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Category: US Senate

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed & Whitehouse Denounce Trump’s Disjointed International Student Visa Revocations That Drives Away Top Talent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier this month, the Trump Administration abruptly and arbitrarily removed thousands of international students from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS) database, which schools and the federal government use to monitor visa compliance.  Students at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design were among those reported to be impacted.
    Multi-state litigation was launched on behalf of students and communities nationwide affected by the revocations, and those fearful they could be next, and the courts sided with the international students, forcing the Trump Administration to halt and reverse its wave of visa revocations.  But with uncertainty and concern still high among families and schools, Rhode Island’s two U.S. Senators are taking action to help impacted foreign students and local schools and universities.  The senators also warn President Trump is driving top talent away and harming U.S. interests.
    Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 32 of their Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration to reconsider recent decisions to revoke student visas in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons.
    The 35 U.S. Senators began by urging the Administration to undo unlawful student visa revocations, writing: “We recently learned that your agencies have been revoking student visas and terminating Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records across the country. These actions to end student status reflected an unannounced change in policy and were inconsistent with existing laws, regulations, policies, and agency guidance governing the maintenance and termination of student status—that is why we welcomed the news late last week that in response to litigation around the country, ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations. We now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance and ensure that all future actions to end student status fully comply with the law.”
    The Senators continued by highlighting the lack of reasoning provided in many of these visa revocations, writing: “[S]tudents across the country—who by all accounts appear to have followed all of the applicable laws and agency guidance—have reported visa revocations with no clear explanation as to the basis to terminate status. SEVP has completed at least 4,736 total terminations of student visa holders’ SEVIS records. By DHS’s own admission, the statute and regulations do not provide SEVP the authority to terminate nonimmigrant status by terminating a SEVIS record. Your decision to reverse such terminations is therefore prudent and required by law.”
    The Senators then outlined the Trump Administration’s apparent violation of federal law in revoking these visas, writing: “Current laws, regulations, and agency guidance also require notice to be provided when a student’s status is being terminated or revoked. Here, it is not clear that students were provided the notice required by law. Many students were notified by universities that they have lost their student status when their SEVIS records have been terminated, without being provided any information about potential reinstatement. Some students received emails that their visas were revoked and were directed to self-deport, with no clear information as to the basis for their revocation or means by which they can appeal the revocation. Some students only learned about losing status when arrested by masked federal agents. These reports suggest that students were not given notice of the termination of their status in a manner consistent with existing laws, regulations, and agency guidance.”
    The Senators conclude with an appeal to the Administration to reconsider these visa revocations and warning to adhere to federal law, before making a series of immigration requests, writing: “Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement. While we are relieved that ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations, we now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance. Finally, we understand that you are contemplating additional actions to end student status. Any such changes must be consistent with applicable statutes, including requirements for notice with respect to changes that would deprive a student of their status and ability to live and study in the United States and place them at risk of detention.”
    In addition to Reed, Whitehouse, and Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennett (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM),  Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
    Full text of the letter follows:
    Dear Secretary Noem, Secretary Rubio, and Acting Director Lyons:
    We recently learned that your agencies have been revoking student visas and terminating Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records across the country. These actions to end student status reflected an unannounced change in policy and were inconsistent with existing laws, regulations, policies, and agency guidance governing the maintenance and termination of student status—that is why we welcomed the news late last week that in response to litigation around the country, ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations.  We now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance and ensure that all future actions to end student status fully comply with the law.
    Foreign students must navigate a complicated mix of agencies to maintain their status. Under current regulations and policy, students who enter into the United States on an F-1 student visa or J-1 exchange visitor visa are admitted to the United States for “duration of status.”  This essentially means that F-1 and J-1 visa holders may be in good standing as long as they comply with the terms and conditions of their status, even if their visa has expired.  Students who enter on an M-1 visa for vocational education are admitted for a fixed time period to complete their course of study.  The Office of Student Exchange and Visitor Programs (SEVP), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), works with universities and program administrators to determine whether F-1 and M-1 students are meeting requirements for their visas and terminate SEVIS records as appropriate under SEVP regulations.  The Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the J-1 exchange visitor visa, but their records are maintained by SEVIS. Existing regulations and agency guidance inform students and other visa holders of how they might lose their student status, including that they cannot be convicted of serious crimes, cannot work unless authorized by DHS, and must be completing the education or program related to their visa. However, students across the country—who by all accounts appear to have followed all of the applicable laws and agency guidance—have reported visa revocations with no clear explanation as to the basis to terminate status. SEVP has completed at least 4,736 total terminations of student visa holders’ SEVIS records. By DHS’s own admission, the statute and regulations do not provide SEVP the authority to terminate nonimmigrant status by terminating a SEVIS record. Your decision to reverse such terminations is therefore prudent and required by law.
    Current laws, regulations, and agency guidance also require notice to be provided when a student’s status is being terminated or revoked. Here, it is not clear that students were provided the notice required by law. Many students were notified by universities that they have lost their student status when their SEVIS records have been terminated, without being provided any information about potential reinstatement. Some students received emails that their visas were revoked and were directed to self-deport, with no clear information as to the basis for their revocation or means by which they can appeal the revocation. Some students only learned about losing status when arrested by masked federal agents.  These reports suggest that students were not given notice of the termination of their status in a manner consistent with existing laws, regulations, and agency guidance.
    Once a student’s visa is revoked, although their status is not automatically terminated, removal proceedings may be initiated against them, allowing them to be detained at the discretion of DHS. Similarly, when a student’s SEVIS record is terminated, the student is no longer in an authorized period of stay in the United States, and students and their universities cannot regularly maintain student records in SEVIS, as is required to maintain student status. In addition, upon SEVIS record termination, the student must depart the United States or take other action to restore legal status, and DHS “may investigate to confirm the departure of the student.”
    Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement. While we are relieved that ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations, we now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance. Finally, we understand that you are contemplating additional actions to end student status. Any such changes must be consistent with applicable statutes, including requirements for notice with respect to changes that would deprive a student of their status and ability to live and study in the United States and place them at risk of detention.
    We also request information to better understand how your departments are implementing any new, unannounced policies with respect to identifying students for status revocation. Please provide the following information by May 12, 2025:
    1. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing the revocations of nonimmigrant visas, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    2. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing how nonimmigrants are to be notified of visa revocations, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    3. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing the terminations of SEVIS records, issued from January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025.
    4. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing how student visa holders are to be notified of SEVIS terminations, issued from January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025.
    5. Any guidance issued by DOS, DHS, and/or the Department of Justice governing the initiation of removal proceedings or immigration enforcement against student visa holders and other nonimmigrants, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    6. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS regarding the use of artificial intelligence to search national databases, criminal records, and social media to identify nonimmigrants for visa revocation or to otherwise end status, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    7. The total number of student visas (F-1, M-1, or J-1 visas) that have been revoked since January 20, 2025 to date, disaggregated by:
    a. Student’s country of origin;
    b. Consulate or embassy that issued the visa;
    c. Visa category/Optional Practical Training (OPT);
    d. Date of revocation;
    e. University of study;
    f. Type of degree or field of study;
    g. Notice provided;
    h. Legal basis for revocation;
    i. Any grace period to allow students to make travel or other arrangements; and
    j. Whether the student’s SEVIS record was also terminated.
    8. The total number of SEVIS record terminations that have been issued since January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025, disaggregated by—
    a. Student’s country of origin;
    b. Visa category/Optional Practical Training (OPT);
    c. Date of revocation;
    d. University of study;
    e. Type of degree or field of study;
    f. Whether the termination was initiated by the university or by DHS;
    g. Basis for termination;
    h. Notice provided;
    i. Any grace period to allow students to make travel or other arrangements; and
    j. Whether the student’s visa was revoked.
    9. The number of student visa holders on F-1, M-1, J-1 nonimmigrant status issued Form I862, Notice to Appear, initiating removal proceedings.
    Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 29th, 2025 Heinrich Statement Slamming Trump’s First 100 Days

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Heinrich: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are tanking our economy, pushing us into a recession, and throwing working families under the bus”
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement slamming Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office:
    “In his first 100 days, Donald Trump has raised the cost of YOUR health care, groceries, and utilities; slapped a $4,000 tax on YOUR family with his chaotic tariffs; attacked Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare; delayed veteran benefits; undermined our children’s public education; schemed to sell off YOUR public lands; fired wildland firefighters who protect our communities from dangerous wildfires; and unlawfully blocked hundreds of millions of dollars I helped pass into law for working families. Trump is doing all of this to bankroll massive tax handouts for himself, Elon Musk, and billionaire donors.
    “Instead of putting New Mexico families first, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are tanking our economy, pushing us into a recession, and throwing working families under the bus. As New Mexico’s senior senator, I will fight like hell to hold Trump accountable and uplift the voices of New Mexicans harmed by Trump’s chaos. I’ll always put New Mexico families first — that’s who I’m fighting for.”
    Heinrich has amplified New Mexicans concerned about President Trump’s harmful actions and unqualified nominees.
    In January, Heinrich delivered the longest speech of his career, where he slammed President Trump’s unlawful unilateral blockade of all federal grant funding. In his remarks, Heinrich uplifted stories from New Mexicans on how Trump’s federal funding freeze endangered New Mexicans and threatened communities across the state. Find the video of Heinrich sharing letters from New Mexicans on the Senate floor here.
    In February, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Mr. Vought is the lead architect of Project 2025, the policy blueprint for Donald Trump’s harmful agenda to throw the government into chaos and harm working families.
    Heinrich also uplifted the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS). In his remarks, Heinrich condemned Mr. Kennedy’s long track record of spreading fear, peddling misinformation, and promoting conspiracy theories. Heinrich recounted how Mr. Kennedy’s 2019 trip to the Pacific island of Samoaintensified vaccine skepticism and contributed to a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under five.
    Additionally, Heinrich raised New Mexicans’ concerns over Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for the Director of National Intelligence. In his remarks on the Senate floor, Heinrich emphasized the risk Gabbard’s nomination poses to our national security and discussed Ms. Gabbard’s lack of qualifications and judgment, particularly relating to her 2017 trip to Bashar al-Assad’s Syria. Heinrich zeroed in on Ms. Gabbard’s false denial during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee about meeting with Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Syria’s most senior Sunni Muslim cleric during the Assad regime who made threats to conduct suicide bomb attacks in the United States.
    Heinrich has led Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions, which are weakening our economy and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.
    In an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s The Situation Room, Heinrich vocalized the concerns of his constituents, who continue to write-in and call his office opposing Trump’s harmful actions, which are impacting New Mexico families and their financial security.Watch the full video of that interview here.
    Since Trump took office in 2025, Heinrich:
    Introduced a resolution condemning Trump’s pardons of people found guilty of assaulting police officers on January 6.
    Led Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Amid Trump Administration’s Threats To Defund Public Broadcasting, Durbin Meets With CEO Of Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 29, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the CEO of the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association (WETA), Sharon Percy Rockefeller, to discuss the need to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). During the meeting, they also discussed the Trump Administration’s threats to defund National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
    “The ruthless cuts and attacks on our federal government was not enough for the Trump Administration—now they want to go after public broadcasting, which has been providing unbiased, informative, and breaking news for years, especially for our nation’s rural communities,” said Durbin. “During today’s meeting, we discussed the vital need for public broadcasting. Congress must act to stop these cuts on public broadcasting—our democracy depends on it.” 
    A photo of the meeting is available here.
    Through the government funding bill passed earlier this year, CPB will receive $535 million for Fiscal Year 2027.  However, the Trump Administration plans to formally request that Congress rescind all of the funds for FY26 and FY27—which amounts to $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for public broadcasting. If the recission is passed, this would eliminate all federal funding for CPB, PBS, and NPR.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Blast Trump Administration’s Attacks On Head Start, Demand RFK Jr. Immediately Release Funding And Reverse Firings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    April 29, 2025
    42 lawmakers write to RFK Jr. demanding answers on Trump admin’s actions undermining Head Start as Trump reportedly plans to eliminate the program
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in sending a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling out the Trump administration’s direct attacks on Head Start, reminding him of his legal obligation to administer the program, and demanding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) immediately release Head Start funding and reverse the mass firing of Head Start staff and gutting of the offices that help ensure high-quality services are available for thousands of children and families across the country.
    “We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year,” write the lawmakers. “It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”
    The lawmakers detail how the program plays an instrumental role in supporting kids and families across the country, writing: “Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care forworking families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.”
    “You even acknowledged the value of Head Start following a recent visit to a Virginia Head Start center,” the lawmakers write, contrasting that statement of support with the Trump Administration’s actions. “However, as a result of your actions to withhold and delay funding and undermine the administration of this vital program, Head Start centers are in serious jeopardy and have already had their day to day operations impacted. Programs are increasingly worried that they will not be able to make payroll, pay rent, and remain open to serve the hundreds of thousands of children and families who depend on their services in communities across the nation.”
    “Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack,” the lawmakers write, detailing office closures and funds that were frozen for Head Start grants across the country. “At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding. Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff.”
    The lawmakers underscore how the gutting of Head Start offices and the firing of staff who keep the federal program running puts the entire program in jeopardy: “On April 1st, you abruptly closed five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states. This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised ‘radical transparency’ as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.”
    Importantly, the lawmakers note that without funding that has so far not gone out the door, many more programs could be forced to close.
    “Head Start grantees are still waiting on payments and grant renewals from the Office of Head Start, including programs whose grants end on April 30th, 2025. These notices should have gone out by now, yet we are concerned to hear programs report they have received little to no correspondence regarding their grant renewals,” the lawmakers continue to detail how local Head Start programs are receiving no notice for the path forward for grant funding. “Additionally, because we started fiscal year 2025 under a short-term continuing resolution, as is usual, some grantees have only received partial funding for the first few months of the year. But with a full year funding bill in place, these grantees should have received full funding by now, yet some are reporting that they have not received the full amount of their grants and will run out of funds this month or next. On Wednesday, April 16th, the delays in Head Start funding led to the closure of Head Start centers serving more than 400 children in Sunnyside, Washington.”
    “The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country,” the lawmakers write. “There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation.”
    The lawmakers conclude by warning that eliminating the program would be devastating, demanding answers on the administration’s actions, and demanding the reversal of them: “[W]e urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.”
    This letter follows up Durbin and Duckworth’s letter to Secretary Kennedy demanding answers about the closure of five regional Head Start offices across the country, including the Region 5 office in Chicago.  Despite a deadline to respond by April 22, HHS has yet to reply to the Senators’ questions.
    In addition to Durbin, Duckworth, Murray, Sanders, and Baldwin, the letter was signed by 37 colleagues, including U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Peter Welch (D-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Fetterman (D-PA), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Kaine (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward Markey (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA).
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
    April 24, 2025
    Dear Secretary Kennedy:
    We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year. It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
    Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.
    You even acknowledged the value of Head Start following a recent visit to a Virginia Head Start center, where you said, “I had a very inspiring tour. I saw a devoted staff and a lot of happy children. They are getting the kind of education and socialization they need, and they are also getting a couple of meals a day.”
    However, as a result of your actions to withhold and delay funding and undermine the administration of this vital program, Head Start centers are in serious jeopardy and have already had their day to day operations impacted. Programs are increasingly worried that they will not be able to make payroll, pay rent, and remain open to serve the hundreds of thousands of children and families who depend on their services in communities across the nation.
    Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack. On January 27th, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo (M-25-13) that suddenly froze the disbursement of grant funding for federal programs and services government-wide, including Head Start. Despite the Administration’s clarification that Head Start programs would not be the target of the funding freeze, many Head Start programs across the country were unable to draw down their grant funds through the Payment Management System (PMS) for weeks. At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding. Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff. In Wisconsin, the National Centers for Learning Excellence, which serves more than 200 children and their families, shut down for a week and laid off staff due to the funding freeze.
    On April 1st, you abruptly closed five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states. This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised “radical transparency” as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.
    On March 14th, 2025, the Office of Head Start (OHS) notified all Head Start programs that “the use of federal funding for any training and technical assistance or other program expenditures that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives” will not be approved and that any questions should be directed to regional offices. Programs have not received any guidance for what would be considered “DEI” but this policy is potentially in direct conflict with statutory and regulatory program requirements, such as providing culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional services forEnglish learners. Many programs cannot direct questions to regional staff, as half of regional offices were abruptly closed, and as unprecedented actions are being taken to delay and withhold funding, Head Start programs have been intentionally left with little to no guidance.
    Head Start programs are now arbitrarily required to provide justifications for each draw down of funds that is necessary to operate their programs, despite already receiving a federal grant award for these purposes. As of April 14th, Head Start programs have reportedly received correspondence from an email address “defendthespend@hhs.gov” requiring programs to submit a “specific description of why the funds are necessary and why they are aligned to the award” before programs can have funding disbursed. It has been reported that political appointees must sign off on every draw down of funds. This creates an illusion of improving oversight but only serves to add unnecessary red tape by requiring the manual sign off on hundreds of thousands of individual actions annually across the Department based on two to three sentence justifications. Already some grantees have reported delays in receiving funds, and have reported that furloughs or closures are imminent if funds are not released. For an administration that purports to value local autonomy and efficiency in federally funded programs, your actions have achieved the exact opposite.
    Finally, Head Start grantees are still waiting on payments and grant renewals from the Office of Head Start, including programs whose grants end on April 30th, 2025. These notices should have gone out by now, yet we are concerned to hear programs report they have received little to no correspondence regarding their grant renewals. Additionally, because we started fiscal year 2025 under a short-term continuing resolution, as is usual, some grantees have only received partial funding for the first few months of the year. But with a full year funding bill in place, these grantees should have received full funding by now, yet some are reporting that they have not received the full amount of their grants and will run out of funds this month or next. On Wednesday, April 16th, the delays in Head Start funding led to the closure of Head Start centers serving more than 400 children in Sunnyside, Washington.
    The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. The fiscal year 2025 appropriations act provided $12.3 billion for Head Start, the same as the fiscal year 2024 level. The Head Start Act includes an explicit formula for how appropriated funds should be allocated. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation. However, this week leaked fiscal year 2026 budget documents indicated the Office of Management and Budget was directing the Department, consistent with the Administration’s proposal to eliminate Head Start in fiscal year 2026, to “ensure to the extent allowable FY2025 funds are available to close out the program.” If this explains any of the delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 funding, we want to be clear, no funds were provided in fiscal year 2025 to “close out the program,” and it would be wholly unacceptable and likely illegal if the Department tries to carry out this directive.
    Finally, the leaked budget documents provided a justification, albeit brief, for eliminating Head Start in fiscal year 2026 that makes this Administration’s priorities clear and puts the Department’s actions over the last several months in context. The Administration argues that eliminating Head Start, “is consistent with the Administration’s goals of returning education to the States and increasing parental choice.” It is shocking to see an argument that eliminating a program that provides comprehensive early childhood care and education to 800,000 children and their families would increase parental choice. It is particularly concerning to see that argument in the context of the significant delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 appropriated funds and what that indicates about the intent behind the Department’s actions. We believe it is obvious that eliminating Head Start would be detrimental to hundreds of thousands of children and families. Similarly, we believe it is obvious that delaying funding like we have seen over the last two months, forcing Head Start programs to close, and leaving families to scramble to find quality, affordable alternatives puts the education and well-being of some of the most vulnerable young children in America at risk. In our view, that is unacceptable.
    Therefore, we urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.
    Please provide us with a written response to the questions below no later than 10 days from receipt:
    1. Will you reinstate the staff who administer Head Start programs and reopen the closed regional offices responsible for overseeing Head Start programs in 22 states?
    a) When is HHS going to share information on the reorganization plan for the consolidation of the regional offices?
    b) Please provide the contact information for each program specialist designated to the 22 states who lost their regional office.
    c) Who is responsible for ensuring there are no delays or lapses in funding, nor any disruptions to Head Start program operations now that these states do not have a regional office?
    2. How many employees at the Offices of Head Start have been terminated, including the five regional offices and the central office?
    a) Which officials at HHS were involved in the staffing reduction decisions for OHS and what planning, if any, was undertaken prior to these reductions? Please describe the events that unfolded and name each office that was involved in the decision. Further, please name the official(s) who approved the staffing reductions.
    3. Can you confirm that the Administration will distribute all Head Start funds appropriated by Congress to Head Start programs in FY 25, as required by the Head Start Act?
    4. Please provide a list of all grantees with 5-year Head Start grant renewals that start between now and the end of the fiscal year: May 1st, June 1st, July 1st, August 1st, and September 1st.
    a) Will any funding be delayed for grantees that are due to receive their annual funding on May 1st or beyond?
    5. Why are funding awards delayed for grantees that received partial awards during the first continuing resolution for FY25?
    a) When can HHS guarantee that all funds will be awarded for partially funded Head Start programs?
    6. What is the “Tier 2” department for review that is delaying drawn down for Head Start programs in the Payment Management System?
    a) When should programs expect to receive their funds?
    b) Please provide all communication that went to Head Start grantees on the new review process.
    7. What guidance and clarifications have been provided to Head Start grantees on DEI expenditures?
    a) How is HHS evaluating Head Start programs’ expenditures and grant awards for DEI?
    b) What justifications are being used to prohibit DEI?
    Sincerely,
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen, Britt Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Make Breast Cancer Diagnostic Tests More Affordable and Accessible

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Katie Britt (R-AL) are introducing the bipartisan Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act to make breast cancer diagnostic tests more affordable and accessible by eliminating copays and other out-of-pocket expenses for these tests, which are often necessary to receive a formal diagnosis. The bipartisan ABCD Act is also backed by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). 
    “Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is difficult enough – families across the country shouldn’t have to also worry about whether they can even afford the tests necessary to reach such a diagnosis, which can sometimes be the difference between life and death,” said Senator Shaheen. “Breast cancer—and the countless challenges that come with it—knows no geographic borders nor political affiliation. Let’s put politics aside and pass our bipartisan bill that could help save so many lives.” 
    “The ABCD Act would provide greater access to mammography so women can be diagnosed as soon as possible, giving them the widest variety of treatment options and the best chance to defeat this disease,” said Senator Britt. “Mammograms are a crucial, potentially lifesaving tool to detect breast cancer, and this commonsense, bipartisan legislation would ensure that a warranted follow-up diagnostic examination is also covered by health insurers at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation along with Senator Shaheen.” 
    “For far too many, needed breast imaging and access to a timely diagnosis are still out of reach due to high out-of-pocket expenses, leaving patients forced to decide between their health and their finances,” said Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Susan G. Komen. “The Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act will remove the financial barrier to diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging so that individuals can get the care they need without having to endure undue financial burden. We grateful to Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Katie Britt and Representatives Debbie Dingell and Brian Fitzpatrick for their leadership on this vital legislation.” 
    Current law requires insurance companies to provide no-copay coverage for breast cancer screenings, but that does not extend to the diagnostic testing including mammograms, MRIs, and ultrasounds, that are necessary in many cases as an estimated ten percent of screening mammograms require follow-up diagnostic testing. 
    The costs of those tests discourage many women from getting them, risking cancer progression that increases both the severity of the disease and the financial toll for treatment. A staggering 40.6 percent of women said the possibility of paying a deductible could lead them to skip additional, often necessary imaging.   
    The standard out-of-pocket cost of a diagnostic mammogram is estimated to be $234, while breast MRIs run patients an average of $1,021. Medical debt is associated with the majority of personal bankruptcies in the United States and even higher for cancer patients.  
    Shaheen and Britt’s bipartisan bill would eliminate financial barriers to ensure women who are recommended for additional imaging can do so without fear of going into debt. The bill is endorsed by the Susan G. Komen Foundation. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Blasts Hegseth For Moving to End Bipartisan “Women, Peace and Security” Program She Ushered into Law During Trump’s First Term

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a top member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s move to “end” the Shaheen-led “Women, Peace and Security (WPS)” program inside the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2017, President Trump signed WPS into law after Shaheen and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) ushered the bipartisan legislation through Congress. Its implementation at the Department of Defense is supported by every combatant commander and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  
    “Secretary Hegseth has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. This shortsighted, unlawful move to end the bipartisan Women, Peace and Security law—which President Trump signed into law during his first term—weakens America’s global standing. 
    “WPS is law; the Secretary cannot unilaterally terminate the program Congress passed because he doesn’t understand how the inclusion and participation of women in mediation and negotiation make a measurable difference in preventing, mitigating and resolving violent conflicts and keeping America safe. Every combatant commander who comes through my office highlights the strategic advantage WPS gives U.S. forward deployed forces. 
    “This follows a dangerous and disturbing pattern from the Secretary, who clearly does not listen to advice from senior military leaders. He also continues to ignore the invaluable role women play in our national security. It’s startling that just because the word ‘women’ is in the title, this evidence-based security program has been reduced to a DEI program. 
    “This is further proof that Secretary Hegseth is hopelessly in over his head in a role he was never qualified to hold. First it was disclosing classified information on unsecured platforms, including to family members. Next, it was losing his entire senior staff in a matter of days. And now, he’s ignoring his entire senior military leadership and the rest of Trump’s national security cabinet.  
    “President Trump was right that Secretary Hegseth needs to ‘get it together’ but today’s announcement is further evidence of how hopeless that cause is. Shame on the Secretary.” 
    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. Members of President Trump’s cabinet were integral to its passage through Congress – Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was the sponsor of the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was an original cosponsor in the Senate and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz chaired the House WPS caucus for many years.  
    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: Murray, Boozman Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Designate April as Month of the Military Child

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced a bipartisan resolution alongside Senator John Boozman (R-AR) to designate April as the “Month of the Military Child.” Month of the Military Child is observed each April to celebrate and honor the commitment, service, and sacrifices made by children in military families. The resolution notes that servicemembers’ entire families make a commitment to the United States, and that military children are heroes in their own way—and it urges people across the United States to show appreciation for the more than 1.6 million children who are part of military families across the United States.
    The legislation was also co-led by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Hoeven (R-ND).
    “I know first-hand that when your parent is in the military, it is a commitment the entire family makes to this country. Military children deserve to be celebrated and acknowledged for the heroic commitments they make to their families in service,” said Senator Murray. “I will always be a voice for Washington state’s servicemembers and their families, and I am proud to partner with Senator Boozman to recognize military children for the sacrifices they make every single day for their families’ service to our country.”
    “Military service is a family affair, including the sons and daughters of our servicemembers. There are not enough words to acknowledge the costs and sacrifices, like countless moves and long separations during deployments, that they bear,” said Senator Boozman. “I am proud to come together in a bipartisan way to recognize every military child and express our gratitude for selflessly sharing their parents with the noble cause of defending our nation.”
    “When someone chooses to serve our nation in uniform, their entire family joins in the sacrifice. Military children have to move around frequently, change schools multiple times, and spend special occasions without a parent,” said Senator Rosen. “They deserve our gratitude and recognition, which is why I’m proud to help introduce this resolution to designate April as the Month of the Military Child.”
    “Military children show incredible resilience as they navigate the unique challenges of military life,” said Senator Hoeven. “From frequent moves to long deployments, they stand strong beside their families with courage. Their sacrifices often go unseen, but their service to our nation deserves to be celebrated.”
    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting servicemembers, veterans, and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has fought throughout her career for increased benefits for veterans, housing assistance, better access to veterans’ clinics throughout Washington state, and more accountability from the VA.
    Earlier this year, Senators Murray and Boozman reintroduced their bipartisan Helping Heroes Act, which would support the families of disabled veterans, including children who take on caregiving roles. This bill recognizes the work done by the approximately 2.3 million children under the age of 18 living in a household with a disabled veteran and seeks to provide critical support and assistance to these children in accessing local, state, and federal resources.
    The full text of the legislation is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Collins, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Help Americans Better Plan for Retirement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and colleagues reintroduced legislation to help Americans better plan for retirement and enhance retirement security by ensuring they have the information they need to make more informed decisions regarding when to claim Social Security benefits. 
    “Americans have earned their benefits. When planning for retirement, let’s make sure they have the best information available and receive what they deserve,” said Dr. Cassidy.
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) in reintroducing the legislation.
    One of the key financial decisions facing older Americans is when to claim Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security benefits are available to Americans who are as young as age 62, but those who choose to claim their benefits later receive higher monthly payments, with the maximum benefits available to those who claim at age 70 or older.
    Most people do not claim benefits at the age that would maximize their income in retirement. By doing so, they forgo a significant amount of retirement income. To provide additional clarity for Americans deciding when to claim their benefits, this legislation changes the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) terminology from “early eligibility age,” “full retirement age,” and “delayed retirement credits” to “minimum monthly benefit age,” “standard monthly benefit age,” and “maximum monthly benefit age” to better reflect Social Security’s claiming design and how the program works.
    The legislation would also help Americans better plan for retirement by requiring the SSA to mail social security statements—which detail how much a person has paid into Social Security and Medicare—every five years to individuals with Social Security accounts between the ages of 25 and 54, every two years for those between the ages of 55 and 59, and annually for those 60 and above.
    Click here for bill text on nomenclature. Click here for bill text on regular statements for beneficiaries. 
    Background
    Cassidy is a leading advocate for Social Security beneficiaries and recently announced over 73,000 Louisianans have already received a total of $585,586,698.41 in retroactive payments after the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). This comes after Cassidy successfully secured a vote in the U.S. Senate to pass the Social Security Fairness Act which fully repealed WEP and GPO. After the bill was passed, Cassidy urged SAA to implement the new law as quickly as possible. Louisiana has now received the seventh most of any state in retroactive payments.
    SSA began depositing retroactive payments into bank accounts in late February and completed nearly all retroactive payments by the end of March. Adjustments to ongoing monthly benefits will begin in April.
    Before the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, around 94,000 Louisianans were unfairly penalized by WEP and GPO. WEP was enacted in 1983 and reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government for employment not covered by Social Security. GPO was enacted in 1977 and reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Murray, Boozman, Rosen Reintroduce Bill to Recognize April As Month of the Military Child

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven

    04.29.25

    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in leading bipartisan legislation to designate April as the “Month of the Military Child.” The Month of the Military Child is observed each April to celebrate and honor the commitment, service, and sacrifices made by children in military families and urges all Americans to show appreciation for the more than 1.6 million children who are part of military families across the United States.

    “Military children show incredible resilience as they navigate the unique challenges of military life,” said Senator Hoeven. “From frequent moves to long deployments, they stand strong beside their families with courage. Their sacrifices often go unseen, but their service to our nation deserves to be celebrated.”

    “I know first-hand that when your parent is in the military, it is a commitment the entire family makes to this country. Military children deserve to be celebrated and acknowledged for the heroic commitments they make to their families in service,” said Senator Murray. “I will always be a voice for Washington state’s servicemembers and their families, and I am proud to partner with Senator Boozman to recognize military children for the sacrifices they make every single day for their families’ service to our country.”

    “Military service is a family affair, including the sons and daughters of our servicemembers. There are not enough words to acknowledge the costs and sacrifices, like countless moves and long separations during deployments, that they bear,” said Senator Boozman. “I am proud to come together in a bipartisan way to recognize every military child and express our gratitude for selflessly sharing their parents with the noble cause of defending our nation.”

    “When someone chooses to serve our nation in uniform, their entire family joins in the sacrifice. Military children have to move around frequently, change schools multiple times, and spend special occasions without a parent,” said Senator Rosen. “They deserve our gratitude and recognition, which is why I’m proud to help introduce this resolution to designate April as the Month of the Military Child.”

    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Mornings With Maria on Fox Business to Discuss Trump’s First 100 Days, Reconciliation, Tariff Negotiations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations, Banking, and Foreign Relations Committees and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, joined Mornings With Maria on Fox Business to discuss President Donald Trump’s success during his first 100 days, the budget reconciliation moving through Congress, and the ongoing tariff negotiations.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*
    Partial Transcript
    Hagerty on Democrats protesting Trump’s successful first 100 days: “I think in reality, Maria, they’re protesting because this has been the most effective, most impactful, in a positive sense, 100 days, certainly in my lifetime. [Senator] Chuck Schumer seems to forget that in November of last year, 75 percent of the American public felt this nation was on the wrong track. As President Trump has come into office, he’s fixed our border, he’s put us on a fundamentally different plane in terms of crime in America. He’s addressing some of the longstanding issues that we’ve had with some of our partners. We’re moving in the right direction, and I think that the Democrat party is imploding as a result of it. Today is exhibit A in that point.”
    Hagerty on budget reconciliation process: “I met with a group of House leaders last night. They’re working apace to get their piece of the reconciliation package done by Memorial Day. It’s our job in the Senate—I spoke with Leader [John] Thune yesterday—to move as quickly as we possibly can to get the reconciliation package done right after Memorial Day. We need to be moving apace to get certainty locked into our tax code so that companies can make the type of capital commitments that we want to see happen in 2026. That’ll be addressed with corporate tax rate reductions. That’ll be addressed with certainty again and how we amortize the investments that I hope to see. At the same time, the deregulatory thrust is very real. It’s going to be very significant. If you think about [former President] Joe Biden’s term over four years, the estimates are that each year, compliance costs for regulations that he added have gone up $1.4 trillion per annum on corporate America. As we peel those away, that’s going to have an immediate benefit and immediate impact on operating costs. That’s going to be positive for our economy as well […] The Senate’s going to come up with far more than four billion, Maria. It has to do with the rules here, the Byrd Rule in the Senate. We’ll navigate this, I hope, closer to $2 trillion worth of cuts. It is certainly possible. You go back to where we were before the pandemic, before Joe Biden unleashed massive amounts of wasteful stimulus spending. We get back to those levels; we’re not going to have a difficult time getting around $2 trillion cut out of this budget.”
    Hagerty on the trade negotiations with Japan: “As you say, Maria, I’ve seen this movie before. We negotiated two trade deals when I served as ambassador. The Japanese are very tough negotiators, but it’s not just tariffs. It’s non-tariff barriers that exist in Japan. Local rules, localization requirements, we need to be harmonizing those sorts of regulations. I think Japan has a tremendous opportunity. If they step up, we have plenty of room to do more trade, and they have plenty of room to procure more from America. I want to see that happen. President Trump wants to see it happen. That will accommodate a greater partnership, greater strategic alliances, and I think all parties will be better off as a result.”
    Hagerty on his optimism towards a deal with Japan: “I think we can go to zero tariffs with respect to Japan. They are certainly willing to move on tariffs, but again, it’s the non-tariff barriers that have to be addressed. We need to put in place metrics. We need to make certain that they’re addressed. And again, I see real opportunity working with Japan as companies move their supply chains out of China, de-risk those. Japan should be working with us very closely as we develop new technologies, as we work on new military posture, new technologies there, there’s much to be done that’s positive. And we start to announce those types of aggressive forward-leaning activities that we can do together, those types of investments, I think it’ll be very positive for all of us. And President Trump can focus on that.”
    Hagerty on non-tariff barriers with Japan: “The localization requirements have been extraordinarily difficult. And Maria, these difficulties have gone on for decades. Japan has protected its market very heavily. They’ve made it very difficult for us, for, I say western companies, non-Japanese countries, to enter that marketplace. So, if you think about the regulations that they use, again, localizing the product, we’ve got to find ways to make this work in both countries. If you think about the inspection requirements, that type of thing, it can all be addressed. With respect to agricultural products, extremely protective of Japanese farmers, we dealt with a lot of that in the phase one agreement that we negotiated when I was ambassador. There’s a lot more room there as well.”
    Hagerty on the timing of the budget reconciliation package: “I spoke with Leader Thune just yesterday, and I think the [U.S.] House of Representatives working at pace. I’m delighted to see them putting text out. I think as America sees that text, they start to get more and more certainty about where we’re headed. I spoke with Leader Thune yesterday about the fact that as soon as we get back from Memorial Day break, we need to be working at pace. We need to be working in parallel with the House to get this implemented as quickly as possible. This is going to be great news for corporate America. This is going to stimulate more investment. I want these investments committed this year so that we actually see them materialize in 2026. That’s why this needs to be happening at the beginning of the summer, rather than at the end of the summer.”
    Hagerty on the Senate Republicans united to pass the budget reconciliation package: “That was also a part of my conversation with Leader Thune yesterday, and I’ll be speaking with a number of my colleagues aimed at just that. But I think there’s plenty of room to see significant cuts in terms of trimming back this wasteful stimulus spending that took place under Biden, a lot of spending that should have never happened in the first place. Again, moving in the right direction there from a fiscal responsibility standpoint. At the same time, making permanence an overarching goal for corporate tax rates, for the way depreciation is treated and for many other aspects of the tax code that will give, again, certainty to corporate America, so the types of commitments we want to see for 2026 are put in place as soon as possible […] [Pre-covid spending numbers] certainly has been a goal of a number of my colleagues, and we need to be aiming in that direction. You adjust for population growth and I think we can get there.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: MEDIA ADVISORY: Sanders to Join Congressional Leaders at State Department to Demand Due Process for All

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, April 29 – Ahead of Vermont resident Mohsen Mahdawi’s court hearing tomorrow, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today announced he will join Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and House and Senate colleagues for a press conference at the State Department to call for his immediate release. Mahdawi was abruptly arrested earlier this month by plainclothes ICE agents without being charged with a crime. The lawmakers will come together to call for Mahdawi’s immediate release and highlight other cases around the country where people have been disappeared off our streets and even removed from the country without due process.
    Details
    What: Press conference and peaceful rally ahead of Mohsen Mahdawi’s next hearing
    When: Tuesday, April 29, at 5:30 p.m. ET
    Where: State Department Building, corner of 22 St. NW and C St. NW
    Who:
    Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
    Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
    Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.)
    Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
    Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.)
    Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)
    Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.)
    Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.)
    Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ricketts Comments on David Perdue Confirmation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)

    April 29, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement after voting to confirm former U.S. Senator David Perdue, President Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China:
    “Communist China is our country’s greatest external threat. The future of our relationship with China must be navigated with strength and vigilance. David Perdue understands that. He will be a strong Ambassador.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Welch for the Boston Globe: “Detained activist Mohsen Mahdawi: ‘A prisoner of this White House.’”

    US Senate News:

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) this morning published an opinion piece in the Boston Globe entitled: “Detained activist Mohsen Mahdawi: ‘A prisoner of this White House.’” 
    In his piece, Senator Welch outlined the dangers and consequences of the Trump Administration’s determination to run roughshod over the First Amendment. Senator Welch highlighted his recent meeting with Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and lawful permanent resident who was arrested earlier this month.
    Detained activist Mohsen Mahdawi: ‘A prisoner of this White House’ By U.S. Senator Peter Welch Published April 29, 2025, by the Boston Globe 
    Mohsen Mahdawi has every right to be angry. But when I visited him in Vermont on Monday, his message was one of hope.
    Mahdawi’s arrest in Colchester, Vt. — at an immigration office for what he believed was to be a meeting in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen — is an outrageous example of the Trump administration’s determination to run roughshod over the First Amendment. Mahdawi has been a resident of White River Junction for more than a decade and is a green card holder. His only “offense” was voicing his opposition to the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis that imperils millions of innocent Palestinians.
    Mahdawi, detained in ICE custody, is here legally and he has acted legally. He is entitled to freedom of speech under the Constitution. He must be immediately released. 
    Read Senator Welch’s full opinion piece in the  Boston Globe. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Blast Trump Administration’s Attacks on Head Start, Demand RFK JR. Immediately Release Funding and Reverse Firings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 29, 2025
    42 lawmakers write to RFK Jr. demanding answers on Trump admin’s actions undermining Head Start as Trump reportedly plans to eliminate the program
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in sending a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling out the Trump administration’s direct attacks on Head Start, reminding him of his legal obligation to administer the program and demanding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) immediately release Head Start funding and reverse the mass firing of Head Start staff and gutting of the offices that help ensure high-quality services are available for thousands of children and families across the country. 
    “We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year,” write the lawmakers. “It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.”
    The lawmakers detail how the program plays an instrumental role in supporting kids and families across the country, writing: “Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.”
    “You even acknowledged the value of Head Start following a recent visit to a Virginia Head Start center,” the lawmakers write, contrasting that statement of support with the Trump Administration’s actions. “However, as a result of your actions to withhold and delay funding and undermine the administration of this vital program, Head Start centers are in serious jeopardy and have already had their day to day operations impacted. Programs are increasingly worried that they will not be able to make payroll, pay rent, and remain open to serve the hundreds of thousands of children and families who depend on their services in communities across the nation.”
    “Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack,” the lawmakers write, detailing office closures and funds that were frozen for Head Start grants across the country. “At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding. Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff.”
    The lawmakers underscore how the gutting of Head Start offices and the firing of staff who keep the federal program running puts the entire program in jeopardy: “On April 1st, you abruptly closed five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states. This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised ‘radical transparency’ as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.”
    Importantly, the lawmakers note that without funding that has so far not gone out the door, many more programs could be forced to close.
    “Head Start grantees are still waiting on payments and grant renewals from the Office of Head Start, including programs whose grants end on April 30th, 2025. These notices should have gone out by now, yet we are concerned to hear programs report they have received little to no correspondence regarding their grant renewals,” the lawmakers continue to detail how local Head Start programs are receiving no notice for the path forward for grant funding. “Additionally, because we started fiscal year 2025 under a short-term continuing resolution, as is usual, some grantees have only received partial funding for the first few months of the year. But with a full year funding bill in place, these grantees should have received full funding by now, yet some are reporting that they have not received the full amount of their grants and will run out of funds this month or next. On Wednesday, April 16th, the delays in Head Start funding led to the closure of Head Start centers serving more than 400 children in Sunnyside, Washington.”
    “The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country,” the lawmakers write. “There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation.”
    The lawmakers conclude by warning that eliminating the program would be devastating, demanding answers on the administration’s actions and demanding the reversal of them: “[W]e urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.”
    This letter follows up Duckworth and Durbin’s letter to Secretary Kennedy demanding answers about the closure of five regional Head Start offices across the country, including the Region 5 office in Chicago.  Despite a deadline to respond by April 22, HHS has yet to reply to the Senators’ questions.
    In addition to Durbin, Duckworth, Murray, Sanders, and Baldwin, the letter was signed by 37 colleagues, including U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Peter Welch (D-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Fetterman (D-PA), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Kaine (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward Markey (D-MA), Angus King (I-ME), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA). 
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
    April 24, 2025
    Dear Secretary Kennedy:
    We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year. It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
    Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff. Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.
    You even acknowledged the value of Head Start following a recent visit to a Virginia Head Start center, where you said, “I had a very inspiring tour. I saw a devoted staff and a lot of happy children. They are getting the kind of education and socialization they need, and they are also getting a couple of meals a day.”
    However, as a result of your actions to withhold and delay funding and undermine the administration of this vital program, Head Start centers are in serious jeopardy and have already had their day to day operations impacted. Programs are increasingly worried that they will not be able to make payroll, pay rent, and remain open to serve the hundreds of thousands of children and families who depend on their services in communities across the nation.
    Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack. On January 27th, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo (M-25-13) that suddenly froze the disbursement of grant funding for federal programs and services government-wide, including Head Start. Despite the Administration’s clarification that Head Start programs would not be the target of the funding freeze, many Head Start programs across the country were unable to draw down their grant funds through the Payment Management System (PMS) for weeks. At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding. Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff. In Wisconsin, the National Centers for Learning Excellence, which serves more than 200 children and their families, shut down for a week and laid off staff due to the funding freeze.
    On April 1st, you abruptly closed five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states. This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised “radical transparency” as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.
    On March 14th, 2025, the Office of Head Start (OHS) notified all Head Start programs that “the use of federal funding for any training and technical assistance or other program expenditures that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives” will not be approved and that any questions should be directed to regional offices. Programs have not received any guidance for what would be considered “DEI” but this policy is potentially in direct conflict with statutory and regulatory program requirements, such as providing culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional services for English learners. Many programs cannot direct questions to regional staff, as half of regional offices were abruptly closed, and as unprecedented actions are being taken to delay and withhold funding, Head Start programs have been intentionally left with little to no guidance.
    Head Start programs are now arbitrarily required to provide justifications for each draw down of funds that is necessary to operate their programs, despite already receiving a federal grant award for these purposes. As of April 14th, Head Start programs have reportedly received correspondence from an email address “defendthespend@hhs.gov” requiring programs to submit a “specific description of why the funds are necessary and why they are aligned to the award” before programs can have funding disbursed. It has been reported that political appointees must sign off on every draw down of funds. This creates an illusion of improving oversight but only serves to add unnecessary red tape by requiring the manual sign off on hundreds of thousands of individual actions annually across the Department based on two to three sentence justifications. Already some grantees have reported delays in receiving funds, and have reported that furloughs or closures are imminent if funds are not released. For an administration that purports to value local autonomy and efficiency in federally funded programs, your actions have achieved the exact opposite.
    Finally, Head Start grantees are still waiting on payments and grant renewals from the Office of Head Start, including programs whose grants end on April 30th, 2025. These notices should have gone out by now, yet we are concerned to hear programs report they have received little to no correspondence regarding their grant renewals. Additionally, because we started fiscal year 2025 under a short-term continuing resolution, as is usual, some grantees have only received partial funding for the first few months of the year. But with a full year funding bill in place, these grantees should have received full funding by now, yet some are reporting that they have not received the full amount of their grants and will run out of funds this month or next. On Wednesday, April 16th, the delays in Head Start funding led to the closure of Head Start centers serving more than 400 children in Sunnyside, Washington.
    The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. The fiscal year 2025 appropriations act provided $12.3 billion for Head Start, the same as the fiscal year 2024 level. The Head Start Act includes an explicit formula for how appropriated funds should be allocated. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation. However, this week leaked fiscal year 2026 budget documents indicated the Office of Management and Budget was directing the Department, consistent with the Administration’s proposal to eliminate Head Start in fiscal year 2026, to “ensure to the extent allowable FY2025 funds are available to close out the program.” If this explains any of the delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 funding, we want to be clear, no funds were provided in fiscal year 2025 to “close out the program,” and it would be wholly unacceptable and likely illegal if the Department tries to carry out this directive.
    Finally, the leaked budget documents provided a justification, albeit brief, for eliminating Head Start in fiscal year 2026 that makes this Administration’s priorities clear and puts the Department’s actions over the last several months in context. The Administration argues that eliminating Head Start, “is consistent with the Administration’s goals of returning education to the States and increasing parental choice.” It is shocking to see an argument that eliminating a program that provides comprehensive early childhood care and education to 800,000 children and their families would increase parental choice. It is particularly concerning to see that argument in the context of the significant delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 appropriated funds and what that indicates about the intent behind the Department’s actions. We believe it is obvious that eliminating Head Start would be detrimental to hundreds of thousands of children and families. Similarly, we believe it is obvious that delaying funding like we have seen over the last two months, forcing Head Start programs to close, and leaving families to scramble to find quality, affordable alternatives puts the education and well-being of some of the most vulnerable young children in America at risk. In our view, that is unacceptable.
    Therefore, we urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.
    Please provide us with a written response to the questions below no later than 10 days from receipt:
    1. Will you reinstate the staff who administer Head Start programs and reopen the closed regional offices responsible for overseeing Head Start programs in 22 states?
    a) When is HHS going to share information on the reorganization plan for the consolidation of the regional offices?
    b) Please provide the contact information for each program specialist designated to the 22 states who lost their regional office.
    c) Who is responsible for ensuring there are no delays or lapses in funding, nor any disruptions to Head Start program operations now that these states do not have a regional office?
    2. How many employees at the Offices of Head Start have been terminated, including the five regional offices and the central office?
    a) Which officials at HHS were involved in the staffing reduction decisions for OHS and what planning, if any, was undertaken prior to these reductions? Please describe the events that unfolded and name each office that was involved in the decision. Further, please name the official(s) who approved the staffing reductions.
    3. Can you confirm that the Administration will distribute all Head Start funds appropriated by Congress to Head Start programs in FY 25, as required by the Head Start Act?
    4. Please provide a list of all grantees with 5-year Head Start grant renewals that start between now and the end of the fiscal year: May 1st, June 1st, July 1st, August 1st, and September 1st.
    a) Will any funding be delayed for grantees that are due to receive their annual funding on May 1st or beyond?
    5. Why are funding awards delayed for grantees that received partial awards during the first continuing resolution for FY25?
    a) When can HHS guarantee that all funds will be awarded for partially funded Head Start programs?
    6. What is the “Tier 2” department for review that is delaying drawn down for Head Start programs in the Payment Management System?
    a) When should programs expect to receive their funds?
    b) Please provide all communication that went to Head Start grantees on the new review process.
    7. What guidance and clarifications have been provided to Head Start grantees on DEI expenditures?
    a) How is HHS evaluating Head Start programs’ expenditures and grant awards for DEI?
    b) What justifications are being used to prohibit DEI?
    Sincerely,
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Young Push DOJ, FTC to Use Every Available Resource to Protect Americans’ Data Amid 23andMe Bankruptcy Proceedings

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, wrote to leadership at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expressing the need for the agencies to exercise all available authorities to protect the sensitive genomic information of Americans, including in the bankruptcy proceedings of 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company that holds the DNA and sensitive information of millions of individuals.

    The senators highlighted the attempts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other foreign adversaries to collect this type of genomic data from Americans and the various ways in which the PRC has used sensitive biometric data for surveillance efforts.

    “As the Chinese government has realized, genomic data is incredibly valuable. Biological data is critical to biomedical discovery, particularly when, as here, it contains substantial amounts of personal genomic data. It can be used to create, design, and optimize everything from biopharmaceuticals and medical devices to optimizing AI models for medical applications,” the senators wrote. “The PRC also has demonstrated a sustained effort to leverage genomic and other biometric data for extensive surveillance; accessing this data – either directly or indirectly – could further enable PRC transnational surveillance, including posing counter-intelligence threats to the United States. In addition, genomic data can be used to create dual-use technologies that, on the one hand, could help create vaccines for diseases, but on the other hand, can be weaponized by our adversaries to for malign intent.”

    While applauding the recent actions by the Justice Department in current proceedings, the senators underscored the need to take more steps to ensure that bad actors are prevented from acquiring, legally or illegally, Americans’ genomic information. 

    The senators continued, “In addition to the Department’s recent filing, and any anticipated CFIUS review, the Department, in conjunction with the Commission and other U.S. agencies as appropriate, must closely monitor the sale or transfer of, or access to, 23andMe’s genomic databank, regardless of whether that activity is in the ordinary course of business, for compliance with all applicable statutes related to national security and consumer protection.”

    This is the latest effort by Sen. Warner to safeguard Americans’ data and sensitive information from adversaries. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Sen. Warner has worked to ensure the U.S. is prepared to counter threats posed by foreign adversaries including the PRC across various sectors. Sen. Warner spearheaded the push to force CCP-based Bytedance to divest from TikTok in order to allow the app to continue operations in the United States. Last year, Sen. Warner introduced the Countering CCP Drones and Supporting Drones for Law Enforcement Act, legislation to cut off dangerous CCP drone companies from the U.S. telecommunication infrastructure. Sen. Warner also introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation to improve information sharing between private companies and the Intelligence Community in order to mitigate the threat that foreign adversaries including the CCP pose to United States companies in foreign jurisdictions on projects relating to energy generation and storage, including in the critical minerals industry, and earlier this year, Sen. Warner introduced legislation aimed at shoring up America’s response to financial threats stemming from the PRC.

    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

    Dear Attorney General Bondi and Chairman Ferguson:

    We write to urge the Department of Justice (“Department”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) to exercise the full scope of their legal and statutory authorities in 23andMe Holding Co. (“23andMe”)’s bankruptcy proceeding. We commend the Department on its April 22, 2025 filing in the 23andMe bankruptcy proceeding, recognizing that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) should review this transaction in light of the substantial national security concerns involved. However, additional action from agencies are necessary in order to prevent adversaries, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), from acquiring millions of Americans’ genomic data.

    Chinese authorities have already collected genomic data on millions of their own citizens, and continue to actively target foreign companies, including in the U.S., for acquisition or investment, as well for theft, in order to obtain foreign individuals’ genomic data, creating serious implications for national security, public health, economic security, and Americans’ privacy. As the Chinese government has realized, genomic data is incredibly valuable. Biological data is critical to biomedical discovery, particularly when, as here, it contains substantial amounts of personal genomic data. It can be used to create, design, and optimize everything from biopharmaceuticals and medical devices to optimizing AI models for medical applications. The PRC also has demonstrated a sustained effort to leverage genomic and other biometric data for extensive surveillance; accessing this data – either directly or indirectly – could further enable PRC transnational surveillance, including posing counter-intelligence threats to the United States. In addition, genomic data can be used to create dual-use technologies that, on the one hand, could help create vaccines for diseases, but on the other hand, can be weaponized by our adversaries to for malign intent.

    In order to prevent China from weaponizing this data, or outcompeting the U.S. economically, the U.S. must urgently prioritize the protection of biological and genomic data, particularly of Americans, starting with that held by 23andMe.

    As the Department notes in its recent filing, its Data Security Program must be better utilized to ensure the protection, and prevent the acquisition, of Americans’ sensitive genomic data. In addition to the Department’s recent filing, and any anticipated CFIUS review, the Department, in conjunction with the Commission and other U.S. agencies as appropriate, must closely monitor the sale or transfer of, or access to, 23andMe’s genomic databank, regardless of whether that activity is in the ordinary course of business, for compliance with all applicable statutes related to national security and consumer protection. Chairman Ferguson’s letter to the Office of the U.S. Trustee lays out a clear rationale for robust oversight by the Justice Department over the legal obligations and protections that 23andMe owes its customers (“users”). 23andMe’s users also should have the ability to remove their genetic data from acquisition by a foreign government or entities under the control or influence of a foreign government, including data associated with other personally-identifiable information and any other data generated by 23andMe that uses genetic data in the aggregate.

    23andMe’s users provided their sensitive, personal genetic data to a privately-owned U.S. company, potentially without fully understanding the implications of this data falling into the hands of adversaries, including cybercriminals and foreign nation-states. Further, the genetic information held in 23andMe’s databank has implications for relatives of 23andMe users who share common genetic markers, creating additional privacy concerns for such individuals who had no opportunity to consent to how 23andMe’s data could be used in ways that affect them.

    Outside of this proceeding, we urge the Department, the Commission, and other relevant federal entities to closely monitor future transactions, and use all levers as appropriate, where foreign entities, particularly those under the control or influence of foreign nations of concern, are attempting to purchase – through bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise-Americans’ sensitive biologic and genomic data. To this end, we encourage the DOJ to evaluate any appropriate updates to its recently-released Final Rule,6 implementing Executive Order 14117 on “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern”, to address any novel risks posed by potential acquisition (and resale) of 23andMe data by covered vendors.

    In addition, the Department and the Commission must work with lead agencies to support the cybersecurity of genomic data. In March 2022, 23andMe suffered a security breach that compromised the genetic information of millions of users, underscoring concerns around genomic data privacy and misuse.

    In short, it is paramount to our national and economic security that there is a whole-of­ government approach to protecting Americans’ sensitive genomic data, including by preventing malign entities from gaining access to such data through commercial acquisition, cyberattacks, or other illicit means. We remain committed to working with the Department, the Commission, and the Administration broadly on this issue.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 100 DAYS OF INVESTMENT: $5+ Trillion in New Investment Fuels America’s Future

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump has secured over $5 trillion in new U.S.-based investments in his first 100 days, which will create more than 451,000 new jobs as he sets the stage for a new era of American prosperity. From advanced manufacturing to cutting-edge artificial intelligence infrastructure, these historic investments — spurred by President Trump’s unwavering commitment to revitalizing American industry — will reinforce the U.S. as the global leader in innovation and economic growth.
    The announcements keep coming. In recent days:
    IBM announced a $150 billion investment over the next five years in its U.S.-based growth and manufacturing operations.
    Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it will invest an additional $2 billion over the next four years to enhance and expand its U.S. manufacturing operations and strengthen its innovation efforts.
    Corning announced it is expanding its Michigan manufacturing facility investment to $1.5 billion, adding 400 new, high-paying, advanced manufacturing jobs.
    Merck & Co. announced a $1 billion investment to build a new state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing plant in Delaware, which will create at least 500 new jobs — part of the company’s commitment to invest more than $9 billion over the next four years.
    “Since the advent of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Merck has allocated more than $12 billion to enhance our domestic manufacturing and research capabilities, with additional planned investments of more than $9 billion over the next four years.”

    Amgen announced a $900 million investment in its Ohio-based manufacturing operation.
    The company credited President Trump’s landmark 2017 tax cuts for enabling its rapid expansion: “Pro-growth policies like the @POTUS @WhiteHouse 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helped make investments like this possible. Since enactment, Amgen has invested ~$5B in capital expenditures. This amounts to an additional downstream output to the U.S. economy of approximately $12B.”

    The Bel Group announced a $350 million investment to expand its U.S.-based production, including at its South Dakota, Idaho and Wisconsin facilities — which will create 250 new jobs.
    Here is the non-exhaustive list of investments secured in President Trump’s second term:
    Project Stargate, led by Japan-based Softbank and U.S.-based OpenAI and Oracle, announced a $500 billion private investment in U.S.-based artificial intelligence infrastructure.
    Apple announced a $500 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing and training.
    NVIDIA, a global chipmaking giant, announced it will invest $500 billion in U.S.-based AI infrastructure over the next four years amid its pledge to manufacture AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. for the first time.
    IBM announced a $150 billion investment over the next five years in its U.S.-based growth and manufacturing operations.
    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced a $100 billion investment in U.S.-based chips manufacturing.
    Johnson & Johnson announced a $55 billion investment over the next four years in manufacturing, research and development, and technology.
    Roche, a Swiss drug and diagnostics company, announced a $50 billion investment in U.S.-based manufacturing and research and development, which is expected to create more than 1,000 full-time jobs.
    Eli Lilly and Company announced a $27 billion investment to more than double its domestic manufacturing capacity.
    United Arab Emirates-based ADQ and U.S.-based Energy Capital Partners announced a $25 billion investment in U.S. data centers and energy infrastructure.
    Novartis, a Swiss drugmaker, announced a $23 billion investment to build or expand ten manufacturing facilities across the U.S., which will create 4,000 new jobs.
    Hyundaiannounced a $21 billion U.S.-based investment — including $5.8 billion for a new steel plant in Louisiana, which will create nearly 1,500 jobs.
    Hyundai also secured an equity investment and agreement from Posco Holdings, South Korea’s top steel maker.

    United Arab Emirates-based DAMAC Properties announced a $20 billion investment in new U.S.-based data centers.
    France-based CMA CGM, a global shipping giant, announced a $20 billion investment in U.S. shipping and logistics, creating 10,000 new jobs.
    Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it will invest an additional $2 billion over the next four years to enhance and expand its U.S. manufacturing operations and strengthen its innovation efforts.
    Merck & Co. announced it will invest a total of $9 billion in the U.S. over the next several years after opening a new $1 billion North Carolina manufacturing facility — including in a new state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing plant in Delaware, which will create at least 500 new jobs.
    Clarios announced a $6 billion plan to expand its domestic manufacturing operations.
    Stellantis announced a $5 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing network, including re-opening its Belvidere, Illinois, manufacturing plant.
    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in biotechnology, announced a $3 billion agreement with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies to produce drugs at its North Carolina manufacturing facility.
    NorthMark Strategies, a multi-strategy investment firm, announced a $2.8 billion investment to build a supercomputing facility in South Carolina.
    Corning announced it is expanding its Michigan manufacturing facility investment to $1.5 billion, adding 400 new high-paying advanced manufacturing jobs for a total of 1,500 new jobs.
    Chobani, a Greek yogurt giant, announced a $1.2 billion investment to build its third U.S. dairy processing plant in New York, which is expected to create more than 1,000 new full-time jobs — adding to the company’s earlier announcement that it will invest $500 million to expand its Idaho manufacturing plant.
    GE Aerospace announced a $1 billion investment in manufacturing across 16 states — creating 5,000 new jobs.
    Amgen announced a $900 million investment in its Ohio-based manufacturing operation.
    Schneider Electric announced it will invest $700 million over the next four years in U.S. energy infrastructure.
    GE Vernova announced it will invest nearly $600 million in U.S. manufacturing over the next two years, which will create more than 1,500 new jobs.
    Abbott Laboratories announced a $500 million investment in its Illinois and Texas facilities.
    AIP Management, a European infrastructure investor, announced a $500 million investment to solar developer Silicon Ranch.
    London-based Diageo announced a $415 million investment in a new Alabama manufacturing facility.
    Dublin-based Eaton Corporation announced a $340 million investment in a new South Carolina-based manufacturing facility for its three-phase transformers.
    Germany-based Siemens announced a $285 million investment in U.S. manufacturing and AI data centers, which will create more than 900 new skilled manufacturing jobs.
    The Bel Group announced a $350 million investment to expand its U.S.-based production, including at its South Dakota, Idaho and Wisconsin facilities — which will create 250 new jobs.
    Clasen Quality Chocolate announced a $230 million investment to build a new production facility in Virginia, which will create 250 new jobs.
    Fiserv, Inc., a financial technology provider, announced a $175 million investment to open a new strategic fintech hub in Kansas, which is expected to create 2,000 new, high-paying jobs.
    Paris Baguette announced a $160 million investment to construct a manufacturing plant in Texas.
    TS Conductor announced a $134 million investment to build an advanced conductor manufacturing facility in South Carolina, which will create nearly 500 new jobs.
    Switzerland-based ABB announced a $120 million investment to expand production of its low-voltage electrification products in Tennessee and Mississippi.
    Saica Group, a Spain-based corrugated packaging maker, announced plans to build a $110 million new manufacturing facility in Anderson, Indiana.
    Charms, LLC, a subsidiary of candymaker Tootsie Roll Industries, announced a $97.7 million investment to expand its production plant and distribution center in Tennessee.
    Toyota Motor Corporation announced an $88 million investment to boost hybrid vehicle production at its West Virginia factory, securing employment for the 2,000 workers at the factory.
    AeroVironment, a defense contractor, announced a $42.3 million investment to build a new manufacturing facility in Utah.
    Paris-based Saint-Gobain announced a new $40 million NorPro manufacturing facility in Wheatfield, New York.
    India-based Sygene International announced a $36.5 million acquisition of a Baltimore biologics manufacturing facility.
    Asahi Group Holdings, one of the largest Japanese beverage makers, announced a $35 million investment to boost production at its Wisconsin plant.
    Cyclic Materials, a Canadian advanced recycling company for rare earth elements, announced a $20 million investment in its first U.S.-based commercial facility, located in Mesa, Arizona.
    Guardian Bikes announced a $19 million investment to build the first U.S.-based large-scale bicycle frame manufacturing operation in Indiana.
    Amsterdam-based AMG Critical Minerals announced a $15 million investment to build a chrome manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania.
    NOVONIX Limited, an Australia-based battery technology company, announced a $4.6 million investment to build a synthetic graphite manufacturing facility in Tennessee.
    LGM Pharma announced a $6 million investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Rosenberg, Texas.
    ViDARR Inc., a defense optical equipment manufacturer, announced a $2.69 million investment to open a new facility in Virginia.
    That doesn’t even include the U.S. investments pledged by foreign countries:
    United Arab Emirates announced a $1.4 trillion investment in the U.S. over the next decade.
    Saudi Arabia announced it intends to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years.
    Japan announced a $1 trillion investment in the U.S.
    Taiwan announced a pledge to boost its U.S.-based investment.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Ernst Standing up for Taxpayers in Washington

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
    WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has been leading the fight in Washington to end taxpayer-funded union time (TFUT), the insane practice of requiring taxpayers to foot the bill for federal employees engaging in union activity while on the clock, including lobbying Congress for higher pay, negotiating telework agreements, and securing other cushy perks.
    While data was not released under the Biden administration, the most recent report from 2019 showed federal employees spent 2,606,390 hours engaged in union activities while on the clock for the American people, costing taxpayers $160 million in just one year.
    To uncover the true cost of TFUT, Senator Ernst demanded in December 2024 that 24 federal agencies provide accurate and up to date data. Ernst’s efforts have already uncovered the jaw-dropping details of the true cost to taxpayers at three federal agencies.
    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) revealed an 11% increase in costs since 2019, racking up more than $400,000 annually.
    NY POST | Nuclear agency had 11% increase in taxpayer-funded union time from five years ago, records show
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) similarly admitted that north of $400,000 was spent every year for union activity.
    NY POST | NASA spent over $400K taxpayer dollars on union time last year
    The real bombshell came from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), which oversees the TRICARE health benefits for servicemembers, who said its bureaucrats spent 87,000 hours on union activity costing taxpayers $3.3 million.
    NY POST | Workers at Defense Health Agency spent $3.3 million and 87,000 hours working on their own union benefits
    Because the data from these three agencies is just the tip of the iceberg, Senator Ernst sent a letter to the Trump administration requesting that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) resume tracking and publicly disclosing the total cost of TFUT across government to provide taxpayers with a true accounting. The Trump administration has agreed and will soon publish a government-wide report. Ernst also introduced the Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act to require the annual public disclosure of the cost of TFUT to the American people.
    Transparency is an important step but Ernst has also introduced the Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallet Act to require federal unions to reimburse taxpayers for all costs involving TFUT to potentially save the American people more than a billion dollars over the next decade.
    Her bill will ensure that no more tax dollars are spent on bureaucrats securing cushy perks as was the case at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Ernst uncovered that the IRS’s union secured a cushy telework agreement allowing employees to come in just two days per two-week pay period. To rub salt in the wound, all of the negotiations were done on taxpayers’ dime.
    NY POST | IRS workers only had to show up to work once a week in person, before Trump took over
    Last week, Ernst sent a letter to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner about how his department has been ground zero for TFUT abuse by bureaucrats. She detailed examples of bureaucrats launching real estate careers, going on beach vacations, and even sitting in jail cells all while allegedly on union time.
    THE DAILY CALLER | Joni Ernst Reveals More Examples Of HUD Bureaucrats Bilking Taxpayers
    Ernst’s efforts to fight for taxpayers have earned her sweeping praise.
    NY POST | Public-sector workers spent 87,000 hours screwing you — just at one agency, just in two years
    The New York Post Editorial Board wrote about Senator Ernst and called her, “A fierce advocate for the troops as well as a staunch fighter against fraud and waste as head of the Senate DOGE caucus.”
    The Public Labor Unions Accountability Committee, who advocates for holding public sector unions accountable, has applauded Ernst’s work and emphasized that American taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going.
    FOX NEWS | MARY KATHARINE HAM: Teachers union bosses put themselves first, teachers and students last
    Fox News contributor, OutKick columnist, and Senior Advisor to the Public Labor Unions Accountability Committee Mary Katharine Ham praised Ernst’s efforts and demanded that public sector unions be removed from politics. Ham also called out the true cost of public sector unions on the Ruthless podcast and the Guy Benson Show.
    WASHINGTON EXAMINER | No more union time on taxpayer dime
    The Washington Examiner Editorial board applauded Ernst’s Protecting Taxpayer’s Wallet Act in a piece calling for the end of union time on the taxpayers’ dime.
    Americans For Fair Treatment, an advocacy group for getting union spending out of politics, has also praised the Protecting Taxpayer’s Wallet Act and called for its swift passage to bring a little fiscal sanity to Washington.
    SEAN HANNITY | IR-MESS! IRS Workers Only Had to Show Up for Work One Day a Week Before Trump 2.0: Report
    Hannity called out the insanity of IRS bureaucrats only having to show up once a week after Senator Ernst unearthed the arrangement.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reed Denounces Trump’s Disjointed International Student Visa Revocations That Drives Away Top Talent

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier this month, the Trump Administration abruptly and arbitrarily removed thousands of international students from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS) database, which schools and the federal government use to monitor visa compliance.  Students at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design were among those reported to be impacted.

    Multi-state litigation was launched on behalf of students and communities nationwide affected by the revocations, and those fearful they could be next, and the courts sided with the international students, forcing the Trump Administration to halt and reverse its wave of visa revocations.  But with uncertainty and concern still high among families and schools, 35 U.S. Senators are taking action to help impacted foreign students and local schools and universities and warning that President Trump is driving away top talent and harming U.S. interests.

    Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) joined with Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 33 of their Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration to reconsider recent decisions to revoke student visas in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons.

    The 35 U.S. Senators began by urging the Administration to undo unlawful student visa revocations, writing: “We recently learned that your agencies have been revoking student visas and terminating Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records across the country. These actions to end student status reflected an unannounced change in policy and were inconsistent with existing laws, regulations, policies, and agency guidance governing the maintenance and termination of student status—that is why we welcomed the news late last week that in response to litigation around the country, ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations. We now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance and ensure that all future actions to end student status fully comply with the law.”

    The Senators continued by highlighting the lack of reasoning provided in many of these visa revocations, writing: “[S]tudents across the country—who by all accounts appear to have followed all of the applicable laws and agency guidance—have reported visa revocations with no clear explanation as to the basis to terminate status. SEVP has completed at least 4,736 total terminations of student visa holders’ SEVIS records. By DHS’s own admission, the statute and regulations do not provide SEVP the authority to terminate nonimmigrant status by terminating a SEVIS record. Your decision to reverse such terminations is therefore prudent and required by law.”

    The Senators then outlined the Trump Administration’s apparent violation of federal law in revoking these visas, writing: “Current laws, regulations, and agency guidance also require notice to be provided when a student’s status is being terminated or revoked. Here, it is not clear that students were provided the notice required by law. Many students were notified by universities that they have lost their student status when their SEVIS records have been terminated, without being provided any information about potential reinstatement. Some students received emails that their visas were revoked and were directed to self-deport, with no clear information as to the basis for their revocation or means by which they can appeal the revocation. Some students only learned about losing status when arrested by masked federal agents. These reports suggest that students were not given notice of the termination of their status in a manner consistent with existing laws, regulations, and agency guidance.”

    The Senators conclude with an appeal to the Administration to reconsider these visa revocations and warning to adhere to federal law, before making a series of immigration requests, writing: “Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement. While we are relieved that ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations, we now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance. Finally, we understand that you are contemplating additional actions to end student status. Any such changes must be consistent with applicable statutes, including requirements for notice with respect to changes that would deprive a student of their status and ability to live and study in the United States and place them at risk of detention.”

    In addition to Reed and Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennett (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

    Full text of the letter follows:

    Dear Secretary Noem, Secretary Rubio, and Acting Director Lyons:

    We recently learned that your agencies have been revoking student visas and terminating Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records across the country. These actions to end student status reflected an unannounced change in policy and were inconsistent with existing laws, regulations, policies, and agency guidance governing the maintenance and termination of student status—that is why we welcomed the news late last week that in response to litigation around the country, ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations.  We now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance and ensure that all future actions to end student status fully comply with the law.

    Foreign students must navigate a complicated mix of agencies to maintain their status. Under current regulations and policy, students who enter into the United States on an F-1 student visa or J-1 exchange visitor visa are admitted to the United States for “duration of status.”  This essentially means that F-1 and J-1 visa holders may be in good standing as long as they comply with the terms and conditions of their status, even if their visa has expired.  Students who enter on an M-1 visa for vocational education are admitted for a fixed time period to complete their course of study.  The Office of Student Exchange and Visitor Programs (SEVP), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), works with universities and program administrators to determine whether F-1 and M-1 students are meeting requirements for their visas and terminate SEVIS records as appropriate under SEVP regulations.  The Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the J-1 exchange visitor visa, but their records are maintained by SEVIS. Existing regulations and agency guidance inform students and other visa holders of how they might lose their student status, including that they cannot be convicted of serious crimes, cannot work unless authorized by DHS, and must be completing the education or program related to their visa. However, students across the country—who by all accounts appear to have followed all of the applicable laws and agency guidance—have reported visa revocations with no clear explanation as to the basis to terminate status. SEVP has completed at least 4,736 total terminations of student visa holders’ SEVIS records. By DHS’s own admission, the statute and regulations do not provide SEVP the authority to terminate nonimmigrant status by terminating a SEVIS record. Your decision to reverse such terminations is therefore prudent and required by law.

    Current laws, regulations, and agency guidance also require notice to be provided when a student’s status is being terminated or revoked. Here, it is not clear that students were provided the notice required by law. Many students were notified by universities that they have lost their student status when their SEVIS records have been terminated, without being provided any information about potential reinstatement. Some students received emails that their visas were revoked and were directed to self-deport, with no clear information as to the basis for their revocation or means by which they can appeal the revocation. Some students only learned about losing status when arrested by masked federal agents.  These reports suggest that students were not given notice of the termination of their status in a manner consistent with existing laws, regulations, and agency guidance.

    Once a student’s visa is revoked, although their status is not automatically terminated, removal proceedings may be initiated against them, allowing them to be detained at the discretion of DHS. Similarly, when a student’s SEVIS record is terminated, the student is no longer in an authorized period of stay in the United States, and students and their universities cannot regularly maintain student records in SEVIS, as is required to maintain student status. In addition, upon SEVIS record termination, the student must depart the United States or take other action to restore legal status, and DHS “may investigate to confirm the departure of the student.”

    Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement. While we are relieved that ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations, we now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance. Finally, we understand that you are contemplating additional actions to end student status. Any such changes must be consistent with applicable statutes, including requirements for notice with respect to changes that would deprive a student of their status and ability to live and study in the United States and place them at risk of detention.

    We also request information to better understand how your departments are implementing any new, unannounced policies with respect to identifying students for status revocation. Please provide the following information by May 12, 2025:

    1. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing the revocations of nonimmigrant visas, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.

    2. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing how nonimmigrants are to be notified of visa revocations, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.

    3. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing the terminations of SEVIS records, issued from January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025.

    4. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing how student visa holders are to be notified of SEVIS terminations, issued from January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025.

    5. Any guidance issued by DOS, DHS, and/or the Department of Justice governing the initiation of removal proceedings or immigration enforcement against student visa holders and other nonimmigrants, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.

    6. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS regarding the use of artificial intelligence to search national databases, criminal records, and social media to identify nonimmigrants for visa revocation or to otherwise end status, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.

    7. The total number of student visas (F-1, M-1, or J-1 visas) that have been revoked since January 20, 2025 to date, disaggregated by:

    a. Student’s country of origin;

    b. Consulate or embassy that issued the visa;

    c. Visa category/Optional Practical Training (OPT);

    d. Date of revocation;

    e. University of study;

    f. Type of degree or field of study;

    g. Notice provided;

    h. Legal basis for revocation;

    i. Any grace period to allow students to make travel or other arrangements; and

    j. Whether the student’s SEVIS record was also terminated.

    8. The total number of SEVIS record terminations that have been issued since January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025, disaggregated by—

    a. Student’s country of origin;

    b. Visa category/Optional Practical Training (OPT);

    c. Date of revocation;

    d. University of study;

    e. Type of degree or field of study;

    f. Whether the termination was initiated by the university or by DHS;

    g. Basis for termination;

    h. Notice provided;

    i. Any grace period to allow students to make travel or other arrangements; and

    j. Whether the student’s visa was revoked.

    9. The number of student visa holders on F-1, M-1, J-1 nonimmigrant status issued Form I862, Notice to Appear, initiating removal proceedings.

    Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch on Trump’s 100th Day: “President Trump has made chaos the cornerstone of his second term.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following statement on President Trump’s 100th day in office:
    “President Trump has made chaos the cornerstone of his second term. Every American is hurt by Trump’s reckless handling of the economy, his illegal attempts to dismantle the federal government, and his cruel deportation agenda. This is far from the ‘thrilling new era in national success’ promised. One hundred days in, it is clear this White House is focused only on the success of the richest and most connected.
    “Today, working families are paying more. Small businesses and farms in Vermont and across the country worry about surviving another trade war. Seniors, children and people living with disabilities are at risk of losing the health care they rely on. America’s allies are losing faith and walking away. Our civil rights and protections granted under the Constitution are under attack, and faith in our democracy is quickly eroding.
    “This is a dark moment for America, but our unity against the Trump Administration is the light that many need right now. Together, we will stand up and stand against this White House’s attacks—we will resist, and we will persevere.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Reintroduces PELOSI Act to Ban Congress from Trading Stocks

    US Senate News:

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

    Monday, April 28, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reintroduced the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act, which would ban members of Congress from trading or holding individual stocks. The move comes after President Trump announced he would sign such a bill into law if it crossed his desk.
    “Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve—not day trading at the expense of their constituents,” stated Senator Hawley. “Americans have seen politician after politician turn a profit using information not available to the general public. It’s time we ban all members of Congress from trading and holding stocks and restore Americans’ trust in our nation’s legislative body.”
    The PELOSI Act would ban lawmakers and their spouses from holding, purchasing or selling individual stocks for the duration of the lawmaker’s time in office. Lawmakers would be allowed to invest in diversified mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or U.S. Treasury bonds while in office.
    If passed, current lawmakers would have 180 days to comply with the legislation. Likewise, newly elected members of Congress would be required to comply within 180 days of taking office.
    Members who refuse to comply with the PELOSI Act must forfeit any stock profits to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and face monetary penalties imposed by the House and Senate ethics committees.
    Read the full bill language here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Calls on FDA to Reinstate Abortion Drug Safety Regulations: ‘The Time to Act is Now’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)
    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary about new research showing that the safety risks of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone are far greater than the FDA currently acknowledges. Senator Hawley points to Dr. Makary’s recent comments that he has “no plans to take action” on mifepristone and urges him to reconsider in light of this new data.
    In his letter, Senator Hawley recounts an exchange he had with Dr. Makary just last month, stating, “[D]uring your confirmation hearing, you pledged to me that you would ‘review the totality of the data and ongoing data’ to inform action on the drug. I urge you to follow this new data and take all appropriate action to restore critical safeguards on the use of mifepristone. The health and safety of American women depend on it.”
    The letter cites new research from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which analyzed 865,000 prescribed mifepristone abortions. The report found that nearly 11% of women—more than 1 in 10—who use mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit, or another serious adverse event within 45 days. This is at least 22 times greater than the less than 0.5% adverse event rate currently reported on the Biden Administration’s FDA-approved drug label for mifepristone.
    “The time to act is now,” Senator Hawley continued. “It is time to revisit and restore the FDA’s longstanding safety measures governing mifepristone.”
    Read the full letter here or below.
    Dr. Marty Makary CommissionerU.S. Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire AvenueSilver Spring, MD 20993
    Commissioner Makary:
    An alarming new study has revealed that the safety risks of the chemical abortion drug, mifepristone, are far greater than the FDA currently acknowledges. Just last week, you said that you had “no plans to take action” on mifepristone. Yet during your confirmation hearing, you pledged to me that you would “review the totality of the data and ongoing data” to inform action on the drug. I urge you to follow this new data and take all appropriate action to restore critical safeguards on the use of mifepristone. The health and safety of American women depend on it.
    The new study published today by the Ethics and Public Policy Center is the largest known study of mifepristone to date, with analysis of more than 865,000 prescribed mifepristone abortions. It finds that nearly 11% of women—more than 1 in 10 women—who use mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit, or another serious adverse event within 45 days. This rate is at least 22 times greater than the less than 0.5% adverse event rate reported on the FDA-approved drug label for mifepristone.
    As you well know, Democrat presidential administrations have stripped away basic safeguards regarding the use of mifepristone. In 2016, President Obama’s FDA rolled back several safety measures: reducing the number of required in-person visits, removing the physician prescription requirement, and ending mandatory adverse event reporting. The Biden administration then ended in-person visits altogether, as well as the in-person dispensing requirement. Today, mifepristone can be delivered via mail and without any medical supervision whatsoever—jeopardizing the safety of women who use the drug.
    You have stated publicly: “If the data suggests something or tells us that there’s a real signal, we can’t promise we’re not going to act on that data.” The time to act is now. It is time to revisit and restore the FDA’s longstanding safety measures governing mifepristone. And by May 15, 2025, please respond to the following questions:
    1. Will the FDA now take action to restore longstanding, critical safeguards for mifepristone use? How quickly can we expect action?
    2. What plans does the agency have to adjust the relevant drug safety label given this new information?
    3. Going forward, how does the FDA plan to appropriately evaluate the real-world health effects of mifepristone on American women?
    Sincerely,         Josh HawleyUnited States Senator

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.28.2025 Following Pressure from Sen. Cruz and Trump Administration, Mexico Begins Honoring 1944 Water Treaty

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued a statement following the Trump administration’s announcement of a deal with Mexico to secure shipments of water Mexico owes to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty.
    Sen. Cruz said, “Mexico’s failures to uphold its water obligations have been devastating to Texas farmers and cities. I have been fighting for years to secure those deliveries, including by advancing sanctions legislation in the United States Senate and by emphasizing to both American and Mexican officials that the U.S.-Mexico relationship cannot proceed productively unless Mexico meets its obligations. Recently, I worked with Secretary Rollins to secure a $280 million grant to provide critical economic relief in the Rio Grande Valley, but that was only, and explicitly, a stopgap measure.
    “Today’s announcement demonstrates that under the Trump administration and the Republican Congress, the United States will insist that other nations meet their obligations to Americans. It will provide critical relief to Texans and establish a basis for the further necessary work that must be done to assure Texas farmers of reliable and predictable water supplies.
    “Today’s achievement could not have been accomplished without President Trump’s public stance on holding Mexico accountable, or without the tireless work of Deputy Secretary Landau, Secretary Rollins, Senator Cornyn, Congresswoman De La Cruz, and former IBWC Commissioner Giner.”
    BACKGROUND
    Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico is obligated to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water per years averaged over a five-year cycle. But, Mexico has not made reliable annual deliveries, leading to a devastating shortfall including in Texas and across the Southwest.
    Sen. Cruz has led the push to ensure that Mexico delivers water to Texas that it is obligated to provide under the 1944 Water Treaty:
    Sen. Cruz led the effort in the U.S. Senate to secure a $280 million block grant, with the help of USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. This block grant is critical in supporting the Texas producers in the Rio Grande Valley suffering from Mexico’s failure to meeting its obligations.
    Sen. Cruz championed a provision providing support for South Texas agricultural producers suffering from Mexico’s failure to meet its obligations under the 1944 Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado, Tijuana, and Rio Grande Rivers.
    Sens. Cruz and John Cornyn filed an amendment creating new framework to ensure Mexican complains with Water Treaty obligations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Demand Answers on Politicization of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff Demand Answers on Politicization of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded answers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Senators separately called for Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, to immediately hold an oversight hearing with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco-based lawyer leading the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, on its politicization.
    In their letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, and DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, the Senators expressed deep concerns about several directives issued by the Trump Administration that could jeopardize the Division’s work to enforce and protect the Constitutional and statutory civil rights of the American people. The Senators also requested an immediate briefing for the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution regarding changes to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division since January 20, 2025. 
    “According to public reporting, at least five of the Division’s sections have received directives via email to employees which change long-standing Division enforcement objectives. The five sections are meant to protect voting rights, prevent discrimination by federal funding recipients, investigate illegal bias in housing, prohibit discrimination in education, and defend the rights of those with disabilities. The directives have not been shared publicly,” wrote the Senators. “Based on the reporting, these directives may well be inconsistent with Congress’s intent in enacting the landmark civil rights legislation that is enforced by the Division.”
    The Senators also sounded the alarm on reports that Division leadership no longer includes any career officials, transferring enforcement oversight responsibilities traditionally managed by career Deputy Assistant Attorneys General to political appointees. The restructuring of the Division also included the reassigning or departures of career supervisors.
    “These losses mirror a similar pattern across the Department of Justice, including the removal of career officials from the Office of Professional Responsibility and the firing of the Pardon Attorney,” continued the Senators. “The Division relies on the abilities and knowledge of its career staff to carry out the great responsibility of enforcing the nation’s civil rights laws without regard to politics.” 
    “Finally, we have also heard alarming reports that you authorized a second voluntary buyout for Division employees immediately before issuing the previously mentioned directives. Taken together, these measures appear to be an attempt to cajole career officials at the Division to leave voluntarily in order to fundamentally transform its work,” concluded the Senators. 
    U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, led the letter. In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter was also signed by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
    During a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing earlier this year, Senator Padilla criticized Harmeet Dhillon for her alarming track record of restricting the right to vote, spreading disinformation about the 2020 election, and perpetuating discriminatory laws.
    Full text of the letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, and DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz is available here.
    Full text of the letter to Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution Chairman Schmitt is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff Push Trump Administration to Reconsider Student Visa Revocations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
    Senators to DHS, State Department, ICE: “Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), joined 34 Democrats in pressing the Trump Administration to reconsider recent decisions to revoke student visas. In their letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons, the Senators urged the Administration to undo unlawful student visa revocations, citing a recent reversal of some student record terminations.
    “We recently learned that your agencies have been revoking student visas and terminating Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records across the country. These actions to end student status reflected an unannounced change in policy and were inconsistent with existing laws, regulations, policies, and agency guidance governing the maintenance and termination of student status—that is why we welcomed the news late last week that in response to litigation around the country, ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations,” wrote the Senators. “We now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance and ensure that all future actions to end student status fully comply with the law.”
    The Senators continued by highlighting the lack of reasoning provided in many of these visa revocations after the Office of Student Exchange and Visitor Programs (SEVP) within ICE terminated at least 4,736 student visa holders’ SEVIS records.
    “[S]tudents across the country—who by all accounts appear to have followed all of the applicable laws and agency guidance—have reported visa revocations with no clear explanation as to the basis to terminate status,” continued the Senators. “By DHS’s own admission, the statute and regulations do not provide SEVP the authority to terminate nonimmigrant status by terminating a SEVIS record. Your decision to reverse such terminations is therefore prudent and required by law.”
    The Senators outlined the Trump Administration’s apparent violation of federal law in revoking these visas, emphasizing that the Administration may not have given legally required notice when terminating or revoking some students’ statuses. Many students were not given any information on possible reinstatement after they lost their student status when their SEVIS records were terminated. Some students received emails about their visa revocations along with self-deportation directions without the ability to appeal, and others were only informed that they lost their status after masked federal agents arrested them.
    The Senators concluded by appealing to the Administration to reconsider these visa revocations and warning them to adhere to federal law, before making a series of immigration requests.
    “Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement,” concluded the Senators. “While we are relieved that ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations, we now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance. Finally, we understand that you are contemplating additional actions to end student status. Any such changes must be consistent with applicable statutes, including requirements for notice with respect to changes that would deprive a student of their status and ability to live and study in the United States and place them at risk of detention.”
    The letter was led by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter was also signed by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    In 2021, Senator Padilla led a group of 23 Senators in calling on the State Department to address the backlog of visas for international students. Padilla also chaired a hearing entitled “Strengthening our Workforce and Economy through Higher Education and Immigration” in 2022, highlighting the challenges undocumented students and international students face in seeking higher education and obtaining jobs in the United States.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Noem, Secretary Rubio, and Acting Director Lyons: We recently learned that your agencies have been revoking student visas and terminating Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records across the country. These actions to end student status reflected an unannounced change in policy and were inconsistent with existing laws, regulations, policies, and agency guidance governing the maintenance and termination of student status—that is why we welcomed the news late last week that in response to litigation around the country, ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations. We now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance and ensure that all future actions to end student status fully comply with the law.
    Foreign students must navigate a complicated mix of agencies to maintain their status. Under current regulations and policy, students who enter into the United States on an F-1 student visa or J-1 exchange visitor visa are admitted to the United States for “duration of status.” This essentially means that F-1 and J-1 visa holders may be in good standing as long as they comply with the terms and conditions of their status, even if their visa has expired. Students who enter on an M-1 visa for vocational education are admitted for a fixed time period to complete their course of study. The Office of Student Exchange and Visitor Programs (SEVP), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), works with universities and program administrators to determine whether F-1 and M-1 students are meeting requirements for their visas and terminate SEVIS records as appropriate under SEVP regulations. The Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the J-1 exchange visitor visa, but their records are maintained by SEVIS. Existing regulations and agency guidance inform students and other visa holders of how they might lose their student status, including that they cannot be convicted of serious crimes, cannot work unless authorized by DHS, and must be completing the education or program related to their visa. However, students across the country—who by all accounts appear to have followed all of the applicable laws and agency guidance—have reported visa revocations with no clear explanation as to the basis to terminate status. SEVP has completed at least 4,736 total terminations of student visa holders’ SEVIS records. By DHS’s own admission, the statute and regulations do not provide SEVP the authority to terminate nonimmigrant status by terminating a SEVIS record. Your decision to reverse such terminations is therefore prudent and required by law.
    Current laws, regulations, and agency guidance also require notice to be provided when a student’s status is being terminated or revoked. Here, it is not clear that students were provided the notice required by law. Many students were notified by universities that they have lost their student status when their SEVIS records have been terminated, without being provided any information about potential reinstatement. Some students received emails that their visas were revoked and were directed to self-deport, with no clear information as to the basis for their revocation or means by which they can appeal the revocation. Some students only learned about losing status when arrested by masked federal agents. These reports suggest that students were not given notice of the termination of their status in a manner consistent with existing laws, regulations, and agency guidance.
    Once a student’s visa is revoked, although their status is not automatically terminated, removal proceedings may be initiated against them, allowing them to be detained at the discretion of DHS. Similarly, when a student’s SEVIS record is terminated, the student is no longer in an authorized period of stay in the United States, and students and their universities cannot regularly maintain student records in SEVIS, as is required to maintain student status. In addition, upon SEVIS record termination, the student must depart the United States or take other action to restore legal status, and DHS “may investigate to confirm the departure of the student.”
    Students who have entered through our legal immigration system and followed the law remain unsure of what, if any, steps they may take to maintain their status and safeguard themselves from immigration enforcement. While we are relieved that ICE has reversed these SEVIS terminations, we now urge you to undo other actions to end student status that are inconsistent with such laws, regulations, and agency guidance. Finally, we understand that you are contemplating additional actions to end student status. Any such changes must be consistent with applicable statutes, including requirements for notice with respect to changes that would deprive a student of their status and ability to live and study in the United States and place them at risk of detention.
    We also request information to better understand how your departments are implementing any new, unannounced policies with respect to identifying students for status revocation. Please provide the following information by May 12, 2025:
    1. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing the revocations of nonimmigrant visas, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    2. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing how nonimmigrants are to be notified of visa revocations, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    3. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing the terminations of SEVIS records, issued from January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025.
    4. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS governing how student visa holders are to be notified of SEVIS terminations, issued from January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025.
    5. Any guidance issued by DOS, DHS, and/or the Department of Justice governing the initiation of removal proceedings or immigration enforcement against student visa holders and other nonimmigrants, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    6. Any guidance issued by DOS and/or DHS regarding the use of artificial intelligence to search national databases, criminal records, and social media to identify nonimmigrants for visa revocation or to otherwise end status, issued from January 20, 2025 to date.
    7. The total number of student visas (F-1, M-1, or J-1 visas) that have been revoked since January 20, 2025 to date, disaggregated by:
    a. Student’s country of origin;
    b. Consulate or embassy that issued the visa;
    c. Visa category/Optional Practical Training (OPT);
    d. Date of revocation;
    e. University of study;
    f. Type of degree or field of study;
    g. Notice provided;
    h. Legal basis for revocation;
    i. Any grace period to allow students to make travel or other arrangements; and
    j. Whether the student’s SEVIS record was also terminated.
    8. The total number of SEVIS record terminations that have been issued since January 20, 2025 to April 25, 2025, disaggregated by—
    a. Student’s country of origin;
    b. Visa category/Optional Practical Training (OPT);
    c. Date of revocation;
    d. University of study;
    e. Type of degree or field of study;
    f. Whether the termination was initiated by the university or by DHS;
    g. Basis for termination;
    h. Notice provided;
    i. Any grace period to allow students to make travel or other arrangements; and
    j. Whether the student’s visa was revoked.
    9. The number of student visa holders on F-1, M-1, J-1 nonimmigrant status issued Form I862, Notice to Appear, initiating removal proceedings.
    Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical matter.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Applauds GAO’s Report on the Environmental Impacts of Generative Artificial Intelligence

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (April 28, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, applauds last week’s release of a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI’s Environmental and Human Effects. The release of this report comes after Senators Markey and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote to GAO requesting the agency conduct a detailed technology assessment of the potential harms, including environmental impacts, of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how to mitigate them.
    “There is a Dickensian quality to the use of AI when it comes to our environment: while there are many benefits, there are also many costs. This is why nearly two years ago, Senator Peters and I wrote to GAO to assess the potential challenges and risks AI poses. Last week’s GAO report confirms what we have known to be true: that for all its promise, AI comes with real costs to our climate and our communities. While these findings will help drive efforts to improve our understanding of AI energy and environmental impacts, I urge my colleagues to pass my Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act that would further investigate and measure these risks,” said Senator Markey.
    The GAO report found that generative AI poses significant energy and environmental impacts, but there are information gaps which data collection and reporting could help address. The report identified five risks that AI may pose to society and highlighted policy considerations for lawmakers.
    On February 1, 2024, Senators Markey and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-16) and Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2024, which would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards to measure and report the full range of AI environmental impacts, as well as create a voluntary framework for AI developers to report environmental impacts.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bipartisan Klobuchar Bill to Protect Online Privacy and Combat Explicit Deepfakes Passes Congress

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar

    The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the nonconsensual publication of explicit images, real and AI-generated, and requires websites to remove them

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ted Cruz (R-TX)  announced that their bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act passed the House and is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA) led the companion legislation that passed today.

    The bill unanimously passed the Senate in February, and it includes the Klobuchar and Senator John Cornyn’s (R-TX) Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution (SHIELD) Act, which addresses the online exploitation of explicit, private images and passed the Senate last July. 

    The TAKE IT DOWN Act would criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII, and require social media and similar websites to have in place procedures to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from a victim. 

    “We must provide victims of online abuse with the legal protections they need when intimate images are shared without their consent, especially now that deepfakes are creating horrifying new opportunities for abuse,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “These images can ruin lives and reputations, but now that our bipartisan legislation is becoming law, victims will be able to have this material removed from social media platforms and law enforcement can hold perpetrators accountable. ”

    “The passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act is a historic win in the fight to protect victims of revenge porn and deepfake abuse. This victory belongs first and foremost to the heroic survivors who shared their stories and the advocates who never gave up. By requiring social media companies to take down this abusive content quickly, we are sparing victims from repeated trauma and holding predators accountable,”said Sen. Cruz. “This day would not have been possible without the courage and perseverance of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu, and Brandon Guffey, whose powerful voices drove this legislation forward. I am especially grateful to my colleagues—including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Maria Salazar, Rep. Madeleine Dean, First Lady Melania Trump, and House Leadership—for locking arms in this critical mission to protect Americans from online exploitation.”

    “The TAKE IT DOWN Act’s passage is a significant step forward in Congress’ responsibility to protect the privacy and dignity of Americans against bad actors and the most harmful developments of AI,” said Rep. Dean. “It takes only minutes to create a deepfake or share intimate images without consent, yet the lasting consequences devastate its victims — often girls and women. Our bill requires platforms to remove these horrifying images and videos from the Internet within 48 hours. I’m deeply grateful to work with Sen. Klobuchar, Sen. Cruz, and Rep. Salazar to create this bipartisan federal law.”

    “The TAKE IT DOWN Act’s passage is a bipartisan victory to protect victims of real and deepfake revenge pornography,” said Rep. Salazar. “This bill shows Congress at its best, working together to empower victims, especially women and girls. It equally holds offenders and Big Tech accountable.” 

    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, or threaten to 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, in narrow cases.  
    • 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 FTC 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.

    The legislation is co-sponsored by Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), John Curtis (R-UT), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

    In 2024, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” Senator Klobuchar was part of a hearing that questioned the CEO of Discord Inc., Jason Citron, the CEO of TikTok Inc., Shou Chew, the Co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., Evan Spiegel, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), Linda Yaccarino, and the Founder and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), Mark Zuckerberg, about their companies turning a blind eye when young children joined their platforms, the risk of sexual exploitation, using algorithms that push harmful content, and providing a venue for drug traffickers to sell deadly narcotics like fentanyl.

    In 2017, Klobuchar and former Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), introduced the first version of this legislation, the bipartisan Ending Nonconsensual Online User Graphic Harassment (ENOUGH) Act. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Tuberville Visits Redstone Arsenal, Alabama Truckers over Easter Recess

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) made several stops while in Alabama over Easter recess.

    FBI AT REDSTONE ARSENAL:

    On Wednesday, Senator Tuberville joined U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) and FBI Director Kash Patel for a tour of the FBI facilities at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. Following the tour, the Senators joined Director Patel for a press conference.

    “This is a big part of [Director Patel’s] puzzle here at Redstone Arsenal, and that is the reason we’re here today for him to see what he has inherited and will inherit in the future, because it’s going to continue to grow,” Tuberville said at the press conference. 

    ALABAMA TRUCKING ASSOCIATION:

    On Friday, Senator Tuberville spoke at the Alabama Trucking Association Annual Convention. During his conversation with AL Trucking Association Board Chairman Joe Black, Senator Tuberville emphasized the critical role that the truckers play in supporting Alabama’s supply chain and economy.

    MORE:

    Yellowhammer: FBI Director commits to major expansion in Huntsville alongside Tuberville, Britt – Redstone Arsenal ‘one of the gems in the FBI crown jewel’

    1819 News: FBI Director Patel says Redstone Arsenal to play key role in Bureau’s future with ‘more and more’ agents moving to Huntsville

    WAFF: FBI Director Kash Patel, Alabama Senators speaking from Redstone Arsenal

    AL Daily News: FBI director tours Redstone Arsenal with Britt, Tuberville as agency plans to bring more jobs

    AL.com: ‘More and more’ FBI agents will come to Alabama, Kash Patel says on Redstone Arsenal tour

    WHNT: ‘We’re going to put more people here’: FBI Director Kash Patel visits Redstone Arsenal

    WAAY: FBI Director Kash Patel visits Redstone Arsenal

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Statement on New Agreement with Mexico to Secure Water for South Texas

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced they have brokered a new agreement on the Treaty Relating to the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande that secures water for farmers and ranchers in Texas:
    “South Texas has been devastated by Mexico’s repeated refusal to deliver the water it has owed the United States for far too long, and I commend the Trump administration for securing this critical deal for Mexico to finally send water to the region.”
    “This new agreement will bring substantial amounts of acre-feet of water to the U.S., and I thank President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Rollins, and Deputy Secretary Landau for their leadership after years of the Biden administration sitting on its hands and letting Texans suffer.”
    “I will continue working alongside President Trump and his administration to push Mexico for consistent, annual deliveries to live up to its obligations under the 1944 Water Treaty and ensure our South Texas agriculture community has the resources needed to thrive.”
    Background:
    Sen. Cornyn has led the charge in Congress to boost Texas’ water supply and ensure Mexico fulfills its treaty obligations to provide annual deliveries of water to South Texas farmers and ranchers. He partnered with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to successfully secure more than $280 million in emergency assistance for Rio Grande Valley farmers and producers affected by the water shortage and led a request earlier this year to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking for renewed efforts to push Mexico to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty while also securing Secretary Rubio’s commitment to hold Mexico accountable for delays.
    Last year, Sens. Cornyn and Cruz raised alarms after a Rio Grande sugarcane mill closed due to acute water shortages, cosponsored a resolution supporting diplomacy, and sent a letter to then-U.S. Secretary of State Blinken urging the Department to engage on Mexico’s violation of the intent of the treaty. Senator Cornyn also led a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on State and Foreign Operations urging them to withhold designated funds from Mexico until they enter into an agreement with the U.S. to balance the deficit of the water deliveries, which the House Appropriations Committee included in their funding bill.
    Under the Treaty Relating to the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande, Mexico is obligated to deliver an average of 350,000-acre feet of water annually over a five-year cycle as its contribution to the Rio Grande’s water supply. However, Mexico has consistently delayed fulfilling its water obligation until the end of the five-year cycle, which hinders South Texas farmers’ ability to plan for and grow crops as well as ranchers’ ability to provide water to livestock. The current cycle ends in October and so far, Mexico has paid less than 500,000 acre-feet of water—about a quarter of what it owes, according to IBWC data.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: April 28th, 2025 Heinrich, Luján Introduce Legislation to Build More Homes for New Mexicans, Reduce Homelessness

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced the Housing for All Act, legislation to address the housing shortage and homelessness crises in New Mexico. If passed, the bill will invest in proven solutions to address housing shortages and provide a historic level of federal funding for programs to bolster innovative, locally developed solutions to increase the housing stock in the state and help New Mexicans experiencing homelessness.
    As the Trump Administration undermines and defunds critical housing services across the country — including illegal staff cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and potential closures of nearly two-thirds of HUD field offices nationwide — investments to boost the affordable housing stock and reduce homelessness are essential.
    “Housing costs in New Mexico and across the country are out of control. The solution is simple: we need to build and renovate more homes. And we need to provide our community leaders with the financial support necessary to carry out this important work,” said Heinrich. “While Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s “DOGE” boys gut housing services that help New Mexicans keep a roof over their head, I’m focused on boosting essential programs that increase the housing stock, lower costs, and help hardworking families get ahead.”
    “In New Mexico and across the country, far too many Americans lack access to affordable housing options and are experiencing homelessness,” said Senator Luján. “As housing programs and services face ongoing attacks and funding cuts, the need to expand affordable housing options has never been greater. That’s why I’m proud to introduce this legislation to address housing shortages and help end homelessness in New Mexico.”
    Across New Mexico, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available to households whose incomes are at or below the poverty line or 30% of their area median income. And, according to a January 2024 survey conducted by the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, 4,649 people experienced homelessness in New Mexico on a night in January. Furthermore, half of New Mexico’s lower-income renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs, including utilities.
    Heinrich and Luján’s Housing for All Act takes an all-hands-on-deck approach to combat these crises, including historic investments from the federal government in housing solutions. 
    Addressing the Affordable Housing Shortage
    The Housing for All Act addresses the affordable housing shortage by investing in federal housing programs, including:
    Addressing the Homelessness Crisis
    The Housing for All Act addresses the homelessness crisis by investing in:

    Housing Choice Vouchers

    These vouchers help low-income families, elderly persons, veterans and disabled individuals afford housing in the private market.

    This program connects families and individuals to rapid re-housing assistance, emergency shelter, and homelessness prevention.

    Supporting Innovative and Locally Developed Approaches
    The Housing for All Act supports innovative and locally developed approaches by investing in:
    A one-page summary of the bill is here.
    A section-by-section summary of the bill is here.
    The text of the bill is here. 
    For a list of Heinrich’s actions to lower housing costs and tackle the housing shortage in New Mexico, click here.
    For a list of Luján’s actions to lower housing costs and tackle the housing shortage in New Mexico, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: RELEASE: Mullin Speaks at Oklahoma National Guard Conference, Shares Stories of Leadership

    US Senate News:

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

    RELEASE: Mullin Speaks at Oklahoma National Guard Conference, Shares Stories of Leadership

    Tulsa, OK – On Friday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) spoke at the Oklahoma National Guard’s 2025 The Adjutant General (TAG) Leadership Conference at the Osage Casino Hotel in Tulsa. Highlights of the Senator’s remarks from the event are available below.

    On the keys to success:
    “My four keys to success: honesty, hard work, respectful, responsible. Now, if I’m making a decision, it’s really hard to mess up if I’m making a decision and I’m checking every one of those boxes…
    “Am I being honest with the way I’m making this decision? Am I being honest with myself? Am I being honest with everyone around me?…
    “If I’m making a decision on hard work, am I cutting any corners? Am I making sure that I’m running every decision point to the end of the road and having a full, clear picture of my decision?”

    On how to handle a bad day:
    “If you’re having a bad day, don’t make anyone else have a bad day around you. Just because you’re having a bad day doesn’t give you the right to make somebody else have a bad day. It affects everybody and everything around you and it may even affect that’s second person’s home life…
    “Because that person may go home and take it out on their spouse. Not physically, but they’re upset, and when they walk through the door instead of hugging their spouse, they go through the door, and they sit down on the couch, and they pout. Or they go to the bedroom, or they go to the backyard, and they start thinking, ‘well I’m gonna ease this pain by cracking a beer open. I’m gonna relax, I’m gonna take a shot,’ and it starts affecting people around you and you don’t even know it because you’re taking it out on the people around you because you had a bad day…
    “If you’re having a bad day, get lost.”

    On consistent leadership:
    “Whoever is following you knows how you’re going to come to a decision. When they know how you’re going and they know how you think, they can follow you better. You have to be consistent in leadership.”

    MIL OSI USA News –