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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: ‘It is High Time we Stopped Thinking Politically as Republicans and Democrats,’ King says as he Invokes Former Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    To watch the floor speech, click here
    The full transcript of the speech can be found here
    WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King today spoke on the Senate floor to commemorate the 75th anniversary of former U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s (R-ME) ‘Declaration of Conscience’ speech. The speech, delivered on June 1, 1950, would be the defining moment in which a Republican stood up to her own party in defense of American democracy.
    More specifically, King called on his colleagues in both parties to remember her legacy and “…stop thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and start thinking patriotically as Americans about national security based on individual freedom. It is high time that we all stopped being tools and victims of totalitarian techniques – techniques that, if continued here unchecked, will surely end what we have come to cherish as the American way of life.”
    Early in the speech, King highlighted the importance of Constitutional boundaries.
    King began, “And again, this is not about observing the boundaries prescribed by the Constitution just to check the appropriate boxes; this is about observing those boundaries to protect ourselves from the abuse that inevitably—inevitably—flows from the unbridled concentration of power. To those who like the policies of the President and are therefore willing to ignore the unconstitutional means of effectuating them, I (and history) can only say, watch out: Today, the target may be the undocumented or federal workers, but tomorrow (perhaps under a different King-President), it could be you.”
    King then reminded his colleagues and the American people that the President’s unorthodox maneuvers are against the law.
    “Echoing Senator Smith, today’s crisis should not be viewed as a partisan issue; this is not about Democrats or Republicans, or immigration or tax policy, or even the next set of elections; today’s crisis threatens the idea of America and the system of government that has sustained us for more than two centuries,” King said later in the speech. “Again, this is not about the President’s agenda (and yes, I disagree with most of it), it’s about the manner in which he is pursuing it—which includes ignoring the Constitution and the rule of law—and it’s this roughshod non-process that endangers all of us, his detractors and supporters alike.”
    King concluded the speech by alluding to Smith as his inspiration for standing up to power, even when the moment may be difficult to face.
    “So, with thanks to Margaret Chase Smith for her example and inspiration, this is my ‘Declaration of Conscience.’ I don’t relish this moment, but feel I have no choice but call out the clear implications—and dangers—of what is happening; to do otherwise, to keep silent, would be to compromise what I have believed about our country since my first civics class in high school and, at about the same time, when I watched my dad risk his career to fight for justice and the rule of law. And so, here I stand,” King concluded.
    Senator King has been consistently sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s existential threat to the Constitution. He previously gave a speech on the Senate floor sharing that this administration is doing ‘exactly what the Framers [of the Constitution] most feared” and a speech where he shared his growing concerns over the Trump Administration’s usurpation of Congressional authority. Senator King also previously declared that the proposal to halt all federal grant and loan disbursement was illegal and a direct assault on the Constitution. More recently, he joined 36 Senators in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sharing the detrimental effects of  the Trump Administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He also joined fellow Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) colleagues in writing a letter to the White House about the risks to national security by allowing unvetted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Address Housing Affordability Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON —Today U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner joined Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in introducing legislation to help build nearly 1.6 million new affordable homes over the next decade. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would lead to more affordable housing options for families and workers by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, our country’s most successful affordable housing program.
    Currently, nearly one-in-four renters, over 11 million families, spend more than half of their household income on rent, cutting into other essential expenses like child care, medication, groceries, and transportation. At the same time, over 600,000 Americans are experiencing homelessness on any given day, an increase over pre-COVID levels.
    Since its creation, the Housing Credit has built or restored more than 4 million affordable housing units, nearly 90 percent of all federally funded affordable housing during that time. Roughly nine million American households have benefitted from the credit, and the economic activity that it generated has supported 6.6 million jobs and spurred more than $746 billion in wages.
    “The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is one of the most successful tools our country has to address the affordable housing crisis our communities are facing,” Sen. Warner said. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to update and modernize this credit in order to build more homes, bring down costs, and tackle the growing demand for housing across the Commonwealth and the country.”
    More specifically, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would:
    Increase the number of credits available to states by 50 percent for the next two years and make the temporary 12.5 percent increase secured in 2018 permanent—which has already helped build more than 59,000 additional affordable housing units nationwide;
    Stabilize financing for workforce housing projects built using private activity bonds by decreasing the amount of private activity bonds needed to secure Housing Credit funding. As a result, projects would have to carry less debt, and more projects would be eligible to receive funding; and
    Improve the Housing Credit program to better serve veterans, victims of domestic violence, formerly homeless students, Native American communities, and rural Americans.
    Joining Sens. Warner, Young, and Cantwell in introducing this legislation are Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act was also recently introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19).
    The ACTION Campaign and the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition endorsed the bill.
    “The reintroduction of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act is a vital step toward addressing our nation’s housing crisis. Expanding the Housing Credit is the most effective way to increase the supply of affordable housing, leveraging public-private partnerships to build and preserve homes for working families, seniors, and vulnerable communities. At a time when rents are rising and supply is lagging, strengthening the Housing Credit will ensure that more Americans have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said co-chairs of the ACTION Campaign Ayrianne Parks and Jennifer Schwartz. “The ACTION Campaign thanks Senators Todd Young, Maria Cantwell, Marsha Blackburn, and Ron Wyden for their leadership.”
    “The overwhelming bipartisan support for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 underscores the critical need to increase the supply of affordable rental homes,” said Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition Chief Executive Officer Emily Cadik. “We thank Senator Todd Young, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Senator Ron Wyden for their leadership and the 30 bipartisan cosponsors for supporting this commonsense solution to expand and strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a proven, pro-growth tool with a nearly 40-year record of leveraging private investment to fill a critical need.”
    This is the latest action in Sen. Warner’s longstanding efforts to make housing more affordable for Virginians. So far this year, he has already introduced the New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act, the Rural Historic Tax Credit Improvement Act, and the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act – all bipartisan bills to encourage redevelopment and new construction in communities across the country. He is also the lead sponsor of the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act – which would create a new tax incentive to build and preserve more than 500,000 affordable, single-family homes over ten years – and the lead author of the Low-Income First Time Homebuyers (LIFT) Act to help qualified, first-generation homebuyers build equity in their homes by offering a 20-year mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a traditional 30-year loan. Warner has also joined his colleagues in sponsoring the Downpayment Toward Equity Act, which would provide federal grants to assist first-generation homebuyers with qualifying expenses toward purchasing their first home, including down payment costs, closing costs, and costs to reduce the rates of interest.
    Full text of the bill is available here.
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Bennet, Neguse Demand Commerce Department Reverse Planned Cuts to NOAA, Colorado-Based Research Centers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Colorado John Hickenlooper

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, along with Representative Joe Neguse, urged Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to preserve funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its Cooperative Institutes (CIs) following recent reports that the Trump administration plans to cut funding for NOAA in its upcoming budget proposal.

    “Cooperative Institutes are integral to solving some of our biggest problems and making all of us safer and better prepared for short-term and long-term hazards. Any plan to terminate funding for NOAA CIs would be detrimental not just to the people of Colorado, but to people across the entire country,” wrote the lawmakers.

    Colorado is the only state in the nation to house two CIs, which are academic and nonprofit research centers that provide invaluable support to NOAA’s mission.

    • The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), located at the University of Colorado Boulder, is the oldest and largest CI. It employs nearly 800 researchers, support staff, and students focused on research related to drought, wildfire, and space weather.
    • The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), located at Colorado State University, employs nearly 200 individuals who are working to improve weather and fire forecasting.

    “We strongly condemn any such plan and believe terminating this funding would be extremely short-sighted and costly to the American people and economy in the long run,” continued the lawmakers. 

    Read their full letter HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ernst, Gonzales Create Harsh Penalties for Deadly Fentanyl Dealers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    Published: April 29, 2025
    Drug dealers behind lethal fentanyl will face life in prison or death penalty.
    WASHINGTON – On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) are increasing the criminal penalties to the strictest possible level for the drug dealers behind the fentanyl epidemic that is the leading cause of death for Americans 18-44 and contributed to around 87,000 overdose deaths.
    The Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act makes knowingly distributing fentanyl resulting in death a first-degree murder carrying a sentence of up to life in prison or even the death penalty.
    “I have seen firsthand how the scourge of fentanyl has inflicted incredible tragedy on communities across Iowa,” said Ernst. “I have worked for years to protect Americans and stop this deadly epidemic. Increasing the severity of the punishment for the drug dealers responsible for the deaths of too many Iowans is long overdue.”
    “I served 20 years in the military, I know what war looks like. Make no mistake, the current fentanyl crisis our country is experiencing is not random—it’s an intentional act of war against the American people. Drug cartels have taken advantage of loopholes at our borders to peddle illicit drugs into our country, meanwhile, our communities pay the price,” said Gonzales. “My bill sends a strong message to those who work with cartels and other bad actors—if you sell the drug and take an innocent life, justice will be delivered. Our law enforcement agencies are in overdrive combatting the drug epidemic in America, it’s time to take action and up the penalties for fentanyl dealers.”
    Click here to view the bill.
    Background:
    Earlier this year, the Senate passed an Ernst-supported bill to classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I, to enable law enforcement authorities to target fentanyl traffickers, no matter how much they chemically tweak their products to take advantage of a legal loophole.
    After visiting the southern border, Ernst worked to increase penalties on individuals who fuel the border crisis and fentanyl epidemic.
    Her bipartisan solution to address the fentanyl crisis was also included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.
    Last week, Ernst introduced the BE GONE Act to codify a key part of President Trump’s zero-tolerance border crackdown by requiring illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes to be deported.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.29.2025 WTAS: Bipartisan, Bicameral TAKE IT DOWN Act to Criminalize the Spread of Deepfake Revenge Porn Heads to President Trump’s Desk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the bipartisan, bicameral TAKE IT DOWN Act, introduced in the Senate by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and co-led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 409-2 and heads to President Trump’s desk. The legislation unanimously passed the Senate in February.
    The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (or “deepfake revenge pornography”), and requires social media and similar websites to implement procedures to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from a victim.
    The House companion was introduced by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.).
    Here is what they are saying about the TAKE IT DOWN Act:

    TIME: Inside the First Major U.S. Bill Tackling AI Harms—and Deepfake Abuse
    “In January, however, Cruz was promoted to become the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, giving him a major position of power to set agendas. His office rallied the support for Take it Down from a slew of different public interest groups. They also helped persuade tech companies to support the bill, which worked: Snapchat and Meta got behind it.
    “‘Cruz put an unbelievable amount of muscle into this bill,’ says Sunny Gandhi, vice president of political affairs at Encode, an AI-focused advocacy group that supported the bill. ‘They spent a lot of effort wrangling a lot of the companies to make sure that they wouldn’t be opposed, and getting leadership interested.’”

    THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: House passes Ted Cruz bill cracking down on deepfake nudes
    “U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s bill targeting the publication of nonconsensual deepfake pornography will soon be federal law.
    “The House voted 409-2 Monday to approve the bill, which already passed the Senate, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk.
    “Elliston was 14 years old in October 2023 when a classmate used an artificial intelligence program to turn innocent photos of her and her friends into realistic-looking nudes and distributed the images on social media.
    “They were only removed after they shared the story with Cruz and he pushed for action.
    “First lady Melania Trump participated in an event highlighting the issue and Elliston sat with her as a guest for the president’s joint address to Congress.
    “Trump gave Elliston a shout-out during the speech, saying he looked forward to signing Cruz’s proposal into law after the House passed it.”

    USA TODAY: With rare bipartisan support, Congress passes bill to outlaw deepfake pornography
    “A bill to criminalize AI-generated explicit images, or ‘deepfakes,’ is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk after sailing through both chambers of Congress with near-unanimous approval.
    “The Take It Down Act has enjoyed uncommon bipartisan support, along with a key endorsement from the first lady.
    “The newly-passed bill will require technology platforms to remove reported “non-consensual, sexually exploitative images” within 48 hours of receiving a valid request. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, introduced the legislation in August.”

    The New York Times: House Passes Bill to Ban Sharing of Revenge Porn, Sending It to Trump
    “The legislation, introduced by Senators Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, is the first internet content law to clear Congress since 2018, when lawmakers approved legislation to fight online sex trafficking. And though it focuses on revenge porn and deepfakes, the bill is seen as an important step toward regulating internet companies that have for decades escaped government scrutiny.”

    CBS NEWS: House passes “Take it Down Act,” sending revenge porn bill backed by Melania Trump to president’s desk
    “‘If you’re a victim of revenge porn or AI-generated explicit imagery, your life changes forever,’ Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said at a March 3 roundtable promoting the bill.
    “Cruz, who introduced the bill, recalled the experience of a teenage victim, Elliston Berry, whose classmate used an app to create explicit images of her and then sent them to her classmates. Berry’s mother had tried unsuccessfully to get Snapchat to remove the images for months before she contacted Cruz’s office for help.
    “‘It should not take a sitting senator or sitting member of Congress picking up the phone to get a picture down or video down,’ Cruz said.”

    CNN: House passes bill aimed at protecting victims of deepfake and revenge porn
    “Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas introduced the bill, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, have supported the effort.
    “According to Cruz’s office, the bill ‘would criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (or ‘deepfake pornography’), and require social media and similar websites to have in place procedures to remove such content upon notification from a victim.’”

    THE HILL: Bill criminalizing deepfake revenge porn passes House, heads to Trump’s desk
    “Cruz celebrated the bill’s passage on Monday, calling it a ‘historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse.’
    “‘By requiring social media companies to take down this abusive content quickly, we are sparing victims from repeated trauma and holding predators accountable,’ he wrote in a statement.”
    More than 120 organizations representing victim advocacy groups, law enforcement, and tech industry leaders have voiced their support for the legislation, including Meta, Snap, Google, Microsoft, TikTok, X, Amazon, Bumble, Match Group, Entertainment Software Association, IBM, TechNet, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Internet Works, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE).
    In March, Sen. Cruz and Rep. Salazar hosted a bipartisan roundtable with First Lady Melania Trump to hear from victims of revenge and deepfake pornography and urge the House to pass the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act. During his State of the Union address, President Trump emphasized the bill’s importance and said, “I look forward to signing it into law.”
    Other notable endorsements came from the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of House lawmakers evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, and Paris Hilton, who called the bill “a crucial step toward ending non-consensual image sharing online.”
    During the 118th Congress, the bill unanimously passed the Senate Commerce Committee and the full Senate.
    BACKGROUND:
    While nearly every state has a law protecting people from non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including 30 states with laws explicitly covering sexual deepfakes, these state laws vary in classification of crime and penalty and have uneven criminal prosecution. Further, victims struggle to have images depicting them removed from websites, increasing the likelihood the images are continuously spread and victims are retraumatized.
    In 2022, Congress passed legislation creating a civil cause of action for victims to sue individuals responsible for publishing NCII. However, bringing a civil action can be incredibly impractical. It is time-consuming, expensive, and may force victims to relive trauma. Further exacerbating the problem, it is not always clear who is responsible for publishing the NCII. 
    The TAKE IT DOWN Act would protect and empower victims of real and deepfake NCII while respecting speech by:

    Criminalizing the publication of NCII in interstate commerce. The bill makes it unlawful for a person to knowingly publish NCII on social media and other online platforms. NCII is defined to include realistic, computer-generated pornographic images and videos that depict identifiable, real people. The bill also clarifies that a victim consenting to the creation of an authentic image does not mean that the victim has consented to its publication.
    Protecting good faith efforts to assist victims. The bill permits the good faith disclosure of NCII, such as to law enforcement. 
    Requiring websites to take down NCII upon notice from the victim. Social media and other websites would be required to have in place procedures to remove NCII, pursuant to a valid request from a victim, within 48 hours. Websites must also make reasonable efforts to remove copies of the images. The Federal Trade Commission is charged with enforcement of this section. 
    Protecting lawful speech. The bill is narrowly tailored to criminalize knowingly publishing NCII without chilling lawful speech. The bill conforms to current First Amendment jurisprudence by requiring that computer-generated NCII meet a “reasonable person” test for appearing indistinguishable from an authentic image.

    To read the bill text, click HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kaine Leads Colleagues in Releasing Report Highlighting Harm to Seniors and People with Disabilities During Trump’s First 100 Days

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a report highlighting President Trump’s first 100 days in office and his disastrous policies hurting older Americans and people with disabilities. The report details Republican attacks on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security; the mass layoff of federal employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and Social Security Administration (SSA); and proposals to further cut funding for programs that Americans rely on, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

    “During President Trump’s first 100 days in office, he has enacted horrendous policies that will have negative consequences for Americans for decades to come,” said Kaine. “Today, I’m releasing this report with my colleagues highlighting the reprehensible harm that President Trump and his Administration have caused for older Americans and people with disabilities. From gutting HHS and other federal agencies to rolling back policies that make it easier for Americans to access health care and afford prescription drugs, the Trump Administration has made it clear that they do not care about the well-being of our nation’s seniors or people with disabilities. I’ve heard from older Americans and individuals with disabilities in Virginia, including at a recent roundtable in Wytheville, about their concerns with what the Trump Administration is doing. I will keep pushing to protect important federal programs that support older Americans and people with disabilities, and fight against Republican proposals to slash Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.”

    “In his first 100 days, Mr. Trump has made it abundantly clear that seniors and people with disabilities do not matter. Instead of protecting the programs and services working families rely on, Trump is getting ready to give more tax breaks for billionaires, while making it harder for Americans to access Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security & veterans benefits. That is morally obscene,” said Sanders.

    “Just last week, RFK callously called for a ‘registry’ of people with autism. He’s spent 100 days firing scientists and working with this Administration to rob research facility dollars used to cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. His boss Donald Trump is trying to gut Medicaid to pay for billionaire tax cuts at the expense of vulnerable communities. It is clear that those who have been leading our country these last 100 days and making decisions about our health care are not only wildly unqualified, they are dangerous. Our families deserve better, we are sick of it,” said Alsobrooks.  

    The full report is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Baldwin Leads Bill to Ban Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in reintroducing the Equality Act to ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans, just as religious, racial, and ethnic discrimination are illegal everywhere in the United States.

    “The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. But, for too many LGBTQ+ Americans in states across the country, equality under the law is not the reality, and they are harassed at work, denied a place to live, and discriminated against just for being who they are,” said Senator Baldwin. “The Equality Act makes clear that in the United States, we can live up to our nation’s highest ideals and we will not tolerate discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity – just like religion, race, or ethnicity. Equality is not a privilege, it’s what we’re all owed as American citizens, and I’m committed to making that promise a reality.”

    In states across the country, over 850 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed so far this year—the most in U.S. history—including 12 bills in Wisconsin.

    The Equality Act amends landmark federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity to longstanding bans on discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding, and more. It would also add protections against sex discrimination in parts of anti-discrimination laws where these protections had not been included previously, such as public accommodations and federal funding.

    Despite major advances in equality for LGBTQ+ Americans in recent years, including passing Senator Baldwin’s Respect for Marriage Act to codify federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, the majority of states still do not have explicit LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protection laws. The Equality Act would finally enshrine protections into federal law under all areas of potential discrimination, protecting the rights and freedoms of all LGBTQ+ Americans for generations to come.

    In addition to Senators Baldwin, Merkley, and Booker, the Equality Act is co-sponsored by 44 of their Senate colleagues.

    Full text of this legislation is available here.

    A summary of this legislation is available here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Pens Op-Ed in Newsweek: The President’s First 100 Days Is a Return to American Greatness

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) penned an op-ed in Newsweek today, celebrating the rapid progress of President Donald Trump’s First 100 Days.

    Click HERE or on the image above to read Senator Marshall’s full op-ed in Newsweek 
    Highlights from Senator Marshall’s op-ed include: 

    “The American people delivered a powerful mandate in November. They were ready to turn the page on the failures of the Biden-Harris administration and restore America first leadership by electing President Donald Trump. This choice has already begun to pay off tremendously.

    “In just 100 days, we have witnessed one of the most productive presidential administrations in modern history. Trump has already signed more than 140 executive orders, issued more than 40 proclamations, and authored more than 30 memorandums—far surpassing the number of actions many presidents have taken throughout their entire administrations.
    “Despite relentless criticism from the mainstream media, radical judges blocking the president’s actions, and Democrats in disarray, the American people stand strongly behind the president’s America first vision.
    “Recent polling from RealClear Politics shows an 11-point surge in optimism since January 2025—a clear sign the American people believe the country is back on the right track. That’s because Trump is delivering on the promises he made.
    “Trump campaigned on many critical issues, but none were more pressing than the promise to secure our border and make American families safer. Under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal crossings surged to more than 15,000 per day. That number has now dropped to fewer than 200 per day, and more than 130,000 violent criminals and illegal immigrants have been deported.”

    “Under Trump, America is not an economic zone to be exploited or a workforce to be taken advantage of by other countries. It is a protected, sovereign nation—a place where the hopes and dreams of millions of families can grow and prosper.

    “That is the promise of the America-first agenda made manifest. If we want this legacy to last, Congress must do its part to codify this progress and ensure Trump’s next 1,300 days are as impactful for the American people as his first 100.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall: 100 Days of Promises Made, Promises Kept by President Trump

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) released a video today highlighting the wins President Trump has delivered for Kansans – and Americans nationwide – in his first 100 days.

    Click HERE to watch Senator Marshall’s video.
    Transcript of Senator Marshall’s remarks:
    “Well, folks, I don’t know about you, but these first 100 days with President Trump [have] been nothing but a bold blur. At the same time, though, these have been some of the most consequential days in American history. And as I think back on them, there’s one theme: promises made, promises kept.
    “You know, more than anything else, President Trump campaigned to secure your border. Now think about this, under Joe Biden, there [were] over 10,000 crossings in a day on many days, but under President Trump, he’s now averaging under 300 per day. That’s a drop from 10,000 per day to 300 per day. Promise made, promise kept.
    “President Trump also said he’s going to make your family safer. To that end, he’s deported over 130,000 violent criminal aliens. All over the state of Kansas, when I talk to law enforcement officers, they tell me that crime is coming down, and the fentanyl poisoning is coming down as well. Another promise made and another promise kept.
    “President Trump also said he would bring down the price of gas and groceries. Now, it wasn’t too long ago here in DC that gas was over $5 a gallon, and back home, it was typically over $4 a gallon. Today, all over the state of Kansas, the price of gasoline is approaching two and a half dollars a gallon. Again, this went from $5, $4 a gallon down to two and a half dollars a gallon. That’s another promise made, and another promise kept. 
    “Well, what else did President Trump promise? Well, he also said that he was going to take care of the EV mandate. He’s going to slow the green energy transition and end boys in girls’ sports. All those he’s accomplished, and through DOGE, he saved Americans billions of dollars. On the world stage, he’s withdrawn us from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement – both of those, again, putting America first. 
    “But what I’m really, really, really excited about in these first 100 days, President Trump has secured a $7 trillion investment in America… And what that means to me is more jobs, more good jobs for hard-working Americans. Again, the first 100 days… promises made, promises kept.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand, Sanders, Wyden, Baldwin Slam Trump Administration’s Plan To Dismantle Federal Agency That Helps Seniors Live Independently, Stay In Their Homes As They Age

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand

    Administration For Community Living Provides Assistance To Senior Citizens And Americans With Disabilities To Age In Place

    Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden, and Tammy Baldwin led a group of 22 senators in slamming Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to dismantle the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a critical federal agency that helps seniors and people with disabilities live independently and fully participate in their communities. ACL provides home-delivered and congregate meals for older adults, Medicare enrollment assistance, peer supports, community living activities, and support for family caregivers, among other functions. The Trump administration recently announced that it would dismantle the agency, fire over half its workforce, and scatter its functions across several different agencies. The lawmakers are calling on Secretary Kennedy to halt this shortsighted effort that will cause tangible and enduring harm to older adults and people with disabilities.

    “For over a decade, ACL and its expert staff have coordinated services across federal, state, and local governments to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities live healthy, connected, independent lives in the community,” wrote the senators. “In fact, ACL saves the Federal government and taxpayers money by keeping older adults and people with disabilities out of institutions; for example, it costs less to feed a senior for an entire year through the Older Americans Act than it does for a senior to spend one night in a hospital. Transferring ACL programs to the Administration for Children and Families, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—also reeling from your devastating staffing reductions— will create havoc and disrupt delivery of bipartisan supported programs such as home-delivered and congregate meals for older adults, Medicare enrollment assistance, peer supports, community living activities, and interventions to support family caregivers.”

    The senators added, “Interruption to nutrition programs means millions of older adults may go hungry without the over 220 million meals they rely on. 53 million family caregivers will be left without support, forcing some to leave the workforce to care for their loved ones. Vital evidence-based research and services for people with developmental disabilities will be in jeopardy. Your illegal attempt to dismantle ACL will have far-reaching implications…We strongly urge HHS to consider the needs of seniors, people with disabilities, and those who care for them, and halt this effort to dismantle ACL.”

    The letter was signed by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

    The full text of the letter to Secretary Kennedy is available here or below: 

    Dear Secretary Kennedy, 

    We are writing in opposition to the proposed dismantling of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) as outlined in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) fact sheet on March 26, 2025. ACL is essential to administering the critical programs established and funded by Congress that ensure older adults and people with disabilities can live in their communities with the dignity, security, and independence they deserve. Scattering its functions among several different agencies and firing over half of its workforce is in direct conflict with the fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill that Congress just passed and will cause tangible and enduring harm to older adults and people with disabilities. 

    The vague proposal to improve “efficiency” by shuttering ACL will achieve the exact opposite. ACL was created in 2012 to bring together the Administration on Aging, the Office on Disability, and the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to enhance coordination of services.

    For over a decade, ACL and its expert staff have coordinated services across federal, state, and local governments to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities live healthy, connected, independent lives in the community. In fact, ACL saves the Federal government and taxpayers money by keeping older adults and people with disabilities out of institutions; for example, it costs less to feed a senior for an entire year through the Older Americans Act than it does for a senior to spend one night in a hospital. Transferring ACL programs to the Administration for Children and Families, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—also reeling from your devastating staffing reductions— will create havoc and disrupt delivery of bipartisan supported programs such as home-delivered and congregate meals for older adults, Medicare enrollment assistance, peer supports, community living activities, and interventions to support family caregivers. 

    ACL was created to further the fundamental principle that older adults and people with disabilities should be able to live independently and fully participate in their communities. ACL has grown significantly since its creation in 2012 as it took on programs Congress transferred from other agencies. These functions include a research institute, independent living, assistive technology, and traumatic brain injury programs; paralysis and limb-loss resource centers; and programs to assist in the navigation of Medicare benefits and the health care system. 

    Last month Congress passed a fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill that provides funding for ACL to continue to carry out these important functions and programs. The proposed reorganization is a brazen disregard of that law. HHS has always worked closely with Congress on reorganizations such as this, including in the establishment of ACL. This time, HHS has refused to provide any information to Congress or the American people regarding exactly how these changes would take place, and how they would be enacted without resulting in delays in the implementation of programs, activities, and functions Congress just funded and tasked ACL with carrying out. There have been reports that the Department fired the entire staff of the Office of Grants Management, which raises additional concerns about how funding will reach the thousands of community-based organizations that rely on it. The obvious conclusion is these are haphazard changes, and HHS has not considered the impact they will have on older Americans and people with disabilities. You claim a mission of making Americans healthier and a commitment to “radical transparency” but both of those assertions fall flat with this proposal.

    Any interruption to the effective delivery of programs administered by ACL will have detrimental consequences. For example, a breakdown in adult protective services, long-term care ombudsman programs, and other protection and advocacy programs means that older adults and people with disabilities will be more vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Interruption to nutrition programs means millions of older adults may go hungry without the over 220 million meals they rely on. 53 million family caregivers will be left without support, forcing some to leave the workforce to care for their loved ones. Vital evidence-based research and services for people with developmental disabilities will be in jeopardy. Your illegal attempt to dismantle ACL will have far-reaching implications. 

    ACL is critical to safeguarding the self-determination of older adults and people with disabilities. These populations should not have their decision-making power undermined and government programs they depend on put at risk simply because you decided that burying these programs within other agencies would be “more efficient.” An overwhelming majority of people prefer to live and age in their own homes where they can continue to be active members of their communities. The resources and programs administered by ACL are critical to achieving that goal, and dismantling ACL will undoubtedly harm efforts to ensure that people with disabilities and older adults can maintain and accomplish such goals. 

    We strongly urge HHS to consider the needs of seniors, people with disabilities, and those who care for them, and halt this effort to dismantle ACL. While we strongly oppose the decision to dismantle ACL, it is critical that HHS be transparent and provide information to Congress and the American public about the steps it is taking and plans to take with regard to ACL and all of its functions. Please respond to the following questions by April 30, 2025.  

    1. How many ACL employees have been fired, put on administrative leave, accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the VERA/VSIP offer since January 20, 2025?
      1. Please provide a complete breakdown by office and position. For each category of employee at each office, provide information on GS level and veteran status, and clearly state the justification for termination. Include employees who have since been reinstated or placed on administrative leave, noting that change in status. Please provide the latest data available. 
      2. How many ACL employees remain in force as of April 21, 2025? How many ACL employees were fired on April 1 and have subsequently been rehired?
    1. Several positions at ACL are required in statute, including the Assistant Secretary on Aging and the Administrator of ACL. Please explain how HHS will remain in compliance with relevant statutes, including but not limited to the Older Americans Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, following the restructuring of the agency. 
    1. Provide a detailed list of all programs implemented by ACL in fiscal year 2024 and either the agency or office that HHS proposes to transfer them to or whether the program will be eliminated entirely. Include an explanation for each, addressing HHS’s decision to either eliminate a program, or to transfer a program to a new agency or office, including HHS’s reasoning on why the chosen agency or office should administer it and how that will improve the delivery of services for older Americans and people with disabilities.
      1. If changes will be made to any program (e.g., reduction of scope, cancellation of grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements) describe the consultation process HHS conducted with stakeholders, including career subject matter experts within HHS, organizations representing older adults and people with disabilities, and the expected consequences of such changes to the program.  
      2. Did HHS consult with subject matter experts and external stakeholders before changing the structure of ACL? If so, what concerns did HHS career subject matter experts and external stakeholders raise about cancelling, transferring, or changing programs implemented by ACL? If not, why did HHS not engage in a transparent process to seek comment on such a significant restructuring that would dissolve ACL into other HHS agencies or offices? Please provide unredacted copies of any written documents detailing concerns about transferring, cancelling, or changing ACL programs as a consequence of HHS’s planned reorganization, including e-mails, texts, letters, memorandums, and other documents with HHS subject matter experts and external stakeholders.
    1. For ACL programs that HHS proposes to transfer to another agency or office, describe how HHS would uphold all the statutory requirements currently under ACL’s purview once its functions are transferred to other agencies or offices.  
    1. For ACL programs that HHS proposes to transfer to another agency or office, describe how the receiving agency or office will find the necessary expertise to ensure effective operation of programs, including:
    1. Existing content expertise of the program at the receiving agency or office.
    2. Expertise at the receiving agency or office in coordination between stakeholders and state and local government and any other partners.
    3. Any feedback that career employees at the receiving agency have provided regarding their capacity to take over the transferred programs, especially in light of recent, or planned, reduction in force efforts including firings, resignations, and buy-outs.
    1. Explain how your decision to decimate ACL—the agency created to reduce duplication of programmatic efforts—will increase efficiency. 
    1. Which organizations representing older adults, people with disabilities, and state and local governments did HHS consult with to reach its determination that eliminating ACL would increase efficiency? 
    2. If HHS did not consult with groups representing older adults, people with disabilities, and state and local governments before reaching its determination that ACL would increase efficiency, please explain why HHS did not engage in a transparent process with impacted stakeholders before dissolving ACL.
    1. How will you monitor the impact of transitioning programs on the lives of older adults and people with disabilities? Please include: 
    1. Variables to be measured and methods for assessment.
    2. How HHS will include feedback, when determining the impact of its changes, from older adults and people with disabilities, and the organizations that represent them.
    3. How HHS will include feedback, when determining the impact of its changes, from state and local governments and the organizations that represent them. 
    1. We understand that HHS will eliminate all ACL staff from HHS regional offices. 
    2. Can HHS confirm that there will be no ACL staff at HHS regional offices? 
    3. How does HHS intend to replace or address the critical functions of ACL regional staff, including technical expertise, support, and administration of Older Americans Act State and Tribal grant programs, and disaster response coordination, with the elimination or reduction in ACL regional staff? 
    4. How will HHS execute ACL’s fiscal year 2025 appropriations, given it explicitly funded ACL to carry out specific authorized activities, programs, and functions? Does HHS proposed reorganization include any transfer of funds? 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bipartisan Bill Rosen Helped Introduce to Combat Explicit Deepfakes Passes Congress, Heads to President’s Desk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced that bipartisan legislation she helped introduce to stop the spread online of non-consensual explicit content, including “deepfake” images, has now passed both the Senate and House of Representatives, and it is now headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act would criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated images, and require social media and similar websites to establish procedures to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from a victim.
    “The lack of protections for victims of online abuse has put far too many people at risk, and it’s past time we took action to stop bad actors, protect victims, and hold social media sites accountable,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m glad to see that our bipartisan bill to criminalize non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes, and require social media platforms to remove this content has passed Congress and is on its way to becoming law. I’ll always work across party lines to protect victims of online abuse.”
    Senator Rosen has consistently worked across the aisle to protect victims of crime. She helped introduce and pass the bipartisan Human Trafficking Prevention Act, which requires the National Human Trafficking Hotline to be posted in the restrooms of all U.S. planes, buses, trains, airports, bus stations, and rail stations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Questions Michael Cadenazzi, Jr., Vice Admiral Scott Pappano at Senate Armed Services Committee Confirmation Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned the nominees for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, Michael Cadenazzi, Jr., and Principal Deputy Administrator National Nuclear Security Administration, Vice Admiral Scott Pappano, USN, at their confirmation hearing.
    During the hearing, Fischer asked VADM Pappano about ensuring that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) weapons production remains on schedule. She emphasized the importance of modernized facilities capable of processing the materials necessary for nuclear weapons production.
    Fischer asked Mr. Cadenazzi about working with NNSA and the Department of Energy to grow our skilled manufacturing workforce and address broader industrial base concerns. She also asked about increasing munitions production and the Department of Defense’s National Defense Industrial Strategy.
    Click the image above to watch a video of Fischer’s questioning
    Click here to download audio
    Click here to download video
    Fischer Questions Nominees:Fischer: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you Ranking Member Reed. Thank you, gentlemen, for being here today and for your willingness to continue to serve this country. Admiral, thank you for coming in to visit. I appreciated you taking time in the conversation that we had. If confirmed, can you tell me how you will work to ensure that NNSA weapons production remains on schedule?
    VADM Pappano: Thank you, Senator. Yes, if confirmed, obviously, the production—shifting to production—is a key element for us to modernize the nuclear weapons stockpile right now. We’ve done a very good job of stockpile management in a science-based manner and kept up over the years. However, now, we have to transition that from the science-based stockpile management to actual production facilities and make sure we modernize the facilities, making sure that we don’t lose the science in the process and continue that going forward. I’ll look to do that by looking across at how we are modernizing our facilities right now and try to bring as much advanced manufacturing capabilities we can. As we look at the Manhattan Project era buildings that we’re dealing with: a lot of these facilities, how do we—as we modernize those—bring in modern technology so that we can be much more effective going forward in our production of nuclear weapons stockpile.
    Fischer: Thank you. We talked a little bit about NNSA’s 25-year Enterprise Blueprint, a roadmap to modernize the infrastructure there, and some of which, as you brought up in our discussion, dates back to the Manhattan Project. We won’t be able to produce the weapons that we need without the facilities needed to process materials like uranium, lithium, high explosives that go in those nuclear weapons. So, anything we can do as you look at that modernization process, please let us know.Fischer: Mr. Cadenazzi, both the Department of Defense and the NNSA have similar challenges with their industrial bases, and I believe that we have an opportunity now to address underlying issues in a way that strengthens both the nuclear industrial base and the defense industrial base. If confirmed, do you commit to working closely with NNSA and the Department of Energy on policies – like increasing our skilled manufacturing workforce – that would impact both of those industrial bases?
    Mr. Cadenazzi: Senator, appreciate the question and the significance of it, particularly in light of the workforce issues and access to materials that we’re facing across the industrial base. These are major challenges that both the NNSA and the broader defense industry face and are dealing with. And if confirmed, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to speak to you about how and where the Industrial Base Policy office and I might be able to focus.
    Fischer: Great. What we’ve seen happen in the Ukraine war has shown us that militaries in modern conflicts, they expend munitions at a much faster pace than we ever expected before. And our stockpiles must be adjusted to account for this, and we must expend our munitions production capacity. We have to expand that. We’ve taken some steps to address it in recent years, and we have the opportunity to make those generational investments through the reconciliation process. In your opening statement, Sir, you said that production must be scaled now before conflict starts. I agree with that. If confirmed, what steps would you take to accomplish that goal?
    Mr. Cadenazzi: Appreciate the question again, Senator, the issue of munitions production is the top of the priority list, and something I’ve discussed with multiple Senators on this committee. I’m excited to work with the committee, if confirmed, on this topic. There are a couple of major things that I think will drive this. One is predictable and stable defense budget and program spend. So, the more we can stabilize that, the more industry will be able to align around it. A better understanding in industry of what the expectations for surge capacity are will make it clear what the potential opportunities are for them, and the level of capital required to increase facilities and workforce. That’s a major opportunity for the Department to articulate what would be a big, hairy, audacious goal in business school terms. And to go ahead and say, “we need a lot more capability from you, and we need to agree then on the investment required to meet that point.” We need to scale the workforce as well. There are many initiatives underway to improve workforce capabilities across the country. We need to grow those and take advantage of small businesses as well. If confirmed, these are all exciting opportunities for us to help address what is an obvious and well reported gap on this issue.
    Fischer: Are you familiar with the Department’s National Defense Industrial Strategy?
    Mr. Cadenazzi: I am, Senator, yes.
    Fischer: Do you have any concerns with that strategy or think that there are gaps there that still need to be addressed?
    Mr. Cadenazzi: Senator, I think the strategy is solid given the expectations of the previous administration and the goals they were looking to achieve. I’ve reviewed the external, open-source material for that and the associated implementation plan. If confirmed, I’m eager to work with the Industrial Base Policy office, the administration, and the committees to understand what changes we believe are necessary. I’m happy to work with you on that and to make sure that we tune that to meet the current needs of the moment, particularly in light of the changing requirements of the new administration.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Warns Walgreens Buyout by Private Equity May Lead to Pharmacy Closures, Lost Jobs in Massachusetts, Limit Access to Medication

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    April 29, 2025
    Warren seeks assurances from Sycamore Partners that its heavily-leveraged, debt-fueled acquisition of Walgreens will not lead to layoffs, store closures
    After private equity looted Steward Health Care hospitals, Warren concerned that Walgreens could be next: “These private equity buyouts of companies facing financial hardship…frequently lead to worse outcomes for employees and consumers.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to private equity firm Sycamore Partners (Sycamore) regarding concerns that the firm’s proposed acquisition of retail pharmacy chain Walgreens may cost hardworking Massachusetts residents their jobs and create difficulties for patients who need access to lifesaving medications. 
    Sycamore’s multi-billion-dollar takeover of Walgreens has been touted as an attempt to keep the struggling retail pharmacy chain alive. However, private equity buyouts have a record of running already-struggling companies into the ground and producing devastating consequences for workers and communities, as witnessed by private equity’s looting of Steward Health Care, which resulted in two shuttered hospitals in Massachusetts. 
    “My primary concern is that Sycamore’s acquisition of Walgreens may lead to restructuring of the company that results in layoffs and pharmacy closures in the Commonwealth,” said Senator Warren. 
    Walgreens has already announced plans to close nine locations across Massachusetts, in addition to the six stores closed in the state within the past year. Many of the shuttered Walgreens stores are located in vulnerable communities, leaving thousands of residents without reliable pharmacy access. 
    Sycamore has a troubling history of leading the companies it acquires into bankruptcy, further harming already-struggling communities. 
    “These private equity buyouts…frequently lead to worse outcomes for employees and consumers: private equity firms sell off assets and close locations, employees lose their jobs, and consumers lose access to essential goods and services,” wrote Senator Warren.
    A review by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) revealed that the Walgreens buyout will be heavily leveraged with debt, heightening the risk of bankruptcy and threatening the availability of critical services to customers and patients.
    “These are deeply troubling conclusions, suggesting that yet another private equity firm might leverage a failing health care chain to turn a profit at the expense of Massachusetts’ patients, providers, and taxpayers,” wrote Senator Warren.
    Millions of customers across the United States rely on Walgreens for primary care, essential medications, and household items, and if the Walgreens-Sycamore deal leads to even more store closures, customers could be left in “pharmacy deserts” without access to necessities.  
    “I seek assurances that Sycamore’s buyout of Walgreens will not damage the company further, and will not cost hardworking Americans their jobs or create difficulties for patients who need access to lifesaving medications,” concluded Senator Warren.
    Senator Warren requested a response identifying the impact Sycamore’s acquisition of Walgreens will have on workers and communities by May 13, 2025.
    Senator Warren has repeatedly called out the harms of private equity ownership on health care costs and quality of care and has fought to prevent companies from taking advantage of the bankruptcy system:
    In February 2025, Senator Warren questioned private equity executive Stephen Feinberg, President of Cerberus Capital Management and nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, on his actions to enrich himself and his investors at the expense of Steward Health Care patients and workers.
    In October 2024, Senator Warren led colleagues in reintroducing the Stop Wall Street Looting Act, comprehensive legislation to fundamentally reform the private equity industry and level the playing field by forcing private investment firms to take responsibility for the outcomes of companies they take over, empowering workers and protecting investors. This reintroduction comes after private equity firm Cerberus looted Steward Health Care, leaving hospitals, patients, and workers hanging out to dry.
    In September 2024, Senators Warren and Markey (D-Mass.), alongside Representatives Auchincloss and Lynch, sent a letter to RHG raising concerns over its proposed acquisition of Steward Health Care’s physician group, Stewardship Health.
    In September 2024, Senator Warren urged the IRS to crack down on Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) squeezing the health care industry.
    In August 2024, Senators Warren and Markey requested information from private equity firm Apollo Global Management (Apollo) on the company’s role in Steward’s bankruptcy, and urged Apollo to work in good faith to facilitate the sale of Steward’s Massachusetts hospitals. 
    In July 2024, Senators Warren and Markey wrote to Medical Properties Trust and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, owners of Steward’s eight Massachusetts hospitals, urging them to offer lease concessions to keep the hospitals open and viable.
    In June 2024, Senator Warren, Representative Chu, and Representative Nadler urged CMS to increase oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic software tools used to guide coverage decisions in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, citing the NaviHealth scandal as cause for concern. 
    In June 2024, Senators Warren and Markey introduced the Corporate Crimes Against Health Care Act of 2024 to root out corporate greed and private equity abuse in the health care system, specifically preventing what happened with Steward from happening again. 
    In June 2024, Senator Warren wrote to the DOJ, FTC, and HHS calling out high health care costs due to vertically-integrated insurers, private equity companies, and pharmaceutical companies that are driving health care consolidation.
    In June 2024, Senators Warren, Brown (D-Ohio), and Markey wrote to the Director of the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP), calling for USTP to move to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee to run the company in place of Steward’s current management, and to monitor the hospitals’ bankruptcy proceedings to protect patients and local communities. 
    In May 2024, Senator Warren sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, urging them to support communities and health care providers affected by the crisis caused by Steward’s financial mismanagement.
    In April 2024, Senators Warren and Senator Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to six private credit funds that are holders of Steward’s debt, asking them a series of questions about their loans and calling on them to offer loan modifications that could potentially help keep the hospitals afloat.
    In April 2024, Senators Warren and Markey called out Medical Properties Trust and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners for exploiting Steward Hospitals, and urged them to help keep the hospitals open. 
    In April 2024, Senators Warren, Markey, and the rest of the MA delegation urged the FTC and DOJ to closely scrutinize UnitedHealth Group’s proposed acquisition of Steward Health Care’s physician group, Stewardship Health.
    In April 2024, Senator Warren delivered remarks at a Senate hearing in Boston titled, “When Health Care Becomes Wealth Care: How Corporate Greed Puts Patient Care and Health Workers at Risk,” which centered on Steward Health Care’s Massachusetts hospitals.
    In April 2024, Senators Warren and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called out private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management (Cerberus) for its role in creating Steward Health Care’s financial challenges, following Cerberus’s reply to the Massachusetts congressional delegation’s February 2024 probe. 
    In February 2024, Senator Warren slammed UnitedHealth Group for leveraging NaviHealth’s unregulated artificial intelligence algorithm to unlawfully deny health care to seniors with severe injuries.
    In March 2024, Senator Warren released a statement about Steward’s plan to sell its physician group Stewardship Health to UnitedHealth Group’s subsidiary Optum.
    In March 2024, Senators Warren and Markey sent a letter  to Steward CEO and Chairman Dr. Ralph de la Torre, calling on him to testify at a congressional hearing in Boston.
    In March 2024, Senators Warren and Markey sent a letter to Dr. de la Torre, blasting him for years of financial mismanagement, private equity schemes, and executive profiteering that have led to Steward Health Care’s financial crisis.
    In February 2024, Senators Warren and Markey, along with all nine members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, sent a letter to Cerberus seeking answers from the private equity firm for its role in creating the current financial challenges at Steward hospitals.
    In January 2024, Senator Warren released a statement about Steward’s financial situation and allegations of patient neglect at Steward facilities.
    In January 2024, Senator Warren led the Massachusetts congressional delegation in a letter to the CEO of Steward Health Care pressing the company to brief them on Steward’s financial position, the status of their Massachusetts facilities, and their plans to ensure the communities they serve are not abandoned. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Welcomes Confirmation of Warren Stephens as US Ambassador to United Kingdom

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Little Rock businessman Warren Stephens to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom:
    “Warren Stephens is a respected businessman, philanthropist and leader who will capably serve our nation as our Ambassador to the U.K. This critical posting to represent America’s interests and ensure close cooperation with our key ally and friend is a testament to his reputation, character and skillset. I congratulate the Stephens family on this incredibly proud moment, and wish Warren and Harriet well on this undertaking in service to the country they deeply love.”
    Boozman introduced Stephens at his nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month and has backed his selection since it was announced by Pres. Trump.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: 100 Days – Promises Made, Promises Kept

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) released the following statement to mark President Trump’s first 100 days in office:
    “100 days ago, President Trump returned to Washington, D.C. to shake things up and get this country back on track. All 77 counties in Oklahoma, and Americans across the country, voted overwhelmingly for his bold America First agenda. And after four disastrous years of the Biden Administration, President Trump is delivering on the promises he made to the American people.”  
    “Under President Trump, we have seen win after win. Safety and security are being restored as violent, illegal, criminals are finally being deported. Companies and countries around the world recognize that America is the place to do business with over $5 trillion in new investments pouring in. President Trump is unleashing American energy by eliminating burdensome regulations, supporting energy independence, and strengthening energy security.”
    “Senate and House Republicans are in constant communication with the White House, working in lockstep to implement the President’s policies. The Senate has now confirmed 55 nominees at record pace for President Trump’s all-star team. And we’re just getting started.”
    100 Days of Wins:
    Secure border.
    Lower costs.
    Historic investments.
    Huge deportation operation.
    Energy dominance.
    DEI is OVER in the military.
    Protecting women’s sports.
    Historic government transparency.
    Bringing hostages home.
    Critical DOGE savings.
    Record-breaking recruitment for the military.
    Background:
    To watch Senator Mullin’s video on President Trump’s first 100 days, click HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders, Jayapal, Dingell, Hundreds of Health Care Workers Introduce Medicare for All

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, April 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), alongside Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), today introduced the Medicare for All Act. Hundreds of nurses, health care providers and workers from around the nation joined the lawmakers for a press conference in front of the Capitol.
    In America today, despite spending twice as much per person on health care as other wealthy nations, more than 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, one out of every four Americans cannot afford their prescription drugs, over half a million people go bankrupt due to medically-related debt, and more than 60,000 die because they cannot afford to go to a doctor.
    “The American people understand, as I do, that health care is a human right, not a privilege and that we must end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of its citizens,” said Sanders. “It is not acceptable to me, nor to the American people, that over 85 million people today are either uninsured or underinsured. Today, there are millions of people who would like to go to a doctor but cannot afford to do so. This is an outrage. In America, your health and your longevity should not be dependent on your wealth. Health care is a human right that all Americans, regardless of income, are entitled to and they deserve the best health care that our country can provide.”
    “It is a travesty when 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and millions more are drowning in medical debt in the richest nation on Earth,” said Jayapal. “We don’t suffer from scarcity in America, we suffer from greed. That’s most clear in our broken health care system, which is why we need Medicare for All. People deserve and want comprehensive health care that covers mental health, long-term care, reproductive care, dental, vision and hearing, all without copays, private insurance premiums, sky-high deductibles or other hidden fees. Health care is a human right, that is exactly why it’s time to pass Medicare for All.”
    “Every American has the right to health care, period. If you’re sick, you should be able to go to the doctor without being worried about the cost of treatment or prescription medicine. Too many families must decide between putting food on the table and getting medical care that they desperately need,” said Dingell. “A health care system that ties coverage to employment will always leave patients vulnerable. It’s flat-out wrong and Medicare for All would put a stop to it. We’ve been fighting this fight since the 1940s, when my father-in-law helped author the first universal health care bill. It’s time to get this done.”
    Under this legislation, Medicare would provide comprehensive health care to every American with no premiums, no co-payments and no deductibles. It would also expand Medicare to include dental, hearing, and vision care, and it would give every American the freedom to choose their doctors without endless paperwork or fighting their insurance company. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that Medicare for All would save our health care system $650 billion a year. Further, researchers at Yale University have estimated that Medicare for All would save 68,000 lives a year.
    This legislation would also create a health care system that finally puts people over profits. In fact, since 2001, the top health care companies in America spent 95 percent of their profits, $2.6 trillion, not to make Americans healthy but to make their CEOs and stockholders obscenely rich. While nearly one out of four Americans cannot afford the life-saving medicine their doctors prescribe, ten top pharma companies made $102 billion in profits in 2024. Meanwhile, the CEOs of just 4 prescription drug companies – Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, and Merck – together made over $100 million last year.
    The legislation has 104 cosponsors in the House and has 16 cosponsors in the Senate – an increase in the number of Senate cosponsors from last Congress – including Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
    “Nurses see the failure of our country’s profit-driven health care system every time we clock in to work,” said Nancy Hagans, President of National Nurses United. “In the richest country on earth, nobody should be forced to choose between taking their medications and putting food on the table. Yet countless families are pushed to the breaking point while greedy corporations charge astronomical, ludicrous fees for care that our patients have every right to receive. Nurses are fighting for a future in which our patients’ health is put first always and that’s why we are proud to continue our support for Medicare for All. When we guarantee health care for all, corporations and billionaires will no longer be able to deny anyone the care that they need.”
    “We are long overdue for a universal health care system that guarantees care for all — free of copays, deductibles, and job-based coverage restrictions,” said Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, M.D., Dr.P.H., and President of Physicians for a National Health Program. “With the passage of the Medicare for All Act, physicians can focus on healing patients, not battling insurers over denials and delays. Patients will finally be able to seek care without the constant fear of crushing medical bills. Physicians for a National Health Program proudly stands with our legislators in the fight to make excellent health care a reality for everyone in America.”
    “As Donald Trump, Robert Kennedy and Congressional Republicans rush to strip health care from millions of Americans, we know this: We must not only block their cruel cuts but move America to a system that provides health care to everyone as a matter of right,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen. “America spends much more than other wealthy countries on health care only to have the worst health outcomes. The system works for health insurers, Big Pharma, hospital chains and private equity firms – but no one else. Medicare for All would ensure everyone in America can get the care they need throughout their lives. It is the realistic, humane, just and efficient reform we need.”
    “Postal workers know the value of affordable, universal services, grounded in a commitment to putting people over profits. That’s the type of service we are committed to provide communities across the country, day in and day out,” said Mark Dimondstein, President of American Postal Workers Union. “For too long, greedy corporations and their Wall Street investors have been able to deny the people of the country the quality, affordable, universal health care working people deserve. Medicare for All, health care as a human right, will make us all healthier and financially better off. A health care system that works for working people, not the profits of the insurance companies, is long overdue. It’s time for Medicare for All.”
    “Health care should be a human right. But every time we negotiate with a boss for the right to see a doctor, they nickel and dime us until people have to choose between their health and putting food on the table,” said Shawn Fain, President of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW). “We’re sick of having to go on strike just to have decent health care. We’re sick of corporate America asking us to give up raises, retirement security, or work-life balance at the bargaining table so working-class people can avoid medical bankruptcy. Our current health care system is a con job that only works for the billionaire class. Medicare for All is common sense, and it’s what the working class needs. The UAW is proud to support this bill.”
    “If you want to renew the public’s faith in our political system, pass the Medicare for All Act of 2025,” said Alan Minsky, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats of America. “This one piece of legislation will instantly end the era, which has lasted far too long, when profits and wealth accumulation are more important than human life, including yours. MFA will return the general welfare, and the well-being of every individual, to the heart of our social contract. That will renew faith in America.”
    “Health care is a right, not a privilege. The reintroduction of the Medicare for All Act is a crucial step toward ending a system that profits from people’s pain,” said Analilia Mejia and DaMareo Cooper, Co-Executive Directors of Popular Democracy. “Too many Americans are forced to choose between paying their rent and paying for life-saving medication, while corporations rake in billions. Medicare for All isn’t just a policy—it’s the lifeline working families desperately need. Our communities deserve a health care system that prioritizes people over profits. We will fight until we win the health care we deserve.”
    “Health care is a human right and a basic need. Yet instead of getting health care, Americans get delays, denials, and bills they cannot afford. Today, predatory insurance CEOs are poised to reap the windfall from the tax scam giveaways earmarked for billionaires and corporations. The oligarchs that put Donald Trump and Dr. Oz in power want everything we have. We get sicker, make impossible choices, and go broke. They boost the stock prices of corporations – like UnitedHealth – that profit off our pain, and buy more mansions and yachts. We can put an end to those warped priorities through Medicare for All,” said Sulma Arias, executive director of People’s Action Institute. “Working people have made this the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, and there is more than enough if we don’t let the corporate crooks and billionaires steal it. So it’s time to choose: Our health care or their greed?”
    Read the bill text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Urges Commerce Department to Establish Clear Guidelines to Prevent the Illegal Diversion of Firearms Sold Abroad

    US Senate News:

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

    April 29, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on the Commerce Department to establish clear guidelines to prevent the illegal diversion of American-made firearms sold abroad.

    Wyden’s letter to Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick follows recent reports indicating that staffing shortages at the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), a subagency of Commerce, have hampered its ability to effectively vet foreign companies purchasing U.S.-made firearms and prevent them from diverting these weapons to terrorists or other criminals.

    “End-use checks, which require on-location verification of importers’ bona fides, are the cornerstone of an effective export control policy and are paramount to ensure end user compliance with approved license agreements and to verify that controlled dual-use items like firearms are not being illicitly diverted or re-exported to bad actors,” Wyden stated in his letter to Secretary Lutnick.

    These staffing shortages have also led BIS to rely in some cases on the International Trade Administration (ITA) – whose primary responsibility is to promote and facilitate U.S. commercial interests abroad – to carry out on-site inspections known as “end-use checks,” which are meant to ensure that purchasers are not merely operating as fronts to funnel American-made firearms to criminal organizations. However, in some cases, ITA staff who conducted end-use checks also recruited foreign businesses to attend a firearms trade show, posing a clear conflict of interest. 

    “An official charged with national security responsibilities over certain firearms cannot and should not be the same official charged with selling the same firearms,” Wyden emphasized, raising further concerns about ITA’s serious conflict of interest in playing two very different roles at once. ITA officials may also lack the requisite training, knowledge, and investigative experience to vet foreign actors purchasing American firearms.

    To prevent conflicts of interest and strengthen oversight to ensure American firearms exported abroad do not end up in the hands of foreign terrorist organizations or other bad actors, Wyden requested Secretary Lutnick create clear intra-agency guidelines and respond to the following questions:

    1. Is BIS planning on establishing an Export Control Officer position for either the Western Hemisphere or Africa?
    2. Will the Commerce Department commit to requiring BIS and ITA to develop guidance, including standard operating procedures for ITA FCS officers who are conducting end-use checks?
    3. Does ITA have a policy on allowing locally employed staff to conduct end-use monitoring?
    4. What training do ITA FCS officers currently receive regarding end-use monitoring and Export Administration Regulations?
    5. How many end-use checks for firearms or related items such as ammunition and optical devices have been conducted by ITA FCS officers in the last five calendar years? How many of these checks resulted in the denial of exports?
    6. How many firearms export licenses have been approved by BIS since February 1, 2025?

    The text of the letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Joins Senators Pressing Administration on How Mass CFPB Firings Will Hurt Working Nevadans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 40 Democratic Senators in a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Russell Vought outlining more than 80 congressionally mandated functions of the CFPB and pressing for answers on how the agency would be able to protect hardworking Americans from scams and fraud after firing almost the entire staff.

    Senator Cortez Masto has been a longstanding champion for the CFPB and has consistently fought to protect Nevadans from fraud. Last year, she called out the Navy Federal Credit Union for its racial disparities in mortgage lending. Following a push from Cortez Masto, the CFPB created new consumer protections for homeowners who apply for Property Assessed Clean Energy loans to help them make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes. She has also introduced legislation to incentivize whistleblowers to report consumer fraud to the CFPB.

    “Last week, you tried to fire nearly all of the agency’s remaining 1,700 employees—the staff responsible for fulfilling the CFPB’s mission and statutory requirements to prevent Americans from getting scammed by big banks and giant corporations,” wrote the senators. “Your hasty and unjustified mass firings are an illegal shutdown of the CFPB that will leave it unable to conduct agency actions that are required by law.”

    “You directed the gutting of entire divisions—including departments created by Congress to protect servicemembers and older Americans—attempting to leave a shell of only 200 employees to supervise and examine large financial institutions across the country, respond to millions of consumer complaints, answer the phone for hundreds of thousands of people seeking help, monitor emergency financial risks, and run all of the agency’s other operations,” they continued.

    The Senators laid out in detail the impact the mass layoffs would have on specific functions of the CFPB––including firing all but one employee helping victims of scams in the offices focused on our nation’s two million servicemembers and tens of millions of older Americans.

    “We request that you provide—by April 30, 2025—a detailed accounting of each of the more than 80 statutory obligations of the CFPB, the number of employees assigned to each of those functions as of December 2024, the number of employees who would be assigned to each function if your rushed reduction in force were to go into effect, the immediate impact of such a reduction on the agency’s ability to perform each function consistent with federal law and federal court orders, and copies of any individualized or particularized analysis of those planned reductions on the agency’s work,” they concluded.

    The full text of the letter can be found here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has pushed multiple Departments under the Trump Administration for detailed, public information regarding the impacts of President Trump’s federal funding freeze, hiring freeze, and terminations on Nevada – including to the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Working Families Afford Their First Homes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) reintroduced the bipartisan Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act, which would make homeownership more accessible and sustainable for working families. The bill would update and expand the Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) and Mortgage Credit Certificates (MCC) programs that have helped more than four million working-class families purchase their first home. The legislation would also help homeowners disaster-proof their houses to mitigate damage from increasingly common fires, devastating storms, and other natural disasters and would permit homeowners to refinance to a lower-cost mortgage.

    “Hardworking families deserve the safety and security of a roof over their heads, said Senator Cortez Masto. “These tax credits and interest rate reductions will give working Nevadans a meaningful break as they take the important step of buying a first home. I will continue working in a bipartisan way to make sure that Nevadans have access to secure, affordable housing.”

    “Buying a home is increasingly out of reach for first-time buyers. This addresses that issue,” said Dr. Cassidy. “By giving them a boost, we get them on the ladder of homeownership.”

    Families with incomes of 115% of Area Median Income or less are able to receive discounted interest rates when they buy a home with an MRB. They also may be able to utilize an MCC that helps families qualify to buy a home and allows them to sustain homeownership over time. Cortez Masto and Cassidy’s bipartisan legislation makes updates and reforms to the MRB and MCC programs to better serve working families. Specifically, the Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act would: 

    • Simplify the administration of both MRB and MCC programs and make commonsense changes to ensure the tax benefits will aid working families.
    • Add additional flexibility for homeowners, including allowing homeowners to refinance their mortgages.
    • Increase the amount of money homeowners with MRB loans can direct towards making home health and safety improvements—including adding accessible bathrooms and ramps to help older and disabled Americans remain in their home, as well as supporting energy efficiency upgrades and disaster mitigation renovations. The bill raises the current funding limit of $15,000 to $75,000 and indexes it for inflation.
    • Provide housing finance agencies with flexibility to extend loan and credit periods to account for delays due to supply chain issues or construction shortages.  

    You can find a one-pager about the bill here and the full bill text here.

    Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader working to lower costs and build more housing supply. Recently, she reintroduced the HOME and PRICE Acts to increase the supply of and access to affordable housing. Last year she secured $9.4 million from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s targeted Nevada fund — almost twice as much as Nevada received the previous year — to build more middle-class homes, and she’s pushing to reform the FHLB system. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Women, Peace and Security Law “Ended” by Hegseth Widely Supported by Trump Administration Officials

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – Earlier today, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth moved to “end” the “Women, Peace and Security (WPS)” program inside the U.S. Department of Defense. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, blasted his action and called attention to the numerous Trump Cabinet members who were integral to the passage of WPS in Congress. In addition to President Trump, who signed WPS into law in 2017, a number of other administration officials have been vocal in their support for the program:

    Trump White House in 2019: “President Trump was the first global leader to sign bipartisan legislation of this kind, making the United States the first country in the world with a standalone, comprehensive law on Women, Peace, and Security […] With today’s release of our Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, the United States reaffirms its strong and unwavering commitment to advancing women’s equality, protecting the rights of women and girls, and promoting women’s economic empowerment.”

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio just 28 days ago: “President Trump also signed the Women, Peace, and Security Act, a bill that I was very proud to have been co-sponsor of when I was in the Senate, and it was the first comprehensive law passed in any country in the world – the first law passed by any country anywhere in the world – focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.”

    Then Representative and House WPS Caucus Co-Chair Mike Waltz last year: “The Trump Administration then released the women peace and security strategy in 2019, and I, with my colleague Democrat colleague Lois Frankel, formed and co-chaired the WPS caucus in the House to kind of oversee the implementation.”

    Then Representative Kristi Noem introducing Women, Peace and Security Act: “Especially when the world is so volatile and security remains a constant concern, it’s critical we take full advantage of proven peace-building tactics, such as involving women in conflict prevention and resolution. We understand from research that peace agreements are much more likely to be sustained if women have a role in the negotiations. The bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security Act ensures, through meaningful congressional oversight, that women gain this seat at the table. I thank Rep. Schakowsky, Chairman Royce, and Ranking Member Engel for working to advance this critical national security tool.”

    Trump-appointed Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman in 2020: “By recognizing the diverse roles women play across the spectrum of conflict — and by incorporating their perspectives throughout plans and operations — DOD is better equipped to promote our security, confront near-peer competitors, and defeat our adversaries.”

    Trump Defense Department acting assistant secretary of defense for stability and humanitarian affairs Stephanie Hammond in 2020: “When we recognize the diverse roles women play as agents of change; and when we incorporate their perspectives throughout our plans and operations, we are better equipped to promote our security, confront our near peer competitors, and defeat our adversaries.”

    Then senior advisor Ivanka Trump in 2019 on Twitter: “@POTUS signed into law Women, Peace and Security, making the United States the 1st country in the world to enact #WPS legislation. Today I was proud to announce, with female police cadets, that Colombia will develop a #WPS National Action Plan as part of our WPS partnership.”

    In 2017, Shaheen led the bipartisan Women, Peace and Security law through Congress to prioritize the promotion of women’s participation in foreign policy and national security efforts, such as conflict prevention, peace negotiations and democratic institutions. Women’s participation in peace negotiations increases the probability by 35 percent of agreements lasting at least 15 years. 

    After Shaheen’s bill passed the Republican-led Senate by unanimous consent and was approved by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, President Trump signed the bipartisan legislation into law in October 2017. 

    In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this month on Lieutenant General John D. Caine’s nomination to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine told Shaheen about the operational advantage for the U.S. military – not DEI.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At Senate Hearing, Top VA Doctor Reveals to Senator Hassan That He Has Seen No Analysis of How Trump Plan to Slash VA Staffing Will Impact Veterans’ Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan

    WASHINGTON – Today during a hearing in the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) pressed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) acting Chief Medical Officer, Thomas O’Toole, MD, about the risk to veterans’ care from the Trump Administration’s plan to fire 80,000 employees from the VA – nearly one in five employees. Dr. O’Toole admitted that he has not seen any analysis of how these mass firings would affect veterans’ care, revealing a troubling lack of thought behind a plan that could jeopardize the ability of veterans across the country to receive the health care, support, and benefits that they have earned and deserve.

    To watch Senator Hassan’s hearing questions, click here.

    Senator Hassan began by explaining how she has been asking VA officials and nominees if they can guarantee that the Trump Administration’s plan to fire 80,000 VA employees will not result in longer wait times for veterans to get appointments and receive care.

    Senator Hassan asked Dr. O’Toole point-blank: “Have you seen or been provided with any analysis as to how firing 80,000 VA employees might affect veterans’ care?” Dr. O’Toole responded, “I have not.” When Senator Hassan asked if he had been directed to perform or oversee any analysis on the cuts and the impact to care, he did not answer that he had.

    “I continue to be concerned, then, about the Trump Administration’s policies of hiring freezes, firings, and general disruption,” concluded Senator Hassan. “It’s really difficult to see how the chaos that is churning is going to help recruit and retain mental health professionals that our veterans really deserve access to.”

    Senator Hassan had previously pressed Mark Engelbaum, a top VA official, to answer questions about the firings, but he refused to commit that the employee terminations would not delay or negatively impact care for veterans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski, Gillibrand Press Hegseth on DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

    04.29.25

    Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressing their concern about possible Department of Defense guidance that would significantly alter, or even terminate, the Department’s sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) services. The senators noted that multiple reports have indicated that changes to SAPR may be coming, and raised the risk these changes pose to decades of efforts to end sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Department.

    The senators wrote, “As staunch advocates for improving SAPR efforts, to include the historic and bipartisan reforms to military justice, we are writing to express our deep concern with the mere possibility of significant alterations or termination of SAPR regulations. There can be no ambiguity in the Department’s position on ending sexual misconduct across the services, and any lack of clarity risks casting a chilling effect across the services.”

    The senators noted that during his confirmation process, Secretary Hegseth had publicly acknowledged that “the Department must do better to train and ingrain the fact that sexual abuse and assault is not tolerated in the force” and had also declared that “[e]very servicemember deserves the opportunity to serve their nation without fear of harassment or assault.”

    The full text of the letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth can be found here and is also available below:

    Dear Secretary Hegseth,

    Over the last week, our offices received multiple reports of pending Department of Defense guidance that would significantly alter, or even terminate, large portions of the Department’s sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) services. According to these reports, SAPR guidelines are included in a list recently circulated by Deputy Secretary Feinberg for review and potential cancellation. As staunch advocates for improving SAPR efforts, to include the historic and bipartisan reforms to military justice, we are writing to express our deep concern with the mere possibility of significant alterations or termination of SAPR regulations. There can be no ambiguity in the Department’s position on ending sexual misconduct across the services, and any lack of clarity risks casting a chilling effect across the services. 

    This topic arose during your confirmation process, and we agree with your Advanced Policy Questions (APQ) response to the Senate Armed Services Committee that “the Department must do better to train and ingrain the fact that sexual abuse and assault is not tolerated in the force.” Meaningful progress toward this goal is fundamentally incompatible with any effort to dismantle those SAPR-related programs and regulations that are already in place. Even minor reductions risk compromising decades of progress toward ending sexual abuse and harassment in the Department. Prompt action is essential to reinforcing victims’ belief in the words of their leadership.      

    As you have stated, “[e]very servicemember deserves the opportunity to serve their nation without fear of harassment or assault.” Yet this “fear” inevitably takes hold in environments where victims do not feel protected from their abusers or supported by their leadership. Thus, we request immediate action to eliminate any ambiguity and clarify the Department of Defense’s position. Consistent with your previous commitment to “ensuring high-level focus on this issue,” we encourage you to make public assurances that victims of sexual misconduct will be supported, that offenders will be held accountable, and that no changes will be made to reduce the Department’s SAPR services. The readiness of our forces and the security of our nation depend on a swift and unequivocal response.                                        

    Sincerely,

    U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

    U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski

    cc:

    Mr. Jules Hurst, Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness

    The Honorable Daniel Driscoll, Secretary, Department of the Army

    The Honorable John Phelan, Secretary, Department of the Navy

    The Honorable Gary Ashworth, Acting Secretary, Department of the Air Force

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Introduces Bill to Help Working Families Afford Their First Homes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act to make homeownership more accessible for working families by improving tax credits for first-time homebuyers. The bill improves access to affordable home ownership by expanding tax credits for first-time buyers and making it easier for MRB borrowers to finance home improvements.
    “Buying a home is increasingly out of reach for first-time buyers. This addresses that issue,” said Dr. Cassidy. “By giving them a boost, we get them on the ladder of homeownership.”
    “The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) thanks Senators Bill Cassidy and Cortez Masto for introducing the Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act, which will expand access to homeownership for low- and moderate-income home buyers,” said Stockton Williams, executive director of NCSHA. “Mortgage Revenue Bonds and Mortgage Credit Certificates historically have been the state housing finance agencies’ primary tool for financing affordable homeownership opportunities for working families, having helped nearly four million home buyers combined. This legislation will enact a series of simple, commonsense reforms to the MRB and MCC programs that will allow HFAs to better stretch their resources and help more underserved households.”
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) in reintroducing the legislation.
    Specifically, the Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act would: 

    Simplify the application process for MRB and MCC programs and make commonsense changes to use tax benefits to aid working families and add additional flexibility for borrowers.
    Allow homeowners to refinance their mortgages with MRB loans, lowering costs for homeowners.
    Increase the amount of money homeowners with MRB loans can direct towards making home health and safety improvements, including possibly adding accessible bathrooms and ramps to help older and disabled Americans remain in their homes, as well as supporting energy efficiency upgrades or disaster mitigation renovations. The bill raises the current limit of $15,000 to $75,000.
    Provide housing finance agencies with the flexibility to extend loan and credit periods to account for delays due to the pandemic, supply chain issues, or construction shortages. 
    Only require the issuers, not the lenders, to report MCC recipients to the IRS for tax accuracy and shorten the lengthy 90-day public notice requirement to 30 days to encourage more widespread use of the MCC program.

    This legislation is endorsed by the National Council of State Housing Agencies, LISC, National Association of REALTORS, National Association of Homebuilders, and the Mortgage Bankers Association. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Applauds Woodside Energy’s Historic $17.5 Billion LNG Investment in Louisiana

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) applauded the announcement that the Woodside Energy Group Ltd, will invest $17.5 billion in Calcasieu Parish for a greenfield liquified natural gas (LNG) export facility. The project, called Louisiana LNG, is the largest single greenfield investment and the largest single foreign direct investment in Louisiana history. Louisiana LNG will support 15,000 jobs during construction and thousands more per year once operational.
    “History is being made today because Louisiana has become a place companies want to invest in,” said Dr. Cassidy. “President Trump’s first 100 days have been filled with great wins for American energy and jobs. Louisiana has been at the center of it.”
    Louisiana LNG is the first greenfield LNG export facility to advance since President Trump rolled back the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous pause on LNG export permits. 
    Background
    In January, Cassidy released a statement applauding President Trump’s executive order to lift the Biden administration’s harmful pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permitting. Last year, immediately following the Biden-Harris administration’s announcement that they would freeze pending applications for LNG export permits, Cassidy led 25 of his Republican colleagues in condemning the decision. Cassidy also delivered a speech on the U.S. Senator floor blasting the decision.
    He also introduced with U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) the LNG Security Act to reverse President Biden’s LNG export ban and require the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to approve LNG exports to all countries that have imported, currently import, or are capable of importing Russian or Iranian natural gas. Additionally, he introduced the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which depoliticizes the export of American liquefied natural gas. It eliminates the requirement for the DOE to authorize exports and instead gives the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sole authority over the approval process. 
    In February 2024, Cassidy penned an op-ed with U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Houston Chronicle underscoring the devastating economic, environmental, and national security impacts of the Biden-Harris decision to freeze new LNG export projects.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amid Coast Guard Recruitment Challenges, Duckworth Leads Colleagues in Calling for Increased Funding for Great Lakes Workforce

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 29, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC) Committees—led four of her fellow Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to prioritize funding for U.S. Coast Guard recruitment and retention. In a letter to Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Coast Guard Acting Commandant, Admiral Lunday, the lawmakers outlined how critical operations have been disrupted as a result of personnel shortages and how further investment is key to supporting ongoing recruitment and retention efforts for the Coast Guard serving the Great Lakes region.
    “As the Trump administration finalizes its Budget of the United States Government for fiscal year 2026, we request prioritizing the United States Coast Guard’s recruitment and retention initiatives by providing an effective funding level that preserves progress and enhances future efforts despite ongoing staggering workforce shortages and the forthcoming rise in vessel traffic, particularly on the Great Lakes during the busy summer season,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to Director Vought, Secretary Noem and Admiral Lunday.
    The Coast Guard is facing a shortfall of 3,000 personnel, which has already disrupted critical operations like search and rescue. In 2024, staffing shortages forced widespread operational cutbacks, including in 29 Great Lakes units. While recruitment efforts showed progress in 2024, the lawmakers expressed how further investment is key to sustaining and supporting growing recruitment and retention efforts for the Coast Guard, especially on the Great Lakes ahead of the busy summer season. 
    In addition to Duckworth, the letter is co-signed by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Gary Peters (D-MI).
    The full text of the letter is available on Senator Duckworth’s website and below:
    Dear Director Vought, Secretary Noem, and Admiral Lunday:
    As the Trump administration finalizes its Budget of the United States Government for fiscal year 2026, we request prioritizing the United States Coast Guard’s recruitment and retention initiatives by providing an effective funding level that preserves progress and enhances future efforts despite ongoing staggering workforce shortages and the forthcoming rise in vessel traffic, particularly on the Great Lakes during the busy summer season.
    Of the Coast Guard’s 46,000 active-duty and reserve personnel, the Service is 3,000 members short of its targeted enlisted capacity. In 2023, because of this personnel shortage, the Coast Guard experienced unpredictable interruptions in vital operations involving essential search and rescue and law enforcement missions. In 2024, the service was forced to make temporary, undesirable nation-wide changes to its operational posture to prevent the continued decline of its operational capacity and to ensure the safety and security of our constituents in the maritime domain.
    Unfortunately, personnel constraints resulting from inadequate funding of recruitment and retention initiatives are expected to force the Coast Guard to once again diminish its operational footprint in summer 2025. Across the Great Lakes, 29 units located in Michigan (13), Ohio (5), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (3), New York (2), Indiana (1) and Minnesota (1) have been temporarily closed, have billets unfilled or have transitioned to “scheduled only” operations. Weakened redundancy in operational assets forces the Coast Guard to operate with a single point of failure vulnerability across missions, including ensuring the safety of vessel traffic, the free flow of commerce and the security of our maritime borders. This status quo is unacceptable.
    The Coast Guard’s prioritization of recruiting efforts is beginning to yield positive results. Fiscal year 2024 marked the first year since 2017 in which the Coast Guard exceeded its recruiting targets across enlisted, officer, reserve and active-duty components. It is critical that Congress build on this momentum by empowering the Coast Guard to further enhance recruiting initiatives to continue shrinking the enlisted workforce gap through new accessions until the operational restrictions under the Force Alignment Initiative may be reversed. 
    The Coast Guard plays a critical role in the safety and security of vessels on the Great Lakes. Historically, numerous small boat stations and aids to navigation teams across the Great Lakes have been staffed to full capacity during heightened boating seasons to respond directly to search and rescue and law enforcement missions.
    The Coast Guard should seek to return to such a posture by requesting Congress provide prioritized and dedicated recruiting and retention funding that would support additional recruiting personnel and offices to improve recruiter-to-recruit ratios and expand the Service’s recruiting footprint. New recruiting locations would increase the output of qualified members at accession points and provide closer alignment with the DoD recruiting footprint. Enhanced funding is also urgently needed to enable the Coast Guard to accelerate exigent efforts to efficiently hire new talent and strengthen its workforce to fill current operational gaps emerging this year. 
    We thank you in advance for your consideration of our request and hope the Coast Guard will ask Congress to provide effective recruitment and retention funding levels for fiscal year 2026 that will empower the Service to continue its progress reducing personnel shortfalls and strengthen future efforts by expanding the Coast Guard recruiting capabilities and capacity.  
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Blasts Trump’s Attacks on Head Start as Lawsuit is Filed to Stop Trump Admin from Dismantling Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Senator Murray: “Let’s face it, billionaires like Elon Musk and Trump already had a “head start” in life, so of course they don’t care if anyone else needs a little help. But this is make or break for everyone else—and I mean everyone, not just for families, not just for parents, but for businesses as well, and for our economy which is powered by our working families.”
    ICYMI: Head Start funding lags by nearly $1 billion this year, causing some preschool closures
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chairof the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined a press conference hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on their announcement of a lawsuit against the Trump administration for seeking to dismantle the Head Start program. Senator Murray spoke about how critical Head Start is in helping kids and families across the country thrive.
    Head Start currently serves over 750,000 kids nationwide, and the program has served nearly 40 million children and their families nationwide since its inception in 1965. There are over 17,000 Head Start centers nationwide and these centers are particularly important in serving rural communities with fewer options for care.
    Since taking office, President Trump has gutted the offices that keep Head Start centers and child care programs across the country running. In late February, the Trump administration fired scores of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care. Earlier this month, Trump continued to hollow out HHS, including by shuttering half of the regional offices at the Office of Head Start, which are responsible for ensuring high-quality Head Start services are available to families nationwide. The Trump administration has failed to articulate how it will ensure that uninterrupted services are available to families and that appropriate oversight will be carried out despite gutting the very offices charged with these responsibilities.
    As data compiled by Senator Murray’s office shows, the Trump administration has failed to get out nearly $1 billion in funding for Head Start programs this year, part of a larger, sweeping funding freeze Trump has ordered since taking office.
    Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered, are below:
    “Well thank you all for being on this call, I really, really do appreciate it. And I just want to say that when I first got into politics to fight for child care and early education programs, I met with a few politicians who really did not get it—and a lot of parents who absolutely did. Well, we made our voices heard, we made a difference in that fight, and now, we have to keep it up!
    “I still, constantly, hear from parents about child care and pre-K, and I take their stories back with me here to the Capitol to fight for change. We have made a lot of progress over the years making the case for child care, making historic investments in our families, and changing the conversation.
    “But then, a couple of billionaires with no idea about what they are doing came along and decided to take an axe to Head Start. I mean talk about clueless. Talk about careless! Instead of giving our kids a Head Start Trump and Musk want to give billionaires another tax break and give families the cold shoulder.
    “We already got a hint of how bad this could get for Washington state—when funding delays forced a Head Start program to the point of closure. 450 kids temporarily lost access to early education programs and support they counted on. And more than 70 employees were out of a job. To say nothing of the hundreds of parents who were about to be forced out of work because they lost pre-K.
    “That chaos was from just one provider facing funding delays, if Trump and Musk get their way, if they zero out Head Start completely—the damage would be magnitudes greater.
    “Let’s face it, billionaires like Elon Musk and Trump already had a “head start” in life, so of course they don’t care if anyone else needs a little help.
    “But this is make or break for everyone else—and I mean everyone, not just for families, not just for parents, but for businesses as well, and for our economy which is powered by our working families.
    “Trump and Musk may want to axe Head Start and they have already made clear they will do everything they can to break the program and cause chaos, but they are going to have to go through me—and they are going to have to go through all of you.
    “I am going to keep doing what I have done since the very start, getting loud about why programs like Head Start matter for families, talking to other parents, lifting up their voices, and fighting, with all the power I have, for our kids.
    “And I’m so glad to be fighting along such amazing advocates and organizations like the ACLU, and the Washington State Association of Head Start and E-CEAP—you don’t just serve our families, you are standing up for them, and we are all really thankful for that.
    “So it’s great to be with you on this call—and let’s keep fighting, we’ve got to, thank you.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 04/29/2025 Blackburn Celebrates President Trump’s Triumphant First 100 Days: ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement congratulating President Trump on his historic accomplishments during the first 100 days of his second administration:

    “As we look back at President Trump’s first 100 days in office, they can be summed up easily in four words: ‘promises made, promises kept.’ President Trump is ushering in a new Golden Age of America marked by strong, innovative, and fearless leadership, which stands in stark contrast to four years of weakness and failure under Joe Biden,” said Senator Blackburn. “In just 100 days, President Trump has stopped the invasion of illegal aliens into our country, restored common sense in the federal government, supercharged investments in both Tennessee and America’s economies, unleashed American energy, protected women in sports, and is rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse across our institutions. The lives of Tennesseans and Americans are made better because of President Trump’s willingness to put America first at every turn, and I congratulate him on a remarkable start to his administration.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn: Border Top Success of Trump’s First 100 Days

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    WASHINGTON – Today on Newsmax’s National Report, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) touted border security as the biggest accomplishment of President Trump’s first 100 days in office. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
    “I come from a state that has a 1,200-mile common border with Mexico.”
    “The consequences of the Biden open-border policies have pervaded the entire country—fentanyl, criminal gangs, other people who should not be in the United States coming in courtesy of the Biden administration.”
    “Tom Homan’s good work as the border czar and the actual enforcement of existing laws has really had a dramatic consequence.”
    “It’s also sent a message to others that they should not come through this illegal means.”
    “That, to me, is the singular success of the Trump first hundred days.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Cosponsors the Equality Act, Landmark Bill to Prohibit Discrimination Based on Sex, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in introducing the Equality Act, historic, comprehensive legislation to enshrine civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people in federal law. The Equality Act amends landmark federal anti-discrimination laws to explicitly add sexual orientation and gender identity to longstanding bans on discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, access to credit, federal funding, and more.  
    The bicameral legislation, led by U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39) in the House, would also add protections against sex discrimination in parts of anti-discrimination laws where these protections had not been included previously, such as public accommodations and federal funding. 
    “We should all aspire to create an America where everyone is free to be who they are without fear of prejudice or discrimination. The Trump Administration is working against that mission by attacking individuals’ rights and freedoms, including rolling back LGBTQ+ rights,” said Senator Welch. “The Equality Act acknowledges, with the force of law, that LGBTQ+ Vermonters are entitled to the same rights and protections as every Vermonter.” 
    “Generations of Americans have marched, voted, organized, and raised their voices to fully realize the vision of America as a land of freedom and equality for all,” said Senator Merkley. “As MAGA extremists attack the rights and freedoms of our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors, I am fighting to end this hateful discrimination, expand freedom, and open the doors of opportunity for everyone. Back in 2007, I led the fight to secure this vision for Oregonians, and it is way past time for Congress to do the same for all LGBTQ+ Americans by passing my Equality Act.” 
    “The Equality Act simply puts into law what we all believe: that every American is created equal and should be treated equally under the law. But, for too many LGBTQ+ Americans in states across the country, equality under the law is not the reality, and they are harassed at work, denied a place to live, and discriminated against just for being who they are,” said Senator Baldwin. “The Equality Act makes clear that in the United States, we can live up to our nation’s highest ideals and we will not tolerate discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity – just like religion, race, or ethnicity. Equality is not a privilege, it’s what we’re all owed as American citizens, and I’m committed to making that promise a reality.” 
    “As the Trump Administration dismantles the civil liberties and legal protections of LGBTQ+ folks nationwide––progress that was hard-won and that we are still fighting to maintain––lawmakers in Congress must act to pass the bicameral Equality Act,” said Senator Booker. “This legislation would finally make clear that LGBTQ+ people in this country cannot be denied entry into a restaurant, be denied federal housing and benefits, or be discriminated against simply because of who they are and who they love. This legislation is long overdue, and I will work tirelessly with my colleagues to ensure the Equality Act becomes the law of the land.” 
    “Across the country, LGBTQI+ and trans Americans are being targeted and attacked, but we refuse to be cowed or intimidated by their hate. Instead, we reintroduce the Equality Act as our declaration that freedom and dignity are the birthright of every American. We will not rest until full equality is the law of the land,” said Rep. Takano. 
    Despite major advances in equality for LGBTQ+ Americans in recent years, including codifying federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, the majority of states still do not have explicit LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protection laws. In states across the country, over 850 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been filed so far this year—the most in U.S. history. Recent studies report that attacks based on gender identity and sexual orientation have increased in the past year, with one in five hate crimes motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias. 
    The Equality Act would finally enshrine protections into federal law under all areas of potential discrimination, protecting the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ Americans for generations to come. The Equality Act is supported by 47 U.S. Senators and 214 U.S. Representatives. A full list of the 600+ organizations endorsing the Equality Act can be found here. 
    Stories in support of the Equality Act and the protections it would enshrine into federal law can be found here. 
    Learn more about the Equality Act of 2025. 
    Read and download the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján: President Trump’s First 100 Days Have Brought Costs, Chaos, and Corruption

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    100 Days In, President Trump’s Approval Rating At A Historic Low
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s first 100 days in office:
    “In just 100 days, President Trump has driven up costs for New Mexicans, attacked essential programs like Social Security, and put our nation’s public health at risk. The American people are rejecting the increased costs, chaos, and corruption caused by this administration. I’ve heard from New Mexicans in every corner of our state who are deeply concerned about their livelihoods due to these reckless policies and hateful politics.
    “Since day one, I’ve made it clear that I will stand up to protect New Mexicans from this administration’s harmful attacks. Over the past 100 days, I’ve fought for everyday New Mexicans — our teachers, farmers, postal workers, restaurant workers, parents, and veterans.
    “I opposed the Republican budget that slashes essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP to fund another Tax Scam, defended Social Security, and pushed for urgent action to protect public health. With Elon Musk’s unprecedented control over the federal government — and his firing of hardworking New Mexicans — I have stood with my Democratic colleagues to hold him accountable and expose wrongdoing.
    “My commitment is to all New Mexicans. I will continue working to lower costs for families, protect essential programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and SNAP, and defend the rule of law.”
    More information on how Senator Luján is standing up for New Mexicans can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –