a military commander is asked about Golden Dome and spectrum, the need for spectrum, they will bluntly say …  it [Golden Dome] will not happen if the Department loses access to the spectrum they have.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Moody, Welch Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Give Tax Relief to Victims of Fraud, Scams, Theft, and Disasters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ashley Moody (R-FL), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced legislation to give relief to those who have been victims of fraud, scams, thefts, accidents, and other personal casualty losses. The Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams, and Disasters Act reinstates the tax deduction for personal casualty and theft losses and ensures victims of scams, robberies, storms, and fires do not have to pay taxes on stolen assets and further wipe out their hard-earned savings and financial security. 
    “When Wisconsinites fall victim to a fraud or scam, the last thing they should have to worry about is being slapped with an unexpected tax bill once tax season rolls around,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to work with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to introduce this commonsense bill to help make sure if someone is down and out, they have one less thing to worry about than being hit with a tax bill.”
    “As hurricane season is around the corner, I will continue supporting policies that protect Floridians from scammers and fraudsters,” said Senator Moody. “My Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams and Disasters Act will provide commonsense tax relief for victims, often seniors, who have been financially devastated by scams, crimes or destruction from disasters. This legislation will help folks get back on their feet when they experience hardship. When I was Attorney General of Florida, I made sure to fight for Floridians who fell victim to scams, and I will continue bringing this fight to D.C. so that folks have the protections they need.”
    “It’s outrageous that folks scammed out of their life’s savings are hit with large tax bills. I’m proud to introduce this bill to reinstate this important tax deduction to provide crucial financial relief to those victimized by scams and theft,” said Senator Welch. “Vermont experienced catastrophic floods in July of 2023 and 2024. We know firsthand that victims of floods, storms, and fires go through so much—the last thing they should worry about is being penalized for a natural disaster.”
    Companion legislation will be introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MA-08) and Greg Steube (R-FL-17).
    “Americans who fall prey to scams and rip-offs deserve relief, not massive tax bills from the IRS,” said Rep. Raskin. “Our bipartisan legislation will help millions of Americans, including one of my constituents who was defrauded out of her entire retirement savings and then hit with an enormous tax penalty. I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House and the Senate to bring a measure of justice to victims of scams, thefts and disasters.”
    Until 2018, the federal government allowed victims of crimes and unexpected, uninsurable disasters to deduct these losses from their taxes with a provision called the Casualty and Theft Loss Deduction. Today, scam victims and homeowners are on the hook for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal taxes unless their misfortunes meet a narrow set of criteria.
    The growing sophistication of cybercriminal networks has led to a rapid proliferation in fraud for the past five years. In 2024 alone, American taxpayers reported $16.6 billion in cyber fraud to the FBI. The average victim of elder fraud lost $83,000. Natural disasters are also on the rise during a period of increasing insurance premiums and unexpected claim denials.
    Senator Baldwin introduced this legislation last year after hearing the story of one Wisconsin woman who was scammed out of her entire savings, investments, and 401(k), more than $200,000 in total, and was forced to pay more than $15,000 in taxes.
    Without a reinstatement of the casualty and theft loss deduction, Americans who are victims of theft and non-federally declared disasters will continue to face hefty federal tax bills that the IRS is obligated to enforce.
    The Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams, and Disasters Act:
    Reinstates the tax deduction for personal casualty loss and provides retroactive coverage to taxpayers who suffered losses in the years that followed.
    Ensures that victims who suffered losses since 2017 are able to file an amended tax return accounting for their personal casualty loss.
    “The Elder Justice Coalition commends Senators Baldwin, Moody and Welch for introducing the Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams, and Disasters Act,” said Bob Blancato, National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition. “It is unconscionable that older scam victims who lose hundreds of thousands of dollars face the compounded misery of having to pay taxes on the money lost.  Scams are rampant in this nation and serve to exploit the most vulnerable older adults.  We hope Senator Baldwin’s bill can be made part of a future tax package. Tax relief for scam victims is tax fairness.”
    “The Financial Services Institute (FSI) is proud to support the Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams and Disasters Act,” said Dale Brown, President & CEO of Financial Services Institute. “Owing taxes on stolen retirement funds makes an already painful situation worse. Main Street Americans cannot afford to lose their life savings, which they rely upon for a financially secure retirement. This bill will provide some relief to victims and mitigate damages as they work with their trusted financial advisor to recover losses and regain their financial footing.”
    “With widespread financial fraud and scams impacting many Americans’ retirement security and financial livelihoods, CFP Board enthusiastically supports this critical piece of legislation that would lessen the impact of financial loss. We look forward to seeing this bill get to the finish line,” said Erin Koeppel, Managing Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Counsel at CFP Board.
    “Victims of disasters and theft are taken advantage of far too often,” said Shannon McGahn, EVP & Chief Advocacy Officer for the National Association of REALTORS®. The National Association of REALTORS® is grateful to Representatives Steube and Raskin, along with Senators Moody and Baldwin, for reintroducing the Tax Relief for Victims of Crimes, Scams, and Disasters Act, bipartisan legislation to restore the Casualty and Theft Loss Deduction. This deduction, if reinstated, would ensure that homeowners—especially seniors—who fall victim to uninsurable and unexpected disasters or theft can deduct their losses from their federal taxes. The legislation would protect homeowners from becoming victims again after a disaster, and NAR applauds Congress for putting this legislation forward again.
    “For many years, the AICPA has urged Congress to enact timely, uniform and permanent tax legislation, rather than providing delayed tax relief through separate individual bills following each disaster,” said Melanie Lauridsen, Vice President of Tax Policy and Advocacy, American Institute of CPAs. “Disasters regularly affect taxpayers at all times of the year. However, our current system does not provide fair and reliable tax relief for victims of casualties and thefts. We commend Representatives Steube and Raskin and Senators Moody and Baldwin on introducing legislation that will finally right this wrong, and we look forward to working with them to bring this long overdue relief to American taxpayers.”
    The legislation is endorsed by the AARP, The Elder Justice Coalition, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, AICPA-CIMA, National Association of Enrolled Agents, National Association of Realtors, American Land Title Association, CFP Board, Investment Adviser Association, Financial Services Institute, Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, Association of Mature American Citizens, National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators, Operation Shamrock, SPARK Institute.
    A one-pager on this legislation is available here. Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Trump Administration Illegally Blocking Nearly $316 Billion Owed to Native Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján
    WATCH Senator Luján’s Remarks in Senate Indian Affairs Committee
    Washington, D.C.— A new tracker revealed that the Trump administration is blocking or freezing more than $430 billion in federal funding owed to communities across the country — including nearly $316 billion for national programs that support Indian Country and Native communities. The data reflects just how widespread the damage is — with funding for public safety, housing, disaster recovery, child care, transportation, infrastructure, and education either delayed or terminated, and whole agencies and offices closed down, cutting off vital services.
    “The Trump administration is illegally withholding hundreds of billions of dollars owed to communities across the country – including nearly $316 billion owed to Native communities – just to hand out more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and corporate interests,” said Senator Luján, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. “This is a profound betrayal of Native communities and a shameful failure to uphold the federal government’s trust responsibility to Tribes. Blocking these funds has real consequences – stripping away vital resources from the health care, education, and child care services families depend on. This reckless decision puts the well-being and safety of New Mexicans and Tribal Nations at risk.”
    As these cuts take effect, the Trump administration has imposed “Defend the Spend,” a sweeping new policy that requires grantees to justify spending line by line, even for items that have already been awarded. Grantees have received inconsistent guidance on how to navigate the new mandate, and many have faced significant delays in accessing funding they were already awarded — including funding for essential Tribal services.
    At the same time, the Trump administration is proposing to slash $911 million — a 24% cut — from core Tribal programs in its Fiscal Year 2026 proposed budget. These cuts would gut basic services like public safety and justice, education and workforce training, Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA) housing grants, Native Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFIs), forestry management, and programs for Native children and families. They would also nearly eliminate funding to construct or repair Tribal schools, which are already chronically underfunded, and reduce support for Tribal law enforcement by 20 percent. As the economy slows and prices rise due to President Trump’s policies, these devastating cuts and burdensome new processes would make life harder in Native communities.
    If you or your community has been impacted by withheld or terminated federal funding, you are encouraged to share your story by emailing oversight@indian.senate.gov. Your name and contact information will be kept confidential. Please include the federal agency and program involved in your submission.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch, Baldwin to Host Two-Day Forum to Spotlight How Americans are Harmed by Trump’s Mass Firings at HHS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    Former agency officials from the FDA, CMS, HRSA, CDC, NIH, and more will testify
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will lead their Democratic colleagues in holding a two-day forum to examine the human harm caused by the Trump Administration’s shuttering of key departments and mass firings of health experts at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
    The forum will be held Tuesday, May 20th and Wednesday, May 21st, and is entitled “Trump’s Destruction of HHS: Mass Firings, Reorganization, and the Human Harm Caused.”
    Welch and Baldwin’s forum will feature former officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Former HHS agency officials will testify and offer insights on the immediate and long-term impact of mass firings and restructuring on essential programs millions of Americans rely on. 
    On March 27, 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. unveiled a plan to eliminate 20,000 HHS public health experts, scientists, and public servants and eliminate key agencies within HHS entirely. The Trump Administration has refused to provide Congress with information about the decision-making process or the potential impacts on vital programs that serve millions of Americans.
    LOGISTICS: 
    WHAT:  “Trump’s Destruction of HHS: Mass Firings, Reorganization, and the Human Harm Caused.”
    DATE and TIME:
    Tuesday, May 20Time: 3:00–4:30PMLocation: SD-G50 Watch via livestream
    Wednesday, May 21Time: 3:00–4:30PM Location: SH-216 Watch via livestream
    WHO:            U.S. Senators; former officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    Media interested in attending this event are encouraged to RSVP to Aaron_White@welch.senate.gov by 11:00AM on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Calls Out Trump for His Anti-Migrant Agenda

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this week called out President Trump for his anti-migrant agenda, saying the Administration has knowingly and flagrantly trampled on the rights of people who are in this country legally.  
    “Laws matter. Due process matters. Justice matters. How we treat other human beings says more about us than it says about them,” said Senator Welch. “The Trump Administration has made a clear decision to disrespect our laws. To disregard the rights of citizens and individuals who are entitled to due process. And to do it in a way that is cruel and disrespectful of the United States and its commitment to freedom and the rule of law. 
    “Our Supreme Court has ruled that all people—including migrants—are entitled to due process, to an opportunity to rebut allegations against them before being deported. The Trump Administration’s attack is not just on the rights of these individuals; but it really goes to the core of principles and practices established in law that are the foundation of our democracy. And it threatens, therefore—the rights and privileges of all American citizens.  
    Welch concluded: “I stand here on behalf of Vermonters who are appalled by this action. I stand here as a member of the United States Senate who believes it’s my responsibility in the face of these Trump actions to stand up for the rights of people to have a hearing—to have a right to be brought before a magistrate or a judge and not be deported without any due process whatsoever. This is important to our commitment—as members of the U.S. Senate—to preserve the traditions of the Constitution, the rule of law, and the rights of individuals, and the freedom that has been the blessing of our liberty since the founding of our country.”  
    Watch Senator Welch’s remarks below:  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Colleagues File Amicus Brief Against Trump Admin’s Illegal Attempt to Shutter Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper
    Illegally closing the agency will leave American consumers more vulnerable to scams and fraud
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, along with 44 of his Senate Democratic colleagues, filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s illegal firings of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) workers. The senators emphasized that the administration does not have the authority to abolish the CFPB without congressional approval and that any effort to undermine the agency will hurt American consumers. 
    “When Congress establishes an agency, that agency is required by law to exist,” wrote the senators. “The Administration’s actions, if allowed to occur, would not just be unconstitutional – they would also be disastrous.”
    The CFPB defends American consumers against predatory lending and unfair practices like junk fees. It has returned $20 billion to American consumers since its establishment in 2011.
    On the Senate floor, Hickenlooper previously called out the Trump administration’s effort to gut the CFPB and leave Coloradans vulnerable to scams, junk fees, and high-cost loans. Hickenlooper serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security.
    Full amicus brief is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy on Fox News: Why SCOTUS should seize opportunity to eliminate universal injunctions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
    WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, penned this op-ed on Fox News urging the Supreme Court to address the problem of universal injunctions ahead of oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Inc. on Thursday.
    Key excerpts of the speech are below:
    “The universal injunction gives individual judges extraordinary power. Don’t like a law passed by Congress? Gone. Don’t like an agency’s regulation? Dead. Don’t like one of the president’s policies? Sayonara.”
    . . .
    “One rogue judge shouldn’t be able to force the Supreme Court to rush on complex legal issues because he or she assumed the power to enjoin a federal policy nationwide. 
    “This isn’t an ideological issue. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Elena Kagan have all expressed concerns about universal injunctions short-circuiting the American judicial system. Nor is this a partisan issue. Solicitor Generals for both Presidents Biden and Trump have asked the Supreme Court to put an end to universal injunctions.
    “These individuals understand better than anyone that the rampant use of universal injunctions by district court judges is threatening to destabilize the judiciary, and indeed, our entire system of government. I hope the court will take advantage of the opportunity to end this unlawful practice once and for all.”
    Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Ricketts, colleagues introduce bill to counter the People’s Republic of China’s strategic placement of military bases around the world

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) introduced the Combating PRC Overseas and Unlawful Networked Threats through Enhanced Resilience (COUNTER) Act to combat the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) attempts to strengthen its global reach by expanding its overseas basing efforts. The COUNTER Act is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
    “China is using the placement of new military bases in strategically important countries around the world to expand their military and economic power,” said Senator Coons. “A successful long-term plan to deal with our global pacing threat in Beijing must include a comprehensive approach to stop China from gaining more military footholds by working with our partners and allies across the globe. The bipartisan COUNTER Act will push our government to come up with the tailored solutions we need to face this growing challenge.”
    “Communist China’s growing military footprint across the world poses a serious threat. We cannot afford to be reactionary to Xi Jinping’s military expansion and his desire to project power globally. The COUNTER Act will ensure that we have the urgency, strategy, and coordination necessary to potentially mitigate the next overseas PLA military base from developing,” said Senator Ricketts.
    “China is rapidly expanding its global footprint, and we need to do more to address the threat this poses to our national security and the security of our allies,” said Senator Kaine. “This bipartisan legislation would help ensure that the U.S. government has a comprehensive strategy to counter China’s establishment of new military bases around the world.”
    “The Chinese Communist Party is aggressively working to undermine the United States and spread its authoritarian influence to strategic countries by building military bases and undermining national security and global stability,” said Senator Cornyn. “The COUNTER Act would enhance our understanding of their devious plans and sharpen our efforts to thwart future CCP footholds, and I’m proud to stand with my colleagues to push back against their hostile actions.”
    The PRC has significantly increased its efforts in recent years to establish an overseas network of military and transportation bases, which would allow the People’s Liberation Army to project and expand military power. The COUNTER Act would begin to mitigate the threat this poses to the United States and our allies by requiring a comprehensive intelligence assessment of the PRC’s global basing activities, as well as a strategy from the State Department and the Department of Defense to address them. The legislation would also create an interagency task force to implement the strategy and identify proactive measures to counteract both current and future Chinese attempts to add military bases in strategic countries.
    Specifically, the COUNTER Act would: 
    Require an assessment from the Director of National Intelligence analyzing the risk of PRC global basing to the U.S and allied power projection and freedom of movement
    Require a strategy from the State Department and the Department of Defense identifying current or future PRC basing locations
    a comprehensive list of U.S. government activity aimed at addressing PRC global basing in each location
    an identification of resource or personnel constraints limiting the U.S. response
    an identification of the most effective practices to persuade foreign governments to terminate plans for hosting a PRC base in their territory

    Establish an interagency task force to counter the PRC’s global basing expansion and prevent new locations
    Require a report every four years on updates to PRC basing intentions and subsequent updates to U.S. strategy
    Senator Coons is the Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Senator Ricketts is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
    A one-pager on the bill is available here. 
    The text of the bill is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Kennedy to Senator Marshall During HELP Committee Hearing: We’re Going to Make HHS Accountable to the American People

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) questioned the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., today during a hearing in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP).
    During the hearing, Senator Marshall asked Secretary Kennedy about the chronic disease epidemic in America, efforts to make HHS more efficient, and vaccines.
    Senator Marshall has been a long-time ally of Secretary Kennedy and was heavily involved in his confirmation process. As an OB-GYN of over 25 years, Senator Marshall is also the Chairman of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Caucus.

    [embedded content]

    Click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall’s full line of questioning.
    Highlights from the hearing include:
    On Making America Healthy Again:
    Senator Marshall: “This was going to be a question. I’m just going to make a statement. All the research that we do on MAHA, on soil health, on nutrition, in my heart, that’s research on cancer. It’s research on Alzheimer’s, at the end of the day… We should be spending as much money at the front side of this as we are trying to cure the end of it. We’re seeing epidemics of colorectal cancer, young age Alzheimer’s, all these things. And I think the research at the front end is every bit as important at the hind end.” 
    Secretary Kennedy: “…NIH made all these extraordinary breakthroughs, and particularly in treating cancer and, you know, reducing mortalities for colorectal cancer. But my question is, isn’t it as important to find out why kids are getting colorectal cancer?
    “When you and I were kids, there were zero kids with colorectal cancer. It’s an epidemic now, so it’s not really a badge for us when we say, ‘Oh, we can make it less lethal.’ Why don’t we go figure out what’s causing it and eliminate that exposure with all of these with Alzheimer’s, with heart disease? There’s something making Americans very, very sick, and our response should not be just ‘okay, we’ll develop a pharmaceutical fix for it, or medical fix.’ Let’s figure out what it is and get rid of it so we can have healthy kids again.”
    On efforts to make HHS more efficient:
    Senator Marshall: “Isn’t it true that under Joe Biden’s White House, they added 20,000 employees to HHS? When you were nominated, there were 28 divisions with HHS, 100 communication offices, 40 IT departments, and nine HR units as well? Can you answer that question?”
    Secretary Kennedy: “Yes, that’s right. There are dozens of IT departments. There’s eight senior finance officials. There are nine separate offices on women’s health, eight separate offices for minority health, 27 separate offices for HIV, 59 behavioral health programs, [and] 40 opioid programs.”
    “What we’re trying to do is consolidate, streamline, eliminate the redundancies, eliminate all those administrative costs for each one of those little departments, consolidate them and make them make sense, and make them accountable to the American people.
    “… As you point out, there’s 40 procurement departments with four separate computer systems that don’t talk to each other… [HHS] grew like 38% of the last four years. I would say that’s great if Americans got healthier, but they didn’t. They got worse.
    “So what we’re trying to do is go back to the pre-COVID levels and to start making the department function as it would… in a rational universe, and to bring in, you know, modern AI and telemedicine, and all the opportunities we have now, these new efficiencies and for medical delivery to the American people and for patient care.
    “And we’re not able to take advantage of any of them because there’s so much chaos and disorganization in this department, and everybody who’s gone up against it in the past has thrown their hands up and given up. What we’re saying is, let’s organize it in a way that I can quickly adopt and deploy all these opportunities we have to really deliver high-quality health care to the American people.”
    On vaccines:
    Senator Marshall: “Let’s stay on the measles vaccine, just for a second… I’m an obstetrician. If a 25-year-old pregnant woman asked me if she should take the measles vaccine, the MMR… I would give her the answer, ‘No, you shouldn’t.’ But if she was 25 and trying to get pregnant, I would give her different advice.
    “I’ve always valued the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship. I went to medical school for four years. I did four years of residency. I delivered thousands of babies. It’s my job to give that recommendation. What’s the role of the Secretary of HHS as far as recommendations of vaccines?”
    Secretary Kennedy: “Well, the vaccine recommendations, Senator, are normally made through ACIP, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is an outside consulting committee at CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. There’s another committee called VRBPC [the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee], which is within the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], that actually recommends whether the vaccines get licensed or not, and so that’s where the recommendations come from.
    “… Traditionally, they have not done evidence-based medicine. They only adopted evidence-based medicine about 12 years ago, and what we’ve said during our administration is we want to have safety studies prior to the licensure and recommendation of vaccines.
    “Vaccines are the only medical product that is exempt from pre-licensing safety testing. So the only vaccine that has been tested in a full-blown placebo trial against an inert placebo was the COVID vaccine. Of the other 76 shots that children in this country received between birth and 18 years old, none of them have been safety tested in pre-licensing studies against the placebo, which means we don’t understand the risk profile for those products, and that’s something that I intend to remedy.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Devastating Screwworm Outbreak

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Senator for New Mexico Ben Ray Luján

    Legislation Would Create Facility to Curb New World Screwworm Population Growth

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Bipartisan Strengthening Tactics to Obstruct the Population of Screwworms (STOP Screwworms) Act, which wouldauthorize funds for and direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to begin construction on a new sterile fly production facility to combat the growing New World screwworm (NWS) outbreak that threatens to wreak havoc on the American cattle industry. Additional cosponsors of this legislation include Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) was the lead sponsor of the House version.  

    “Given the current screwworm outbreak, Congress must take immediate action to help protect New Mexico’s cattle and livestock from this growing threat,” said Senator Luján, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. “This bipartisan legislation will fund a new sterile fly facility to help stop the spread of the destructive New World screwworm and protect New Mexico’s 1.4 million cattle and calves. This is a critical investment that supports over 10,000 cattle farms and ranches in New Mexico, saves the U.S. livestock industry nearly $1 billion each year, and helps prevent an outbreak in the U.S.”

    “Combatting the destructive New World screwworm is vital to protecting our cattle, Texas producers, and the American livestock industry as a whole,” said Senator Cornyn. “I am proud to lead this legislation to create a new facility dedicated to pushing these pests away from our border and will continue to work with Secretary Rollins and agriculture leaders across the state to ensure our farmers, ranchers, and producers have the resources they need.” 

    “The New World Screwworm poses a growing threat to New Mexico livestock, jeopardizing ranchers’ livelihoods, and putting our food supply at risk.  I’m proud to join Senators Cornyn and Luján to introduce bipartisan legislation that will help us tackle this problem now and prevent outbreaks in the future,” said Senator Heinrich, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Food and Drug Administration.”  

    “Texas agriculture and livestock are a core part of the Texas economy, and they feed America and the world,” said Senator Cruz. “I’m working daily with Secretary Rollins, Texas authorities, and my colleagues in Congress to safeguard Texas from threats including the New World Screwworm, and pushing Mexico to implement their commitments to eradication. This bill will advance those efforts, and Congress should pass it.”

    “Ag producers across America are sounding the alarm—the New World Screwworm is making a comeback, and our livestock industry is in real danger. We need to fully eradicate this pest before it’s too late,” said Rep. Gonzales. “The STOP Screwworms Act provides dedicated resources to do just that. By authorizing the construction of a new sterile fly facility in the United States, we reduce our dependence on Latin American partners for eradication efforts and take matters into our own hands.”

    “The recent screwworm outbreak is deeply concerning, and without immediate action and adequate preparation, the consequences for New Mexico’s cattle and livestock industries could be devastating,” said Larry Reagan, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau President. “This legislation is a critical step in ensuring the nation is prepared to respond effectively and New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers are protected.”

    Background:

    The New World screwworm (NWS) is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on livestock, wildlife, and in rare cases, humans, and populations are moving toward the United States at an alarming rate. They can cause serious damage to their host, including death. This week, the USDA announced the suspension of live cattle, horse, and bison imports through the southern border in response to the growing spread of the NWS and recent outbreaks in Mexico.

    This new facility would produce sterile male screwworm flies that would be released into infested areas to help combat the growth of the screwworm population. The sterile fly technique was instrumental in eradicating NWS from the United States in the 1960s and from Mexico in the ‘90s, as sterile male flies can outcompete local populations and effectively wipe out an entire generation of screwworms in a given area.

    This legislation is endorsed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, the Texas Farm Bureau, the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and the South Texans’ Property Rights Association. 

    Full bill text is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Leads 28 Colleagues in Introducing Senate Resolution Decrying Two-Month Blockade on Food and Medicine in Gaza

    US Senate News:

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

    Welch delivers remarks on the Senate Floor calling for an immediate end to the blockade of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 28 of his Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution calling on the Trump Administration to use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to bring an end to the blockade of food and lifesaving humanitarian aid to address the needs of civilians in Gaza. In their resolution, the Senators express grave concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including the imminent starvation of tens of thousands of children.  
    On Tuesday evening, Senator Welch took to the Senate Floor to highlight the unprecedented crisis unfolding in Gaza:  
    “It’s been over two months since the Israeli government has been using its power to withhold food, medicine, lifesaving cancer treatments, dialysis systems, formula, and more from starving and suffering families across Gaza. Half a million Palestinians in Gaza are facing starvation, and that number is rising…All the while, these trucks that are filled with food and medicine—much of that aid provided by the United States and our allies—is right there across the border…We cannot have or sanction a government-intentional policy of starvation,” said Senator Welch on the Senate floor. “I’m offering a resolution with my colleagues that makes a simple point: it notes simply that children are starving to death. They’re starving to death as we are here comfortably debating what we think are important issues. And it must be the effort of all of us to do all we can to bring this siege and this war to an immediate end.” 
    Watch the Senator’s full remarks below: 

    On March 2, 2025, the Israeli Government began blocking all food and emergency aid—including food, medicine, infant formula, fuel, and other lifesaving humanitarian supplies—from reaching Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In the same month, all 25 World Food Program (WFP)-supported bakeries in Gaza closed, wheat flour and cooking fuel ran out, and food parcels distributed to families—with two weeks of food rations—were depleted. According to the United Nations, about 10,000 children have been identified as suffering from acute malnutrition since January 2025.  
    Joining Senator Welch on the resolution are Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). 
    The Senators’ resolution is supported by Anera, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, J Street, and Oxfam America. 
    “In Gaza today, children are starving, hospitals are collapsing, and families are in a state of desperation. This resolution is a call to conscience, a moment of moral reckoning. Will the world be complicit in Gaza’s collapse, or part of its recovery? We call on the U.S. government in the strongest terms to act swiftly, using all the leverage at its disposal, to urgently permit humanitarian organizations to deliver aid into Gaza. This resolution is a critical step in the right direction,” said Sean Carroll, President and CEO, Anera. 
    “The crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, with over two months of a total blockade cutting off food, water, fuel, and medical supplies. More than two million Palestinians are trapped, starving, and facing a potential famine that could claim thousands of lives. It’s encouraging to see Senator Welch and his colleagues introduce a resolution highlighting this urgent humanitarian suffering. Congress and the Trump Administration must use every diplomatic tool available to demand the immediate, full reopening of Gaza’s borders to deliver life-saving aid,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy, Friends Committee on National Legislation. 
    “This resolution comes at a moment of moral reckoning, as conditions in Gaza have become even more unbearable,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, President, J Street. “Children are surviving on one meal every few days. To deliberately starve civilians is immoral. To use water, fuel, food as tools of war is unconscionable. Humanitarian aid must immediately be allowed to enter Gaza unconditionally.” 
    “The more than two-month-long siege, with no aid being allowed to enter, has now pushed nearly the entire population in Gaza to the brink of starvation. Every day, parents wake up and spend their days searching for something to feed their children – often coming back with nothing. Humanitarian organizations know how to reach the people who most urgently need food, water, medical care, and other lifesaving essentials when we have supplies and can do our work safely, but right now we can’t. We are in a race against time, and we need action from U.S. leaders to allow us to do our jobs, keep pushing for a permanent, immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access and an end to the siege, and a return of all hostages and unlawfully detained prisoners,” said Abby Maxman, President and CEO, Oxfam America. 
    Read and download the full text of the resolution. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Convenes Spotlight Hearing on Dangers of Trump, Partisan Attacks on Voting and Elections

    US Senate News:

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

    WATCH: Padilla Convenes Spotlight Hearing on Dangers of Trump, Partisan Attacks on Voting and Elections

    Election officials and voter advocates detail the harmful impacts of Republicans’ SAVE Act and Trump’s anti-voter executive order on the right to vote for millions of American citizens
    Watch the full spotlight hearing, including witness opening statements and questioning, here.WASHINGTON, 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, convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight hearing titled “Protecting the Future of American Democracy: An Examination of Trump and Partisan Attacks on Voting and Elections.” The forum focused on Congressional Republicans’ Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act that recently passed the House of Representatives and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order, both of which threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens.
    Members heard from election officials and voter advocates regarding ongoing attacks on voter registration and election integrity during the forum. The panel included Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan, League of Women Voters CEO Celina Stewart, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) CEO Juan Proaño, and Nicole Meek, an impacted voter as a member of a military family.
    “If there’s one thing that we can take away from this hearing — one action item to work towards in order to protect the future of our democracy — it’s that we must stop the SAVE Act. … As we heard today, it’s not only a solution in search of a problem — it would make it harder for tens of millions of eligible Americans to vote in the process,” said Senator Padilla in his closing remarks. “This isn’t the first attack on our democracy that we’ve seen from the Trump White House. And sadly, I predict that it won’t be the last. But my hope is that in the coming months as a committee, we can continue to stand strong in defense of our democracy — whatever it takes.”
    This spotlight hearing kicks off a series of Rules Committee Democrats’ forums focused on protecting the future of America’s elections. The series will underscore the dangers of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attacks on election security, integrity, and funding required to smoothly administer elections and protect American democracy.
    Video of Senator Padilla’s first round of questioning is available here, and his second round of questioning is available here.
    Senator Padilla’s opening remarks from today’s hearing are available here. His closing remarks are available here.
    In addition to Senator Padilla, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) also joined the Senate Democrats’ forum.
    Key Excerpts from Witness Statements:
    Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon:
    This legislation would, if enacted, keep millions of eligible Americans from the polls. It would cost states, counties, and cities untold millions of dollars to implement. And it would impose the risk of criminal prosecution for local election workers left trying to sort out how these new federal requirements impact their responsibilities.
    It would fundamentally change elections administration in this country overnight – since it would take effect immediately upon enactment.
    The stated purpose of the legislation is election security. Election security is vital- and we all agree that only those who are eligible to vote should cast ballots. But the SAVE Act is based on the totally false assumption that huge numbers of non-citizens are voting. There is no evidence of that. In fact, the research shows the opposite is true.
    It’s a challenging time to be in the democracy business. Our democracy is being tested. It has been tested before – and it has held. But continuity and success are not inevitable. They come from hard work and commitment. That is why I am here today.
    Read Steve Simon’s opening testimony here.
    Dean Logan, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Los Angeles County:
    Regarding the proposed SAVE Act, the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials recently submitted a letter of concern that focuses on three key impacts – the risk of disenfranchisement, significant unfunded cost increases that would fall to local government, and concerns associated with imposing criminal penalties on officials and community election workers who are simply fulfilling their legal and civic obligations.
    In addition to directives that mirror the provisions of the SAVE act previously discussed, the Order calls for changes or reductions to the delivery of election services, limits options for voter participation, and potentially requires modification or replacement of voting equipment – all without appropriating funding and, in large measure, reducing or eliminating what little federal funding has been available to support local election administration, voting accessibility, and election security.
    Change of this magnitude requires multiple years of planning and careful execution. It would be nearly impossible to complete in the timeframe outlined in the Order without significant risk of administrative error, false positive data matching, and under resourcing other critical elements of election administration and security. Moreover, there is a high likelihood of a resulting drop in voter participation, higher registration data error rates, and non-compliance with conflicting federal and state laws – all at additional public expense.
    Read Dean Logan’s opening testimony here.
    Celina Stewart, CEO, League of Women Voters:
    As one of the longest-running and largest, nonpartisan, volunteer driven voter registration organizations in the nation, the League of Women Voters strongly opposes attempts to add documentary proof of citizenship to the voter registration process, which is what the recent Executive Order on the “integrity of American Elections” and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act does. The SAVE Act would drastically alter the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) – a landmark piece of legislation the League played a large role in drafting, passing and implementing – by adding provisions that will require that every eligible voter provide documentary proof of citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote, even though voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering and voting.
    Nearly 80% of married women – more than 69 million potentially-eligible women voters – adopt their partner’s surname. It is because of that reality that I would go so far as to say that, in the League’s 105-year history, the SAVE Act may be the most brazen attack on American women’s voting rights that we have ever seen. This bill’s excessive documentation requirements – specifically, the idea that the name on their ID must match the name on a birth certificate or passport – threatens every single one of them and their ability to register to vote. I think anyone, no matter how they lean politically, would agree: This is not how our democracy should work.
    We know that this legislation is based on misinformation and fearmongering rather than facts, as there is no evidence of widespread non-citizen voter registration or voting in state and federal elections. Time and time again, the League has fought similar policies at the federal and state levels through public education, advocacy and litigation.
    Read Celina Stewart’s opening testimony here.
    Juan Proaño, CEO, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC):
    I appear today to voice our unequivocal opposition to the so-called Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act. This anti-voter bill would make it significantly harder for millions of Americans – especially Latinos, immigrants, Black Americans, and women – to exercise their right to vote. It is a dangerous step backwards for voting rights, that would force every voter to show proof of citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, every time they register to vote. Most Americans simply do not carry those documents in daily life. In fact, more than 21 million eligible U.S. voters don’t have documents that prove their citizenship readily available.
    From working fathers in Texas to “abuelitas” in California, many Latinos and Americans of all backgrounds would struggle to find and present paperwork that the federal government has never before required. The result? Millions of citizens could be disenfranchised – kept from making their voices heard – by an unnecessary bureaucratic barrier.
    Let me be clear: the SAVE Act is solving a problem that simply does not exist. Noncitizen voting is already illegal in this country – and it is virtually nonexistent. You’re more likely to be struck by lightning. That’s why we call it “La Gran Mentira”–the big lie. As a Latino leader, I see clearly that this bill trades on a fear of a fully inclusive, multi-racial, multi-ethnic democracy, echoing the country’s ugly past of voter suppression. To conclude: this bill will undermine the right to vote–which is the crown jewel of our democracy. As a proud Latino and the son of immigrants, I take this personally.
    Read Juan Proaño’s opening testimony here.
    Nicole Meek, Impacted Voter
    I don’t have the same option that my family and friends have to walk into their local polling station and cast a ballot on election day. … As a military voter, I have to plan months in advance. This isn’t just inconvenient. It puts military voters at a real disadvantage.
    So, it may come as no surprise that in 2020 (the last presidential election for which the Federal Voting Assistance Program – FVAP – has reported data to congress), military voters were 27% less likely to have voted than their civilian counterparts. According to FVAP, when a military voter tries to vote but is ultimately unsuccessful, the most common reason is because their ballot arrives past the deadline.
    The SAVE Act and the March 25th Executive Order would threaten to make things significantly worse. If implemented, these policies would disenfranchise countless service members and military-connected voters—including families like mine.
    We ask our service members to sacrifice everything in defense of our democracy. We should also ensure they – and their families – can participate in it. Voting is not a privilege. It is a right. And no one should lose the right to vote because of where their country sends them. We should be working to make voting more accessible, not less. We should be honoring the sacrifice of our military families by making sure their ballots count.
    Read Nicole Meek’s opening testimony here.
    A supplemental statement from LULAC is available here. A supplemental statement from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is available here.
    Senator Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, he 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 Republicans’ SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. He also led a letter yesterday sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of Trump’s anti-voter “election integrity” executive order and the SAVE Act 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.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Marshall and Ernst Lead Effort to Streamline Conservation Practice Standards at USDA

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
    Washington –U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), both members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act – legislation that modernizes the process for updating conservation standards at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This legislation would remove bureaucratic barriers and better support farmers in implementing conservation practices that improve soil health and water quality.
    “Streamlining updates to conservation practice standards helps cut the bureaucratic red tape that our farmers have been wrongly forced to navigate. Our producers work hard to find new, innovative ways to work the land while conserving its resources, and the federal government should be a partner in doing so – not a roadblock,” said Senator Marshall. “I’m proud to work on this bipartisan solution with Senator Ernst to ensure farmers have the tools necessary to support conservation efforts and help producers leave their land better than they found it.”
    “Traveling across Iowa, I regularly hear from farmers who are eager to implement conservation practices that improve soil health, water quality, and long-term productivity – but they face real barriers when rigid USDA standards slow things down,” said Senator Ernst. “I’m leading the Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act to modernize how USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service updates its technical standards. Ultimately, the goal is simple: let’s cut the red tape, let’s keep standards science-based and flexible, and help farmers get conservation tools in use faster.”
    This bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) and Richard Durbin (D-Illinois).
    “By leveraging innovations in regenerative agriculture and soil health practices, we can help farmers and producers make their working lands more resilient,” said Senator Heinrich. “Our bipartisan legislation accomplishes this by updating and streamlining the process for developing new conservation practice standards at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. This will allow producers to build more resilience into their operations.” 
    “Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in planted cropland, but for years, has ranked as low as 37th in farm conservation funds that USDA distributes to help farmers adopt cover crops, conservation tillage, and other critical environmental practices. USDA’s statewide one-size-fits-all conservation practice rules do not always match the unique needs of each farm,” said Senator Durbin. “This bill creates a process to add more flexibility to these standards, provide routine updates to keep up with the latest innovations, and ensure more academic and farmer input into developing the conservation practices.”  
    The Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act would update the USDA’s process to:
    Require a regular review of existing conservation practice standards.
    Create a public process for submitting and adopting new practices.
    Prioritize the integration of innovative tools like nutrient efficiency technologies – biological fertilizer being one example that’s proven to improve plant growth.
    The full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Joins Push Urging Trump Administration to Reverse Plans to Eliminate Consumer Product Safety Commission

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    Getting Rid Of This Commission Will Make Everyday Products More Dangerous For Americans
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined a letter urging Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to reverse plans to eliminate the bipartisan, independent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC is the only government entity tasked with developing and enforcing product safety standards, facilitating recalls of unsafe products, and educating consumers and businesses about product hazards and best practices. The proposal to absorb some of CPSC’s core functions into a nonexistent division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as the Department’s budget is being cut, is unrealistic and threatens public safety.
    “Since its inception, the CPSC has played a vital role safeguarding American families, and in particular infants, children, and older Americans. Thanks to the CPSC’s critical work, residential fires and fire-related deaths have decreased by over 40 percent. Crib deaths and child poisonings have dropped by 80 percent. The Commission’s work continues today, identifying emerging threats and protecting Americans from dangerous and banned imported products,” the Members wrote.
    “With the rapid growth of e-commerce and imported consumer products, especially from countries with less stringent safety regulations, CPSC plays a critical role to prevent unsafe and counterfeit goods from entering the U.S. market unchecked…We strongly oppose any attempt to eliminate, defund, or weaken the CPSC and demand that you immediately roll back any efforts to dissolve the agency. Americans rightfully expect that the products they bring into their home are safe, and only the CPSC has the authority and expertise to ensure that expectation is met,” the Members concluded.
    The full letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has worked to protect American consumers. Just this year, Senator Rosen was part of a letter pressing the Trump Administration on how mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will hurt Nevada families. She’s also introduced legislation to crack down on price gouging by corporate investors who are driving up housing prices. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Questions HHS Secretary Kennedy on Cuts to NIH Research, Alzheimer’s Program Workforce

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Q&A on NIH Research Indirect Costs Cap: Click HERE to watch and HERE to download
    Q&A on Alzheimer’s Law Implementation: Click HERE to watch and HERE to download
    Washington, D.C. – Today, at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Susan Collins questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Her questions focused on the Department’s proposed cap on indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research, as well as how workforce reductions at the Department could harm the implementation of laws such as the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Reauthorization Act, a bill Senator Collins authored that was signed into law last year.
    Q&A on NIH Research Indirect Costs Cap
    Senator Collins:
    I chaired, recently, the first Appropriations Committee hearing of the year, and we focused on biomedical research and how important it is that America not lose its global edge in innovation that’s producing life-saving and life-enhancing discoveries. Among the many issues that we covered, as you might expect, the hearing explored the 15%, arbitrary, one-size-fits-all cap that NIH has imposed on indirect, but still research-related, costs for its grants.
    What we heard is that this cap will mean less basic research, fewer clinical trials, and that it will also cause our scientists and researchers to leave the United States and go to other countries. I believe strongly that this proposed cap is poorly thought out, that it’s harmful, and I know that it violates current law, because since 2018 we’ve included in the appropriations bill specific language that prevents NIH from imposing such a cap. So, I know the system needs to be looked at, but are you reviewing how NIH’s approach of this one-size-fits-all 15% cap on indirect costs would affect laboratories, whether they’re private nonprofit labs, or whether they’re in universities, as far as doing crucial biomedical research?
    Secretary Kennedy:
    Senator, we are, and you and I have talked about this issue. And I think the impetus for the cap was that there were a lot of private universities with giant endowments, like Stanford and Harvard, that were getting indirect payments of 78%. What that means, if you get a million-dollar grant, the NIH then has to pay you an extra $780,000 for administrative costs. And a lot of those costs weren’t even going to anything to do with science.
    But I understand the University of Maine, the University of Alabama, many other universities and state universities were not abusing it. We lost about $9 billion a year in those kinds of costs. And so, we have a plan for how to address issues like what’s happening at the University of Maine.
    Q&A on Alzheimer’s Law Implementation
    Senator Collins:
    Mr. Secretary, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and caring for people with this devastating chronic disease costs us some $360 billion a year. I am the author of a law that’s known as the BOLD Act. It takes a public health approach to Alzheimer’s, it educates providers, promotes earlier diagnosis, it helps caregivers and it also promotes lifestyle changes. I have worked very hard to make sure that HHS has the resources to carry out this law, which was just recently extended. I’m concerned that the reductions in force, of approximately 10,000 staff across HHS, will completely undermine this Act.
    For example, the Healthy Aging Branch administers the BOLD Act for Alzheimer’s. It has lost all of its staff. So, how can you ensure that the CDC continues to implement the BOLD Act and the Alzheimer’s programs under it, when all of the staff responsible for that administration have either been placed on administrative leave or let go?
    Secretary Kennedy:
    I know that that division has been folded into the Agency for a Healthy America. And a lot of the reports that whole divisions have been liquidated were just wrong. They were divisions that were being reassigned under the reorg.
    On that budget line, I will work with you, I’m committed. You know, Alzheimer’s has run in my family, as you know. You know my cousin, Maria Shriver, who’s deeply involved in it. The NIH had a very, very checkered history on studying Alzheimer’s because of the amyloid plaque scandal. And we have an opportunity now to do really good science and find a cure very quickly, and also find out, equally importantly, why so many people are getting Alzheimer’s in this generation. I want to make that happen. I want to work with you, Senator, to make sure that that happens and that those programs continue.
    +++
    At a recent U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing chaired by Senator Susan Collins, she questioned Dr. Hermann Haller, President of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, on how the proposed NIH cap on indirect costs would affect the important biomedical research occurring in Maine and at institutions across the country.
    With Senator Collins’ support, funding for the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act has grown from $10 million in fiscal year 2020 to $34 million in fiscal year 2024. In September 2020, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services received one of the first BOLD Program Awards. This investment has allowed for great progress in implementing the Maine State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. In September 2023, Maine received a second BOLD award from the CDC for Alzheimer’s prevention programs, which provides implementation funding to build on its initial investments and allow the state to carry out the Maine Alzheimer’s Prevention Program and the CDC’s Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 05/14/2025 Blackburn, Barrasso, Daines, Lankford Raise Concerns with Biden-Era IRS Initiative Targeting Main Street Businesses

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.),Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) urged the U.S. Department of the Treasury to review the Biden administration’s harmful Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pass-through compliance unit that has been operating within the Large Business and International (LB&I) division. It appears the pass-through compliance unit, established by the Biden administration, was motivated by ideology rather than principles of sound tax administration.  

    Pass-Through Entities Are the Bulk of Main Street Businesses That Serve as Backbone of Our Economy

    “Pass-through entities form the bulk of Main Street businesses across the country. This includes countless family businesses, professional services firms, and real estate ventures that serve as the backbone of our local economies. Taxpayers have the lawful right to choose these structures for benefits like liability protection, operational flexibility, and simplified tax filing. The creation of an enforcement unit specifically focused on pass-through entities raises legitimate concerns about whether the focus is on improving compliance or simply targeting specific business structures based on institutional prejudice.” 

    Audits Are Particularly Challenging for Smaller Businesses to Navigate

    “This type of targeting is problematic no matter the size of the business, but is especially challenging for smaller businesses who have fewer resources to navigate such audits. In particular, the IRS’s October 2024 announcement about the unit stated that, going forward, ‘LB&I will be responsible for starting pass-through exams, regardless of entity size’ and touted ‘removing the entity-size barrier’ as a means to increase audit rates. This shift subjects small businesses traditionally handled by the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) division to LB&I’s complex examination procedures designed for sophisticated taxpayers. Most American small businesses lack the resources to navigate these intensive audits, creating disproportionate compliance burdens despite prior assurances that taxpayers under $400,000 would not face increased enforcement relative to historical levels.”

    Under this Program, IRS Could Unfairly Target Legitimate Business Structures

    “The IRS’s news release also referenced targeting ‘complex arrangements’ without providing clear definitions, creating the impression that legitimate business structures could be unfairly targeted based on their legal structure rather than actual compliance risk. Even more concerning, the announcement explicitly states that the bureaucratic changes were designed primarily to ‘achieve its goal of increased audit rates in this complex area’ rather than to address legitimate compliance concerns derived from an evidence-based risk assessment. This focus on increasing audits rathe than improving compliance suggests an agenda-driven approach to enforcement.”

    Click here to read the full letter. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley, Kelly Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention

    US Senate News:

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

    Wednesday, May 14, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced the Educational and Career Opportunities for Public Safety (EdCOPS) Act, bipartisan legislation to address staffing shortages in law enforcement by providing educational benefits to public safety officers and their dependents.  
    “There is no profession more honorable than one that keeps our streets safe. Our men and women in uniform deserve Congress’ full support. I’m proud to co-sponsor legislation this National Police Week and prove to law enforcement that we have their back every step of the way,” said Senator Hawley.
    “As the son of two police officers, I know how important it is to have experienced, trusted officers on the job. But right now, law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to recruit qualified candidates and losing the people who know their communities best,” said Senator Kelly. “By expanding education and career opportunities, we’re helping officers build a more secure future for themselves and their families. It’s an investment that will help departments keep the experienced, dedicated officers that protect our communities.”  
    Law enforcement agencies across the country face a historic crisis in hiring and keeping qualified officers. The EdCOPS Act would help agencies attract and retain experienced officers by offering financial assistance for higher education to public safety officers who have served for at least eight years with a single employer and agree to serve an additional four years. An eligible public safety officer can transfer unused education benefits to a dependent. 
    Read the full bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Secures Pledge from RFK to Review ‘Alarming’ Mifepristone Data, Support Bill Cracking Down on Big Pharma Ads

    US Senate News:

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

    Wednesday, May 14, 2025

    Today in a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) secured a commitment from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. that he would review ‘alarming’ new data on the chemical abortion drug mifepristone. RFK Jr. also stated that in light of the new data, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) label for mifepristone should change to accurately reflect the adverse effects of the drug.

    A new study on the chemical abortion drug shows 11% of women experience adverse effects serious enough to send them to the ER@SecKennedy just pledged to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the drug – and said the FDA label needs to change
    That’s a win for life pic.twitter.com/gy65iCZjI5
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 14, 2025

    “You’ve previously testified to the committee that you would do a top-to-bottom review of mifepristone,” said Senator Hawley. “Do you continue to stand by that, and don’t you think this new data shows that the need to do a full review is indeed pressing?”
    “It’s alarming, and it indicates that at the very least, the label should be changed,”RFK said regarding the new mifepristone data. “I’ve asked Marty Makary at the FDA to do a complete review and report back.”
    RFK Jr. also promised he would submit his own recommendation to President Trump based on the data. This exchange comes after Senator Hawley has advocated for reinstating safety guardrails surrounding mifepristone since the new study was released, from introducing legislation to urging the Department of Justice to reconsider its defense of the Biden Administration’s policy on mifepristone.
    In the same hearing, Senator Hawley also questioned RFK Jr. on his stance towards tax breaks for Big Pharma’s television deals, prompting RFK Jr. to pledge his support for Senator Hawley’s bipartisan, bicameral bill cracking down on Big Pharma’s sweetheart deals.

    Now it’s on the record: @SecKennedy just pledged his support to pass my bipartisan, bicameral bill cracking down on Big Pharma’s sweetheart deals
    Let’s make it illegal for Big Pharma to make taxpayers foot the bill for Pharma advertisements pic.twitter.com/siN1GHd1r0
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 14, 2025

    Watch the full hearing here.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Announces Town Halls in Coos, Curry and Jackson Counties

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    May 14, 2025
    U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle will co-host senator’s upcoming open-to-all town halls in Coos and Curry counties
    Portland – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold town halls on Saturday, May 24 in Coos and Curry counties with U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, and one more on Sunday, May 25 in Jackson County.
    Heading into these three open-to-all town halls, Wyden has held 1,117 open-to-all town halls in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. 
    “As we remember our fellow Americans over Memorial Day weekend who made the ultimate sacrifice, I know Oregonians are always grateful for the freedoms of speech and assembly these heroes fought to preserve,” Wyden said. “And as a senator proud to represent all Oregonians, I believe it’s more important than ever to exercise those freedoms statewide with direct open-to-all conversations to hear Oregonians’ opinions and answer their questions. I’m glad Congresswoman Hoyle will be joining me in Coos and Curry counties, and look forward very much to those discussions on May 24, as well as my town hall in Jackson County on May 25.”
    “I’m proud to join Senator Wyden for town halls on Memorial Day weekend to remember those who lost their lives in service to our country and to hear directly from south coast residents on issues of importance to them,” said Hoyle. “Their opinions help us to better represent their interests in Washington, D.C., which is essential for a healthy democracy.”
    The schedule for the town halls with both Wyden and Hoyle on Saturday, May 24 is as follows:
    Coos County, 2:30 pm, North Bend Middle School Gym, 1500 16th St, North Bend
    Curry County, 6 pm, Driftwood Elementary School Gym, 1210 Oregon St., Port Orford
    The schedule for the town hall just with Wyden on Sunday, May 25 is as follows:
    Jackson County, 4 pm, Medford Armory, 1701 S Pacific Hwy, Medford
    Although these were the largest venues available for these three town halls on these dates, space may still be limited. Doors will open one hour before the town hall start times for attendees. For everyone’s security, backpacks and large bags will not be allowed in the town hall.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: May 14th, 2025 Heinrich Demands Answers on Public Lands Transfer in Southern New Mexico

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    Heinrich to Hegseth: “I have deep concerns that the Trump Administration is bypassing due process for individuals who either intentionally or unintentionally enter this newly restricted area, including United States citizens who may be stopped and detained by U.S. Army soldiers for trespassing on an unmarked military base”

    WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers on a number of significant questions that have arisen from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s transfer of approximately 109,651 acres of public land in Doña Ana, Luna, and Hidalgo Counties, New Mexico, to the U.S. Army.

    Local residents along New Mexico’s southern border use these lands for hiking, mountain biking, hunting, camping, and experiencing New Mexico’s natural heritage, while ranchers depend on them for grazing access critical to their livelihoods. These lands also include the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, NM State Highway 9, and significant acreage within New Mexico Game and Fish Hunt Units 25, 26, and 27. 

    Crossing into a National Defense Area can lead to charges under Title 50 of the U.S. Code, which can carry penalties of up to one year in custody and fines up to $100,000. During a visit to the newly designated National Defense Area along New Mexico’s southern border with Secretary Hegseth, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico Ryan Ellison said, “Trespassers into the National Defense Area will be Federally prosecuted — no exceptions.”

    The Trump Administration has thus far failed to install appropriate signage at the perimeters of the National Defense Area to clearly mark its boundaries.

    “I have deep concerns that the Trump Administration is bypassing due process for individuals who either intentionally or unintentionally enter this newly restricted area, including United States citizens who may be stopped and detained by U.S. Army soldiers for trespassing on an unmarked military base,” Heinrich wrote to Secretary Hegseth.

    “While I understand the Department’s stated interest in reducing migrant crossings at the border, this transfer raises a number of urgent questions,” Heinrich continued.

    In the letter, Heinrich demanded Secretary Hegseth answer the following questions:

    1. What is the current public access status of the lands under the NDA designation? Are these areas now closed to public entry, or are they still accessible to U.S. citizens or persons legally present in the United States?
    1. If this area is not fully open to the public, will the Department install signage to clearly mark the boundaries of the NDA along the perimeter of every restricted area? For example, will signage be installed adjacent to NM State Highway 9, such that individuals can see the signage before entering the northern boundary of the NDA? Similarly, will signage be installed at the southern perimeter of the NDA such that individuals can see the signage before entering the NDA?
    1. Are you enforcing trespassing on the NDA north of the Roosevelt Reservation? If not, why did the Administration withdraw the entire NDA?
    1. Will you notify the public about any new public access restrictions on the NDA?
    1. The NDA includes significant acreage within New Mexico Game and Fish Hunt Units 25, 26, and 27. Will hunting continue to be allowed within the NDA, and if so, under what additional regulations or conditions?
    1. Are other recreational uses, including hiking, camping, and off-road vehicle use, still allowed within the NDA?
    1. Can hikers on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail access the southern terminus, which is located within the NDA?
    1. Are there any grazing permits previously authorized in the affected area? If so, will ranchers retain access under the new designation?
    1. How many private individuals or entities currently hold rights-of-way (ROW) or easements within the newly withdrawn boundary? Will they still have access to their ROWs?
    1. How many mining claims are within the boundary of the NDA?
    1. Can the New Mexico State Land Office access state land within the NDA? Can lease or permit holders on state land within the NDA continue to utilize those state trust lands pursuant to those leases or permits?
    1. Does the NDA limit road access to any private property within the boundaries of the NDA? If so, how is the department providing access to those private property owners?
    1. Are DOD personnel crossing private lands or using private roads to access DOD-managed land within in the NDA? If so, which properties? Are they doing so with the consent of those property owners? If military personnel are entering private land without permission of the landowner, under what authority are they accessing that private land?
    1. It has been reported that at least 300 individuals have been detained within the NDA area since the designation. How many of these individuals were U.S. citizens or were legally present in the United States?

    “The residents of southern New Mexico have longstanding relationships with these lands — whether as business owners, stewards, sportsmen, ranchers, or recreational users. As such, decisions that significantly alter their access or legal standing must be made transparently and with meaningful consultation. Further, it is of upmost importance that federal laws and the Constitution are upheld, ” Heinrich concluded the letter.

    The full text of the letter is here.

    For a list of Heinrich’s actions to keep public lands in public hands, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –